𝖉 𝖊 𝖛 𝖎 𝖑

“what are you, the grinch?” mary jane scrunched up her face just slightly, disagreement written clear on her expression. she wanted to keep her christmas tree up all year, and may or may not keep colored lights up year-round in her bedroom. winter was her favorite time of year, and christmas topped the list. “might want to get back on top of mount crumpit before someone starts caroling. someone being me.”

..

there’s  a  time  and  place  for  everything  and  maybe  it’s  a  polarizing  opinion,  but  he  doesn’t  think  november  and  christmas  need  to  go  hand  in  hand.  then  again, considering  the  household  he  was  raised  in,  there’s  likely  some  inherent  bias  that  sees  him  feeling  that  way.  yet  even  if  things  had  been  normal  rockwell-esque  in  the  ward  house...  he  gets  the  feeling  that  caroling,  even  in  a  perfect  world,  would  NEVER  be  for  him.  “  here  i  thought  i  gave  off  more  of  a  krampus  vibe. ”   he  deadpans,  lips  fighting  the  hint  of  an  amused  smirk  at  her  threats.  “  i’ll  stop  you  right  there.  nobody  needs  that. ”

Belphegor frowned. “Yeah, I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s specifically for people who put up decorations early, but I guess they’d go to Lucifer’s circle for having too much pride.” They shrugged.

..

it’s  not  a response  he  would  have  anticipated  but  he  has  no  reason  to  assume  that  it’s  anything  other  than  hypothetical.  "  sure?  that  works  too. ”

          daniel looked over at the male “i mean, right after halloween may be a bit early but i don’t think it’s that bad.” he shrugged “my mom would always have us decorating the house as soon as we cleaned our plates on thanksgiving. said that we need to work off all the food we just ate.” he chuckled, smiling fondly at the memory.

..

you  don’t  rise  within  the  ranks  of  s.h.i.e.l.d,  or  hydra,  without  knowing  who  daniel  sousa  is.   he  was  the  first  agent  killed  in  the  line  of  duty,  discovering  the  truth  about  hydra  within  the  organization  ...  or  rather  he  was  supposed  to  have  been.   considering  he’s  standing  in  front  of  him,  breathing  and  talking,  he  makes  an  educated  guess  that  the  details  of  his  death  must  have  been  greatly  exaggerated.  he  doesn’t,  however,  do  anything  to  indicate  that  he  was  caught  off  guard.   he’s  not  exactly  a  friend  of  s.h.i.e.l.d  these  days,  he’s  on  thin  ice  as  is,  better  to  not  make  an  enemy  unnecessarily  if  he  can  avoid  it.   “  thanksgiving  was  more  of  a  pageant  for  our  family. ”   he  replies  wryly.  “  there  was  lots  of  food  but  i  don’t  remember  ever  getting  to  eat  it. ”   

“It’s rather early but I saw some stores putting up Christmas decorations up for sale before Halloween was even over.”

..

“  that’s  capitalism  for  you. ”  he  responds  easily.  “  --  and  we  buy  into  it  every  single  year.  without  fail. ”   he  thinks  about  the  7ft  trees  his  mother  used  to  put  up  in  the  sitting  room,  and  the  study,  and  resists  the  urge  to  scowl.  all  the  decorations  in  the  world  hadn’t  been  able  to  make  that  HELL  into  a  home.  “  the  human  race  is  nothing  if  not  predictable. ”

“I have been frozen for god knows how long, it could be the middle of March for all I care. It’s Christmas time”

..

his  curiosity’s  piqued  even  if  his  face  never  registers  it.  considering  how  many  supersoldiers  s.h.i.e.l.d  (  and  hydra  )  had  pulled  out  of  the  ice  by  now,  it’s  not  exactly  a  novel  concept.  even  if  she’s  not  enhanced.  “  my  first  priority  would  have  been  a  cheeseburger  but  to  each  their  own. ”

😈😈😈

Maze almost felt bad for this guy. Almost. He didn’t really know who or what he was up against and Maze had an unfair advantage. Even among demons, Mazikeen was considered one of the strongest. She could move faster than the human eye could perceive when she wanted to, but she usually held herself back against humans to make things a more even and fun fight. She eyed the gun in his hand with curiosity. It didn’t look like the average gun, and she was curious whether his kind had developed something that might’ve actually had an effect on her. Instead, he threw a knife. Bad move on his part. Maze had a strong connection with knives and an even faster reaction time. With her free hand, she caught the blade mid-air. “Thanks. Can I keep it? Give me a fancier knife, and I might even let you have this guy.”

..

he’s  not  easily  impressed  but  when  he  sees  her  catch  the  knife,  his  lips  twitch  in  amusement.  she  won’t  make  this  easy...  which  he  appreciates.  lately,  he’s  been  tracking  down  marks  that  haven’t  put  up  much  of  a  fight.   he’s  been  itching  to  get  his  hands  dirty,  feel  bruises  blossoming  over  his  knuckles  after  connecting  them  with  someone’s  cheek.   “  i  wasn’t  planning  on  losing  him,  or  that  knife  today,  so... no. ”   he  tucks  the  icer  into  the  back  of  his  jeans,  slipping  a  hand  into  his  back  pocket  to  slip  on  a  set  of  brass  knuckles.   “  i  hope  you’ve  got  a  flexible  return  policy  ?  ”   he’s  already  made  the  first  move,  went  on  the  offensive,  so  this  time  he  waits;   watches  to  see  what  she  does  next.    whatever  it  is,  he’s  ready  for  it.  

“I knew you were a grump, but I didn’t think you were the Grinch. What do you have against Christmas decorating? Did Santa mug you when you were a kid? Because that happened to me, so it’s not an excuse.”

..

“  hold  on. ”   he  pauses,  shaking  his  head.   “  back  up..  did  you  just  say  you  got  mugged  by  santa  claus  ?  ”  his  brows  are  raised,  trying  (  and  failing  )  to  hide  the  amusement  on  his  face.   “  we’ll  come  back  to  me.  let’s  unpack  that. ”

“What’s wrong with that? We’re coming to the end of November and it’s been far too long since I’ve celebrated Christmas”

..

"  thanksgiving  hasn’t  even  passed  yet. ”  he  points  out.   “  i’d  rather  get  through  one  futile  holiday  before  moving  onto  the  next  one. ”

“Did the Grinch steal your Christmas spirit?” She passed off a box of Christmas decorations to him and shut the trunk of her car. “I’m not asking you to set them up, I just need help taking all of this to the oncology unit. The nurses and I can take it from there. They’re really particular about how they decorate the unit for the in house kids anyway.” She grabbed another box off the roof of her car. “Shall we?”

..

“  the  grinch  was  probably  anti-capitalist  and  misunderstood. ”  he  responds,  a  wry  smile  on  his  face  as  he  accepts  the  boxes.  he  might  have  agreed  to  help  but  that  doesn’t  mean  he  won’t  throw  in  a  few  none-too-subtle  comments  about  how  much  he  dislikes  the  holidays.   “  or  a  thanksgiving  fanatic  who  got  tired  of  it  being  passed  over  in  favor  of  christmas. ”   he  laughs,  nodding  as  he  moves  to  follow  her.   if  the  nurses  are  anything  like  his  mother,  they’d  have  every  bulb,  every  wreath,  and  every  strand  of  tinsel,  strategically  planned  out.  (  he  thinks  it’s  funny,  in  reflection,  that  the  hospital  decorates  to  bring  joy  when  in  his  home,  decorations  only  warned  of  misery  to  come.  )   “  hold  on.. ”   he  juggles  the  boxes  so  he  can  prop  the  door  open  for  her,  letting  her  go  first  so  he  can  follow her  to  wherever  they’re  going.

there’s  irony  in  this  situation.  he  might  as  well  be  talking  to  his  own  reflection,  listening  to  his  own  lies  as  he  justifies  a  lifetime  of  missteps  and  wrong  choices.  he  doesn’t  say  any  of  that  though,  simply  arches  a  brow  and  snorts.  “  who  said  you  couldn’t  be  both ? ”

😈😈😈 

“We could be,” she suggests, referring more to the playground than the age. “We could always take this there, but then there’d be a lot more collateral than you’re willing to handle.” Maze didn’t particularly care for children, with Trixie as the only exception. She liked the daddies and mommies though. It’d be a shame to lose all those fine asses. “He’s wanted by a lot of people, she points out. “S.H.I.E.L.D., the police, you, me, and I think a few members of the mafia too.” She shook the man in her arms, looking down at him. “You really did get busy, didn’t you?” She chuckles. “Oh?” she smirks. “Maybe I like it hard, but you’re sounding pretty flaccid right now. All bark, no bite.”

..

there’s  a  version  of  him  that  wouldn’t  care  about  collateral.  for  the  right  reasons,  for  the  right  mark,  he’d  take  his  shot  regardless  who  was  in  the  blast  radius.  unfortunate,  really,  that  he’s  making  an  effort  not  to  be  that  person.   he  simply  shrugs  instead,  chiming  in  with  a  “ yeah ”  before  making  his  move.  if  he  had  more  time,  could  have  put  some  thought  into  things,   he’d  throw  a  gas  release  device  between  them;  put  on  a  filtration  mask  to  make  sure  he  could  get  his  mark  without  being  followed  and  call  it  a  day.   but  he  has  no  time,  and  no  plan,  so  he  has  to  get  creative.  he  aims  the  icer  at  her  chest,  like  he’s  going  to  shoot,  but  instead  he  flips  a  utility  knife  in  the  direction  of  her  hand.   his  aim  is  to  see  her  lose  her  grip,  let  him  go,  and  then  take  her  down  so  he  can  make  his  exit  with  the  target.   if  he  knew  he  was  facing  a  demon,  maybe  he’d  re-evaluate  those  plans.

“ not to be dramatic but if i don’t get my life together i will die. ” / Deke (  @oflemcns​  )

the  night  sky  is  bright,  despite  the  city’s  best  efforts  to  dim  it.  if  you  squinted  past  cloud  cover  and  the  effect  the  city  lights  had  on  visibility,  you  could  almost  see  a  few  stars  shining  in  the  distance.  it  was  calmer  here,  on  the  balcony  outside  of  lux,  even  if  you  could  still  hear  the  thump-a-thump  of  the  bass  coming  from  inside  lux.    he’s  taking  a  few  moments  to  enjoy  the  silence  when  he  hears  a  voice  speak  from  somewhere  beside  him,  gaze  flitting  over  when  he  speaks  up  again.    “  yeah.  not  DRAMATIC  at  all. ”   his  tone’s  dry,  jaw  ticking  slightly  as  a  bemused  smile  fights  to  break  free.  “  do  you  always  bother  strangers  with  your  existential  crises  ? ”