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sequinsmile-x · 3 months

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Amore

It's Valentine's Day and Emily just wants to spend it with her boyfriend, but she's got two problems:

No one knows she and Aaron are together,

Penelope is insistent on setting her up on a date.

-x-

Hi friends,

Everyone loved the idea of this when I suggested it the other day, so I hope you like how this turned out!

Please let me know what you think <3

Happy Valentine's Day!

-x- Words: 3k

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol consumption

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Emily smiles as Aaron opens the door to his hotel room and stands back just enough to let her in, his eyes sweeping the hallway to make sure none of the team is nearby.

“Hi sweetheart,” he says as she walks into the room and he closes the door behind her. She immediately wraps her arms around him and kisses him, her hand on his cheek to keep him in place. He smiles into it and presses his forehead against her as they pull away from each other, “If we hadn’t spent all day together I’d ask if you missed me.”

She kisses him again before she walks over to the bed, slipping her shoes off before she climbs in, “I did miss you,” she says, yawning as he climbs into bed with her, “I had to spend all day pretending I’m not madly in love with you in front of our friends.”

He laughs and kisses her forehead, “I missed you too,” he wraps his arm around her shoulders to pull her close, “Today was a long day.”

She hums in agreement and rests her head against him, her forehead against his neck, “Such a long day,” she grumbles, kissing his throat, “But hopefully we’ll get it all wrapped up tomorrow and make it back in time for Valentine’s Day.”

It was their first Valentine’s Day together. She’d never been one to buy into the holiday, but she was looking forward to it this year. She’d bought him a new watch and spent longer than she’d care to admit picking out a card, walking the aisles in the store until she found one that came close to explaining how she felt about him. She knew he’d bought her something too, he wasn’t good at hiding presents, something she’d discovered when she spent Christmas with him and Jack, so she’d spotted the blue Tiffany bag in his sock drawer just before they left DC for the case they were on.

She wanted to spend the day celebrating their love for each other, she wanted to bask in the fact she was finally in a relationship that made her want to take part in things she would have once scoffed at. She often joked Aaron had ruined her, that he’d turned her into a sappy, love-sick, thing, but she actually thinks their relationship had been the making of her. It had helped her find herself again when she got home from Paris, had helped her build up the new version of herself from the rubble of what she’d left behind.

Aaron loved her no matter what, and she loved him the same way.

“We’ll celebrate whether we get home on time or not,” he promises her, kissing her forehead and she nods. Her phone chimes and she pulls it out of the pocket of her sweatpants and reads the text she’s received. Emily rolls her eyes as she tilts the phone so he can read it too. It was from a number she didn’t have saved, and as he reads it he feels jealousy thrum in his veins.

Hi, this is Mark - Penelope gave me your number. She said you’d be up for getting together for a drink sometime. Call me!

“She’s giving your number out to people now?”

She hums as she locks her phone and places it down on the bed, “Well, I never went on any of the blind dates she tried to set me up on so I guess this is the next step,” she scrunches her nose up as she looks up at him, “I didn’t know she had this many single friends though so I’m worried she’s moved on to random guys she meets in bars.”

For months Penelope had been trying to set her up, taking neither Emily’s hints nor her insistence that she didn’t need any help very seriously. She kept saying she just wanted to see Emily happy, something she didn’t know she already was, and she was determined to make it happen. Her efforts had increased since January had ticked over into February, the long drawn-out weeks of the first month of the year giving way to the month of love, seemingly convincing Penelope that Emily needed a partner more than ever.

If only she knew Emily already had one.

Emily and Aaron had both decided to keep their relationship secret. At first, it had just been practical. They wanted to navigate the shift from friends to more without the pressure of outside opinion, without feeling like their every move was being watched. Like it was being carefully observed. They’d both been through so much that wanted to protect themselves, protect this, something precious that they both deserved. It’s how they’d made it 6 months down the line without no one else other than Jack and Jessica knowing about them.

“Not sure how I feel about random guys texting my girlfriend,” he grumbles and she chuckles, biting her lower lip as she shifts on the bed. She turns towards him and hooks one of her legs over his lap, smiling as she settles onto him, both of his hands automatically seeking out her hips.

“Oh honey,” she says, shifting closer on his lap, hooking her arms around his neck, her fingers trailing the short hair on the back of his head, “Are you jealous?”

“Yes,” he answers honestly, tightening his grip on her, raising his eyebrow when her smile only widens, “But before you make too much fun of me, I think we both know you wouldn’t be any better if this was the other way around.”

She stamps a kiss against his lips, “True,” she says, kissing him again, “But I promise you have nothing to worry about,” she rubs her nose against his, “I’m all yours,” she kisses up his jaw, “No matter what.”

He feels pride flare in his chest, warming him from the inside out as he moves his hands from her hips to her lower back, pushing her closer to him so their chests press together, “All mine.”

She hums and kisses him, “We’ll figure out how to tell them all once we’re home and Valentine’s Day is out of the way, okay?” She says, her and on his jaw as they pull back, “I just want to enjoy it without everyone…sticking their nose in. Or without Pen asking intrusive questions about our sex life.”

He pulls back, his eyes wide in alarm, “She’ll do that?”

She chuckles and presses his forehead against hers, “If you think her trying to get involved in my love life stops the moment she finds out we’re together you’re kidding yourself, baby.”

His response is cut off as she leans in and kisses him again and rolls her hips against his, any thought other than her wiped from his brain as he gets lost in her.

___

Penelope, somehow, convinces them all to go out for a drink after they get home.

Emily was hesitant to, her eyes fixed on her watch as the time clicked closer to midnight and therefore Valentine’s Day. The rest of the team had immediately agreed, meaning that her and Aaron’s protests would only stand out and seem suspicious.

She sighs as she takes a sip of her beer and looks over at Aaron, who was standing with Dave and Derek, and she smiles softly when their eyes briefly meet and he winks at her, his own smile hidden by his drink. She sees the promise in it, the love that they were yet to share with anyone else. She was excited to move forward, to let their friends in, but she would miss the secrecy. Not just for the privacy it gave them, but because she loved sneaking around with him, the edge it gave when she snuck to his room when they were on a case.

Right now she struggled to see the merit in it. She wanted to kiss him, to taste the beer from his lips instead of from the bottle she was holding.

“You okay, Em?” JJ asks, dragging her attention back to her, “You seem distracted.”

“I’m okay,” she replies, smiling at her friend, “It was a long case, that’s all,” she looks towards the bar and her smile slips from her face when she sees Penelope talking with a man at the bar, her smile wide as she pointed towards the group, smiling and waving when she catches Emily’s eye, “Oh god she’s doing it again isn’t she?”

JJ smiles at her, a flash of something Emily can’t quite place in her eyes before she answers, “You could just tell her no.”

Emily raises an eyebrow at JJ, “You seriously think I haven’t tried that?” She asks incredulously, “You have met Pen right?”

JJ nods, “That’s true, she doesn’t really take no for an answer.”

Emily chuckles and shakes her head, “No she does not,” she groans as Penelope walks towards them, the man from the bar just a few paces behind, “Here we go.”

“Emily,” Penelope says enthusiastically as she walks over, “This is Richard, we just got talking at the bar,” she says, pulling Richard closer, making sure he was standing closer to Emily, “Richard, this is my friend Emily who I was telling you about.”

“Nice to meet you,” he says, offering out his hand to her which she shakes, her smile tight as he squeezes her hand and lingers a little too long.

She can feel Aaorn’s gaze burning into the side of her face and she looks over at him briefly. She can see the tension in his jaw from where she’s standing, the way he’s gripping his beer bottle a little tighter than he was before. She feels her cheeks get warm as she looks back at Richard, Aaron’s obvious jealousy making her stomach flip for a moment. Usually, she thinks she’d purposely try and make him a little more jealous than he already was, let this guy in front of her flirt with her for a few minutes until she turned him down, but she didn’t want to add any fuel to the fire with Penelope.

It’s not like she needed any more encouragement.

“We’ll leave you two to get to know each other,” Penelope says, linking her arm through JJ’s and leading her away, purposely ignoring Emily’s glare.

Emily shakes her head as she’s left alone with Richard and she smiles politely at him, blowing out a slow breath, “Look, I don’t know what Pen told you but-”

“You’re with the suit,” he says, cutting her off with a smile. Her eyes widen quickly and she double-checks to make sure no one from the team heard him. She chuckles dryly and turns back to look at him.

“You…how did you guess that?”

Richard shrugs, “If looks could kill, I’d have been dead the moment I walked over.”

She nods and presses her lips together, “Yeah, he…has that effect on people,” she says affectionately, Aaron’s supposed grumpiness one of her favourite things about him. It was a mask, something he used to protect himself, and it made the soft side that he reserved for her and Jack all the more precious, “I am sorry though.”

“Don’t be,” Richard says genuinely, reaching out and squeezing her arm for a second before he stops and steps away, “It was nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” she says, watching him go. She’s only alone for a second before Penelope walks back over, outrage painted all over her face.

“You turned him down that fast,” she says, scoffing at her, “I keep finding all these lovely guys for you and you keep turning them down, or not responding to their messages.”

She raises her eyebrow at her friend, “Yeah, we’ve got to talk about you handing out my number to random people.”

Penelope’s eyes go slightly wide, “Matt is not a random person-”

“His name was Mark,” Emily corrects, her eyebrow still raised and Penelope clears her throat, nodding as she avoids eye contact.

“Okay, yeah that was my bad,” Penelope says, huffing out a breath, “I just want you to be happy, Em.”

“I am happy,” she exclaims, catching the attention of the others, all of them tuning into the conversation.

“I mean happy with someone.”

Later, Emily wouldn’t be able to figure out what made her do it. Whether it was the two beers she’d had and the slight buzz they’d given her, or Aaron’s gaze burning into her side. Mostly, she thinks it’s irritation aimed towards her friend, the well meaning meddling finally pushing her over the edge.

“I am happy with someone,” she says, placing her beer down on the high table near them and closing the gap between her and Aaron, crossing the distance in just a few paces, before she kisses him, her lips firm against his. She doesn’t think about it for a moment, doesn’t consider her audience, too caught up in the feeling of Aaron pressed against her, in the way he grips her hip.

Then her brain catches up with the rest of her.

She pulls back and looks at him, her eyes almost as wide as his as they meet, and she curses under her breath when she realises what she’s done. He squeezes her hip again, reassurance she needs in the touch as he lets her know he isn’t mad at her, and that, as he always was, he was there for her. She turns at looks at their friends, ready to have a conversation she’d been putting off for months, but instead of shock written across their faces, they all look smug.

Especially Penelope.

“I told you I’d get her to admit it.” Penelope exclaims, hitting Derek in the shoulder as she looks at her watch, “And it is 11.50 pm so it is still technically before Valentine’s Day which was my deadline. So pay up.”

“Damn it,” Dave says, rooting through his pockets for his wallet.

Emily chokes on a laugh and looks back and forth between Aaron and the team, finally finding her voice as they all grumble and start pulling money out of their wallets to pass to their exuberant friend.

“Okay, what the hell is going on?” She asks, frowning as the rest of them chuckle.

“We all knew you guys were together,” JJ says, handing her money to Penelope, “We got bored of waiting for you to tell us so Pen said she’d get it out of you.”

Aaron tightens his hold on Emily, his arm around her as he pulls her towards him, her back against his chest, “How long have you known?”

Derek turns to Spencer, who had so far been standing quietly in the corner, “Reid, when did you see them making out?”

“Oh god.”

“Jesus Christ.”

Emily and Aaron speak in unison, both of them looking down at the floor in embarrassment, and Spencer stutters for a moment, choking on his words.

“I never said made out,” he says, speaking quickly before he sighs. Emily and Aaron both look up at him, and they take some comfort in the fact he looked just as uncomfortable as they felt, “I saw you guys kissing in one of the hotels we stayed in 5 months, 3 weeks and 2 days ago.”

Emily groans and turns her head to look at her boyfriend, “We didn’t make it a week without them finding out.”

He smiles sympathetically at her and kisses her temple, “It’s okay, sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart,” Penelope exclaims, pulling everyone's attention back towards her, “You guys are even cuter than I imagined.

Emily sighs and feels Aaron’s grip on her tighten, his discomfort clear, “Are we done here?” Aaron asks, doing his best to intimidate them.

“Oh not by a longshot,” Dave says, a smirk spreading across his face that makes Emily roll her eyes as he passes them fresh drinks.

“Shut the fuck up, Dave.”

___

He smiles as she sits down on the couch next to him, groaning as she rests her head on his shoulder. He kisses her forehead as he wraps an arm around her, always desperate to have her as close to him as possible.

“You okay, sweetheart?”

She nods and tilts her head up to look at him. She pushes her fingers through his hair, smiling softly as it flops back onto his forehead, “I’m okay. A little embarrassed they apparently knew all along, but I’m okay.”

“I think it’s nice they were giving us a chance to tell them ourselves,” Aaron says, smiling at her, “Although I do wish Garcia’s technique to get us to admit it didn’t include trying to set you up with people.”

She chuckles and rests her forehead against his, “Like I said, honey, you’re the only one for me.”

He stamps his lips against hers, “You’re the only one for me too,” he kisses her again before he pulls back, his eye briefly lingering on the clock on his living room wall, and his smile gets wider when he sees it’s close to 2 am, “I forgot to say because of all of the intense questioning, but Happy Valentine’s Day.”

She cups his cheek and pulls him in, tasting the scotch Dave had bought him on his tongue before she pulls back just enough to speak, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

His response is to kiss her, to take his time to get lost in it, in her. When he eventually pulls away she’s breathless, her eyes slightly bleary and he strokes his thumb back and forth over her cheek, “We should go to bed.”

She hums and nods, “We should,” she says, biting her lip as she looks at him, “But not to sleep, right?”

He laughs, the sound making her fall impossibly more in love with him, the joy so loud she thinks it might wake his neighbours. He stands up quickly, tugging her with him, his grip on her so tight when he pulls her into his embrace that her feet leave the floor, her toes scraping the carpet where his life had once almost ended, and where it now felt like it was only just beginning.

“No sweetheart,” he says, his voice gruff, thick with emotion and want, “Definitely not to sleep.”

-x-

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13uswntimagines · 1 year

Text

Bah Humbug (Soran x Reader)

Summary: R really really hates Christmas. So much so that she's kinda known as a Grinch. Can a person from her past (and 3 ghosts) help her change her fate?

Basically, it's a story based off of Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol. I hope you enjoy it.

Author's note: I know it's after Christma, but happy holidays everyone. I hope you enjoy this crazy thing out of my head. Feel free to hit me up with comments and requests.

You glared at your phone, taking a long sip of your beer.

The team knew you didn’t celebrate the holidays, and having your crushes call you to try and con you into attending the annual party was a low blow. Your teammates knew how difficult it was to resist them.

Maybe that’s why you hadn’t picked up.

You didn’t anticipate them leaving a message.

“Hey, you’re busy and that’s probably why you didn’t pick up, but I just wanted to remind you about the team party,” Emily’s voice rang through the phone.

You noted the distinct lack of mention that it was a holiday party.

“I know you’re not the biggest fan of Christmas, but I would love to see you there and Lindsey and the rest of the team would too,” Emily finished.

You took another long sip of your beer, playing the message again.

It wasn’t fair for your teammates to use your feelings against you.

If it had been a New Years’ party, or literally anything else you would have gone. But you absolutely could not. Would not. Support any stupid Christmas traditions.

You had even denied the invite via Megan’s stupid survey. It has taken you nearly half an hour to scroll through the 50 questions about alcohol and desert preferences to pick the option labeled- I’m a grinch who doesn’t like fun and has a heart 2 sizes too small to attend.

It was bad enough that you couldn’t even have peace in your own home, not with your neighbor and all his holiday cheer.

Why did he have to blast the music so loud that it drowned out your soccer replay? Why did he have to send his wife down to offer you some Christmas pudding? People already looked at you funny when you explained you didn’t love the nation's favorite holiday. You just wanted to be able to have your non-celebration in your own home.

“Shut up,” You groaned at a particularly loud cheer from the floor above you, tossing your remote so it thumped against the ceiling. “Just let me eat my frozen pizza in peace,”

What gave them the right to be so loud and merry?

There were still homeless people on the streets, children going hungry, and men fighting over who owned land that was never theirs to own.

Part of your problem with Christmas was that all it appeared to be was an excuse for rich people to get richer, people to get drunk at parties, and those with bad intentions to take advantage.

You waited a few more minutes, reaching for another beer as the music only grew louder. With a sigh you threw your remote a little harder, praying that your neighbor would quiet down.

You glared when your phone rang again.

Why couldn’t anyone get the fucking message? You didn’t want to be a part of the Christmas celebrations or their stupid money-grabbing intentions.

“What?” You grumbled into the phone.

“Is that any way to greet your favorite team mom?” Kelley asked, and you rolled your eyes.

Preath were your team moms, but Kelley had stepped in when you were traded to Washington, and you loved her nearly as much as you loved them.

“You're not my favorite, Christen is,” You scoffed, taking a large gulp of your beer. “And you’re only calling me to convince me to come to the stupid party,”

Kelley sighed heavily over the line. In all the time she had known you, you had never even tried to be merry. “Come on kid, why don’t you try to get into the Christmas spirit,”

“No,” You snapped. “I don’t know how many times I have to say it,”

“But Emily and Lindsey will be there, and Megan’s even putting up an insane amount of mistletoe just for you,” Alex’s voice chimed in, sounding farther away than her girlfriend. “Just come for a little while. You don’t even have to dance to the music. it’ll be fun,”

“I said no. I don’t celebrate Christmas,” You ground out. “Mistletoe is an invasive, parasitic, poisonous species that could kill you,”

“You don’t have to be such a Scrooge,” You could hear Kelley’s frown.

“Well, bah fucking humbug,” You huffed.

“I know things have been tough since Tyler-“ Alex started, but you cut her off with a thunderous growl. “Don’t you dare mention my brother,”

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. “We never celebrated Christmas either,” you hung up before either of your stand-in parents could say another word.

You didn’t care what they had to say. You just wanted to have your little non-celebration in peace. You didn’t want to think about your non-existent family. Or the memories that came with this stupid fucking holiday.

You closed your eyes tightly, listening idly to the sounds of the party above you.

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time

“Shut up!” you yelled louder this time, grabbing a broom and banging on your ceiling. “Keep your Yule Tidings to yourself!”

There was some banging on the floor above you before the music got impossibly louder, and you swore you heard a “don’t be such a grinch”

You sighed.

You were different from the grinch. You hated the holiday and everything it stood for. Not the people.

And there was no way you would be carving up the roast beast.

But maybe…

You clicked into your messages, your fingers hovering over the group chat you shared with Lindsey and Emily.

It took you a minute to click out a message.

Be safe tonight you two. Try not to have too much fun without me.

And another long minute to hit the send key.

It took less than 30 seconds for your phone to ping with their reply.

You could make sure we were safe if you came

You shook your head at Lindsey’s words, immediately closing your phone and standing from the couch, and heading towards your room. You knew you could be with them, but you didn’t want to.

You didn’t want to bring down their night with your negativity.

You heard your phone ding again as you crawled into bed, but you didn’t feel like answering, hoping to just sleep the holidays away.

*****

You weren’t sure what woke you up, but one second you were asleep and the next you were not.

It was like a cold wind had blown through your bedroom, whipping your blanket off of you and slamming your bedroom door with a clap.

“What the fuck?” You hissed, sitting up in bed, searching for your stolen quilt.

“Didn’t know you had inherited my sailor's mouth,”

You sucked in a breath at the familiar voice, and your entire being froze. You hadn’t heard his voice since-

You didn’t want to think about it.

Still, your eyes searched the room for the source of the sound, fully expecting the television to be playing an old home movie.

But it was oddly blank. “What the fuck?”

“Come on kid, I thought you were sharper than this,” The voice chuckled, and your head snapped toward the noise.

“No,” You breathed out as you took in his form, his wide smile and beaming features coated in a strange white mist. “You died four years ago. You can’t be here,”

He hummed. “I told them you would be suspicious,”

You shook your head, standing and beginning to pace.

“Maybe it was something in the beer,” You mumbled, rubbing your hands through your hair. “I shouldn’t have switched brands,”

“It’s not the beer,” Your brother shrugged, stepping from his place in the doorway to sit on the edge of your bed.

“It has to be!” You hissed, sending him your best glare.

Ghosts were not real. Dead relatives didn’t visit you at night.

You had to be hallucinating, or high, or have a brain tumor creating him.

“It’s not.” He shrugged again, his easy smile never leaving his face. That just made you angrier. How could he smile when you were probably having a mental breakdown? How could he be happy?

He watched you cross the room a few times, shaking his head.

“Why don’t you sit down so we can talk for a moment? I don’t have an unlimited amount of time,”

You huffed. “How can you be so calm at a time like this?”

“This isn’t my first visit to you, just the first time you’ve been able to acknowledge me,” He said softly, his voice still semi-amused, gesturing towards the bed opposite of him. “Sit, before you pull a muscle or something,”

You very slowly made your way to the spot, carefully sitting down on the bed, your eyes taking in every inch of your visitor. Your older brother had never been so pale. You also noted the dark circles under his grey eyes, and how his hair was more tousled than usual. But other than that it was him, and he was completely fine, sitting across from you in his signature bomber jacket.

“You’re really here,” You breathed out, the ever-present ache in your chest easing for just a second.

He nodded, reaching out to cover your hand with his.“I am,”

It was a strange sensation, like ice and tingles where he had touched you. It didn’t fill you with the warmth you always remembered.

You pulled your hand away, curling it to your chest. “Why are you here?”

“I’ve come to warn you,” Tyler said, his voice nothing more than a conspiratorial whisper.

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. “This isn’t some Christmas carol hoax about me forging a chain I’ll have to wear in death, is it? You didn’t celebrate Christmas either and you don’t have one,”

“No,” Your brother sent you a rye smile. “but there are different kinds of chains Y/n,”

He held up his wrist to show you what looked like a handcuff.

You frowned, shaking your head. “I adopt an angel every year. I send money to the shelter down the road. I don’t know what else you people want from me,”

You did everything you could to make the world a better place. The only thing you refused to do was celebrate a stupid holiday. That didn’t stop you from donating or making kids’ dreams come true.

That should be enough.

Your brother's eyes tightened. “You’re here alone on Christmas Eve,”

“So?” You shrugged.

The only difference from your normal celebrations was that he hadn’t been there to share it with you.

“Y/n it is too late to change my fate, to relinquish the curse I must face every year of watching those I love, but it’s not late to change yours,”

His shoulders squared and his voice turned deep, and suddenly you knew that the next words he was about to speak were not his own. “Tonight you will be visited by 3 spirits. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas yet to come. Take heed to what they say. It may be your last chance,”

He stood to leave without another word, and you mirrored his actions, practically launching yourself at him.

“Wait!” you yelped, latching onto his cold hand.

“Hmm,” his eyes turned back to you, but they were more distant than before.

“I-“ you gulped. “I miss you,”

He smiled, shaking his hand from your grasp, and placing it on your heart. “Remember bug, we’re always with you,”

With one last sad, longing smile he disappeared.

*****

You were restless, and for the first time in a long time, you didn’t know what to do with yourself.

Part of you was still trying to convince yourself that your bothers… visit was a figment of drunk yous imagination. The other part was anxiously awaiting for the clock to strike 12 and for the first “ghost” to appear.

You had never been superstitious. You had laughed at ghost stories and shrugged off tales of apparitions, deeming them as tales meant to scare children. But still, you wondered what this… ghost would look like. What they would do. And most of all how it would try to persuade you that Christmas wasn’t some oversold, over-hyped holiday designed to make people go into debt.

Your eyes followed the minute hand of the clock, tracking as it finally landed on 12.

You held your breath, waiting for something to happen.

But as the minute hand moved again and the seconds ticked by there was… nothing.

There was no jiggle of your door handle, or uninvited visitor standing at the foot of your bed. There wasn’t even the flutter of a curtain.

“It was the beer,” you sighed, laying back on your bed, and letting out a chuckle. You closed your eyes, content to sleep the miserable holiday away.

“It wasn’t,”

Your eyes snapped open and you leaped out of the bed, turning to face your unwanted intruder.

“Easy slugger,” The woman on the bed laughed, an eerie glow surrounding her entire body, lighting up your room.

You froze, your gaze flickering between the woman’s face and the signed jersey that lived on your wall. “Mia?” You asked, earning a chuckle from the retired forward.

“Not quite, young one. I am the ghost of Christmas Past,” Her smile was wide, warm, and welcoming.

You frowned, your eyebrows furrowing. “Then why are you shaped like Mia Hamm?”

“I’ve come to you in a form you are more open to accepting. Your idol,” The ghost explained softly, still perched casually on your bed, holding out her sleeve to you.

You rolled your eyes, scoffing and crossing your arms across your chest. “So you’re just gonna take me through the history of Christmas in hopes of changing my heart?”

The ghost smiled wryly at you as if she expected that reaction. “I am the ghost of not all Christmases past, just your past,”

“Oh,” You deflated.

“Come young one, grab my sleeve and we will begin our journey,”

You sighed, closing your eyes tightly as your fingers reached for the robe.

You had a feeling you weren’t going to enjoy this.

****

You blew out a long breath as your feet met the ground, your slippers crunching on freshly fallen snow.

Snow you hadn’t seen since you moved to Orlando.

You blinked up at the scene, taking in the bricks, rod iron, and sloping lawn of the mansion you had called home.

The angels at the gate were coated in a thin layer of white powder, along with the fountain in the center of the drive.

It was an image ingrained into your head that you knew would never leave. An image you hadn’t seen since your 11th Christmas.

But how were you here? You couldn’t be here…

“Are we where I think we are?” You asked Mia slowly, dragging your wide eyes away from your childhood home.

“We are,” She nodded once. “Our Christmas journey begins with one of your best Christmases. Shall we go inside,”

You gulped but headed towards the gate nonetheless. Your fingers shook as they unlatched the little lock (shaped like a rose) and you slipped through both it and the door to the house.

You couldn’t help but smile at the warm air that wafted towards you as you stepped into the foyer of the house, and its distinct smell of cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven.

It curled around you like a hug from her, and you could feel the tightness in your chest that always accompanied it.

Mia’s hand on your shoulder was the only thing that prevented you from stepping backward, away from the feelings that you had run from for so long.

“Your family is gathered in the den,” She said softly, “Shall we join them, or do you need a minute?”

You cleared your throat. You shouldn’t feel so choked up just from the smell of cinnamon rolls. It was stupid, but your mother had made them every Christmas morning, and you and your brother had eaten them together with hot chocolate. It was a core memory that just hurt so much now.

“I’m fine,” You muttered, pushing yourself forward and into the den.

You ignored the ache in your chest at the lights that littered the walls, and the tree that stood proudly in the corner. But you couldn’t help the feeling that opened in the pit of your stomach when you saw a younger version of yourself settle between your brother and your mother.

You could remember that Christmas vividly. It was the last real Christmas your family had spent together as a family.

“I think it’s Ty’s turn,” Your father smiled jovially, holding up a camcorder as your other brother reached for his next box.

It was small, wrapped in red paper, and clumsily tied with a bow. Your eight-year-old self had been so proud to have wrapped it alone for the first time. Looking back at it, you really should have let your mother help you, but no one commented on the sloppy job.

“I wonder who this one could be from,” Tyler smiled, bumping your shoulder lightly as a blush colored your cheeks.

“It’s from me,” Your younger self mumbled, looking away, embarrassed. “I picked it out myself,”

“I don’t know why I was so nervous,” You hummed, stepping closer to the couch.

Mia shrugged. “It was the first gift you had ever decided to buy. You put a lot of thought into it,”

Tyler very carefully undid the bow, and slowly lifted the messy red paper off of the box, and both you and your younger self watched him with rapt attention as he flipped open the lid on the box to reveal an Arsenal beanie.

“It was his favorite team,” You countered, your eyes never leaving the way he immediately slipped it onto his head and pulled younger you into a hug. “It wasn’t like he wasn’t going to like it,”

‘No,” Mia agreed. “But your younger self also didn’t realize that it was the thought that counts either,”

You nodded, biting the inside of your cheek as your mother passed younger you your last box. “I didn’t understand that the presents weren’t the thing that mattered yet,”

You knew exactly what was in that box.

Your younger self was much less systematic than your brother as she tore off the paper golden, revealing the plain box beneath it. It wasn’t until she peeked under the lid that she paused, her jaw dropped staring at her family.

“I didn’t learn that lesson until the year after this one,” You muttered as your eight-year-old self ripped the top of the box and held up a signed Mia Hamm jersey. You winced as your younger self launched yourself at your mother.

You watched for any sign, any wobble from her.

“She didn’t know she was sick yet,” Mia hummed gently as if she were reading your mind, and you reasoned that she may have been. She was a ghost after all.

You cleared your throat, shaking your head as young as you tugged the jersey over your head. “I was a dumbass for putting it on. It should have gone directly in the frame,”

“You were excited,” Mia reminded you gently, the hand on your shoulder comforting you more than it should have. “It was everything you had ever wanted,”

“I would have appreciated not getting a stain right above the crest on the chest,” You shrugged. “Thinking back on it now, I had everything I wanted. I didn’t need a jersey for that. God only knows how much my father paid for that,”

“Is money all you think about?” Mia asked you softly.

Your eyes tightened at the question.

“No,” You ground the word out through clenched teeth. Money was all your father thought about. You were nothing like your father. “I just wonder how much good could have been done instead-”

“Of giving you a core childhood memory?” Mia countered, not allowing you to finish your thought.

You bit your lip, holding in the biting remark on the tip of your tongue. You didn’t like being interrupted, or being contradicted.

“The memory would have been fine without the jersey,” You grumbled, averting your eyes from your younger self as your mother pressed a kiss to your forehead. “The core experience was about being with them, not some stupid present,”

Mia hummed, watching you carefully.

Your younger self pulled away, smiling widely at your mother. “I love Christmas,”

“And I love you,” She smiled back.

You gulped down the pain in your chest, using the corner of your old West Virginia sleeve to wipe away the liquid forming in the corner of your eye. Christmas had been your favorite for a long time.

Until it wasn’t. Until you learned its true meaning.

You forced your gaze from the scene, and back towards Mia. “I don’t want to be here anymore,”

She nodded once. “Grab my sleeve,”

*******

Dim lights met you as your eyes flickered open, the yellow glow of the fire illuminating a solitary form curled up in front of it.

The form shivered, despite its closeness to the blazing hearth, pulling the fraying red blanket tighter around itself.

Yourself.

The Christmas tree that had dominated the living room was gone, as were the garland and light strings that hung from the ceiling. The only indication that it was near Christmas was the sound of Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time buzzing softly through an old radio.

You remembered this night just as well as you had your last stop, even better. You remembered your thoughts as you stared into the fire, how you cursed the universe or any god that may or may not have been listening. You remembered wishing that every radio station wasn’t playing things that reminded you of her, but you couldn’t live with your racing thoughts enough to sit in silence.

It was the first time you had ever really hated Christmas.

“You look lonely,” Mia commented, and you jumped slightly. You had almost forgotten that she was there.

“I couldn’t go to the hospital,” You breathed out, your voice shaking with the effort it took to hold back your emotions. “She tried to make us our Christmas cinnamon rolls and collapsed,”

You shook your head. You had been the one to ask for them. She hadn’t been able to get out of bed long enough the year before to make them, and you missed them. She waved off your father's concern and nodded at you with a chapped-lipped smile.

Mia’s hand landed warm and heavy on your shoulder, but you brushed her off, taking a step closer to your younger self.

You didn’t need the comfort now, you had needed it back then, and no one was there. The least you could do was help yourself.

You slowly reached out a hand, rubbing the spot on the back of your younger self's neck that you knew would soothe her. “It hurts now, but you’ll be alright,”

“She can’t hear or feel you,” Mia interrupted you, standing on your younger self's other side.

You glared up at her, a barbed quip on the tip of your tongue, but you didn’t get to use it.

“Hey, munchkin,” Tyler’s voice sent a shiver down your spine, and your youngest self’s head snapped around to see him.

He smiled sadly down at you, and you moved so he could sit beside your younger self in front of the hearth.

Tyler’s arm wrapped around your shoulder and you tucked your face into the warm skin of his neck.

“This is all my fault,” Your younger self breathed out miserably, and you saw the tears creeping down Tyler’s neck.

“No,” Tyler said firmly, coaxing you out of his neck so he could look you in the eyes. “Mom was sick,”

You shook your head, more tears streaming down your face. “But if I hadn’t asked for cinnamon roll-”

“She probably would have had to go to the hospital anyway,” He countered, using a thumb to wipe your tears away.

You frowned as you watched them, the smell of Tyler’s calone fresh in your mind. The way his hugs had always made you feel whole. How you trusted him that it would all be alright.

You didn’t know that your mother was dying in a hospital bed. You had believed him.

Your younger self touched her face into Tyler’s shoulder, and he held you tighter.

“He didn’t tell me that we couldn’t afford the surgery or the treatments that would save her,” You mumbled bitterly. “Or that the treatments probably wouldn’t have helped her anyway,”

You turned away from the scene towards Mia. “I don’t want to be here,”

She nodded once, holding out her sleeve, and the scene disappeared around you in a blur of color.

*****

Your knees wobbled as you landed in the living room of your apartment, and your hand tightened around Mia’s arm as you tried to get your footing. You used your arm to wipe your sleeve across your eyes.

Brushing away the evidence of one of your worst Christmases.

“Take some deep breaths,” Mia said softly, her hand landing warm and heavy on your shoulder.

You nodded, sucking in a wet breath through your nose.

“Why did you have to show me that?” You asked, glaring at the woman.

“Because it’s one of the reasons you hate Christmas,” She answered, not wavered by your sudden anger. “Because you can’t see that you don’t have to hate,”

“Nothing but bad things happen on Christmas,” You spat back, ripping yourself out of her grasp.

“Tyler didn’t seem to think so,” She said.

Your glare deepened.

It wasn’t a fair statement. Yes, Tyler had never lost his joy like you had.

And neither had you really, not until Christmas four years ago.

“He did his best,” You reluctantly conceded.

“You made your own traditions,” She hummed, waving her hand.

The blurry scenery around you shifted to your apartment. A younger version of you was standing in the kitchen, carefully sliding a pizza out of the oven to sit on the counter next to your beer bottle.

You frowned at the soft glow of Christmas lights and the sound of an old World Cup playing in the background.

There was a warmth in the apartment that had been missing since…

You shook your head.

You didn’t like to think about that night. That Christmas.

“Hey kid,” Tyler said, knocking on the kitchen counter as he approached you, the Arsenal beanie perched on his head.

You carefully set the pizza down, smiling widely at him. “What's up?”

You could practically feel the excitement radiation off of you. It wasn’t like the Christmas of your youth, nothing had been the same after your mother died, but you and Tyler had found your own way to enjoy the holiday.

His mirroring smile was pained, and his fingers tapped the counter like he was nervous. “Dad called,”

Your nose scrunched. “What did he want?”

You hadn’t spoken to him since you moved out to go to college.

After your mother died, he turned to a bottle to ease his pain, and in the process, he inflicted his pain on you. His jovial heart had turned cold, and you had scars from him that you would never outgrow.

“It was his nurse at hospice,” Tyler amended quietly. His voice held an unusual edge. “They don’t think he’s going to make it through the night,”

You blinked up at him, your shoulders lifting and falling. “So?”

Tyler sighed, grabbing your wrist gently so you would look up at him instead of focusing on where you were slicing the pizza.

“I know he’s made some mistakes-”

“He abused me,” You scoffed, interrupting him. “That’s not a mistake,”

Your voice held no room for argument. It couldn’t, not with all that he had done.

A mistake was one incident. One accidental laying of hands.

Your father in his grief had surpassed that hundreds if not thousands of times. The thick, raised scars on your back were evidence of that, as were the sounds of his sneering voice in your ear.

“He’s our father,” Your brother said sternly but you were already shaking your head.

“He made his choice,”

Your voice was bitter, cold. It sent a shiver down present-day you’s spine.

Tyler blew out another long breath, pushing himself away from the counter. “It’s his dying wish,”

You followed him out of the kitchen and into the living room.

“And he can take it to his grave,” You spat the words. As far as you were condemned, you didn’t owe him anything.

Tyler rolled his eyes, pulling on his boots. “Don’t be cruel Y/n, It doesn’t suit you,”

You watched him with disbelief as he pulled on his boots, and stood up to grab his jacket.

“You can't seriously be going to see him,” You said, following after him. “He’s an asshole,”

“Everyone deserves to have their dying wish heard,” He said, his voice sounding more like a dad than your own father’s had. “Are you coming or not?”

It made you want to soften, but you didn’t.

“So I can tell him to burn in hell?” You raised your eyebrow at him.

“Y/n,” He sighed. “Don’t do it for him, do it for yourself. Closure is important,”

Your lip curled. “I got my closure the first time he picked up a belt, or threw a Christmas tree out the window, or-,”

“I’ll be back, don't have too much fun without me,” Tyler cut you off, wrapping his scarf around his neck, giving you a very quick hug, and heading out the door. It slammed behind him, and he was gone.

You stared at your younger self as she stared at the door.

It was the last time you would ever see your brother alive. The last time you would see his smile or feel his hugs that had always set you at ease.

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time hummed in the background, and you longed to wrap your younger self up in your arms.

“I wish I had told him I loved him,” You mumbled as your younger self turned on her heel and headed back toward her pizza.

Mia’s warm hand found your shoulder again. “You didn’t have to say it for him to know,”

You brushed her off, tired of her and what she was showing you. “I still wish I said it,”

Tyler was too good of a person. He wanted to make everyone happy.

And I’m his effort to give your Father Christmas Joy, he had lost his life.

“I don’t want to be here anymore,”

Mia held up her sleeve and you grabbed on. The world tilted on its head and suddenly one of the worst nights of your life was gone.

All you had learned was that you hated Christmas for a good reason. Only bad things happened on Christmas.

******

You jolted upright, breathing heavily as your eyes opened. Your hands clutched your wet shirt, soaked through with sweat, and your eyes darted around your room, searching for the ghost of Mia Hamm who only showed you your worst memories.

Your breathing slowed as you realized you were alone.

“It was just a dream,” You ran a hand through your damp curls. “I really shouldn’t have switched beer brands,”

“No, you shouldn’t mix brands because it destroys the flavor,”

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the voice, leaping out of the bed and whipping around to see one Kelley O’Hara sitting on your bed, dressed in an ugly Christmas sweater that resembled a Christmas tree.

“What the fuck Kelley,” You grumbled incredulously at the defender. “What are you doing here? How did you get into my apartment?”

“I’m not Kelley,” She smiled devilishly at you, crossing one leg over the other, a perfect imitation of one of your team moms. “Ghost of Christmas present, happy to make your acquaintance,”

She held her hand out for you to take.

You stared at the outstretched fingers warily.

“Are you here to make me feel worse?” You asked cautiously.

The defender shook her head, her dimples showing. “I’m just here to show you what you’re missing,”

You sighed, throwing your head back. “Can we not and say we did? I’ll go to the stupid Christmas party next year,”

Kelley chuckled, and you heard her stand from the bed. “I’m afraid not,”

“It was worth a shot,” You grumbled, pinching the bridge of your nose and looking back at the woman. The amused smile hadn’t left her lips.

“Ready?”

You took a deep breath, trying to calm your racing heart.

The truth was that you weren’t ready. You didn’t want to be stuck in this scrooge-like dream. You didn’t want to see what you were missing.

You didn’t like Christmas, and it annoyed you that even your brain wouldn’t let you wallow in peace.

“Let’s get this shit over with,”

She snorted, stepping forward and gently grabbing your arm. “It won’t be too bad, don’t worry,”

The colors in your bedroom blurred and you felt a now familiar tug in your stomach as your world shifted.

At least this ghost seemed happier.

*****

Immediate warmth filled your chest as you opened your eyes to the scene, leaning heavily on Kelley as the world shifted into focus.

Glasses tinkled and the laughter of your friends filled your ears. The smell of cinnamon and cherries filled the air and it felt like home. You didn’t even mind simply having a wonderful Christmas time blaring in the background.

You couldn’t help the way your lips lifted. You doubted the sounds of your found family would ever not have the power to make you smile.

“You totally cheated,” Emily grumbled, flicking her Uno cards toward Lindsey.

The midfielder shook her head, cackling. “I didn’t, I’m just better at this than you are,”

“I figured your two favorite blondes would make you smile,” Kelley cheered, clapping your shoulder and making you jump. “Christmas pastey told me you were in a bad mood,”

Your smile morphed into a scowl. “She made me relive two of my worst memories,”

“She was trying to show you that the people you loved wouldn’t want you to be alone on Christmas,” Ghost Kelley countered as regular Kelley returned to the room, carrying drinks.

The defender passed the filled solo cups about. “As much fun as uno is, I think an actual game is called for here,”

Lindsey leaned down and sniffed the cup, scrunching her nose. “What did you put in here, jet fuel?”

Emily cackled again, even as Alex, Kelley, and Megan shook their heads.

“No, it’s the special Christmas mix,” Tobin supplied easily. “Kelley makes it every year,”

“She thinks it’ll make us more honest during never have I ever,” Christen added, winking at the blonde pair.

“I didn’t know they played never have I ever on Christmas,” You mumbled, leaning towards one of the red solo cups and taking a whiff of your own. Your nose wrinkled at the smell.

It was definitely something more potent than her normal mix. You caught a hint of Jamison and vermouth, and something… cinnamony.

Fireball you thought ruefully. She made them fireball manhattans, stronger than ones they could ever get in a bar.

“Why would you?” Ghost Kelley chuckled, “You’ve never attended a Christmas party with them, even while your brother was still alive,”

“I didn’t want to be around the holiday cheer,” You hissed. This ghost was as insufferable as the first was. “And my brother and I had traditions of our own,”

“Yes, I’m sure eating a frozen pizza and watching a World Cup from 1950 is the best way to spend a Christmas,” Ghost Kelley rolled her eyes. “So much better than being surrounded by people who love you,”

“It’s just easier” You hissed back. “It doesn’t hurt as much,”

Being around your friends at Christmas reminded you of what your life was like before your mother died. It reminded you about how much you loved the lights, the colors, and the joy.

It felt like you were betraying her memory.

Ghost Kelley raised an eyebrow at you. “All it does is let you wallow in your past pain instead of making new, happy memories,”

Lindsey put her glass down. “I think I’ll pass, I promised Y/n that we would be safe tonight, and one of us has to drive,”

“She really cares about you two,” Christen said gently.

Lindsey and Emily shared a meaningful look.

“We know,” Emily said softly, her face falling just a bit. “We were hoping she would come, so we could… talk about our developing feelings,”

“I even hung up an extra mistletoe in case,” Lindsey added, gesturing towards the archway between the kitchen and the living room.

You frowned. “Why would they think I would come?”

“It’s not you guys, trust us,” Alex hummed, sipping her drink.

“Y/n just hates Christmas,” Megan added, rolling her eyes. “She basically locks herself away every year with a frozen pizza and a case of beer,”

“At least she’s got a good reason,” Christen muttered, sending a meaningful look toward Megan.

Christen was the one to find you the night your brother died. The one who held you after you identified your brother.

After you said goodbye.

“They thought you would come because they were hoping you would want to be with them,” Ghost Kelley said, and your eyes snapped to her half-smile.

“She doesn’t have to be such a grinch about how much she hates it though,” Megan scoffed, leaning back against Sue’s legs. “She dunked My speakers at practice because I was playing Christmas music,”

“And she tossed my hat when I asked her to pick a secret Santa and gave me a lecture on how Santa was a figment created by toy companies and parents to scare children and make money,” Real Kelley added.

“But why?” Lindsey asked, her voice edging too far on desperate for you to feel comfortable.

Both she and Emily had been warned of your aversion to the holiday, but no one seemed willing to expand on it.

You hadn’t been willing to expand on it, even if they could tell that it was something that caused you great pain.

An uncomfortable quiet swept around the circle of soccer players as the vets shared looks.

“Her mother and her brother both died on Christmas,” Christen explained finally.

“and her dad made the ones in between that hell,” Tobin finished, sipping her red cup. “She’s convinced it’s a horrible holiday designed to pray on people’s pain,”

“She’s living in the past,” Alex added. “and no matter how hard we try, we can’t drag her into the present,”

“I do want to be with them,” You growled.

“Then why aren’t you here?” Ghost Kelley asked, cocking her head to the side.

“I get that kid doesn’t like Christmas, but she doesn’t have to make it miserable for the rest of us,” The real Kelley added softly, earning a slap on the shoulder from Alex. She raised her hands in defense. “What it’s true! She’s impossible about everything when it comes to Christmas,”

“I didn’t go because I didn’t want to make anyone have to share in my gloom,” You muttered towards ghost Kelley, sending a waving gesture towards the room. “Because it’s a kindness to allow them to be happy. It can only happen without me,”

“I’m going to go get water,” Lindsey muttered, standing from the couch.

“Well that’s a bummer,” Ghost Kelley cackled, flicking the side of your head. “Must you always be so much of a downer? Your frown is going to give you premature wrinkles,”

“Why couldn’t my ghost of Christmas present be Christen,” You grumbled, pushing yourself up from your couch’s arm, following after the midfielder. “She’s so much understanding,”

Ghost Kelley smirked, pushing herself off the wall to walk in time with you towards the kitchen. “Ghost Christen was unavailable, something about a vacation with ghost Tobin,”

You rolled your eyes, pressing on the swinging door of the kitchen. You heard Emily’s “I'm gonna go check on her,” from behind you.

“Good to know that they’re just as gross in the ghost world,” You muttered, your eyes landing on Lindsey as you stepped into the kitchen.

She was far too focused on the pitcher, filling a red solo cup with water.

You sighed, reaching out a hand towards her shoulder, longing to comfort her, even if you didn’t understand exactly why she was sad.

“She can’t feel you or hear you,” Kelley reminded you, her voice going gentle.

You gulped, drawing your hand back before it could run through the midfielder's silky hair.

“Why is she upset?” You asked, just as Emily slowly pushed open the door, leaning on the counter.

“You alright?” Emily questioned, her worried eyes following Lindsey’s form.

The midfielder gulped but nodded. “I’m ok, it was just a lot out there,”

“We both knew holidays would be a challenge,” Emily hummed. “She was pretty upfront with her hang-ups,”

“I know,” Lindsey mumbled, her voice cracking. “I just… I didn’t know that the reason why would break my heart so much,”

You frowned.

“She’s so sweet, but all she can see in my favorite holiday is death and destruction,” the midfielder continued. “And she’s not open to seeing anything else,”

“Babe,” Emily whispered, stepping past you and wrapping her arms around Lindsey’s waist. The midfielder turned into her, burying her face in Emily’s shoulder.

Her back shook with the force of her tears, and you were left speechless.

She was crying. For you. Because things had happened to you, and you couldn’t let it go.

It made your chest ache.

“Don’t worry,” Emily said, rubbing Lindsey’s back, shushing her gently. “She’ll come around. Maybe we can head over to her apartment after tomorrow, and bring her Thai food or something. It’ll be like a tradition of our own,”

Lindsey sniffled, but you saw her nod at the idea. “She’ll like that,”

“I would too,” Emily agreed.

You stepped back from the woman, unable to tear your eyes away.

They were willing to make a new tradition, just for you.

“Seems like you picked two good ones,” Ghost Kelley said, her lips very close to your ear.

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the feeling, whipping around to face her, the kitchen blurring around you as you did.

Her smirk shifted from playful to something more… mocking. Unfriendly. “Willing to give up their traditions to make you feel more comfortable. But you're not willing to do the same for them are you?”

“I’m…I,” You stuttered, your eyebrows furrowing.

She held up her hand to silence you. “My time with you is short I’m afraid. I don’t have any to spare for our banter,”

With that, she turned on her heel, and it was all you could do to keep us as you stumbled after her, through the door and into-

Not Kelley's apartment. It was a long, dark cobblestone alleyway covered in shadows.

*****

“Where are we?” You said, tripping over your feet as you tried to keep up with ghost Kelley.

She seemed on a mission. You knew the defender was fast in real life, but this felt like an entirely new level. You felt drunk, unable to keep your feet underneath you as you staggered beside her.

“The present,” Kelley said as if it was obvious.

You rolled your eyes at her wit, familiar and different all the same. “But where?”

“To show you what you have that you don’t appreciate,” Kelley waved her hand, stopping short and not giving you enough time to stop before you rammed into her.

You recoiled away from her. “Wasn’t that the point of showing me the stupid Christmas party?”

“No. That was to show you what you’re missing. This.” Ghost Kelley said shortly, waving her hand again. “This is to show you how ungrateful you are,”

Light spilled from the lanterns hanging on the walls, chasing away the shadows. It pushed away the darkness, illuminating a small family, huddled together to get out of the cold.

You stared at the mother, holding a child no older than 4 in her lap.

“Shh honey, it’ll be alright,” She hummed, rocking the child.

You couldn’t help the anger that bubbled up in your chest. The rage that no one was listening to you.

Just because you hated Christmas didn’t mean you were selfish.

You wheeled around, taking an angry step toward ghost Kelley.

“I’m fucking tired of this,” You growled. “I donate to charity every year. I give to the angel tree. I fucking give out Turkey dinners to the homeless. What else do you people want from me,”

Kelley smirked. “They told me you were smart, but I’m beginning to wonder,”

You opened your mouth, but she cut you off, stepping too close to you, one hand catching the collar of your shirt and shoving you backward.

Your back hit the cold brick wall, and for the first time, it felt like a ghost in front of you instead of your very first team mom.

“You are not living,” She snarled. “You have friends who love you. A family you found, yet you act like everything was taken from you,”

You pressed into her hand. “Everything was taken from me. A stupid disease took my mother, grief took my father and a drunk driver coming home from a Christmas party took my brother. That’s all this fucking holiday does. Take!”

“It didn’t have to take you,” Kelley said, bitterness clear in her voice. “You gave up your joy willingly,”

Your teeth mashed together at the implication that your misery was your own fault.

“Your chain is not defined by greed and ignorance, but instead loneliness and grief,” She hissed, pressing you into the wall, her lips curling to reveal sharp teeth in a way that the real Kelley’s would never. “Forged by your unwillingness to live rather than exist,”

She pushed you again against the cold brick, before stepping away.

Your fingers fell to your collar, straightening the crumpled material. “You want me to forget. To pretend,”

Ghost Kelley paused, her shoulders rolling as she turned back to you, her eyes hard, unfriendly.

“No.” She said slowly, her shows clicking as she took a menacing step towards you.“We want you to understand the difference between remembering and wallowing in your pain,”

Her finger found its way to your chest, and she leaned in close to you again. “You waste the care people have for you. You must change before they lose it and you lose them,”

The finger on your chest shoved hard, enough for you to stumble back. You expected to hit the wall, but you didn’t.

Before you knew it, you were falling.

*****

“Oof,”

Your breath left your lips as your back contacted the ground, and white, powdery snow billowed around you. Your hands fell to your stomach, as you sucked in as much air as you could get, hoping to calm your racing heart.

At least Mia had helped you calm down before she banished you away. It would be hard to not hold the ghost's cruelty against the real-life Kelley.

You took in another deep breath, blowing it out slowly through your nose, counting to 5 in your head, trying to use the technique that your therapist had shown you.

At least she didn’t think you were living in the past. She didn’t have a problem with your preferred Christmas celebration.

… though she had suggested you send out thank you notes this year as surprise Christmas gifts. You hadn’t because you weren’t ready yet. You and Tyler had never exchanged formal gifts.

You shook your head, carefully pushing yourself to a sitting position, and running a hand through your hair. Maybe you were living a bit in the past.

But you could fix that. A couple of notes and then neither your therapist nor the stupid ghost of Kelley could look at you like you were broken again.

Notes weren’t a big deal.

You dragged your hand down, squeezing the bridge of your nose.

Doing the notes would show Kelley and your therapist that they were wrong.

“Took you long enough,”

Your entire being froze at his voice, your back instantly going rigid. It brought you back to your childhood.

“Fucking Christ,” You muttered. “First I get my hero who shows me my worst memories, then I get my team mom who shows me all of my friends talking about me behind my back and now I get you,”

“You get me,” Your father said softly, and you could feel his large form settle beside you. “I am the ghost of Christmas future,”

You couldn’t help the way you instinctively tensed.

“Future that is, or that will be?” You asked, finally gathering the courage to look up at him.

You slowly dropped your hand, peeking up at him through your fingers. You were slightly surprised when the sight didn’t send a shiver down your spine like it used to.

Your father’s form was imposing as it always had been, but his face wasn’t as… mean. His beard looked unkempt and there were dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept in years.

It made you feel almost… sorry for him. As did the long, heavy chain that encircled the two of you, bound to his wrists and ankles.

You knew he had earned that chain. Forged each link with hatred and pain.

“The future as it is,” He answered, his blue eyes a cloudy gray, kinder than they had been since your mother died. “Its fluid, so nothing is set until the present becomes the past,”

He shifted beside you, as if he wanted to rest a hand on you, but thought better of it. You had never seen him so hesitant.

He had been cold and rigid since your mother passed, never bending and forcing you to break.

“Why did they send you?”

You couldn’t help the way you sneered the word.

Your father sighed, running a hand through his messy curls, much like you did when you were nervous. “It is too late for me to change my fate, but it’s not too late for you. I’m part of the reason you are in the situation you are in. I wished to help fix it,”

You swallowed hard, looking away.

Do it for yourself. Closure is important. Your brother's voice rang through your head like a bell, and you bit your lip.

You nodded. Fighting whatever the stupid ghosts wanted to do would get you nowhere, and the sooner you listened, the sooner you could leave your father and never look back,

“Show the way then,” You muttered through gritted teeth.

It came out more vindictive than you meant it to, and his shoulders hunched slightly.

It should have made you feel good after everything he had done, but it didn’t. It made your chest hurt. It made you feel like you were a bad person.

Your father hummed, waving his hand. “That way,”

You squinted in the direction of his hand as the fog slowly disappeared around you, revealing large rolling hills spotted with stones. You frowned.

You knew where you were, and you shouldn’t have been surprised. You had heard a Christmas Carol before.

“Is this the part where you show me that I’m dead and no one gives a fuck?” You asked with a rye smile, pushing yourself to your feet. “Which one of these graves is mine?”

Your father raised an eyebrow at you, gesturing off towards your left.

You nodded, moving in the direction he pointed. He fell into step beside you.

Your eyes traced the smooth, gray stones as you passed them, only stopping when you came upon the one with your name on it.

You crouched beside it, brushing away the snow that had fallen, slightly obscuring your name. You paused when you got to your last name, I’m taking a sharp breath when you saw the little hyphen. Sonnett-Horan.

You blinked up at your father. “I took their names?”

Your father nodded once. “You wanted to honor them, and your own last name held no memories you wanted to keep,”

You hummed. You could see yourself doing that. The only pride you held in your name was the number of goals you had scored while it was etched across your jersey. Other than that, all your last name held was pain. You didn’t want to carry on your father's lineage.

Not after what he had done.

“Anna wait!”

Your head snapped towards the sound.

“I wanna see Momma,” The little voice called over her shoulder.

It belonged to a girl, no older than five, racing towards you. Her hair was blonde, sharing a striking similarity with Emily’s.

It stole the breath from your lips.

“I know,” The other voice said. A slightly older voice, belonging to a little boy. His brown hair was combed to the side, and his jacket fluttered as he chased after the girl, finally catching up with her several feet from the grave. Anna.

He said as they stopped right in front of you.“Mommy has the flowers. We should have waited for her,”

Anna blinked up at him with big blue eyes, gesturing towards the grave at your feet. “I just… I missed her Tyty,”

“I know,” He sighed, running a hand through his slightly curly hair. “I miss her too,”

You used the corner of your shirt to wipe the sudden wetness in the corner of your eyes.

“Who are these kids?” You asked, looking up at your father, his eyes looked slightly misty too.

“My grandchildren,” He said. “Tyler just turned 8 and Annamarie is 4,”

You opened your mouth to reply, but you couldn’t seem to find your words.

And a new voice made it so you didn’t have to.

“When did you two get so fast?”

Your eyes snapped up to meet Emily’s blue. Identical to the blue of the little girl. AnnaMarie.

She was a little older than your present-day Emily. The wrinkles by her eyes were a little more prominent, and you spotted a few gray hairs peeking through her bun, but nothing else had really changed.

The boy smirked, nudging Emily with his shoulder. “You’re just getting slow mommy,”

“Very funny,” She chuckled, taking a shaky breath when her eyes landed on the grave.

Your grave.

“She looks tired,” You muttered.

“She is,” Your father said cryptically, but you couldn’t pull your eyes away to address him.

Her bottom lip found its way between her teeth as she pulled a bouquet of roses out from behind her back, passing them to the boy.

The boy took them gingerly like they were made of glass.

“Hey Momma,” He said, carefully placing the flowers right in front of your headstone. “We miss you. Mommy put the tree up in the basement this year,”

“Mama hasn’t come to see it yet,” The little girl said. The boy, Tyler, stood and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Aunt Kelley says it’s the prettiest tree she’s ever seen,”

You blew out a breath. “What does she mean?”

“Last Christmas you and Lindsey argued over lights,” Your father said slowly, carefully. Too carefully. “It turned into a fight about how much you detest her favorite holiday. How you refuse to… bend. You walked out, and never came back,”

“She blames herself,” You filled in easily.

“She’s struggling,” He agreed. “She can barely find the energy to leave her bed, and when she does, well she’s just not the same. They came close to losing her too, and they’ll come close again tonight,”

Your entire being froze.

That couldn’t be true. Lindsey wouldn’t-

You shook your head, shoving yourself to your feet and turning on your father. “You’re lying to me,”

He held his hands up in defense, his long chain clinking as he took a step back from you, but you weren’t having it.

“What? No comment?” You hissed, unbridled anger bubbling in your chest. How dare he try and tell you that Lindsey lost her love for Christmas. That she would ever- you couldn’t even think of the word.

Your father shook his head, taking another step back, but you took the step with him. You had too much rage. Too much anger to stop.

“Momma,” The little girl's voice said softly, hesitantly, and it was like an instant balm to your hot rage.

You couldn’t help but turn back toward it, noticing that Emily and Tyler were already walking back towards where their care should be, kneeling so you were eye level with her. “Yes, baby?”

“I know you don’t like Christmas,” She started, her little hands shaking as she reached into her puffy pink jacket, pulling out a toy Christmas tree with a little smiling face. “But Mama says no one should be alone. Mr. Tree will keep you company,”

“Come on Anna,” Tyler called.

The girl nodded. She placed the tree next to the bouquet, and carefully pushed herself to her feet. “Merry Christmas Momma,”

With that, she sprinted away.

“Merry Christmas baby,”

Your words hung in the air, even if you knew no one could hearthem.

You didn’t care.

You couldn’t allow this to be the future. You couldn’t allow your kids or Emily to lose you and Lindsey before either of them could even qualify for a u15 tournament. You couldn’t let Lindsey lose her joy. Not like you had lost yours.

“Take me back,” You demanded, again shoving yourself up and turning to face him, running your sleeve over your wet eyes “Now! This will not be my future,”

He held his hands up again, the chains hanging heavily from his wrists. “This is your future,”

“For now!” You yelled back.

You would not allow it to be your future. You would pretend to love Christmas if you had to, or let Lindsey put up god knows how many lights up if that is what it took.

“Pretending to like a holiday isn’t enough to change it” “Your father said, equally as forcefully.

“Then what is?!” You snapped back, desperation clear in your voice.

You could not let Lindsey face that fate. You couldn’t let Emily lose both of you.

Your father shook his head. “Ebenezer Scrooge’s vice was greed and his greatest fear was being forgotten. Your vice is pain, and your fear is that others will be forced to suffer with you. You have to learn to let them in. Learn that letting them help you isn't a weakness. That letting go isn’t betraying your mother and Tyler,”

You stepped back as though you had been slapped, but your father wasn’t done.

“I forced you to suffer not because we shared grief, but because I couldn’t move past mine. Do not make the same mistakes that I did,” His voice shook as he spoke, and it cut straight to your soul.

The same words Tyler and ghost Kelley had said to you.

“I-“ The words got stuck in your mouth, even if you weren’t sure exactly what they were.

“Change,” Your father said seriously, his hand falling heavily on your shoulder and his cloudy eyes piercing into yours. “Your fate deserves better than mine,”

You swallowed hard, frowning as a familiar tune floated its way through the air.

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time.

*******

You sucked in an icy breath as you jerked away, your eyes flying wide as you scrambled to stay upright in your chair.

“Holy shit,”

Your voice was little more than a wheeze, and your fingers clawed at your chest in an attempt to slow your racing heart.

It was all too much.

“Where the fuck is a ghost now when I need help calming down,” You muttered cynically, glancing around your apartment.

The 1996 World Cup final rolled across the screen, lighting up your couch and your blanket-covered feet. You could hear the cheer of the crowd, but it didn’t give you the same tingles that walking onto the pitch surrounded by them did, and simply having a wonderful Christmas time blasting from the floor above you.

You looked to your left, counting the beer bottles. One, two, you paused. Nestled just behind the 3rd was a small, plastic Christmas tree that wasn’t there before.

The only proof that your night was more than just a beer-induced dream. Proof that it was real.

You reached for it, turning him over in your hand so his smiling face looked up at you.

“Hi mister tree,” You said softly, your finger running over his wide smile. It filled you with warmth.“You’re right, no one should be alone on Christmas,”

You glanced up at the clock, frowning at the bright 9:30 still blinking at you. You were sure it had been midnight when you went to bed. You were sure that… you shook your head. It didn’t matter, not now.

You opened your phone, calling for an Uber, taking a deep breath.

You could do this.

You pushed yourself to your feet, the tree clutched tightly in your hand as you pulled on your jacket, scarf, and hat.

You still had time to change your fate.

*****

Your fingers twisted in your beanie as you stood in front of Kelley’s apartment door.

You had never felt more nervous in your entire life. Not when you were waiting to play the World Cup, or when you were getting ready for your first PK shootout.

You weren’t sure why you had taken your hat off of your head. You weren’t sure why you were so worked up, but you were.

You had been invited, even if you turned it down. They were your friends, they wouldn’t shut the door on you, even if that’s what you deserved.

You closed your eyes letting the soft sounds of you’re a mean one Mr. Grinch wash over you for a long second before slowly lifting your hand and knocking on the door.

There was a rustle behind the door, the sound of the music turning down, and you couldn’t help but twist your beanie again.

You had interrupted them. You considered walking away, but you didn’t have time before the door slowly swung open.

“Speak of the grinch and she shall appear,” You mumbled, shooting the defender a shy smile. “I uh… I wasn’t sure if your invite still stood, but um…”

“Come on,” Kelley smiled widely at you interrupting your rambling, her hand landing on your shoulder and she squeezed gently. “You’re always invited,”

You bobbed your head, swallowing hard and allowing her to guide you into the living room. “I uh.. didn’t bring anything for the secret Santa,”

“Don’t worry about it,” She hummed, taking your coat. “You being here is enough,”

Her hands still sent a shiver down your spine. A reminder of ghost Kelley, and her harsh words.

“As long as you’re sure,” You said, showing More vulnerability than you normally would.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” She sent you another soft smile, shaking her head. “Everyone is in the living room. I’ll even get you a-“

“Fireball Manhattan,” You finished, already moving towards the room.

Her head tilted to the side as she trailed after you. “How did you know that was the surprise drink this year?”

You shrugged. “Just a hunch,”

“Good hunch,” She hummed suspiciously. “Look who I found,”

She gestured towards you as you entered the living room.

The team paused for a split second as if they couldn’t believe you had actually come before you were being surrounded.

“Hey, Scrooge does have a heart,”

“Glad you could come down from mount crumpet,”

Your cheeks flamed as Christen pulled you into a tight hug and Tobin patted your back. “Lindsey and Em are gonna be so excited,”

You let the hug go on, glancing for the two aforementioned women. “Where are they?”

“Linds wanted some water,” Christen said, kissing the side of your head, and you wilted slightly.

That meant that they knew why you didn’t like Christmas. The team had already told them. Lindsey had already gotten upset.

“Em followed her into the kitchen,” Tobin said, tilting her head towards the door. “Just be careful of hiding mistletoe,”

You nodded, and Christen patted you towards the kitchen. You waved towards Alex, Megan, Sue and the youngins before pushing your way into the kitchen.

You knew the scene that you were walking into to. You had already seen it, but that didn’t change how it made your heart clench to see Emily wrapped around Lindsey’s back, her chin resting on her shoulder.

“Maybe we can head over to her apartment after tomorrow, and bring her Thai food or something. It’ll be like a tradition of our own,”

“I think that sounds amazing,” You answered, leaning on the counter. “Drunken noodles are my favorite,”

Their heads whipped around to face you, and a breathtaking smile broke across Lindsey’s face.

“You came,”

You shifted uncomfortably against the counter. “my game got kinda boring,”

Emily hummed, pushing herself off of Lindsey and taking a step towards you. “No other reason?”

Red painted itself across your cheeks, and you scratched the back of your neck. “I uh. I also wanted to make sure the two of you were safe tonight, and I wanted to spend time with you,”

“You’re cute,” Emily smirked, holding her hands out and pulling you into a careful hug.

You leaned into it, burying your nose in her shoulder before Lindsey pulled you into her instead.

“We got you a present if you want it,” She said softly into your hair.

You gulped again. You hadn’t exchanged presents since your mother died. “I didn’t get you guys anything, really.

Lindsey pulled back, her dimples showing. “You brought you, and that’s all I wanted for Christmas,”

“I’ll go grab it, you two stay put,” Emily said from behind you, and you heard the sound of the door.

“I’m not very good at this,” You admitted.

Lindsey’s smile widened, her dimples getting deeper as she ran a careful thumb over your cheek. “You’re doing alright so far,”

You nodded, swallowing at the sound of the door and Emily’s warmth returning behind you. She passed a small, thin gift over your shoulder and you took it gingerly, staring down at the bright red paper.

“This is called a present,” Emily jested. “You’re supposed to rip it open,”

“I know that,” You mumbled, thumbing the corner of the paper. “I just-“

“Just say thank you,” Lindsey said instead, her thumb-stopping the word on your lip.

You nodded. “Thank you,”

“You’re welcome,” Lindsey hummed, nudging your cheek with her nose. “Now open it,”

You nodded, your thumb catching the edge of the paper and slowly tearing it away. Your breath caught at the sight of red and white fabric. It was soft against your fingers and the sight alone was enough to bring tears to your eyes.

“We know Arsenal is your favorite team,” Emily said slowly.

“So we thought a new beanie might be a good idea,” Lindsey finished, worrying her bottom lip.

“It’s perfect,”

It came out of your mouth before you could stop it, watery and vulnerable, but you felt safe nestled between these two women.

“I um-“ You awkwardly ran your finger over the Arsenal logo of the red and white hat, tracing the little cannon. The same cannon you had given your brother. The same one he had pulled on his head the last time you saw him. “I don’t know a lot about Christmas, but I want to learn if you’re willing to teach me?”

“Well, our favorite tradition is the mistletoe,” Emily said, and you could hear her smirk in her tone as she pointed towards the ceiling. “Traditionally you kiss when you're under it,”

You chuckled, tilting your head as Lindsey leaned in and pressed a very soft kiss to your lips. It took your brain a second to catch up, but you reciprocated as soon as you did, leaning into her as she pulled away. Chasing her lips.

Emily hummed, catching your chin and pulling you away from Lindsey and towards her, connecting your lips.

“I think I could get used to these traditions,”

You still weren’t sure exactly where you stood on Christmas, but what you did know was that you wanted these women with you as you figured it out. You wanted to give them everything. You were ready to let them in.

#uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #uswnt x reader #soran x reader #soran imagine

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moonlight-breeze-44 · 7 months

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Dear Gifter...

Hello, friends! As the year draws to a close, it's that time again for me to enlist in a whole host of Secret Santas to bring everyone some December cheer and hopefully put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces :)

A few of the gift exchanges I've participated in for years are changing their formats for signups this year, so I'm adjusting with them! I decided that, in order to make it easier for my various gifters to know what I like, I'd create this 'Dear Gifter' post to link to them!

So, if you have me for a Secret Santa exchange this year, this next part's for you <3

I've listed some general likes/dislikes, as well as fandom-specific likes/dislikes for the major fandoms I participate in gift exchanges for! If you'd like a list of specific likes for a fandom not mentioned below, just shoot me an ask on anon and I'll post one :)

General Likes:

Angst, hurt/comfort, mental health issues, self-harm, abuse, trauma, nightmares, autistic characters, asexual characters, poly relationships, QPRS, crackfics, college AUs, high school AUs, soulmate AUs, coming out fics, getting together/first kiss, non-sexual BDSM, BDSM AUs, Christmas fics, rarepairs, unrequited love, paranormal AUs

General Dislikes:

Alcohol (**TRIGGER**), smut/NSFW, sickfics, bugs, vomit, extremely detailed gore, physical whump/torture, mafia AUs, royalty AUs

For Shadowhunters:

Likes: Alec Lightwood centric, Autistic Alec, Asexual Alec, any fics that deal with Alec's self-harm, pre-canon fics, Lightwood sibling feels, parabatai feels, worldbuilding (ESPECIALLY in regards to the Fae Realm), HOTI Alec, trans Magnus, Malec, Jalec, Malace, Jimon, Lysabelle, immortal Malec, different first meeting, sub Alec, Dom Magnus, switch Jace, sub Jace, Dom Simon

Dislikes: S3 plotline NOT including the wedding, Inquisitor Alec, good parents Maryse and Robert Lightwood, bad parabatai Jace Lightwood, Clizzy, Luke/Maryse, Dom Alec, reverse AUs

For Leverage:

Likes: Eliot Spencer centric, pre-canon fics, Eliot/Damien Moreau, any fics that explore a fucked up/abusive relationship between Eliot and Damien Moreau, Autistic Eliot, Autistic Parker, ADHD Hardison, trans Eliot, asexual Parker, the OT3, Eliot/Quinn, Nate & Eliot as father/son or master/slave, cooking, botany/gardening, character study, post-canon fics, Leverage team as family, Dom Parker, sub Eliot, switch Hardison

Dislikes: Romantic Eliot/Nate, total AUs (i.e., not within the Leverage universe, such as college AUs), MCD, angst with no happy ending, Dom Eliot, sub Parker, unrequited love

For Detroit: Become Human:

Likes: Reed900, Gavin Reed centric, RK900 centric, Markus centric, reverse AUs, Hank & Connor as father/son, Jericho polycule, Simarkus, romantic Hankcon, Detroit: Evolution/Detroit Reawakening universe, slice of life, case fics, any fics set during the Android Revolution, asexual Nines, agender/non-binary Nines, non-binary Gavin, trans Gavin, Gavin Reed backstory/character study, aromantic Kara, detective/cop AUs, sub Gavin, Dom Nines

Dislikes: Fics that portray Gavin Reed in a bad light, POV Connor, POV Kara, total AUs (i.e. not within the realm of the DBH universe) EXCEPT detective AUs, Dom Gavin, sub Nines

For Criminal Minds:

Likes: Emily Prentiss centric, Jemily, Morcia, Morreid, BAU as family, case fics, Reid's drug use, Emily Prentiss with a self-harm habit, cottagecore/farm life/small town AUs, Autistic Hotch, Autistic Reid, ADHD Emily Prentiss, AuDHD Penelope Garcia, asexual Reid, JJ backstory/character study, infidelity (specifically JJ cheating on Will), pre-canon fics, Momily, kid fics, seasons 3-7

Dislikes: Breakups (except JJ/Will), MCD (angst with no happy ending is totally fine as long as there's no MCD!), events past Season 13

Thank you for reading! Remember, if the information you're looking for isn't here, please don't hesitate to shoot me an ask and I'll be happy to add it :) I hope everyone has a great winter and happy holidays if you celebrate! <3

#secret santa #gift exchange #fandom event #fic exchange #about me #em's raging secret santa obsession

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starlightstevie · 3 years

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fics rec / january 2021

And I’m back with another fic rec! There’s some absolute goodies in this month’s rec - I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! Happy reading x

(* is smut)

*tale as old as time (series) by @spacelabrathor Beast!Thor x reader: Thor is a beast, prowling the halls of an empty castle alone, living a life of cold, barren solitude. Villagers visit once yearly to bring him gifts he does not seek, piling valueless trinkets at his gate they feel will keep him appeased. They hate Thor and Thor knows, someday, that they will breach his gates and come for his head. He wonders to himself, often, if he will try to stop them when they do. This year, though, the offering has changed. Thor finds not trinkets at his front gate, but a girl, and then everything begins to change.

COWBOY THOR COWBOY THOR COWBOY THOR by @inthorantine While not officially out yet, I am putting this here because everyone needs to read this! Kait has outdone herself and no, I will not stop talking about this for the next 500 years. Here’s some h/c to keep you going until it comes out! One | Two

*if I love you was a promise by @blueberrythor Thor x reader: Thor doesn’t consider himself a jealous man–there aren’t many who could compare to him, especially among mortals. He hasn’t had much reason to acquaint himself with the feeling. But watching you with Steve, even he isn’t immune to the sharp sting of jealousy.

*The Watching by @opheliadawnwalker3 Thor x reader (some Loki x reader): Reader has been dating Thor for about a year and is celebrating her first Yuletide on Asgard. But she’s unprepared for certain traditions that are expected of her. Or that these traditions also involve Thor and his companions.

*Desperate Measures by @lancsnerd Thor x reader: When an agent is affected by sex pollen and needs assistance, just how helpful will Thor be?

*passionate & burning by @peachyteabuck Thor x reader: You’re busy with working from home, but Thor has other plans for the day.

*my pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand by @spacelabrathor Frontier!Thor x reader: Thor makes a home and a life for his family out on the rugged frontier of the Old West. The winters are unforgiving but he keeps them safe and warm. At night, their cabin glows with firelight and the warmth of their company. A small slice of their life together.

*survive the summer and its sequel *hungry for me by @peachyteabuck (Dubcon) Thor x reader: A stranger approaches you on a warm summers day.

*the fluffer (series) by @punani Masterlist 70′s pornstar!Chris Evans x black!reader: It’s the 70′s and the erotic videos industry is experiencing another boom after the risen popularity in the previous decade. The studio’s are hot, Gemini Flanagan is a brand, and you’re a newly hired assistant at Shaggin’ Studios. Chris takes a liking to you, altering your job description so that you get to work more closely with him. Is this all just physical, or is there something more?

*old flannel by @honeysucklesteve Chris x reader: an innocent night of lounging in his old flannel leads to not to innocent touches.

*sunday football by @honeysucklesteve Chris x reader: Chris sits you on his lap as he teaches you all about football.

*grocery run by @honeysucklesteve Chris x reader: Innocently wearing Chris’ shirt leads to you finding out just how much he can’t resist you.

*Captain by @chrissquares Nomad!Steve x reader: You call Steve a name that drives him wild.

*A Birthday Gift by @the-iceni-bitch Nomad!Steve x reader: The nomad crew have been holed up with you for months and tensions are high. Nat, being an unrepentant pot stirrer, decides to arrange a pleasant birthday surprise for you.

*let me come home to you (series) by @evansweaters Masterlist Alpha!Steve x Omega!Reader: After years at a dead-end job shouldering everyone’s expectations for you but your own, you’re finally free to be whoever you want, go wherever you want. That is, until a series of unfortunate events strand you in amber’s end, where the sheriff – and notoriously unmated pack alpha – decides to take you in.

*mountainside by @honeysucklesteve Nomad!Steve x reader: Steve needs something to give him a release and you do just that.

*steve needs to relax, good thing you’re here by @honeysucklesteve

*Such a Shame by @angrythingstarlight Steve x reader: You owe him for saving your life, the price is more than you were willing to pay, such a shame you have to force his hand.

*Captain Jealousy by @nony-bear Steve x reader: You and Steve have been keeping your relationship a secret to avoid public backlash for your age difference. However, after watching Steve flirt with a new agent at one of Tony Stark’s famous parties, your jealousy and frustration come to a head.

*A Christmas Compromise by @stargazingfangirl18 Ransom x reader: Even if you wouldn’t admit it to yourself, all you wanted for Christmas was Ransom.

*a man of god by @punani Priest!Ransom x reader: You’ve always been a good girl– attending mass regularly, never been touched by yourself or another, and the way that you dress? a naive innocence radiates off of you. even a man of god can’t help himself, not that he puts any effort into refraining from forbidden fruit.

*Naughty or Nice by @sweeterthanthis Ransom x reader: Getting caught nibbling on forbidden holiday treats.

*her cherry lips on his whiskey flavoured kiss by @cloudystevie Ransom x reader: The moment he met you, he knew.

Not My Style by @chrissquares Ransom x reader: With cold weather comes dry lips..

*In Good Hands by @ozarkthedog (Dark) Doctor!Andy Barber x reader: Your usual OBGYN Doctor got called away leaving Dr. Barber to administer your pap exam.

*Drowning by @savior-adriana Andy x reader: You love working as Jacob’s tutor in German. Not necessarily because you love the language or the teen’s attitude, but because it means you get to spend time alone with a certain Andy Barber once a week.

*Something Old, Something New by @sweeterthanthis Stepdad!Bucky x reader: To this day you couldn’t work out why he’d chosen your mother. They were total opposites, a mismatched couple if ever you saw one. Yet, you watched it play out – thinking, hoping, that he’d never go through with it.

*Beg for Daddy by @sweeterthanthis Stepdad!Bucky x reader: The thought of your mother passed out next door, the other side of your bedroom wall, did nothing to quell the intense hunger you felt for him.

*it’s the right time to roll to me (series) by @blueberrythor Masterlist Bucky x married!reader: Stuck in an unhappy marriage, you find solace in Bucky.

*about last week by @xbuchananbarnes Bucky x reader: You’ve been avoiding Bucky.

*need by @cloudystevie Bucky x reader: You’re horni for Bonky’s metal hand

Season of the Witch by @msmarvelwrites Bucky x reader: Your witchy abilities get you in quite a bit of trouble from time to time… But this time you don’t mind so much.

*The Bet (series) by @no-droids Part One | Part Two Poe x reader: There are 3 rules to the bet between you and your x-wing commander: No sex, No touching yourself, No orgasms.

*the shakes by @whistlingwillows Poe x reader: “It’s the Shakes, darling. Makes everything excruciating.” Or, you’re experiencing the terrible side effects of being horny and Poe Dameron knows just how to fix it.

Mornings with Modern!Poe by @okay-hotshot Modern!Poe x reader: You and Poe try to have some alone time while you wait for your morning coffee and tea to brew, only to have your child interrupt you and run away yowling.

frigid by @whirlybirbs Mando x reader: Din doesn’t like the ocean. You’re soaked.

Getting vulnerable with Mando by @cptnbvcks

*men of the bau: kinks by @luciilferss

open road by @gayprentiss Emily Prentiss x JJ Jareau: After retiring from the BAU, JJ and Emily decide to forgo an apartment in favor of an old sprinter van.

*Teacher’s Pet by @imagining-in-the-margins Professor!Reid x reader: There are only a few reasons to sign up for Criminal Psychology. You could be like the reasonable students and join the class because you are genuinely interested in the material, or you could be like the rest of us. That is, you could enroll in the class because the professor is a fine piece of ass fresh out of prison.

*Spencer taking you in the library by @spenciebabie

*of terrible coffee and late-night rides by @venusbarnes Hotch x reader: A collection of moments throughout your relationship with one Aaron Hotchner.

*fragrance by @whistlingwillows College!Hotch x reader: Plato said, “The god of love lives in a state of need. It is a need. It is an urge. It is a homeostatic imbalance. Like hunger and thirst, it's almost impossible to stamp out.”

*bitter end (series) by @whistlingwillows Masterlist Hotch x reader: Author Sarah Dessen wrote, “Life is an awful, ugly place to not have a best friend.”

*Beard Kink by @reidsexualwriting Hotch x reader: Hotch with a beard has you feeling all types of ways.

*Lunch break by @arganfics Hotch x reader: You help Hotch relax after a tough day.

*Early Mornings by @mrvltwimagines Hotch x reader: The very rare mornings where you wake up and your boyfriend was still home and in bed were definitely cherished by you.

*Do you like that? Being in control? by @writefasttalkevenfaster Hotch x reader: You decide that Hotch needs a break from being in charge.

*Waking up Hotch with a blowjob by @writefasttalkevenfaster

Taking a day off with Hotch by @ssahoodrathotchner

*eat until your blood sings by @peachyteabuck Tony Stark x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Carol Danvers x Clint Barton x Thor Odinson x reader: Gangbang with the Avengers.

*Anakin Skywalker has a big dick by @anakinswhore

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prentissinred · 3 years

Text

Life in Pink

Rated T (mild suggestive content) Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Emily Prentiss Word Count: 2.5k AO3

Hi friends! Guess what? This past weekend marked one year since I posted my first story! How crazy is that?!

I’m so utterly grateful to this community for being such a bright spot in a difficult year. To everyone who’s taken the time to read something I’ve written, thank you for being so kind and supportive. It means more to me than I can express in words. To the brilliant, lovely, talented people I now get to call my friends, I love you all so very much.

To commemorate the occasion, I wrote a little something. This is set in the world of The Wonder of You, which was the first story I’ve ever written – but you don't need to have read that to understand this :)

I hope you like it <3

“I mean it, JJ. Whatever happens, do not call us.”

“Yes, Emily. For the hundredth time, I promise not to call you.”

Aaron slipped his free hand into his wife’s and squeezed. “Sweetheart, it’ll be fine. Strauss knows we’re away, and our backlog is miraculously clear. We’ll be okay.”

He returned to packing up his things on his desk while Emily huffed and quietly muttered something unflattering about their superior under her breath. JJ chuckled and embraced her friend. “Go. Have a fabulous time and make us all incredibly jealous. We’ll see you in a week.”

After another round of goodbyes and poorly-veiled suggestive comments from Morgan and Dave, Aaron and Emily were in their car and on their way to Dulles, suitcases already packed and in the trunk.

It had been her idea. A holiday in Greece to commemorate their first wedding anniversary. There hadn’t been time to plan a honeymoon, their wedding in Dave’s backyard coming together with relative expediency. They had spent the weekend after the ceremony in a hotel, indulging in champagne and room service for 48 hours before returning to work the following Monday.

Neither of them thought much of it after that, swept up in both work and newlywed life. They moved into a new home, a classic Colonial in Arlington with extra bedrooms and a white wrap-around porch, and adopted a dog at Jack’s insistence.

And before either of them had realized it, it had been a year. Aaron had remembered the upcoming date over Saturday breakfast as he cut bacon into little pieces for Jack, which were then promptly fed to Boo who waited patiently under the table next to Jack’s chair. Emily and Aaron shared a look of bemused surprise as they came to the realization that neither of them had planned anything to celebrate the occasion.

“We could take a trip,” Emily suggested casually. “We haven’t been away before, just the two of us.”

He’d been doubtful at first, unsure if they could really manage to get the time away with such short notice. But it was clear how enthused Emily was by the prospect, though she hid it well under masked nonchalance. Though she always insisted she was more than happy to spend her time at home, appreciative of the roots they had cultivated after all the travel and displacement of her past, Aaron knew there was still a part of her that missed that heady thrill of exploring an unfamiliar place for the first time. And truthfully, he could think of little else that he would enjoy more than having his wife all to himself for a few days.

So they settled on Greece, a place new to them both, and, with some luck, managed to clear a full week on both of their calendars.

They had nearly reached the parking lot at Dulles — having already checked in with Jessica, Jack and Boo over the phone — when Emily’s phone pinged with a text message from JJ, “I’m so sorry.”

“Shit,” she muttered under her breath.

Before Aaron could question her, his phone rang, Chief Strauss’s number on the front screen. Panic flashed across both their faces before he reluctantly answered. Emily could hear brief snippets of the conversation as the pit in her stomach steadily widened.

“...apologize...New York...fourth suicide bomber in three weeks...escalating...need everyone…”

Once he hung up the phone, Aaron took the next exit off the highway, pulling up to the curb once it was safe to do so. They both sat in silence for an extended minute, disappointment heavy in the air. Finally, Emily attempted to break the tension, “Aren’t you glad I convinced you to get the refundable tickets?”

Aaron let out a weak, sad chuckle and leaned over the center console to kiss her, “I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” before starting the car up again to head to the airstrip.

When they walked onto the plane, the team was uncharacteristically silent, looking on at their boss and colleague with poorly concealed apology, as though they were personally at fault for this unfortunate turn of events.

It took five days for the case to come to an end, the team finding the next bomber with minutes to spare, leading them to the ringleader of the group orchestrating the attacks. The date of their anniversary came and went, with nothing to mark the day except a quickie in the shower before they left their shared room. Objectively, both Aaron and Emily knew they had made the right decision, compulsory or not. Lives were saved, and the team functioned at their best when they were a complete set.

Still, while Aaron wrapped things up at the precinct after sending Emily back to the hotel, he couldn’t help but feel sorry that the first year of his marriage had passed in such a benign manner. As he drove back to the hotel, watching people shuffle and hustle about their weekend, an inkling of a plan formed and he picked up the phone to call JJ.

He found Emily in their room, her back turned to him as she hunched over the bed in the final stages of packing. He leaned against the wall, taking a moment to admire her before asking, "What are you doing, sweetheart?"

She jumped a little, the close of the door too quiet for her to hear him walk in, then raised a brow at him. "Packing? Don't we have to be at the airport in an hour?"

"Change of plans." Aaron sauntered up to his wife, pulling her in by the waist so he could kiss her. "We're leaving tomorrow."

“Since when?”

"Since I decided that you and I deserve a night to ourselves." He chuckled softly at her confused expression, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ears. "I'm sorry we couldn't get our time away. I thought we could spend the night out here instead. Celebrate the best year of my life with my beautiful wife."

She softened in his arms, molding herself to him as she pushed up on her toes and threaded her hands in his hair, kissing him breathless. “What about everyone else?” she asked, mouthing along his jaw, nosing the length of his neck.

The blood promptly rushed south from his head, a familiar occurrence anytime Emily’s hands ran over him as they were doing now. He swallowed, breathing in deeply to ensure he retained some semblance of control. "I told them to leave tonight; we could fly on our own tomorrow. But they offered to stay the night.”

She laughed against his throat, hot and ticklish on his skin, feeling almost giddy by this unforeseen development, “Okay then.” The hands on her hips tightened as she began kissing down to his chest, and she grinned up at him, lightly palming the front of his black slacks. “Are you sure you want to go out? We could just lock ourselves in here for the night.”

He narrowed his eyes, playfully pinching her cheek, “Cheeky, Mrs. Hotchner. But I have a plan and, tempting as you are, you will not sway me from it.” Knowing her go-bag always contained a nicer dress in case their work called for it, he added, “Now, get dressed,” swatting her ass lightly for good measure.

“Aaron, it’s Saturday night in New York City. You realize we’re not getting in anywhere halfway decent,” Emily pointed out while she unbuttoned her blouse.

“Ye of little faith, my dear wife. I told you, I have a plan.” Aaron also rid himself of his jacket and tie, replacing his shirt with a fresh white button-down and rolling up the sleeves. He went to clean himself up in the bathroom, and when he returned, he found his magnificent wife attempting to zip up a one-shoulder red dress. The same dress he’d slid off her shoulders in his bedroom after dinner on their first date. “Is that…”

"Would you believe I didn't plan this?" she grinned, turning her back to him. "Help me?"

Instead of doing as she asked, Aaron nudged the zipper, skating a knuckle up the length of her bare back and planting a kiss at the top of her spine.

“Aaron..." she breathed, tilting her head back against his, "if you don't cut that out, we're not leaving this room." He groaned into her neck, reluctantly admitting she was right, finally zipping her up and smoothing her hair back over her shoulder.

When they emerged outside their hotel ten minutes later onto the bustling streets of Midtown Manhattan, they walked the few blocks to Grand Central Station, just barely catching the subway headed downtown. Despite her initial doubts, Emily’s smile hadn’t left her, cheeks flushed with excitement.

Aaron led her by hand out of the subway when they reached their destination, climbing the stairs onto the southwest corner of Washington Square Park. The air was hot and muggy, New York in August, even as the last rays of the sun dipped below the horizon. Music filtered through from the park, mixing with the din of the crowds enjoying the first stage of their evening.

“Do I get to know what we’re doing now?”

“Not yet. Come on, this way.”

They crossed the street, turned the corner, and Aaron finally stopped outside a red awning.

“Pizza?” Emily looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise as she took in the pizzeria.

“Or hot dogs, or Indian, or Greek, Italian, Vietnamese...We can go anywhere you want in the world in the next 10 blocks.”

She beamed up at him, catching onto his plan, and her grin was infectious. “Can we do them all?”

He laughed, “Lead the way.”

They started with pizza at Joe’s — a pepperoni slice for him and a Sicilian slice for her. Then a stuffed pita filled to the brim with fresh falafel, tomatoes, and hummus. A chicken tikka kati roll. And finally a shared plate of chicken and rice drizzled in white sauce from the halal food cart next to the park.

Their hands never strayed far from the other, the blissful anonymity of the city prompting more affectionate displays from both of them. Aaron stood behind her, hands on her hips or around her waist, as they waited in line. Emily ran her fingers through his hair as they sat on barstools, so smushed together from the crowd that she was practically sitting in his lap. They stood on the sidewalk waiting for their food to be prepared, their arms wrapped around each other and their lips moving together in languid kisses as if they had all the time in the world. To any stranger who could be bothered to look their way, they looked like any other couple smitten and blissfully in love, hiding every scar, hurdle, and hardship they had overcome to reach this point. Two figures floating amongst a sea of millions.

“I’m so full,” Emily moaned, clutching her stomach dramatically as they wandered hand-in-hand down Houston St. “I think you’ve killed me.”

“Not yet, sweetheart. We haven’t gotten to dessert.”

Two spoons and one cup of salted chocolate ice cream later, they made it back to the park, still lively as if the night had only just started. The marble archway was lit up, the Empire State Building in the distance peeking through the gap. People sat around the edge of the fountain, dipping their feet into the cool water.

Aaron and Emily walked through the students and artists and skateboarders and tourists, dipping intermittently into their shared dessert absorbing the infectious energy. They reached the other end of the park, stopping for a moment to watch a street performer, and turned down a new street, neither of them wanting the evening to come to an end.

The unmistakable sound of a piano floated out of a bar as two patrons exited, catching Emily by surprise as they walked past. She jerked to a stop, captivated, then tugged Aaron's hand to the door. He followed her lead, descending down a narrow flight of stairs that led into a darkened lounge. Tufted couches and armchairs in jewel-toned velvets lined the walls, dimly lit by rounded art deco sconces. Two bartenders seamlessly crafted elegant cocktails behind a lavish bar that took up the back wall. And in the center, a jazz quartet illuminated by a spotlight as couples swayed around them on a dance floor. Even in the dark, Aaron could see the way Emily's eyes lit up, entranced by this unexpected discovery, and he discreetly asked a waitress if they could be seated.

They nestled into the corner of an empty couch, Aaron's hand resting on Emily's knee as they both sipped their respective cocktails. Truthfully, he spent very little time watching the band, his eyes trained on his wife. He took in every secret smile, every small part of her lips when the melody soared to a peak. She was breathtaking, and she was his, and not for the first time in his life did he wonder how he had ever gotten quite so lucky.

The song shifted into something he recognized, a string of notes from the saxophone eliciting an audible gasp from Emily. He grasped her hand and tugged her up from the chair, smiling at the delight on her face. He pulled her in close, one hand low on her back, his cheek resting against hers, as they began to gently shift amongst the other couples.

After a minute, Emily’s voice came in whispers in his ear, her tongue curling beautifully over the French he couldn’t understand.

Quand il me prend dans ses bras Qu'il me parle tout bas Je vois la vie en rose

Il me dit des mots d'amour Des mots de tous les jours Et ça m'fait quelque chose

Il est entré dans mon cœur Une part de bonheur Dont je connais la cause C'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui dans la vie Il me l'a dit, l'a juré, pour la vie

She pulled back in his arms, her gaze locking on his. A droplet tipped over her lash and onto her cheek. Her love for the man who held her — her husband, hers — bubbled and popped and diffused in her chest, filling her until she felt like she was floating. Aaron brought his hand up from her waist to her cheek, his thumb wiping away the errant drop on her skin with enough tenderness and adoration to warrant a fresh bout of tears.

Emily shakily rose to press her lips to his, tightening her hold of him, just as the song trailed to its conclusion. Applause erupted, but at that moment, the world around them didn’t exist.

“I love you, Aaron Hotchner.”

“And I love you.”

Song: La Vie en Rose by Edith Piaf

Translation (thank you Google):

When he holds me in his arms He speaks to me softly I see life through rose-colored glasses

He speaks words of love to me Everyday words And that does something to me

He has entered into my heart A piece of happiness The cause of which I know It’s only him for me, and me for him, for life He said that to me, swore it forever

#im missing new york something terrible #also Aaron is a massive simp for his wife #and ps if anyone ever feels like taking me out this is what i would like please and thank you #hotchniss #hotchniss fanfic #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #hotchner x prentiss

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ontheoddoccasioniwritestuff · 3 years

Text

Valentines Day for Nerds (Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader)

Summary: Spencer’s favourite holiday is often taken up mostly by work, but this year his enjoyment doesn’t seem to be as disruptive in the BAU bullpen. The team soon realise why.

AN: It’s a bit late- who am I kidding? IT’S ALWAYS HALLOWEEN IN OUR HEARTS! This was a part of @imagining-in-the-margins fic swap, for the brilliant @agntprentiss <3

For my smut fic from the swap, check out A Little Indulgence (18+ only!)

Reader uses she/her pronouns!

Word count: 1.7k words

Gif credit to @imagining-in-the-margins <3

Your name: submit What is this?

The first breach of boredom was Penelope practically skipping into the bullpen, her arms cradling a bouquet of flowers as if it were an infant. The bold orange roses contrasted with the dyed black petals of its counterparts as they were planted upon Spencer’s desk.

“Delivery for Doctor Reid!” trilled Penelope, clapping her hands now that they were free of said delivery. Dropping his pen onto his unfinished paperwork, Spencer pivoted the base of the bouquet before he found a small black envelope.

It held a little card with two pumpkins, happy faces carved into them both. Inside were the following words:

Black is for new beginnings,

Orange is for enthusiasm,

Spooky times are afoot tonight,

Watch out for ectoplasm!

I spent ten minutes trying to think of a rhyme for that. Happy Halloween, Cara Mia!

Y/N xxx

Spencer beamed as he placed the bouquet at the edge of his desk, next to the fake severed hand that now held the card in its stiff fingers. He scratched his bristly cheek. Less than a day until he could shave this off. It’d be worth it though.

“Is it from Y/N?”

He looked up to see Penelope had lingered like a lost spirit, waiting to see if her trials of passing on the bouquet had been worthy enough for her to move onto the next world – her Batcave. She was poised with a hopeful expression.

“Yes,” Spencer said, watching Penelope lean up on her tiptoes as she tried to rein in her delight.

She clapped her hands, her purple painted nails clicking as they tapped together, “Are my two favourite ghost hunters up to much this Hallow’s Eve?”

“We’re going to see the Phantasmagoria re-enactment after we go trick-or-treating with Henry tonight.”

It was hard to ignore the absolute glee with which Spencer spoke. Even if one completely ignored the way his voice carried a light excitement, the way his eyes lit up and his broad smile almost fell off his face was enough to connote that he was very excited for tonight. It was also hard to ignore the mild bemusement on the faces of everyone who heard.

Glad to be back and bearing witness to his elated behaviour regardless, Emily cracked a smile, “Maybe she’ll cling to you when she gets scared.”

A heat crawled up Spencer’s neck and he tried to return to work now in hopes that his gift’s display would be cut off. He’d rather sit in the glow of receiving the flowers without mockery.

To the team’s credit, no one ribbed him for it.

The flowers were not the last gift though.

Soon Penelope reappeared, “Your Cupid has returned with another gift for you!”

As he tore at the paper and revealed an Edgar Allen Poe pin – the titular Raven he instantly attached it to his satchel strap – in pride of place, just like the bouquet.

Derek was the one to notice how Spencer’s sandwiches had been cut into little pumpkins. Some digging and Spencer revealed that he had gotten Y/N to order a cutter online. He held his lunch in one hand, his collection of classic Halloween short stories in the other, with a childish glee that no one wanted to squander.

When Spencer climbed the steps to drop off a file to Hotch around mid-afternoon, Rossi walking behind him noted the brand-new socks. A classic odd pairing, and obviously they were Halloween themed. This kid left no opportunity untaken when it came to celebrating Halloween – more than his own birthday.

But Rossi was not closed enough to get a good look at them, and no one else was as close. So, he recruited Emily and Derek to discover what the pattern was. It was Emily and Derek who upped the stakes by wanting to get a glimpse without arousing suspicion. Now that outright asking Spencer was not an option, the game began as they dropped several pens as an excuse to bend over and strain for a flash of those socks.

Derek eventually resorted to a pantomime attempt at tripping in front of Spencer’s desk and gave the jig up straight away by shouting to a stressed Emily (whilst also catching the attention of Hotch through his office’s blinds): “IT’S IT!”

A few language barriers hurdled later, and hindsight brought them both clarity. The red splodge on Spencer’s ankle was officially defined as a balloon.

“So tell us! What’s the other one?” Emily said, her voice strained with how much she was invested in this single sock.

Spencer hiked up his trouser leg to display the skeletal zombie sewn into the sock. “It’s Curtis Danko from When Good Ghouls Go Bad. Y/N had it commissioned for me!”

JJ was watching nearby, unaffected by the tensions of the sock bet. She knew the film because Y/N had wanted to show it to Henry the other week when she babysat him. But upon further inspection, the R.L. Stine film – while intended for kids – might be a little intimidating for Henry to watch without his profiler mother and godfather, police officer father, and favourite auntie there to protect him from the cursed statue.

No one else in the bullpen knew the film.

The team soon discovered that Spencer was not the only one to be on the receiving end of such gifts. Six o’clock rolled around and Y/N entered the bullpen. She was wearing a fuzzy black scarf, some sparkles shining within the wool. At the tail of it, a lucky black cat patch was sewn onto the end. It caught Rossi’s eye and he hid behind a folder as he smiled. The three times that Spencer had forgone a card game with him (in favour of knitting the scarf on the flights back from cases) had been riddled with playful teasing. It was good to see that it was worth it.

Especially when Spencer saw Y/N wearing it and his back snapped straight up. His chair flew backwards, spinning around with the effort that Spencer had launched himself from it, and he and Y/N embraced each other with casual affection.

“How was work today?”

“Not as boring as I thought. But, I have to say: I’m meant to call you Cara Mia.” Spencer’s eyes darted to the card Y/N had sent that morning.

Y/N caught onto his meaning, “Should I stop?”

“Never.”

She rubbed her nose against his and Spencer went pink again, giggling like a teenager. True, he was as smitten with Y/N as Gomez was with Morticia. Then he remembered he was in the workplace as Y/N went to greet the rest of the team, and Spencer’s pink became a scarlet.

“Aww, Pretty Boy,” Derek grinned at him from his desk chair, “You’re so cute!”

“It’s like Sergio!” Emily said, admiring the scarf with her thumb rubbing over the stitches around the cat patch.

“Make sure he’s safe tonight,” Y/N squeezed her hands for a second.

Then JJ appeared from her office, coat and bag over her arm, and she, Y/N, and Spencer wished the bullpen a Happy Halloween before they left.

They had three hours before the Phantasmagoria started. Plenty of time to get ready.

Henry was right behind the front door of his home. The second it opened, he bounced at Spencer’s feet, his tiny hand clutching onto two of his fingers to drag him inside. He was babbling away at such speed that Y/N could barely keep up. She gave Will a wave across the ironing board where he was diligently ironing Will’s cape.

“Well don’t you look handsome!” Y/N beamed at Henry while JJ combed his hair back, slick with gel. It was something he agreed to but only if Spencer was doing the same. Which he was, occupying the downstairs bathroom as he prepared his own costume.

The moment Spencer had finished shaving everything bar the moustache, he was plonked in front of the television. Henry smoothed out his cloak and put in his plastic fangs in to watch the rest of his new favourite Halloween film, The Little Vampire. He mumbled along with Rudolph’s lines and sat enraptured as he pointed out to Spencer the flying scenes. Luckily for him, Will and JJ were getting dressed as Frederick and Freda Sackville-Bagg upstairs to join in the Halloween spirit – last year’s Halloween date night disaster long forgotten.

Henry put in his plastic fangs and hissed at Y/N who emerged in her long sleek black dress. As she stepped across the room as elegantly as Morticia, Spence spied that she was wearing the black spiderweb tights he had bought her today.

“Hello, Gomez,” She smiled radiantly at Spencer, smoothing out his suit jacket as he stood before her. He presented her with a red rose that matched her lipstick to a tee.

As she breathed in the flower’s scent, he kissed her cheek, enjoying her giggle at the bristle of his ‘stache, “You’re stunning.”

“Thank you, and you’re handsome as ever.” She swung their linked hands between them in the opposite way she poised on her tiptoes. “Maybe we should have taken a tango class.”

And she laughed loudly at Spencer’s wincing at such a thought.

“It’s ok, Cara Mia. I’ll settle for a kiss instead.”

Oh, that was something he could do forever. He brought her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles then the inside of each wrist.

Unfortunately, Henry interrupted the stream of kisses that were headed in Y/N’s way. “Ready to go!” He skipped his way between the happy couple.

It was hard to be mad at Henry, especially with how adorable he looked beside his parents and with his bright orange pumpkin bag ready to collect candy. He felt safe with his four favourite adults guarding him.

“Tonight,” Y/N whispered into his ear and he could hear the smirk in her words, “After the Phantasmagoria.”

Spencer beamed, his dimples delightfully framing that smile. One day maybe, they would have their own Wednesday, Pugsley, and Pubert to join them. And maybe then Derek would dress up as Uncle Fester.

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds fanfic #criminal minds x reader #my writing #fic swap #r: female #wc: 1k+

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reidecorating · 3 years

Text

Like Ivy

Request: “Being able to see you smile, being in your vicinity, just that is enough for me.” and “Uh, here, this is for, uh, you.” I’m thinking something Christmas-y with Reid - Anon

A/N: I do apologise for procrastinating on getting this out, but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t terrible. Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it, my present to you is the longest fic I have ever written. I had so much fun writing it so I hope you guys enjoy reading it! Happy holidays <3

Pairing: Spencer Reid x BAUFem!Reader

Word Count: 7.7k

Summary: Best friends yearning & best friends pining - but make it festive. Entails Secret Santa, the classic penny behind the ear and waltzing.

Warnings: Fluff, proceed with caution :)

The Cathedral of Santa Maria. Spencer had finally put his finger on it. The small glass dome encasing a building, with doors small enough to allow entrance to ladybugs who may practice religion, adorned unmistakable timely Italian architecture and ornamented pine trees, all dusted with flitters of snow. For the past week, Spencer had caught sight of the trinket each time he wandered past where it sat, as one of the few other decorations surrounding the name plate displaying in gold Times New Roman ‘DAVID ROSSI’, on the often unoccupied desk. So, he gathered that it must be important. Filing away his final stack of paperwork for the night, a silver paperclip glistening in the artificial light, Spencer made a mental note to ask the man about it the next morning. Standing from his usual office chair slouch, he stretched his limbs, feeling a series of clicks in his back as he regained his posture, only to bend back down in reach of his satchel. He made his way home giving tight lipped smiles of encouragement to the few agents sprinkled about the room, working over time. Haphazardly, he pushed the arrow pointing downwards with a cardigan clad elbow. As if on queue, his phone buzzed to the simultaneous ‘ding’ of the lift.

I understand you’re nocturnal, but I hope you’ve gotten home by now! If not, text me when you do so, safely :)

He didn’t realise he was grinning from ear to ear until an aggravated looking bureau member from a floor above, evidently itching to get home, cleared his throat to gain Spencer’s attention. “Sorry,” he grimaced. Noticing the button for the ground floor having already been lit up, Spencer stepped inside and stood as far away, as was possible in the small space, from the rankled looking man and his briefcase. A dimple appeared on his cheek as he remembered you, two years, three months and seventeen days ago - not that he was counting - offering him cherry scented hand sanitiser from a small bottle, and, only after he’d nodded, gently grasping the tips of his fingers to steady his shaking hand as you poured the gelid liquid into his palm. The act was so pure he chose against telling you that while alcohol based hand sanitisers reduce the number of microbes on hands in some situations, they don’t eliminate all types of germs - making soap and water the most effective way to go. Since then, you occupied his thoughts in the same way ivy grew along bricks of long forgotten towers. In abundance, in the most beautiful way. He turned his attention back to the tiny mobile he was holding.

On my way right now. I have a date with microwaved leftovers at midnight, can’t miss it. Will do.

The next time his phone buzzed was when he’d dozed off on the way home, using the concave pane of a metro window as a shoulder to lean against. He waited until his feet landed on the uneven pavement of his stop to open it.

Tomorrow you have a date with a properly cooked meal, at mine. What is it that Hotch always says? That’s an order, not a request.

Spencer’s heartbeat quickened as he read what you had written, his brain immediately carrying variables in an effort to slow it down by convincing himself that friends make each other feel this way. However, when he counted the rose flush on his cheeks and nose whenever you were around, the looks you shared which said more than words ever could and the way you held each other nearer than the distance between the sky and the ocean where they met at the horizon after close calls and mentally grappling cases, it didn’t quite equate to being just friends. Dwindling leaves clinging to their branches shuddered as scissors of winter wind pruned the trees scattered about. Spencer’s pale hands slid into his coat pockets, hiding from frostbite. On the short walk to his apartment, he admired the twinkling lights on either side of the streets, feeling as if he were a plane which had just landed upon a runway in the night. Candy canes, reindeer and eccentric portrayals of Santa Claus glowed amongst bushes and on porches, making Spencer wish you were there to see them too. It wasn’t rare he found himself wanting to share everything he did with you. Pretty things made him think of you. Eventually reaching the familiar building, tiredly, he followed wreaths and holly all the way to his undecorated apartment door.

You? Cooking? I’ll bring a fire extinguisher. Home safe. Goodnight, sleep well.

He kept his promise, despite seeing the time was nearing to one in the morning and being doubtful you were still awake.

Hilarious :/ and I will, knowing you’re alive. Goodnight Spencer :)

Spencer coveted for nights when he could tell you goodnight from right beside you, perhaps with his hand draped around your waist while yours tugged at his hair. He wanted to fall asleep to the scent of your skin and whatever soap you’d picked up from the store that week, not the quiet hum of his vintage fan. His microwave beeped, acting as an alarm to return down to earth from the clouds, presenting him with far less than gourmet potatoes. Realising he would take your burnt cooking over this any day, he settled for a sandwich.

∗∗∗

“Did you know that snowglobes were invented in France. They were first introduced as ‘water globes’ at the Paris Expedition Fair in 1889, and, to no surprise, the first snow globe actually contained a tiny scaled Eiffel Tower covered in snow,” Spencer lectured, almost putting the two agents who had struggled enough to get out of bed, back to sleep. The days were slow. Annual leave for a majority of the bureau was looming nearer and files kept them busy as the jet gathered dust. “Glad to hear the French contributed something, other than their opprobrium of a language, to this world,” Emily complained, from her desk. “Well, baguettes… Croissants, parachutes… Aspirin-“ Spencer was halted by the unimpressed look on Rossi’s face, as he hovered on the edge of Spencer’s table, a bushy eyebrow raised in vexation. “What’s with all this talk of snowglobes, kid?” The older man squinted at Spencer, craning his neck towards this, the way he did to suspects behind the glass of an interrogation room. “Since you brought it up,” he smiled smugly, swivelling in his chair from one side to another. “What’s the story behind the Santa Maria sitting on your desk?”

“Yeah, the eighties have come and gone, Rossi, isn’t it a bit late for repentance?” Emily let out a sly smile, walking over to also lean against Spencer’s desk with a steaming mug in hand. “It was a gift from my grandmother, handmade, I take it out every Christmas to help get in the festive mood,” Rossi explained. “Also, that was very funny Emily but now… I can’t help but recall what Garcia told me about the time you got a little tipsy and licked peanut butter off J-”

“No one told me it was National Congregate Around Spencer Reid’s Desk Day today.” The three agents turned their heads in unison to find who the voice belonged to, Spencer’s breath hitching at the sight of you. You stood before them, an upturned magician’s hat in hand, semi-curious as to what the ending of Rossi’s sentence would have been if it weren’t for you interrupting. “Y/N!” Emily waved, flashing a smile. “You’ve taken an interest in magic and didn’t even think to tell me,” Spencer feigned a hurt look. “Spencer, I knew magic wasn’t for me after I did the card trick you taught me, wrong . Six times,”

“It was seven. Plus, the student is never as good as the teacher,” he suppressed a smile. “Or maybe the teacher just isn’t good,” you raised an eyebrow at him. “That’s a little hostile, someone didn’t get enough sleep last night,” Spencer defended himself, putting his hands in the air. His eyes held a glimmer of mischief as if to say ‘we know something that you don’t’ when they met yours. Emily’s jaw dropped. “That… Didn’t sound suggestive at all,” Rossi pursed his lips in concern, looking back and forth between the pair of furiously blushing agents. “Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t,” you winked at Rossi. Basking in the radiance of your laughter washing over him like the sun, Spencer chuckled along. “Anyway, what’s with the hat?” Emily questioned. “This,” you shook it by its brim, “contains the remaining names for this year’s Secret Santa, courtesy of Miss Penelope Garcia. I was just ordered to present it to you all. She calls it being her ‘little elf’ - I call it unpaid manual labour - but pick a name, any name,” you encouraged. You watched as Spencer’s tongue comically poked out as he eagerly concentrated on picking a name, elbow bent at a worrying angle. “I just want to say that every time I get a gift that isn’t alcohol, I’m slightly disappointed,” Emily turned to you as it was her turn to fish for a piece of paper. “I’ll keep that in mind,” you grinned at her. You watched Rossi’s expression as his eyes skimmed the name in his hands. “Oh, and Rossi, yes, there’s a budget,” you called over your shoulder, causing them to laugh as you gave them a wave. Slinking away from the comity of the bullpen, back to Mrs Claus’ lair, you retrieved the only remaining name. You paused in the hallway to double check if you’d read the glittery scrawl correctly. Spencer Reid. It was just your luck. You were prepared to engage in hand to hand combat with Garcia, seeing her office looming ahead. “Penelope. I hate you. I love you,” you kissed her cheek, placing the top hat on her curls, “but I hate you.” She recognised the tone, beaming at the implications. “Thank me later, beautiful!” She called after you as you rushed away to get started on completing the mountains of reports you had been avoiding thus far.

The day had come to a close, a headache making a home for itself in your head. Scanning the, now, mostly empty room, you caught sight of the back of Spencer’s uncombed head. Double checking that not enough people were around to be reprimanded by HR for misconduct, you inconspicuously made your way over to him snaking your arms around his neck and burrowing your nose in its crook. “Hi,” he chuckled, amused at the sudden affection, his unoccupied hand immediately reaching to grasp one of your wrists. Spencer had followed your strict, but coffee induced, orders earlier that morning telling him not to distract you unless, one, he was dying, or two, something was on fire, because you were determined to finish the numerous write-ups you had left until today. “Hi,” you mumbled into him. “Ready to go home?” You asked sweetly, arms still slung around him, pulling your face away to get a glimpse of his soft features. Your heart stopped for a little while, at the beauty of him. He was breathtaking. You refrained from tracing the small bump of his nose with your own, and settled for admiring the five o’clock shadow presaging a hidden jaw. The part of Spencer that craved domesticity was enchanted by your simple question, the word home resounding in his head, acting as an old film reel for projections of images of the two of you together; leaving work together, going home together. Little did he know that, as if through an unnoticed telepathy, just a few inches away, the same images occupied your own head. Coming home to an empty apartment had become tedious. You allowed yourself to give into your daydreams of returning home to Spencer - with Spencer. Spencer, with his warm eyes and words that drip like syrup from his tongue. You wanted nothing more than to revel in him filling your senses once the cologne from the day had been washed away, and hear him harp on about the history of mattresses, attempting to retain questions to ask him later in your memory bank, as you capitulate to sleep. “As a matter of fact, I finished most of what I had to do last night so I am ready to go… home,” he tested out the word, to which you had assigned a brand new connotation, feeling a flutter in his chest. You quickly rescinded your arms as you peripherally detected a flock of agents returning from what you assumed was an afternoon break. Spencer suddenly missed your body on his. Having already packed your things, feeling accomplished noticing that the pile of folders on your desk had shrunk significantly, you packed Spencer’s things to save him time, aimlessly throwing the strap of his satchel over his head for him once he had ungracefully shoved his arms into a blazer. “Hang on,” you gently pulled at his shoulders to meet your height, carefully fixing his tag and creased collar. The blush on his face, at the feel of your cold fingers brushing the nape of his neck, said everything he didn’t - save a meek, “Thank you.” You smiled at him in return. “Wait,” his eyes widened, “I need this,” he mumbled, reaching into the bottom drawer of his desk, pulling out a large black bag, decorated in gold intricacies. He didn’t explain it, but you knew that if Spencer had something to say, he would come out and say it, just all in good time. “Now are you ready?” You eyed the thing curiously, and glanced back at him. “Let’s go,” he motioned his arms in front of him, with a small nod, letting you lead the way.

Afternoon rays of sun fought their way through clouds, battling with the winter air to warm the people mingling outside as you made your way towards the crowded station. “Penny for your thoughts?” You asked, intuitively slipping an arm through his when the sun began to disappear altogether. Your cheeks grew warm as you realised your compromising position, feeling your heart rate return to its usual pace once he relaxed into your touch. “Hm?” He turned to look at you, letting his river coloured eyes unabashedly scan your face. “You look like your mind is far away,”

“What’s on my mind is definitely not very far away,” he said, quietly. That glimmer had returned. You noticed that the crease between his brows had disappeared, indicative that whatever thoughts were rattling through his brain, were good ones. You hummed a smile, content with his contentedness. “So… Hand it over,” he extended a palm a second later. “Hand what over?” You asked, genuinely confused. “A penny,” he said as if it was obvious. You blinked up at him, unfazed by the joke, as he bit his lip provokingly. All of a sudden he stopped walking, eyes still on you. “Just… Hold on a moment,” he whispered, squinting at you as he reached a hand towards your cheek. You remained still, thinking that Spencer had finally lost his mind. “Here it is!” He exclaimed, breaking out into a smile as he retrieved a one cent coin from behind your ear. “What!? You’re kidding! That was brilliant,” you beamed at him, eyes wide in bewilderment. “For a second there I thought you had gone crazy,” you teased. “Magic does that to people,” he nodded, satisfied with how impressed you seemed. “Ah, but alas, you gave me a very ambiguous answer, so I,” you snatched the penny from his fingers, “am entitled to a refund.” Spencer shook his head with a soft smile. “You might need to use that for the bus if we miss the next train,” he informed, hurriedly examining the watch on his upturned wrist.

No trains were missed, that day, the two of you arriving at your door in time for the six o’clock news. “Here, let me take your coat,” you offered, putting it on the small rack beside the door, placing yours adjacent to it. Spencer relished in the warmth of the place, setting his things down. “So, I’m thinking we get a proper meal in us, and then you can help me decorate this dreary place,” you instructed. He wanted to let you know that anywhere you are is far from being dreary, but something told him that was far too sappy, so he settled for a simple, “Sounds good.” He took in the familiar apartment, its walls embellished in old paintings snagged from secondhand stores and books scattered about on almost every horizontal surface, in a certain disorderliness that said, yes it’s messy, but everything has its place. “Also, I hope you know that you’re only leaving in the morning so make yourself at home.” It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for the two of you; you falling asleep at his apartment out of feebleness, him at yours, and more often than not, it involved discarded games of Scrabble as the two of you settled for debating the rules instead of actually playing. Lately, he’d been craving it more and more - and so had you. Spencer would never say no to that offer, but he was taken aback. “But I didn’t pack- I don’t have-“

“Eidetic memory is slipping I see,” you giggled at his flustered state. “I told you, I kept finding toothbrushes, sweaters and socks here every time you left, so I made a drawer full of your things, since you practically live here anyway,”

“An entire drawer? I didn’t think I was missing a whole lot,” he responded, nose tinted red. “I have to water my plants quickly, before I put dinner on, but feel free to shower,” you said, still laughing quietly. “Let me help cook, first. You need someone to disassemble the smoke alarm,” he raised an eyebrow at you. One ‘KISS THE COOK’ apron and half an hour of seasoning a chicken, spilling sweet potatoes and bumping elbows later, the two of you stood back from the counter, you boasting to Spencer about how nothing had turned to ashes, and him pointing out that the oven hadn’t been turned on yet. Soon after, you put the oven on high, humming an indistinguishable carol over the shower that could be heard running from the next room. A warm, tingling feeling overcame you.

By the time you had showered, Spencer stood serving - a well timed and flawlessly cooked - chicken, wearing mitts matching the baggy flannel pyjamas keeping him warm on top of the open oven. “Smells good,” you complimented, slightly startling Spencer. He stood at the small wooden dining table, mouth agape at the sight of you. He was sure his heart was a puddle. “I like your sweater,” he praised. You glanced down slightly confused, shortly realising that your sweater, with its much too floppy sleeves, reaching a little way above your knees, was actually his. “Oh, I’ll wash it and give it back to you at some point,” you said shyly. “I was wondering where it went, but don’t worry about it, the colour looks nicer on you than it does on me,”

“Nonsense, you know that’s not true.” Soon enough, you found yourselves digging in - not before you expressed your gratitude towards food that wasn’t charred for the first time in months. You sat across from each other, your reindeer sock clad feet occasionally tapping his beneath the table. Spencer’s heart was full, marvelling at you from where he sat, wishing this could be something he could experience forever, much preferring it over a stale sandwich. You watched him intently through your eyelashes, chin resting on your interlaced hands while he taught you about how the thalidomide scandal emerging from Germany led to safer drugs in the pharmaceutical industry, the lecture prompted by an article he’d read recently. It continued into getting the dishes cleaned up, his rambling only being interrupted by your intermittent questions which incited further tangents, or requests to pass the tea towel. His voice was a ruffled silken sheet, on which you would like to lay for eternity. Admittedly, you found it difficult to focus on retaining any more information than the odd date, due to being too focused on the way his lips moved to form every word he said, hopelessly enamoured by the overly enthusiastic expressions he made to match the tone of what he was saying. Eventually, he wandered towards the living room as you stacked away the final plate, butterflies still spurring in your stomach from when his fingers brushed yours as he handed it to you.

“Spencer Reid effortlessly navigating technology, Christmas miracles really do exist, huh?”

“Actually, I just remembered watching you choose music, instead of paying attention to the road, that one time you drove me to work,”

“I was most definitely paying attention,” you huffed out a laugh, slightly bashful at the thought of him remembering small things you do. “You hit the kerb four times! That was the day I vowed to never let you transport me anywhere,”

“I see your argument, and I raise you with the counter argument: the kerb hit me.” Sitting with his back against the couch, legs sprawled out over the rug beneath your coffee table, Spencer couldn’t hold back his laughter. After watching you disappear into the kitchen, he busied himself with reading the holiday edition of Reader’s Digest laying on the table. He recounted you telling him that you had accidentally drunkenly subscribed to it, and never bothered to cancel the subscription, the first time you’d caught him reading an issue. You emerged a short while later, with drinks in both hands. “Bonjour monsieur, on tonight’s menu, we can either open this Merlot or, drink Capri-suns like the sophisticated adults we are. Your pick,” you said, hiding the juice pouches behind your back and noticeably waving the bottle of wine in front of you. “I have a feeling it isn’t my pick,” he let out a laugh, “so just fill a glass with enough Merlot for two,” you were on your way to get a glass before he had the chance to finish. “Your wish is my command!” You called. Spencer put down his magazine once he saw you rushing towards him with a large glass of wine in hand. “Of course you opt for Christmas Jazz over Mariah Carey,” you teased, hearing the music he’d queued floating from the withering speaker in the corner of the living room. It was the kind of music that would play in the diner of an expensive hotel, you noted. “I can change it if you’d like?” He began reaching for your phone, when you halted him by grasping his arm. “No, it’s good, I like your taste.” Spencer grinned sheepishly, taking the glass from your hand as you sat down beside him.

Hours of conversation and decking the halls with tinsel later, with wine flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes you moved the furniture to cater for your very own dance floor. Carefully, Spencer placed a hand below your ribs, touching you like new glassware, lacing the other with yours. Your unfettered hand, replaced the weight of the world as it rested on his shoulder. You recognised the look on his face as he settled into the close proximity, it was the same look that painted yours when you admired him whilst he failed to notice. The soft glow of a lamp illuminated the man you held, making an indistinct halo of golden light appear above his unkempt hair. “I apologise for any damage caused to your feet,” you giggled, struggling to find a rhythm. “Here, follow my lead,” he looked down at your feet. “The Waltz?” Dazzled, you raised an eyebrow, a few seconds after recognising the box-like steps in unison. Spencer tried to focus on anything but your lips, glistening in the dull light, so close to his. “Mhm, I’m not exactly the most co-ordinated-”

“You don’t say?”

“That’s tough talk for someone I’ve seen fall up a flight of stairs,”

“That sounds made up, but as you were saying,” you laughed into his chest. “It’s simple because its a repeating pattern. Did you know that name of the dance comes from the German word waltzen, which means to turn, or to glide? Some say the dance itself comes from the folk music and dances of west Austria, but others debate that it’s a variation of the Volta, from the 16th century,”

“Interesting, makes sense to debate that though. I’m pretty sure volta means ‘a turning’ in Italian - although that’s mostly in reference to the turn of a new thought or idea in sonnets… I’m thinking of Shakespeare,” you chimed in. “Sonnet one-hundred and thirty being a classic example of that,”

“Of course you would know that,” you shook your head in awe, cheeks hurting from grinning too wide. The incandescence of the smile that hadn’t left his face all day was mesmerising, the honeyed expression tied together with the dimples on his cheeks and creases around his eyes. “What would you like for Christmas?” He mumbled, lifting a moment of peaceful silence. “If you pulled my name out of the hat today you’re going to have to be a lot more subtle than that,”

“Unfortunately not,” he pouted. “Don’t tell anyone I told you, but I have Rossi,” he whispered the words into your ear, neglecting that no one else was around to hear. “What do you get a man who already has everything money can buy?”

“A new wife,” you joked, causing him to scoff. He studied your visage as you pondered his earlier question, still swaying to the soft piano sounds. “Honestly Spencer, being able to see you smile, being in your vicinity, just that is enough for me,” you finally answered, tilting your head up at him. Spencer thought his knees would give way. He thought his knees would give way, and he would hit the ground with enough impact to implode through the earth’s crust. In reality, he only stumbled over his feet momentarily, regaining his composure before you noticed him slowly becoming unhinged. “If that’s the case, I wish I’d picked your name,” he managed to utter, breathlessly.

The music which continued to play was drowned out by the sound of steady breathing, you were too caught up in each other to pay attention to the world. Wordless, you looked into his eyes, his actions parallel to yours. “You look beautiful right now,” he sighed. “Of course, you always look beautiful but, you know.” You shook your head, refraining from averting your eyes from his. He wished you believed it, promising himself to never abstain from letting you know until you saw yourself the way he did. “It’s funny you say that, because I was thinking the same thing. About you of course,” you rushed out the last part, realising the potential for miscommunication. “I love seeing you happy,”

“Well, as long as you stick around, you’ll be seeing a lot of that,” he spoke lowly, on the verge of telling you about all the things he felt for you. You hadn’t realised, but you had unconsciously moved closer together. You could feel his warm breath on your skin, lighting a fire inside your lungs, as he took yours away. Spencer saw all of the signs; the signs that this was not usual for a friendship. Maybe, if it weren’t for his defeated battle with fear, and doubt, he would have told you by now that he had fallen desperately for you. Spencer knew there wasn’t a drop of insincerity behind any of the kind words you spoke into him, he understood that you were his person, but he found it difficult enough to comprehend that someone could feel this strongly for someone. So, the implausible idea that someone could feel this way about him, was one he was not even prepared to entertain. “Y/N? I, um,” he tried, wearily. You gave him a soft smile, both tired arms laced behind his neck now as his rested on your waist. He dropped his sword. Once again losing the fight against his unreasonable insecurities, changing his mind at the last second. “I need to give you something,” his demeanour changed and he vanished from your line of vision. Your heart sank, hopes of hearing him say that the love you had for him was requited, fallen. Before you got too lost in your head, he emerged from the doorway with the same black bag you’d been inquisitive of. “Uh, here, this is for, uh, you,” he tucked his lip beneath his teeth. “Spencer…” you trailed off as he handed it to you. You sat yourself on the carpet, patting the spot next to you for him to join. “I thought I should give it to you now, since I’ll be in Vegas for Christmas,”

“Spencer, you really didn’t have to-“

“Go on, open it,” he ignored your humility. You gave him a look as you opened it - it being replaced with a look of elation as you realised what it was. In your hands, you held a scarf, long enough to hit the floor, striped in all your favourite tones. “I had to ask my mom for help with the tassels, but-“

“You took the time to make this? For me?” You exclaimed. Without thought, you draped it around his neck to tug him closer to you, throwing your arms around him in a tight hug. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, thank you so much,” you lauded, refusing to let go of him. “I think it was last winter, we were walking back to our hotel in Minnesota during a case, and you insisted that the both of us use my scarf to keep us warm, because you didn’t have one,”

“Ah, I remember that, except it ended up being one of the top ten worst disasters in U.S. history due to the height difference, and we both ended up falling face-first into the snow,” you giggled, recalling the way you had used up most of the hotel’s hot water afterwards. “Exactly,” he matched your expression, “seeing as you still haven’t bought one for yourself, even though we lose eighty percent of our body heat through our head and neck, I thought I would take matters into my own hands,”

“Well, I love it. You’ll have to tell your mother I said thank you and that I’m sending my love,” you finally dropped your arms from around him, out of fear of crushing his shoulders.

Once the zeroes had lined up on the twenty-four clock, Spencer sat where he usually resided on your bed, ardently admiring you as you folded away his gift. “Wait! Spencer close your eyes! Please!” You squeaked, immediately shutting the cupboard doors, realising your unwrapped present for him was hidden within. “Y/N? Is everything alright?” He asked, eyes now sealed shut. “I didn’t want you to see what I’d bought for Secret Santa,” you let out, too exhausted to form a coherent excuse. “We only got those names today - well, yesterday, now - so how did you manage to-”

“Shoot,” you cursed to yourself, knowing his unintentional profiling would lead him to the conclusion sooner or later. Spencer’s eyes slowly opened. “Okay, let’s say if, hypothetically, I had intended on giving you something for Christmas anyway, but then drawn your name today, would you, hypothetically, be able to act surprised when you receive it from me at work?”

“Hypothetically speaking, I would?” He squinted at you, stifling laughter. Your hair was slightly messy and your drowsy eyes were visible to Spencer even without his contacts in. He thought you just looked so adorable, wanting nothing more than to hold you and share your warmth. “Anyway, come to bed,” he beckoned, his voice gravelly, giving way for the day. Obliging, you shuffled towards your bed before sliding your cold feet beneath the covers. Spencer turned to face you, resting his cheek on an upturned palm. “Sorry for ruining the surprise,” you whispered, tucking the duvet under your chin, bright eyes looking through him. “You didn’t ruin anything,” he assured, treasuring the sight before him. There had been a shift in the air between the two of you. Spencer held the wine accountable, but he could sense that you felt it too, a level of intimacy that you had not quite reached during previous nights like this. “Come closer, I need to exploit your body heat while I can.” Spencer listened to your instruction, inching nearer to you, his heart rate so high he was sure you could feel it when you nuzzled your head into his chest. “Goodnight,” you felt his chest rumble. “Hang on, the night isn’t over yet,” you mumbled, “talk to me,”

“About?” He asked, amused by your grit to avoid sleep. “Anything you want,” you yawned. “You’re sleepy,” he stated, coaxing you into getting some shut eye. When you tilted your head up and continued to blink at him, he gave in. “Have you ever wondered why a lot of our most vulnerable conversations happen at night?” You nodded in response. “Well, a study done by the University of Colorado a couple of years ago concluded that natural light from the sun actually regulates your circadian rhythm, or internal biological clock, which standardises your sleep cycle. According to their study, this sleep cycle coincides with sunrise and sunset, meaning that if you regularly expose yourself to sunlight, your body enhances its internal clock to align more closely with the natural light cycle,”

“Based on that,” you contended, words slightly jumbled, “our circadian rhythm would vary between seasons, right? And yours would be different, since you’re a literal vampire, to say... someone who surfs down in Florida because of disparity in sun exposure?”

“Precisely,” he raised his eyebrows, “I’m impressed you’re still paying attention, you look like you’re already dreaming.” Spencer nudged your forehead gently with his own, causing you to breath out a laugh. “Alright, so how does all of that relate to being more vulnerable at night?”

“It relates in the sense that the rise and fall of the sun reflects in our physiological, as well as emotional behaviour. During the day, we’re a lot more active, and at night, we become more relaxed and receptive. Hence, since your mind is at ease, all the thoughts and emotions that might have felt jumbled up during the day become clear, making them a whole lot easier to express,”

“Mhm,” you managed, eyelids growing heavy. “Do you… have anything to say now,” you whispered drowsily, eyes now closed, “that you can’t say during the day?” Spencer couldn’t handle it anymore. He was already so fond of you but as his hand settled to rest around your waist, feeling your warmness, he believed his ribs could collapse from the way he felt inside. As you dozed off, gradually, winter became less cold in his arms and dreamscapes of his tea leaf eyes. “And, she’s asleep,” he whispered, minutes after silence, into your hair, “but to answer your question, yes,” his lips planted a chaste kiss on your forehead, “I love you.” Of course, unbeknownst to him, you weren’t asleep just yet.

∗∗∗

A couple of days went by, and as more time went on, the less certain you became as to whether Spencer had really even said the words, wondering if the whole thing was just a fatigue driven hallucination your lovesick mind had conjured up. Waking up beside him the next morning however, tangled in a warm cocoon of cotton and limbs, had left you feeling giddy, smiling like a fool with heart shaped eyes as he attempted to feed you the waffles he’d made - which the two of you gulped down far too quickly than sanctioned, to avoid being late for work. When you didn’t succeed, and the clock had beaten you by ten minutes, you both wrestled past evocative looks from the rest of the team for the remainder of the day, JJ even singing something about the two of you ‘sitting in a tree’ . The soft, shared, smiles and light brushes of fingertips when he handed you coffee in the mornings left you wanting to concede; let him know that you would walk on burning coal for him, the more logical side of you reminding you that professing your devotion to him over an open case file consisting of a double homicide, three days before Christmas, was far from ideal. Spencer wanted the kind of love only the poets could express. This had become evident the evening you took him to a midnight screening of ‘Un homme et Une Femme’. You recalled leaning into him to translate, catching sight of his welling eyes glimmer in the dim lit theatre. Believing his love should be celebrated, you decided to withhold the unsurfaced feelings a little while longer.

Later that week, you all gathered around the BAU tree, a small framed picture of Derek decidedly hanging from one of its upper branches after Garcia had to be heavily persuaded, and eventually bribed, to not place it at the top, arguing “But he’s my star.” Spencer snuck behind you, subtly placing a hand on your back to glide through and place Rossi’s gift under the tree. “I want to let you know that I’ve been practicing my ‘surprised’ face in the mirror,” he discreetly whispered against your neck, making you roll your eyes. “Okay super sleuths, I know we’re all itching to fly away for a break, but hold your reindeer, because we are yet to kick off our annual Secret Santa,” Garcia excitedly exclaimed, shuffling in with two large sparkling bags. “I thought there was a budget?” Rossi quirked. “Yes, sir,” she looked smug, “for you.” The team shared smiles at Rossi’s perplexed look. “So, who wants to start us off?” Garcia chirped. With that, the festivities were under way. You held tight an abnormally large heat sensitive mug, which you were sure would also reveal a promiscuous image once warm - a gift from Emily, who gave herself away by insisting it would help your caffeine dependency - watching as the others tackled ribbon wrapping paper. You threw an impressed look Spencer’s way, that glint of knowing something the universe doesn’t returning to your eyes, when Rossi opened a small portrait of what looked to be a Venetian cathedral, the Santa Maria to be exact. Once the banter and excited chatter had died down, everyone turned to the recipient of the final gift, neatly labelled Spencer Reid, enveloped in brown paper and tied with deep purple ribbon. Penelope looked as if she were about to pass out. Spencer’s shifting eyes landed on JJ as she mouthed a small ‘you’re up’, causing a smile to tug at his lips when he eyed you gazing at him with the soft look he adored. Your eyes lingered on his hands as they swimmingly untied the mauve knot and tore open the paper to reveal a large leather-bound journal. He examined the old looking thing, trailing his fingers along the convoluted golden details of the artistic interpretation of a moon calendar adorning its umber covers, partially covered by thin leather straps. His mouth was slightly agape, shaking a little at how well you knew him, clumsily catching the matching novelty pen before it slipped out of the wrapping and onto the floor. You had picked it up at a forlorn occult shop after it had caught your eye while looking out of place as it lay surrounded by large crystals. Knowing in an almost divine way that it should belong to Spencer, you had bought it. He couldn’t help but look at you briefly, communicating a silent gratitude. “This is amazing,” he ogled, “I love it.” Your heartbeat was in your throat. He was yet to find out you’d filled the first page for him.

Shouts of Merry Christmas, long hugs and season’s greetings were thrown around the room before, one by one, everyone slowly bade their goodbyes. While helping JJ clear away torn reds and greens of gift wrapping, you caught sight of Spencer, ears and cheeks scarlet, with his nose buried in his new, opened, journal.

“We are asleep until we fall in love," you looked up from Leo Tolstoy’s one thousand page book and recited to me, once. Since you walked into my life, I’ve been wide awake. You know that I’m never far away, but this is for the days you need to let out some of what you hold in, without saying it aloud.

I love you too, Spencer.

Spencer read and re-read the words until he was sure he could recite them like the Lord’s Prayer. It was commonly Spencer who remembered small details and remembered paltry quotations, but this time, it was you. Sitting in the glow of the afternoon sun, one October, he had been reading War and Peace, and couldn’t help but share the line with you as you sat across from him, chewing through a much smaller number of pages and reading a collection of poetry. The woman he had been so captivated by, admiring from afar that day - and all others, felt the same way he did. In disbelief, he began breathing manually. Making sure he was deciphering the cursive lettering correctly, he scanned the page again. While his eyes were definitely not deceiving him, they remained glued to one word. Awake. The havoc caused in his heart by the train of thought hitting him so brutally, rivalled only Gare Montparnasse. You must’ve heard his confession nights ago. It was the only explanation for the ‘I love you, too’. You most definitely were awake. Profiling tendencies overcame him. With his basic background of graphology, he could make out that the last line had been written in fresher ink than all the others, confirming his hypothesis. For the first time in a while, his mind was quiet, the uncertainties which fought to float in, unable to make their way through as if the thee simple words you’d handed him were a barrier for them. He needed to talk to you.

Walking quickly towards the elevator, an overwhelming wave of anxiety crashed over you. You had subconsciously been avoiding Spencer for most of the evening, second-guessing whether or not you’d heard him correctly, whether he’d even meant the words in the way you’d interpreted, wondering what you would do if this friendship were to ever end. However, a more hopeful side of you contended to quiet those thoughts. He had to feel it too. There was no room in which you hadn’t shared a longing look. The feather touches, and dancing. So badly did you want to believe that he thought this too. A slender arm appeared through the closing elevator doors, tugging you back to reality, causing you to jump before quickly pushing the open button. “Spencer! You could’ve lost an arm!” You yelped. “It’s okay, I have two of them,” he huffed. He avoided your eyes for a moment, before inhaling half of the oxygen in the small lift and turning towards you. “I wanted to say thank you, for this,” he held up the book, “it’s gorgeous, and sort of… exactly what I needed - and not just the book itself but what you wrote… inside it,” he nervously looked at you. “Did you- do you mean what you wrote?” His tone of voice syringed into you a drop of hurt. “Spencer, I never want you to think that I don’t mean it,” your let out in a shaky voice, gently grasping his elbow. You visibly saw his body ease, a smitten smile replacing the lip being chewed at. His throat bobbed as he gulped before he spoke again, heartbeat in his ears. “I want you to know that I’m in love with you, Y/N. I don’t want you the way I want a best friend, I want you in a-” he sighed, clenching and unclenching his fist trying to find the words, “I want you in a way that means I want to fall asleep beside you, and wake up to you the next morning, for as long as the sun rises. I want you. I want you - no, need you, the way the tide needs the moon to rise and fall, I want you-” he swallowed, furrowing his brows at his feet, “I want you, like this.” Hazel eyes fluttering shut was the last thing you saw. Large hands lightly caressed your face, one travelling behind your ear, brushing your neck to delicately tangle in your hair. After years of wondering, you finally knew what his lips felt like on yours. His nose bumped yours lightly as you tasted his soft lips, their slight chap reminding you that winter had kissed them first. Your hands wrapped around his wrists, before one settled on his tilted jaw and another hid in his chestnut hair. He felt warm, everywhere you touched setting electricity through him. Even after you pulled apart, his arms remained on either side of your face, holding you like you were fragile. His breath fanned over your face, as you shivered, the fluttering in your stomach unsubdued. The elevator had long reached the ground floor, causing the two of you to bashfully laugh concurrently. You thought to yourself that Spencer’s crimson flush and wide grin was a sight you would lose sleep to gaze at. “All this time, I’ve been missing out on that,” you teased, watching him shyly bite his lip as he waited for you to say something else. “I’m very glad you said all of that because I’m very much in love with you, Spencer Reid, and, if you’ll let me, I want to love you, the way people love in all the books you’ve lent me,” you told him. At that, he was sure his heart was yours, fearlessly. So, making afternoon plans and debating which train to take, neither of you really caring as long as you were in the other’s company, you finally stepped out of the elevator, oblivious to the mistletoe that was hanging within it, but more than mindful of what was to come.

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blushingreid · 4 years

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Halloween

Spencer Reid x Fem! Reader

A/N: Here’s a cute lil fic w/ scared reader based off one of my first & LAST experience with a haunted house. I tried to get it posted by Halloween but one day later doesn’t hurt. I hope you enjoy & pls slide some feedback <3

“BOO!” Spencer yelled as he jumped up from below y/n’s desk, wearing a monster mask. He’d been crouched under her desk, waiting all morning to scare his girlfriend.

“Oh hellllll no,” y/n yelped slapping Spencer, not realizing it was her boyfriend under the mask, as she winded up for another attack.

“Ouch y/n it’s me,” Spencer whined, removing his Halloween mask and rubbing his now red cheek.

“Damn the kiddo got you good,” Rossi laughed as he had watched the whole event happen.

“I warned you that this wasn’t going to be a good idea,” Penelope grimaced as she came out of the break room, coffee in hand.

“Omg Spence! Are you okay? What made you think scaring me was a great idea?” Y/n said, worry laced in her voice as she approached him.

“Because it’s Halloween.....,” Spencer softly said, a hint of guilt in his reply. Y/n inspected his cheek, feeling embarrassed. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss on the cheek hoping it would help distract him from the fact he just got slapped.

“Scare me again and you’ll be dressing up in a couples costume by yourself tomorrow tonight,” y/n whispered in his ear before pulling away.

“Wait that is not possible for, me, one person to dress as up in a couple’s costu-,” Spencer paused suddenly realizing what y/n’s threat meant.

“Okay you two, let’s get started on all this paperwork if we wanna make it to the festival on time,” JJ reminded them as she headed to her desk.

Penelope had proposed that the team bring their families to the annual Halloween fair, the day before Halloween. The team had all agreed, since they weren’t away on a case for once. This was going to be Spencer and y/n’s first Halloween together, as a couple. Spencer hs been counting down to this, down to the millisecond, he was going to be celebrating his favorite holiday with his favorite people.

After everyone had quickly finished their work for the day, they all went their separate ways until they would meet at the festival in a couple hours. Y/n had riden with Spencer back to his apartment. She had bought matching Halloween socks and orange sweaters for both of them, just for this day. Y/n knew how much Spencer loved Halloween and wanted to add her own little twist to it.

A couple hours later, Spencer and y/n were the last to arrive at the fair. Y/n had forced Spencer to take so many pictures of their matching outfits. Despite Spencer’s loud objections and whining, he soon grew to secretly enjoy it.

“Omg. You two even are matching for this. My heart is absolutely fluttering for you too,” Penelope gushed, noticing the couple heading towards the group.

After the team argued about what they should all do first, Hotch proposed that they split up in families and pairs to do an activity before they meet back up for donuts and cider.

Once the team split to check out the fairs different attractions, Spencer and y/n began exploring. Y/n hadn’t realized that Spencer had suddenly stopped walking until she noticed no one was responding to her. She stopped in her tracks to turn and find Spencer, only to see the sparkle in his eyes as he gazed upon something. When her eyes saw what was at the end of his line of sight, y/n instantly paled. If this was a normal barn, y/n would be running to it in a heartbeat to play with all the farm animals. However, the light up sign saying Haunted Barn, had her ready to run the opposite direction.

Spencer turned to y/n and put on his best puppy dog eyes and pouty face he could and begged,” Can we please go in the haunted barn?”

“Nope. Nope. A million times no,” y/n firmly said as she turned the opposite direction and began to flee. She’d rather eat dirt than go in there.

“I know you have never been in one before, so I think we should try it. You are the one who always says it is important to try new things,” Spencer reasoned as he caught her by the waist to keep her from leaving him. He pulled y/n into his chest and tilted her head up until both their eyes met. Y/n instantly softened in his embrace, mentally cursing herself for being so weak to his touch. “I promise, I will protect you from anything. Okay?”

Y/n sighed,” If you don’t, I’ll be the one to kick your ass.”

Spencer couldn’t contain his excitement as he peppered y/n’s face in kisses. Y/n knew this small little sacrifice would be worth it, if she gets to see Spencer this happy.

Once they reached the barn’s entrance, y/n instantly felt her nerves sky rocket. She grabbed onto Spencer’s hand, interlocking their fingers. As they entered, the sudden evil cackling from the speakers from one of the props, scared y/n straight into the air. Spencer chuckled, giving her hand a small squeeze. Y/n tried to calm herself down, moving even closer to Spencer and using her free hand to grip onto his bicep as they continued through the barn.

After what felt like centuries, they finally emerged from the barn. Spencer glowing like his usual Greek God looking self, a huge smile on his face like a kid in DisneyLand. Y/n, on the other hand, was a literal mess.

As they approached the group at their meeting point for donuts and cider, the team all instantly took notice to the young couple’s opposite appearances.

“Damn lil mama, who’d you get into a fight with?” Morgan joked, immediately calling out y/n’s disheveled look.

“Actually, Y/n fought one of the fair workers in the haunted house,” Spencer proudly said, placing a kiss to her temple as he attempted to smooth down the pieces of her hair sticking up in all different directions.

“I warned all of them not to touch me, or else they were going to catch these hands,” y/n mumbled as she fixed her sweater.

“That’s my girl!” Emily praised, giving y/n a quick-high five.

“We all saw what happens when she gets scared this morning. You got a nice little red mark to remind you,” JJ said as she gestured towards the red mark on Spencer’s cheek.

Rossi chuckled, jokingly rolling his eyes.

“You mean to tell me that you can fight some of the country’s worst criminals, but a ‘spooky’ little scarecrow jumps out at you and it’s over?”

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reneehearts · 3 years

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1: Top 3 ice cream flavors - mocha, cookie dough, s’mores

2: Top 3 Disney Movies - the lion king, frozen, 101 Dalmatians

3: Top 3 vacation destinations - key west, San Antonio, Germany

4: Top 3 places to shop - target, Victoria’s Secret, Etsy

5: Top 3 subjects of study/classes to take - English lit, memoirs, child development/social work

6: Top 3 make up products - glitter eye shadow, brown eye liner, mascara

7: Top 3 music artists - pierce the veil, jonas brothers, Taylor swift

8: Top 3 spices/herbs - cinnamon, garlic, salt

9: Top 3 drinks - coffee, iced tea, water

10: Top 3 apps to use - tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat

11: Top 3 months of the year - December, august, November

12: Top 3 clothing items - leggings, sweatshirts, bralette

13: Top 3 binge perfect tv shows - new girl, himym, friends

14: Top 3 romantic dates - intimate dinner/drinks, beach at night, hot tub

15: Top 3 kinds of flower - lilac, sunflower, tulip

16: Top 3 christmas movies - the Santa clause, the grinch, Christmas with the kranks

17: Top 3 OTPs - nick and Jess, Winston and ally, Ted and Tracey

18: Top 3 quotes to describe your life - spread kindness like confetti, and idk

19: Top 3 characteristics you love about yourself - friendly, kind, caring

20: Top 3 kinds of candy - dark chocolate nonpareils, Milky Way, maple cream

21: Top 3 ways to exercise/ be active - abs, dance, walking my dog

22: Top 3 spirit animals - monkeys, bailey, lion

23: Top 3 petnames - babe, boo, my love

24: Top 3 books read outside of school - water for elephants, the likeness, gone girl

25: Top 3 most used websites - gmail, google, target

26: Top 3 people you last texted - Jamal, Christian, chris

27: Top 3 hashtags you use - I really don’t

28: Top 3 instagram accounts you follow - Aussiesdoingthings, xomissdanielle, sophieturner

29: Top 3 guilty pleasures - old school Selena Gomez music, beets, asparagus

30: Top 3 summer activities - walking bailey, driving with the windows down, beach

31: Top 3 things to draw/doodle - hearts, flowers, stars

32: Top 3 aesthetics - pastel, rainbow/bright, princess

33: Top 3 things you'd buy if you gained three million dollars - house, private jet, pay off student debt

34: Top 3 ways to treat yourself - shopping at target, new underwear, Starbucks

35: Top 3 celebrity crushes - chris evans, ryan gosling, Aaron judge

36: Top 3 books from your childhood babysitters club, baby sitters little sister, Disney girls

37: Top 3 accents to hear - British, Australian, italian

38: Top 3 scents - pine trees/Christmas trees, lilacs, apple candle

39: Top 3 "Friends" quotes - PIVOT, they don’t know that we know that they know, soup I mean noodle soup, I mean soup!!!!

40: Top 3 cupcake flavors - yellow, chocolate, funfetti

41: Top 3 fruits - banana, strawberry, raspberry

42: Top 3 places you've had amazing pizza from - little Vincent’s, rosa’s in penn, Timothy’s

43: Top 3 sports teams to watch - Yankees, Yankees, Yankees

44: Top 3 crayola colors - I only really remember one specifically, razzledazzle, the pink one!

45: Top 3 things you hope to accomplish in college

46: Top 3 fanfictions you've read

47: Top 3 people you miss right now - Nick, Tony, Emily

48: Top 3 fears - burning alive, house fire, heights

49: Top 3 favorite literary devices - foreshadowing, symbolism, irony

50: Top 3 pet peeves - ppl who don’t use their blinkers, bad grammar/spelling (two, too, to etc.) ppl being late

51: Top 3 physical things you find attractive - abs, calves, smile

52: Top 3 bad habits - ED behaviors, over drinking when out, getting too attached

53: Top 3 pets you've had/wish to have - more Aussies, a monkey, lion

54: Top 3 types of foreign food - Italian, German, French

55: Top 3 things you want to say to someone in your lifetime - I just want to be able to talk to NG again 😔

56: Top 3 dog breeds - Australian shepherd, yorkie, German shepherd

57: Top 3 cheesy romance movies - pretty woman, the notebook, the last song

58: Top 3 languages you speak/wish to speak - Italian, French, Spanish

59: Top 3 series (book, movie, television) - friends, new girl, svu

60: Top 3 pizza toppings - just cheese please

61: Top 3 youtubers you're subscribed to

62: Top 3 tattoo / piercing ideas - astrology/Leo tattoo, finger tattoo, peacock feather

63: Top 3 awards you want to win - I don’t really need an award lol

64: Top 3 emojis - 😂🙈😍

65: Top 3 cars you dream of owning - pickup truck, Dodge Charger and 🤷🏼‍♀️

66: Top 3 authors - Tana French, Gillian Flynn, Sara gruen

67: Top 3 historical figures - MLK JR., Abraham Lincoln, Rosa parks

68: Top 3 baby names - hazel, violet, Ella

69: Top 3 DIYs - 🤷🏼‍♀️

70: Top 3 smoothie combos/flavors - peach, pineapple, strawberry banana

71: Top 3 songs of this month - mr. Perfectly fine, shake it out, dark horse

72: Top 3 questions of this post you want to be asked

73: Top 3 villains - scar, hades and 🤷🏼‍♀️

74: Top 3 Cities you want to see - Berlin/Munich, Sydney, Montreal

75: Top 3 recipes you want to try

76: Top 3 dream jobs - ice cream/candy store owner, school social worker, stay at home dog mom

77: Top 3 lucky items - my dog, my rings, my pop pop’s pocket watch

78: Top 3 traditions you have - Christmas Eve matching pjs with sister, reindeer food, and gingerbread cookies

79: Top 3 things you miss about being a kid - carefree, no bills, no responsibility

80: Top 3 harry potter characters

81: Top 3 lies you were told - only teenagers have acne, adults know what they’re doing/have it figured out, you can achieve anything you want with hard work

82: Top 3 pictures in your camera roll right now

83: Top 3 turn ons - hot body, nice smile, good sense of humor

84: Top 3 turn offs - disrespectful, rude, inconsistency

85: Top 3 magazines/news papers/ journals to read

86: Top 3 things you wish you had known earlier - what I wanted to study in undergrad, how bad heartbreak hurts, how complicated life/relationships can be

87: Top 3 spongebob episodes

88: Top 3 places to be in the world - northport, key west, Bahamas

89: Top 3 things you'd do differently - look more into options besides college, go to grad school right after AmeriCorps, have “the talk” with Nick

90: Top 3 TV shows from your childhood - Lizzie McGuire, Hannah Montana, Gullah Gullah island

91: Top 3 meals you love - ice cream, acai bowl, fries

92: Top 3 kinds of tea - just black please

93: Top 3 embarrassing moments - putting my foot in the muddy tree, getting sick from drinking while out, car accident

94: Top 3 holidays to celebrate - Christmas, New Year’s Eve, thanksgiving

95: Top 3 things to do in the rain - read, watch tv, snuggle with my dog

96: Top 3 things to do in the snow - stay inside and read, have hot chocolate, watch tv

97: Top 3 items you can't leave the house w/o - phone, ID, keys

98: Top 3 movies you'd like to see - last Christmas, hot tub time machine, zoolander

99: Top 3 art mediums - dance, watercolor, singing

100: Top 3 museums you've been to - museum of natural history DC, MOMA, Alamo

101: Top 3 school memories - leaving lmao

102: Top 3 things you don't/Won't miss - I’m not really sure

103: Top 3 pick up lines

104: Top 3 sports to watch - baseball, basketball, hockey

105: Top 3 taylor swift songs - mr. Perfectly fine, happiness, august

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13uswntimagines · 3 years

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Chanukah party (USWNT x Baby!Reader)

This isn’t a request but @literaryhedgehog and I thought it would be fun. The basic premise is that reader is at camp during Chanukah, and the team feels bad (especially Lindsey) so they throw her a party. (thank you @notmia101 for betaing this for us).

You smiled at Alyssa as she described her winter plans after training camp. How she was going to visit her sister and her family for Christmas. How they were hoping for snow and how they were going to kill an innocent tree and desecrate its body with lights for their amusement. Her words, not yours. It was a game she and the other girls played every year, trying to make their Christmas plans sound as horror-movie-ish as possible. It was a way of trying to make fun of themselves so you could share the amusement and join in laughing at them.

But despite their efforts, a little piece of you always felt left out because you couldn’t (wouldn’t?) participate. See, you were one of the few who didn’t celebrate Christmas. You were proud of your Jewish heritage, even if your family wasn’t the most ~religious~. But you were proud of the culture you had been raised in. You held its traditions very near to your heart and weren’t AT ALL bitter that the rest of the team had time designated to visit their family during their winter holidays while you still had training camp through the third week of December.

You were kinda zoning out because you could only take so much of their cookie baking, their stalkerish man that watched kids while they slept, and their hiding of a stupid stuffed toy you were sure would give you nightmares (who the fuck thought having an ‘elf’ stalk your family all month was cute?!?!? Capitalism was a weird man). (Though you may or may not have paid attention to Lindsey’s plan to dress Ferguson like a little elf…)

“What about you kid?” Tobin asked, nudging you out of your daydream.

“What?” You shook your head, making everyone around you laugh.

“Do you have plans for the holidays?” Lindsey repeated, her smile showing off her dimples.

“Oh, um. Chanukah started a few days ago. It’s cool, they have an app with a menorah and everything. My family has been face timing me most days, but it will be over before training ends.” You shrugged, hoping they couldn’t see how much being away from your family during this time of year sucked (though you were glad to be included on the camp roster).

Most of the veteran's jaws dropped, how had they not known that you were missing something so important to you? How had US Soccer overlooked a holiday (and inadvertently given you an ultimatum- celebrate or make the national team).

“Then why did they schedule training camp this week?” Tobin mumbled. Again you shrugged.

“There’s 23 of you and only one of me… it’s really not that big of a deal,” you smiled briefly and gave the same speech you had given since middle school, “It’s not like the ‘Jewish Christmas’ even though it happens around the same time some years, my family doesn’t even exchange presents, so I’m really just missing the party they’re throwing on the 18th.”

“That still isn’t fair though. I mean, we get Christmas off automatically, even if we don’t celebrate it!” Christen huffed, throwing her hands up.

“I mean, this isn’t like a new thing. We’re always at camp during this time. And next year the holiday starts in November, so it’s not something that can consistently be scheduled around. I guess it’s just a sacrifice I have to make to be the best right?” You said earnestly, shaking your head. You knew all of the arguments, you had heard them for all of your life.

“But-“ Emily started to protest, but before she could get the words out you cut her off. “Don’t make a big deal guys, it’s fine. Really,”

The team stared at you for a few seconds, several women opening and closing their mouths several times. You shifted uncomfortably under their gaze, breathing a sigh of relief when your phone rang, glad to have an excuse to get out of this situation.

“Ok so we’re totally going to make a big deal out of this,” Lindsey said turning back around to face the team the second you were out the door.

“I’m guessing you have a plan to woo your girl?” Emily smirked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“It’s not to. No. We are doing this as a team to be supportive of our teammate who is part of a traditionally marginalized culture that we need to be more supportive of,” Lindsey grumbled sternly, smiling when Christen nodded in return. “I’m googling “Chanukah for Dummies” right now.

They were going to make this camp different from the others (and if she got to impress you that was just a bonus).

…..

“Umm, why does it smell like something is burning?” Becky asked, walking through the hotel corridor towards the dining room.

“Because Latkes are apparently more difficult to make than I expected,” Kelley said, tossing what looked like a stack of burned hockey pucks into the trash. “I didn’t realize the whole room was going to smell like fried food- do you think they’re going to fine me when we check out?”

“If they fine you, they better fine Em too. The stench from such a little jar is kind of amazing,” Lindsey huffed.

“What did she do, get her sardines or something?” Becky asked, shaking her head, remembering the smell that she couldn’t quite place.

“No. Something called ‘Gefilte fish’”.

“But isn’t that usually for Passover?” Kelley asked, looking up from where she was trying to scrape burned potatoes off her pan.

“They said it was traditional, isn’t that what we’re going for?” Emily huffed, pouting. Lindsey rolled her eyes at her best friend.

“I’ve got music!” Chrystal called, walking through the door in a star-patterned sweater. “It turns out there are not a whole lot of Chanukah songs. There’s a Spotify playlist that’s only 3 hours long, or so, so I supplemented it with a lot of Leonard Cohen and Paul Simon.”

“And I brought the sour cream and applesauce as requested!” Sam called, walking in after her, “also some apple juice and honey bourbon. I know apples and honey are a thing for Rosh Hashana, so I thought maybe we could make some cocktails?”

“I won’t tell coach if you don’t,” Kelley said taking the bottle and pouring herself a shot. “Someone else needs to take over the latke making. My attempts have all either looked like lefse, hashbrowns or just burned.”

“Lefse?”

“I had an ex-girlfriend from Minnesota. It was a potato tortilla thing her family sent her at thanksgiving. The point here is that someone else needs to cook or we are just going to be eating sour cream and applesauce on their own.”

“We could make french fries?” Rose suggested tentatively.

“With bacon and cheese! Those are the best,” Emily exclaimed, only to have Lindsey (gently) slap the back of her head.

“No, Sonnett. She can’t have bacon and I don’t think she’s allowed to have cheese and meat on the same plate…”

“I think if we just batter potato pieces in egg and flour and fry them it would taste nice with the apple sauce and sour cream. And we’ve made french fries before so it won’t be so much of a… learning curve. Though you did a great try, Kelley!” Rose said, patting Kelley’s arm.

“You guys are useless. Did you even look at a recipe?” Megan shook her head.

“If you think it’s so easy you try it.” Kelley scoffed. Megan raised her eyebrow at the woman, stealing the spatula from the defender's hand.

“Tasty made here we come,”

*****

“Happy Chanukah!” came from all around as you walked in. Lindsey was very proud. Not only had she gotten the team on track and ensured that they had all of the stuff google said would make the perfect Chanukah celebration; she had also kept you off their trail until this moment. The shock on your face made all the work on their day off entirely worth it.

The room was decorated in tinsel with a shiny plastic menorah in the center of the table. Several people were wearing ugly sweaters with different “decorations” taped on. A sign on the back wall said “We survived, let’s eat!” Lindsey had decided against hanging up the posters Rose and Mal made saying “Stick it to the (ro)Man!” and “MaccaBEe mine.” The first one because she wasn’t sure it was appropriate, the second one because she knew it wasn’t.

“Ooo who brought the hotdog of the sea?” You asked, biting your lip to suppress a giggle as you walked over to the table to see the food on display.

“What?” Lindsey’s eyes tried to follow yours, utterly confused. They didn’t get hotdogs. They most certainly weren’t on the list that Chanukah for dummies had given her.

You smiled softly and shook your head, pointing to the tan balls that Emily had provided.

“That’s what my siblings and I call it during Passover. Gefilte fish is kinda a love it or hate it thing…” you trailed off, scrunching your nose just slightly.

“And you’re not a fan?” Lindsey smirked, wrapping an arm around your shoulder.

“Umm, I plead the fifth,” You mumbled, shaking your head slightly. It wasn’t your favorite item in the world.

“That was all Emily,” Kelley snorted, clapping you on the back, and you grinned devilishly back at her.

“Well, it was very nice of her to be so thoughtful. She can try a piece with me,”

Emily cringed at the idea, but nodded nonetheless. It was your party and if eating the smelly thing out of a jar made you happy, then that’s exactly what she would do. (She also stealthily shot Lindsey the middle finger while you were surveying the rest of the items on the tables).

“Honestly the sufganiyot is my favorite,” you said, taking a step towards the platter, your lips ticking up at Lindsey’s adorable confused face. “sorry, the donuts,” you clarified, picking up one of the many powdered sugar-covered donuts in the stack, inspecting it to see what kind it was. The Jelly ones were particularly important for the celebration.

Lindsey blushed a little. “We didn’t know if you wanted jelly or custard,” She said hesitantly, watching as your eyes got impossibly brighter.

“Both are amazing, thank you,” You smiled softly at the midfielder, brushing a stay bit of powdered sugar off her pink cheeks. You held her gaze for a moment before seeming realizing you had an audience, and turning towards the rest of the team. “thank all of you,”

It wasn’t the traditional Chanukah you usually shared with your family, but the friends who had become your family made it special nonetheless.

#uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #uswnt x reader #literalhedgehog

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servinglemonade · 3 years

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Holiday Movies🎄🎬 : Festive AF or Bah Humbug?

Hi! First up, I hope you are doing okay and are staying safe. It has been a weird Christmas season, and since The Netherlands is now in their second lockdown period for 2020, it is even weirder. However, that is not messing up my festive spirit. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and not even 2020 will mess that up for me. Something I have been doing since lockdown is watching movies (even more than usual). Including a bunch of new Christmas movies. I watch the classics as always and made a blog post for that a couple of years ago. Which you can read here. So, I decided to make a post with all the ‘new’ Christmas movies I have watched this year! So keep reading to find out if these movies will make you say Ho-Ho-Ho or No-No-No...

No worries, all the reviews are spoiler-free!

The Holiday Calendar (2018): Festive AF

Where to watch: Netflix

I watched this movie back in 2018 because I love Quincy! So, I was curious about this movie. I adored it. Now it has become an annual Christmas watch. Kat Graham and Quincy have great chemistry and the plot is quite original, which I can always appreciate. It is a fun movie and very cozy!

Anastasia (1997): festive AF

Where to watch: Disney+

I have been watching this movie since I was little, and I feel it so underrated! This is not a Christmas movie. However, with the winter scenery, I think it is great for the Holiday season! It’s the story of Anastasia, who may or may not be a long-lost Russian princess... The animation is fantastic, the locations are so pretty to look at, the characters and cast are amazing, and the soundtrack and musical numbers are just incredible. Yeah, there is a lot to love about this movie! Highly recommend.

The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020): festive AF

Where to watch: Disney+ (if you do not have Disney+, it is on YouTube in two parts, but you did not hear that from me ;))

I have never watched the Lego Star Wars stuff but when I saw that this was coming out, I thought: yes, sign me up! I had so much fun watching this. I highly recommend it for any Star Wars fan! Does not matter if you like the prequels, original trilogy, or the sequels, this has something for everyone! It has some great humor and some GREAT character moments. I LOVE one moment so much that I downloaded it on my phone to watch whenever I want. This will get you in the Christmas (or as they say in the SW universe Life Day) spirit for sure!

Holidate (2020): festive AF

Where to watch: Netflix

I watched this one with my friends through a virtual watch party and enjoyed it. It was way better than I expected after seeing the trailer. Emma Roberts is great as always and it was quite funny. However, with Christmas just 5 days away (yeah!!!!!), I recommend putting this one on your list for November/early December. Since the movie is not all Christmas.

The Princess Switch 2: bah humbug

Where to watch: Netflix

I hate to say it because I liked the first one and love Vanessa Hudgens, but this was not good. The plot got so ridiculous at some point and besides Vanessa and some others, most of the cast were quite mediocre. The outfits were fantastic though!

Operation Christmas Drop (2020): festive AF

Where to watch: Netflix

I enjoyed this movie. However, I do not feel the need to watch it again. Kat Graham and Alexander Ludwig’s performances are wonderful and it has a great message. The movie takes place on the island of Guam and it was so beautiful! Even though the plot can be quite predictable, it is still quite an original story for a Christmas movie!

My Christmas Inn (2018): bah humbug

Where to watch: Netflix

Predictable and cheesy. It has all the basic beats of your regular Christmas movie. A woman with a very busy and successful job goes to a small town, usually does not like Christmas or is too busy to celebrate it. Then they usually meet the town’s most eligible bachelor, and well... You can fill in the rest. Tia Mowry does a fine job for what she has been given and the town and inn are charming.

Noelle (2019): festive AF

Where to watch: Disney+

I was not sure about this one after the trailer, but I LOVED this! Anna Kendrick and Billie Eichner are so great here and the movie has so many Christmas puns... Oh my garland, right up my alley. I loved the look of the North Pole, soooo magical. Plus, Snowcone is absolutely adorable! SO SO SO festive!

Dash & Lily (2020): festive AF

Where to watch: Netflix

Okay, this is not a movie, but a series. However, it is just 8 episodes that are around 20-27 minutes each and it is very binge-able! This show is based on a book. I don’t want to give anything away, but the basic plot is that this boy who hates Christmas comes into contact with a girl who loves Christmas through a notebook, which might sound really vague, but it will become clear when you watch it! It takes place in New York during the Christmas season (obviously), which drew me to the show in the first place. Call me basic, but NYC looks so festive and magical. This is what this show is too! I loved it and hope there will be a second season next year!

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020): festive AF

Where to watch: Netflix

This movie is... INCREDIBLE. Everything about it is just magical. The cast, set design, characters, costume design, musical numbers and choreography, the story. Everything is just wonderful! You can tell this movie had a big budget which it deserves. I even forget for a minute that I was watching a Netflix movie?! You have to watch this one, you will not regret it. My favorite songs were This Day and Make It Work Again. The Usher and Kiana Ledé version of This Day is fantastic too and has been on repeat! Someone on Twitter said that this movie would make an amazing Broadway musical which I agree wholeheartedly with and someone should get on that and make it happen!

Godmothered (2020): festive AF

Where to watch: Disney+

I liked Godmothered. The plot was nice, the characters were fun and overall enjoyable. I do not know why, but I just always enjoy stories where someone who is not from our world, comes here and discovers everything in funny ways. It just cracks me up, and Godmothered has those aspects as well. I was also impressed by the special effects and CGI in this movie.

Christmas in Evergreen (2017): bah humbug

Where to watch: I watched this one on TV and it is not on Netflix here in The Netherlands, but maybe you will be in luck... or not (since the movie is not very good)

The town of Evergreen has become a running gag now in my house. There is not 1, not 2, but 3 movies that take place in this town. I-... I do not know what to say haha. I mean, just like My Christmas Inn, a very basic plot. Evergreen does have a charming, festive feel to it, so the movie has that going for it. Other than that, not a lot. One thing I found ridiculous was when the main character had a flight to catch. You would think that she has to get to the airport, yet she goes on all these side quests and I was just so annoyed by it.

Christmas Wonderland (2018): festive AF

Where to watch: Netflix

Is it cheesy? Yes. Is it predictable? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Heck yeah. I do not know why, but Christmas Wonderland is not as cringe as some of these Hallmark Christmas movies can be. It stars Emily Osment (you might know her from Hannah Montana) and she is an artist here. Overall, not a waste of time and it was fun to watch.

So that was it for this post! I hope you enjoyed it and maybe gave you a few new Christmas movies to watch! What are some of your favorite Christmas movies?

I will be back with more posts after Christmas! Maybe some of my favorite things from 2020, to end this year on a positive note!

There are just 3 days left until Christmas. 2020 has been the longest, yet the fastest year ever. I know this Christmas will be different and there will be lots of people spending it without their loved ones. If you are one of them, I am so sorry. I hope you can enjoy the day regardless. Watch a few movies, eat all your favorite Christmas treats, call up your loved ones, treat yourself with a nice face mask, or do absolutely nothing. It’s up to you.

I truly hope you have a wonderful Christmas and I am sending lots of virtual hugs your way! I wish you a very merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! XO

Yenai

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theparanormalperiodical · 5 years

Text

Best Horror Movies Available To Stream This Halloween (UK)

Let’s set the scene:

It’s Halloween night.

You’ve turned off the lights, you’ve lit a candle which-you-totally-should’nt-have-done-cause-of-your-housing-contract-but-fuck-the-system, and you’ve popped some popcorn.

You ain’t heading out to no parties, but you might have a friend or two round to enjoy the festivities of the bestest night of the whole damn year.

Or, like me, you’ve got fuck all time after work and are actually looking forward to celebrating this one with a bottle of cider and a self-induced sugar-coma…

Either way, a horror movie binge is one of the best ways to celebrate the season.

So, to help you sort out your sesh, I’ve compiled all the UK streaming service’s best horror movies. That’s right - this is your ultimate guide to the best horror fan’s night in.

And to help you sift through the options, I’ve even tossed in the trailers.

Pulling on your costume?

Carving a pumpkin?

Waiting for a delayed train?

Give ‘em a watch and let the scare-fest begin!

Oh, and if you thought I couldn’t do even more for you, dear reader, I’ve categorised them.

If you’re looking for a family friendly flick, hoping to clue up on the classics, or getting ready to get your gore on, finding the film has never been easier!

Let’s get spooky.

Netflix

The Classics

Anaconda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkX5t5ZJLEk

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtBq5lox-1Q

Insidious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuZnRUcoWos

Insidious Chapter 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBbi4NeebAk

Insidious Chapter 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HxEXnVSr1w

Mother!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpICoc65uh0

The Cabin In The Woods

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsIilFNNmkY

The Grudge 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwcQYZkpZ-w

Orphan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ywOPNNii9w

Misery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHQ9CPRfDsw

Psycho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz719b9QUqY

Friday The 13th: A New Beginning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTqXh6KaY-Y

Carrie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuO26oJQLVs

Carrie 2: The Rage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUllfJplJoM

The Silence Of The Lambs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Mm8Sbe__o

American Psycho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YnGhW4UEhc

Bird Box

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPWMBITCudM

Family Friendly

Casper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unyb6UTyl_U

Goosebumps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cn716jv61s

Scooby Doo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3dbeI0BU1k

Scooby Doo 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT76WvGRGEs

Hotel Transylvania

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYgzizpCTKU

Monster House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEkeZhWbW7U

Wallace And Gromit: Curse Of The Were-Rabbit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXYNHHj4KDw

Based On A True Story

Mother!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpICoc65uh0

The Exorcism Of Emily Rose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi-PLwxwvy8

Veronica

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQW5I5tCy28

Winchester

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Juc2cL26mg

Halloween Ones

Holidays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc4NJKDxV4Y

Monster House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEkeZhWbW7U

Gore n’ Slasher

The Purge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0LLaybEuzA

The Purge: Anarchy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzFCDqKE4yA

Would You Rather

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it5XICr93wU

Final Destination 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI87-0g_SI8

Jigsaw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF5viX42K3s

Saw VI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW8BaH-w7-4

Saw: The Final Chapter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC7yCELivB8

Paranormal

The Exorcism Of Emily Rose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi-PLwxwvy8

As Above So Below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVuv1Ey3oIM

Ghost Stories

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En5-S3djB44

Veronica

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQW5I5tCy28

Ouija

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T1Jj1inE8M

Mama

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Am7i7uM9r0

Deliver Us From Evil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWDM_p68HAQ

Satanic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWSnmDXJ37A

The Bye Bye Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGdOnCiQRpQ

Psychological

Ghost Stories

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En5-S3djB44

Jump Scare Fests

Insidious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuZnRUcoWos

Insidious Chapter 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBbi4NeebAk

Insidious Chapter 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HxEXnVSr1w

The Boy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1U21VBSbSs

Hush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_P8WCbhC6s

Clown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkwHXxcBr1A

Sinister

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kbQAJR9YWQ

Don’t Knock Twice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCimEns0MMA

Winchester

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Juc2cL26mg

Horror Comedies

Happy Death Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NTaDm3atkc

Shaun Of The Dead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIfcaZ4pC-4

Scary Movie 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCFZUZxBVuI

Scary Movie 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGTrKmkceiE

Dark Shadows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6tVdffCr_M

Warm Bodies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07s-cNFffDM

Amazon Prime Video

The Classics

The Coven

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvCNJenh1mE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAUTdjf9rko

Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfvBru3MKsg

Hereditary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6wWKNij_1M

Poltergeist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eZgEKjYJqA

Sweeney Todd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4R72KROZ20

Jason X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka8QJjfpw1w

Evil Dead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL6mioAlpJk

Monster House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEkeZhWbW7U

Children Of The Corn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs6z1D4gVp4

Family Friendly

Corpse Bride

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tpLNUI9rQU

Monster House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEkeZhWbW7U

Based On A True Story

Annabelle: Creation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KisPhy7T__Q

Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfvBru3MKsg

Halloween

Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfvBru3MKsg

Monster House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEkeZhWbW7U

Gore n’ Slasher

Clown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkwHXxcBr1A

Jason X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka8QJjfpw1w

Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfvBru3MKsg

Paranormal

Hereditary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6wWKNij_1M

Annabelle: Creation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KisPhy7T__Q

Evil Dead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL6mioAlpJk

Psychological

Hereditary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6wWKNij_1M

Jumpscare Fest

Annabelle: Creation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KisPhy7T__Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAUTdjf9rko

Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfvBru3MKsg

Jason X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka8QJjfpw1w

Horror Comedies

Cockney’s Vs. Zombies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q96po6oa11w

Monster House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEkeZhWbW7U

Most of the Sharknado Films

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-pXDoe5a0E

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foGraEVNI0s

RIPD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvwH80AvtAg

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cometogethcr · 4 years

Text

Get to know the blogger!

Tagged by @eatingthem ( thank you brother )

i’m tagging @indignaticn @mirrcrspeaks @pepperpxtts @smartvulpix and anyone else who wants to do it !!

FIRST NAME jason but i don’t mind jayjay, or jace either. just don’t call me jay i don’t know what it is but i hate being called jay for whatever reason

STRANGE FACT ABOUT YOURSELF uuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh i’ve technically died twice? (and almost died a third time) once when i was two after getting really really sick from something that they still don’t know lmao, and once when i was nine on the day we came back from a holiday also from getting really really sick aaaaand the almost died time being in my first year of uni when i overdosed on ecstacy

TOP THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE ON A PERSON hands, legs, and probably eyes

A FOOD YOU COULD EAT FOREVER AND NOT GET BORED OF sushi !! especially from my sister and i’s fav sushi place. i know theyre super american but i could eat Philadelphia rolls until the day i die and never ever get tired of them

A FOOD YOU HATE BELL PEPPERS!!

GUILTY PLEASURE super fucked up extreme cinema... i’ve watched salo 3 times lmfao

WHAT DO YOU SLEEP IN usually t shirt and boxers, unless its FREEZING (i live in a basement) then i wear a hoodie and boxers

SERIOUS RELATIONSHIPS OR FLINGS serious relationships, although im very very happy being single right now lmfao

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN THE PAST AND CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU AND WHAT WOULD IT BE uuuuuuuhhhhh probably go back to the time when i had initially dropped out of theatre school and just stayed and finished my final year so i didn’t go back the year later and eventually meet my “”ex”” (if you could even call him that) kjjdjskjsdf thats trauma baby!!!

ARE YOU AN AFFECTIONATE PERSON sometimes! more so verbally than anything else, i’m not much of a touchy person, i like hugs but i don’t really like cuddling or anything like that

A MOVIE YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN oh man theres so many!! reservoir dogs, a clockwork orange, full metal jacket, salo kjdjdkfjkf

FAVORITE BOOK oh man, filth by irvine welsh, flowers for algernon by daniel keyes, animal farm by george orwell

YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP ANY ANIMAL AS A PET, WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE A PIGGIE!!!!!!! or a sloth or a goat

TOP FIVE FICTIONAL SHIPS [IF YOU ARE AN RP BLOG, YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN SHIPS AS WELL] UUUH mister pink/mister brown - reservoir dogs ????? god i don’t know lmao

PIE OR CAKE CAKE!!!!!!!!!! CHEESECAKE!!!!!!!

FAVORITE SCENT whatever scent my candle that i have is that i ripped the label off and can no longer remember what it is

CELEBRITY CRUSH LEE PACE!!!! GOD i am just so mesmerized but his work?? and he’s someone i look up to so much as an actor myself, plus his smile is so GENUINE!! and he’s done so much for the environment and for the queer community sdjksdkjsjsdjks i love him so much. i wish i could have seen him in angels in america on broadway back in 2018 fuck.

IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO I really want to visit every province that i haven’t been to yet before I die. (I live in Ontario and I’ve only been to Quebec & Manitoba so I have a bit to go lol) especially the northern territories and the eastern provinces (I really hope to work at neptune theatre in nova scotia one day), aaaand my best friend sammi and i were supposed to go to mexico this year but ..... yeah. AND ALSO I’D LIKE TO GO TO UTAH TO SEE @eatingthem <3

INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT a little bit of both?? it really depends on the situation, im definitely more of an extrovert once you get to know me, honestly.

DO YOU SCARE EASILY depends on the situation, i get nervous about confrontation sometimes... real life things tend to scare me the most. my two biggest fears are cults and pandemics.. ..... . . . . . so you know how i’ve been feeling lately

IPHONE OR ANDROID i’ve been using iphones since i was 14 (so almost 10 years) and even though realistically i know that androids are better i probably will never ever switch over lmfao

DO YOU PLAY ANY VIDEO GAMES i play the sims 4 (i have almost all the expansion packs and what not) i play GTAV sometimes but my xbox is super old and sometimes the game disc thingy doesn’t want to open. i play some indie games on steam also, all the roller coaster tycoons, emily is away 1 & 2, dream daddy.

DREAM JOB I’ve done quite a bit of work in my field (theatre) since graduating, and its really surreal. i’ve wanted to do theatre since i was 13 and actually starting to work and get paid for doing what i love was insane !! and i had quite a bit of new work lined up before this outbreak happened. i would like to do more jobs on the tech side and costume side of the theatre because all ive really done so far is acting, directing and playwrighting, and i hope to get back into everything soon... it’s been rough.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A MILLION DOLLARS get an apartment with my best friend and probably save the rest, and invest in finally opening my queer shakespeare theatre company that ive wanted to for a while now.

FICTIONAL CHARACTER YOU HATE oh my god? uuuuhhhhhhh, jeez thats hard. i honestly can’t think of anyone off the top of my head jksdsjkdfjksdfsjdkf

FANDOM THAT YOU WERE ONCE A PART OF BUT AREN’T ANY LONGER i used to write mister pink (reservoir dogs), quicksilver (xmen), jd (heathers), trevor (gta), iago (shakespeare), oliver (call me by your name), lito (sense 8) ...... uh, i cant remember who else off the top of my head? a lot of those fandoms i’m still apart of, i just dont write in anymore

#( ooc tag. )#hello everyone #even tho im not here im still here <33

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mirrcrspeaks · 4 years

Text

Get to know the blogger!

Tagged by @cometogethcr

i’m tagging you !!

FIRST NAME jen!!

STRANGE FACT ABOUT YOURSELF my mouth is smol so i have one (1) vampire tooth it’s pretty sick

TOP THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE ON A PERSON hair, eyes, legs

A FOOD YOU COULD EAT FOREVER AND NOT GET BORED OF cheezits...........

A FOOD YOU HATE sunflower seeds

GUILTY PLEASURE ice cream at midnight

WHAT DO YOU SLEEP IN t-shirt and pajama pants but sometimes.....sometimes i take the pants off at night

SERIOUS RELATIONSHIPS OR FLINGS serious relationships!!

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN THE PAST AND CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU AND WHAT WOULD IT BE probably would’ve told myself to fucking suck it up and just get my license already lmao

ARE YOU AN AFFECTIONATE PERSON i think so yeah!! at the moment i do a lot verbal affection but i’m open to cuddling when i don’t feel gross

A MOVIE YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN murder on the orient express, the adventures of tintin (i have in fact watched that movie many times)

FAVORITE BOOK anything by agatha christie, dread journey by dorothy b hughes is also pretty good

YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP ANY ANIMAL AS A PET, WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE chinchilla or baby goat

TOP FIVE FICTIONAL SHIPS [IF YOU ARE AN RP BLOG, YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN SHIPS AS WELL] fish/harmony, riley/emmett, chef/clarisse, riley/quinn, abigail/haley

PIE OR CAKE mmmmmmmm yes

FAVORITE SCENT vanilla cinnamon yum

CELEBRITY CRUSH ellen page

IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO i would like to go to ohio............for reasons

INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT i used to think i was an introvert but i’m proving to be more extroverted? i just show it different (i.e. online)

DO YOU SCARE EASILY oh yeah i freak out a lot

IPHONE OR ANDROID iphone my family is an apple family

DO YOU PLAY ANY VIDEO GAMES animal crossing baby!! and stardew

DREAM JOB i’d love to write some books some day, or publish them, or be a librarian

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A MILLION DOLLARS save a lot, get an apartment with the gf, get a pibble

FICTIONAL CHARACTER YOU HATE joker, harley quinn deserves to be w plant wife

FANDOM THAT YOU WERE ONCE A PART OF BUT AREN’T ANY LONGER uhhhhhhhhh i used to be a weeb and now i’m less?

#cometogethcr #( ooc ) jen b talkin #//bonjour

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ila9182 · 5 years

Note

Let's see if it doesn't get lost this time 😂 Hello kisses + in the snow ☺️

Thank you so much @allons-y–spaceman for the prompt! I am so so sorry for the delay… and yeah, it’s a christmassy prompt in the middle of summer! haha and sorry it is soooo long, I just couldn’t stop writing! I hope you will like it! ;)The story is set a few months after 5x13 “White Lies: Part 3″ and before 5x14 “Heart Failure”.

2. HELLO KISSES + 7. IN THE SNOW

Sharon slowly sipped her tea. She closed her eyes as the warm liquid slid down her throat and let out a satisfied sigh. This was just what she needed to warm herself up in this cold winter day. She put the cup back on the table and stared at the dark smoky liquid as she let her mind wander. Sharon took a deep breath, a spicy scent hitting her nostrils. She had chosen a winter black tea with apple, cinnamon, nutmeg and anise and she didn’t regret her choice. She hoped it would help her at getting into the Christmas spirit a little more.

“Earth to Sharon, earth to Sharon!” a voice interrupted her train of thought.

Sharon snapped back into focus. She placed a strand of hair behind her ear as she met her children’s frowning looks.

“Sorry Mom” Ricky told her, “You weren’t answering to Mom, I was about to try with Captain Raydor.” He added with a grin.

“Very funny, Ricky.” Sharon replied as she rolled her eyes at her son. “I was just enjoying my tea.”

“Yeah, right…” Emily hummed, eyeing her mother skeptically. “So I was asking… what excuse did Rusty come up with to avoid this family reunion?” She wondered with a smirk.

“He didn’t come up with an excuse, you silly!” Sharon exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief. A smirk appeared on her face at her children’s teasing. “He asked me if I was okay with him spending the holiday with Gus this year…”

“And you give him your blessing?” Ricky asked her, holding back a laugh. “Geez, Mom, you’ve softened with time. I remember you saying once something like “Christmas is sacrosanct and we have to be all together on that day”.”

“I did never!” Sharon exclaimed, putting a hand on her chest as she faked offense.

“Oh Ricky!” Emily stepped in, cutting short her mother and patting her brother’s arm, “Do you remember the first time you didn’t celebrate Christmas with us? Mom cried for the whole day when she found out you wouldn’t come home!”

The siblings giggled at the memory and Sharon crossed her arms over her chest as she shot back with a frown, “I didn’t cry for the whole day.”

“Aha!” Ricky shouted triumphantly at his mother’s affirmation, “So you did cry!”

“Just a little…” Sharon admitted with another eye roll. “But that’s not the point. You two” She told her children, pointing a threatening finger at them, “You two are awful. I didn’t remember having such evil kids.” She paused before adding in a half threatening, half joking tone, “You know I can still catch a plane for Los Angeles and spend Christmas with people who are actually happy to see me.”

“Come on, Mom! Don’t be so touchy!” Ricky snickered. “We’re kidding, you know we’re happy to see you.”

Sharon laughed softly as she squeezed her children’s hands and replied sincerely, “I missed you two so much.”

“We missed you too, Mom.” Emily whispered back, emotion in her voice as she took her mother’s hand again.

Ricky shook his head in disbelief. He would never understand how his mother and sister could go from teasing to heartfelt moments in a blink of an eye. He cleared his throat and stood from his chair as he said, “Okay, girls. I’m going to use the bathroom before things get too emotional here.”

Emily rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her younger brother. She watched him walk away and then turned her attention back to her mother. Sharon was once again lost in her thoughts as she stared blankly at her tea. Emily reached out for her mother’s hand again. Sharon slightly jumped at the touch and forced a smile. Emily studied her mother with an arched eyebrow. She tilted her head before asking with a frown, “Are you okay, Mom?”

“Sure, honey, I’m all good.” Sharon quickly replied with another smile, squeezing her daughter’s hand.

“And how is Andy?” Emily cautiously questioned. She could sense Andy’s health – or Andy himself – was a delicate topic given the tough times he and Sharon had been through.

Emily noticed her mother tense. Sharon frowned for a split second, her cup halfway to her mouth. She looked at her daughter but didn’t answer right away. She brought the cup to her lips, took a sip of her tea before putting it down. “He’s okay.” Sharon finally replied. “He’s recovering pretty well and he’s supposed to start working again right after the winter holiday.”

“That’s great Mom!” Emily told her encouragingly.

“It is.” Sharon whispered as she looked down at her cup again. “It is.”

“We know you’ve had some tough times lately, Mom…” Emily started hesitantly after a few seconds of silence. Sharon lifted her head to meet her daughter’s gaze as Emily went on with a soft smile, “and we really appreciate the fact that you flew all over the country to spend the holiday with us. You didn’t have to… and we would have totally understood if you would have preferred staying in Los Angeles…”

“I wasn’t really sure about leaving Andy alone at home, but he insisted.” Sharon paused as a wistful smile crossed her features, “Somehow, he always manages to surprise me by knowing exactly what I need…”

“I’m home.” Sharon exclaimed closing the front door behind her. Andy was sitting on the couch, watching TV. At the sound of her voice, he muted the television and turned around to watch her near him. Sharon let herself drop on the couch next to him and leaned in to kiss him quickly on the lips, “Hey there, how are you?” She smiled at him.

“All good. How was your day?” Andy asked as he slid an arm around her, drawing her closer to him.

“Long.” She replied and yawned, unable to hold back. Andy smiled as he gently stroked her hair. She relaxed against him and they stayed this way for a while, enjoying the quiet condo.

“Babe, would you mind opening the mail?” Andy suddenly asked. “I think that there is some letter in the stack.” He motioned for the small table.

Sharon moved slightly from Andy and took the letter on top of the pile. She opened it and remained silent when she realized what she was holding in her hands. She faced Andy with a questioning look and managed to ask, “Andy, what is it?”

“Uhm, plane tickets?” Andy offered with a shrug and a goofy smile.

“I can see that.” Sharon replied, shaking her head at the obviousness of his answer. “But New York? On Christmas?” She asked in disbelief as a frown crossed her features.

“Yeah, we both know that Emily can’t come home for Christmas this year and that Ricky is joining her so she won’t be on her own during the holiday… It is only fair that you spent those days along with them.” He told her with a smile.

“But you…” Sharon started.

“I’m fine.” He cut her short, reaching for her cheek, “and I’ll be fine on my own. I’m a big boy.” He reassured her with a grin.

“Andy, I don’t think this is a good idea.” Sharon reasoned with a serious expression on her face, “I think it’s better if I stay here with you.”

“Sharon, don’t worry about me, it’s going to be alright. I’m good and it’s just for a couple of days…” Andy replied in a serious tone. “Beside, we agreed Rusty can spend the holiday with Gus, so I won’t be alone in Los Angeles and you’ll have someone to keep an eye on me.” He added jokingly as a smile appeared on his face.

“Andy, I…”

“I know this is important to you…” Andy cut her short.

“You’re important too, Andy.” Sharon emphasized. “And with everything that happened lately, I just want to treasure every moment with you…” Her voice trailed off at the thought of how things could have gone wrong. She shuddered and looked down as she felt a lump forming in her throat.

Andy wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him again. Sharon rested her head on his chest as he gently started combing her hair in a soothing way. He heard her sigh against him and he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. He tightened his embrace as he softly whispered, “You’ve had a lot on your plate lately as well and I want you to enjoy a couple of quiet and relaxing days without having to worry about me, my blood pressure or pills. Being with your children makes you happy. You haven’t seen them in a while, I know you’ve been missing them. It’s going to be just fine… and you know, Nicole will be checking on me as well. It’s all good, I won’t be alone.”

“Andy…” Sharon whispered as she looked up to meet her gaze, still not fully convinced.

“Shh, this isn’t debatable.” He grinned at her as he added, “You should call Emily and Ricky. They’re waiting anxiously to find out what you’ve decided.”

“They both know?” Sharon asked with a surprised tone.

“Of course they do. I needed their help to organize the trip… and you know, those days at home are awfully long when I’m on my own, so it was good having something to do and someone to talk to.”

Sharon’s eyes were shining with unshed tears as she cupped Andy’s face with both hands and whispered to him, “What did I do to deserve such a wonderful man?”

“I’m the lucky one here.” Andy replied with a smile.

Sharon kissed him fiercely, whispering a soft “I love you” when they broke off the kiss. They rested forehead against forehead for a few seconds before Sharon asked him, “You’re sure?”

“Positive. Fly to New-York and enjoy the kids.”

“Come on, Mom, Em’!” Ricky called out, “We don’t have all day and you said we would go ice skating.”

Ricky stopped, arms crossed over his chest as he waited for his mother and sister to join him. Central Park looked like some fairy-tale landscape with a fresh layer of snow frosting the benches and carpeting the ground. It was eerily quiet even though the place was far from empty.

“We agreed you and your sister would be ice-skating, but I never said I would” Sharon rectified as she cautiously walked on the snow. She had brought with her everything that was needed for the New York winter, including her heavy coat, gloves, and scarf. She was glad Andy had insisted she pack her snow boots in addition to her regular winter boots. Sharon would never tell him he was right though, since he would brag about it for months.

“Whatever, Mom.” Ricky rolled his eyes. “Can we hurry a little, please? I don’t want the place to be too crowded to decently ice-skate.”

“Are you aware, Ricky, that Central Park’s ice rink on Christmas’s Eve is going to be crowded anyway?” Emily told her brother with a frustrated sigh.

“Gosh, you two are no fun.” Ricky complained.

Emily smacked playfully her brother’s arm once she and her mother joined him. Ricky slightly bumped his sister’s shoulder in response and before she could react, he jogged away in the fresh snow. Emily rolled her eyes and turned to face her mother who had a smirk on her face, “Gosh, I didn’t know my brother is still five.”

Sharon softly laughed as she patted affectionately her daughter’s arm. A familiar name ringing in the air interrupted their daughter and mother moment and caught Sharon’s attention. She turned around to see a woman kissing the so-called Andrew who then took her by the hand. The couple walked by Sharon and Emily and Sharon’s gaze followed them until they were out of sight. Emily noticed it and she tilted her head before telling her mother softly, “I’m sorry he couldn’t be here with us, Mom.”

Her daughter’s voice brought her back to reality. A wistful smile crossed Sharon’s features before she turned to look at her daughter again and replied, “I’m glad to be with you two.”

Emily smiled and was about to say something when a snowball hit her in the back. She jumped startled and turned around to see her brother snickering, “RICKY YOU IDIOT!!” she yelled as she ran toward her brother.

“Kids, come on!” Sharon sighed as she watched her children throwing snowballs at each other. “I take that back, I’m not glad to be with you two when you act like five years old!” She shot back, loud enough for Emily and Ricky to hear her.

Her children kept their snowball fight unperturbed. Sharon rolled her eyes as she added, “Fine, I’m going to the ice rink on MY OWN.”

Sharon looked at the snowy path that led to the ice rink and froze when she spotted a familiar silhouette in the distance. She shook her head in disbelief, chasing away the silly thought that it might be him. You’re desperate, Sharon, she told herself. When she looked again in that direction after a few seconds, her breath got caught in her throat when she realized that it was him indeed. Andy was walking toward her, wrapped up in a dark coat and grey scarf.

“Oh my God…” Sharon muttered, covering her mouth with both hands. She started walking to join him and before she even realized, she had quickened the pace. She went as quickly as the snow allowed her to, not wanting to risk falling down.

Sharon took Andy by surprise as she threw herself in his arms forcefully, locking her arms around his neck. She was about to crash her lips against his when she felt Andy pulling back. Before she even realized what was happening, Andy lost his balance and fell on a fresh snow bank, bringing Sharon down with him.

“Easy, babe. We don’t want to end up in a hospital, don’t we?” Andy jokingly whispered, out of breath.

“Oh my God, Andy, I’m sorry…” Sharon immediately replied, “Are you okay?” She asked worriedly as she tried to move off of him.

Andy tightened his embrace around her. “Don’t. I’m more than okay actually. You just caught me a little by surprise. I didn’t imagine you would be that happy to see me.” He added with a goofy smile.

“I’ve missed you.” Sharon whispered, reaching out for his cheek. “We should move, you’ll be drenched.” She reasoned softly, stroking his cheek.

Andy knew she was right. He could feel the cold snow under his back, his pants slowly getting wet. He shivered as some snow melted and slithered down his neck, but he couldn’t care less. As he stared at the woman on top of him – at the beauty and perfection of her face – he decided he could tolerate being drenched and freezing. Her hair cascaded in a full mane that framed her face beautifully. Soft curls tickled his face as he softly told her, “You’re beautiful, Sharon.”

Sharon smiled shyly at him, lowering her gaze for a split second before replying, “Did you hit your head falling down?” She smirked as she noticed him rolling his eyes. “Come on, let’s move.”

This time she managed to stand. She offered her hand to Andy to help him to his feet and once he was up, he drew her closer to him. Sharon gently swept away the snow from his coat, and then from his salt and pepper hair before asking him worriedly, “Are you okay?”

“I’ve never been better, Sharon.” He answered seriously as he tightened his embrace on her. “Now, I believe we got interrupted…” He teasingly started, leaning in. “You were about to…”

Sharon didn’t give him the time to finish his sentence. She caught his lips with hers in a passionate kiss as her hand ran through his hair. When they broke off the kiss for air, they stood silently forehead against forehead, taking a moment to enjoy each other. Sharon still had her eyes closed when Andy whispered to her with a grin, “Wow, you’re definitely very happy to see me.”

Sharon opened her eyes and immediately met his. She smiled widely as she gently stroked his cheek, “I’ve missed you… and I…”

“Whoa Mom, that was such a tackle!” Ricky exclaimed as he and his sister walked toward them. “Way to knock down the poor guy.” He added with a grin. “Hey Andy!” He greeted the Lieutenant with a fist bump.

Andy patted Ricky’s shoulder and let go of Sharon to quickly hug Emily, “Andy, so great to see you.” Emily told him, “Are you okay?”

Andy smiled as he spotted the same concerned expression on Emily’s face than her mother, “Don’t worry, Em. I’m used to your mother’s brutal manner.” He joked.

“My what?!” Sharon exclaimed, smacking Andy’s arm playfully.

“See?” Andy told the kids, “Such an aggressive woman.”

Emily and Ricky laughed while Sharon threw a deadly stare at Andy. He shrugged innocently and let out a small laugh before sliding an arm around Sharon’s waist and drawing her closer to him. He dropped a kiss to her temple and she merely huffed, pretending to be offended. She couldn’t keep her act much longer because a smile crept across her face. She snuggled closer to Andy and he secured her in his arms.

“I’m glad you were able to make it, Andy.” Emily said, throwing a knowingly look at the Lieutenant.

“Yeah, me too. It was quite a challenge. I don’t think I’ve ever travelled with so many stopovers.” He smiled as he dropped a kiss on the top of Sharon’s head, “But well, it was worth it.”

Sharon lifted her head to meet his gaze and lovingly stared at him. Her smiling face was soon replaced by a frown as she realized, “But Andy, I thought your doctor had…”

Andy shushed her by placing a finger on her lips and he smirked when he noticed Sharon frowning even more, “Before you start listing all of my doc’s recommendations, let me tell you that I’ve been to see my cardiologist and he cleared me for this trip.”

“I thought you were supposed to see him after the holiday…” Sharon reasoned. “How did you manage to…” She stopped talking when she noticed a grin appearing on his face. “Andrew Flynn, what did you do?” she asked firmly breaking his embrace and putting her hands on her hips.

“I may have flashed my badge to obtain an appointment.” Andy answered. He saw Sharon opening his mouth and staring at him in disbelief and he added, raising his hands innocently, “No harm done.”

“Andy, I can’t believe you used your badge for personal purpose and in a non-emergency situation!” Sharon exclaimed covering her face with both hands.

“Okay, don’t get all Captain Rulebook with me, Shar’.” Andy replied, rolling his eyes. “There was actually an emergency. Your kids, here” he added pointing at Ricky and Emily, “told me that as much you assured them you were happy to be with them, you were having – I quote Ricky here – a sad puppy face most of the time.”

Sharon turned to face her children and stared at them with an arched eyebrow as she exclaimed, “I didn’t have a…”

“My exact words were a sad puppy face, like an abandoned dog in a shelter.” Ricky cut her short with a smirk.

Sharon saw her children smiling at her and rolled her eyes at them, “Come on, Mom.” Emily added, “You weren’t so good at hiding it.”

Sharon looked at Andy and she noticed he was exchanging knowingly looks with her children. She sighed and raised a hand in surrender, “Fine, fine…” She rolled her eyes once again before admitting, “I may have worried about Andy a little…”

“A little?” Ricky repeated, unable to hold back a laugh.

Sharon shot a deadly stare at her son before adding with a more serious tone, “I’m sorry if it was so obvious… it’s just… we’ve been through a lot lately…” her voice trailed off as she looked down.

Andy immediately wrapped an arm around her and he gently side hugged her. She snuggled against him and briefly buried her face against his chest, enough to allow her to get rid of the moisture in her eyes. Andy soothingly stroked her back. Sharon lifted her head and met his loving gaze. She offered him a bright smile before saying, “I clearly wasn’t expecting all this… I had no clue you two” she added looking at her children and smiling sweetly, “had set up this surprise.”

“See, Mom? Andy is not the only one who knows exactly what you need.” Emily told her with a smirk.

Sharon moved from Andy and wrapped her children in a bearhug, “I love you so much.” She whispered to both before kissing each one on the cheek. She sighed happily before saying, “Only Rusty is missing…”

“Well, we might expect a guest-star appearance from him in the following days.” Andy revealed with a grin as he moved closer to the group.

Sharon’s face lit at his words and she extended one of her arms, motioning for Andy to join their hug. She looked expectantly at him and he complied with a wide smile. He wrapped an arm around Sharon and the other around Emily before leaning in to kiss Sharon’s temple. His smile grew wider when he heard her whisper, “I love you, Andy.”

“Love you too, babe.” He softly replied.

#Major Crimes #Sharon Raydor #Andy Flynn #Sharon x Andy #Emily Raydor #Ricky Raydor #shandy #christmas #prompt #in the snow #hello kisses #fanfiction #ilariawrites

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