Tumgik
#thank you <333 this is very kind of you to send
captainfern · 18 hours
Text
today is the one-year anniversary of my very first fic on this app, breed
it was my first time really writing smut lol. i’d been a lurker on tumblr for about a month before i decided to post, and i remember checking back in later and seeing so many positive comments. i felt honoured that people actually liked my writing :)
so thank you all for all your support and kindness this past year, towards both me and my writing. i appreciate all the luv <3
i’m sorry i don’t write as much as i used too. uni and work is hard lol but thank you for sticking with me. hopefully this year i can write a bit more (don’t hold me to that LMAO)
anyway, thank you all. sending you lots and lots of luv <333
34 notes · View notes
kuiinncedes · 2 years
Note
Friendly message to say sometimes it feels like you're the only one going through those hardship of speaking your mind but I promise you aren't. You should not be beating yourself up about it. Communication can be so hard and pressurized
<3333333333333
ur gonna make me cry again and this time my roommate is actually here lmfao
#literally sobbed while on the phone w my mom talking about it#not even bc it was like that bad just bc i fucking cry so hard when i get stressed lmao ;-;#but my roommate was not here and now she is lol#thank you <333 this is very kind of you to send#and i think i kinda needed it lmaoo i teared up again XD and turned to face away from my roommate even tho she's not facing me lmaooo#i was just thinking like i know i shouldn't be so judging/negative to myself about#speaking my opinion even tho it was like several hours late lmfao and caused a slight delay in our deliberations/getting newbies process#the process that everyone is apparently very tired of and wants to be over so ya i feel bad about stretching it out :]#i am ultimately mostly glad i did it tho i just feel like ppl think it was for nothing i guess :\ and i guess it was since we didn't end up#changing anything#idfk anymore lmfao ugh#but yeah talking to my mom and her talking about her similar experiences..... ugh yeah#im still absolutely gonna think about this too fucking much and make myself slightly miserable about it for no fucking reason lmfao#buuuut . it's ok#like i spoke up about my opinion when i had something to say#i am doing that more obviously in board lol and it's very stressful :]]]]]#esp when there are 4 very opinionated/quick-to-say-things members of board#idk i just like can't Say things so fast i need time to think and then when i've thought about it enough things have moved on lmao#i was so stressed about this all day and i know i shouldn't have been like literally was so upset all day and for what lmfao#we're adding newbies to the discord soon tho and hopefully thatll be a lil pick me up#sorry about all this tag stuff XD but ya know that's what i do here lmfao#ugh ugh i had a bunch more but i deleted it bc tag limit probably XD#newbies r joining yay and the discord hi stickers are being spammed <3#other-room-mate is there w her bf and talking and stuff and i dont rly want to deal w it :''''') but it's fine im listening to music#ok anyway anon if ur still reading ty for this ask lmao ily <3#asks#anonymous
0 notes
roselise · 8 months
Text
Hello, my friends! I hope that you're doing well & taking care ♡
This is just something I feel needs to be said:
I apologize for how long people have had to wait for me to get back to asks & stuff!
Since I treat people so warm & welcoming I think it's assumed I'm outgoing and social
And when I say I'm shy I'm just saying things
Not at all! I'm actually extremely introverted & keep to myself most of the time. Being social makes me nervous
I believe in kindness though. A friendly world with people who care about & consider one another is where I'd like to live ♡
So I try hard to get over my shyness & show as much love to everyone here as I can c:
And honestly, I enjoy seeing & hearing from new people! I'm really happy for all the kind hearts who reach out :D
It’s just often a lot for one as timid as I am :’)
So I’m sure it seems like you’re being ignored, but as long as you're courteous (and *not* inappropriate! As my blog states no adult content) I'll get back to you!
It might take a while, but all I ask is a bit of patience, please ♡
Sending hugs, hearts, & much happiness to my sweet friends! Thank you very much for all the love & I wish you the nicest day ~ ! 🤍 ⊹ ✿ 。⁺ ♡₊ ࣪⋆ 🌼 XOXO
25 notes · View notes
panharmonium · 2 years
Note
I don't know if you've ever talked about this, but what would have been your ideal resolution to Kakashi and Sasuke's relationship in canon? What would you have wanted their post-canon life to look like? (I love love love your meta btw!)
Hi, and thank you!  You’re right; I haven’t talked about this, and the reason for that is because I’m in the planning stages of a project related to this topic, and for me, sharing all my thoughts before I start the nitty-gritty work of making something is basically the kiss of death for the creative process.  I have to keep quiet about stuff I’m working on, or it does weird things to my productivity. X)  
So, while I do have very clear ideas about what the most natural progression for their relationship would be and what their post-canon life would look like, I’m not going to answer this with specifics for now.  I am, however, in a general sense, going to say this: 
Naruto canon basically stops for me at the beginning of 479 (and if you’re interested in a longer explanation for that, I wrote up some thoughts in this old post).  Kakashi and Sasuke’s relationship is just one of many things that the conclusion failed to deliver on, and it’s not even the most important one - I would have been totally fine if the story had ended pre-timeskip and left us with just a tiny indication of a future resolution for them, whereas things like the Uchiha massacre/government cover-up never being mentioned again make me want to scream (I still can’t believe it...never before have I seen a more dramatic departure from a story’s original intent/previously established themes; never before has a more egregious crime against storytelling been committed) - the finale abandoned most of what it had spent the last 700 chapters telling us to wait for, and even though Kakashi and Sasuke’s relationship matters so much to me, it’s not remotely close to the sole or most significant place where the conclusion fell down.
But since we’re talking about these two specifically here - let’s put the other stuff aside.  When it comes to Kakashi and Sasuke, it is completely laughable that this story expects me to buy a conclusion where their relationship isn’t important, the same way it would be laughable for it to expect me to buy a conclusion where Sasuke’s relationship with Sakura or Naruto didn’t matter.  Kakashi is explicitly set up by the story as a parallel/precursor to Sasuke, the same way Obito is set up as a parallel/precursor to Naruto, and while this doesn’t mean that Kakashi and Sasuke are the exact same person or have equivalent personalities, it does mean that Kakashi can understand certain things about Sasuke that other people can’t necessarily relate to quite so easily.  
It’s not just about losing family at a young age (plenty of people in the Leaf can understand that, unfortunately).  It’s the particular experience of discovering your parent/parents’ dead bodies in your own home.  It’s the betrayal/confusion/pain of your family being taken from you not by war or accident or illness, but by the person you most loved and trusted.  It’s the subsequent self-isolation and cutting yourself off from other relationships, throwing yourself into your training and concealing your pain behind the ‘i’m wildly advanced for my age treat me like an adult’ facade.  It’s looking down on your teammates as “less than” and acting like you don’t need them for anything (“you thought the others were so far beneath you that they were worthless....arrogance”).  It’s being dragged inch by inch out of your isolation armor by friends who admire you and care about you despite your efforts to push them away.  
It’s about Kakashi’s unique ties to the Uchiha clan, and specifically to Itachi.  It’s about Sasuke and Kakashi being the last bearers of the sharingan, and both of them being targeted for it (by Danzo, to boot, if you like the anime ANBU arc, but the sharingan still matters even just considering the manga).  It’s about Kakashi’s father being persecuted into a premature grave by the traditional shinobi system, for the crime of defying the traditional shinobi system, the same system that said it was acceptable for the Uchiha clan to be sacrificed in order to accomplish the “mission” of protecting Konoha.  It’s about Kakashi and Sasuke being the children of so-called traitors (aka people who bucked the system and were mercilessly punished for it) and about the complicated social position they’re thus forced to occupy, as people who are deeply proud of where they come from even though they themselves sometimes have conflicted feelings about what their families did to them.  
It’s about Kakashi spending his post-Kannabi life trying to reconcile a desire to protect his home and his community with the knowledge that his home and his community did irrevocable harm to his family, the same way a post-canon Sasuke will have to wrestle with these same questions.  It’s about both of them being used as a weapon to kill the person they cared about most, BY the person they cared about most.  It’s about both of them being willed new eyes by people who were the foundations for their entire existences/philosophies/personal missions for years and years, about whom they now have confusing and complicated feelings, because Obito and Itachi did unspeakable things, but Kakashi and Sasuke love them even when they can’t excuse them, and how do you figure out how to feel about someone who cared about you that much but also hurt you that badly, someone who’s a reviled figure to the rest of the world and whom you aren’t completely sure you’ve fully forgiven, or that it’s even okay for you to forgive?  
It’s about post-canon Sasuke choosing to always keep his left eye covered, an eye he can’t deactivate or otherwise conceal, an eye that makes him (in)famous, an eye that makes him a target to enemies and a danger to the people around him - an eye that comes with baggage, that reminds him of a period in his life that he considers shameful, of a moment where he was lost.
The idea that Sasuke would ever come home to a scenario where Kakashi was not a significant figure in his return/recovery is not remotely believable, particularly when you consider that while all three of Team 7′s kids trained with a member of the Sannin, Naruto and Sakura are the only ones who had actual mentors.  Jiraiya and Tsunade both took on pupils who were reflections of themselves, passing on to them their personal powers and techniques (toad and slug summons, Sage Mode, the Hundred Healings, etc), because they truly believed in their students and cared about their development.  Orochimaru, by contrast, was using Sasuke for his own twisted purposes - he was the witch from Hansel and Gretel, fattening up a child until it could be devoured.  Sasuke was nothing more than a future skinsuit to him, not a student, and there was never any loyalty or respect felt on either side of that mentorship, just a cold craving for the power that each party could obtain by using the other.
In a universe where the master/student relationship is such a fundamental social structure, canon-period Sasuke is totally adrift, unanchored in an aberrant and uncomfortable limbo, because Orochimaru was never supposed to be his teacher.  Kakashi was.   
I think that’s probably the most fundamental principle I apply to Kakashi and Sasuke’s relationship, no matter what era we’re looking at.  Kakashi is sensei to all the kids, in very meaningful ways, but when it comes to the master-student apprenticeships, the truth is that where Naruto had Jiraiya, and Sakura has Tsunade, Sasuke has - was always supposed to have - Kakashi.  The natural progression of their relationship was interrupted the day the Sound Four showed up in Konoha, and it’s been on hold ever since, but the war is over now, even if the work isn’t.  Things are going to change for them, inch by painstakingly-fought-for inch.
139 notes · View notes
Note
Sending love in the form of red pandas <3
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Tumblr media
I love all of these, thank you so much Fable 🥺💚
25 notes · View notes
wrappedupinlight · 2 years
Text
@byersthecleric​ asked:  you’re  leaving ? / for joyce! //  ↪  𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑫𝑺 .   (  a  collection  of  100+ question prompts .   adjust  phrasing  as  necessary . )
Lately it’s been scorching hot in Hawkins. Not as hot as it’s been in the last month since, well... since the Upside Down retreated back into the hole where it came from.
But still, it’s boiling, and Joyce can barely catch her breath between it and the way her son’s concern shatters her heart like it always does. She’s quick to recover though, carding a hand over her son’s bangs.   
Tumblr media
“Just for a couple days, sweatheart,” she smiles, and it catches on a wobble as she continues, “I’ll be back before you know it, i promise. So just... stay safe? Watch out for El, make sure everything’s turned off when you leave the house-- Maybe help Jonathan put out the curtains if another ‘accident’ happens--”
8 notes · View notes
shurisneakers · 2 years
Note
https://momentofmemory.tumblr.com/post/631374896616833024/so-tumblr-broke-your-tags-again
Does this help?
i tried it, but nothing seems to be working for now! I've written to support (for the first time ever lmao) and told them about my issue, so hopefully, something comes of it
but anyway, in case y'all are seeing this
read bridges break (i) here!
since i got no other way of reaching a wider audience fkjfdhgjkdfg
2 notes · View notes
terrainofheartfelt · 1 year
Note
What are you looking forward to most this Christmas?
oooh fun question!
definitely seeing my family. I haven't seen my parents in person since St. Patrick's Day, and I haven't seen my brother since July, so I'm really looking forward to spending time with them! AND my cat! my boy Steph <333
1 note · View note
headkiss · 4 months
Text
maybe this christmas time
Tumblr media
pairing: steve harrington x sunshine!reader
summary: working as an elf during the holidays (which he isn’t a fan of) is not how steve would choose to spend his time, neither is doing a bucket list of your creation. you end up changing his mind.
word count: 9.5k
warnings: use of she/her pronouns for r, some grumpy steve (he’s still a softie underneath it, i can’t help it!), some family issues (a phone call from steve’s mom), a rude customer, christmas activities/themes, fluff, and a first kiss!
a/n: merry christmas and happy holidays from me to you!!! i hope u guys enjoy this one, i had a lot of fun writing it!! big big thank you to @bcyhoods for sending the request that inspired me to write this fic and to @bruisedboys who helped me out when i was unsure about things <333 ily guys i hope u all have the happiest of holidays!
⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆
Starcourt Mall is decorated to the brim. Fake snow and garlands, giant ornaments hanging from the ceiling, a Christmas tree that stays lit all day long.
And, in the middle of it all, Santa’s Workshop.
That’s where you are, where you’ve been for a couple of Decembers now. Every other month of the year, you work at the movie theater, scooping popcorn and scanning tickets. But, for December, you trade in your cinema t-shirt for an elf outfit, striped tights and all.
“It’s really not so bad once you get past the itching,” you tell Steve.
“Great,” he says, the sarcasm clear in his tone.
“Great,” you repeat, cheery enough for the both of you.
He wasn’t sure how it could get any worse than the sailor uniform. That is, until he saw what he had to wear for this gig.
It’s Steve Harrington’s first year at Santa’s Workshop, and you’ve been tasked with training him, though the job is mostly self-explanatory.
But unlike you, Steve didn’t volunteer for this.
“I can’t believe they picked me to do this,” he sighs. “Don’t even like elves.”
“Well they had to pick someone, Steve.” You shrug, “who knows, you might end up having fun!”
“Not likely.”
“At the very least, you’re getting paid, right?” You nudge him once with your elbow, “plus, if you’re extra nice, some moms give pretty good tips.”
You and Steve went to school together, but he never really spoke to you then. It was only after graduation that you had any sort of conversation with him. They mostly consisted of him bribing you with free ice cream to let Dustin and the gang into the movies for free.
That was after you caught him letting them into the back rooms to sneak in.
Now, Steve’s wearing a pair of slippers that jingle with every step just like yours, and in the only two shifts you’ve had together so far, you’ve spoken more than ever. Even if it’s mostly been instructions from you and an unenthusiastic comment in response from Steve.
“Do I really have to wear these fucking shoes?” He asks, following you out of the staff room.
“Yes. It’s part of the uniform.” You turn around to face him, walking backwards while he walks forwards. “Don’t worry, you’ll tune out the jingling soon enough.”
“I’ll hear these jingles in my nightmares.”
“At least you look cute!”
You spin back around, and Steve only rolls his eyes as he trudges on behind you.
Steve’s not quite sure how he feels about you, whether he finds you a little annoying or endearing. At the moment, with an elf hat squishing his hair, he’s leaning a little more towards the first.
He didn’t know you during school. Admittedly, he was an asshole for most of his time at Hawkins High, so that explains that. Even still, he doesn’t know much about you, only that you’re kind enough not to snitch on him for sneaking the kids into the movies and that you seem to seep sunshine all the fucking time.
And your sunshine seems to be dialed up during the holidays. Like you really believe in ‘holiday cheer.’
Steve knows, deep down and buried somewhere he’s not quite ready to face yet, that he’s mostly just jealous. Because if you like the holidays so much, if you’re smiling the way you do so often, you must have it pretty good at home.
To him, nothing else makes sense. Not when Christmas at the Harrington household has been absolute shit for years. First, it was the gifts he never wanted, things his parents didn’t care enough to know he didn’t like. Then, they dwindled until, eventually, Christmas did, too.
There’s a travel discount during the holidays, sweetie. We’re visiting dad’s boss’ cabin. Next year, we promise. Excuse, excuse, excuse.
So yeah, Steve’s never really understood the appeal. Walking behind you in a pair of jingling shoes and a scratchy outfit, he’s not sure he ever will.
You lead him towards the area where Santa’s Workshop has been set up, right by the fountain. There’s bright red carpet rolled out over the usual tiled floors, an area set up for the cue of families, and of course, a bench where some guy playing Santa will sit.
“Since we’re opening today I’ll show you the whole set-up routine.” You step over the rope with the sign that says ‘Gone to feed the reindeer!’ with Steve in tow. “Easy peasy.”
Steve steps over the rope behind you, shaking his head at the sound his shoes make when he lands. He chooses to listen to your voice instead.
“First, we count the props,” you nod over at the bin that’s tucked away behind a small tree, “there should be four sets of antlers, two santa hats, a red nose, and some extra elf hats.”
He stares at you—because why on earth would you have that memorized—and raises his eyebrows. For a moment, as he watches you grab the clipboard that sits atop the prob bin and start counting, Steve wonders if maybe he should be more like you. The kind of person who seems to see the good in everything.
Then, he remembers what the outfit he’s got on looks like and shakes the thought away.
“Why would anyone want to be a clown in these pictures?” He says.
“The red nose is for Rudolph, dummy.”
You say dummy with a smile, like it’s something to admire. Steve huffs.
“Rudolph’s a loser.”
“Aw, come on, he’s got his own song and everything! I’d say that makes him the opposite of a loser.”
“Of course you would,” he mutters, cursing the tiniest twitch of a smile that tugs at the corners of his mouth. “What’s next?”
“Right,” you grab the bag that you brought from the staff room and set it on the ground by the tripod that’s already set up. “Next is the camera. Here, I’ll show you.”
The only knowledge Steve’s got of cameras comes from whatever Jonathan has told him, which hasn’t been very much, considering the pair’s history on the topic despite them being friends now.
So, he steps closer to you, watches as you pull the camera out of the bag.
“You just have to switch it on and make sure the battery’s full, right there,” you say, pointing at the small symbol that lets you know if the camera’s charged or not. “And don’t forget to take the lens cap off. I did it once and this dad yelled at me, so...”
You pop the lens cap off, putting it in the bag. Steve’s standing close to you, right behind you, his chin hovering over your shoulder, the warmth of his chest just shy of brushing against your back.
“Finally,” you continue, ignoring the little skip in your heartbeat, the way you breathe just a tiny bit quicker. “Set it up on the tripod, and you’re good to go.”
He watches your fingertips move easily, securing the camera to the tripod. When you’re done, you turn around to face him, and it’s only then that Steve realizes how close he’s gotten.
Close enough that you stumble and land against his chest, his hands on your upper arms to steady you as you pull back quickly, like you’d been burned. Steve, however, doesn’t let go just yet and he’s got no idea why.
He doesn’t let go until the music in the mall is switched on, the opening notes of some Christmas song startling you both. Steve steps back and releases you, dropping his hands by his sides and ignoring the twitch of his fingers.
“Alright,” you say, trying to brush the moment off. “That sound means we’re open. You ready?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Nope!”
-
Your lunch breaks at Santa’s Workshop feel like a luxury, because no matter how much you enjoy the job, it’s nice to get away from the rowdy children it forces you to deal with.
Unlike your job at the theater, where your breaks are staggered, the workshop closes for an hour every day, meaning that even during lunch, Steve’s stuck with you.
The sign by the line for Santa is flipped, and parents groan whenever they see the festive font saying you’ll be back in an hour.
You take the hour spent in the staff room as a time to ask him questions, what his hobbies are (“does driving a pack of 13-year-olds around count?”), if he likes his job at Scoops (“I’m starting to appreciate it more. The lesser of two evils, or something”), if he’d introduce you to Robin someday (“I’m afraid of what that might do to my sanity.”)
Today, you’re trying to tackle the subject of his Grinch-like tendencies.
“What’s your favorite Christmas movie?” You ask.
Steve doesn’t know why he continues to answer your questions whenever you throw them at him—which is often—but he does. He thinks it might be like being mean to a puppy, ignoring you. Unnecessarily cruel.
“Don’t have one.”
“Ugh. Come on, Steve! Everyone has a favorite.” You slump in your seat across from him at the small table in the break room. Steve stares at you blankly as he takes another bite of his lunch. “You can tell me.”
“I’m serious,” he says, nudging your foot with his when it comes close. “They’re cheesy.”
“Aren’t you secretly a rom-com fan?”
“How did you-”
“So, you actually enjoy cheesy movies!”
“Okay, well you don’t have to say it to the entire mall. Gosh.”
Steve wonders how you know that about him, how you’ve been able to guess a lot of things without him telling you. Briefly, just for a second, he wonders if that might mean something.
Like, if maybe you’re in his life now for a reason.
“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me, Steve.” You smile what you hope is an honest, reassuring smile. “So, the cheesiness isn’t the root of the issue.”
“No, I guess not.”
“I’m gonna take a guess here,” you start, “and say that you’re not a fan of Christmas.”
“You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”
“Steve, I’ve never heard someone complain about jingle bells so much in my life.”
“We can’t all behave like we’ve been injected with sunshine.”
You don’t think he means it as a compliment, but you decide to take it as one nonetheless. But you suppose he’s right, there’s always gotta be a balance. Dark and light, happy and sad.
“Thank you,” you give him a quick grin. “And you’re avoiding the question.”
He’s silent for a moment, twisting his fork around between his fingers. “My parents never really did Christmas.”
Your heart squeezes a little in your chest at his words, at the way his tone goes quieter, at the way he looks at the table to avoid catching your eye.
Immediately, you feel guilty for prying, because the last thing you’d ever wanted to do was force him to tell you something he didn’t want to. It’s not your place, no matter how curious you are, no matter how much you’d like to give him a hug or something right about now.
It’s not your place, but you find yourself wishing it could be.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Steve.” You reach for his hand that sits on the table and give it a quick squeeze before pulling back. “You don’t have to talk about it. I shouldn’t have bugged you.”
“It’s okay. I’ve had a lot of time to accept it.” He shrugs, like it doesn’t affect him. But from the scrunch in his brows, you can tell it does, at least a little bit. “The Harringtons have better things to do than sit around cleaning up wrapping paper.”
Steve feels embarrassed, his cheeks warm and his head bent. He doesn’t like scraping this wound open, doesn’t like to think about what he was missing out on while everyone thought his life was perfect.
He especially doesn’t want you looking at him like he’s injured or something after this.
Surprisingly to Steve, you don’t. You actually do quite the opposite. You smile brightly at him, like you’ve just had an excellent idea, like you can inject a bit of your sunshine into him with it.
“How about this: I’ll teach you how great Christmas can be.”
“I think it might be a little late for that.” Steve tries to shake his admission away, to clear the room. He points at the elf hat on his head, “this outfit has ruined any last shred of hope I had.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that you make a cute elf? You pull it off better than I do.”
“You don’t have to lie to me.”
“I’m not!” Steve raises his eyebrows at you. You ignore that look. “Whatever. I cannot in good conscience, let you keep disliking Christmas. Think of how fun it could be. Plus, you owe me for all of those movies I let your children into.”
Steve already finds it difficult to say no to you, because of how kind you remain even when he’s snarky with you, because of the same kindness you seem to offer to everyone you meet.
So, even though he’s not sure what your plan entails, he sighs and says: “okay. Fine.”
“Wait, really?”
“Don’t make me change my mind.”
You cheer, clapping a little in your seat. “Oh my gosh, we can go skating, and go to one of those Christmas light festivals, and make cookies-”
“What did I get myself into?” Steve mutters, while you’re still rambling off ideas.
“-I’m gonna need to make a list.”
Even after your break ends, you seem to have an extra pep in your step, if that’s even possible. Your smile is a bit wider, your eyes brighter, and Steve can’t help but feel a little special for being somewhat responsible for that.
Really, what did I get myself into, he wonders.
-
In the time between him agreeing to your Christmas plans a couple of days ago and now, at yet another shift, Steve has realized that he actually likes you quite a bit. Even though your seemingly constant optimism drives him a little bit crazy.
You treat everyone with an attitude that’s so rare, he finds that his previous annoyance for you is slowly becoming overtaken by the endearment.
He won’t admit it, not when bantering with you seems to be the highlight of his days lately, but Steve is starting to be sort of grateful that he got selected for this job.
And that has absolutely nothing to do with the outfit he wears. He still fucking hates that.
“It’s alright, cutie,” he hears your voice say, all soft and understanding. He finds you, crouched down to talk to a little girl who seems to be wary of Santa. “I bet Santa will give you something extra from your list if you smile for the picture.”
The girl nods, like she’s determined. But, when you stand back up, she grabs onto your hand by your side.
“What is it?” You ask her.
“Can you do it with me?”
You look over to the girl’s mother where she stands to the side, and she nods, eager to get the picture done. So, with that, you say, “okay, then.”
Steve’s standing behind the camera as he watches you help the girl onto the bench beside Santa. Then you’re sitting beside her and telling her to look at the nice boy behind the camera.
It takes him a second to realize you’re talking about him, but when he does, he forces himself into action, bending to look through the viewfinder.
“Say cheese,” he says.
The click of the camera sounds, and then it’s done. You help the girl down, who goes over to her mom quickly and they head over to grab their picture.
Once they’re gone, the line dies down, giving you and Steve a rare pause from the pictures and overenthusiastic welcomes to ‘the North Pole.’
“I hope that family’s okay with my face in their picture,” you say, coming to stand beside Steve by the camera. “I mean, I know the mom nodded, but maybe they’ll cut me out of it.”
You’ve become more comfortable with Steve the more you’ve worked with him, getting to know him in how his grumpiness is more related to the holidays and early mornings than anything else, in how he turns the same grumpiness down when he talks to the kids.
You think he’s grown more comfortable with you, too, because he’s started bringing you a coffee in a festive cup in the morning, leaving it in your cubby without a word.
From Steve, you think that says a lot. His actions have always spoken louder than his words, you think. Like the free ice cream he gives you from Scoops, or the small nod he’d give you whenever he’d pick up the kids from a movie.
And now, there’s the small tug of his lips, the hint of a smile that has you saying, “Steve Harrington are you smiling right now?”
“Shut up,” he shakes his head at you. “That was sweet. What you did for that girl.”
Steve lets himself say what he thinks for once, because there’s nobody else around, because he wants you to hear it.
You hide your shy smile by looking down at your feet. You know that underneath everything, Steve is probably one of the best boys you’ve ever met, because even with his attitude, he’ll never say anything to truly hurt you, and with how little you know about his family, you also know that it’s rare for someone in his situation to remain so good.
Any resemblance of a compliment from Steve feels extra special, like its own gift in itself.
“Ruining her picture, you mean?” You ask, trying to cover up how you feel about him calling you sweet.
“You didn’t ruin that picture, sunshine.”
Sunshine. That’s new.
“Well I’m glad someone thinks so.”
Before Steve has the chance to respond, the line picks up again, and it’s back to business as usual. The routine click of the camera, the sound of parents telling their kids to smile nice and big.
You and Steve catching each other’s eye when a particularly entertaining family rolls around, laughing at the way he does an impression of a mom after she leaves. With work being sort of like this every day, you wish it could be Christmas all year round. You much prefer this to the theater, you think.
Steve can't say that he likes this job more than Scoops—Robin might call him traitorous—but he finds that you’d been at least a little right when you said that it would get better when he got used to things, when he hears the sound of your laugh rather than those stupid bells on his shoes.
He finds that he sometimes has to remind himself that he doesn’t like the holidays, that they aren’t like this all the time.
At the end of your shift, as you and Steve grab your stuff from the staff room, you turn to him, leaning against the wall as he shrugs on his coat.
“So, I made a list,” you say. “We are going to have the best Christmas ever, Harrington.”
“My standards are very low, so it wouldn’t take much.”
“Don’t care. I have plans. We can make gingerbread houses and get Christmas pajamas-”
“Absolutely not.”
While Steve already agreed to letting you show him Christmas your way, he thinks he can only take so much at a time. Small doses of your jolly spirit are plenty.
“Steeeve.”
“I am drawing the line. No Christmas pajamas. Not happening.”
“But the gingerbread houses are a yes?” You ask, hopeful and smiling like it’ll persuade him.
“I’ll get back to you on that one.”
That’s what Steve decides to say, instead of simply agreeing because he finds that he’d like to spend time with you outside of work, to see if you’re really so bright all the time, to see if he can soak it up a little better when he’s not dressed as a damn elf.
That’s what he decides to say because it’s easier than spilling the rest of it out there. Much, much easier.
“But you already agreed!” You pout at him a little, exaggerated dramatics on your part. “You can’t just tell me I can teach you Christmas and then back out, I mean, I made an actual bucket list. With glitter and shit.”
“Oh no, not the glitter,” Steve places a hand on his chest, sarcastically scandalized. “That makes it serious.”
You blink at him, giving him a blank look. “Don’t diss the list. By the end of it, you’re gonna be jolly as fuck, trust me.”
“Jolly as fuck,” he repeats, shaking his head on a laugh. “You’ve got a way with words, sunshine.”
“Thank you.” You push your tote bag onto your shoulder, fishing out your keys, they clink in your palm when you find them. “I’m not letting you back out of this, by the way. The list is binding.”
“Well in that case…”
You give Steve a little smile, the flash of a sunbeam, before heading out, and he’s left standing in the break room wondering what you’ve got on that list, why you seem to care so much about it.
Huffing, he supposes he’ll find out soon enough.
-
Steve definitely should not have told you that he’d never been ice skating before.
It all started when you’d been talking about that damn list at your most recent shift, a couple of days after he’d accepted the fact that he couldn’t back out of it (did he really want to?).
“Hey, you have a change of clothes in your bag, right?” You’d asked him in between families.
“Um… yeah. Why?”
“Because, Steve, our festivities begin today after work!” You clapped your hands together softly, excited and encouraging, yet delicate. “I haven’t quite decided what we’re starting with yet.”
“I thought you had a list.”
“I do! But it’s not in order,” you shrugged, “I’m more of a mood-based decision maker, anyways.”
“Of course you are,” he’d said, his usual sarcasm lighter, laced with something you couldn’t quite place.
“So I’m thinking we go skating-”
“Nope.”
“You can't say no to every idea I have. Then how will you get the Christmas experience?”
“I won’t say no to everything.” You looked at him like you didn’t believe him, so, quietly, he added, “it’s just, I’ve never been skating before.”
“Steve, that’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” you reassured him easily, your voice honest in a sort of natural way, like you couldn't lie even if you tried. “All the more reason to give it a try. The point is to have fun, not to be good at it. I’m really not that great, myself.”
“If I hate it, we’re leaving.”
“Deal.”
And that’s how he’d ended up here, standing next to you at the rental counter at the ice rink, telling some teenager his shoe size so he could get a pair of skates.
Steve looks at you as you talk to the teenager, paying before he even gets the chance. He looks at the hat you’ve got on your head, the way your jeans are cuffed just enough to let your snowman patterned socks peek out of your boots.
He realizes that he’s only ever really seen you in uniform, at the theater and as an elf, and he thinks, quickly, like a car driving by, that you look really pretty like this. With snowflakes stuck in your eyelashes and all.
Though he’s never said it, barely let himself think it, he’s always found you pretty in a sort of undeniable way, like it was just a fact. Now, he finds you pretty in a way that makes him feel it.
His heart beats like it feels it, too. The traitor.
“Thank you,” you say, grabbing both your and Steve’s pairs of skates. You turn to him, smiling like always, Christmas lights reflected in your eyes, “ready to go?”
“As I'll ever be,” he says, letting you lead the way to the benches by the rink.
He watches the way you tie your skates, copying your movements on his own pair, double knotting the bow at the end. When you stand, he stays seated for a moment, suddenly more nervous than before, because the last thing he wants to do is embarrass himself in front of you, in front of everyone around.
Like you can read his mind, you say, “it’s okay, the first step is only standing. It looks harder than it is, promise.”
“I feel like you’re lying to make me feel better.”
“Why don’t you just stand up and find out, then?”
He rolls his eyes, more at himself than you, and pushes himself up from the bench. It takes him a second to get used to the feeling of the skates, of balancing on them, but eventually, he nods at you, eager to get it over with.
“‘Kay, so it’s gonna feel weird when you step on the ice, but you can just hold onto the side until you get the hang of it.” You start walking ahead of him, turning back to say, “I have a feeling you’ll be a natural.”
“Sure you do,” he mutters, shaking his head.
The rink is outdoors, the walls surrounded with string lights of all kinds, twinkling and colorful. In the middle, there’s a big tree, a shining gold star sat on top. There’s a hot chocolate stand to the side, the smell mingling with the freshness of the cold.
There are Christmas songs playing over the speakers (of course), and Steve thinks that if he hears one more rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock,” he’ll have to invest in a pair of ear plugs. On top of that, there’s the sound of laughter, kids with their parents, friends, couples, everyone seems to be having fun.
Everyone seems to be at ease except for him.
You step onto the rink first, skating a couple of steps forward to give Steve room to get on. He holds onto the side like you told him to, lifting a foot and stepping forward slowly, his foot slipping a little when it hits the ice.
You don’t say anything, don’t pressure him, only stand there with a kindness in your eyes that tells him you won’t be anything but patient.
Still, he doesn’t take too long to get the other foot on the ice, too, his feet carrying him forward a little bit, his hand gripping the side tighter.
“See? It’s not so bad,” you skate to his side, leaving space between you as Steve holds out his arm for balance. “Now all you gotta do is push yourself forward.”
“You make it sound like it’s easy.”
“It’s called being encouraging, Steve. Let me be encouraging!”
“Fine,” he stares down at his feet, his hair falling over his forehead. “So what do I do?”
“Use one foot to push, and then let yourself glide, switch feet, and repeat. You can do it.”
He gives it a go, and finds that it isn’t awful, but he moves slowly, and looking around at the other people skating, he’s not an impressive skater at all.
Steve has always felt the urge to be good at everything he does, basketball, driving, even fucking babysitting. He’s always tried so hard to do things well, like maybe, if he was talented enough, his parents would care more, would finally be proud of him for something.
He swallows that thought down and pushes forward again.
You follow his speed, gliding easily beside him, “look at you go!”
“I look like an idiot,” he says, his arm outstretched beside him, the other gripping the side, his knees bent.
When you look at him, though, all you see is the pink of his cheeks and nose from the cold, the way his hair brushes against his forehead, the focus in his eyes, the determination. No, you don’t think he looks like an idiot at all.
“You look like you’re trying, and that’s a great look on you, Steve.”
This time, it isn’t only the cold that pinkens his cheeks.
He doesn’t have time to muster up a reply, because the next time Steve skates ahead, he stumbles, his balance wavering until he feels your hand grabbing onto his arm to help steady him.
Then, your hand moves to hold his, and even through the layers of both of your gloves, he feels the warmth in his fingertips, some sort of tingling.
“This way, if you fall, so do I,” you say, squeezing his hand once, winking at him like the thought of falling doesn’t scare you one bit.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Super sure.”
You hadn’t been lying on that one, because eventually Steve does fall, and you fall right along with him, landing on the ice with a little, “oop!”
On his back, Steve turns his head to look at you, your hair a mess around you, some on your cheeks. He reaches out and brushes it away.
“You okay, sunshine?”
The response he gets is the sound of your laughter, a single loud cackle that has your eyes widening and a hand smacking over your mouth.
Your laughter fades into a fit of giggles, one so infectious that Steve—surrounded by all kinds of Christmas-themed things he swore he hated—laughs along with you.
And for the first time, maybe in his entire life, Steve thinks that the holidays might not be the worst thing ever.
-
Steve’s in a bad mood today, that scrunch in his brows you'd thought had been easing away back in full force.
It’s your first shift back together since you’d been skating only a couple of days ago, and you can’t help but worry that maybe it was too much, that you’d pushed him too far.
Even though, at the time, he’d been smiling more than you’ve seen him smile maybe ever, and you really thought that you had a shot at making Christmas better for him. You worry that he wasn’t as happy as he seemed, that he was pretending to have fun for your sake.
Steve, on the other hand, is actually glad to be at work for once, glad for the distraction it gives him. He’s unaware that his emotions are so visible on his face, that you think an ounce of his annoyance and anger is aimed at you.
All he knows is that after the morning he had, he needs this distraction.
This morning, it wasn’t the beep of his alarm that had woken him up, but the shrill ring of the phone on his bedside table. Groggy, with his eyes still half shut, Steve picked up the phone.
He wishes he didn’t.
“Hello?” His voice was almost a groan, scratchy from sleep, irritated at being woken up earlier than his alarm.
“Steve, sweetie!” His mother’s voice made him squint his eyes shut further. “Why do you sound so tired?”
“‘Cause it’s six in the morning, mom.”
“Oh, silly me. I forgot about time zones,” she said, though she didn’t sound the least bit apologetic. She didn’t even care enough to know what time it was for her son. “Anyways, I’m calling to let you know your father and I won’t make it home for Christmas this year. There’s this banquet we just can’t miss. You understand, don’t you?”
Steve doesn’t know why he’d been surprised, doesn’t know why her words, completely devoid of any kind of empathy towards the situation, made his stomach hurt.
“Yeah, okay,” he’d said, because it was no use to do anything but agree.
This was his normal: an almost monthly phone call from one of his parents from wherever they are in the world, no matter the time, always telling him that they’re missing this holiday, his birthday (which, at this point, he was shocked they even remembered), anything.
“That’s my boy,” she’d said, as if she knew him at all. She didn’t. Hasn’t known him—or cared to—for a long time. “I knew you’d understand.”
“Right.”
“Oh, there’s your father. Gotta go.”
And just like that, she hung up.
Steve almost wishes that they’d never call at all, because maybe then it would be easier to swallow their neglect. If they’d just forget him completely, he could get rid of that stupid, tiny sprout of hope he feels whenever they call, hoping things will be different.
At least it was his mother this time, he thinks. His father is a hundred times worse, only ever disappointed in Steve, asking about his job or when he plans on ‘getting a real life,’ never about him.
So yeah, Steve’s in a bad mood today.
The two of you don’t talk for the majority of your shift, you, afraid that Steve’s angry with you, opting to give him space, and Steve, stewing in every negative emotion that comes along with a phone call from his parents.
You don’t talk until one of the last families in line for the day comes up.
Once the kids are in place, you lean down to look through the viewfinder, counting them down and snapping the picture when they say ‘cheese.’ To the side, the children’s mom looks at you with so much judgment, Steve, even brewing in his thoughts, notices.
With the picture taken, you take the camera over to the mom, letting her see the picture the way you do with all the parents, making sure they approve.
Instead of approval, what you get is, “what the hell is that?”
You’ve dealt with your fair share of rude customers, at every job you’ve had, but this woman all but screams at you, and that’s rare. “Sorry,” you say, “I can take a new one, no problem.”
“I better be getting the new one for free with how these pictures are looking,” she practically hisses at you.
Usually, you can handle stuff like this, can smack on a smile and politely agree to get things taken care of, but today, the mixture of all your self-doubt and worrying about messing things up with Steve and this mother shouting at you, things pile up, and you feel your happy mask slipping.
“Um,” you start, voice small.
“You elves get worse every year,” she says to you. “I can’t believe people this incompetent even exist.”
Steve, hearing the whole thing, is quick to step in front of you, any thoughts about his shitty parents quickly fading in favor of helping you.
“Excuse me, ma’am, but she already offered to take another picture, and if that isn’t good for you, you’re free to leave,” Steve’s voice doesn’t slip one bit, standing his ground with every word.
You’re overwhelmed with everything going on, and when Steve turns around to look at you, nodding his head towards the staff room, you take the escape he offers you quickly, eyes blurry with tears you won’t let fall until you’re alone.
“You can’t speak to me like that!” The woman stomps her foot.
“I can, actually. She,” he points in the direction you’d gone, “is the kindest person I know, and you shouldn’t speak to her that way. I understand the holidays are a stressful time for everyone, but we spend all day helping people like you take these pictures, and the least you could do is say ‘thank you.’”
Rather than respond, the woman takes her children’s hands and stomps off.
Steve turns to find that the few families that had been in line before have decided to leave, and he takes the emptiness of Santa’s Workshop as an opportunity to follow after you.
He finds you sitting on the bench beneath your cubby in the break room, head buried in your hands, sniffling a little like you’re trying to be as quiet as possible. Steve can’t think about anything other than how much he hates seeing you upset, like a cloud covering the sun.
“Hey,” he says gently, sitting beside you on the bench. “Don’t listen to any of that. She was a bitch.”
You’re both grateful and unhappy that Steve came after you. Grateful because he’s kind, because he’s showing you that he cares. Unhappy because you’re embarrassed of him seeing you like this, because he calls you sunshine and you don’t feel like that right now.
It takes a second before you move your hands, wiping at your cheeks before turning to look at Steve, his brown eyes already on your face, unbelievably soft.
“I’m sorry,” you say, “I don’t know why I’m crying. It’s stupid.”
“It’s not,” he assures you. “She was awful to you after a long enough day. You have every right to be upset.”
“You’re being really nice,” your voice breaks a little bit, fighting any more tears that threaten to spill.
“I can be nice. I should be nicer to you.” He knows he should, but with Christmas and everything, it’s easy for him to be grouchy. “You sound surprised.”
“It’s just,” you shrug, almost defeated. “I thought you were mad at me today.”
Steve’s heart fucking aches at the sound of your voice, all small and lacking of the light he’s somehow come to like so much. And when another tear slips down your cheek, he can’t stop himself from reaching out and holding your face in his hands, thumbing the tear away lightly.
“I don’t think I could ever really be mad at you, sunshine.”
“Oh.”
His hands are warm where they hold your cheeks, a thumb still tracing back and forth over your skin. Not mad, then.
“I, uh,” Steve looks at where his thumb brushes against you, like he can’t believe it’s there, like he doesn’t want to look into your eyes for the next part. “I got a call from my mom this morning. They’re not coming home this year. Again. I shouldn’t be surprised but… anyways. That’s why I’ve been so quiet and shit today. Not because of you.”
One of your hands comes up to lay over his where it sits on your cheek, tangling your fingers with his and moving your hands down to your lap.
“I’m sorry, Steve.”
“I’m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t take this stuff out on you just because you like Christmas and I don’t.”
You smile a little bit, a twitch of your lips, but Steve takes it as a win all the same.
“I’m gonna change that,” you say.
“Sure you will,” he replies, the sarcasm in his voice still there the way it usually is when he teases you, but this time, he’s smiling, too.
-
Steve told you to go home after that, assuring you that he’d take care of the few families left, and when you’d opened your mouth to tell him you were fine, you could stay, he’d pinned you with a look and told you again to let him do it.
So, you did.
You’d thought it would be a day at least until you’d see Steve again, but it’s only a couple of hours after your shift ends.
There’s a knock at your door, your apartment one of the ones built above a shop on Main Street, and even though you have no idea who it could be, you get up, sock-covered feet padding against the floor as you go over to answer it.
You’re surprised to find Steve on the other side—one, because you don’t think you’ve ever told him where you live, and two, because you didn’t think he’d want to see you more today than he already had—a bag in his hand and a shy sort of question on his face.
“Steve? What are you doing here?”
He scratches at the back of his neck with his free hand before responding, a nervous gesture that he hasn’t been able to get rid of. “I thought that maybe, after the day you’ve had, you could use some cheering up. I could, too.”
You remember him telling you about the phone call from his parents, and something in your stomach flutters a little when you realize that his plans to cheer up involve you of all people.
“Okay.” You smile, you can’t really help it, “come in, then.”
He does, closing the door behind him and toeing off his shoes before stepping inside any further. Steve spots your kitchen table easily, and moves to set the bag he’s holding down.
“I thought we could do another thing that might be on your list,” he says. Steve tugs things out of the bag, gingerbread house kits, to be exact. “Gingerbread houses are Christmas bucket list worthy, right?”
“Absolutely,” you search his face, a little confused because last you heard, Steve was not into your whole bucket list thing, but here he is. “And you’re doing this… voluntarily?”
“I have the receipt. I can return them, if you prefer.”
“No! Don’t do that. I just mean- I thought you didn’t like Christmas or my list and that you were just playing along to be nice.”
“I might not be the biggest fan of Christmas, but,” he shrugs, opening one of the boxes of gingerbread, “you’re a good teacher, sunshine.”
You resist the urge to pinch yourself, like you might be dreaming because Steve, who you’ve grown to like an embarrassing amount, is here, offering to do this with you and giving you a compliment like it’s nothing.
When you respond, you hope your voice doesn’t give away how you really feel. Excited, happy, your heart jumping. “Can I get that in writing?”
“Shut up.” He shakes his head, pointing to the unopened box, “now will you come build this gingerbread house or what?”
“Mine’s gonna be way prettier than yours.”
Steve simply rolls his eyes, but there’s the hint of a smile there, too. He’s happy to see that your light is back, that you didn’t let what happened at work get to you too much.
You sit down beside each other at your table, gingerbread kits laid out in front of you. Icing and sprinkles, a cookie roof and chimney. You’re sure it’ll leave a mess, but right now you don’t mind.
There’s a sort of lightness in the air, the knowledge that this thing—friendship, more, whatever it is—between the two of you is something that you’re both happy to bask in. It’s unspoken, and that doesn’t bother you.
You and Steve start by unpacking all of the pieces, yours laid out neatly, his in a leaning pile that makes you bite back a laugh.
“The fucking roof won’t stay on,” Steve says once you’ve both started to put the houses together, and he sounds genuinely annoyed about it.
“Just put some more icing on it,” you say, “there’s no such thing as too much.”
“I don’t think icing will save me now, sunshine.”
You look away from your own gingerbread house over to Steve’s. His hands are holding the roof up, pushing them together so they meet at the top, and he’s staring at the thing with so much determination that you can’t help but giggle.
“You laughing at me?” Steve quirks a brow at you, but there’s a shine in his eyes. They smile even when his mouth doesn’t.
“I can’t believe you’re taking this so seriously,” you laugh, and that smile of his spreads slowly on Steve’s face, blooming like a flower. “It’s alright to admit defeat, Steve. My house is already better than yours.”
“Woah, this isn’t over yet, alright? Mine just needs time, don’t you worry.”
“Whatever you say, Steve.”
“Someone’s feeling brave tonight,” he teases, nudging you with his elbow without letting go of the roof of his house. “Don’t speak too soon, sunshine. I could be the underdog here.”
You lean over with your icing bag in hand, piping some more into the gap in Steve’s roof. “Here, let me help.”
Steve—always reluctant to accept help of any kind, even the smallest things—lets you. While he watches your face as you pipe the icing, the focus, the way your tongue pokes out from between your lips, you take his distraction as an opportunity to move, letting your icing fall onto his hand instead of the house.
“Oops,” you shrug, your tone suggesting that it wasn’t a mistake at all.
Steve gasps overdramatically, then leans closer to you, “Oh, looks like you’ve got something right there.” His hand reaches for your face, and he spreads the icing from it onto your cheek.
“You’re done for, Harrington.”
He only laughs, bright and quick.
Before you know it, you’re having some sort of food fight, putting a dot of icing on Steve’s nose, him tossing sprinkles at you. It’s a mess, but all you can hear is Steve’s laughter, all you can see is his smile. Unguarded for once, free and genuine.
By the time it dies down, there’s stripes of icing on your cheeks, red and green sprinkles scattered about the floor and on the table, and Steve’s got his own patches of icing to deal with.
“You better help me clean this, Harrington,” you say, your giggles still spilling, fizzling out softly. “What are we gonna decorate these houses with now?”
“Mine’s a lost cause,” he admits, the pieces now in a pile the way they’d started.
“So I won, is what I’m hearing.”
Steve looks at you, at the sparkle in your eyes that had been dimmed earlier at work, at the smile that spreads across your face when his eyes meet yours. Fuck. He thinks you’re completely beautiful, icing across your face and all.
His gaze snags on a piece of green in your hair, and before he can think about it, he reaches up and tugs it out for you.
“Sprinkle,” he says.
You look at his hands, messy from the gingerbread houses but never any less strong, and you remember how they felt in yours when you’d been skating. And when you flick your eyes back to his face, he’s already looking at you, gaze dipping to your mouth quickly, like he can’t help it.
And shit, you think. You really, really like this boy.
Before either of you can say anything more, you’re leaning towards each other, meeting in the middle and you’re not sure if you kiss him or he kisses you, but you end up with your mouths pressed together.
It’s featherlight at first, testing the waters. Then, Steve’s hands cup your jaw gently and pull you back to him, and you wouldn’t dream of doing anything but follow.
He kisses you again, still soft somehow, but more certain, his lips dancing with yours like you’ve done this a hundred times before.
You reach up and grasp his wrists in your hands, feeling his pulse under your thumbs. His heart is racing just as much as yours, you notice. Like your heartbeats have synced to a twin pattern, like this kiss was enough to do that.
And while you’re not sure what will happen after this, you know that something has shifted, that both of you are saying things you’re too afraid to say out loud.
When he pulls back, Steve presses one, two more pecks to your mouth, his thumbs tracing over your skin so lightly you might’ve dreamt it.
He doesn’t think he’ll ever think about kissing the same way after you. Steve feels warm the way he does when the sun beams on him in summer, and quickly, he thinks, I could get used to this feeling.
Then, he gets up and finds a small towel in one of the drawers by your sink, wetting it with warm water before coming back to sit with you.
“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he says, using a finger to tilt your chin up, swiping the towel over your cheeks to get rid of the icing there as lightly as he can.
And that’s that.
-
December twenty-fourth is your last day at Santa’s Workshop. Christmas Eve snuck up quick, and tomorrow, the twenty-fifth, the mall will be closed.
You’ve always enjoyed the job, but this year’s been your favorite by far. Usually, you and your coworkers would get along just fine, talking during shifts and laughing but never expanding outside of work, but it’s completely different with Steve.
He knocked on your door with gingerbread houses in hand and kissed you like it meant something. You like him so much that it’s in your bones, this feeling he brings out of you, how special you feel when you think about the trust he’s shown you.
But looking back, you think you were screwed from the start. From his scrunched brows asking you if the bells on the elf shoes were really necessary, to confiding in you about his parents, that list you made that seemed to be the beginning of what things have grown into now.
Green elf hat lopsided on his head, Steve smiles at you from where he stands by the camera. You smile back without thinking, like it’s natural, an instinct.
“Alright,” he says, talking to the kids sitting on the bench with Santa. “Everyone say ‘cheese’ on three. One, two-”
“Cheese!”
The camera clicks, and then it’s onto the next, the system you and Steve have created moving along smoothly, family after family.
If someone told Steve when he’d started this job, grouchy and prepared to pout about it every day, that he’d grow to like it, that he’s realized he’ll miss it when it’s gone, he would’ve laughed in their faces.
Never in a million years did Steve think he’d come remotely close to enjoying being an elf, but he has (he still fucking hates the outfit, though). You have everything to do with his surprising not-so-hatred of the job, of his careful fondness growing towards the holidays.
It’s all because of you.
Christmas Eve is a busy day at Starcourt mall, parents rushing about for last minute presents, teenagers taking advantage of holiday sales, and families lined up for their Santa pictures they’d forgotten about until now.
You don’t get breaks between families often today, but once you do, you and Steve are next to each other, making imaginary backstories for random people that pass by, dramatically reading lips of conversations.
The next time there’s an opening, you walk over to Steve, holding up your fist as if there’s a microphone in it. “So, Steve, tell me, how does it feel to have survived December as a Christmas elf?”
“I feel like I should get an award, maybe,” he says into your fake microphone. “I’ve gotten two rashes from this scratchy outfit. Two! And I’ll never hear jingle bells the same again.”
You laugh before clearing your throat and getting back into your news anchor character, “wow. You heard it here folks, North Pole outfits are not luxurious.”
“No, they are not.”
Steve can’t help but grin as he looks at you, as he jokes around with you so easily it feels like he’s known you for years instead of a month. He supposes he has known you longer, but never the way he does now.
“Now, will you be returning to Santa’s Workshop in future Decembers, mister Harrington?”
“Well, that depends,” he says. “I think I’ll require a certain presence to be with me if I come back. Can’t survive it without my doses of sunshine.”
My doses of sunshine.
You’ve never reacted to words the way you do with Steve, but when he says things like that, how can you not react? He compliments you in these indirect ways that only you could understand, and this secret language of yours has your heart skipping, your world tinted-pink.
That one makes you break character, “really?”
“Really.”
Looking up at him, at those soft, melting brown eyes that have always told you more than anything else about him, at the fondness in them, you think about that kiss.
You haven’t spoken about it, but you haven’t felt the need to. It meant something, you know that much, and by the way Steve sneaks touches—a squeeze of your hand, a palm on your back—he does, too.
“You make Christmas better,” he tells you.
He leaves you with that as the next family walks up for their picture, but you don’t miss the way his eyes linger on you, his gaze spreading sparkles over your skin.
It’s hard to focus when all you can think about is him calling you sunshine in that soft voice of his he’s only used when you’re alone, but you have to, so it’s back to work you go.
You don’t get to speak much again until your shift is over, the Christmas Eve evening rush swooping in and keeping you both busy.
It’s bittersweet, walking to the back room for the last time from Santa’s Workshop. You’re excited for tomorrow, because it’s Christmas and it’s one of your favorite days of the year, but it’s hitting you now how much you’ll miss seeing Steve nearly every day.
You’ll still see him, of course you will. Whether it’s him getting you to help sneak kids into a movie or maybe something more, something for just the two of you. Either way, you’re at least sure of one thing: Steve Harrington is one of the best people you know.
He’s the first to speak as you step into the staff room. “I have something for you,” he says.
Steve scratches the back of his neck, the smallest hint of pink on his cheeks. He’s nervous, and it’s the sweetest thing. He reaches into his bag, pulling out a small box, a white ribbon tied in a bow around it, a little lopsided, like he’d tied it himself.
You take it from him, smiling down at the box, because no matter what’s in it, he cared enough to get you a gift and that’s what matters, that’s what you’ll hold onto.
“Really?”
“Open it, please.”
You listen, tugging the ribbon loose and opening up the small box. Inside, you find a delicate chain, the pendant in the shape of the sun.
“Steve.” It comes out in a breath, your eyes welling the tiniest bit because this is the best gift you’ve ever received. He’s a gift himself, looking at you shyly, searching your face for a reaction.
“Do you like it?” He asks, his voice soft. “If it’s too much I can-”
“It’s perfect,” you say, and you mean it. “Put it on for me?”
He flashes you a grin, the corners of his mouth tugging up as he nods and takes the necklace from you, undoing the clasp as you turn around and move your hair out of the way.
You can feel his warmth against your back as he drapes the necklace over your collar, his fingers brushing the back of your neck as he fiddles with the clasp.
“There you go,” he says, taking a small step back to give you room to spin back around to face him.
You look down at the sun pendant sitting against your skin, touching it lightly. Steve’s actions speak volumes, and this one makes you feel so many things. But above it all, you feel like his.
He watches your face as you look at the necklace, the slope of your nose and the softness of your cheeks. The flutter of your lashes and the smile you don’t even try to hide. He’s been resisting the urge to kiss you since he’d done it the first time, but it’s stronger than ever now, with his present around your neck.
Your eyes meet when you look back up at him, his brown ones never failing to show how he feels, and your heart skips with how he looks at you. Like he cares, like he doesn’t intend on stopping.
He brushes your hair over your shoulder, fingertips gentle as ever when they brush against the side of your neck.
“I love it, Steve, really. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, sunshine.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything, I didn’t expect-”
“Hey,” he cuts you off, his hand shifting to hold yours, fingers lacing with yours easily, “you’ve given me so much.”
Steve doesn’t know how he got lucky enough to get paired with you for this job, how he got lucky enough to have someone look past his slight grumpiness and really see him. You’ve given him Christmas as a whole, erasing bad memories, replacing them with new ones, and he doesn’t think any present could repay you for that.
“Oh wait!” You squeeze his hand before letting go and heading towards your bag, digging until you find what you’d been looking for. You hand Steve a folded piece of paper, “you should have this.”
As he unfolds it, he realizes it’s the bucket list you’d made for him what feels like forever ago, glitter and all. There are activities with check marks beside them, the ones you’d completed, and he shakes his head with the smile he seems to only wear when you’re around.
Very last on the list, your handwriting spells out words that make his chest feel light, his heart full.
‘Make next Christmas just as good.’
Steve finally stops holding himself back and kisses you for the second time, and you’re both certain it won’t be the last.
⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆
thank you for reading!! if you enjoyed, please please consider leaving a reblog or comment and let me know what you think! it would mean a bunch <3
855 notes · View notes
ddejavvu · 8 months
Note
hello!! i hope you’re doing well ❤️ i just read your hotch fic where he sneaks his wife and jack into the hotel room and i was wondering if you’d write something similar where jack is with jess or something and someone from the team catches hotch and reader going into his room except they can’t tell it’s reader and think hotch is cheating and they love the reader and can’t stand the idea of letting them get cheated on so maybe they confront him or call reader while reader is with hotch to tell her or something funny, whatever you find fitting. thank you if you get to this ❤️
i actually fucking adored this idea thank you <333
--
Emily's always taken Hotch for an honorable man. He's chivalrous, opening doors for the ladies on the team and walking them to their cars to be sure that they're safe in parking lots. It's instilled in his very being to be kind to women, so when she sees him trying to cover up a head of blue-dyed hair as he fumbles with the lock on his hotel room, she's perplexed.
That's not you. You don't have blue hair. But Hotch's arm is around her waist, and she's leaning into his side. His hand is more than generous over her skin, even slipping into the hemline of her shorts, and Emily's blood boils.
Aaron's got a grin on his face that she can just barely see without being seen herself, and he sounds all-too-happy to be leading another woman into his hotel room after hours when he chuckles at her advances. She rushes for the bed and Emily has to duck back into her room so as not to be seen when the woman rights herself on the bed, and there's something sickly brewing in her gut as she shuts her door again. She no longer has an appetite to raid the vending machine like she'd planned, so she heads back to her twin bed, hand digging into her pajama pants to retrieve her phone.
Spencer' who's occupying the second bed in the room, looks up inquisitively from his book, "I thought you were going to the vending machine, what happened?"
"Hotch just let some girl into his room. I mean- like, he brought her in, he had his hands all over her and she ran to the bed."
Reid's brows rise towards his scruffy hairline, pink lips downturned, "It wasn't Y/N?"
"She had blue hair," Prentiss shakes her head, "I'm gonna tell her."
"I want to help," Spencer rises from his bed, quickly crossing the room to her own, "I don't want to make her sad, but we can't keep it from her."
Emily nods, but Spencer keeps talking, "I... I can't believe Hotch would do something like that."
"Neither can I." Emily admits, clicking on your text thread. It's heavily decorated with hearts both in the messages and your contact name, and she hopes yours doesn't break when you find out what your husband's been doing behind your back.
Y/N, she types, I don't know how to tell you this, and I wish someone else would, because I don't want to be the one to break your sweet heart. But I just saw Aaron bring some blue-haired girl into his room, and if I'm being honest with you, I think they're having sex. I'm SO sorry honey, I wish I could do something, but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't tell you. Please call me and tell me what's going on with you, I don't want you to be alone all night, and PLEASE don't slip away if you and Aaron don't work things out. For the record I'm rooting for you to dump his sorry ass, but I know you'll need time to work things out. All I ask is that you don't shut us out, honey, please don't let him change the way you feel about us.
P.S Reid is here too and we're both here if you want to talk. We can face-time and we'll be there for you as best we can, baby.
And also you can sleep at my place.
Or Spence's. He says he can sleep on the couch if you want his bed.
I'm so sorry, Y/N, we love you.
Emily can't have pressed send on the last text ten seconds ago before there's a series of urgent knocks on the door. Her guard is up immediately, and she almost considers ignoring it because she's sure it's Hotch coming to tell her off for exposing him. She figures you must have called him, upset, and he's here to ask her to lie for him.
The knocks don't stop, though, and Reid's the one that marches for the door, face set in a glare that's unusually menacing for him. He's deduced the same series of events, but when he swings the door open with as much sass as he can muster, his posture stiffens with shock.
Aaron is on the other side of the door, but you're standing in front of him, hair bright blue, face sheepish.
"Hi Em," You smile at her, then at Reid, "Spence. I was going to join you all for breakfast tomorrow and unveil it, but- um, I think now's a good time to tell you that I dyed my hair blue."
"Oh." Emily hums, mouth hung slightly open, "So it's- it was you."
"it was me," You nod, "But thank you for telling me. I'm glad I can count on you. Both of you," Your eyes flit to Spencer, who's equally astonished as he inspects your new hair dye.
"Oh, that means-" Emily's face wrinkles suddenly, looking at your waist that Aaron's got a hold of as he stands behind you, "Gross, you two were gonna- in the hotel!"
Spencer groans, rushing away from the door and retreating back to his bed where his novel lies.
"It's after hours!" You insist, "It's not like we were doing it in the precinct on government time. We're adults, Emily."
"We're adults too, y'know. With work in the morning. We can't be kept up all hours of the night by your racket! Just go get it over with," She grimaces, "And- hey! Try to get into your room this time before reaching your hand down her pants, perv!"
1K notes · View notes
mangekyuou · 1 year
Note
Is there anyway you can do headcannon NSFW version of law , sanji and zoro and how they would react to having a shy girlfriend in bed. Like she doesn't make much noises , blushes at every touch and is very very sensitive? I love love love your writing BTW! I don't want to just impose a ask without letting you know that! Thank you!!
⟡    ֺ   𓂂  headcanons  ,  with a shy s/o in bed.
Tumblr media
✸     characters! . . .  law, sanji & zoro.
✸     cw(s)! . . .  nsfw. implied f!reader. use of ‘attagirl’ in zoro’s. no pronouns used. not proofread. minors DNI.
✸     notes! . . .  these were kind of all over the place ?? i don’t know ?? and thank you so much for the support <333 thank you for requesting !! 
Tumblr media Tumblr media
law doesn’t mind you being shy, however, he would like to hear from you to know how you’re feeling
he tests out the waters a lot. he needs to know your limits, what makes you feel good, and what makes you feel uncomfortable
doesn’t accept head nods, he needs to hear you say yes every time he asks you if something is okay
he maps out your body with his mouth and fingers, finding where you are the most sensitive
when he feels like he knows what makes you tick, what gives you the most pleasure, he’ll definitely lighten up and tease you a bit
how you unintentionally arch your back, as his calloused fingers trail down your body. the way your legs close a little when he gets closer to your core.
the way you raised your hands to cover your pleasured expression. but no
“how cute” he tells you as he grabs your wrist, pinning them above you. he wants to see you, all of you
Tumblr media Tumblr media
sanji loves how shy you are because he loves flustering you, and making you speechless
he takes his time, he’s in no rush. slipping off your clothes one by one, between breath-taking, passionate kisses and love confessions
he just loves making you feel like the most beautiful person on the planet, in the galaxy even
he could do this for hours
he’d do anything just to get a sound out of you. to hear you moan and whimper underneath his touch, to let him know that he’s taking care of you
he feels that you want him, but he wants to know that you want him. he wants to hear you say it. the way “i need you” falls from your lips, is enough to send chills down his spine
you being very sensitive drives him insane. seeing your mouth fall open, watching your body react to the slightest touch ?? he short circuits
sanji is very much into body worship. it’s kinda his thing. he will leave no part of your body untouched, mumbling into your skin about how perfect you are
Tumblr media Tumblr media
zoro himself is not much of a talkative fellow in the bedroom. 
a few low grunts and curses under his breath. or the occasional “mine” that he mumbles against your skin
he has difficulty getting used to your lack of sounds.
he needs to hear how good he’s making you feel. not just for his ego, but he wants to know to learn your body from top to bottom.
what gives you chills, what makes you sigh, what makes you twitch
he’ll tease you a little about your shyness as he pushes you to the limits, pressing you against the wall, spreading your legs with his rough hand
he loves seeing you flustered, not even able to look him in the eye.
“eyes on me” not that he gives you much of a choice, bringing his hand up to your jaw to make you look at him “attagirl”
Tumblr media
© MANGEKYUOU  —  do not copy, repost, or translate my works.
Tumblr media
2K notes · View notes
Note
Hi! 😊 Your rules post was very useful before I send my ask through, thank you for that. If you ever feel inspired for it, may I ask for your thoughts on Wriothesley? It's alright if nothing comes to mind, thank you for taking the time! <333 Have a good day/night!
I am glad you found my rules post helpful! This was written way before his release in 4.1 so things may be OOC now.
Since you didn’t specify what kind of thoughts you wanted I made this into cuddling headcanons, hope that's alright! (I wanted to make these nsfw and not fluff cause y’know…that one handcuff idle but I didn’t know if you wanted that so I went with fluff)
CW: None GN Reader
Wriothesley cuddling headcanons
Tumblr media
Due to his occupation his work days are really stressful, and often he is only able to come home very late at night. He told you multiple times that you don’t need to wait up for him and that you should sleep early, but you refuse. You always greet him at the door when he comes home, even if it is 12 at night. 
While he does feel guilty that you stay up late just so you can greet him, he has to admit it makes him feel extra loved. Coming home to be greeted by you as soon as he opens the door helps him melt all the stress of the day off. Though be prepared to be carried to bed by him, he refuses to let you walk up the stairs late at night, especially if you seem really tired. (As a chubby person I will die on the hill that this man can carry anyone regardless of weight) 
Once he lies down in bed with you, he will pull you on top of him, letting you rest your head on his tiddies, i mean his chest. You swear his heartbeat always picks up a bit when you do it, but he always tells you you must be imagining things. 
Wriothesley keeps his arms around you when you two sleep, you may change sleeping positions but he will keep a hold on you in some way. You genuinely don’t know how he does it, especially during nights where you have restless sleep and move a lot. You once asked him about it, and he couldn’t give you an answer simply because he didn’t even realise that he does it.
While he has to wake up early on days he has to work, on his off days he sleeps in for as long as he wants and needs, which will most likely be longer than you sleep. If you try to leave his arms to go to the bathroom or make breakfast he will tighten his grip and grumble something in a half asleep state that you can’t understand. Guess you are trapped until he is ready to let go or you are somehow able to convince him to loosen his arms around you.
When you do your chores around the house, expect Wriothesley to suddenly come up behind you and wrap his arms around you. He rests his head on your shoulder or your head depending on your height in comparison to his. The closeness and intimacy of it is his favourite part of it.
If he sits on the couch while you are walking around the house and walk by him, he will grab your wrist and pull you into his lap. He craves as much physical touch as possible on his off days so whenever he can he will cuddle you. He loves it when you relax on his lap and cuddle into him, it makes him feel loved and cared for.
Play with his hair while you sit on his lap and he will be in heaven. You can feel him lean his head into your touch. Due to how much he loves having his hair played with he makes sure that it is always as soft and clean as possible, just so you will continue playing with it.
198 notes · View notes
roselise · 4 months
Note
You are so beautiful. Your face looks like how happiness should feel. ❤️
Oh . . my friend! . ˚ * . ⊹ 🤍 ~ !!
*Squealing and giving you the happiest hug!*
I don’t know what to say . . this is such a beautiful compliment !!
To think that someone feels I’m worth these words ♡
My face is all red, but I feel so happy inside! Thank you for this kindness !!
(Though I am not sure I deserve it! Still — it is nice to feel pretty ♡)
You’re a really kind person you, know that? c:
A kind person & a true blessing to me today ♡
So I am sending *many* warm hugs & *so* much love to you !! Please take care, okay ??
I hope in return that someone gives you a reason to be as happy as I am now, and that you have a truly bright & beautiful day ~ !!
🧸 . ˚ *  .  ʚ 🤍 ɞ
⊹˚ . * 🎀 XOXO ❄️ * . ˚⊹
ʚ 🤍 ɞ . ˚ * . 🧸
4 notes · View notes
gimmeurtmi · 3 months
Note
Hi 🧡 was wondering if you can write something and anythingggg for sub felix with a noona kink (an enemies to lovers scenario) thank youu <33
ooooooh i like this a lot 👀 let me put out a disclaimer that i know nothing at all about gaming lmao but the idea was there so let’s please suspend our disbelief in all the gaming lingo i’ll badly be using <333
(warning; swearing, smut!!!🔞, reader is older than felix but not specified, guest starring innie, very light sub!felix, )
Tumblr media
felix slumped in his seat, growling loudly as his character died again. he wasn’t doing well, not at all, and he just couldn’t get past the trolls guarding the mountain.
it wasn’t helping that you were there—pretty, and giggling, and so much fucking better than him at this game. why did jeongin have to invite you over for game night?
you were jeongin’s friend, not his, and you made that pretty obvious. “felix, you suck.”
“noona,” jeongin tsked, “be nice to lixie-hyung.”
“nice isn’t gonna get us to the top of the mountain!” you rolled your eyes. felix needs to get his stress balls out before he punches the wall.
“what will then?” felix scoffed. you turned to him, eyebrow raised.
felix could tell you were annoyed at him by the way your jaw was clenched but he couldn’t quite look away. you were really pretty, and annoyingly enough, you were even prettier when you were mad.
“maybe let’s take a break,” jeongin senses the tension and decides a breather is needed. “i’ll go make some food.”
he leaves the two of you alone, which felix thinks is stupid, and you resume the game anyway.
“just try, i’ll help you,” you suggest, moving closer to him. felix doesn’t know how to say this without sounding like some kind of perv, but you next to him—hands on his wrists and guiding his fingers across the console isn’t helping at all. his character dies within three seconds.
“oh my god, lix,” you groan. “just fucking shoot them!”
“i’m trying!!!” he yells, “can’t you see i’m trying?”
“try harder!”
“stop telling me how to fucking play!” he gets up, throws the console on the sofa and storms to his room. from the corner of your eye you can see jeongin shuddering before sending you a dirty look.
you sigh heavily. you quickly get up to apologise, you did promise jeongin you’d play nice this time.
you softly knock on the door and a deep voice sounds through the wall. you take it as a sign to go inside and you do, met with the sight of felix squeezing away at two of his stress balls.
“uh,” you say awkwardly from the door. “i’m, sorry. didn’t mean to make you mad and all.”
“‘sfine,” he mumbles out, grabbing one of his pillows and hugging it close to his chest.
you sit down next to him, and felix moves closer—if only by a mere centimetre—and you take that to mean he isn’t upset. so you speak on. “jeongin really wants us to get along, so i’ll try and not yell at the time.”
felix nods.
“but you also need to, i don’t know, get better,” you chuckle softly. felix looks over at you, a small smirk on his face, and you feel relieved when you realise he understood your joke.
“i’ll be honest, y/n,” he sighs, and you fold your hands over your chest. felix always calls you by your full name, and it’s annoying, and it makes you feel like a stranger to him. “there’s a reason i’m not good.”
“yeah,” you nod, “you suck.”
“it’s because i like you,” he rushes in a quick mumble of words.
you cough.
“i like you and you just think of me as your younger brother’s friend who sucks at video games and it makes me mad so i start yelling and then you yell back and sometimes i think about how it would be fun if you yelled at me in a sexy way and not because i keep dying and—“ felix gasps, covering his mouth with both hands.
you start laughing, loudly, much to felix’s horror, who keeps shaking his head and telling you to be quiet.
“but it’s funny!” you try and breathe out, the blush on felix’s cheeks just about calming down now. “i think it’s cute you like me.”
“but?” felix raised his brows, timid.
“but how is me yelling sexy?”
“most of what you do is sexy,” he all but whispers, “like when you were holding my wrist and guiding me earlier.”
you nod. you move closer, your thigh touching his knee, and wrap your fingers around his wrist.
“would it be okay if i guided you somewhere now?” you ask, softly.
“like-like-like where?”
“a stress relief, of sorts,” you chuckle, looking down at your body before giving felix a pointed look.
he gasps, so cutely, and nods quickly. “yes, yes. uh, yes, noona.”
he says it so simply, so casually, that you can’t help the small moan of satisfaction that leaves you. felix’s whole face lights up at the sound.
you bring his hand in between your thighs, watching as felix moves closer and closer to your core—eyes sparkling as they look up at yours hopefully.
“can i, i can touch you here?”
“yeah,” you breath out, feeling the way your core flutters at his question, “you can make noona cum and then i won’t be so mad at you for losing. sounds good?”
felix nods quickly.
“are you good at it, lixie?” you ask with a small smirk, just to tease him.
you watch as his bright eyes darken in determination before he starts softly touching you, watching intently for your every reaction.
265 notes · View notes
calliesadeckis · 2 months
Note
Hi! Love your work, could you write a dick Grayson fanfic abt him and a quiet female reader warming up to each other (set between season 1 and 2)?
yes, of course!!!! god, i've wanted to write for titans on here so bad i just didn't have the inspo so thank you<333
talk to him
titans dick grayson x fem!reader
sunmary: you weren't exactly much of a people person. especially since you were 1 of 2 adults living in a huge tower in san francisco, watching over 3 kids you don't really talk to outside of training. and the only other adult being closed off so who knows what'll happen when he decides to talk to you out of no where
cw: not much, there's just some fluff with a teaspoon of angst because of communication issues (they both suck at small talk and beyond)
a/n: idc what anyone says about this show, it's given me so much comfort and a lot of fun and likable characters. so i'm so glad i can write for them as long as you guys send requests for them. as well as other characters from other shows like yellowjackets and etc. also i love dick grayson, even though he can be a bit annoying in this show (that i can admit) but he's hot so ajsjfndmfmf. also, i'm sorry it took sooooo long, writers block got to me badly these past few months, so i apologize if it's cringey and awkward. but i do give the benefit the doubt here because this story is suppose to be like that (also the fact i'm projecting my "bad at small talk" trait here). two grown adults that can't seem to have a normal conversation, like at all
masterlist
Tumblr media
after the trigon incident you were dragged in by circumstance, you were the only other adult to volunteer to help dick with... whatever he was doing. you didn't have any life to go back to anyways, and you made a connection to everyone else so why part ways and it be unlikely to see them again. sure, you weren't particularly close with the kids, but, what are you supposed to do in order to bond with them? so that left dick in titans tower, but he wasn't as much of a talker as you outside of training.
everyday for the past few weeks have been, eat, train, sleep, repeat on a loop, no 'how was your day' questions, because the days are always the same so there wasn't any point of asking. and you could tell the kids were getting bored of it, very fast, and you could not blame them. being stuck in a repeating pattern with nothing else happening started getting old after the first couple weeks. so, you didn't really know how long it would take til something changed, it couldn't be like this forever.
during this time, you admired the grayson from afar, he was attractive, what else could you say? you weren't an idiot. and you also were aware of his previous entanglements with kory and you didn't wanna be involved in that. and, well... you felt like a teenage girl having a crush on a guy who was going through some shit, so it was better not to bother him.
and not being much of a talker doesn't make the conversation about feelings be any better. like, maybe this was attraction and nothing more? you were aware of the difference between liking someone physically and liking them emotionally (specifically in a romantic sense). but even as you admired him, you learn things about him, paying attention to the little things. deep down, he cared for other people, if he didn't, he wouldn't have taken rachel in and helped her, and he wouldn't have done the same for gar or jason either. people just have their own way of showing their love and care.
but your admiring wasn't exactly subtle. rachel had noticed it when you were looking at dick from across the room, talking with jason. the roth wasn't sugarcoating anything when it came to this, "you keep staring, you're probably gonna be capable of shooting lazers from your eyes." and you knew she was joking around but she caught you by surprise, making you face the young girl. "why is it any of your business?"
"because it's kind of sad seeing you pine for him like this." she points out, "and also, gar and jason made a bet whether or not you'd confess. we have eyes, you know?" and she lightly bumped your shoulder with hers with a smile on her face, "and i'm sure dick feels the same way, though he's not very good of showing it."
"that is ridiculous." you shake your head, "one, i don't like him. not like that. i just think he's cool."
"are you sure about that?" the roth rose her eyebrow, "talk to him." but you were not moving from where you were so rachel decided to take matters into her own hands, she then gave you a push (a literal one) towards him, and now you couldn't run away. all you could say was, "hey..."
"hey." he responded. jason just stood there awkwardly in between the two of you, "okay, well uh—" he pretends to look at a watch that's not even on his wrist, "look at the time, i must be going." and he had immediately ran out of there before dick tried to stop him. there was an silent pause and you were trying to figure out what to say, but before you could, he asks, "do you want some coffee?" all you did was nod. after that, there was even more silence, you two haven't had a conversation that wasn't training related in like, a while. it just felt like you were both strangers who didn't know each other nor were you fond of one another.
"you're just as bad at small talk as i am, huh?" you finally had spoken up. and dick just shook his head, "i don't know what you're talking about, i know how to make small talk."
"oh really?" you rose up your eyebrow, "okay mr. 'i know how to make small talk', what do you wanna talk about? and please, don't let it be training related. because if i have to hear you talk about that one more time, my head is gonna explode." you tried to look irritated, but he could notice a small smile on your face. then he immediately went into the 'deep, emotional' stuff, "you never told me why you came here. you just did, and i'm surprised you stuck around as long as you have."
you answered it anyway, because why not, "well, it's not like i have anywhere else to go." you set down your drink, making direct eye contact at him, "besides, the second i got here, and realized how big this place is and i have my own room... what, did you expect me to pass it up?" and you ended up making him laugh, which was surprising, "what is so funny, i'm just being honest." you were unsure why he was laughing, so you just took a sip of your coffee. he explained, "your honesty is refreshing, that's all."
"really?" and he nodded as a reply. you just sighed, taking your coffee and leaving. it's not like you had anything else to talk about and just sitting there would make it more awkward, so you just left. does it make it any less weird? absolutely not.
you guys didn't talk much after in the next few days, up until you decided to play hero on solo when you see a woman getting mugged by this guy in a mask. it was like one of the many movie cliches that you see brought into reality.
too bad it didn't turn out like expected, where you got shot in the leg. thankfully, the kids were able to track you down and bring you to the infirmary, gar was trying his best to patch you up and rachel was there for emotional support. as for jason... there wasn't much else he can do than just stand watch, up until dick had walked in with a worried expression, and the three teens immediately rushed out of there as soon as he walked in the room. you could've left if you wanted too but, obviously you couldn't.
"jesus fuck, you could've gotten yourself killed, what were you thinking?" all of his emotions were being let out in that moment, it was the most emotion you've seen him express towards you in like... ever. yet you couldn't help but be a bit sarcastic, "yeah, keep yelling... it's not like i'm literally a few feet away from you or whatever."
dick sat on the edge of the bed and started to explain, "sorry, it's just... when i heard what happened, i didn't know how to feel, or express it correctly." he gently set his hand on your injured leg, softly, "just if anything happened to you, i—"
"i'm tougher than you think, grayson." you reassured him, and you noticed a tiny smile creeping up on his face.
"i know it's just... i don't wanna lose anyone else."
you lean up a bit to set your hand on his shoulder, "i'm not going anywhere, dick." you then stopped for a second as you come to realize, "and we just had a conversation that didn't involve small talk. maybe i should get myself hurt more often." you were obviously joking at that last part, but dick's reaction to it was priceless, "i'm kidding. you are just... not what i expected."
"the feeling is mutual."
a part of you wanted to kiss him, that it felt right, but another part was saying how the timing of it all wasn't. and maybe these feelings you're having are actually real. because now, there was something in your heart that was growing that wasn't just admiration, and it felt weird, but a good weird.
maybe when the timing is right, they'll get to it, but until then, your growing friendship in the moment is enough for now.
143 notes · View notes
sanjisboyfie · 6 months
Text
one piece smau: married to robin edition
— kinda implied that robin is some "celebrity" but i kind of just enviosioned her just being a really successful writer or smth LOL
— male reader ! ! !
Tumblr media
liked by nico.robin, nrs.husband, and 12k others
uso_pp: bro is definitely a mama's boy
tagged: nico.robin and nrs.husband
nrs.husband: well i call her mommy in bed anyway so it checks out
-> uso_pp: DEAR GOD.
dni_nami: they're both so whipped for each other, true love is real igggg
[liked by nico.robin, nrs.husband, and 90 others]
freeluffy: is it normal to be this clingy with your girlfriend...[name]'s behavior seems concerning guys ://
-> roro.zoro: it kills me how serious u seem about this
princesanji: IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MEEEE
Tumblr media
liked by nrs.husband, dni_nami, and 30k others
nico.robin: my husband is so thoughtful - he's never forgotten to give me floewrs whenver my older ones die <3
tagged: nrs.husband
nrs.husband: if my baby loves flowers IMMA GET HER FLOWERS
-> nico.robin: and i'll treasure them each time my love
princesanji: robin, i too, remember that you love flowers - do you love me now :3?
SUPERCOLA: i thought im the ways of being a SUPPPERRR husband well
-> nrs.husband: SUPPPPEERRRR
dni_nami: were these from your garden?
-> nico.robin: yes :) he has been tending to them ever since he planted them for me so now that they're grown, he made them into a bouqet
[liked nrs.husband, roro.zoro, and 100 others]
-> dni_nami: UGH I DONT KNOW WHY I BOTHER ASKING it's too cute i might kill MYSELF
Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by nico.robin, princesanji, and 20k others
nrs.husband: before and after the event, so proud of my beautiful girl
tagged: nico.robin
nico.robin: your support means the world to me <3 i love you so much
-> nrs.husband: if you have 1000 fans, i'm one of them. if you have 100 fans, i'm one of them. if you have 10 fans, i'm one of them. if there are no more fans of nico robin in the world, then i'm dead. i love you so sososososo much more my love
uso_pp: someone check up on sanji-
-> roro.zoro: i just heard a thump from the room over, i'm gonna assume he just fell to his knees
skullnsoul: such an elegant couple - YOUNG LOVE IS SO BEAUTIFUL
-> nrs.husband: brook you're like ten years older pls ur not an old man yet LMFAO
-> nico.robin: thank you brook :)
Tumblr media Tumblr media
liked by nrs.husband, dni_nami, and 20k others
nico.robin: my favorite place in the world is his arms
tagged: nrs.husband
nrs.husband: i'll start crying right now.
nrs.husband: I DONT DESERVE YOU UGH
uso_pp: photo creds robin?? cmon now my work aint free
princesanji: what did [name] do in a past life to deserve a goddess such as yourself, robin-chan?
-> nico.robin: sanji you need to move on <3
[liked by roro.zoro, dni_nami, and 400 others]
freeluffy: mama y papa :DDDD
-> nrs.husband: LUFFY LMFAOOAA
Tumblr media
liked by uso_pp, nrs.husband, nico.robin, and 11k others
dni_nami: the one time we get to see robin and he's hogging all her attention....wtf
tagged: nico.robin and nrs.husband
nico.robin: dw nami i reserved us a girls day at the nearby resort <3
-> dni_nami: mommy? sorry, mommy? mommy? sorry...mommy??
-> nrs.husband: hello????
uso_pp: as if he doesn't get to spend eveyr waking second with her like cmon bruh
-> nrs.husband: my BADD for loving my wife jfc i cant win w u guys
nrs.husband: omg send me this photo she looks so cute here hehehe
-> dni_nami: stfu.
nrs.husband's story:
Tumblr media
i love lovelovelovelove my beautiful wife. everyone is just jealous she's mine <333
nico.robin replied to your story: i wondered why nami just texted me she hated you — you're very cute with this story, [name]. i love you too and am glad that i can call you mine as well <333
224 notes · View notes