#fun fact: I still have not celebrated or have done anything special for my birthday yet LOL wheeze...usually I draw a self-indulgent pic

[megidoreyn]

Drew the SMT4 Samurai Squad floating away on the twitter profile balloons to celebrate my birthday in September! 🎈🍰

💙twitter 💙misskey

#shin megami tensei #megaten #smt iv #shin megami tensei iv #still kinda proud of these chibis NGL...really cooked with these given the time crunch #also in general I think this is a good representation of my chibi style overall... #I live for dynamic and expressive chibis!!! and just dynamic content overall...I always wonder if that comes through in my pictures tbh! #ok but FR FR two months ago I said I would post these individually LOL... so here they are! #fun fact: I still have not celebrated or have done anything special for my birthday yet LOL wheeze...usually I draw a self-indulgent pic #or grab some bubble tea/boba or some bread at local bakeries here (like 85C LOL)... but I haven't made any time for myself recently!

[luizd3ad]

Happy Birthday? | Poly!Moonwaterkiller x Fem!Reader One Shot

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 ࣪˖⤷ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ࣪ ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 ˖ ⤷

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Regulus Black x Barty Crouch Jr x F!Reader WC: 3,163 TW: Polyamorous relationship, swearing, teasing type of relationship, mostly fluff, slight angst at the end, slight talks of Regulus’s childhood, no use of Y/N Author's Note: This ship is inspired by @ellecdc please send her love. She's so talented and is just straight up amazing. Also I'm still new to writing so I hope you like it and I'm sorry if it's not good/doesn't make sense.

Summary: It’s regulus birthday so you, Remus and Barty want to make it special but sometimes things don’t go as planned.

I made this ig mood board inspired by the guy idk ive never made one before

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“Bartemius Crouch junior! I swear to all that is holy in this world! If you stick your grubby hands in the frosting one more bloody time!”

“Oh come on Lupin! You can’t blame me, it's just so fucking good!"

Barty yelled, waving his hands around trying to defend himself.

You couldn't help but laugh at hearing two of your boyfriends’ bicker while you put the chicken you just got done seasoning into the oven to cook. 

Admittedly it was quite entertaining and it helped distract you a bit from stressing over the cooking that still needed to be done and the small decorations that needed to be put up for today.

It was Regulus's birthday, so you and Remus had gotten Sirius to take Regulus out for the day so you and your partners could try and surprise him with a birthday dinner for just the four of you. 

You couldn't help but stress seeing as he should be home sooner than later at this point, and you wanted everything to be as perfect as possible since Regulus wasn't completely comfortable with celebrating his birthday still. 

He didn't find the idea of a party and things of that nature to be fun, he found it more stressful and anxiety inducing than anything. (due to his childhood)

So the three of you have always tried to do a little something to make it special for him and to show Regulus that you all love him but never anything too much as to avoid overwhelming or making him uncomfortable. 

“Barty, my love, how about you go and set up the ‘Happy Birthday’ banner?”

“Anything for you angel.”

Barty says with a look that he reserved for only you. 

It was love sick looks. The kind of look that could show the receiver every emotion the other person was feeling. It showed that you were loved by that person with their whole heart. The type of look that had both parties feeling vulnerable in the best way possible.

Even before you all had started dating, when you all were just friends in your earlier years at Hogwarts, he had always looked at you as if you hung the moon and all the stars in the sky. 

He'd look at you as if you were the only good thing left in this world, and to him you were one of the only good things left in this world.

You and two other people that he held closer to his heart than he'd probably be willing to admit most days. 

Though that didn’t mean Barty didn't love Remus and Regulus.

It also didn't mean it was a secret of how much Barty loved Remus and Regulus. In fact he loved them with all his heart. He expressed how much he loved them somewhat often in his own ways.

Especially since he could be known for his flair of the dramatics at times, he had expressed many times that he loved the three of you more than anything. 

Not that anyone could deny, or question it. More like no one would dare to deny or question it. 

Barty has expressed many times how he'd burn down cities, commit unspeakable acts and take on any unforgivable in a heartbeat for Regulus and Remus.

The love Barty held for them two was the kind of love that was teasing and could be chaotic in the best way. 

The type of love that could only be described as a ‘I can pick on them but you can't pick on them because they're mine’ in the most loving way Barty could possibly manage. And may the gods help any poor soul that ever tried to mess with someone who he deemed as his. 

But the love he had for you was a softer kind of love, it was sweet. The kind of love full of things like love sick looks, soft touches, sweet kisses and even sweeter words.

Along with the promises of burning down cities, committing unspeakable acts and taking on unforgivables’, who would expect anything less from Barty?  But I digress.

“Yes please, piss off for fucks sake.”

Remus says in an exasperated tone waving Barty away. Barty then gasps dramatically and clenches his shirt as if he was clutching his ‘pearls’. 

“You don't mean that, Remmy.” Barty all but whined. 

“Plus you couldnt get rid of me even if you wanted to.”

Barty states sending a smirk and wink at Remus, which Remus just responds with by rolling his eyes and hitting Barty with a dish towel playfully to distract Barty from the light blush that's undoubtedly spread across Remus’s face, as to avoid being teased further by him.

“Barty’s right Rem. Even if we wanted to, we're stuck with him, unfortunately.”

You say with a sarcastic little sigh while trying to suppress a smile that threatened to form due to the two men playful arguing. 

Barty then gasps dramatically once more and puts his hand over his heart as if you just stabbed him in the heart as Remus snicker at Bartys reaction and to your comment. 

“Not you as well, angel. You should know that words hurt. You've wounded me, you've basically killed me.”

Barty then pretends to sob as you and Remus shake your heads with smiles on your faces due to his behavior.

“Gods you’ve been spending way too much damn time around Sirius.”

Remus says while rubbing his hands over his face trying to hide his smile. You chuckle and walk up to Barty and give him a hug giving him your best ‘I'm sorry’ look. 

“I’m sorry Barty, I just couldn't help it. Remus has influenced me far too much.. Blame him.”

You say in fake sincerity with a small nod as you hear Remus huff at your comment.

Barty lets out a chuckle and hugs you back with a smile on his face looking down at you as he holds you. 

“It's okay angel, I could never stay upset at you. Lupin on the other hand..”

Barty drags out the end of his sentence with a small smirk on his face as Remus scoffs dramatically at his lovers’ statements.

“Really love? It's my fault is it?”

Remus says with his head tilted to the side and eyebrow raised, as if daring you to continue saying that he should be the one to blame for your ‘cruel’ comment to Barty. 

“Actually Lupin,  I think it is your fault.” Barty stated apparently agreeing with you.

“And what has brought you to that conclusion Junior?” 

Remus says as he walks toward the both of you with a small smirk on his face.

“My angel was just that, an angel. That was until you lot got your Gryffindor hands all over her.”

Barty says with a small shrug, feeling as if his point was valid and made sense. You supposed for Barty it did.

“Is that a fact?” Remus asked while getting closer to you and Barty.

“Yeah, Lupin it is actually.”  Barty says, giving Remus a somewhat challenging look.

“You don't seem to complain when I have my Gryffindor hands all over you, Junior.” 

Remus then winks at a now blushing and flustered Barty. You then cover your mouth trying to hide your own blush while also trying to suppress a giggle.

Barty tries to say some kind of come back and it  just results in him stuttering.

“W-well I- Goddamnit! That’s not fair Lupin!”

“All's fair in love and war Junior.”

Remus says sending another wink at Barty and smirking at you while Barty stares at him with wide eyes in complete silence.

He had managed to make Barty Crouch Jr speechless.

That was actually one of the many things that Remus was good at, especially at the beginning when everything was still new and more unexpected. 

When the four of you were in that space where you weren't officially dating but it was clear to you and everyone who'd been around your little group that you four had very strong feelings for each other.

It had taken Remus no time at all to get comfortable with having at least one of you flustered almost all the time, usually to the point of stuttering or speechlessness. 

He loved seeing you three like that.

Especially Barty.

Barty wasn't someone you could easily make blush let alone actually fluster, especially with just words so whenever Remus would manage to make Barty speechless he felt like he won a reward. 

Barty would never admit it but it was clear as day that Remus was good at making him a flustered stuttering mess. 

And Barty hated it.

“Now love. I believe someone owes someone an apology for trying to place blame.”

Remus says, walking up to you now at arms length and giving you a pointed look now waiting for an apology. 

While Barty mutters a ‘fucking hell’ under his breath and runs his hand through his hair as he walks towards the kitchen counter still mumbling quietly to himself.

“I'm sorry moony. Truly. Do you forgive me?” You say somewhat sincerely knowing Remus doesn't really care all that much. 

“I could never stay mad at you, love.”

Remus says with a small smile he then cups your cheek and gives you a kiss on your forehead, you lean into Remus's kiss taking in the moment and enjoying the affection from your boyfriend.

When suddenly you and Remus feel a cold, grainy substance rain down on you, which you both quickly realize is flour once the shock wore off.

You then hear a familiar giggle, and turn to see none other than a proud looking Barty standing now several feet away, covered in white powder himself. He just stands there proud of himself as if he didn't just cover you both in flour.

As you stare at him wide eyed and mouth a gasp, he just gives you a cheeky little smile.

“You did not just do that Junior.”

“Oh but I think I did, Remmy. That's what you get for teasing and being mean to me.”

Barty then sends a little wink to you and a somewhat apologetic smile.

“Sorry angel. Collateral damage, you understand.”

Barty says with a small shrug and a tone that makes it seem like it's the most reasonable thing that he has ever done.

You simply nod with the most convincing smile you could possibly muster in that moment.

“Of course my love. I understand.”

You say walking near Barty and grabbing a bowl that's filled with whipped cream that you had made earlier. You then walk closer to Barty and with a smile on your face.

“And you'll understand when I do this.”

You say while grabbing a handful of whipped cream and throwing it at Barty just for him to duck in time ending with the cream hitting Remus in the face. You gasp and cover your mouth trying not to laugh as Barty busts out laughing.

“Oh shit Rem! I'm so sorry.”

You say trying hard and failing to suppress your laughter, while Remus wipes his eyes off with his hands.

“It's okay love. All’s forgiven. Just come and give me a kiss.”

“Ummm I would love to, honestly I would… After you clean your face, that is…”

You back away from a now smiling remus while he opens his arms for you and starts walking closer to you. 

“No, now would be fine for me.”

Remus proceeds to walk closer to you as you start to back away towards Barty who's starting to calm down from his laughter.

“Why not kiss Barty?! This is all because of him anyway!”

Barty then gasps.

“Angel! I can't believe you'd throw me under the bus like that… Is it bad that I liked it?”

Barty asks the last part more to himself than to anyone else. He was so caught up in his thoughts for a second that he didn't notice you now using him as a human shield, that was until he felt a clump of whipping cream on his head and looked to see a smirking Remus. 

“Oh. This means war.”

All of a sudden it was every person for themselves. The kitchen was now a war zone. Flour, whipped cream, sugar, powdered sugar, fruits and berries were being thrown all over the place. It was pure chaos. 

The Three you were making a mess out of the kitchen and even bigger messes of yourselves.

Next thing you, you’ve been thrown over Remus’s shoulder while Barty is chasing Remus around the kitchen. 

There’s so much going on, so much laughing and screaming that no one heard the door open. Which meant no one heard Regulus make his way to the kitchen, and so no one noticed him standing in the doorway till you heard him speak.

“I leave you alone for a few hours and suddenly the kitchen explodes?”

Regulus in all his stoic glory just stood there not even looking a little surprised.

All three of you stopped running around, suddenly feeling like kids who got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Then all three of you look at eachother then at Regulus.

“Happy Birthday?” You, Remus and Barty said accidentally making it sound more like a question than in an enthusiastic way.

Regulus just points at the oven says.

“The ovens smoking.”

“Oh shit! The chicken!”

You yell as Remus puts you down and he rushes to the oven to take out the now burnt chicken as smoke fills the kitchen.

“Sooo… Chinese?” Said a very uncertain Barty  

After opening some windows, having the Chinese food delivered, a few showers and quite a few cleaning spells the four of you ended up on the couch with a movie on not many words being exchanged.

After the movie was finished and the food had all been mostly finished Remus had brought out the cake that he managed to finish decorating while waiting for the food to arrive.

The three of you had sung (or in Bartys case basically screamed) Happy birthday to Regulus while he sat there with a ghost of a smile on his face. After another hour or so the four of you found yourselves in your shared bed.

You couldn't help but feel guilty since Regulus hadn't really expressed any emotion which wasn’t necessarily not normal about his birthday. You felt like maybe you had upset him in some way, maybe you over stepped or maybe he was irritated due to the mess you Remus and Barty made. 

You were spiraling. 

Till you heard a whisper.

“Thank you..” 

It was quiet for a few seconds, you supposed no one really knew what to say.

“For what Black? I feel like we kinda ruined your birthday.” Said a almost half asleep Barty

“It wasn't ruined Junior! It just didn't go.. as planned..'' defend Remus who laid on the other side of you. 

You and Regulus laid in the middle of Barty and Remus.

“Would the two of you stop bickering for just a moment please?” You say with a small shake of your head and a small chuckle. 

The next second there's a small choir of ‘Sorry angel’ and ‘Sorry love’.

“What are you thanking us for, Reggie?” 

You say pushing some of his black curly hair behind his ear looking at him softly, though he probably couldn't tell since it was dark in the room.

The only light coming through the window from the half moon.

“For today.. I know it didn't go how any of you planned or would have wanted it to go, but still. It was nice. I spent most of the day with my brother though he can be insufferable, loud and dramatic most of the time, it was still nice. And then to come home to the three people who mean everything to me laughing and having fun... That was the best part. I know I'm not the easiest when it comes to celebrating my birthday but, your three and Sirius have been the only people who have ever actually cared for my birthday. You've never treated it like how my parents did. Never used it as an excuse to have a big party full of people I didn't know or care about just so it seemed like we were better then them or make it seem like we were the perfect family, even though it was evident that we weren't. You've always made it about me and always respected what I'm comfortable with and well I appreciate that. So.. Thank you.. I love you.. All three of you..”

“We love you too Reg.” You say quietly, giving Regulus a soft kiss.

“Awwww did Regulus Black just say he loves me.” Barty practically squealed.

Barty then pulls Regulus into him so Regulus’s back is to Barty's front and then proceeds to messily kiss Regulus all over the side of his face while Regulus tries and fails to get away from him.

Remus then starts to laugh harder than you had seen in a while, almost falling off the bed as he hears the bickering between the two (mostly on Regulus' part) and sees the shadows of a struggling Regulus and a very determined Barty. 

You can't help but start to laugh almost as hard as Remus as you try and get the words out to have Barty let go of poor Regulus.

The night continues for only a few more moments it's filled with more laughing and eventually sleepy good night kisses and I love yous.

To say the four of you had an interesting relationship would be an understatement. It could be messy and chaotic, it could be a fucking headache sometimes. 

But there was love. There was always love. 

There were mornings where the four of you would wake up and just lay in bed happier than any of you thought you could ever be.

There were tender kisses and loving touches.

Dreams and promisses of the future.

There were smiles and laughing fits that would fuel you for the days when you felt like you couldn't even get out of bed.

Admittedly, it was a lot most of the time. 

There were screaming matches and arguing at its worst times but at its best times it was you and three people that you couldn't see your life without. Three people that made life easier most of the time. People who could make you laugh till you cried and that would hold you while you cried and fall apart.

This was a life that none of you ever thought you'd have the opportunity to have, and ever so often one of you would feel like you didn't deserve the life you had.

This was the kind of life that probably wouldn’t exist for you guys in different universes. But here, in this universe? This is the life you have and you wouldn't trade it for the world.

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#Barty Crouch Jr #Regulus Black #Remus Lupin #remus lupin x reader #Regulus Black x reader #barty crouch jr x reader #moonwaterkiller #poly moonwaterkiller #moonwaterkiller x reader #the marauders #marauders #remus x Barty x regulus x reader #hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry #hogwarts #x reader #remus x reader #barty x reader #regulus x reader #regulus x barty #barty x remus #remus x regulus

[comingyourlugubriousness]

Groovy: Let’s make some memories we’ll never forget! Say Cheese!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YUME AND ME! ⸜(*ˊᗜˋ*)⸝🎉🎂

Here is Yume's groovy birthday card! Fun fact I drew this one first before the basic card one. This is half art/half edit. I wanted to make it look most like a card so I used some twst refences and had a lot of fun with it.

Yume and Leona's dynamic is very fun! I'll post Yume's birthday interview in a few days!

Voice lines and Duo magic under below:

Summon: Ah, I was waiting for you to show up. We can’t start the celebration without you!

Summon 2: *mimicking Idia’s voice* “Fuheehee, here comes the birthday boy～” Ah, sorry just an inside joke, haha.

Groovy: Let’s make some memories we’ll never forget! Say Cheese!

Set Home: Ready for the “surprise!” hehe!

Home Idle: Yuuta and Yuuhi made me a special pizza cake for my birthday! It’s so tasty, you have to try some!

Idle 2: Ruggie keeps bugging me to let him do chores for me today, but I don’t have anything I need done. All he needs to do is be there after all; that’s a friend's only real job on your birthday!

Idle 3: Deuce gave me a charm for my keys; it’s a matching set; look how cute it is!

Idle Groovy: Like my jacket? I designed it myself! It’s not completely Ignihyde, but not fully Ramshackle either. It belongs somewhere in the middle… like me! Hehe! *smiles*

Home Login: Wow this is a bigger party then I thought…hey, will you stay close to me for a bit…Thanks!

Tap: Phew~ Jamil just barely stopped Kalim from running a whole parade through here. Please Kalim, the introverted Ignihyde students would perish instantly!

Tap 2: Grim drew me a picture of the two of us together for my birthday. It’s getting the highest honors; right on the fridge!

Tap 3: Riddle gifted me an assortment of teas; we drank them together! They were way sweeter than I imagined.

Tap 4: Hm? Idia’s gift? Oh, we celebrated my birthday early last night, just the two of us!...HEY! Not like that! Don’t make that face! o///o 

Tap 5: *talking to self*...the origin of the idea came from ancient mages who used their powers to manifest their desires by using the power of the cosmos…” Hm…didn’t I read this before?…Huh! Oh! Sorry, I was just reading the book Leona gave me! It’s really interesting!

Tap Groovy: Instead of just fixing my glasses like a normal mage; Leona had Ruggie make me an eye glasses appointment to get a new prescription…I mean…I guess it's kinda nice? But still, I’ll have Trey or Idia fix my original pair.

Duo Magic

Yume: Here comes a big play; you ready, old man?

Leona: Heh, don’t fall behind, runt!

#love that yume's hand is perfectly censored on the duo magic lol #a happy accident #yume ume #twst oc #leona kingscholar: mention #twst mc #twst yuu #twst yume #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #myart #pumpkingart #HAPPY BIRTHDAY YUME...and me! ^v^

[elvenbeard]

OC INTERVIEW: Vincent "V" Ezaki

Tagged by: @pinkyjulien @chevvy-yates @wraithsoutlaws and @v-eats-bugs thank you so much!!! <3

I'm gonna steal the idea some of you had and let him answer in character, but I'm gonna put some more context (and/or the truth xD) after Vince's reply where I see fit!

Tagging everyone who sees this and hasn't been tagged yet :3c I think most of you have done this at this point, but do please tag me if you do, I wanna read about your blorbos!!

■ NICKNAME ■ "Just 'V'."

100% going with the "only people that know me really well can use my real name" canon, because I love that scene and moment so much (and the lil nod to it again in the Tower Ending with Johnny ;_;). In my hc, Jackie gave him the nickname "V" on the day they met. Up until then he had always insisted on the full "Vincent" with everyone, and Jackie was the one to urge him to be careful with whom he shares his full identity. Meanwhile it's the other way around and "Vincent" is reserved for friends only... and "Vince" exclusively for Kerry really xD

■ GENDER ■ "Could say I'm a self-made man." ;)

This highly depends on who is asking the question here, if it's a very casual setting he'd say the above, if it's something to go into a screamsheet or whatnot he'd be more like "well, take a wild fuckin' guess" or just "male". He doesn't hide the fact he's trans, and he's proud of his journey and identity, but it's still not something he'd want to publically discuss with strangers without anything to gain from it.

■ STAR SIGN ■ "Gemini I think, but I gotta say, astrology isn't exactly something I have deep knowledge or opinions about."

He celebrates his birthday June 10th, but his real birthday in in September, so he's actually a Libra xD

■ HEIGHT ■ "5'6."

■ ORIENTATION ■ "Sorry ladies." ;)

Again, highly contextual on who is asking, and depending on that his answer might be more evasive or he'd just decline to answer. The less details about his private life are in the public's eye the better. But if the context is a fun night out with friends and he feels safe, he'd definitely give a more cheeky response and, to not get anyone's hopes up, just straightforward let them know he's gay.

■ NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY■ "Born and raised in Night City and a proud citizen ever since."

He doesn't talk about his family because he's cut ties with them long ago. His mother, Marcella, was also from Night City, your average NUS citizen with mixed European heritage. His father, Kousuke, was Japanese. He and Vince's mother met through work for a certain corporation that wasn't necessarily welcome in NC at the time (but I bet my ass still very much present in one way or another).

■ FAVE FRUIT ■ "When I was a kid, I once had daifuku with real, straight-from-the-ground strawberries. Somewhere way out there on the Japanese countryside, couldn't tell you where exactly anymore. Still got no idea where they even got the strawberries from, but no RealFruit ever matched those."

■ FAVE SEASON ■ "Don't think I have a real preference here, 'specially cause Night City's warm all year round. I like it that way. Could do with less sandstorms though. I like it when it rains now and then, the steam on the asphalt, everything is just... quieter, in a way."

■ FAVE FLOWER ■ "One made from plastic."

Vince doesn't have a green thumb and no mind to care for plants either. He's far from an outdoorsy, nature-loving person XD Do not gift him flowers, he will not know what to do with them. That being said though: he has two big stylized lotus flowers tattooed. The first one he got shortly before he left his home, when he began his transition. The second after his top surgery, when he already worked for Arasaka, as a reminder to stay true to himself on the inside, especially whenever he couldn't outwardly. He just likes the lotus aesthetically, the shapes and symmetry, and that it symbolizes rebirth and transformation.

■ FAVE SCENT ■ "Clean bedsheets and freshly brewed green tea."

And the odd mix of Kerry's overpriced bodywash and favourite cigarettes XD

■ COFFEE, TEA, HOT CHOCOLATE ■ "Yes, in that order please. Coffee with milk and sugar, tea is fine just plain, green or black."

He's definitely more of a coffee than a tea drinker, and whatever it is, it's gotta be a little fancy xD Vince is the kind of person with a long-ass signature order at the coffee shop, and I 100% see him loving bubble tea in any combination and variation in existence. The only time he drinks his coffee black is when he accidentally orders "the same as him" in a moment of distraction at Caliente's with Kerry. But tea he occasionally likes just plain, but then it has to be high quality organic real tea leaves. Hot chocolate is a nice special treat, too.

■ AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP ■ "Even in my line of work a regular sleep schedule is possible - and necessary, to stay sharp. I try to get my 7 hours of sleep in."

The somewhat regular sleep schedule is really something he values and tries to stick to, although the Relic and Johnny's presence really mess it up for a long while. But especially because his lack of sleep while working at Arasaka contributed to him developing a drug addiction to cope with the stress and sleep-deprivation it's something he doesn't want to fall back into.

■ DOG OR CAT PERSON ■ "Defintiely cats."

■ DREAM TRIP ■ "I'd like to return to Japan one day for a short vacation - see if I can find that daifuku shop again, haha. Would also love to visit Europe more extensively than what I've seen of it so far. And, who knows, maybe the Crystal Palace one day."

And the Phillipines with Kerry <3

■ FAVE FICTIONAL CHARACTER ■ "Ooohhh, that's a hard question, let me think for a moment... [insert long analysis of different movie and video game characters and why they're good or bad and why he likes them or not]"

Evading this a little bit because I don't wanna dive into a rabbit hole of seeing what canonical fictional characters there are and why Vince might like them or not xD He is a big nerd and a gamer and knows so much more than I do XD Also, he'd 100% be the kind of person who's rooting for the evil guys, because often their motivations and goals are much more complex and interesting than the "hero's" in his eyes xD and he's fascinated by the concept that they're doomed to lose by the narrative usually (because the good guys usually win), but still fight tooth and nail to achieve their goals and safe their own skin. He can relate to that a lot more than the selfless goodie-two-shoes who just want to save the world and make it a better place.

■ NUMBER OF BLANKETS THEY SLEEP WITH ■ "In this weather one is more than enough. Sometimes none is better."

■ RANDOM FACT ■ "It takes around 7 seconds for someone to form a solid first impression of you in a face-to-face conversation. It takes my Kiroshis' scanners half as long to additionally supply me with all the data on you I need to permanently ruin your life for good."

#cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk v #male v cyberpunk #vincent ezaki #tag games #oc interview

[astrum-aetherium]

I hope I'm not the only one who can't stop thinking about that brief mention of Henry's birthday party at Francis' house??? Like I want to know EVERYTHING. What did they do? How did Henry react?? How dare Donna drop that and then move on as if it was nothing I need all the details

holy shit! i honestly had to pull up a pdf of the book to refresh my memory, and yes — you're right. there is a mention of a such thing in it. holy hell. i completely disregarded that. and how rude of richard to just brush past it as though it were nothing! i need a word with ms tartt immediately.

this is twice as amusing (and, thankfully, fitting) because i have my own headcanon for henry's birthday being at the very end of december, as he is a capricorn to me — through and through (yes, i am an astrology girl, and yes, i have birth chart headcanons for all of the characters). gahh, i'm utterly thrilled by this right now.

what i can honestly imagine them to have done, judging by the fact both richard and bunny were there, is not too much promiscuity — in comparison to the bacchanal or the preparations for it, for instance. i can expect the party to have been a surprise, as henry doesn't exactly seem like someone who would like to celebrate himself (or anything else, for that matter). still, i feel like he would enjoy it in the end, though certainly never confess to that.

they definitely got drunk. obliterated. that goes without saying. i can even imagine other substances being consumed. what i can also see them doing is perhaps throwing on a few records and foolishly dancing around in the huge house. someone (who isn't gifted at it) attempting to play the piano. some promiscuous activity, perhaps — someone making out or getting overly touchy with one another for the fun of it (coughs richard and francis coughs). dramatic reenactions of their favorite works. running around the property. i don't know. so many things.

here, of course, we're toying with the potential of a self-insert. had you been there, i mean... do i even need to say it? henry is certainly likely to receive a most special gift for his birthday ;) to steer clear of the obscenity, however, i feel like he might get intoxicated enough to let himself be unwound to the point of indulging in a dance with you in front of everyone. that'd be sweet.

#astrum asks #the fact i had forgotten about this LOL #but it's such a thrilling thought to entertain #henry winter #the secret history #henry winter imagine #henry winter x reader #henry winter thirst #henry winter smut #indulgent thoughts #dark academia

[charliedawn]

Morpheus x Hope! Reader

~request

Tag list : @aurorarevenclaw1927

"What day are we today, Lucienne ?"

Lucienne peered up from underneath her imposing heap of books and important texts to glance at her lord's morose expression. If the heavy rain outside was anything to go by, she would say lord Morpheus was feeling quite melancholic..She sought to find the correct answer right away, surely his lordship already knew the time of day to its very second..So, it had to be an important day for him ?

She thought back and forth of all the possible answers, but couldn't find anything to say other than the shameful truth.

"I..do not know, sir. Forgive my ignorance."

Morpheus didn't reply, he kept staring at the rain and sighed. He should have known. He had done his very best to hide it from everyone, even his own subjects..Of course she wouldn't know. He hadn't celebrated it for such a long time, it sometimes even eluded him.

"...It's my birthday.", he half-heartedly disclosed and Lucienne's eyes widened at the revelation.

At their birth, each Endless had been given a special day of celebration, one that solely belonged to them by their parents, their "birthday".

Morpheus had never actually divulged the date to anyone, not to Lucienne nor to any resident living in the Dreaming. She had asked once, but he had glared at her with such animosity that she had promised herself to never ask again.

It did raise the question as to why he would break his resolve today—of all days ?

He had disclosed this long-hidden secret so nonchalantly, he could have as well waved it off as unimportant. But by the way her lordship's mood seemed to be highly affected by that fact, she didn't know if she ought to wish him a happy birthday, or keep quiet.

She picked the second option and waited for her lord to speak more. But, he didn't. They stayed in perfect silence until Lucienne decided it was best to speak, before her lord found offense in her lack of reaction.

"Would you want me to...tell the kingdom ?", she risked—unsure of what the right thing to do would be in the current circumstances. "I am sure we can still throw you a party or even find something to give you.."

"No.", he replied curtly—his eyes still staring far ahead at the gloomy landscape.

His answer left her dumbfounded. No ? Why ? Morpheus seemed to read her mind and his expression hardened as he promptly added.

"You have your responsibilities. You do not have the time to worry about such a fiddle thing. I just...wanted someone to know.", he confessed at the end and even though Lucienne knew he was right, she couldn't help but feel bad for her lord.

"Well..May I suggest something else then, my lord ?"

He didn't move, but didn't deny her request and she took it as a go ahead and continued.

"The humans are celebrating what they call 'Halloween' today. It is a sort of celebration of dreams and nightmares, and maybe would it interest you to..go down there and have some fun ?", she asked with uncertainty—as she didn't know how her master would react to the proposition.

Morpheus stilled for a moment before pondering on her suggestion. It would allow him to take some time away from the kingdom and furthermore, he never thought of Halloween as a feast for his creations, but now that he thought about it..Humans liked being spooked on that day, right ?

A sinister smile drew on his face. It promised to be entertaining to say the least. Humans were naturally scared of him, but he wondered if their reactions would change upon this unique night.

He summoned a mask and disappeared in a swirl of sand while Lucienne smiled knowingly to herself and returned to her duties. Morpheus would never pass on an opportunity to spend time with humanity, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

In a city somewhere :

Morpheus appeared and even though he was not alone, nobody noticed his rather dramatic entrance as he stepped out of the storm of sand with his arms raised and outfit perfectly unscathed by the waves of sand swirling around him.

He saw all those people dressed as many of his nightmares and couldn't help but smile at the tender picture it portrayed. All of those humans, unknowingly honoring him and his Dreams and Nightmares.

Morpheus still remembered the day he was created, he rose up from the very everlasting being of Time and Space and took his role as the guardian of dreams right away. There had been no warmth nor love in his conception, only duty to a people he still failed to understand fully. Everything seemed so chaotic and—even though he would never admit it—scary..But, he had succeeded in learning how to appreciate the things in his life, until they would eventually leave him.

But, knowing humans kept celebrating his work was enough to make him feel better.

He didn't know why they had started celebrating on this day, maybe a coincidence—or another one of his siblings' failed attempt to provoke him ? Nonetheless, it was entertaining to say the least.

He smiled.

But, as he was distracted by the many lights and decorations, he failed to notice the kid running right towards him. They bumped into each other and Morpheus frowned as he felt the contact and lowered his gaze to find a little boy there—out of breath and who fearfully looked up to stare at him. The little boy—who was dressed in a skeleton costume—momentarily forgot his initial fear as their eyes met and a wide grin spread across his face.

"Wow ! Sick costume !"

Morpheus opened his mouth to reply, but the little boy's face twisted back into an expression of fear. Morpheus thought it was because of him, but was surprised when the little boy hid behind him and gripped the fabric of his robe tightly as other boys arrived. They stilled for a second when they saw Morpheus, but one of them—the leader no doubt—took a step forward to laugh at the little boy.

"Look at that ! Jamie made a friend !", he mocked and the young boy's eyes widened significantly, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes.

When the mean boy grabbed the one hiding behind him, Morpheus instinctively grabbed the bully's arm. The young man froze and his face twisted in fear as Morpheus' face morphed into one of a creepy doll. Morpheus was surprised to find himself surrounded as they dragged the young boy he was trying to protect away.

He could easily take them all down, but he didn't want to make a scene or use his magic in such a crowded area..

Morpheus didn't know how to act and he knew he shouldn't interfere with human affairs, but when he heard the small child's—that he guessed the name was Jamie—screams as he was dragged away..A strange urge to protect him surged through him.

Rain started pouring around them and in a matter of seconds, he was standing before them in all his endless might, his hands raised and summoning black sand all around them. The band didn't know how he had moved so fast nor how he managed to summon send and when Morpheus' eyes glowed yellow in the darkness, they all stopped to stare at him, speechless at the inhuman apparition.

"...Release him this instant.", he ordered in the authorative low tone he reserved for his undisciplined Nightmares and it didn't take long for all the kids to release the kid and scurry off, crying and screaming in fear. He watched them flee before returning his attention on the kid who was still on the floor—stunned.

Jamie stayed shocked for a few seconds more before shaking his head and qui8 stood back up on his feet.

"Thanks..I'm Jamie. Jamie Larusso.", he introduced himself sheepishly before looking around, searching for something and Morpheus tilted his head to scrutinize the little boy. He knew he shouldn't be spending more time than absolutely necessary with him, but Morpheus was inexplicably intrigued by the young boy.

"Where were you heading ?", Morpheus inquired, partly because he was indeed curious—but also because he was worried the boys would attempt to attack him again. Jamie hesitated before admitting.

"I was going to see my grandma.."

Morpheus nodded understandingly before declaring.

"Very well. I shall accompany you then.."

The young man's eyes widened in surprise at the generous offer and another wide grin split his face as he asked excitedly.

"You..would do that ? Really ?!"

Morpheus nodded once more, even though puzzled by the genuine happiness the news caused the young boy. Was he expecting him to leave him stranded all on his own for some reason ? The boy took his hand and pulled him forward towards the outer ridge of the village and Morpheus frowned in confusion. Was the young man's grandmother living outside the residential areas ?

It only hit him when they both stopped in front of a tall and imposing gate where he could see graves through the bars.

Larusso opened the gates expertly by sliding his hand down through one of the openings to unlock the door from the inside. When he stepped inside, he turned around to tell Morpheus he could leave if he wished to, but Morpheus followed him promptly.

He knew this cemetery..He was sure of it.

His feet led him to one particular spot where the half washed away name of Jessamy Maria Larusso was written down..He had never asked for her full name. He didn't see it as important at the time, nor did she. But, he should have. He should have known she had a family and a grandson, but he hadn't.

They stopped in front of the familiar tombstone and stayed still, memories of who he used to call friend returning to him..The dear and brave raven who had stood by his side until the very end. Jessamy...He then turned towards the young boy who had tears in his eyes and was desperately trying not to let them fall. He was Jessamy's grandson. It made sense.

"Hey, grandma'. It's Jamie. I know we didn't really get a chance to talk a lot this year, but I miss you. Ma doesn't like to talk about it, but she does to. I just hope..I just hope you're having fun, wherever you are.."

Morpheus felt his heart squeeze at the memory of how Jessamy had sacrificed herself in order to save him. He had never entertained the thought of telling her family the truth. But, now that he knew about Jamie..He was considering paying her back by another means. He knelt on the ground and Jamie sniffled before looking at him with his brow furrowed slightly in incomprehension.

"Wh..What are you..?"

He bowed his head.

Dream of the Endless.

The king of Dreams and Nightmares.

The Keeper of Sleep and one of the most powerful beings in the universe..bowed his head in front of a human.

"I. Dream of the Endless. Promise to keep you safe and pay back my debt to my dearest raven. May your dreams be filled with joy and peace. You shall never know pain in my realm."

Jamie didn't know what to say or do. He had never seen this man before in his life but—for some strange reason—he believed him. He smiled and shrugged.

"Hum...Thanks I guess ?"

Morpheus didn't move and even though he knew this promise would be difficult to be kept, it didn't make him any less determined. Jessamy had been his most trusted advisor for years, and he would ensure her legacy lives on on Earth as much as in his realm.

Jamie looked up at the sun slowly disappearing behind the trees around the cemetery and smiled apologetically at his new friend.

"Listen, I gotta go home, or my Ma is gonna be worried. But, I'll see you around ! Promise.", he held out his pinky and Morpheus stared at it for a second before wrapping his own around his. Jamie smiled and waved him goodbye before running out of the cemetery. Morpheus' eyes stayed on him until he was out of view before returning to the tombstone before him.

He had never even gotten the chance to say goodbye. Maybe, was it time ?

He sighed and rested his palm upon the cold stone, his composed expression breaking into one of loss and mourning.

"My dear raven..To think so many years have passed since your departure to my sister's realm. I have met your grandson. A charming young man who makes me think of you. He is fragile, but his heart beats strong. I have pledged to protect him. I hope this pleases you, Jessamy.", he hesitated for a second before adding. "I'm..getting better. Or, I try to be. There are still so many things that I do not understand, but I..I still can't seem to love them as much as I loved you. I lack the words to tell you how much I miss you. I need you. Now, more than ever. I need..I need hope."

He waited. He didn't know for what. Was he expecting an answer ? No. He knew he wouldn't get any. He just..He just hoped Jessamy could hear him—that she would send him her strength and what he so desperately needed, what he had always needed—even after all these years..

A rattling noise cut him out of his thoughts and his head snapped in its direction, only to find a woman there—gathering dead leaves with a rake. As if she could feel his eyes on her, she looked up at him and her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you.", she apologized and stilled her movements, letting a few leaves escape the pile she had succeeded in collecting. He frowned at the unexpected sight and shook his head.

"No. My apologies. I shouldn't be here. I'll leave at once..", he said promptly.

But, he didn't.

He kept staring at the half-erased name on the tombstone, as if it would somehow make the resident come back to life.

The woman stared at him for a while before asking knowingly.

"You lost someone..Haven't you ?"

Morpheus' throat constricted at the memories of his sweet Jessamy and even though he had no intention to share his burden with anyone, he couldn't see the harm of sharing it just once. Just this once.

Your pov :

The stranger remained silent, but you had seen that face too many times to mistaken it..He was mourning. You put your rake aside to join him, even though he hadn't asked for your company. You read the name on the tombstone and sighed. Of course..

"Jessamy Maria Larusso. A lot of people have come to visit her, especially that nice grandson of hers. I'm sure she was loved..", you mused and Morpheus tilted his head to look at you and he could tell you were speaking the truth. It made him smile. At least, Jessamy did have a good life.

"Who are you ?", he asked after a moment and you almost laughed at the question. Who were you ? As if he didn't know..But, you would keep the mystery for now.

"Me ? I'm the caretaker.", you glanced around significantly at the many tombs displayed around and the rake now laying on the ground by your side. You still had to sweep the rest of the dead flowers and leaves discarded around, but Morpheus really seemed down..He nodded wordlessly and returned his focus to the tombstone, deposing beautiful purple flowers there. You hadn't even noticed the flowers before, but didn't linger on that detail as he clearly needed some time to grieve.

You then thought about leaving him to his grieving, and maybe come by later to check on him ?

"Well, I'll leave you to it then."

You picked up your rake and started walking towards the area you still had to take care of. You thought he would let you, but were surprised when his voice sounded behind you.

"Stay..", he grabbed your wrist and you shivered slightly at the coldness of his skin against yours.

You stopped dead in your tracks and stared at the hand around your wrist quizzically, but didn't voice a question aloud. Morpheus opened his mouth to apologize for his abrupt and unproper behavior, but other words escaped his lips.

"It is my birthday today."

He didn't know why he wanted to tell you, but he did and the need for company overruled all of his usual concerns.

After the information finally settled in, you smiled widely and clapped your hands together.

"Oh ! You were born on Halloween ? Cool ! Happy birthday !"

"It is not.", he immediately replied and you frowned a little at his curt answer—wondering what he meant by that.

"It is not a happy day..", he repeated and his brow furrowed slightly as he kept staring ahead at the tombstone.

Oh..Right.

"Who did you lose ?", you repeated your earlier question—hoping for an answer this time around.

"Everyone..", he confessed. "My son..My wife..And every single lover I've ever had until now.."

You stayed silent. To tell the truth, you hadn't expected him to come clean so earnestly. Most people rarely opened their heart the first time, but you could hear in his weak and strained voice that he was tired and really wished to talk.

Well, you were all happy to listen..Only, you still had more sweeping and cleaning to do. You looked around and sighed loudly.

"Well, let me get back to my job for a bit and I'll be all yours for the night ! What do you say ?", you asked with a large grin—hoping he would grace you with the same—but Morpheus frowned.

Your occupation was taking care of a place dedicated to the dead. The dead would never see nor care about it—and yet—you seemed genuinely set on making him wait.

He didn't understand.

Why ?

"The dead do not care.", he found important to remind you, and you let out a small laugh. "Yeah. They probably don't. But, their descendants do. Besides, I'm pretty sure a lot of people buried in here were important to someone at some point. I don't think they would like their purchase to go to waste now, would they ?"

Morpheus fell silent after that and even though he wanted to deny, he had to admit he would want Jessamy's tomb to remain as beautiful as she had been.

"I'll...help.", he said and you laughed at his hesitation. It took a while for you to realize he was being serious.

"Wait...Really ? No offense. But, you don't seem like a guy who knows how to handle a broom...or a sponge...or even cleaning spray...", you continued and even though Morpheus had to admit manual work wasn't exactly what he excelled at, he did want his friend to have the resting place she deserved.

You must have seen the determination in his eyes, as you stopped rambling and only sighed loudly in defeat.

"Fine. You take this part, and I'll go finish the other end. Try not to break anything..", you said before giving him one of your cleaning buckets, filled with soapy water and a sponge. Morpheus stared at them quizzically and you had this feeling that you had assumed right..He didn't know how to use those.

"Do you need me to show you or..?", you ventured, but the Endless—who hated receiving help—shook his head stubbornly. "No. I will be fine.."

You raised a skeptical eyebrow at him before shrugging.

"Suit yourself.", you walked away and Morpheus waited until you were out of sight before tentatively approaching the bucket, poking the sponge inside and wondering if he would have to ask Lucienne for its use ? But, remembered she was busy and he didn't want to bother her. He had seen sponges before of course, but dreams never really included cleaning. People had better things to dream about, and worst things to nightmare about too..But, he still grabbed the sponge and threw it against one of the tombstones, expecting it to work on its own...But, was only met with disappointment.

He crouched down to pick up the sponge again and after a few seconds of consideration, decided it was unfit for an Endless to do such cumbersome chore.

He clicked his fingers together and in a second, all of the leaves were gathered into a neat pile near the entrance. Even the tombstones looked like they had been restored.

But, something didn't feel quite right..He looked at your end of the cemetery and saw it was almost as good as his, but you had done it with your own hands..You had spent hours on each of them—no doubt..

"Wet the sponge."

Morpheus was startled by the familiar voice and looked up to see Matthew. He frowned disapprovingly at the spying raven, but before he could voice his disapproval—Matthew didn't leave him the time.

"I know that look. You are upset that I followed you and wanna send me back to the Dream world. But, hear me out first. I've been a worker, and a husband. And by the face you were making a few seconds ago ? You feel guilty, sir. And if you want the feeling to go away, I highly suggest you start with wetting the sponge."

Morpheus felt...guilty ? He shook his head. It couldn't be. He couldn't feel guilt for a human. It didn't make sense..But, Jessamy's tombstone was facing him—as if silently judging him for his lack of dedication to the task. And finally, he begrudgingly agreed.

"Alright. As you are of use, I won't send you back..Yet."

Matthew held a small victory caw before repeating.

"Wet the sponge and use it to scrub the surface. Trust me."

Morpheus sighed in resignation and clicked his fingers again, putting everything back as it was before. He then picked up the sponge and soaked it in the water before starting applying himself to scrubbing the moss off her tombstone—under the raven's watchful gaze.

Two hours later :

Once your side taken care of, you decided to go see Morpheus and ask if he needed any help. However, you were surprised to find the man deep in concentration, putting the effort into the work. You looked around and whistled appreciatively at the sight of Morpheus actually dedicating himself to it and it alerted Morpheus of your presence.

He stilled and slowly turned back towards you.

"It's..not finished.", he informed you and you smiled at the somehow endearing dedication of the young god to the task..Well—young compared to yourself.

"Well—even though—consider me impressed.", you said approvingly and Morpheus found himself at a loss. He had never been congratulated for his work before. As master of the Dreams, people usually loved or hated him..But, it was the first time he was actually praised. It made him feel good, but at the same time all the more suspicious of you. Why were you acting so nice to him ?

He must have voiced the question out loud, as you chuckled and rested your hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't expect the place to be spotless. I'm just happy to see you actually put some effort into it. It means a lot.", you explained and Morpheus stayed silent—pondering on your words. You were happy for a job half-done and one in front of which—if any of his subjects had dared present to him—he would have been dissatisfied. But, you were smiling so brightly..You were genuinely satisfied ? He stared at you for a while in wonder, to the point where you thought there was something wrong with your face—until he bluntly spoke out.

"You are odd."

You burst out laughing at his brutal honesty, but didn't try to deny it. Morpheus' eyes flickered briefly from the tomb to your face...

Your laugh ressembled hers so much.

It was uncanny.

"Wow. I clearly didn't expect that. But, I did promise to stay with you once my work done and, here we are. So..How about I reward you ?"

He tilted his head quizzically—unsure as to what you meant exactly.

"What do you mean ?"

You leaned forward and grinned widely.

"Spend the night with me. And I promise I will make this a happy day for you."

After a moment, he returned your smile at the challenge and decided to accept—his interest was picked after all.

"Bold of you to assume you could ever impress me.", he said with a pretentious little smirk and your eyes gleamed with unspoken wisdom—as if you knew something he did not.

"Bold of you to assume I cannot.", you shot back and Dream decided that—for the first time in his long life—he didn't mind losing a bet..

But, he frowned again as he thought of the uncanny situation he found himself in. He didn't know you. And—most importantly—you didn't know him. And yet, you wanted to spend time with him ? He did ask for your company, but he didn't think you would accept.

"You aren't..afraid ? Of being alone ? With me ? We don't even know each other..", he asked after a moment—more by curiosity than worry—and you chuckled—as if the question itself was absurd—while shaking your head.

"Not a lot of things do now. I've seen many dark places and unsavory people. But, you just aren't it.", you said confidently and Morpheus smiled.

"Merely a few hours by my side, and you already think you know me ?", he asked—expecting you to lose that overconfidence of yours—but it failed.

"Oh, yes. I have figured you all out, Morpheus.", you declared confidently and the corner of Morpheus' mouth raised imperceptibly into a doubtful smile.

"Oh, have you now ?", he asked with a hint of playfulness in his voice.

You nodded and clasped your hands behind your back in a childlike manner before walking backwards to face him while you talked.

"Yup. You don't want anyone to know, but you're actually very sweet and fun. Don't worry though. Your secret is safe with me."

You winked playfully at him and another wide grin extended on your face.

"Well, you'll find me relieved.", he replied with a small amused smile and didn't protest when you took his hand and led him forward to your favorite place in the whole city. You walked past the Halloween decorations and the busy streets filled with dressed-up people trick and treating. Morpheus had seen Halloween in many kids' dreams before..Just never in person. Many said this day was his sibling Death' celebration alone. But, he had to disagree.

As all the people were dressed differently—not all of them as horrific or deadly creatures—and he found his siblings' influence as well as himself in all of them. It made him smile. It felt as if this wasn't only Halloween, but a day where all the Endless were reunited..Desire, Death, Destruction, Destiny, Delirium and even Despair..It made him think of their birth, where they had all shared the same purpose and weren't yet split by their own goals and selfish purposes.

A time where the Endless wished to learn about humans and understand them, rather than dominating them..Simpler times.

He closed his eyes and let himself be guided by you through the crowds. He didn't know where you were taking him—and maybe was that what they called the thrill of the unknown ?

A few minutes later :

You walked side by side in the busy streets and Morpheus found himself enjoying your company. You talked a lot, and he loved to listen. It felt nice to have someone to talk to listen to, other than his subjects and their constant demands..

"Dream..You've been quiet for some time now. Am I boring by any chance ?", you asked and broke him out of his thoughts. He hadn't noticed your sudden halt and turned around to face you with an impassive expression—all hints of his previous thoughts gone in an instant.

"Not at all.", he replied in a monotonous tone and you tilted your head with an eyebrow raised skeptically. But, you didn't insist. You kept walking and suddenly, Morpheus' ears were filled with music—a soft melody of forgotten days..He stopped to listen attentively to the melody and even though he was certain to have already heard the song before—he couldn't pinpoint the exact time and place. He closed his eyes and felt a delightful chill run down his spine as the memory seemed to bring him a joy he had never experienced before..Or, had he ?

He then felt a light tap on his shoulder and finally opened his eyes to find you in front of him, a knowing twinkle in your eyes. You seemed so much older now..Older than Time itself.

You smiled at him and extended your hand with a small smile.

"Dance with me, Dream ?"

He could only accept. There was something about the moment that inexplicably pulled him in, pulled him towards you. He was about to take your hand when one of the earlier rude children who had bullied Jamie ran past you and made you fall backwards.

You fell with a loud splash in the square's fountain and the music covered the sound. But, Morpheus' eyes widened and he glared at the crowd, searching for the kids with hid eyes and promising to give them very bad nightmares later..

But, far from feeling disappointed or upset about the situation: you smiled and started dancing—completely soaked and apparently careless as waved of water crashed all around you.

Morpheus stared at you in disbelief..He didn't understand.

You laughed at his puzzled expression and kept dancing in the water, even going as far as to throw water at Morpheus who took a couple of steps back, sending you a glare at your weak attack.

"Are you mad ?", he asked—dumbfounded by your strange reaction. Everything about you made him reconsider what he already knew about humans..

You giggled and gave him an enigmatic smile before gesturing for him to move closer, so you may whisper something to him. He hesitated, but finally indulged.

However, you didn't say anything and suddenly leaned forward to grab him by the lapel of his coat. He didn't expect it when you pulled him towards you and he fell in the water too.

For a few seconds, Morpheus was found speechless.

He didn't know if he should be upset about being so easily tricked or not, especially since your faces were now mere inches away from each other and your smile turned mischievous. His lips parted and his breath hitched as you whispered.

"Maybe I am, Morpheus..You tell me."

There was a seductive edge to the slight tug of the corner of your lip, as if you were waiting for him to prove it to you. The lights of the Halloween decorations twirled around your eyes and made them look as if a rainbow was dancing in them.

Morpheus prided himself on his absolute self-control, but there was something about you that made him want to lose it and just drown into madness with you. He pulled you flushed against him and Morpheus didn't care if you were still in the fountain and looked like lunatics under the moon light: he danced with you.

He danced with you, and he enjoyed every second of it. Let it be said, Morpheus was perfectly aware the situation to be absolutely absurd—as much as all the quizzical passers by—but he didn't find the will to care. He was having fun...Fun. Something he thought he would never experience..

He laughed. He laughed and you found the sound so beautiful—it brought tears to your eyes. Finally, Morpheus was happy. You thought the day would never come, but the rich and deep laugh was unmistakable.

He was so beautiful..

However, you unfortunately had to stop because of being wet to the bone and people throwing you quizzical and doubtful looks. You knew some of them would probably call the cops on you and didn't want your night to end in a police station..Dream clicked his fingers and you were both instantly dry.

It was the first time he had used magic if front of you. He thought you would be distressed—surprised at least. But, you weren't.

"Wow. Neat trick.", you simply noted—unfazed—and Morpheus' eyes searched an answer in your reaction, anything that would explain the reason for your complete lack of reaction—anything. But, he was not met with the answer he seeked as he only saw genuine warmth in your eyes.

"Whatever you are searching for, you won't find it, Morpheus.", you gently warned him—but Morpheus' expression darkened as he realized something..Something that made him draw back from you and wariness bloom in his chest.

"...I never told you my name."

You stilled at the realization and—knowing it was no use hiding it any longer—smirked and grabbed his arm. You were both teleported to another place, a high tower with wold flowers blooming everywhere and white marble columns—far away from the human world. He then noticed your appearance had changed as well. You now wore a long white toga and your hair was braided like times of old with flowers and gold sand which also decorated your eyelids and cheeks. You looked ethereal. Inhuman..

"Why did you bring me here ? Do you intend to destroy me ?", he inquired—his voice not betraying any emotion beside a mild curiosity as to the following of your plan. But, he eyes betrayed hurt and even betrayal..You almost felt bad about lying. You just needed to be sure of his intentions..It had been a long time since your last lover and even though the seers had predicted him to be your soulmate..You couldn't believe them without knowing him first.

However, now that you had spent the whole day with him, you were certain of his heart and worth. You had no doubt he was your destiny..

You intertwined your fingers with his and closed your eyes, leaning forward so your foreheads were touching. You ignored his earlier inquiry and asked another question instead.

"Tell me, Morpheus..Do you believe in destiny ?"

Morpheus didn't understand the purpose of the question, but still answered.

"He is my brother."

Your eyes widened slightly at the revelation and you clasped your hand in front of your chest with a large satisfied grin.

"Oh. Well, great ! I'm sure he warned you about me then."

Morpheus was even more at a loss..Why would his brother know about you ?

"He didn't.", he replied curtly. But, you didn't mind. You were used to his short answers by now.

"Well, your brother must be blind or senile, for it was written from the very beginning that we were meant for each other.", you informed him and Morpheus found it even if more confusing. How you could you be so confident over things that were so out of your reach ? Meant for each other ? What did it even mean ?

"Who are you ?", he asked for the second time and in a matter of seconds, your look of pure innocence turned into a mischievous one as you tightened your hold on his hands and whispered.

"Well, why don't you find out ?"

He risked his eyes downwards at your lips and licked his own. You were so very confusing, but also very tempting...You were his very own flytrap. You were an enigma he wanted to solve, but every time he thought he thought he had the right answer—it turned out to be false or the real answer to be fleeting away further from his reach. He really wanted to give in to you, but there was one question he needed the answer to first.

"What is your name ?", he uttered in a whisper and you smiled knowingly—as if you expected it. You leaned forward until your noses brushed against each other and smiled.

"...Ask me. One more time. And you will have your answer, Dream of the Endless.", you promised and Morpheus didn't hesitate before asking you once more with more purpose in his demand, desiring the answer even more than anything else in the world right now.

"What is your name ?", he repeated—firmer and more urgently this time around.

You giggled childishly, even though your eyes seemed old..far older than him. You clicked your tongue and gently ran your hand along the side of his face tenderly, your eyes sparkling with golden dust as you fixed your attention on the Endless before you.

"You know who I am, Morpheus. You've always known. You've asked for me every night since your birth. Well, here I am.", you pressed your cheek against his—leaving a light kiss there—and Morpheus marveled at the uncanny softness. He wanted to fall to his knees before you and grip the hem of your toga like a distressed child finally receiving the present he had always dreamed of.

"...Elpis. Hope of the Ancient.", he finally uttered your name in a whisper and you giggled again before wrapping your arms around his neck.

"Here we go ! I knew you would eventually figure it out..", you shouted cheerfully, but Morpheus' brow furrowed as he remembered all the lonely nights he had called out for you. All the nights he had felt his life devoid of purpose and in his prison of glass..

"I called for you..For centuries. You never answered my calls."

It was your turn to frown at the accusation and your smile turned upside down at the reminder of your poor Morpheus—trapped away in this cold house..You slid your arms away from him to wrap them around yourself defensively instead. Your eyes flickered downwards and you bit your lower lip guiltily as you confessed.

"And I heard you. Every single time."

Morpheus felt rage replace the warm feeling in his heart as he suddenly grabbed your wrists to pull you flush against him, forcing your eyes to look up at him in surprise.

"...You left me to rot. You heard my cries for help, and decided to stay immune to my pain.", his voice deepened and trembled—as if his voice was about to shatter at any moment.

Your eyes filled with tears at the unfairness of the object of your affections. He didn't know what he was saying..He didn't know how it felt to leave him alone—even though you knew how much he needed you.

"I couldn't help you. You weren't worthy back then. Your heart filled with want of revenge, instead of letting me in..I had to make sure you were worth it first. See, Morpheus..I do not give my favors to just anybody..I am Hope, it doesn't mean everyone deserves me.", you tried to explain, but your clumsy explanation only fueled Morpheus' rage as he spat angrily.

"You are cruel."

You closed your eyes at the coldness behind his words—but you had expected it. A lot of people thought Hope to be heartless, to appear when you don't need it and disappear when you need it the most. But, the truth is ? Hope was to be nurtured, fed by potential and efforts..

"I am fair.", you replied impassively and tear yourself away from his possessive grip. He was still angry, and you only realized now that you had acted too impulsively—thinking he was ready to meet and love you.

Another mistake.

You talked out of experience..You had tried to help people like him before—but some were simply not worthy of your love. Morpheus used to be one of them. He used to despise humans and find every reason to be condescending towards everyone..He had prayed to you, but had never worked for it.

But, seeing him today—actually enjoying himself among the humans and witnessing his respect towards Jessamy's offspring made you reconsider your decision. But, you were afraid you hadn't waited long enough..

"You feed on the suffering of others.", Morpheus then remembered with a slight frown—a lesson his mother had once taught him—and you sighed loudly. Of course he would know that.

"I do. I knew you since the moment you were born, little Morpheus. I could feel your pain. I was alive before you and will live long after you will have disappeared..I knew we were linked from the start. And you don't know how much it hurt to see you get rejected over and over again..But, I had to stay away. I had to wait for you to be ready..", you looked away and Morpheus noticed how sorrowful you seemed. You had bared alone the truth of your connexion for years..And then, the moment of your meeting was brought back in his mind.

Jamie.

You were there for him..The little boy seemed truly happy with you by his side. His heart longed to know that happiness.

"...If I let you in, will it hurt ?", he finally asked—wary of the consequences of your presence in his life—and you smiled weakly at him.

"I would never hurt you—Not purposefully at least. Are you scared ?", you replied—even though your eyes betrayed uncertainty—and your lips inches from his. His own eyes lingered there for a moment and desire overrode all cautiousness.

He shook his head negatively and you grinned widely at his response.

"Good..", you closed the gap between the both of you and Morpheus didn't hesitate before kissing you back. He wanted to be relieved of all that pain and regret he felt. He didn't want to think of his past failures and in just a kiss, he found his wishes granted. It was as if all of his worries were being sucked out of him and turned into bliss.

He had waited so long for you..He pulled you closer.

"Happy birthday, Morpheus.", you muttered against his lips and Morpheus smiled. For the first time since his birth, he had hope..He kissed you again and in the dark of the night, no one noticed the two shadows keeping each other steady.

Hope could be cruel, Hope could lead to madness, Hope could even hurt and yet—Hope was beautiful and irresistible.

Morpheus couldn't stay away, as much as you couldn't stay away from his delicious suffering..You needed each other and now that he had you, Morpheus would make sure you would never be separated..

#fandoms #imagine #fanfic #morpheus sandman #morpheus x reader #morpheus sandman x reader

[raysofcrosby]

CHRISTMAS WITH YOU – k. kaprizov

warning(s): mentions of death and loss, but otherwise just tons of cute holiday cheer, an embarrassing near fall ice skating and just cute holiday fluff.

word count: 17,897

an: this better late than never, fic is my entry for @antoineroussel's winter fic exchange 2k23!! i had the absolutely pleasure of writing for @callsign-denmark who supplied me a list of players she enjoys reading about and got me broaden my horizons outside of my usual hockey men to write about and got me to write about the happy ray of sunshine that is kirill kaprizov!! as a sucker of friends to lovers, this is a friends to lovers fic, sprinkled with some nice christmas spirit and ofc, as a lover of happy endings– this one's got a good one!! i had fun writing this and i hope you enjoy 🥰💙

Tori Holly never understood when people said that Holidays could be some of the loneliest and saddest times in people’s lives. Growing up, she remembered how lively their house always was– filled with music, laughter and the smell of home cooking spreading throughout the house. Especially around Christmas time– that was always the most magical time of the year.

It was when her parents seemed to pull all of their magic together and turn the holiday into every feel good Christmas movie alive. And while both of her parents were only children and her one set of Grandparents that were still alive lived on the west coast– she and her older sister Jess (Jessica only if she was in trouble) never felt like their family of four celebrations were lacking. They were all each other needed and it was always more than enough.

The teaming up on their parents for the gingerbread house building contest, taking turns going shopping with their parents to be able to pick out gifts to buy using some of their saved up money (and in the younger years, their parents money of course). Watching their mom make her mom’s special hot cocoa recipe that she promised to share the recipe with them once they got older “and you two can do the same with your children one day.” Building snowmen, snowball fights, that horrible time Jess convinced Tori to climb into the igloo they tried to build and having it collapse on her (though thankfully it wasn’t a lot of snow and Jess tearfully pulled her sister out by her gloved hand.) Sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace and snuggled up beside their parents as they watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas after begging their parents to let them open just one present on Christmas Eve like they did every year without fail.

No, Tori Holly could never understand how Christmas time more specifically, could be one of the worst times of someone’s life– not until Christmas 2006, when it was going to be the first Christmas and her first birthday without her mom. She was only seven and Jess eleven when their mom got sick. She couldn’t remember a lot of the specifics, but she remembered her mom never looking or acting any differently even after her parents had sat them down on the couch and said “mommy’s doctors say that I’m very sick, but I’m not going to stop fighting.” Sure, her mom was slower around the house, maybe a little more tired– but there wasn’t anything specific that stuck out to her.

In fact, that last Christmas of ‘05, they still did every tradition they’d done in the years prior and she never once saw her mom falter or complain. And by May of ‘06, two months after Jess had turned twelve and only seven months until Tori would turn nine, she had completely forgotten about the “I’m sick” conversation there on the couch. Until right at the end of the September, when she’d gotten called out of class to go to the front office. And when she got there, she saw her Grandma Carol standing there speaking to the woman at the front desk.

“Your dad sent me here to pick you up and Grandpa Dan is going to grab Jess.” She had said it with a smile that Tori couldn’t pinpoint exactly, but instantly recognized it as a softer than her usual big, sunny smile.

She thought maybe they were going to grab ice cream and spend some more time at home with their mom. Seeing as only almost a month into school, their dad let them stay home on Friday’s just so they could spend a little extra time with her. But there was no ice cream and her Grandma didn’t take her home– they were at the hospital. And when she walked down the halls with her Grandma holding her hand and they saw her Dad, Grandpa Dan and a crying Jess, she remembered getting that sinking feeling in her stomach that something was wrong.

And something was wrong. Because it turned out that they were all there to say their last goodbyes to her mom. While she was there, she swore time dragged on– but looking back on it now, she realized just how fast her life had changed in one hour. 

They “celebrated” her ninth birthday and Christmas three months later and while their dad tried his hardest to not let the magic their home always held fade, and he really did try, there would always be a mom shaped hole in her childhood home and she wondered whether Christmas would ever be the same.

Luckily though, their dad was a Godsend. A man who was actively grieving the love of his life while adjusting to being a widower and parenting two girls– one of whom was entering her teenage years– Tori never once saw him waver. He was there at every school or after school event they had, he kept up their traditions, and was the shoulder to lean on and cry on whenever they needed one. He never once complained and after she got older, Tori always wondered how he did it. How he managed to parent them, stay strong and be everything they needed all while he was grieving on his own.

But that was just it– he was the hero their broken hearts needed and he helped heal theirs and his own every day of every month, and every birthday and holiday that came and went…he always managed to keep that magic alive.

To the point where Tori and Jess started to love Christmas once again and not see it as a mourning time for those childhood memories they left behind. And while their mom was a key figure missing at their poignant times– first days of school, first boyfriends, proms, first day of college, graduations, Jess’s wedding day to her high school sweetheart Steven and even the birth of their daughter Clara (their mom’s namesake), their dad, Jess and even she, always made sure that their mom was a part of it.

Especially once Jess and Steven had Clara, and on Tori’s 17th birthday, nonetheless, Jess had told Tori that suddenly she understood the kind of love that their parents had for them and how their dad managed to keep the magic.

Even a week later going on to say, “I would go to the end of the earth to make sure she was happy, and she just tore through my vagina like it was nothing, last week.”

And for the longest time after their mom died, life seemed to slowly return back to what their dad had fondly called their new normal. Eventually, Tori had gone to and graduated from college and moved further into the city not too far away from Jess and Steven or their home to work as a social media intern for the Minnesota Wild. A job that she luckily got with some help from her college mentor who helped her apply and wrote quite the recommendation letter for.

The life she was building for herself felt like a dream. Sure, growing up just south of Saint Paul, she and her family had frequented both Vikings and Wild games. But working behind the scenes in social media for the hockey team whose games she grew up attending was a whole different atmosphere. She met great people within the organization and had even found herself on a first name basis with some of the players.

But it was when she moved into her post-grad apartment the season after commuting from her childhood home to Saint Paul that she became better friends with two players on the team. Jordan Greenway, who was going on his third season with the Wild, and Ryan Hartman who had come from the Philadelphia Flyers. The two weren’t roommates, but both coincidentally lived a few doors down on the very same hall that Tori had. And after bumping into each other a few times and also seeing each other at the rink, it was natural that the three formed a good friendship during her first season working for the team.

Things were going great and Tori had felt like she was on a high after that first season interning for the Wild for the 2019-2020 season. Even when Covid struck and things were in such a limbo. And at the end of what was a wild and unknowing what was ahead time, she felt blessed enough to have been invited back as an intern for the 2020-2021 season, even shadowing more on the producer side of players interviews and getting to see more behind the scenes. And with every day she went to work, she felt more and more confident in her job and herself. Moving away from home was scary, but she was starting to form a life for herself in Saint Paul that she knew her mom would’ve been proud of.

Ryan and Jordan both were amongst the first few people to congratulate her when they found out she got the second producer job within the same department in what would be her third year working for the team that 2021-2022 season.

And it was truly as if things couldn’t go wrong. She loved her apartment, she got to see her sister and her family often, and she had made a nice circle of friends in the job she also loved. And as she celebrated New Years Eve with the Wild at a hotel ballroom the organization had booked out for everyone to celebrate before the Winter Classic the next morning where they would host the St. Louis Blues at Target Field in Minneapolis. She invited Jess and Steven as her plus ones, booking them a room in the hotel so they didn’t have to drive the 30 minutes home the next morning and probably hungover.

Tori woke up early the next morning back in her apartment and went through her whole routine before getting dressed and heading out the door to catch her uber that would be taking her to the stadium where she would be getting everything together before heading over to the field to work the game. And it was just before she and her co-workers were heading out of Xcel Energy Center that she got a call from her dad, answering it like it was just any other old phone call and not one that would ultimately change her entire life.

Just like when she was seven, that sinking feeling in her stomach was back, only this time around it was more poignant and felt like it would knock her legs out from beneath her and sink her down to the floor.

There had been an accident an hour earlier on the same street that the hotel where the Wild New Years Eve party had been hosted– a car accident. Jess and Steven had decided to check out early, walking to the cafe down the block from the hotel to grab some coffee and donuts to take with them before they would drive back to her dad’s to pick up Clara– Tori had the text conversation with Jess in her phone to prove it along with a “not as hungover as we thought, but hungover enough for sugary donuts” selfie of Jess and Steven that Jess had sent with her “good morning, we had a great time and I’ll text you when we get home” text.

Only Tori would never receive that text, because Jess and Steven would never make it home to their dad’s to pick up Clara. They would get hit by a drunk driver who ran a red light while they crossed the street in a crosswalk.

In an instant, she had lost her older sister and brother-in-law, while her niece had lost both of her parents— and it was a pain that Tori never, ever wanted her to feel. To add on top of it, in the flurry of grief and ‘what happens next’ endless scenarios, it was revealed in their will that if anything were to happen to either Jess or Steven…then Tori would become the legal guardian of Clara.

She had made the commitment to accept the position as Clara’s Godmother when they had asked her almost two weeks after Clara was born. And now, she knew the best way she could honor both her older sister and a man who was like a brother to her, by dedicating herself to making the best life possible for Clara.

The last eleven months of seeing grief counselors, balancing work, frequent trips to her dad’s house where Clara was staying for the meantime and her new responsibility of taking care of a soon-to-be eight-year-old as a soon-to-be 25-year-old….all of it had finally come down to now.

It was December. The week leading up to Christmas. Five days until their shared birthday and most importantly, six days until what would be Clara’s first Christmas without her parents.

And Tori had her heart set on making it as great as a Christmas it could be for Clara, just like her dad had done for her and Jess after their mom had died. 

“Another month?!” Tori gasped, keeping her voice low as she leaned against the hall of her childhood home. “But Andrew, you said I’d be able to move in by tomorrow. I’ve already got friends to help me move everything up to that floor.”

“I know I did Tori, but they were finishing the inspection today and there was more mold in the apartment than we first thought, plus some issues with the kitchen and bathroom areas,” Andrew, one of the landlords of her apartment building said, actually sounding sincere. “I’m not going to let you and your niece move in there and put both of your healths at risk.”

Tori nodded, rubbing her right temple with her free hand. “I understand, Andrew.”

“Barb asked them to start as soon as possible because we know you need this two bedroom. So they’re going to start cleaning everything up tomorrow. The guy said that there might be a chance they finish before a month, but that’s the at most it’ll take, time that he gave her.”

“Thank you, Andrew. I appreciate it, really.” She replied, peeking around the corner into her Dad’s living room to see Clara still kneeling in front of the Christmas tree. “Thank you both for looking out for us, I really appreciate it.”

“You’ve had a really rough year, Tori and you’ve always been a really good tenant. Anything my wife and I can do to help you out, we’re more than happy to.”

Tori took a deep breath and exhaled, nodding again. “Keep me updated if there’s any changes.”

“Of course. Have a good day.”

Once she hung up the call, Tori let her head lean back against the wall once more as she closed her eyes. The moment that she had found out that she was going to be Clara’s guardian, Tori had put in a request for a two bedroom apartment. At the time, there was a six month waitlist, so her dad had agreed to take care of Clara until Tori could secure a two bedroom apartment for them both. It wasn’t like she had just dropped her niece off with her dad and went on with her life. On weekends when she had them free, she would drive back to her hometown and spend the night there, keeping herself as involved with Clara’s life as possible. She would pick her up from school, sometimes take her out of school and take her to lunch. She was just as involved in her niece’s life as her dad was, only she wasn’t sleeping down the hall every single night.

And three weeks ago, Barb, the other landlord of their complex, had called her to ask if she was still interested in the two bedroom apartment. And once she told Tori it was hers, Tori knew there were some steps to go through and she requested that Barb and Andrew have whoever it was doing the cleaning, be very thorough. Being grandparents themselves to kids around Clara’s age, they both agreed without a problem.

Until there was a problem that the hired cleaner had found and reported. Some mold that he thought might be more than a surface problem. Andrew and Barb had brought someone out to inspect…leading to the phone call that Tori had just hung up on. She knew it wouldn’t be a problem with her dad for Clara to live here for a month longer. He loved having Clara around, plus he knew that Tori was trying her best to get everything set up so that Clara would be comfortable and in a safe environment when it came time to move.

The only problem was that her dad was out west in Washington State, taking care of her Grandma Doris, who had fallen down in her apartment in the assisted living complex, broke her hip and needed to get surgery. He left only this morning when she and Clara dropped him off at the airport and his return was up in the air, but at most he said he could be back before or after New Years Eve. So now Tori was tasked with the problem of figuring out how they were going to spend Christmas and the week leading up to it, when she needed to be at work a few days this week and all of Clara’s belongings were here at her dad’s house.

Initially, she figured she’d just pack up her things and move into her dad’s place until he came back. Dealing with the extra commute wouldn’t be that bad and Clara wouldn’t have to relocate her things, more importantly they wouldn’t have to lug the already wrapped Christmas presents over to her apartment. However, the short trial run she did when her Dad had informed her of his trip out west– left her with leaving five minutes to spare before she would be deemed late to work.

Which is why they were over at her dad’s place– grabbing the presents already wrapped for her and Clara beneath the tree and putting them into an old foldable wagon before putting them into her car and driving back into the city.

“Aunt Tori, are we taking Grandpa’s too?” Clara asked, calling out.

Tori put her phone back into her front pocket and walked out from the hall, over towards the decorated Christmas tree. “We can if you want. That way if he’s able to come home earlier, we can have him come over to the apartment and open his presents there.”

Clara looked at her and then back at the tree. “But then Grandpa will have to drive back here with his presents, right?”

“He could always sleep on the couch,” Tori shrugged.

Clara laughed before scrunching her nose. “He’s old though.” She looked back towards the tree and sighed. “We can just drive over here when he comes home, right? So we can be with him when he opens his presents?’

“I think that sounds like a great plan, Clara.”

“Okay, I’ll leave them then,” she said, putting down the present that she’d been holding. “I think I got all of ours though. I’m ready.”

Tori nodded and grabbed onto the handle of the wagon as she let Clara walk ahead of her and they left her childhood home, tugging the Christmas presents that she and her dad had bought Clara, along with some of the presents Clara and her dad had bought for her. Once she helped Clara carry the wagon down the front porch steps, she walked back to the front door and made sure it was locked before walking towards her car to help Clara put her presents into the trunk.

This wasn’t how she expected to be spending Christmas. If anything, she was planning on spending the week here with her dad and Clara at her childhood home, making new memories and reliving old traditions– the three of them opening their presents together on Christmas morning and watching movies on Christmas Eve.

But life had a crazy way of flipping things upside down a lot of the time, and this was just one more hurdle she had to overcome.

“We don’t need that many groceries, Clara. We’re just here for some quick necessities.”

“You have like, nothing in your fridge, Aunt Tori!” Clara whined, hanging onto the end of the cart. “It’s like you’re trying to starve me.”

Tori laughed, shaking her head as she put a carton of eggs into the cart. “I’m pretty sure you can go a week without the betty crocker cake mix. We’re just here to get some breakfast stuff, cookies for Santa, some carrots for the reindeer and then maybe we can find one of those gingerbread house making kits.”

Clara audibly groaned as she leaned her head back, acting more thirteen than she was near eight. Today was supposed to be the day that the four boys down the hall would help Tori and Clara move into their new two bedroom apartment just a floor above where they were staying now– however, seeing that the apartment wasn’t ready for them to move in just yet, it was instead just an errand day, seeing as Tori had already taken off of work. Leaving her with the responsibility of entertaining Clara for the whole day, especially since groceries was the only errand she could come up with.

It didn’t help that Clara had been spewing off a “what are we gonna do later?” question what felt like every fifteen minutes. What she didn’t want to do was keep Clara inside of the house and sit her in front of the tv all day. She wanted to take her to play in the snow, go sledding, maybe even ice skate– do fun things that she could report back to her second grade class once winter break was over. But aside from the rink and the local spot in her childhood neighborhood, Tori couldn’t think of any place they could go ice skating at, especially seeing as driving to and from her old hometown with holiday traffic wasn’t ideal.

“Aunt Tori, I thought you were fun,” Clara groaned, her tone echoing just the same as they were in the grocery store, only now they were standing in the apartment hall, just in front of her door as she fished for her keys from the depths of her purse.

“I am fun,” Tori huffed, digging her hands and moving around all the non important things she had shoved into the crossbody bag.

“That sounds like something someone boring would say.” Clara replied, leaning her right shoulder against the wall.

“Tori? Boring?” They looked down the hall to see Ryan Hartman walking down the hall. “You must have the wrong Tori, squirt.”

“Hi Ryan, Mason, Jordan and Kirill!” Clara smiled, perking up. “Did you guys do anything fun today?”

“Just practice,” Jordan replied, as the group of four came to a stop. “What about you?”

“Just grocery shopping,” Clara replied, looking at Tori. “Where someone wouldn’t buy the Betty Crocker cake mix.”

“You’ll survive,” Tori replied, moving the plastic bag further onto her arm so she could use two hands. “I just need to find the keys–”

“Here, Tori, let me help,” Kirill said, coming up and grabbing the plastic bags from off of her arm, holding them for her as he smiled and nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Well would you look at that boys,” Mason teased, patting Kirill on the shoulders. “What a gentleman.”

Tori tried not to tuck her chin into her chest too much and hoped that her warm cheeks weren’t turning pink as she nodded at Kirill. “Thanks, Kirill. My arm was killing me.”

She quickly found her keys in her purse and grabbed them, unlocking the front door and motioning for Clara to go inside. “Let them get back to their apartments and nap.”

“Oh great,” Clara sighed dramatically. “Now I get to be more bored and watch tv.”

“No plans?” Jordan asked, as Clara walked into the apartment.

“None that I can think of that aren’t back home. I spend every Christmas back there, I don’t know of anything happening around here.”

Jordan laughed, shaking his head. “Did you completely forget about the family skate they’re doing down at the rink later? The one’s for players and staff?”

Tori blinked, looking at the four of them. “Wasn’t that last week?”

“Try today in about two hours, Tor,” Ryan said. “We’re just grabbing lunch and then heading back.”

“CAN WE GO ICE SKATING AUNT TORI? I WANT TO GO!” Clara said, running back towards the door. “Please, please, please, please–”

“I– do you even know how to skate?”

“I can help!” Kirill chimed in, sheepishly smiling once he realized just how loud his interruption had been. “I don’t mind helping.”

“PLEASE AUNT TORI? PLEASSSEEEEEE–”

“Fine, fine,” Tori laughed, shaking her head as she took the bags from Kirill and playfully pointed at him. “But I’m counting on you not to let her fall if she turns out to be a total bambi.”

“I won’t.”

“Alright, so get ready, we’ll swing by in a few to pick you up and we’ll all head over together,” Ryan said, patting both of Kirill’s shoulders before the four men made their way down the hall to their apartments and Tori walked back into hers.

“This is gonna be so much fun, I can’t wait!” Clara squealed, running back to Tori’s bedroom. ��I need to grab some thicker socks!”

Tori just sighed, shaking her head as she locked the door behind her and moved the groceries onto the kitchen island, prepared to unpack them before the boys came back.

It was funny. In all of her time working for the Wild, she’d never actually been to one of the family skates as a participant. Maybe once or twice to fill in and capture some stuff for their social media team– but even that was only just there for a few minutes and then she went back home. But now, now she was actively sitting in the bench surrounded by some of the team and staff’s family who were either choosing not to skate or were caring for little ones who weren’t going onto the ice– while the players and the staff who chose to skate with their family members, were out gliding around on the ice ahead of her.

She was leaning against the edge of the bench arena watching out for Clara as Kirill had stuck to his word and stayed with her to make sure that she wouldn’t fall down and hurt herself. Tori knew that Clara had been skating a few times before, but she wasn’t sure how she would be able to handle being out by herself or her skating abilities at all. And Tori would be lying if she said that watching Kirill holding onto Clara’s hands and skating backwards as he pulled her along, didn’t make her weak in the knees. Being the kindhearted guy she knew he was, he was probably telling her words of encouragement as they moved around the rink and every so often when he would let her hands go, he would be cheering her on to catch up to him.

Kirill has always been the kind, gentle guy he is, since she met him his rookie season. And while she hadn’t originally seen herself falling for the brown eyed boy’s nature…she couldn’t help but do so. Anytime they saw each other at the rink, he’d always make sure to say hi and talk to her. Even if they didn’t cross paths, it seemed like he would actively go out of his way to pass by her and Kaia’s office to say hi. In the interviews she got to run, he was always more than eager to play into whatever she had planned– more so than any of the most playful guys on the team.

Perhaps the one thing that hooked her onto him the most, was when there were home games…he’d always meet her at her office or wait for her in the parking garage to get to her car before driving back to their apartment complex with her– just so he could walk her to her door and say goodnight. He was a gentleman, that was for sure. And Tori has been trying so hard not to let herself fall for him, because he was one of her closest friends.

However, it was proving very, very difficult and the only thing keeping her from totally falling for him, was the realization that he had yet to make a move– the confident, kind, hockey player…hadn’t even done as much as try to hold her hand on their walk out of the elevator and down their hall to their respective apartments.

“Hey Tori,” Kirill said, coming to a stop just next to her on the other side of the ice. “Why not come out and skate, hm?”

“What? Did you lose Clara?” She laughed, trying not to let herself melt into his warm and welcoming eyes.

He laughed, shaking his head before looking out onto the ice for a few seconds and then pointing out across the way. “She left me. She’s a lot better of a skater than she said. Fast learner too.”

“And now you need a skating buddy?”

“Mhhm, so come on, what do you say?” He asked, leaning against the boards and smiling. “What’s Clara do? Oh yeah, please, please, please, please–”

Tori covered his mouth as she laughed and shook her head. “Okay, fine, fine, I’ll skate with you.”

He moved slowly down to the bench gate as Tori awkwardly walked on her rented skates and when she reached the open door, Kirill held out his hand for her to take. The small action actually caused her heart to thump against her chest and she stared at his hand before reaching out and grabbing it, allowing him to take her cold hand into his warm one.

“Do I need to teach you too?” He teased, still holding onto her hand as she balanced on the ice and pushed away from the boards.

“Ha ha, no,” she replied, rolling her eyes and not wanting to drop his hand– but also wanting to prove to him that he was just as good a skater. “You might not know this about me, but I did figure skating growing up.”

His eyes widened as he started to quicken his pace to follow her. “Really?”

“No,” she laughed, looking over her shoulder and smiling at him. “But, we did go ice skating sometimes. So I’ve picked up a few things when I was younger.” She turned herself around, slowly starting to skate backwards as she kept up her pace. “See?”

“You’re the best out here,” he laughed. “How’s Christmas shopping going?”

“I think my dad and I have gotten Clara just about everything she asked for,” she replied, turning herself back around and somehow keeping herself balanced. “The only thing I can’t find is this like, DIY living room tent thing? I don’t know, it’s something she saw on youtube and it’s like a cute tent she can put up with some lights and stuff.”

“Is that what she really wants?” He asked, looking concerned.

Tori nodded, bringing out her phone. “Yeah, she had it highlighted under both her birthday list and Christmas list.” She pulled up safari which opened up the link to the tent, handing him her phone. “I’ve looked at just about every retail store, Amazon, their website…and I guess I keep missing the restocks or something because I’ve had no luck.”

Kirill looked at her phone, and he noticed him scrolling, probably trying to read and look at the product. “Want me to help?”

“No, no that’s okay,” she replied, taking her phone as he handed it back and putting it into her front pocket. “I’m sure they’ll restock it after Christmas and I’ll find a way to grab it then.” 

“Hi Aunt Tori, hi Kirill, look at me!” Clara smiled, skating by them at a faster pace.

“Please be careful!” Tori called out, her plea falling on deaf ears as she slowly turned herself back to skating backwards. “She’s so cocky, I don’t know where she gets it from.”

“No?” Kirill laughed, raising his eyebrows.

“Totally a lie, she gets it from Jess and I. We were best friends, but we always used to compete at who was the best,” she smiled, starting to freely move backwards and getting a little more comfortable. “Jess could never really get the whole skating backwards thing, but me? Nailed it easily. You can tell too, can’t you?

“You could be on the team,” he smiled, staying close as he skated by her side.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she said, brushing off her shoulder. “Wouldn’t want to take your job–oh!” 

She felt her skate hit a ridge, knocking her off balance and sending her falling backwards to the ice. She fully expected to make contact with the cold ice, even preparing herself for trying not to hit her head…but her body never met the cold ground. She looked up to see Kirill standing there…no, holding her– he’d caught her from hitting the ground.

“You okay?” He asked, looking down at her as he had her in his firm and secure grasp.

Tori nodded, trying her best to laugh it off as if her heart wasn’t racing inside of her chest. “I guess I’m still a little bit rusty.”

“Not too bad,” he smiled, helping her hand back up and then standing in front of her. “But maybe I should help you like I helped Clara, yeah?”

He held out both of his hands and Tori found herself thanking the cold environment for hiding the fact that her cheeks weren’t red from the cold, but from the blushing she had going on. She nodded and reached out, grabbing onto both of his hands and smiled. “Yeah, I could use a lot of it. You won’t let go, right?”

Her last comment was meant to be a little teasing, but deep down inside, she was asking him not to let go of her hands because she enjoyed holding them– feeling the callouses from years of playing hockey against her soft palms.

Kirill shook his head, still smiling. “I won’t let you go.”

Tori never expected she’d have to go into the office while the team was on a two game roadie, but there she was, trudging into the office during a snowfall while Clara tagged along, practically bouncing her way down the halls as she took in the sights of the stadium. The one thing that Tori always loved about kids and hockey, was that it was always as if they were seeing the stadium and the halls and the decorative wallpaper with players and history past and present…for the first time. It was also just so magical to them, which reminded her to never lose that spark for her job.

Kaia had come in earlier, which is why Tori knew she needed to. There was some files that Kaia couldn’t locate on her work computer that had to do with their upcoming plans for interviews after the holidays and Tori knew they were on hers– the only problem was that her computer was in her office– not home with her. It was a simple fix, all she’d need to do was grab her laptop, check the files were on there and email them to Kaia before taking her laptop home with her.

Clara wanted to see everything though, because she’d never seen what Tori’s office was like. No one was there, so Tori let her look around the office and then as they were leaving, they passed one of the equipment managers who had stayed home on the trip and once Tori told him she was giving Clara a tour, he offered to let them take a look around the locker room.

It was nothing but excitement once they walked into the decorated locker room, Tori having been in there once or twice before, but never realizing just how huge it was when there were twenty some guys lounging around. Clara went on the search for the lockers of the four men from down the hall, sitting in each one and asking Tori to take a picture so she could send it to them. And when she did, she was greeted with lots of laughing emojis and a few “is she trying to take my job?” comments.

But once they were on their way home, Tori knew that they could relax for the rest of the day. Maybe order in some chinese and watch whatever it was on tv that Clara wanted to watch– Christmas movies or not. Once they parked, Tori felt her pocket vibrate and pulled out her phone to see she had a text from Barb saying that she had a package up at the front desk.

“Quick detour, Clara, we’ve got to pick something up at the front desk first,” Tori said, putting her phone back into her pocket and taking a left in the parking garage towards the door that would lead into the lobby of the apartment building versus the elevator to take them to their floor.

Barb was sitting at the computer behind the counter and immediately greeted them with a smile once she saw them. “Perfect timing,” she said, coming around the corner of the desk. “This just got dropped off about five minutes ago with the rest of the amazon deliveries.”

“Amazon?” Tori asked, furrowing her eyebrows. “I don’t remember ordering anything…”

“Maybe it’s from Grandpa!” Clara smiled. “A last minute present!”

“Maybe,” Tori said, taking the long box and realizing it did have her name on it. “Hm, we’ll just go upstairs and I’ll open it in my room to see what it is. Thanks again, Barb.”

“Of course, you two have a good rest of your day. Warm up a bit, your noses are red.”

“Bye Mrs. Barb,” Clara waved, now carrying Tori’s computer bag over her shoulder as they made their way towards the elevator, Tori trying not to struggle carrying the long box.

“Are you sureeee I can’t look at it?” Clara smiled as the elevator started to move.

“I’m sure,” Tori replied, smiling back. “It’s too close to your birthday and Christmas for you to open anything.”

Clara huffed as the elevator doors opened and they walked out into the hallway, making their way to the apartment door. Once Tori unlocked the door and nudged it open with her foot, Clara walked inside, resting the computer bag onto the island counter. “I’ll be right here, not looking at my present.”

“You do that,” Tori laughed, closing and locking the door behind her before making her way down the hall to her bedroom and locking that door behind her as well. She placed the box onto the floor and walked into her bathroom, grabbing a pair of scissors she had to trim the candles along her bathtub and walking back into the room, kneeling onto the ground.

She had stopped a majority of her Christmas shopping last week, anything she bought now was just some small stuff she figured that Clara would like that could go into her stocking, so she couldn’t imagine what was in this box, because as far as she knew, she didn’t have anything out for delivery. When she lifted the open edges of the box, her jaw dropped…it was the tent she’d been searching for for weeks– the only thing is…she didn’t order it.

But who did?

She grabbed the box and opened her bedroom door, walking out into the living room where Clara was on the couch. “Alright, I’ll let you open this one present before your birthday. But just this one, got it?”

Clara smiled, jumping off of the couch and running over as Tori put the box down onto the ground. She squealed in excitement once she saw what was in the box, throwing the sides open and reaching in to grab it. “Oh my God, Aunt Tori!!!! It’s the tent!!!!” She smiled, looking up at her. “Can we please clear some space so we can open it? Pretty please, please, please, please?”

“Of course,” Tori laughed, helping her take the box out of the amazon box and smiling. “Just give me a minute and we’ll clear out a space for it.”

She walked over to the island counter, resting the box against it when she saw her phone lit up with a text from Kirill.

Kirill 🐻: I see you got the amazon delivery. Was that the right one?

Her eyes widened as she looked over her shoulder to see Clara still admiring the box the tent came in. SHe walked further into the kitchen and kept her back to Clara as she clicked on his contact and opened up a facetime call. It only rang a few times before he answered it, his smiling face appearing on the screen. “Hey–”

“You bought it? But how did you– where did you–” Tori was speechless.

“I remembered you showing it to me at family skate,” he said, laying down in the hotel bed he was at. “I looked for it and I must’ve been lucky because they restocked it on Amazon that night, so I ordered it and paid for express shipping.”

“Kirill, I…” she sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know how to say thank you, but–”

“You don’t need to,” he replied, shaking his head. “I saw you were stressed about it and I wanted to help. I like seeing you happy…Clara too,” he smiled.

Tori smiled, nodding her head. “Thank you so, so much. You just made her birthday I’m sure.” She looked over her shoulder at Clara. “Clara, come say thank you to Kirill for finding the tent.”

Clara ran over and in an instant, appeared right by Tori’s side and into the frame. “Kirill, you’re the best and you’re my favorite person in the whole entire world!” She squealed, jumping up and down.

Kirill laughed, shaking his head. “Can I see the tent when we get back home?”

“Duh!” Clara smiled. “You’ll be the first guest besides Aunt Tori! Unless you guys want to see it together.”

“Go unpack your text,” Tori replied, rolling her eyes and nudging Clara out of the kitchen. “Kirill, I really can’t express how much this means to her…and to me.”

“You don’t need too, just as long as it makes you both happy,” he said, sitting up in the bed. “I need to go now, got to get ready for the bus ride to the arena.”

“Good luck tonight, score a goal or two, hm?” She smiled, wrapping her left around around her waist.

Kirill laughed, nodding his head. “Make it two, one for you one for Clara.” She felt the butterflies liven in her stomach when he said it, still smiling. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye Kirill, good luck.”

“WAIT,” he said, appearing back in the frame. “Before I go, I wanted to know if um…” he cleared his throat, appearing a little nervous. “If you wanted to be my date for the Christmas Party…or we can go as friends–”

She felt her heart pound against her chest at the mention of that one word– date. She smiled, nodding her head. “A date will be nice,” she spoke softly.

Kirill lit up, his smile big as he nodded. “Okay, great, I’ll talk to you later then! Bye.”

She hung up the phone call, biting onto her bottom lip as she brought her phone up beneath her chin and tried to stop herself from smiling so big. She couldn’t wrap her mind around just how he had been searching for the tent after she told him how she was really wanting to buy it for Clara since it was the thing she wanted most. He didn’t have to do that…but he did, because he wanted Clara to be happy just as much as she did.

“Aunt Tori, come on,” Clara said, standing up in the living room. “I’ve got it unpacked!”

Tori laughed, nodding her head. “Alright, we’ve got a tent to build.”

She went to put her phone down onto the counter, seeing it light up one more time with a text from Kirill.

Kirill 🐻: Can’t wait! 😊

If it was up to Tori, she would bring Clara along with her to the Wild Christmas Party tonight. Clara was a social girl, she seemed to love Ryan, Kirill, Mason and Jordan, and she knew there was no doubt in her mind that she would also get along with the rest of the players and staff she’d meet at the party. However, the party would go pretty late into the evening and keeping her up that late, even though she was on Christmas break didn’t exactly scream ‘I’m a responsible guardian.’ Even though she remembered all the times on holidays where her parents let her and Jess stay up late (and she thought they were great parents), this was something she was new at and she was too scared to mess it up– even over something so incredibly small.

So, she called up Maddie, her old childhood best friend and college roommate who Clara knows well, seeing as Maddie was close to Jess too, and asked if maybe she’d be able to babysit Clara for a few hours while Tori was just minutes down the road in one of the ballrooms at the St. Paul Hotel.

Once the two had left the arena after her brief stop into the office to check her emails, they went out to breakfast and then went shopping. Any and every store that Clara had wanted to stop in, Tori never said no. She wanted the day to be a good one. One where they stopped at Starbucks and got Clara a lemon loaf and a hot chocolate while she got herself a cake pop and a hot chocolate as well. Sipping and snacking on their drinks while they went to target and they took turns pointing out what they hoped Santa would bring for them– Tori taking pictures whenever Clara wasn’t looking so she knew what she could send an order out for tomorrow and have someone swing by and pick it up when she had the chance.

And when they came home, they sat down at the small kitchen table with their to-go lunches they grabbed from a panera down the street and sat down together to eat. Tori listened while Clara talked about which Christmas movies they should watch. How she relived telling her the play-by-play of the day she, Tori and the boys went ice skating three days prior. And when lunch was over, Clara sat in the living room watching Julie and the Phantoms (again) on Netflix while Tori took a quick shower, getting dressed into some light pajamas before walking out and checking on Clara.

“Everything okay here?” She asked, towel drying her hair. “Do you need anything?”

“I’m good,” Clara replied, looking over at her. “What are you doing?”

“I’m gonna do my hair and put on some make-up,” Tori replied, softly squeezing the water out of the ends of her hair.

Clara perked up on the arm of the couch, a small smile on her face. “Can I help?”

Tori smiled, draping her towel over her arm. “You want to?” Clara nodded, pushing herself up onto her knees and Tori just nodded her over. “Alright, let’s go to my bathroom.”

Clara jumped off of the couch and ran over to her brushing by and going down the short hall before making a left into Tori’s bedroom. Tori just laughed as she followed behind, walking into her bedroom and then going into her conjoining bathroom where Clara was leaning against the sink.

“Once I’m done blow drying my hair, what do you think I should do? Curl it or straighten it?” She asked, grabbing her blow dryer and plugging it into an outlet.

“Hm…” Clara squinted as she focused on her. “Straighten! You already have curly hair.”

“I have waves,” Tori laughed, looking down at Clara. “Your mom got the curls from our mom, your Grandma Clara.”

She spoke before she thought about how mentioning Jess might affect Clara. It was just so natural for the words to come out, she couldn’t help it. She felt guilty when she thought she saw a flicker of sadness wash across Clara’s hazel eyes– her father’s eyes– before she just walked over and sat down on the edge of the tub.

“Can I play music on your phone while you dry your hair?” She asked, kicking her feet. Tori nodded and picked up her phone, handing it to Clara after she synced it with her bluetooth speaker that was set up in her bathroom. “Any requests?”

“Whatever your little Christmas loving heart desires,” Tori smiled, getting ready to turn the blow dryer on before turning back towards Clara, pointing the dryer at her. “Except the hippopotamus song, that’s my ultimate crossing the line song.”

“You’re no fun,” Clara replied, rolling her eyes before looking back down at the phone, her small fingers scrolling up the phone screen in search for a song to play.

Tori had to point out that she had a Christmas playlist on Spotify, ultimately finding it for her and then letting Clara pick whatever songs she wanted to play from the list as she blow dried her hair. The two of them sang along to all of the classics even as Tori switched from blow drying her hair to straightening it.

The both of them burst into song with smiles on their faces once Mariah Carey’s classic, ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ came on, and though the memories of her and Jess doing the very same thing when they were younger flooded her mind, seeing Clara sing her little heart out, belting the notes at the top of her lungs, was enough to wipe away the sad afterthought just long enough for Tori to finish straightening her hair.

“Are you sure about the gold eyeshadow? You don’t think it’s too much?” Tori asked, looking away from her small portable mirror and  turning to face the soon to be eight-year-old.

“I think it brings out your eyes,” Clara replied, swinging her sitting besides Tara on the floor, using the small bathtub carpet to place the make-up she had placed just in front of her to ‘help figure out our options.’ “You guys have pretty eyes…” Clara paused and then looked back down at the make-up containers in front of her. “Had, I guess.”

Tori swallowed the knot in her throat, wanting to comfort the sadness that Clara was feeling, but even her correction into a past tense had been so soft, Tori wandered if acknowledging it was going to be the right thing to do. “Well I think you have the prettiest eyes.”

“They’re alright,” Clara shrugged, picking up a lip pencil. “They’re just brown.”

“They’re hazel,” Tori corrected, putting down the liquid golden eyeshadow after closing the tube. “And even if they were just brown, they’re still beautiful. Brown eyes are like…” she paused, trying not to let herself picture the moment at ice skating when she almost embarrassed herself falling down and Kirill caught her fall. “They’re warm and sometimes when they’re really brown, they’ve got this depth in them…like that person’s got all of the secrets in the world hidden behind their eyes. And when the light catches them? Magical. It’s like they can change a multitude of shades and–”

Clara was smiling, catching Tori off guard. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you have a crussshhhhh,” Clara sang, handing Tori the pencil. “And it’s on Kirilllllll.”

“I do not,” Tori scoffed, taking the pencil and looking at the shade before uncapping it, shaking her head. “I do not, nope.”

“Yes you do,” Clara giggled, sitting up from her butt and onto the backs of her heels. “And you know how I know? Because he has brown eyes and you went all,” she fluttered her eyelashes and smiled, cupping her hands beneath her face as if she was playing a lovesick girl in a movie. “When talking about brown eyes.”

Tori laughed, turning her focus back to the mirror to apply her lip liner. “Just because he has brown eyes and I romanticized them to make YOU feel better, doesn’t mean I have a crush on Kirill. Now find me a shade of lipstick, my little make-up guru.”

Ever like her mother, Clara rolled her eyes at Tori’s playoff of the all too real situation that she’d brought up. But crushing on the guy just down the hall wasn’t really something she wanted her niece to call her out on. It was bad enough that it had been something Jess had picked up on last year when she and Steven had a date night to a game and met her afterwards.

And it didn’t help that Tori had always been the kind of girl who let the smallest of moments and things turn into the biggest when it came to love and things like it. Thoughts always spent a little extra time in her head and her brain would spin them and turn them into special butterfly inducing memories until her feelings were almost as big as the heart her mom always told her she had and one that “anyone would be lucky to have love them.” The absolute last thing that she needed was for her brain to spin the small moments, big moments, and every funny tik tok, simple text or wave from Kirill, into something butterfly inducing. The absolute, very, very, VERY last thing she needed…was to have feelings for the kindhearted, brown-eyed boy down the hall.

Or, you know, that she needed to acknowledge them. Because she knew deep down that there were feelings there for him, small or large she didn’t know. She didn’t want to allow herself to feel those, when she wasn’t even sure about whether or not him having similar feelings for her were possible.

“Aunt Tori,” Clara said, waving the lipstick in front of her face. “How’s this shade?”

Tori cleared her throat, removing herself from her inner thoughts before looking at the perfect match of a shade of red lipstick and smiling. “It’s perfect. I should just have you do my make-up from now on, that way I can sit back and relax while you do all the work.”

“Only if you boost my allowance up to $10,” she said, standing up and brushing off her pants.

“Only if you actually do your chores,” Tori replied, carefully applying her lipstick onto her top lip before blotting it with the bottom.

Clara extended her hand out, nodding. “Deal.”

Tori laughed and shook her hand before returning back to applying her lipstick, Clara coming over with a folded up piece of toilet paper before she even had to ask. “Do you just watch those beauty youtubers all the time?”

“Mainly tiktok, but sometimes I watch youtube. I’m gonna go get a snack.”

“Okay, I’ll be out there in a bit,” she replied, capping her lipstick and blotting using the toilet paper. She collected the makeup from beside her and put it all back into the storage where it belonged before standing up and putting her make-up all back onto her bathroom counter.

She took a step back from the counter, moving her hair off of her shoulders and towards her back as she took in the job that she and Clara had done together. She was still getting used to the way her curtain bangs were framing her face, knowing that Jess would be right over her shoulder and telling her that she knew she’d second guess getting the hairstyle. That was the thing though, she wasn’t sure if she did second guess getting it…she just liked the idea of being able to hear her older sister tease her in the back of her mind.

Besides, Clara, her dad and Kirill said that they liked her hair. Though perhaps Kirill’s approval was right up there with Clara’s– almost a close second.

Tori turned off the bathroom light and walked into her bedroom, going over to her walk-in closet and opening the door, not even needing to turn on the light to know where her dress for tonight was at. She’d hung it just next to the door the moment after she’d washed it…the same day she bought it. She’s been excited to wear it from the moment she saw it on a random shopping trip during her lunch break with Kaia. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but it was a dress that when she jokingly tried it on…she felt different in it.

She imagined, as she stood there in that dressing room with the lights illuminating her closed stall, that this feeling…whatever it was, was what her mom had talked about when she and Jess were growing up. That one day, when they were engaged and wedding dress shopping, that it would be nothing like shopping for homecoming dresses or prom dresses was going to be. That the dress, would make them feel like they were the most beautiful person in the room. Her mom was right, she and Jess never felt that way shopping for their homecoming or prom dresses– but she knew Jess had felt that moment the day she, after trying on what felt like every dress in the bridal shop, tried on the dress she would wear when she walked down the aisle to Steve.

Granted, Tori hadn’t bought her dress while preparing for her wedding, but the way she suddenly saw herself in a different light as the deep green, sparkly velvet material hugged her body as if it were made just for her. Feeling the soft material cut in an A-line on her chest and flare out into a skater dress just at her mid thigh, she stood there so long in that dressing room admiring the way the dress looked, that Kaia had knocked on the door saying “the dress can’t be that bad.”

And it wasn’t, because the moment Tori walked out of the dressing room, Kaia told her to turn right back around and change because, “you are so buying that dress.”

She grabbed the hanger, bringing the dress out of her closet and then walking towards her bed as she laid it down on top of her comforter. She changed out of her sweatpants and tank top and grabbed the dress, sliding the material off of it’s hanger and stepping into the dress, the material hugging against her body, feeling the velvet against the palms of her hands as she rubbed her hands down the stress, flattening out any wrinkles. Also in her closet, were the shoes she was going to wear tonight as well.

“What, Clara?” She called out, swearing she heard Clara’s voice. She bent down and quickly slid on each heel before making her way out of her bedroom and down the short hallway, eventually coming into her shared living and dining rooms.

“I said, Maddie’s here,” Clara replied, walking over towards the couch and sitting down next to Maddie.

“You answered the door?” Tori asked, eyes wide as she walked over to the small island counter where she had set down the purse she was going to use tonight, was. “I know for a fact that you were taught not to answer the door–”

“For strangers,” Clara replied, shrugging. “I got a chair and looked through the peephole to see who it was. Maddie’s not a stranger, so I answered it.”

Tori sighed, shaking her head. “Okay, technically she’s not a stranger, but you should’ve come back and told me that Maddie was here before opening the door. For all you know she could be on one of her crazy trips and rob us blind.”

Maddie rolled her eyes as she sipped on her Starbucks refresher. “Ha ha, very funny. Mind you, I’m here aren’t I?”

“Yes and thank you for that,” Tori replied, grabbing her small clutch and making sure she had transferred everything over that she’d need for tonight.

“Yeah, yeah, what are besties for, now come over here so we can see the final look.” Maddie said, waving her over. “Full on fashion show like the ones we used to do in fifth grade.”

This time, Tori rolled her eyes as she put the clutch back down onto the island and walked into the living room. “Do I really–”

Maddie held her hand up, shaking her head. “I said, fashion show. So strut.”

Clara laughed, sitting up on her knees in excitement as they both had their eyes on Tori, who was giving into the demands and like when she was a kid, put on her best “supermodel” runway walk and walked into the living room, doing a twirl and then playfully flipping her hair over her shoulder before stopping in front of them and sighing, shrugging her arms. “So? Thoughts?”

Maddie looked at Clara and then leaned over, cupping her ear and whispering as Clara shook her head and then nodded, her face going through a whole slew of emotions before finally nodding again. Maddie sat up straight and the two looked at each other before Clara looked back at Tori and smiled. 

“We think you look hot.”

Tori laughed, throwing her head back just barely as she shook her head. “Well thank you, but hot should not be in your vocabulary yet. Wait until you’re like…I don’t know, 18.”

“18?! But that’s forever!” Clara whined, falling back against the couch. “14.”

A knock on the door interrupted what Tori was going to say as she pointed at Clara. “We’ll talk about it later.” She walked towards the door, already knowing who was going to be on the other side since this was about the time that they agreed in their group chat to meet up so they could all travel to the party together.

“Hey guy…oh, hi” she expected to see Ryan, Kirill, Mason and Jordan, along with three of their dates she knew were tagging along. But instead…it was only Kirill standing at her front door, dressed very nice in a black suit that had gold trim, along with a dark gray shirt underneath. 

And he was wearing the hell out of the suit.

“Hi,” he spoke, clearing his throat soon after as he pointed his thumb down the hall. “The guys sent me here. We’re ready to go, are you?”

“I am,” she nodded, trying not to focus on the way she could see his eyes taking in her dress. “I just um,” she looked over her shoulder. “Need to grab my purse…come on in.”

“Thanks,” he nodded, sucking in his lips as he kept his hands in his pockets and walked into her apartment, closing the door behind him.

“Hi Kirill!” Clara said, standing up from the couch and walking over. “What’s with the funny suit?”

Kirill smiled as he held out his fist for her to bump. “Funny suit?”

Clara giggled as she shook her head. “You’re just really dressed up! I only ever see you wearing jeans and stuff.”

“Oh,” he replied, looking a little embarrassed as Tori turned around. “A Christmas party. I’m picking up Tori.”

“Mhhm and now we’re getting ready to leave, so please be on your best behavior for Maddie,” Tori said, draping the chain of her clutch purse over her shoulder and pointing to Maddie. “And no obscene amount of sugar after eight.”

“No fun,” Maddie replied, waving at Kirill. “Hey Kirill, take care of our girl tonight please. No shenanigans.”

“Shenanigans?” He asked, looking at Tori, his cheeks tinting pink as he looked for a translation.

“No pranks, practical jokes,” Tori replied, shaking her head. “Ignore her.” She turned back towards Clara bending down to her level and holding out her pinky finger. “Promise to be on your best behavior?”

“You’re leaving?” Clara asked, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked between Tori and Kirill.

Tori nodded, adjusting her clutch chain, going to kiss the top of Clara’s head. “Just down the street to the team Christmas party. I promise I’ll be back–”

“No!” Clara yelled, backing herself away from the affectionate moment.

The three adults stood there in shock at the way the personable and bubbly, but often quiet, Clara raised her voice so defiantly.

“No, you can’t go!” Tori could see the way Clara’s face began to crumble and knew she was only moments away from crying. “If you go, you won’t come back! My mommy and daddy didn’t!”

Tori stepped towards Clara, ready to comfort the now crying child. “Clara–” Just as she went to get down to her level, Clara spun around on her heels and ran back towards the only bedroom of the apartment– Tori’s– slamming the door shut behind her.

The silence was loud and heavy as she stared down the hall, the most outrageous part expecting her for Clara to come back out laughing– that it was all a joke. But the big part of her, the one that knew Clara was genuinely upset, scared even…that part tugged at her heart, causing an ache so deep that it didn’t take her a second to turn around to face Kirill.

“I’m sorry,” she spoke, shaking her head as she took her clutch off of her shoulder. “I can’t go tonight. I can’t–” she looked back over her shoulder, shaking her head as she looked back at him. “I can’t leave her like this.

She couldn’t tell what exactly it was that he was feeling– confused at what went down, sad that she was bailing, concerned for Clara or maybe even a little scared at the outburst– but like he always did, he put on that small, comforting smile that always gave her the biggest of butterflies, and nodded his head.

“I’ll let the guys know.” He walked back to her door, opening it as she followed behind him. He turned back around, his eyes looking just past her and over her shoulder. “Tell Clara I hope she’s okay.”

Tori leaned against the door, nodding. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Again, I’m sorry. I know–”

“It’s okay, Tori.” He replied, still smiling as she rocked back on his heels. “See you later.”

She waved as she watched him walk back down the hall towards his room most likely to grab the rest of their group before looking back into her apartment and sighing, nodding at Maddie. “You should probably go too.”

Maddie nodded, getting up off of the couch and collecting her things off of the island counter before coming over to Tori, not hesitating a single moment before wrapping her arms around her and hugging her. “It’s not your fault.”

“I didn’t–” Tori paused, as Maddie pulled back and she looked down the hallway. “I should’ve known she’d get upset and I didn’t think about that.” She took a deep breath, exhaling as she looked back at Maddie, feeling the tears burn in her eyes. “Jess would’ve known what to do. She would’ve known–”

“Hey, don’t get down on yourself, Tor,” Maddie said, holding onto Tori’s arms. “This…all of this is new to you, but you’ve done a hell of a job so far. No one expects you to be perfect, okay? You had one slip up and even then…you’re doing your damndest. You’re canceling your plans to make sure that Clara is okay.”

Maddie reached up and cupped her face, gaining her attention as she looked into her eyes. “You’re trying, Tori. You’re trying and you’re learning…and that’s all Jess and Steven both would have wanted.”

Tori nodded, hugging Maddie again before pulling away. “Thank you.”

“You know I’ll always be here for you,” she smiled, walking out of her apartment door. “And send me that receipt for your Target order, I’ll swing by and pick it up tomorrow. Love you Tor.”

“Love you too, Mads,” Tori replied, waiting until she saw Maddie get into the elevator before closing and locking her apartment door for the night.

She took a few deep breaths as she took off her shoes and placed her purse back onto the counter before making her way back down the hall, coming to a stop in front of her bedroom door. She raised her fist, holding it there for a few spare moments before knocking on the door. “Clara?”

Tori pressed her ear against the door, hearing her fan on the other side of the door blowing, but not a peep from Clara. She knocked again, keeping her ear against the door. “Clara, can you come out please? Or let me in?”

Still silence and Tori was starting to feel defeated as she exhaled and let her body fully lean against the door. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about the party. I…I didn’t even think about,” she paused, unsure of how to say the idea that maybe Clara would have some kind of reservations about Tori going to a party, without making it seem as if she wasn’t considering her feelings. “I’m sorry that I made you upset, that’s the last thing I ever want to do.”

“I sent Maddie and Kirill home, so it’s just gonna be me and you tonight.” She crossed her arms, focusing on the sounds from the other side of the door. “And I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of hungry…so I think I’m gonna order a pizza. If you want some, just let me know.”

The one thing that she learned between her Dad and Clara’s therapist, was that she needed to let Clara come to terms with things on her own time. Not to force her to talk about it before she was ready or ignore it when the time came. If she had questions, then it was okay to answer them until Clara either started to look uncomfortable or stop asking questions altogether. So that’s what she was going to do, she held out her olive branch of a pizza offering and was going to sit in the living room and wait until Clara hopefully would leave the room and join her.

Tori had ordered the pizza on her phone and sat down onto the couch, leaning back into the warm material as she stared at the “are you still watching?” Netflix screen. It was only a few minutes after she placed the order for pizza when she heard her bedroom door open from down the hall, Clara appearing at the end of the hall a couple of seconds later.

“You still want to watch Julie and the Phantoms?” Tori asked, nodding towards the tv screen.

Clara nodded, keeping quiet as she slowly made her way over to the couch and sat down right beside Tori, immediately curling herself up against her side. “Why didn’t you go to the Christmas party?”

Tori shrugged, reaching up and brushing Clara’s hair back as she continued to play the show. “You were upset and I didn’t want to leave you behind,” she replied, looking down at her. “Besides, hanging out with you is a lot more fun than going to a fancy Christmas party.”

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” Clara spoke softly, resting her head against Tori’s chest. “I just–”

“Sh, you don’t have to apologize, Clara,” Tori replied, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. “I know.”

They sat there for a relaxed moment before Clara looked up at Tori, pouting. “But now you’re all dressed up and pretty…”

Tori smiled, sitting up straight. “How about we change over into some pj’s, then I can do your hair and make-up and after that, we’ll clean it all up and have a spa night like your mom and I used to have with our mom?”

Clara perked up and nodded, a smile on her face. “Okay!” She scrambled off of the couch and headed towards the hall. “Face masks too?”

“Of course,” Tori scoffed, standing up off of the couch and following behind her, holding onto the hand Clara had outstretched towards her. “We’ll go all out, I promise.”

And they did.

After changing into some comfortable pajamas, Tori rounded up all of the spa stuff she had available in her bathroom and they walked back out into living room area with spa and make-up stuff in hand. Just like when Clara was helping Tori get ready, she had picked out all of the colors she wanted to wear, and Tori would apply it. She opted for having her hair curled and once it came down to make-up. And to no surprise, Clara had handed Tori the golden eyeshadow she had picked out for her earlier in the evening, when Tori had asked what eyeshadow she wanted.

“With as knowledgeable as you are about make-up, I give it until you’re 12 to be better at it than me,” Tori joked, carefully applying the finishing touches on the eyeshadow. “I was never this good at make-up, I only learned a little in high school and then a little more in college.”

Clara kept her eyes closed as Tori shut the eyeshadow pallet and then grabbed the eyeliner. “I like watching youtube and tik toks,” she said, sitting still as Tori began applying the eyeliner. “Plus I really liked watching my mom do her make-up, she looked really pretty.”

Tori smiled softly, nodding her head even though Clara couldn’t see. “Your mom was always very pretty.”

Silence settled over as Tori carefully applied the eyeliner to Clara’s top lid before having her open her eyes so she could apply it to the waterline. Words were none even as she put the eyeliner down and then grabbed the mascara, even more carefully applying it so she didn’t accidentally poke Clara in the eye.

“All right, you’re all done,” she smiled, putting the mascara tube down and grabbing the make-up mirror that she’d brought out from the bathroom and held it in front of Clara. “What do you think?”

Clara scooted closer to the mirror, turning her face side to side as she even played with the curls of her chestnut colored hair. “Do I look like my mom?” She asked, looking up at Tori with a softened expression.

“I–“ a knock on the door interrupted Tori’s reply, signaling that hopefully the pizza was here. “That must be the pizza.”

Tori got up off of the floor and walked over to the front door, peeping through the peephole and seeing the pizza delivery man. She opened the door, making small conversation as she was handed the receipt to sign before finally wishing the delivery man a good night and taking the pizza, closing the door behind her and walking into the kitchen as Clara walked in. They grabbed some plates and each put two slices of pizza and a cheesy breadstick onto their plate before Clara took their plates into the living room while Tori grabbed them each a cup of water to drink.

When they settled back into the living room and sat on the floor, Tori noticed the small silence that was still there as Clara started to eat her pizza and focus on the Hannah Montana episode that was playing on Disney+. She knew it was most likely because she’d never gotten the answer to her question since the pizza had been delivered and so Tori put her pizza back down onto her plate and turned towards Clara.

“You do look like your mom,” she said, watching as her response took a few seconds before it sunk into Clara’s focus that she had said something.

“I do?” Clara asked, her bite of pizza still in her mouth as she quickly chewed it and swallowed. “Or are you just saying that?”

“No, you do,” Tori smiled, nodding her head. “You have her hair, especially now with the curls–“

“But we curled it…”

“Your mom’s hair didn’t get curlier until she was 14, before that, her hair was straight just like yours. You have her nose and her cheeks,” she smiled, scooting closer to Clara. “You have your dad’s eyes and his dimple, but your smile,” she reached out and gently poked right by the outside corner of Clara’s left eye. “You definitely have your mom’s smile, it reaches up into your eyes.”

Clara smiled and just like she said, for a moment, Tori could see a glimpse of Jess just in her smile alone. “Thanks Aunt Tori.” She sighed, picking her pizza up again. “I’m sorry for ruining your date with Kirill.”

Tori laughed, shaking her head. “It wasn’t really a date…I was just his date to the party is all. And besides,” she nudged Clara, smiling. “I think we’re having more fun doing this than I would at a party.”

“Even if it meant you couldn’t go on your date?” She frowned.

Tori nodded. “Even if it meant missing out on tonight. Besides, if Kirill has a problem with me canceling so I can spend more time with you, then he’s not worth it.” She picked up her pizza and looked at Clara. “Boys will come and go Clara, but family is forever.”

Clara smiled and picked her pizza back up to eat and Tori joined in, sneaking a glimpse at her phone to see that she still didn’t have any messages from Kirill. It’s not like she was expecting him to text her throughout the night, because it was, after all, a team Christmas party…but she was also hoping that her hypothetical ‘if he has a problem’ scenario wasn’t real. Because a big part of her, though she would deny it if asked, did care for Kirill.

And she hoped he felt the same way.

It’d been maybe an hour and a half into their night, the make-up was all washed away and the two of them were lounging on the couch in their face masks, complete with some chopped up cucumbers to snack on as they watched The Polar Express, one of their favorite Christmas movies they watched as kids. If it wasn’t so late, Tori might have suggested the two of them bundle up into a jacket and boots and wander down the street to get some ice cream. But, since tomorrow was their birthday, she figured that could be something she treated Clara to during the day.

Because right now, Clara was close to being ready to fall asleep and a sugar rush would only keep her up for a little bit longer.

“Who’s that?” Clara asked, looking towards the front door following the soft knock they heard. “Is Maddie coming back?”

“I’m not sure,” Tori said, getting up off of the couch and keeping her blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She walked over to the door, looking through the peephole and immediately stepping away. “Shit.”

“What? Who is it?”

“It’s Kirill,” she replied, reaching up and touching her dried clay mask. “And my face is completely purple…”

Clara jumped off of the couch and ran by Tori, nudging her out of the way and unlocking the door locks before swinging the door open. “Hi Kirill! Come in!”

“Hi,” he laughed, going along as Clara grabbed onto his coat jacket and tried to tug him in as best as she could. “What are…” he paused and looked between both girls as Clara shut the door. “What’s on your faces?”

“Face masks to help us look young,” Clara chimed in, pointing at the plastic bags he was carrying. “Whatcha got there?”

He looked down at the plastic bag and then held it up. “I brought ice cream.”

“But,” Tori paused, seeing that he was still dressed up in his suit. “What about the party? It doesn’t end for another two and a half hours.”

Kirill smiled and shrugged. “It wasn’t fun and Ryan said he’d tell everyone I wasn’t feeling good.”

“Does this mean we can have ice cream, Aunt Tori?” Clara gasped, turning towards her and grabbing onto her hand, pouting. “It’d make me feel so much better! Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty pleasseeeeee?”

“Yeah Tori, pretty please?” Kirill laughed, looking at her.

More than anything, she just wanted to wash the clay mask off of her face, even though it was looking like Kirill didn’t care that she was wearing it. “Okay,” she nodded, holding her blanket tighter. “We can have ice cream. We’ll just go wipe this stuff off our faces real quick and then–”

“No need!” Clara ran around the counter into the kitchen and grabbed the small stool Tori had for her, moving it in front of the sink and then turning the water on, vigorously rubbing her face with the water until the face mask was off.

Tori just sighed, grabbing a paper towel and ripping it, handing it to Clara. “Wipe around, you’ve got some flakes leftover.” She looked at Kirill and nodded. “I’ll be back.”

She swiftly made her way down the hall to her bedroom, walking in and going to the bathroom to wash the face mask off her face. She tried not to let her racing heart make her nervous at the fact that Kirill had left his own team’s Christmas party hours earlier, just to come by her apartment to make sure that they were okay. And he even brought ice cream. Those were two wins in her book and if she were to text Maddie and Kaia, no doubt in her mind that they would tease her and say that he’s definitely got feelings for her.

But she didn’t want that disappointment, because maybe he was just a friendly guy.

When she wiped her face dry, she walked back out and down the hall, seeing Kirill still standing at the counter, only now he was holding an ice cream scooper in his hand and looking at Clara for approval as he dropped a second scoop into the bowl. “Good?”

“Mm, one more.”

“No, two is good,” Tori laughed, shaking her head. “You need to sleep at some point tonight, because tomorrow is a big day.”

“Our birthday!” Clara smiled, looking at Kirill. “Are you guys coming to my party? It’s just Aunt Tori, Maddie and me right now.”

Kirill laughed as he handed over the bowl of ice cream. “I would love to come.”

“Sweet,” Clara smiled, grabbing her bowl before giving him a hug. “Thanks Kirill, you’re the best.”

She ran off before he could reply and Tori walked over, taking her place at the end of the island. “This was really nice of you to do,” she said, leaning against the counter. “I thought my spa night and pizza was good, but you really took the cake with this ice cream.”

“Took the cake?” He asked, eyebrows furrowed as he dropped a scoop of ice cream into her bowl.

“It means you won,” she smiled, nodding at the ice cream. “Plus, it’s like you have a radar in your head and knew I was craving something sweet.”

Kirill smiled, shrugging his shoulders. “I know you.”

It was a good day– a day to be celebrated in many ways.

It was Christmas Eve and then it was both Clara and Tori’s birthday. A bittersweet day, but also one that needed much celebration in it’s own right. When she woke up this morning, Clara was still fast asleep in the bed beside her, so Tori took the chance to get up and make a phone call to her dad– hoping it wasn’t too early in the morning for him.

The first thing he’d said when she answered, was wishing her and Clara both a happy birthday. And after the polite conversation and questions about how they were doing had come and gone, Tori had asked him the most important question for the day– “how did you do it?”

“How did I do what, Tori?”

“How did you make that first birthday after mom died, so special?”

There was silence on the phone before her dad sighed. “Well, I didn’t shy away from the topic if you wanted to talk about your mom. We did a lot of talking about her and past birthdays. We kept up with those traditions, and just made sure to include mom as much as we could.”

Tori was biting her long sleeve as she stared at the Christmas tree. “I’m just nervous I’ll ruin it,” she whispered, feeling the tears burn in her eyes. “You made that birthday and every one after that so special, even when deep down I was missing mom so much. I– I want to do that for Clara, I don’t want Jess and Steven’s death to overshadow her and make her hate her birthdays every year.”

“As long as you just talk about Jess and Steven when she wants to and you validate those feelings she has, you won’t ruin it, Tori. She loves you and you’ve got a way of making everyone feel special, especially on their birthdays. Just do things you’ll think she’ll enjoy or if she asks to do something, do that too.”

It was her dad’s advice that made her feel a lot less nervous going into the day. First up on the day, she’d made Clara a special breakfast– chocolate chip pancakes complete with whipped cream and some cut up strawberries– a birthday breakfast that their mom had made Tori and Jess every year on their birthday since they could remember. And it was a tradition that Tori knew Jess had kept up with, because when Clara finally woke up and joined her out in the living room, her eyes lit up when she saw the pancakes on the kitchen island– even if the smile wasn’t there.

Tori didn’t remember much about that first birthday without her mom, part of her thinks she probably blocked it out because it was too sad to think about, but watching Clara go through it, she probably experienced the same thing. The sniffles and tears while eating her breakfast, the smile on her face but one that didn’t reach her eyes as she opened the gift Tori’s dad had gotten her. The apologizing for feeling sad and the “it’s okay,” from Tori when she had apologized.

It felt like uncharted territory, even though she’d been in it before. The only thing that had even boosted her mood just a little bit, was when the four boys from down the hall stopped by to wish them both a happy birthday, even giving her some presents.

Kirill’s was the only one that Clara was actually interested in– maybe it was because it was from him or maybe because it was the only one that wasn’t personally signed Minnesota Wild merchandise. It was a Polly Pocket set, one that Tori wasn’t sure whether or not he just saw in a store and thought that she’d like it or if it was something he knew that she wanted. At least not until before they left, Tori had asked him how he knew what to get her and he said– “we're best friends, duh. She said she liked Polly Pockets, so I just went to the store and asked someone for help.”

Once the boys left, they just hung around the apartment, watching whatever Clara wanted to watch. It wasn’t until she started to feel a little antsy that Tori had asked what was wrong. Clara looked at her, a sad look on her face as she played with her hands and said, “I want to go see mommy and daddy…if that’s okay.”

Visiting the cemetery back in her hometown wasn’t exactly what Tori had on the birthday card for today, but she remembered what her dad said about being open to whatever Clara wanted to do and agreed. They had gotten dressed and left the apartment complex, getting to the garage and getting into her car before setting out for the drive back to Saint Paul. Christmas songs were on the radio, but that was the only sound in the car on their drive, especially once they neared the cemetery where her mom, Jess and Steven were all buried in the same section, but only plots away from each other.

They’d stopped at the store, buying some flowers before reaching the cemetery and once they parked off to the side, they got out and walked through the snow, trying their best to find the headstones. They’d found her mom’s first and Tori bent down and wiped off a few extra whisps of snow before placing the red poinsettias into the flowerpot. It wasn’t the first time since her mom had died that Tori had come to the cemetery, but each time was just as emotional as the first time after the funeral.

“Aunt Tori, can I go find mommy and daddy?” Clara asked, pointing just head. “I think they’re eight up.”

“Okay, just stay in view.” Tori nodded, watching as Clara walked just ahead in front of her. She took a deep breath and sighed, staring down at her mom’s engraved name. “I know you told us that even if you weren’t here anymore that you’d always be around…but I really hope that’s true because I feel like I’m out of my league.”

“I hope you’re with Jess and Steven up there, and I hope you guys are looking down at us and show up in times we need you. Dad’s doing good, Clara’s doing as good as you can expect her to…and I think I’m doing okay,” she replied, wiping her running nose. “You and Jess would be glad to know that I finally might’ve found someone I really like, though I’m not sure if the feelings are mutual. And I think you would’ve liked him, his name’s Kirill and he plays for the Wild. Jess has met him and she liked him, so I’m sure she’s told you all about him. He’s everything you always told us we deserved and needed to find in someone, one day.”

Tori laughed, shaking her head. “And honestly, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if you somehow sent him to me.” She looked up to see that Clara was squatting down towards the ground and knew she’d found where Jess and Steven were. “I miss you a lot, mom and I wish you were here all the time, but I know you are just like you said you would be. I love you and I’ll visit again soon, hug Jess and Steven for me.”

Tori quickly wiped her face and calmed herself down before walking away from her mom’s headstone and taking the short walk up to where Clara was at, not getting to close as to not want to interrupt Clara, wanting to give her privacy. When she stood up, Tori walked over and stood next to her, draping her arm over her shoulder. “You okay, Clara?”

Clara sniffled, wiping at her face and shaking her head. “I miss them,” she sobbed. “It’s not fair.”

Tori squatted down to her level and wrapped her in her arms, hugging her as she tried not to cry herself. “I know, I know,” she whispered, cupping the back of her head before leaning back. “But you know what my mom always told your mommy and I when we were little and she got really sick?”

Clara shook her head, sniffling again as she wiped at her nose. “No.”

“She told us, that even if she wasn’t here physically where we could see her and hug her,” she said, reaching up and wiping away the tear stains on Clara’s cheeks. “That she would always be right here in our hearts,” she reached down and patted Clara’s heart. “And that she would never, ever leave there.”

“Can I talk to her there too?” Clara asked, wiping at her face again.

“Always,” Tori whispered, holding onto Clara’s arms. “I was going to wait until tonight to give you this, but I think now might be better.”

“What is it?”

Tori reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out the small red gift box and lifting the lid and the small tissue paper from over it, revealing a small silver locket. “When you were born, your daddy bought this for your mommy. It says, ‘home is where the heart is’ on the front and on the back, it’s got all three of your guys initials,” Tori smiled, showing Clara both sides before opening the locket. “And then inside, they added this picture of the three of you smiling in the hospital room. See? There you are right there in your mommy’s arms.”

Clara leaned down, looking at the locket before looking up at Tori. “I was so small.”

“You were a few hours old,” Tori smiled, pointing to the empty side. “And then right here, if you want…we can add a picture of the three of you from that family photo session we all did together, yeah?”

“Yes please,” she nodded, wiping at her nose. “Can you put it on me?”

Tori nodded, taking the locket out of the box. “I figured you were old enough to have this now, that way you’ll always have your mommy and daddy to look at when you get a little sad and I’m not there to comfort you.”

Once she put the locket around her neck, Tori let it rest against her chest and Clara reached down and held it into her palm with a small smile before looking up at Tori. “I love it Aunt Tori and I love you.”

“I love you too, kiddo,” she smiled, hugging her again, this time just a little tighter.

It was hard trying to decipher whether or not Clara’s trembling lips and body were from her crying or from the harsh cold winter air. So they said one last goodbye to Jess and Steven, Tori saying her own goodbye in her head before they made their way back to their car, staying close to each other and holding hands. When they got back into the car, Tori turned around to make sure Clara was settled before offering her a small smile.

“How about we got get some hot chocolate from the cafe your grandma Clara used to always take your mom and I to when we were kids and we’ll talk about your mom and dad?” Tori suggested, unsure of how Clara would respond.

She sniffled again, wiping at her nose. “Do they have cake pops? Daddy loved cake pops.”

“They do,” Tori laughed, nodding her head. “We’ll get a cake pop too.”

They spent hours in that cafe, ordering hot chocolates and cake pops, nursing them as Tori told stories of Jess when they were younger and answered any questions about her mom and dad that Clara had. By the time it was time for them to start driving home so they could meet Maddie at the apartment for the small dinner and cake they were going to do for Clara, Clara was smiling for the first time that entire day– genuinely smiling.

It wasn’t until they got in the car that Tori saw she had a missed call from Kirill and a voicemail. And when she listened to it first, she smiled. “Kirill called, did you want to hear what he had to say?” She asked, looking over at Clara.

“Yes please!!!” Clara nodded, sitting eagerly in her car seat.

“Hey Tori, I just realized that I forgot to do something when I swung by earlier. I know it’s Clara’s birthday, so I wanted to wish her a happy birthday again and this time, do it the way we always did growing up.” He said something in his native Russian, probably something along the lines of happy birthday and then, the part that made Tori smile, he started to sing the simple tune of happy birthday– still in his native language.

“THAT WAS SO COOL!” Clara smiled, eyes wide. “Next time I see him I’m gonna ask him to teach me russian!”

Tori laughed, putting her phone down and starting her car. The only thing Clara didn’t know was that Tori had ended the voicemail seconds before he went on to say what he did after.

“I know it’s your birthday too, so I wanted to say happy birthday and I’m very happy I met you. You’re doing a great job, Tor.” And then he said something else in russian before translating it for her. “I am the happiest man on earth because I met you, bye.”

She didn’t need Clara teasing her until she was red in the face, but also, she knew that she would never get his voice out of her head– constantly replaying the compliment on their drive home.

The day had come and gone, the sun was set and all around Minnesota, Tori was sure parents had their kids all tucked into bed. But in their small bedroom apartment, Tori, Maddie and Clara were watching ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ like all the Christmas Eve’s before, snacking on some of the leftover cookies they’d made for Santa and just enjoying each other’s presence.

“Did you have a good birthday, kiddo?” Maddie asked, looking over Tori as Clara sat down on the floor, wrapped up in a blanket Maddie had gotten her that was a picture of Clara, Jess and Steven together from last Christmas.

“Yeah, one of the best,” Clara smiled, looking over her shoulder at them. “Thank you guys a lot.”

“You’re welcome, Clara,” Tori smiled, tucking her legs beneath her on the couch. “I’m glad you had a good day.”

“I feel bad though,” Clara frowned, holding the blanket around her. “It’s your birthday too, Aunt Tori and you didn’t get a cake to make a wish or anything.”

Tori smiled, shrugging her shoulders. “That’s okay, I got what I wanted and that was for you to have a good day. I know how hard those firsts can be when you lose someone important to you and all I wanted was to do for you what Grandpa did for me and your mom when we were younger. To make sure you could still have a good day, even if you were a little sad.”

Clara got up and walked over to the couch, leaning over and giving Tori a hug. “I love you Aunt Tori, you’re the best ever.”

“I love you too, Clara,” Tori replied, rubbing her back as she held onto the hug.

A knock on the door interrupted the hug and Clara jumped back, handing her blanket off to Tori. “I’ll get it!”

“What did we say about answering doors?” Tori laughed, holding the blanket in her lap.

“Yeah, Clara,” Maddie smiled, looking at Tori. “I wonder who that could be.”

Tori folded the blanket the best she could before getting up off of the couch, just as Clara opened the door. “GRANDPA!!!!!” Clara squealed, being lifted up moments after as Tori’s dad walked into the apartment, closing the door behind her.

“Dad?” Tori asked, eyes widening. “What are you doing here? I thought you were back with Grandma?”

“Oh no, she got tired of me hovering,” he laughed, shaking his head. “Her surgery went successful and she maybe lasted two days of me staying with her in her little apartment before she told me I needed to come home and be here with you guys. She’s got some good staff looking after her and I told her I’d be on the first flight out if she ever needed anything.”

Tori walked over with a smile, hugging him with one arm as he held Clara. “It’s good to have you here, we missed you.”

“I missed you guys too,” he said, kissing them each on the temple. “And happy birthday to you both. Hi Maddie.”

“Hi Mr. Holly, I’m glad you’re here,” she smiled, sitting up on the couch. “Though you’re not quite who I was expecting.”

Tori’s dad laughed. “If you’re talking about a certain Wild hockey player, he’s still hanging out in the hall. Looks a bit nervous if you ask me.”

“What?” Tori asked, looking at them as her dad put Clara down and Clara started to drag him over to where she had put her Christmas presents down.

“Oh yeah, he’s out there giving himself a pep talk, open the door if you don’t believe me,” her dad laughed, following behind Clara.

Staring at the closed door, she knew that Clara would’ve announced Kirill’s presence if he was out there. She practically adored him just as much as Tori did. But more of a point…why was he out there pacing in the hall? Tori opened the door and didn’t even need to look out into the hall, because there was Kirill, wearing a Christmas sweater and moving himself right into view of her apartment door.

“Kirill,” she said, still surprised even though she was told he was out here. “What are you doing?”

He brought his hands out from behind his back, holding an all too familiar pink bakery box from Tori’s favorite bakery down the street. “I wanted to give you this, it’s your birthday.”

She was speechless as he handed over the box to her and she lifted the lid, seeing her favorite three layered chocolate mousse cake she would always treat herself to a slice or two whenever she stopped by the bakery. On it, was white icing that was written in script that said– look up. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at Kirill to see him holding out a small plastic mistletoe decoration with nervous eyes. “What–”

“I know it’s probably lame,” he sighed, dropping his arm by his side. “But I didn’t know what else to do and it’s your birthday and I didn’t want to overlook that. But you’re one of my best friends out here and you’re beautiful and kind and you always make me laugh. I’ve been too nervous to tell you or do anything which is why the guys like to chirp me about you– but I do. I like you a lot, Tori. I like watching movies with you and Clara and ice skating and I’m not good with stuff like this but–”

Tori smiled, before closing the lid on the box and stepping forward, leaning up onto her toes and cupping the left side of his face with her right hand before leaning in and kissing him. She’d always been afraid of making that first move, too nervous about ruining their friendship. Even after they’d spent most of the family skate days earlier, holding hands– playful manor or not. But now, with the cake and his equally adorable rant…she knew that he had feelings for her too and nothing was going to stop her from doing what her hearts been wanting this entire time.

When she pulled away, he looked at her with wide eyes before smiling, holding up the mistletoe. “So it wasn’t cheesy? Because Ryan said it was cheesy and–”

“I loved it, it was very sweet,” she smiled, nodding her head. “Want to come in? We’re just watching a movie.”

He nodded, stuffing the plastic mistletoe into his pocket before walking into the apartment and then coming to a deadstop. She closed the door and turned around, her eyes going wide to see her dad, Clara and Maddie all standing there with smiles on their faces. “Oh…uh…”

“Really guys?” Tori sighed, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

“Took you a while huh, Kirill?” Maddie said, playfully shaking her head. “

He reached up and rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, I just got nervous. Especially when you walked up, sir.”

“No need to be nervous, I’m a friendly guy,” her dad said, walking over and shaking his hand. “However, why don’t we go sit on the couch and talk about your intentions with my daughter, hm?”

“DAD!” Tori gasped, quickly ushering them away. “All of you go sit in the living room and I’ll cut up the cake.”

“CAKE?” Clara asked, eyes wide as she ran over and lifted the lid to the pink box. “You’ve gotta make your wish first, Aunt Tori!”

“Fine, fine, but you guys go in there and I’ll make my wish in here,” Tori said, as Maddie and her dad went back into the living room while her, Kirill and Clara were in the kitchen. Tori opened a drawer and grabbed the lighter, lighting the two candles.

“Make a wish, Aunt Tori,” Clara smiled, resting her arms on the counter and then her chin on her arms. “Even though I already know what you’re going to wish for.”

“You do?” Kirill asked, playing along.

“You do not,” Tori scoffed.

“Sure I do,” Clara smiled. “For Kirill to be your boyfriend.”

“I guess I did forget something after all,” he laughed, taking the plates from her as she grabbed a knife to cut the cake. “Is that something you want? Because–”

Tori just leaned in, kissing him again before pulling away with a smile, subtly nodding her head. “It’s a yes.”

“Okay, me too,” he nodded, blushing as he motioned towards her cake. “Make another wish.”

Tori blushed, tucking her chin into her chest as she smiled., looking around the room. She had her best friend in the entire world and her dad here, Clara was starting to look more like her old self even after the rough year that she’d been through…and the guy from down the hall she’d been crushing on for almost as long as she’s known him…had finally confirmed what her heart had been telling her all along– that he had liked her too. There wasn’t much more in the world that she could want, but maybe there was, and maybe it was just that she wanted Jess, Steven and her mom to know she was trying her best and she wanted them to be proud of her.

She closed her eyes, making the wish that she hoped all of this would stay– the happiness and the peace that her family had adapted after tragedy, her very new relationship with Kirill…there was nothing more in this world that she wanted than to see Clara’s smile and hear her laugh, or getting to feel Kirill’s hand in hers and experience the fireworks she had when they kissed. After savoring the moment, she blew out the candles and opened her eyes again.

There they were, Clara and Kirill. Clara with her big smile, the one that had the best of both Jess and Steven. And then there was Kirill, smiling just as big and looking at her with a kind of love in his eyes that made her heart patter against her chest.

“Best Christmas Eve and birthday ever.”

#kirill kaprizov writing #kirill kaprizov fic #kirill kaprizov fanfic #kirill kaprizov one shot #minnesota wild fic #minnesota wild writing #minnesota wild one shot #nhl writing #nhl fic #nhl one shot #nhl fanfic #hockey writing #hockey one shot #hockey fic #hockey oneshot #hockey fanfic #kirill kaprizov oneshot #minnesota wild oneshot #nhl oneshot

[annaraebananawriter]

(Part One) I Wish

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BLOVED BOYS, DREAM AND NIGHTMARE!!!

This is part one to a two part special for their birthday, thought the second part won’t be done until next week, probably. Curse my brain and it’s need to procrastinate on important fic ideas. 

Especially considering I have three gift exchanges to get done...

Anyway. I don’t have too much to add, so happy reading!

Fandom: Undertale/UTMV

Characters:   Dream, Nightmare (Who belong to Joku), Blue (Who belongs to P0pcornPr1nce), Ink (Who belongs to Comyet), and mentioned Error (Who belongs to CQ) and mentioned Bad Sanses

Warnings: Implied council members being generally toxic bosses, implied abuse from villagers, and I think that’s it. Let me know!

Summary: “It’s Dream and Nightmare’s birthday today. As per usual, they exchange gifts, though this year they can’t meet in person. They still have the gifts, though. (UTMV, Dreamtale Twins Centric)”

Word Count: 3603

~oOo~

He's late. Dream curses to himself as he stumbles over a stray piece of wood on his trek to the tree stump that was once his mother.

It wasn't necessarily his fault. Ink and Blue had roped him into their annual party for his birthday, even though every year he keeps telling them that they don't need to celebrate it and he really didn't need anything. Ink just laughs, slapping him on the back as if it's a joke and Blue just raises his eyebrow, looking sympathetic yet determined. And they invite some of their other friends, the few members of the council that they actually like, and he really can't say no and board himself up in his room when they arrive and seem so excited, now can he?

He gives up once his friends start coming and plasters on a smile, feeling happy for the company even if he doesn't particularly enjoy why they were there. Luckily, no one but Blue (and Ink, but Ink forgets sometimes, which isn't on his friend, not exactly, but still) understands his conflicted feelings and therefore isn't able to see through the act.

He doesn't hate his birthday. In fact, it's just the opposite. He loved—loves—his birthday, and would get so excited when he realized what day it was.

The villagers used to throw such a big celebration, too, with banners and streamers and balloons, and even sometimes treat it like a festival for someone of the highest honor. They would lock elbows with him and push him from stall to stall, making him try foods and showing him art, and giving him gifts. They had seemed so…expectant, almost, as if they knew he would love it all and wouldn't believe otherwise, and he was too scared to know the repercussions for denying such generosity, so he accepted it all, the same words of thanks falling from his mouth on repeat. It may sound bad, but it wasn't, and it started out fun even if it grew stale.

(Thought they never did remember to celebrate Night's birthday alongside his. They seemed to forget that they were two halves of a whole, born at the same time for the same purpose, just guarding two things. Whenever he reminded them that they had two people to celebrate, something dark would flash in their eyes and they would plow through as if they had never heard him.

He stopped asking after an important 'talk' with the mayor of the village, and just learned to avoid their eyes, keep his head down, and never ask questions. And of course to never say no to anything the villagers give him or want to take from him. That was a lesson hard earned too.)

The fact was that the date just grew to have certain negative feelings tied to it, bitter memories and harsh words covering the sound of laughter as their younger selves made snowballs and threw them at each other all day until their fingers were numb and they decided to cuddle together under Mother's branches to warm themselves up again. They never picked up the gift-giving aspect of it until the villagers moved in nearby and taught him about their traditions, and he then taught Nightmare, relishing the spark of untouched innocence and curiosity that only the aspect of new knowledge could give his brother. It’s a little bit funny, really, how even then Nighty had the look of a king in his eyes—that knowing, interested look when being told something he found interesting.

Maybe that was why he labeled himself as such, and why Dream found a castle where the village used to be and a garden surrounding Mother and his statue. Maybe it was all a reminiscence on the past, a nod to something only they would understand. A way to say ‘I know’ without saying the words.

Or maybe Dream was just putting words in other people’s mouths again.

Nonetheless, it had been especially hard to peel himself away from the party this year. It seemed as though everyone invited had realized he always left early and had some kind of vote he wasn’t aware of to keep him there as long as possible. It also seemed as though people were having a competition of who could keep him entertained the longest. He’ll have to talk to them about that, let them know that he did, in fact, notice the glares they shot at each other whenever someone else took his interest. It was like those shows that Blue likes to watch, where multiple people date one person and fight for the ‘right’ to their hand in marriage, only this one was far more uncomfortable because he never signed up for it.

Ink, who did sometimes take notice of Dream’s tense posture and was usually the one who (unknowingly) gave him the opening needed to take his leave, was distracted this year. He also up and disappeared shortly after the party started, leaving everyone in a state of confusion, though they shrugged it off after a few minutes.

It was Ink, after all. That should’ve been enough of an explanation.

Dream did privately ask Blue if he knew where their friend went, but Blue just smiled and said Ink was fine. “Just had something important to do, that’s all. He’ll be back before the party’s over.” He wouldn’t elaborate any more on it, no matter how much Dream prodded him.

As the party progressed, Dream found himself constantly glancing at a clock. Or more so trying to even find one. It seemed, in addition to vying for his attention, the guests had gotten their hands on all of the clocks and hidden them away somehow. He had no clue what time it was, but he felt the growing dread that he would be late. His attempts at leaving grew more and more obvious, until his frustration grew the more and more one guy keep blabbering in his ear about whatever nonsense was going on in his AU—probably really just an excuse to cajole Dream into visiting and helping out, even if nothing was needed.

Just as Dream had opened his mouth to snap at him to just let him leave, Blue swept in with as much grace as an angel sent to save him from devastation. If they were alone, he would’ve given his friend a big hug, maybe even a kiss on the cheek for extra thanks. His friend gave him a secret wink and seemed to shoo him off, and Dream tried his best to obey, politely shoving people out of the way.

Once successfully on the outskirts of the party, Dream let out a breath and prayed with all his might that he’d be able to finally leave. It seemed someone was listening because he was saved from further obstacles when Ink finally returned from wherever he had been, sopping wet clothes and what looked like a pile of snow in the shape of…something on top of his head, a dry and plainly wrapped present in hand. At once, he was the center of attention and Dream could run into his room to grab the present and leave as quickly as he could.

And even though he is late, at least he left that dreaded party. Nightmare wouldn’t mind him hanging out in the garden and talking to Mother as he waited until enough time passed and he could deem it safe enough to head back, would he? The place was off-limits to his gang, and he was fairly sure they had all left to have some holiday fun, too. Maybe they’d even dragged Nighty along for the ride.

Hopefully. Nighty did need to have some fun every now and then. With this thought in mind, Dream pauses and reaches his senses across the AU. He listens for any souls and gets silence—not one peep of any kind of emotions—which makes him smile. They did get Nightmare to join them, how kind of them. Once things eventually come to a standstill in their ‘war’, and that truce Ink is arguing with the council to implement finally gets through, he’ll have to ask them for pointers.

Maybe he could finally get Nighty to join him for some hangout sessions. And some sparring sessions. Blue was a good fighter, but Dream had to keep his magic usage to a minimum, which meant handicapping himself. It would be nice to fight against someone—that is, fighting without actually fighting, if you get his drift, and it would be nice to be able to not worry about holding back and test out some of his abilities he hadn’t had the chance to practice in a long time.

But, ah…he was getting ahead of himself.

Today wasn’t about what could be, though those thoughts were nice to think about on occasion.

Today was about their birthday, and right now was specifically about retrieving the present Nightmare got for him and placing his present for Nightmare in its place.

Usually, they’d just exchange gifts in person, but because he was late, he is hoping that Nighty just set the present down on Mother and left it there for him to find. He’d do the same with his present. His brother will no doubt check that he had received his present and, seeing it gone and a new one in its place, he could relax for the rest of the night. He was probably so worried when Dream didn’t arrive at the agreed-upon time.

Dream sighs, finally turning to Mother and the present that rested upon it. It was a light blue gift bag, and golden paper stuck out of the top of it. A card addressed to him with his brother’s looping handwriting was taped to one of the handles.

Same as always.

He replaces the present with the one he brought. And before he leaves, he stays there for a minute, debating with a thought that spawned into existence. Rolling it over, he glances up at the castle, peeking up through the trees in the garden, and he seeks out the window he was fairly sure led to Nightmare’s office. He looks back at the present and down at the bag, tightening his grip on the handle.

Well…it has been a while since he’d been able to break into a building. Maybe this was something to be corrected (though, it wouldn’t be the same without anybody to catch him in the act, but he could certainly just act like there was).

This will be fun.

~oOo~

Dream closes the door to the house and finally lets himself relax, leaning against it with his eyes closed. His soul was still beating fast from the adrenaline of breaking into his brother’s castle. It was kind of silly, considering he could’ve just waltzed in the front door like a normal person and nobody would even know he had been there, but that just wasn’t as fun. And this way, Nightmare gets a laugh as well as a present.

A present he hopefully likes. He had worked at getting it for a few months, keeping a close eye on their AU, seizing the chance whenever everybody was out to sneak himself in and scour the woods around the castle and the ground around Mother for any of the pages left from before the incident. And he wrote what he remembered and couldn’t find down as neatly as he could, many sleepless nights spent pouring over a blank page of notebook paper and nibbling on the top of a pen. Once he felt satisfied with what he had, he then asked someone from the council that he knew could do it to bind it all together properly. They had just gotten it done at the start of the month, which was perfect timing, leaving him with a few weeks to find a couple of other things to include in the gift as well.

And now that it was delivered, he could only wait and hope that Nightmare liked it. He’s sure he will. He knows his brother quite well, joined as they were to be two halves of a whole. This present will be something Nighty treasures, he’s sure of it.

Doesn’t stop part of him from doubting that confidence, though.

He sighs again and pushes himself up, walking into the (thankfully) deserted living room. Well, he says deserted, and it is devoid of the party guests, but not of his friends. Ink sits upside down on the couch, dry clothes on and the present ripped open beside him. He’s playing with a piece of wrapping paper, shredding it into smaller pieces with his hands. He’s rambling on about something he saw earlier, and Blue walks sound with a rag in one hand and a bag in another, picking up trash and wiping up spilled drinks. He’s listening to Ink, making comments when necessary. The TV is on and the volume has been muted.

Ink finishes his story and the paper in his hands falls to the floor as he turns himself to sit cross-legged. Reaching for another piece of wrapping paper, he finally notices Dream smiling at him and he beams back, waving. “Hey, Dream! Welcome back!”

Blue looks over as well and smiles. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Dream says, setting his present down on the coffee table. “How’d the part go?”

“You mean the party that was for you and you abandoned?” Ink leans forward to prod at the bag. “It was fine. Great to start with, as always, but then once one member starts bringing up business, the rest seem to all believe it’s a meeting instead of a party.”

Dream frowns, batting his hand away as it tugs the bag forward. “I’m sorry. I keep telling you I don’t want a celebration.”

“I’ll change your mind one day, I promise.”

“It’s not your fault, Dream,” Blue says, setting the garbage bag down for a minute. “Maybe we just need to stop inviting the council. Just have a night with us and a few others, like Lust and Outer.”

“That would be better,” Dream admits, thinking it over, but he shakes his head. “But the council would throw a riot if we stopped inviting them.”

They all sigh and sit in silence for a minute.

“So, who gave you the present?” Ink asks, changing the subject. He rests his chin on his hands and grins. “A secret lover, perhaps?”

Dream scrunches up his face and shakes his head. “No. Just a friend.” He tilts his head, pointing to the present beside Ink. “What about you?”

Ink shrugs, smiling. “Early Giftmas present from a friend.”

Dream lowers his hand, humming to himself. Glancing at the present, he can see a few balls of yarn and a pair of knitting needles, and a small doll version of his friend sticks its head out from behind the red ball. Another arm, this one black with a blue string wrapped around it jokes out bedside it. A letter rests on the side, and some of the letters on the page are just visible. This makes him pause a bit, recalling seeing the letters before among a few other versions of the dolls in the brief moments he’s been to the Anti-Void and seen it in a portal behind Error.

Error, the Destroyer. Error, who gave Ink an early Giftmas present.

He looks over and meets Blue’s eyes, who just gives him a knowing smile, and after a moment, he smiles back. Any concern he might’ve had is swept away as he imagines his friend and Error doing the same things his brother and he does every year for their birthday. He would be a hypocrite, kind of, to be worried about his friend meeting his enemy when he does the same thing.

Besides, it was Giftmas in just a few more days. Who says enemies can’t be friends for one day?

~oOo~

He folds up his cape and drapes it over the chair to his desk in his room. Dream takes off his gloves and does the same thing, changing into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt Ink had made for him. Turning on his desk light, he sits down in the dim light and pulls the gift bag into his lap.

First things first: the letter.

Carefully pulling it off, he flips it over, his smile widening as he runs his fingers over the wax seal, a purple thing with an engraving of a crescent moon painted gold, holding the letter closed. His brother was so dramatic sometimes, using wax to seal a letter like some old-fashioned librarian. Then again, that was what he once wanted to be, so maybe this was just him achieving his dreams. It did feel like something more important than a letter for a birthday present, in any case. Opening a drawer, he grabs his letter opener and cuts the letter open, unfolding the paper to read it.

Dear Dream,

Happy birthday. Things have been busy for me this year, just as much as they have been for you, I’m sure. My boys are as hectic as ever and I can tell that Ink is still the same chaotic Creator he’s always been. Though, I do hope you are handling him better than I am handling the boys—I don’t think I’ve had a full night’s sleep in months.

Nonetheless, I did find time to get you your present. As always. This year, I went for a more expensive brand, as I remembered that last time you disliked the sweetness of the cheaper brand of wine I bought you. This one was recommended by me for its more bitter taste, described by the seller as ‘an acquired taste for only the best kind of people’. I think they were a bit biased, though, and wrong. After all, who in their right mind actually seeks out bitter-tasting things?

Ah. That’s right. You do. My point still stands, as you are lovingly special in your opinions. As wrong as they are…

I have also included something special for you. Please be careful with it. I paid good gold for it to be made, so if you break it before the year is over, I will know and I will hunt you down again and finally kill you once and for all. Okay? And as per usual, I’ve included a book I think you would enjoy. You’re very lucky to be given it. I think the copy in my library was the only remaining version of this edition.

I’ve spoiled you far too much this year already, so I will end things here. I wish you well, hope you have a good Giftmas, and everything else I’m supposed to say.

Write to you next year.

With as much hate as possible,

Nightmare.

Still chuckling, Dream sets the letter aside in the box full of the other ones from other years that sits underneath his desk. Then, he reaches into the bag and pulls out the bottle of wine, setting it aside to bring downstairs with him later. He flips through the book, reading the dedication and description and finding himself interested in it. Of course he would be, Nighty was good at knowing what books he’d like. He pulls out the small long box, a blue felt thing, and sets the now empty bag on the floor.

Curious and excited, he opens the box and gasps at its contents.

Pulling it out, he holds the thing reverently, turning it over slowly to look at all the details. It’s a small dagger, about the size of his forearm, and it’s a beautiful thing, more so for decoration than fighting, with all those golden leaves as accents and the engraving of a tree on the blade itself. There’s a small purple gem inside the handle, too, paired with a yellow one, both in the shape of an apple. And his name is engraved on the handle among the leaves and branches in small lettering. It’s so pretty, and the fact that Nighty got it made specifically for him almost makes him cry.

He sniffs and blinks away the blurriness, something wet slipping down his cheek.

Scratch that, then. It did make him cry.

He sets it on top of the box and sets it by his bed, right next to a picture of him and his brother from before the incident he had saved, the creased and ripped thing now framed in a simple brown wooden frame. Picking the picture up, he looks at it silently for a minute, before looking out his window, at the barely visible sunset and the few stars coming out of hiding. Clutching the picture to his chest, he closes his eyes.

“Dream!” Blue calls from the living room. “We’re ready to start the movie!”

“Coming!” Dream calls back, not moving.

He inhales and makes his wish as hard as possible, standing in place for a few minutes to ensure it was heard. It’s something he always wishes for, and he’s quite certain it works because it’s been granted every year. Once he’s sure, he opens his eyes and searches for the star, watching as it twinkles brightly for a minute.

I wish things continue to get better. I wish we stay friends for as long as possible. And I wish the best for my brother and his family, because for all his faults and actions, he is my brother, and that is all that matters. I wish this lasts.

I wish.

#my writing #my fanfiction #fanfiction #oneshot #undertale #utmv #dreamtale #dream sans #nightmare sans #blue sans #swap sans #ink sans #mentioned error sans #mentioned bad sanses

[slasherhaven]

Hey, my birthday is soon and so I thought, what would the slasher do on their S/O’s Birthday? What would they gift them? You probably know what I mean, I already say thank you^^💕💕

How the Slashers would celebrate their S/O’s Birthday: 

Thomas Hewitt

Luda May lets you take the day off. It’s your birthday, so you get to skip your chores for the day. Luda May will take care of them. Thankfully, that gives you more time to spend with Thomas since she becomes more lenient with him on your birthday as well.

He and Luda May bake a cake. The two of them surprise you with it. Thomas knows how to cook and bake basic things, Luda May had taught him, but there is no way she is missing making your birthday cake. So, they make it together. They’re both just so glad when you like it.

He probably makes your gift. He might find something in a victim’s belongings that he thinks you’ll particularly like, and he’ll hang on to it so that he can give it to you as a gift. But if he doesn’t come across anything that he considers worthy, he will make you something. He is pretty crafty after all.

Michael Myers 

You kinda think he’s going to forget. Birthdays don’t seem like a think that Michael would care too much about, and that’s not completely wrong. However, the two of you had been together for a while at this point and you had made an effort for his birthday, making him a cake and getting him a gift. So, he figures he should do something similar for you.

Probably steals a gift for you. He is trying. It’s not like he can walk into a shop and purchase something for you, so he will probably just steal something that he think’s you’ll like. It’s the thought that counts, right?

There will be a cake. Michael probably won’t make it, but you don’t really want to take that risk anyway. But he’ll assist you as you bake it. The cake is his favourite part of your birthday or his own, he has a bit of a sweet tooth.

Jason Voorhees

Plans a picnic date. He wanted to do something special and feels bad that whatever it is has to happen out in the middle of nowhere or in the abandoned camp. However, the picnic was a brilliant idea. He enjoyed it and the happy look on your face told him that he had done something good. It’s simple, it’s cute, it’s perfect.

Gets you flowers. As for a gift, he gets you a bunch of flowers, your favourites that grow in the woods. Jason isn’t as willing to pocket a past victim’s belongings and pass it off as a gift as some of the other slashers, but if he sees something that he knows you’ll like, he’ll take it for you.

Brahms Heelshire

It’s your day! He knows that pretty much every other day is his day, you’re always doing for him. So today he is going to do things for you! You shouldn’t have to do anything chore like on your birthday.

Tries to bake a cake. Brahms will do his best to bake you a cake on his own but you might end up stepping in and helping him out, but it’s a sweet gesture and he’s not completely hopeless so don’t worry too much. He just tends to make a mess.

Will get you whatever you want. The two of you obviously have access to his family’s money and Brahms will use it to get you something nice, of course having it delivered to the house. So, you will probably answer the door to a random delivery and have Brahms run over to you, snatching it from your hands and running off again as soon as you close the front door.

Bo Sinclair 

Does just spend the day with you. Bo isn’t too sure what to do for your birthday (and god forbid he lets you think that he actually cares). But he does actively spend the day with you, ignoring both of your responsibilities for the day.

Might actually take you into town. If he’s feeling extra nice, he might take you into the town they get their supplies from. Taking you for something to eat and maybe even buying you something before heading home. All in all, you have a good day and you can tell that Bo tried to make it a little special.

Vincent Sinclair

Just tries to spend the day with you. Vincent makes sure to work extra hard on the days leading up to your birthday so that he can spend the day with you, without giving Bo anything to complain about.

Gifts you little wax a sculpture. He puts a lot of thought and effort into your gift, crafting you a flawless little wax sculpture for you to cherish. It will likely be of your favourite animal or even a tiny replica of yourself.

Lester Sinclair 

Plans a day with you and Jonesy. Ambrose can be a lot to handle so Lester thinks that you’ll appreciate a lazy day with your two favourite Sinclairs. Him and Jonesy. And he was right, it’s a peaceful but fun day.

Get’s you something from town. He went into town a day or two prior to pick up a cake (which he was determined to hide from you, making him act awfully suspicious but you figured it was something to do with your birthday approaching). He also picked up something that he thought you would enjoy so that he could give you a gift, he had been saving up for it and everything.

Bubba Sawyer

Will make a cake but has to hide it from his brothers. He wants you to have a birthday cake but everyone in that house likes cake, snacks always go missing, having been stolen by someone. So Bubba makes sure that you’re the first person to have a slice of your cake.

Makes you a gift. He can’t really buy you anything but he thinks it mean more to make the gift anyway. And, of course, you adore any gift he gives you.

You might even get something from Nubbins or ChopTop. If the family has warmed up to you enough and you have befriended the two of them, Nubbins and ChopTop will wish you a happy birthday and maybe even get you a little gift each.

Billy Lenz

Extra affectionate (if that is possible). As soon as you wake up, Billy is wishing you a happy birthday with a hug and a kiss. He just wants to show you how much he loves and appreciates you on your birthday. 

Will attempt to bake. He certainly isn’t used to baking so you might have to help him out if you don’t want him making too much of a mess or burning the house down. But it ends up being a fun thing to do together.

Might gift you something that he found in the attic. Since he isn’t about to go shopping, he kinda gives up on giving you a gift. But if he founds something of particular interest hidden in the attic that he hadn’t noticed before, he decides to gift you that. He thinks you will like it and you appreciate the thoughtfulness.

Asa Emory (The Collector)

Will take you out for dinner. It’s a nice restaurant, your favourite if you have one. If not, he definitely already has one in mind that he knows you will like.

Asa is observant, he’ll get you something you want. If you’ve ever mentioned something that you liked or wanted, Asa will make sure that he gets it for you. If you have never mentioned anything or made a hint towards something, he will definitely get you something that you will like. He knows you very well.

(If you have more of a ‘favourite pet’ relationship) He is more lenient and affectionate with you. The whole day feels like a reward, doing what you want to do, receiving a gift, and getting all the attention and affection you could ask for.

Jesse Cromeans (Chromeskull) 

Will take you out for dinner, or whatever you want to do. Jesse takes you to a fancy restaurant that he loves (he will take you to your favourite place if you have one). He will also do whatever you want, if there’s somewhere you want to go, a show you want to see, anything, he’ll take you. 

Will spoil you with gifts. Anything you want or could want, Jesse provides. It doesn’t need to be your birthday for him to get you gifts, so he gets you even more when it is your birthday. He enjoys spoiling you so it’s no surprise.

Otis Driftwood

Mama Firefly tells Otis to do something special. She gives him a bit of a lecture about how he should make your birthday special, get you something nice or take you somewhere. Otis rolls his eyes and bats her away but he was already planning on doing something, he just hadn’t told anyone that. Can’t have anyone think he’s going soft. 

He takes you out so the two of you can spend the day together. Otis decides to take you out of the house for the day, just the two of you. While Baby is always excited to party, Otis is more open to doing something calmer if you’re not in the partying mood. Whatever you want to do, that’s what the two of you will end up doing, he’s feeling generous.

Just a small gift. Otis doesn't get you anything big or expensive but the fact that he is getting you a gift at all makes you smile, knowing he is one for sentimental things like gift giving.

Baby Firefly

The whole family remembers, Mama is most likely to make you cake. You’re family now so the whole family will remember your birthday and make sure to wish you a happy birthday. Plus everyone is happy to have an excuse for cake.

You have to celebrate! Baby is definitely going to be dragging you somewhere with alcohol and music to celebrate properly. It’s difficult to not have a good time when Baby is involved.

She has a gift for you, but it’s definitely stolen. Of course she got you a gift! And yes...it’s stolen, but what do you expect? Still, it’s the thought that counts and she makes sure that it’s something you’ll like.

Yautja (Predator)

You’ve explained to him how you celebrate birthdays. He wants to learn everything about humans and your culture differences, so when you mentioned your birthday was approaching, he asked how you would normally celebrate. And, of course, he is going to give it his best shot even though he doesn’t have too.

Tries to bake. A cake, that’s a tradition you mentioned right? He’ll find a recipe somewhere and give it his best shot. It’s not a disaster but it’s your kitchen so you ended up intervening and offering to help. He has waved you off, telling you that you shouldn’t help because it’s your birthday, but you convinced him to let you step in and do it together.

His gift is...unconventional. You never specified what the gift should be, so he lets some of his culture slip into the celebrations. The gift is most likely some sort of alien skull or bones, which he presents to you proudly. How can you turn them down when he looks so proud of himself?

#thomas hewitt x reader #michael myers x reader #jason voorhees x reader #brahms heelshire x reader #bo sinclair x reader #vincent sinclair x reader #lester sinclair x reader #bubba sawyer x reader #billy lenz x reader #asa emory x reader #the collector x reader #jesse cromeans x reader #chromeskull x reader #otis driftwood x reader #baby firefly x reader #yautja x reader #predator x reader #slasher x reader #slashers x reader #slashers #slasher #My writing

[albedoswifehusband]

It was my birthday recently so it gave me an idea- How would some boys treat their gn!s/o on their birthday? Where would they take them on a date if they did, If they'd buy them something ykyk.. With childe, zhongli, diluc, albedo, and xiao (If that's to many chars you don't have to do all of them)

Happy late birthday!!! I based these around their official birthday voiceline/ released birthday inbox (as of June 10th 2021) mail along with personal thoughts!

Tartaglia:

-he's a show-off. He wants to do something flashy for you soooooo bad. He’ll literally pull out all the stops. 

-He’s still self absorbed enough though to ask specifically if you have anyone you want him to beat up for you that day before anything else. He wants something to give him a buzz to ride off of for the rest of the day (In his mind, it’s already going to be a fun day but why not make it even better?)

-Your birthday party is ridiculously extravagant. He’s showing off again but this time it’s all things that you personally like and it’s all planned with your own interests and favorites in mind. The guests are all people he knows for a fact you want to be there and he’s done his best to pull any strings possible to make sure nothing is wrong.

Zhongli:

-He’s pulling a lot of owed favors today for you to make things extra special. (fresh produce, high quality meat, sentimental gifts, etc etc etc)

-During a morning walk together he’s sitting you down somewhere scenic and giving you that dried glaze lily from his birthday voiceline. (go read/listen to it it’s so sweet)

-He takes you to his home to cook you something special for lunch, and then for dinner he takes you somewhere special to eat. 

-Any party or get together for you is casual and intimate so you can relax and have fun talking with those you care about. 

Diluc:

-He asks quite a bit in advance what you want to do for your birthday and if you reply that you want to spend a whole day with him he’ll clear his schedule beforehand so you can have him all to yourself. 

-Will get you anything within his abilities for your birthday like his voiceline says. Everything he does this day hinges on what you’ve told him you’d like to do so please voice your feelings and let him know what you want!

-He’ll host you something either at the winery itself or the tavern if you want a party and it turns out so well put together and comfortable. Everything is like a warm hug by a fireplace. If you like wine he’s very likely to open a very expensive vintage bottle just for you.

Albedo:

-He’s planned on taking you out somewhere nice with good scenery for a picnic (perhaps the peak with all the cecilias?) and time alone together. You relax together for a while and he ends up drawing you before and after he eats. 

-He didn’t ask for time off this day he just gave it to himself and kind of went “Eh i can do this if i want” and leaves sucrose in charge.

-After your time alone together he has a get together with you and your loved ones to celebrate. It’s a small get together but it’s surprisingly very lively.

Xiao:

-He would prefer to be alone with you the whole day but he understands if you want to have time with all of your loved ones so he’s more than willing to hang around you (a little awkwardly on his end, but still it’s a nice gesture) at a birthday party with everyone.

-He handmakes the adepti amulet he gives you in his voiceline and he’s cutely embarrassed while giving it to you but feels really happy when you take it and place it somewhere safely so you can keep it nearby. 

-Honestly doesn’t really know what he’s doing. Birthdays don’t really have significance to him but he knows they’re special to you so he’s trying his hardest to make you happy for yours!

#Anonymous #tartaglia x reader #Zhongli x reader #Diluc x reader #Albedo x reader #Xiao x reader #tartaglia #zhongli #diluc ragnvindr #albedo #xiao #request #gender neutral reader #you/your pronouns #genshin fluff #fluff #headcanons #genshin impact headcanons #genshin headcanons #reader insert headcanons #genshin imagines #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact reader insert #genshin impact imagines

[omiscurls]

I love your writing and how much you’re able to bring out the true personalities of each character!! I was wondering if you could do Kaeya, Xiao, Diluc, Zhongli, and Childe celebrating y/n’s bday. (My birthday was a couple of days ago but I didn’t receive any greetings from my genshin team for some reason... 😔)

happy birthday

a/n: SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! as for your problem, have you tried looking in character>voiceover>voicelines? the wishes should appear there, i dont know what happened if they don't

plot: celebrating the reader's birthday

contains: kaeya, diluc, tartaglia, xiao, zhongli

warnings: brief mentions of alcohol, otherwise pure fluff

kaeya

a surprise party

to be completely honest, kaeya barely cares about his own birthday enough to even remember the date

and obviously he does remember yours, how could he not, but- he's just not used to celebrating, you know?

so watch him know very well your birthday is coming up, with a mindset like: "okay, you've got time, you'll figure something great out, it's gonna be amazing"

and the day or two before he realizes, he indeed wants to do something great and amazing, but he completely ran out of time

fortunately, who cares about reservations when your brother's a bar owner, right?

he figures out that if he waits till sunset with the party he still has an entire day he can spend of preparing everything he needs

so as you sleep peacefully, he sneaks out of the room at the break of dawn, ready to work his ass off

he doesn't want you feeling bad, after all, right?

the thing is, you do start to feel a bit bad, as an entire morning goes by, and not only is kaeya nowhere in sight, literally nobody is! you walk through the streets of mondstadt, looking for any familiar face to spend the time with, but the city seems awfully empty of your friends. you end up having fun at diona's cat's tail, her complaining about everyone, and you, surprisingly, joining in, but it still doesn't replace the companion of your friends.

you go over your day as per usual, and decide to bake yourself a cake, since you think that'll cheer you up. you run out of flour, though, so it's necessary to go over to the store and stock up on some. right as you cross the city's main square, you run into diluc.

"oh, sorry, haven't seen you" you say, not even lifting up your face to look at who's chest did you bump on, until he grabs your wrist, stopping you in your tracks.

"someone looks dejected" he says, and you almost want to punch him for not realizing why. instead of doing that, however pleasing it sounds, you just shrug your shoulders. "come on, you look like you could use a special drink of mine"

and with that, he pulls you towards angel's share, letting you complain about your day, though you don't explicitly say it's your birthday, still mad he didn't remember that on his own.

"so he completely ditched you without a word?" he acts surprised and offended "that's so awful-" he continues, opening the door before you.

just as he opens it, and you hear the word "awful" you see the bar as if for the first time. flowery garlands are up beneath the ceiling, the tables are arranged differently and covered with colorful, pastel table cloths, music is playing. the backdoor is opened and you see the outside of the building decorated in a similar manner, candles and fairy lights spread all over the place.

the sun is slowly setting over the buildings visible through the back door, and the atmosphere inside borders on magical, but to top that all off-

"happy birthday!" you hear a lot of voices shout, and your eyes widen at the sight of all those who you hold dear present. you can't help but smile, seeing all of them cheer, grinning from ear to ear.

"i-" you look over at diluc "how'd you pull this off?"

you swear you saw him crack a soft smile before admitting that he in fact, didn't. you're about to ask who did, then, but you're interrupted by a silvery voice, coming from behind you.

"i did" the voice says, a hand moving to cover your eyes "wanna guess who?" you hear a whisper inches away from your ear, shaking from surprise.

affection swells in your chest as you quietly say "kaeya", your smile growing fondler, knowing that aside from all your friends, he's here too, and as a mastermind, at that.

"hope you don't hold leaving you by yourself for a couple of hours against me" he continues, arms sneaking around your waist, chin rested on your shoulder "d'ya like it?"

emotion gets the better of you, and you don't know what to say, so choose only to nod eagerly.

"a lot" you finally whisper, much to kaeya's satisfaction.

"happy birthday, then" he says, suddenly pulling away from you, as to exclaim loudly "attention everyone!!" he takes a fork to ring on his glass "i hereby declare, that the next round's on me!"

cheers fill the room, along with one "yea right" and another "like we'd believe that" before the owner of the bar speaks up as well.

"as much as i'd like to see that" diluc settles "today's drinks are on the house."

diluc

a magical evening

so he’s a fan of planning

not a diehard fan, but a fan nonetheless 

it’s just, he would rather have things planned ahead than wake up a day before and not know what to do (like a kaeya) like an idiot.

so you bet he has already calculated how much time he has left the moment you told him the date of your birthday.

unlike kaeya, he prefers to be working alone, but also likes to keep his plans a surprise. he himself hates surprises, but has to admit, doing one for someone else is quite the fun 

he stays quiet about your birthday coming up until the very last moment, and if you want to ask him if he wants to do anything with you that day, he says he already has something in mind, you know, nonchalantly. as if he hadn’t been thinking about it for archons know how long 

he’ll wake up before you just to wish you a happy birthday the moment you wake up, and he might be unusually affectionate for a bit, but don’t even bother asking what he has planned out - he won’t tell, not even if you beg. 

diluc wanted to kick you out of the house all day. “oh, there’s shopping to be done” “oh, this lady wanted to talk to you”, or “you know, come to think of it, didn’t jean say she had something she’d wanted to show you for your birthday?” every lame excuse in the book, he has used it. 

you decide to finally grant him what he so obviously wanted, and leave, choosing to walk all around the city, and even outside the gates, you make it quite a trip, not knowing when to come back. 

you smile upon thinking about how secretive he tried to be, but how even he, the mighty descendant of one of the noble families of mondstadt, a man as collected and stoic as can be, couldn’t contain his excitement. you saw all his little side smiles and the way he bit his lip a little after settling today’s rough plans with you, he was so happy, you’re satisfied just by seeing that, sometimes forgetting the real reason for why he was actively plotting something. 

you walk and walk, and then walk some more, but your legs start to hurt, and you’re growing hungry, so you decide to finally get back home. 

when you approach the winery, you can see the lights in the ballroom are lit up from a mile away. your heart can’t help but flip with excitement, since diluc hates using the room, hates throwing parties, and would much rather just forget it exists. 

it’s a beautiful venue though, looks like something out of a fairytale, and you always tell him how much you love it. it’s no surprised he decided to use it, but you can’t wait to see it anyway. 

as you get closer to the building, it becomes more and more apparent that the ballroom isn’t the only place that got upgraded to a five star level for one night and one night only. the building looks amazing, and the gates are open all the way, as if there was a party to be thrown and guests to arrive any time soon. 

but as you’re welcomed into the mansion, there’s no one else in the hall, other than a dressed up diluc, his hair in a high pony, just how you always said you liked it, wearing a suit you hadn’t seen on him since... well, you don’t even recall. 

“well, if it isn’t my honorary guest” he announces with an official tone, almost making you a bit flustered. 

“what’s all this? am i not, i don’t know, underdressed?” you giggle nervously, and he approaches you, a tiny little black box in his hand. 

“you could wear a potato sack and shine brighter than all the stars together” he says softly, showing you the little box. “and as tradition orders, happy birthday.”

you carefully open the box, a simple, silver necklace resting on the little cushion inside. you take it out, and watch the ornament, but can’t for the life of you figure out what it is. 

“you see” diluc provides an explanation “it’s a common thing to do to gift someone jewellery as a gift, and almost as common to have necklaces with your star constellation. that is, the allignment the stars were in the moment you were born. but i decided, that i wanted to give you one with the alignment that shone on the sky on the happiest day of my life. well, according to mona it did.” 

you stay silent for a second, astonished with the present, before asking 

“and that is?”

“the day we met.”

tartaglia

how to surprise your lover 101

when i tell you this boy knew EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING from the moment he first thought of it

now. he loves celebrating, anything, really, the atmosphere of a party is almost magnetic to him

he grew up thinking every person deserves to have an amazing day once a year, only about themselves, so it’s very obvious to him that he IS doing something, and it needs to be huge

now, in a family as big as his, it was hard to keep things a secret, so he developed a whole plan on how to avoid having you finding out what he was planning

and that is: by having you know

it’s really getting annoying, how everybody keeps walking up to you, for a good week now, and asking if you’re excited for the big party childe’s throwing. the first time you hear it, you almost immediately run to confront him about it, since you explicitly said that a party, a big one, at that, is the last thing you want.

he obviously says that it’s nothing, and you needn’t worry about that. not that you trust his words, obviously, but you let it go, partly because you know how attached he is to the idea of a huge celebration, and partly because arguing with someone as stubborn can really be tiring.

so you settle, and fake a smile for every conversation with the alleged “guests” for your alleged party, thinking you’ll just suffer through it and then just do something with your childe the next day, having yourself plan it.

the wait is stressful, and when you finally see tartaglia walk through your bedroom door, dressed up really nicely, with a soft ribbon to tie on your eyes, so you wouldn’t see anything before it’s “time”, you almost want to ditch him, but that would be too rude.

complying begrudgingly, you let him guide you through the city, feeling the cold evening air hit your skin, wondering where did he set up this party of his, since you don’t hear anything.

oh god, is everyone gonna jump out of hiding yelling “happy birthday”? please, not that, at least not that.

when he finally unties the material covering your eyes, you see nothing but a wooden platform at the end of the harbor, with a blanket set up, some really nice-smelling food and what appears to be champagne laying on it. the sun is setting slowly behind the mountains in the distance, the only sound you hear being waves crushing on the rocks.

you can’t help but gasp.

“but” you turn around to face childe with a questioning look “what about the party?”

“what party?” he looks surprised “i never said anything about any party” he adds with a knowing smirk.

as you analyze your surroundings, he watches you with a soft smile.

“come on, don’t be so shocked now” he finally says “i know you better than to plan you something you’d hate. i’m not THAT much of an asshole”

his giggle sounds almost too good in the beautiful scenery around you, and you can’t help but let your eyes water for a little while, before rapidly blinking the tears back.

“is this more similar to what you’ve dreamed of?” he asks.

“yeah” you whisper “yes, it is”

“well, that’s the only thing that matters. shall we?” his hand points to the blanket, and you nod, smiling.

this may or may not be inspired by that one episode of Brooklyn 9-9

xiao

trying something new

birthdays? what’s that

you mean to tell him he has lived two thousand years of his life without realizing the day it was brought to him should be celebrated?

yup, no, you can explain it all you want, he still doesn’t get the idea. he just finds it to be way too trivial, okay?

what gets to him, though, is that there’s a custom of doing something meaningful for the person celebrating their birthday, to make them feel important

well, you should’ve led with that, that he can do!

he would never just go and straight up ask for help if he needed any. so don’t be surprised if you hear yet more new stories about the yaksha that allegedly lives near wangshu inn sneaking into the kitchen, or watching through the glass.

he spends HOURS waiting for the chef to finally prepare the dish he hopes for, and once he does, he follows every step very carefully. and then again. and again. and one more time, up until he feels he can do it himself.

when he finally gets to enter said kitchen, it’s already way past midnight, and everything is dark, barely visible. he manages to find his way around, though, preparing all the ingredients, and starting to mix them the same way the chef did.

turns out it’s not as easy as it looks, for example, he didn’t measure how long this thing is supposed to be cooked, or on what temperature, so the process gets a little messy at one point. he might even have to start over. like, twice, tops.

it’s already nearing dusk when he finishes, taking the fruit of his works with him.

as per usual, you wait for him on the roof, and as per usual you don’t realize he’s right behind you until he speaks up.

“happy birthday” he says out of the blue, causing you to jump up in shock.

“oh my, xiao, you scared me! again!” you laugh.

“it’s today, isn’t it?” he continues, as if he didn’t hear you. when he sees you nod, he awkwardly shows you the package he held behind his back, watching closely as you open it with a questioning look.

inside, there’s a carefully wrapped serving of almond tofu, it could use a little bit of touch ups, but it still looks and smells delicious nonetheless.

“did you do this yourself?” you turn around to face him, smiling in disbelief

“mhm” he gets a little flustered, and decides not to tell you about his little kitchen adventure. “is it… is it good?” he asks, and you smile even more fondly.

“why don’t you come over here and taste it with me?”

zhongli

one can never go wrong with a classic

zhongli knows every single tradition there is to know.

literally.

so you don’t have to even tell him anything - he knows. he might not know what to do with his knowledge, but he does know what would make you happy

this man is a gentleman who believes that some moves to make someone swoon never get old

he even got a free day from work just for the occasion, or he may just think he told hu tao that he wants it? either way, he’s not there. not like his boss isn’t used to it.

right as the clock strikes 5 pm, you hear a knocking on your door. checking how you look one last time, you smile to the reflection in the mirror, and walk over to answer.

as you open said door, you find yourself dumbfounded at the sight of a completely soaked zhongli, rain pouring heavily behind his back. his hair sticks to his face, and all the layers of his suit seem drenched to their very core, but a smile you see so rarely paints his face, as he presents you with a bouquet of flowers.

and my oh my, just how huge is it! he barely even manages to hold it in hand, and the flower crowns hide his entire chest and half his face when he places them in front of you.

“i believe this is for you” he says gently “are you ready to go?”

you can’t even find the right words, as you size the bouquet up, taking it from him with a quiet “thank you so much” before taking it back to the house, already in search of the right vase to put them in.

“may i come in and dry myself up a bit?” he asks, still from the doorstep, and you laugh before granting him the permission.

when the both of you are ready to go, you meet in the hallway, both smiling softly at the other, a bit awkwardly, as the beginning of every meeting is.

“you look even better than usually” he finally says, pride rising in his chest at how your grin widens.

“same goes for you, mr zhongli” you answer just as cheekily, waiting for what he’s gonna say next.

“well, thank you, but i don’t think today’s about me now, is it?” he counters with a bit of a side eye. “shall we go?” he points to the open door, and the both of you leave, you grabbing his arm to fit under one umbrella.

“may i ask where’re we going?”

you can’t miss the way his smile turns prideful and confident as he says:

“i” he accentuates “am taking you out to dinner”

he might feel a bit offended by how sarcastically you gasp at the revelation, but it’s okay. as long as he gets to see you laugh, it’s okay.

daily reminder that requests are open [here]

#zhongli #xiao x reader #zhongli x reader #diluc #diluc x reader #kaeya x reader #childe #childe x reader #zhongli fluff #xiao fluff #diluc fluff #kaeya fluff #childe fluff #genshin fluff #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact fluff

[imxeracus]

Drunk in Jealousy

Pairing: Gruvia

Sozsozsoz this was suppose to be done last year but I procrastinated on it. Anyway valentines is near so I hope this piece of ficlet will be a decent contribution to the Gruvia fandom c: This is NOT NSFW, despite the sound of the title. This actually spurred from a headcanon regarding the previous Christmas special where in that drinking game, it was always Gray doing the dares with the other girls making Juvia jealous, and I wondered how it’ll be if it was the other way round instead. Sorry that it’s crazy long. Enjoy!

EDIT: Just saw that there’s a valentines fanfiction event for the big 4 so I’m just tagging this in along to celebrate @fuck-yeah-big-four ————————— In Fairy Tail, drinking and brawling has become essential needs for a celebration to take place. For Lucy’s birthday today, it was also part of the guild’s program in conjunction with getting an award for her latest book written. The guild decided and went huge with the event, catering great food and decorations all over the hall for all to enjoy.

With that, the celebration was coming to its end as people started leaving the guild to their homes. However, some close friends stayed and gathered around the table as they continued to drink and fellowship with one another. Wanting to spice up the night, the knight at the table decided to speak up.

“We should play a drinking game!” “HA! I bet I can drink this beer faster than all of you!” “Natsu, it’s not like that...” Recollecting back the memories of the previous times where they drank and played “games” –– the ice mage amidst the conversation –– Gray Fullbuster, felt a churn in his stomach. The past experiences of these drinking fiascos have been nothing but chaotic, especially when it was being led by the scarlet haired mage. The black haired man turned his attention inconspicuously to the bluenette who was beside him. With the shoulder initially tensed, Gray loosened it up a little when he saw Juvia, still being her normal self and not drunk. The fact that last Christmas, the water mage was forced to go out with little clothing and have the crowd ogling at her made him rage. Of course, he did not say or realise it back then. But now, things were different and Fullbuster was not going to allow that to happen again.  “Uh, I don’t think we should play this game.” “C’mon Gray! Don’t be such a party pooper. Let’s have some fun!” “Are ya’ scared to lose to me ice pants?!” “What did you say?!” “Oh God, please don’t fight you two.” Lucy raised her hands up in dismay before smiling. “But Erza’s right, Gray –– let’s have some fun tonight and let loose a little.” The ice mage eyes widened in surprise before he spoke hesitantly. “Are you sure? Don’t you remember what happened the previous times we had this?” “It’s fine! Besides, it’s my birthday –– and it’s been awhile since we’ve all been able to not worry about the world.” “Well, alright then...”

Those were Gray’s famous ‘last words’ before the long night began. Erza’s face became as red as her scarlet hair, indicating she was drunk and impossible to be sensible with as they were play the infamous ‘guild master’ game. Thankfully the rest of them were still sober, however it did not help much when the master of each round could request anything they have wanted and it so happened fell upon the requip mage multiple times, just like Christmas previously. As the crazy requests are slowly coming in, even the birthday girl felt it was not a good idea in the end. “Phew, I’m glad I’m the master this time.” “Levy-chan, please make an easy request...” “Number 1 and 5 must embrace each other.” “C’mon Levy!” the red haired mage voiced out in disagreement. “You said this last Christmas too!” “Well, who’s Number 1 and 5?” “It’s me!” “Ah, Juvia is number 5-” Before anyone could do or say anything, number 1 during that round –– Natsu, went over to hug the water mage tightly. Soon enough, he loosened up and went back to his seat. “That wasn’t so hard!” Although the dragon slayer was cool and relaxed about it, the atmosphere around them was very tensed up as the bluenette went red at what just took place and Gray, whose face instantly changed. Lucy noticed the situation conspiring around her friends and not wanting to keep it up, went to ask for another round to keep the game going without any conflict (as if it was possible for the chaotic bunch) and hoped for the night to go smoothly afterwards. Thankfully the next few rounds were more peaceful as Erza, much to her disappointment, did not get her round of being the master. However, for some reason, the night was being mean to the ice mage who was on the edge of his seat. Why, you may ask? Well... “Why is it always Juvia?” Caught off guard by that statement, Fullbuster jumped in his seat slightly in surprise as he tried not to appear shaken by that remark. Unfortunately for him, the minimal shift in his body and change to his tone was identified by the already smirking card user.  “You’re wrong, Cana.” Gray tried to deny with a low voice, not wanting to create attention and furrowed his eyebrows. He was glad that everyone else was too distracted checking with each other on what they got for the round to hear what she said. “I wasn’t thinking that.” “It’s aight man, you guys just established your relationship and now she’s all over the other boys –– you can be jealous you know?” The ice mage clicked his tongue and blushed lightly as he avoided eye contact. He knew Cana was right but could not help deny and feel uncomfortable with that statement being put out so casually. “It’s because of the game, she has no choice that it’s always her number somehow––” “YES! I’M FINALLY THE MASTER!” A very drunk Erza jumped out of her seat in excitement with a mischievous glint.  “Now... Let’s turn up the notch –– 6 has to kiss the cheek of 10!” At the rate it has been going, Gray had a very bad feeling about this. Gajeel instantly placed his hand on his forehead and sighed loudly, slowly accepting his fate in this round. “Ugh let’s get this over with. I’m 10 and I hope salamander doesn’t need to place his germs on my face.” “Number 6 is Juvia....” It was obvious that the members in the room could feel the tension rise as Gray’s stomach began to churn. She really wouldn’t do it, would she? He felt uneasy and did not know how to react to the situation at hand. Lucy, however, saw her good friend in anxiousness began to speak up. “Erza, I think she shouldn’t––” Without hesitation, the water mage went to her best friend and gave a quick peck on his cheek. It was so fast that nobody could really register the act but knew it happened.  “It’s okay, Lucy-san.” Juvia said cooly and sat down, indicating to quickly move forward. “We can now continue.” There was an awkward silence before they heard a loud bump on the table. Fullbuster stood up silently and mumbled on how he was feeling tired, using it as a poor excuse to turn his heel and leave the place. The ice mage silently gritted his teeth as he clench his fists slightly. This did not go unnoticed by the bluenette as her eyes were filled with concern. “You should check on him. Your boy’s sulking.” “Did Juvia do something wrong? Or maybe Gray-sama’s just tired––” “C’mon, you know it’s not that.” Cana gave her a light shove and smirked, amused by the situation before her. “Just go, Juvia.” The water mage took a quick bow of thanks and apologised to the rest as she  pursue her beloved. Thankfully, he was not too far off as walked in a slow manner, seemingly deep in his thoughts. Not wasting anymore time, she hastened her steps and caught up with the ice mage. He took a quick glance at her before looking forward again, as if he did not see her there. “Gray-sama...” She said it in a soft voice, hesitant and afraid because she knew he was not in a good mood. Yes, most times he would act out of ‘annoyance’ to her antics, but Juvia could tell his behaviour currently was similar to the time of his teacher’s death anniversary. Recalling it, things did not go well and the ice mage pushed her aside despite apologising the next day. Occasions like this, the water mage became unsure of what to do. Was it to do with his teacher again? Or was it... “Did Juvia make you angry?” Gray put his steps to a halt as he felt a small tug at his right sleeve and turned back to the bluenette who seemed terribly guilty of his current mood swing. He lightened his frown and relaxed his shoulders a little at her sight, letting out a sigh. “That’s not it,” He said softly, grabbing her wrist gently from his sleeve. “I’m.. just tired and wanted to clear my mind off some stuff.” “Stuff?” “Yeah. Stuff.” “What stuff is bothering Gray-sama? Can Juvia help?” Speaking honestly about matters that hold close to Gray’s heart is something he admits, is poor at executing. He can make the best ice sculptures for display or battles, but fails to pass feelings of his own heart. To put it simply, the ice mage knew what ‘stuff’ was bothering him. He feared how prominent it became and did not know how to deal with it. He knew ‘jealously’ theoretically, but how does he deal with it practically? “Not exactly,” Gray started, putting her arm down by her side and letting go almost reluctantly as he scratched the back of his neck. “It was the game’s fault. Everyone––the guys––were all over you today.” The water mage let out a giggle. “Such coincidence, isn’t it? Juvia herself was surprised at how many times she got called by the game masters.” “But you just had to go along with it!” Caught off by the sudden change in his tone, Juvia widened her eyes in surprise as she became unsure on how to respond. “I mean,” Feeling guilty at his snarky remark, Fullbuster scratched his neck once again, cheeks reddening as tore his gaze away from hers. “You’re mine and all that––“ The water mage’s smile crept up slowly as he paused before resuming, his cheeks flusher than it could ever be. “Sorry I.. just didn’t like it. I know it was just a game but I guess it made me.. jealous?” Elated by his ‘confession’, the bluenette clung to the right side of his arm in joy. Almost instantaneously, Gray tensed up but learnt to relax when she did not do anything else. “Juvia is yours, Gray-sama!” He huffed a little in dissatisfaction before responding. “Really? I don’t think what’s mine would hug flame brain, do a couple’s toast with Lucy, get a pat from Jellal, carried by Laxus, kiss the damn metal head’s cheek––” “Even Lucy-san? Gray-sama has been looking at Juvia, isn’t he?” He heard a soft giggle from his beloved as he blushed once again in annoyance at her triumph over this matter. “Yeah yeah whatever. Happy now?” Not like he would admit it, but it felt nice to have Juvia by his side again––assuring him of her love. Still, the ice mage was in rage when he thought of all that happened in the guild earlier on. Well, he thought to himself, at least she is with him now and does not need to continue with those weird demands from his crazy friends. “Enough of that stuff,” Gray said as he cleared his throat and tried to stay cool. “I should send you bac––” Right before Gray could finish his sentence, the bluenette faced him and rested her petite lips on his own. She let it linger there for awhile before pulling back with a grin. “Juvia may have done all those things in the game, but she would only kiss Gray-sama on the lips. No one else.” Stunned at his place, Gray did not know how to reply. For the ice mage, he did not know whether it was the dimmed lights, the couple of drinks he took that night––or the matter of fact that Juvia Lockser looked very alluring in his sight. The water mage heard her beloved muttered something under his breath, but she could not make out what it was. For the ice mage, he knew his face was flushed as he felt the heat on his cheeks began to soar. But at that moment, Gray knew he only wanted one thing as his onyx eyes bore into her sapphire ones, making her feel nervous. “Gray-sama?” Tthe ice mage smoothly took her waist and pulled the blunette in with a hard kiss before she could utter another word to him. Slightly caught off guard by his actions, she let out a small moan as his mouth continued to mould with hers intensely. Experiencing shortage of air, the water mage pulled back to catch her breath. However, Fullbuster was not having any of that tonight as he quickly dove back in and tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss. Overwhelmed by the heat and passion involved, Juvia could not help but close her eyes instinctively. She could taste the alcohol from the one they had at the guild earlier, but the flavour was somehow sweeter than usual. Gaining composure, the water mage slowly placed her hands on his chest as she continued to receive him. Eventually, she shyly reciprocated the act, which only urged the ice mage to go further. Her mouth gave off a spark of citrus and sugar in it that he simply could not get tired of. As their bodies continued to press together heatedly, Gray dared himself and took the chance to slip his tongue in eagerly to taste more of her. However, it was then immediately retracted when he heard a gasp from the bluenette, arms around each other as they were both now flushed in surprise at what just happened. “Ah sorry,” Gray now covered his mouth instinctively and looked away reddened as the water mage looked at him intensely. “I didn’t mean to...do that.” Feeling conscious about it, Fullbuster awkwardly buried his face into her lovely locks resting on her shoulders. He tightened his hold by her arms as every moment passed by, as if he was trying to bear with some sort of consequences heading his way. “Don’t kiss me out of nowhere dammit. I don’t think I’ll be able to take any more than this...” Juvia could tell that her beloved was desperately trying to pass it up. Still half-dazed yet amused, she let out a chuckle and lightly stroke his back to comfort her embarrassed ice mage. “But Juvia really didn’t expect Gray-sama to be so bold, she actually wants it even more~” To her surprise, she heard Gray elicit a deep growl and started to slid his hands down her back. As he began to speak, the ice mage lightly grazed his lips over the side of her neck, causing her to shiver in position. “Dammit Juvia... If you say that, I might not be able to control myself today.” “W-what does Gray-sama mean?” His breath continued to fan her neck as he paid no mind to her query. Finding a comfortable spot to land his mouth, he formed a hickey as he lightly bit the side of her nape. When he let go, Gray looked up bashfully to check on her reaction as she fell rather silent on him. Perhaps it was the drinks Gray had which caused him to act a certain way that night. However, one thing is for sure––the water mage could not contain her emotions anymore as he found her passed out happily in her beloved arms.

#gruvia #fairy tail #gray fullbuster #juvia lockser #gruvia fanfiction #hope you guys like it >w< #confession time i've never written such an elaborated kiss scene before #im sorry if its bad #by imxeracus #fybig4

[thatsarcasticgemini]

Alone time

Ash Lynx x reader

A/n: Banana fish broke me, but writing is my coping mechanism, so...This is an AU where Ash and the reader are married and live in Japan, Ash being a model. Also, Shorter is alive cause I said do ( i would die for him to live tbh). I am so sorry for any mistakes.

     Babysitting is a very challenging task, especially when the kid is a carbon copy of the most intelligent, cheeky and bratty man Eiji had ever met. Isaac Callenreese was giving the man a headache and pills were not fixing it. Sure, he knew what he was getting into and knew how much Ash and Y/N needed a break from parenting, but why on earth did he agree? At least Shorter was there to help him right?

     Wrong! Shorter was like a second kid. Yelling, running, coloring, making a mess and getting little Isaac even more agitated. Just how much energy did the 5 year old have? 

“Shorter, please! You are 30! Your playing days are over. You’re gonna break something and I will yell. I almost had Isaac under control, but then you came along to ruin the peace we had. Isaac come here right now or I’ll call Ash!”

“Jeez, Eiji...you almost sound like a grandpa! I haven’t seen Isaac in about a year. I missed him a lot, you know? Little gremlin did a lot of growing up!” said Shorter, with the same goofy smile he had all those years ago. Isaac was seated on the his lap, looking up at his favourite uncle with a wide grin. Based off the resemblance between him and Ash, Eiji could already sense some sort of comment coming.

“Nuh-uh. I wanna stay right here. Call dad “dad” please. And I love uncle Shorter, he’s taller, funnier and smarter than you, uncle Ji. He was telling me how dad knows how to ride a motocycle! It doesn’t get better than this!”

“Yes it does. If you stay quiet for five more minutes, I can get the rice done and I can tell you how Ash and Y/N..”

“Mom and dad, uncle Ji!”

“How mom and dad met while we eat. Does that sound nice?”

“Dunno, let me ask uncle Shorter too.” The two began whispering to each other while Eiji rolled his eyes. Just one more hour and Ash would be here to pick his spawn up. After a minute, both Shorter and Isaac nodded their heads and went to sit down at the kitche table.

     Once the table was set and the rice was done cooking, Eiji put it is bowls are brought it to the table. They all dug in, but Isaac seemed to be watching Eiji with great intrest, expecting the story he was promised.

“So Ash and Y/N...”

“Mom and dad. Continue uncle Ji.”

“Mom and dad met around 9 years ago. They met here, in Tokyo, and I am proud to announce that I am the one who got them to meet up, since Y/N went to the same highschool as me. We were both on the drama club in my third year. She was about 2 years younger than me, but she was so mature. Anyway, they started dating around three months after they met. The had a really pretty relationship. You dad was so hooked he embarrassed himself in front of her on multiple ocations. They got married two years later, lived together for two more years and then you came along. You were a very loved little boy. I wish I took a picture of the face your dad made when he held you for the first time.”

“Yeah! He teared up, but don’t tell him you know. You had this little puff of blond hair on your head, it was as fluffy as the little kitty we saw this morning, if not fluffier.” Isaac had look in his eyes that Eiji had only seen once before and that was when Ash told him about Dino and his childhood. The tiny blond seemed to be so vulnarable almost like a porcelain figure. 

“What about mom? Was she happy to see me?” There it was. The love Isaac, much like his father, held for her. It was like they would both die if it wasn’t for her love.

“Well of course she was. She really loves you, you know? Your mom loved you even before she had the pleasure of holding you. You have been one of her favourite people ever since she found out you were in her belly. They both love you a lot.”

“Then why am I here? Why wouldn’t they take me with them? Why do they want alone time?” Eiji couldn’t find an answer. He looked at Shorter, who still had that dumb grin.

“Well, Isaac, mom and dad need to rest every once in a while. Since mom got pregnant with your brother or sister, she hasn’t really been able to rest properly, so dad wanted alone time with her to help her rest, but I am sure they will both be so very happy to see you.”

     Just like magic, there was a knock at the door, Eiji went to open it, while Isaac trailed behind him, with his little backpack in hand. The door opened to reveal Ash and the boy jumped in his arms at the speed of light. 

“Wow! Hi bub! I missed you so much. How was today hmm? Did you have fun with uncle Ji and uncle Shorter? Were they nice to you?”

“Mhm, they told me how you and mama met. I miss mama, is she in the car?”

“No bub, she’s at home. She missed you too. Told me we should race all of the cars and get home in under ten minutes. We have cake.” And with that, Isaac was set back on the ground and the little boy dashed to the car. 

“Damn gremlin didn’t even say bye. Here i was thinking we have something special.”

“Hi Shorter! Hi Eiji! I can’t thank you enough for tonight. She really needed it.” 

“It’s ok Ash. He is a little loud and Shorter here is never truly helpful, but it’s our pleasure. Are Y/N and the baby ok?”

“Hm, not really. I mean the baby seems to be fine, but she isn’t. Throws up everything she eats. The doctor said it is because her body is getting used to the pregnancy, but this didn’t happen when we had Isaac. I’m just worried for her.”

“She’s strong. She can take it I’m sure.” Shorter nodded, agreeing with Eiji’s statement. 

“I know Eiji, I’m not worried about that. Truth is she seems happy to be pregnant. She’s beaming all the time, even after she got everything she ate out, and I feel bad. I feel like she’s in pain. Her smile makes me feel even worse.” Shorter laid a hand on his best friend’s shoulder, taking his sunglasses off. 

“Ash...listen to me. Y/N is someone who’s never lied to you about anything. She’s been genuine about everything. She would never fake a smile and she would tell you if she wanted to abort the baby. The fact that she’s smiling and being her bubbly self only means that the pregnacy isn’t that hard on her. Trust me Ash. I see the look in her eyes when the baby is brought up in any conversation. She’ll be fine. You’ll be a bigger family. Loosen up a little.” 

“Thank you Shorter. I owe both of you a drink. I’ll call you. Thank you for babysitting again.” And with that, all three of tehm smiled at each other while Ash picked the tiny shark backpack and went back to the car.

     Once inside, the older blond turned towards the younger one, smiling.

“Ready to see mom, bub?”

“Mhm! Is she feeling better?”

“Yep.”

     The car ride was one of the happy moments Ash wanted to hold onto. The sang together and talked about how Shorter told Isaac about the motorcycle.

“It’s true, you know? I do know how to ride one. When you’re older, I can teach you too.”

“I wanna ride one now. I’ve seen my friends with theirs, I want one too!”

“Those are lame. I’m talking about the real ones. That’s the true fun.”

     Once at home, Ash dropped everything on the floor and went to help his son hung his coat on the wall. The little boy jumped out of his red sneakers and ran down the hall yelling for his mom. 

“In the kitchen baby. I was cutting you a slice of cake.It’s vanilla, since I know you like the chocolate one’s less. Where’s daddy?”

“Right behind you.” said Ash, placing his hands on her hips and swaying her a little. She turned around to give him a kiss on the cheek, but her 5 month bump got in the way, making her pull a frustred face and Ash smile even more. Isaac pushed his dad to the side a little, making grabby hands at his mom. No matter how old he acted, his real age was always given away by his gestures around his mom. 

     Getting his slice of cake, Isaac turned back towards the living room. Eating on the couch was never truly forbidden.

“Mama, tomorrow is Yuri’s birthday. He celebrating it at home, I have the invitation in my drawing notebook. Can I go?”

“Sure you can. we just have to go buy a gift in the morning.”

“A birthday huh? That means a little more alone time for us two.” Y/N hid her face in her husband’s neck, smiling a little. Ash’s finger went to the back of her neck, getting her to look up at him to give her a kiss, but then...

“Gross! He likes cars mama, go brainstorm on that insted of smooching dad in the kitchen!”

#ash lynx x reader #ash lynx #shorter wong #eiji okumura #banana fish

[ks-dreams-fantasies]

Can you write one where the reader surprise vinnie on his bday like the readee said that she cant go to his bday bc of something

*Pics not mine*

Birthday boy – Vinnie Hacker

Sooooo… I decided to turn this request into a smut 👁👅👁  If you are not comfortable, don’t worry you can read the first half of the story before it gets to heated. I got carried away, sorry 😬 Hope you enjoy it still

Author’s note: In this story, both the reader and Vinnie are of legal drinking age, and the pandemic is long over

Warning: Smut 🔥

Word Count: 1.9k (not proofread)

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‘’ I know you’re disappointed Vinnie, I am too, but we’re not done filming yet” you said to your boyfriend over the phone. You had been away to Canada for the past month, shooting for a movie with other young actors. You loved your job, but being away from the people you loved the most, was difficult.

“Can’t you take a couple of days off?” He asked almost whining

“It doesn’t work like that Vin” you sighed, you knew he was sad “I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you, I promise” you continued, smiling softly, even though he couldn’t see you.

“I just miss you, and the fact that you won’t be here for my birthday sucks” he huffed “I know it’s not your fault”

“I miss you too” you said before getting interrupted by a knock on the door. “I have to go baby, we’re getting ready to film, I’ll call you later, I love you”

“Ok, I love you” he responded before you hung up, making your way to set. Tomorrow was your last day of filming before a two-weeks break. You hadn’t told Vinnie, wanting to surprise him for his birthday, since it was a last-minute decision from the movie director. You were stocked to go back to L.A to see your friends for a few days. You had decided that for Vinnie’s birthday, you would plan a nice trip away from everything, just the two of you. You had talked with Thomas and Mia, knowing you could trust them with your secret. They had kept you up to date on everything, including the party schedule.

You would see him in only two days, and you couldn’t wait to be near him. You missed everything about your boyfriend, his hugs, his kisses, his voice, his laugh, his touch, oh how you missed his touch. A month away from each other wasn’t an easy task since the both of you were always together. He hadn’t had the chance to come visit you on set since he had a bunch of contracts and projects to work on, himself.

The day finally came for you to go back home to Vinnie, and you couldn’t be more excited. He didn’t suspect anything since you had called him that morning, wishing him a Happy Birthday.

“Thomas said you sent me a package, but I’m not allowed to open it till later tonight” he had said, loving that even though you couldn’t be with him on his special day, you had still thought about sending him something.

“I believe you can wait a few more hours” you had smiled, looking at him through your phone screen. The FaceTime call lasted for another fifteen minutes before you had to go

“Ok baby, I’ll call you back later tonight so we can open your gift together, have a good day, I love you”you had said looking at the time, knowing you had to leave soon to make it to your flight in time

“I love you too (Y/N)” he smiled fondly at you “See you tonight” he had said

“See you tonight” You had chuckled, before hanging up. He was on for a big surprise and you couldn’t wait to see his reaction.

You texted Mia when you landed. The plan was to sneak you into the house without him noticing, so you could get ready. The boys had finished working out, your boyfriend going to take a shower before the party started. It was the perfect time to go in, following Mia to hers and Thomas’s bedroom.

“I’m so glad you’re here” she said excitedly “He’s going to be so happy to see you (Y/N)” she continued, jumping up and down. “I’ll let you get ready, people are starting to arrive” she said before exiting the door.

You decided to scroll through your phone for a bit before getting ready for the party. Vinnie had just posted a new TikTok of him in the shower, like always, but that was enough to make you melt at the sight of him.

To: Mon Amour❤️👅

Still on set, just saw your TikTok. 👀

How can one human be so handsome 😩 it’s not fair

He had responded soon after, making you smile, while making your way to take a shower as well. When you got out, you could already hear the music blasting downstairs, indicating the party had started. You finished getting ready and texted Thomas to distract your boyfriend while you went to join the girls in the living room. You made sure to stand close to him and his friends, but still far enough to observe him without him noticing you right away.

“Vin, that girl’s been looking at you for the past ten minutes man” Jordan had said, smirking as he saw you on the other side of the room

“Yeah and?” he answered, shrugging his shoulders not turning to look at the girl in question

“She kind of look like (Y/N) if you ask me” his friend had retorted, making the birthday boy stare at the group of girls, spotting you immediately, almost running towards you, smiling widely at the sight of you.

“Is that really you?” he asked, his eyes wide and mouth still agape, you chuckled, pulling him into a hug

“Happy Birthday baby” you murmured in his ear, leaving a kiss below it, the action making him shiver.

“I can’t believe you’re here” he responded, hugging you tightly, before detaching himself a little bit to stare into your eyes. He had this ability to make you melt just by looking at you. He moved his face closer to yours, kissing you passionately. His lips were soft and demanding, he wanted more, and you knew he had missed you as much as you’d missed him.

“Get a room you guys” Michael said, passing the both of you, making you laugh against each other before detaching yourselves. He grabbed your hand, leading you to the beer pong table, where Connor and Calvin were playing and drinking.

It had been an hour since you reunited with Vinnie, and you were still near the beer pong table, talking and laughing with the others. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you, scared that if he did, you would disappear. His arms were around your shoulders, staring at the way your mouth was moving while speaking to Michael and Alex.

“Hey yo Vinnie, you’re still with us?” Alex had said, making your boyfriend diverted his gaze towards him, sipping on his red solo cup

“Yeah” he chuckled lightly “Sorry” the boys laughed at him, knowing damn well he was only paying attention to you.

“You’re up next birthday boy” you said, nodding towards the table, where two team had just done playing. You all moved towards the beer pong table, Vinnie playing with Michael and Alex playing with Kouvr. You stayed next to them, watching the scene in front of you. Vinnie was having so much fun, laughing and drinking with his friends, he would often take a glance at you to make sure, you were ok. Alex and Kouvr were losing, Michael laughing at them and Vinnie getting almost every shot he took.

You got lost in the moment, just admiring him, and the way he looked extra good tonight. Even under his white t-shirt, you could see every muscle of him flex. His large hands grasping the ball before shooting it into the cup, making him celebrate the victory with Michael. He caught you staring at him and came right back to stand in front of you.

“Everything’s ok baby?” he asked you, smirking, knowing what it did to you. After a few seconds of silence, he took your hand in his, as you followed him upstairs. He led you towards his bedroom, but you were surprised when he went in and continued walking towards the connected bathroom, closing the door behind you. You stood there, leaning against the counter, Vinnie taking a few steps closer to you, standing centimeters away from your face. His lips found yours quickly, taking control of your mouth easily, your tongues dancing and battling together, Vinnie deepening the kiss. You didn’t realize you were holding your breath until he pulled away, and redirected his kisses on your neck, sucking on the sensitive skin, making you let out a small moan.

“Fuck, I missed you (Y/N)” he murmured against you, pressing his lower half to your aching core. Your hands travelled to his hair, tugging lightly, something you knew he loved for you to do.

“I want you Vin” you whispered in his ears, making him grunt, before he turned you around quickly, making you both look at your reflection in the mirror. You could feel him get impatient, as he pressed his hard member against your covered ass. One of his hands rested on your hip as the other slid down your back, forcing you down into a bending position. You reached down to the end of your dress, lifting it up, for Vinnie to get a better view. He ran a hand through your hair, fisting them, grasping and pulling them gently. A loud moan left your lips at the action, making you back up into him, as he started to grind into you, over and over again.

“V-Vinnie” you mumbled, as he snaked his hand slowly into your damp underwear, making you let out a sight of satisfaction. His skillful fingers found their way to your dripping fold, spreading your arousal on the rest of your needy core. Vinnie kept a steady pace, pumping in and out of you, making you scream in ecstasy. You had been craving his touch for a month now and you couldn’t contain yourself anymore.

“Fuck me already” you said, wanting to feel more of him than his fingers. He bit his lips at the sight of you, begging for more, before yanking your panties down your legs in a quick motion. He unbuttoned his pants quickly, making them drop to the floor, his erection springing free on his covered stomach. He pumped himself a few times, before lining himself at your entrance, your eyes meeting his reflection, your pussy throbbing at what was about to happen. He grabbed your hips, pushing all the way in, your broken moans filling is ears, feeling your tightness around him.

“You’re so tight” he whimpered as you moaned, reaching back to grab onto him. He began to piston his hips harder against yours, making you yelp out in pleasure and surprise, feeling your orgasm approaching. His hand laid a hard smack on your ass, as you bit your bottom lips, trying to contain your moans. You could feel Vinnie’s trusts getting sloppier, indicating he was close as well.

“I’m so close” he almost didn’t hear you. His hand trailed down the front of your body, snaking his fingers down your swollen clit, rubbing it perfectly to bring you over the edge. Your legs started shaking, Vinnie pumping in and out of you, as he rode your orgasm. You clenched around him and the action was enough to make him cum, himself, spilling his loads into you, groaning loudly.

Once you were done, he helped you clean the mess the both of you had made, laughing lightly as you both got dressed.

“Best surprise ever” he said, smiling as he kissed your temple.

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Thanks for reading

Hope you liked it, let me know what you think

-K

#vinnie hacker #vinnie #vinnie hacker imagine #vinnie hacker smut #vinnie hacker fluff #vinnie hacker x you #vinnie hacker x reader #tiktok boys #vinnie imagines

[legoshi-plz]

How about birthday prompts (Like how they celebrate your birthday and how you celebrate theirs)?

Warning: NSFW-ish themes (Riz and Bill’s part),

All Characters are adults, around mid-20s here. So basically a couple years after college. Except for Gouhin, Oguma, and Gosha who are their canon ages.

Reader is Gender Neutral

Louis:

Your Birthday:

- Mr. MoneyBags here is going to go all out as far as expenses go.

- Fancy Dinner at an elegant restaurant, picks you up in his ridiculous sports car which you’ve rode in a million times but it’s still exciting. (Also, Louis drives extremely fast. He’s a good driver but if he’s not going at least 30 miles over the speed limit, he feels like he might as well be parked in the street. Also has a bad habit of running red lights and stop signs just because he can.)

- Buys you a brand new outfit just to wear to dinner and has it delivered to you in the morning in a red velvet box with a silk bow. You’re a little uncomfortable with the whole high society scene but you go along with it anyway for Louis’ sake.

- At dinner, he orders for you. He has a bad habit of doing that, even though you’ve told him multiple times you’re capable of making your own decisions. At least he usually orders you something you end up liking.

- Night concludes back at his place, he pulls out another velvet box similar to one from this morning except this box is much smaller which only meant one thing: jewelry.

- “Louis... Are there diamonds in this?”

- “....”

-“Louis...”

-“.... Maybe...”

- You refuse to accept the overly expensive gift, refuse to even look at it. You give it back to him and you could see he’s a little hurt but you assure him you know he means well but everything was just a little too much and you felt out of place.

- He accepts your criticism gracefully even if he is a little frustrated you wouldn’t accept his gift he spent so much time picking out. He promises to tone it down next year.

His Birthday:

- You actually really hate Louis’ birthday because he almost never spends it with you.

- He always works on his birthday, not seeing it as important enough to halt business.

- You’ve tried everything from bribing his assistant to haggling his bodyguards but nobody can get Louis out of his office in his birthday.

- You’ve learned to let it go, and usually surprise him by doing something special the week before.

Legoshi:

Your Birthday:

- All about being sweet. Values time and effort over anything and hopes that you see it that way too.

- Makes you breakfast in bed, he’s a pretty good cook all things considering (it’s a skill he picked up while being a waiter.)

- Takes you out for lunch, the two of you spend the day doing pretty regular couple stuff but you’re just happy to be there with him.

- Your present is something that’s both useful and to your taste, like along the lines of a sweater or cardigan in your favorite color. He makes sure it’s oversized because he knows how much you love to wear his sweaters and he even has your name embroidered in small cursive letters above the heart.

- You love your gift and how the two of you spent the day.

His Birthday:

- You two spend it almost identically, just with he roles reversed.

-Legoshi is still a little uncomfortable with extra attention so if you want to incorporate his friends into anything then you’ll have to be really stealthy about it.

- No surprise parties please, he literally would melt into the floor with embarrassment. Best to take him somewhere and his friends slowly join in organically (or at least, you hoped it came off as organic but it really didn’t)

- “Hey Legoshi, fancy seeing you two here at this restaurant in this reserved section. Mind if I join ya?” By the tenth time that exact excuse was used, the cat was well out of the bag.

- Legoshi appreciates your efforts though, even if he’s not one for attention. He sort of clings to you the entire night, whether it be holding your hand, gripping your thigh, encircling your waist, etc. as long as he’s touching you, he feels calmer and it helps tone down his anxiety.

- Overall, Legoshi’s the type to be fine with almost any birthday celebration (or even none at all) as long as he can be with you.

Juno:

Your Birthday:

- Makes you do something spontaneous for once, even if you’re hesitant.

- Takes you somewhere like Skydiving, or Paragliding, or Bungee Jumping. If you’re adamant about making it to your next birthday not risking your life then she will settle for something a little more mild like Scuba Diving.

- Can not stop gushing about how hot you look in your wetsuit and flusters you in front of the Scuba instructor (he’s an older Walrus and finds it cute to see young animals in love).

- The two of you end up having a blast and you’re happy you went along with Juno’s plan, even if it tired you out completely.

- Once the two of you get home and shower, you collapse onto the bed and fall asleep almost immediately, the exhaustion from the deep diving really taking it’s toll.

- Juno enters the bedroom holding a cake with lit candles and wearing brand new sexy lingerie she purchased just for you to rip off of her. She’s a little disappointed to find you unconscious but she figures it is your birthday and you can sleep if you want to.

- She blows out the candles for you and puts the cake in the kitchen, then she throws on a robe and snuggles up next your slumbering figure.

Her Birthday:

- She wants to travel for her birthday and she can’t think of anyone she’d rather take a trip with more than you.

- You two go somewhere hot and tropical, probably somewhere near a beach (she loves any excuse to wear a bikini and sunbathe)

- You two probably find a bar near the beach and get drunk, her moreso then you because you start to sober up as the night goes on so you’re able to take care of her.

- You take her back to the hotel and tuck her in after helping her get ready for bed. She a giggling, flirty drunk mess the entire time but it still makes your heart soar because you know she had fun.

- Before she falls asleep, she whispers to you that this was her favorite birthday yet.

Riz:

Your Birthday:

- He’s waking you up with morning head, no way around it. You wake up to him kissing your neck, then your collarbone, down your stomach and he just keeps going down until he has you whimpering and falling apart beneath him.

- Then the two of you take a shower together and he’s making you cum for him in a totally different way.

- But once you finally pry his humongous paws off of you, you think you’ll be able to relax but he has other plans.

- He sends you off to the Spa. He’s not going in with you because he wouldn’t be caught dead in one but buys you the best top of the line experience . You enjoy the peace and relaxation but you’re kind of lonely and just want to be with him.

- When you get home, he presents your gift to you which is probably something big and wooden that he made himself because he’s great with his hands and actually an amazing craftsman. Probably something like a intricate Wooden Gazebo outside so you could sit and enjoy your garden.

- “Riz, how the hell did you get this back here without me knowing?” You ask, your arms still wrapped around his neck from where you squealed in excitement, lavishing him with kisses.

- “Built it off site, just needed a few hours to install it,” Riz winked, cupping your ass with both hands and lifting you up so your legs could wrap around his waist.

- “So that’s why you made me spend my birthday alone?” You pouted.

- “Yeah, m’sorry about that, baby. But I can make it up to you...” Riz growled, carrying you inside to the bedroom.

“Wait, I wasn’t done looking at my gift,” you giggled as he began nipping at the fur at the base of your neck.

“Trust me, it’s not going anywhere,”

His Birthday:

- Riz loves nature and outside in general. So for his birthday you plan a camping trip deep in the forest.

- You don’t tell him anything about it, you just make him request two days off of work, no questions asked.

- You two leave early in the morning, drive deep into the forest and then you spring it on him. You also let him know that if he doesn’t like the idea, theres still time to turn back and spend his birthday in the city.

- Not a chance if that happening though, this man LOVES the outdoors. He’s already halfway out the car before you could even put it in park.

- The two of you have a blast setting up the tent, making the campfire, cooking dinner over said campfire, and communing with nature.

- “There’s a river that runs north of here, it’s about a 15 minute walk from here, I figured we could go fishing there tomorrow morning,” You tell him as you sit in his lap, admiring the fire.

- However, the two of you don’t make it there until we’ll into the afternoon and it was a miracle you made it there at all. Riz had fucked you senseless last night, the atmosphere of nature giving him a newfound surge of energy. It’s a good thing no one was around because the two of you were almost embarrassingly loud.

- Anyways, Riz thoroughly enjoys his weekend of wilderness and fucking you like a wild animal all throughout the forest. You enjoy it as well despite the fact he has you almost limping by the end of the trip.

Bill:

Your Birthday:

- Honestly, he forgets. If you wait on him to remember or ‘surprise you’, then you’ll only end up ruining your own birthday.

- If you remind him on the day of, he takes you out to eat at a nice restaurant but it’s still very last minute.

- If you remind him the day before, he’ll at least get you a gift but it’s last minute.

- Overall, if you want to actually enjoy your birthday with him, you better plan it yourself

His Birthday:

- Plans an entire house party himself and invites everyone, it seems, but you. He wasn’t exactly aiming to exclude you, he just thought it’d be a given that you would be there. However, if you didn’t show up, he wouldn’t really notice either way.

- It’s wild and crazy. A ridiculously huge amount of people show up and there’s alcohol coming from every direction, and Bill is soaking up every ounce of the attention.

- Once you finally had enough of being ignored, you go home. You doubt that Bill will even notice you’ve left.

- You’re at home, showered, and about to head to bed when your phone starts ringing. It’s an unknown number so you let it ring out. But then they call back again, and again, and again. Disturbed, you accept it on the fourth call just in case it’s an emergency.

- “Finally they picked up! Y/N? You there?” It was one of Bill’s friends. Apparently in his drunken state, he went into a rage when he couldn’t find you and had been crying for you to come back for almost an hour. He was inconsolable and his friends knew there was only a matter of time before he started a fight at his own party. You were irritated but you still allowed them to drop him off at your place.

- The second you answered your front door, the giant tiger in question was all over you, squeezing you right and asking why you left him. You helped him inside and laid him in your bed.

- He cuddled with you for maybe 10 minutes tops before he was out like a light. You end up falling asleep next to him, finally enjoying a little peace for once tonight.

- That peace doesn’t last long though, Bill wakes up the next morning horny. Like extremely horny. You wake up to him grinding against your thighs, whimpering and begging to let him fuck you. You give in to the belated birthday boy and he proceeds to give you the sloppiest, most sensual, earth-shattering morning strokes of your life. You’re so mind blown by how good he fucked you, you forget about how angry you were with him.

- After a well needed shower, he takes you out for breakfast to apologize for how much of an ass he was on his birthday. You accept but tell him if he ever pulls something like that again, he can look for a new lover.

Collot:

Your Birthday:

- Surprisingly wants to spoil you on your birthday but unlike Riz, he actually minds being apart from you (he’s hella clingy, he just hates to admit it) so whatever activities he has planned, the two of you are doing it together.

- Takes you to a fancy resort, somewhere in the mountains where it’s cold and there’s snow on the ground even during the summer months.

- The two of you attempt skiing but you’re terrible at it and he ends up laughing at you falling majority of it.

- You two also enjoy the giant jacuzzi the lounge has to offer but Collot can not keep his hands off of you and eventually you two have to run back to your room for a midday quickie.

- His birthday gift to you is something simple, like a necklace with your birthstone in it. You love it and allow him to put it on you.

- The rest of the evening, it’s just you and your man, walking along the Snow filled grounds, sipping warm apple cider, and enjoying the break from the rest of the world.

Gouhin:

His Birthday:

- This man wants REST. No need to go all out, his life is crazy enough the other 365 days of the year. Just give him some peace and relaxation and he’s good to go.

- He also loves your cooking and wouldn’t be opposed to you cooking him a huge meal.

- Also loves your body and wouldn’t be opposed to you doing that thing that he really likes in bed ;)

- Your gift to him would be something he can use but also is a little unnecessary. Something like a ridiculously fancy, golden calligraphy pen for his office or a brand new crossbow with genuine leather straps. He’s pretty hard to shop for so it’s always best to go with something he already has, just a newer model.

- Honestly just wants to spend his birthday with his baby (you) as if it’s any other day.

Gosha:

Your Birthday:

- Gosha is so lovable, he’s probably more excited it’s your birthday than you are.

- He’s picked up quite a few skills over the years and baking is one of them. Bakes you a giant birthday cake in your favorite flavor. You’re grateful he was so thoughtful and made such an extravagant cake but there’s no way you’re going to finish this entire thing.

- You end up inviting over friends just to get rid of some of the cake, which they’re more than happy to do since it’s absolutely delicious.

- A few of your friends bring group dishes and fancy wine and soon it’s a whole party underway. The small gathering is actually a blast and you can’t think of a better way to spend your birthday other than surrounded by the people you love.

Oguma:

Your Birthday:

- Mr. Moneybags 2.0

- Gets you a crazy expensive gift like a brand new car and calls it a day.

- Not really much for spending time or celebrating traditionally. But to compensate, he’ll buy you the world (even after you’ve repeatedly told him you don’t need all that.)

- Probably won’t even see you on your birthday because his schedule is so overbooked but sends you plenty of gifts to remind you that he loves you.

- It stings not seeing him on your birthday but at this point in the relationship, you don’t really expect anything else from him.

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[watchmegetobsessed]

Quarter of a Century - Harry Styles

a/n: i wanted to do a more massive fic to celebrate my bday with you all but i’ve been all over the place all week and this is all i could put together :( but i hope you’ll like it! anyway, here is a little something from me to you for the occasion of me turning 25 (ehhh)

word count: 1220

masterlist

Harry knows you don’t necessarily like parties, let alone the ones that are celebrating you. Growing up you were never the kind of kid to beg for a birthday party, you just usually invited over your best friend and watched movies in the basement, ate candies and had a sleepover. You didn’t like the attention on you, all the looks, the greetings, that everyone wanted a word with you. It was just not you. You were the kind of person who let others be the star of the show while you stood at the sidelines and probably this is why your relationship with Harry was so balanced out. While he was the well-known, famous, center of the attention person in the spotlight who enjoyed every bit of praise thrown in his way, you were always more comfortable being the support system, the one in the back who fell out of the preying eyes and nosy questions. The two of you managed to keep your relationship a secret for almost two entire years and with all the hype that follows your boyfriend everywhere he goes, that’s a huge accomplishment for sure.

But from time to time, Harry liked to push you just a little. Just enough to get you out of your shell and accept the attention and praise he thought you always deserved. All together he has posted two pictures of you on his social media platforms that put you in the center of the attention, talked about you just a handful of times during interviews and appearances, but he always made sure not to take it too far. Just enough to bug your comfort you are all too used to.

Today has been another occasion of his attempt to make you the main character and there’s an occasion for that. You’ve turned twenty-five, an age Harry thinks of as a kind of milestone in one’s life.

“That’s a quarter of a century, you can’t just not make it to be a big deal!” he always told you when your birthday came up in previous conversations. For you, it was just another number, the middle of your twenties and one step closer to your thirties.

If you’re being honest, you don’t necessarily like to think about how now you aren’t even considered a young adult anymore. You don’t feel like an adult and even though you fully function as one, it’s still hard to wrap your head around the fact that time is inevitably ticking over your head, because… time waits for no one.

You knew he was planning something. He couldn’t keep secrets from you, his eyes always talked for his mouth for you, after spending three and a half years together and being friends for over five, he couldn’t hide anything from you fully.

He made your best friend take you out for a day at your favorite spa, getting massages, all kinds of treatments, get a manicure and pedicure and eventually get your hair done as well. You left the building pampered and very aware the reasoning behind the activities. And just as you expected, arriving back to the home you are now sharing with Harry, you found your closest friends there, the living room all decorated as they started singing Happy Birthday to you.

It was a pleasant surprise. Not an over the top party with hundreds of people, just about thirty of your inner circle, together for the occasion of your birthday.

“Are you mad at me?” Harry pouted his lips at you when you were done with your first round of thanking everyone for coming. Tucked away in the corner with a drink in your hand you smiled at your boyfriend, cupping his scruffy cheek in your other palm.

“Of course not,” you chuckled softly as a smirk tugged on his lips and leaning down he kissed you gently.

“I know you hate birthday parties, but you deserve the praise, baby. Wanted to make it special for you,” he hummed, kissing your temple as you melted into his embrace, his arms wrapping around your frame.

“I know. Thank you, H,” you smiled and you really meant that you weren’t mad at him. How could you ever?! When you know damn well Harry always wants the best for you, sometimes knowing you better than you know yourself.

Now the party is officially over, the last guest left ten minutes ago and you are about to start cleaning the place up when Harry stops you.

“I already got it covered. A team will be here in the morning to take care of it.”

“You shouldn’t have,” you give him a look, but deep down you love that you don’t have to be the one to wash all the dishes and clean up the mess.

“Mm, but I did,” he smirks, pulling you into his arms as he kisses you tenderly. “Did you have fun?”

“I did. I don’t even know how you got so many of my friends together, it’s impossible to make plans with them!” you chuckle, snaking your arms around his neck.

“It took a lot of planning,” he smirks, very much satisfied with the work he has done. “Want to go to bed?”

“Yeah, I’m so tired,” you huff, your body loosening in his hold so his arms are the ones holding you up mostly rather than your legs. He tightens his embrace around you, hoisting you up so you wrap your legs around his waist. He carries you into the bathroom with ease, turning the water on to warm it up as he sets you on the counter, pushing his lips between your thighs. You throw your arms up above your head, signaling him that you want him to undress you, and he chuckles softly, but bunches the fabric of your shirt at your stomach before pulling it over your head and off of you, pressing a chaste kiss to your naked shoulder as he drops the shirt into the hamper in the corner. You don’t stop there, extending your legs so he can rid you from your pants as well and this time he doesn’t leave it without a comment.

“Thought you turned twenty-five, not five to need help with undressing.”

“Do you not want to take care of the birthday girl?” you pout at him, tilting your head to the left. Smirking he pecks your lips as his fingers start to work on the button and zipper of your pants.

“Oh, I do, baby. That’s all I want in life,” he smirks, nuzzling his nose against yours as he yanks the pants off of your body, making you chuckle as he struggles a little to get it past your ass that’s planted on the counter. When he is done, he takes care of his own clothes while you free yourself from your underwear and hop to your feet once you both are naked.

“So, do you want to have birthday sex in the shower or in the bed after we showered?” he prompts with a cocky grin, but you arch an eyebrow at him.

“Why not both?”

Harry gifts you with a toothy smile as he wraps his arms around you, naked chests colliding as he drags you into the walk in shower.

“That’s the answer I wanted to hear!”

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

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