#c!ethoslab

“Alright, time to pack up. You promised me you would be gone before my boss gets in, and the library opens in an hour.”

You jumped at the sound of a book slamming against the surface of the desk you were sitting at, jerking your head up and away from the paragraph you had been staring at for the past ten minutes. A figure loomed over you like the specter of death, impatiently drumming their fingertips against the flesh of their crossed arms. 

They- or rather, she- affixed you with a glare that could melt steel, green eyes flashing behind the thick rims of her glasses. It took a second longer for your sleep-deprived brain to boot up, but it was almost too easy at this point for you to recognize the face of the library’s chief archivist.

Rubbing at your burning eyes with a forefinger and thumb, you puffed a slow breath through your cheeks. After trying to read by the dim light of the desk lamp for God knows how many hours, they stung like hell. 

“Sorry, Gem. I must’ve lost track of time.”

The librarian, Gem, snorted but allowed her stern gaze to thaw, auburn hair rippling down her back as she tilted her head. “Are you sure you aren’t pushing yourself too hard? I know you want to finish up your degree, but I’m pretty sure you’ve studied here every day this week.” 

You chuckled dryly. Oh, she had no idea.

Your day job took up almost all of the ‘working day’ so to speak, leaving only the darkest hours of the night for you to attend college classes and catch up on homework. However, during those hours, there was nothing you could access beyond what little you could pirate on your shitty laptop and printed course material. 

Which is why Gem is the only thing standing between you and straight-up flunking college. 

Despite her devout adherence to the laws that governed your local city library, you had convinced her with a mix of bribery, guilt-tripping, and groveling to allow you to visit in the early hours before it opened. You were able to read and complete your assignments in peace, but most importantly: you were able to access legitimate, essential, official resources during the only time you had during the day to study.

You felt the muscles in your jaw twitch as you held your smile, hoping it didn’t look too vacant. Or desperate. 

“I’m fine, Gem. Just a bit tired.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “Sorry- have you seen yourself? The bags under your eyes are big enough to carry my groceries.”

You winced.

“Can’t argue with you there.”

If you were being honest, you couldn’t remember the last time you’d gotten more than four hours of sleep in a row- and even that estimate was generous. You pivoted in your seat, making the tactical decision to retreat from Gem’s piercing gaze.

You sighed as you crammed as many books as possible into your backpack, forcing protesting muscles that had long remained stagnant into movement. Whatever didn’t fit you hefted in your arms, making a face halfway between a grimace and a look of abject horror as your back cracked under the weight.

Gem pursed her lips, and somehow you resisted the urge to groan. This was an old argument that the two of you had hashed and re-hashed ever since she’d let you come into the library during closing hours, and you were sick of having to defend yourself.

“You can’t keep burning the candle at both ends. You look like you’re going to keel over at any second.”

“Well,” you laughed airily, the lightness of your voice at odds with the abject exhaustion in your expression. “It’s not like there’s anything I can do. I need to earn my degree, and you know that night classes are the only thing I can afford to take.”

Pausing for a moment, you snorted. “Both literally and figuratively.”

“You’re going to kill yourself at this rate,” Gem sighed, her normally lively countenance as deadpan as she could make it.

“No, I don’t think so. Not if you get to me first.”

A beat of silence.

“... Fair enough.”

It was routine for you to haul your backpack onto your shoulders, Gem helping you with the straps, and wave a harried goodbye to Gem as you slipped out the library’s back door. At her insistence, you promised to text her when you returned to your apartment so she knew you had gotten back safely. 

You shivered, clutching your books tighter to your chest as the warmth of the indoors faded, leaving you to the mercy of Autumn’s chilled embrace. 

It was no exaggeration that your free hours landed squarely in the dead of night- because although you had been up for hours, the sky was still as dark as pitch. Only the barest hint of starlight shone through the inky blackness, and though logically, you knew it was because of light pollution, some part of you wondered if the entirety of the milky way had been swallowed whole.

While the library was laid deep within the city’s heart, it was directly at the center of the entertainment district. Meaning that, despite the late (or early) hour, the city streets surrounding the library were just as busy during the night as they were during the day. Restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and… other businesses lined the street, the light from their illuminated windows and neon signs shining like rainbows against the pavement.

Across the street, raucous laughter resounded from within a bar. The sound bounced eerily across the pavement and crowded walls of the buildings that rose like silhouettes from the ground. You flinched as you heard the sound of shattering glass, accompanied by loud cheering, wrinkling your nose against the sharp sting of early winter frost and the pungent scent of booze.

You quickened your pace, dodging and weaving through flocks of tourists that ranged from mildly inebriated to flat-out drunk, barely managing to keep yourself balanced under the awkward weight of your backpack. The idea of being caught up in whatever illicit business went down in the cramped alleyways and seedy taverns that garnished the area like sprinkles on a cake was far from appealing- especially with the whole ‘living alone’ thing.

At the next street, you finally made the turn that led you away from the throngs of frat boys and bar-flies into the residential areas that sprouted just a ways off from popular tourist destinations. 

Although you had made the journey countless times, it never ceased to startle you just how quickly the general cacophony of shouting and laughter faded away with a few blocks of distance. It was much, much quieter here; the only sounds were the gentle tap-tap-tap of your shoes against the concrete and the occasional rush of a car driving by.

Windows of houses looked more like dark, empty eyes as you passed them, and the further you got from the entertainment district, the easier it was to pretend that you were the only person on earth. A sharp gust of wind suddenly howled through the trees, rattling leaves and raking icy claws across your skin.

You gasped as a shiver snaked its way down your spine, instinctually clutching your books tighter to your chest in an effort to conserve warmth. Cursing softly, you shed through your coat pocket to find your phone, exclaiming in victory as your fingers wrapped around it. Clicking it open, you blinked in surprise once you spotted the time: 5:00 AM.

Huh. That was definitely waayyy later than you had originally expected… and you had to get to work at 8:30. A high-pitched whine rose in the back of your throat. 

Say goodbye to any chance you could’ve had at a (barely) decent sleep, because at this rate? It would be a miracle if you could get home in time to shower and eat.

You were so focused on your phone that you almost didn’t process the electric hum that filled the air, the lone streetlight ahead flickering in and out to the beat of your footsteps. Catching the flashing from your periphery, you glanced up with a frown. 

Now- you weren’t an electrician, or really anyone skilled in the engineering field, but… you were fairly certain that it shouldn’t be making that loud, electric humming noise. You halted in your steps, tilting your head and squinting your eyes at the malfunctioning lamp. It flickered one more time, weakly, before plunging you into shadow.

If you thought that the night was dark before, surrounded by light and the nightlife, it paled in comparison to the true darkness that descended upon you like a cloak. One moment, you’re perfectly fine, and the next, you can hardly see the shape of your body against the pavement.

Another shiver wracked your body- but it felt different from a chill. Something inside your brain had begun frantically ringing alarm bells, and you could only desperately search for some kind of stressor as the hair on the back of your neck rose to attention.

Shakily, you exhaled, spinning in one, slow circle. There was the faint outline of a parked car, engine silent and sleeping, the houses, the trees- nothing. Nothing that would make your anxiety levels swing from ‘manageable’ to ‘DEFCON one’.

You turned back around, your previously relaxed pace discarded in favor of a light jog. It was all you could do not to fall on your ass as your backpack shifted and bounced with your downstep, and your chest felt tight as panic began to seep in.

What the hell is going on?

Something clattered behind you, and your breath seized in your lungs. The burning was hardly an afterthought because you were sprinting, stumbling and dropping your own books in your haste to get away from something you couldn’t- or wouldn’t- see.

You were so close you could see the gleam of the next streetlight up above. Your inhales were more like sobbing gasps of air, and distantly you felt the dampness of your cheeks as tears sluiced down them. 

You were so close.

But it was never like you had the chance to escape, anyway.

A calloused hand wrapped around your wrist, yanking it and the rest of your body back. Hard. 

All of the wind was knocked out of you as you slammed into the ground, hands and knees shrieking with agony as the pavement grain shredded the skin. The books within your bag did little to soften the fall, their hard spines digging into your ribs through the material of your bag.

Spots danced in front of your eyes, and you felt like you were moving through molasses as a pair of shiny dress shoes strolled into view. You didn’t want to see their face. Something visceral within you begged you to make yourself as small as possible- not a threat, nothing of interest.

Still, your traitorous gaze drifted upwards, and you felt the blood drain from your face as you stared straight up into a pair of ruby-red eyes.

“My, don’t you smell divine.”

You tried to scream, but it came out more like a choked gasp as your lungs came up empty.

This wasn’t- you had to be hallucinating. This had to be something that your sleep-deprived brain had dreamed up, safe and asleep in your bed.

Vampires weren’t real. 

But, as it grinned with razor-sharp fangs, face alight with nothing but hunger, it was impossible to say it was anything else as it dug sharp, talon-like nails into your open wound.

Pain, quick as lightning and ten times more intense sparked through your nervous system, wringing a punched-out gasp from your throat. The periphery of your eyes darkened, and for a moment you genuinely thought that you would pass out from sheer agony as you desperately tried (and failed) to tear its wrist away. 

It chuckled, twisting its claws in deeper to draw a proper scream out of you, humming in approval before it pulled them out. You went lax, heaving for breath as it lapped at the sticky blood- your blood- coating its fingers.

Your eyes fluttered open, and you realized that it was watching you. Crouched on the side of the street, inspecting you with a calculating gaze not dissimilar from how a fox inspects a cornered rabbit.

“Oh,” it said, a grin that was entirely too wide creeping across its face. “Yes. You taste even better than I thought you would.”

Feeling your breaths come faster and faster as fresh tears prickled at the corners of your eyes, you pressed your palm to your mouth, only succeeding in smearing the blood that covered it all over your chin. 

So this was how you died. Alone, scared, and covered in your own blood, pinned down in the middle of the street by a creature you thought only existed in classical literature and trashy romance novels.

And, to top it all off, you had never even graduated college.

The vampire shifted, and you flinched at the sensation of its talons scraping at the soft flesh of your neck. You knew what happened next if the stories were to be believed, but terror had frozen your limbs as thoroughly as rigor mortis.

You swallowed, squeezing your eyes shut.

And promptly had them fly back open as the vampire shot back in a blur of snarling and snapping limbs, hitting the ground several meters away from you with a loud crack.

Transfixed, you could only watch with a dumbfounded expression as a cloaked figure appeared to teleport in front of you, hissing lowly. The vampire was on its feet before you could blink, its handsome features twisted into an animalistic snarl before it locked gazes with… whatever was blocking its path to you.

If you didn’t feel like you were about to pass out, you would’ve thought how quickly its expression changed from ardor to pure, unadulterated terror was hilarious. 

“You,” it breathed, every muscle in its body snapping with tension. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

Sheer survival instinct had kept your focus solely on the vampire that had cornered you, but the fear that radiated it was enough of a surprise that you found yourself glancing over towards whatever was perpetrating it.

One time, after you had gotten off work and had nothing else to do, you decided to watch a documentary series about tropical rainforest animals. For the most part, it was just background noise to help you fall asleep, but you found yourself engrossed when a particular segment about leopards began.

All you could think of, now that you were looking at the cloaked figure, was just how still they were. They didn’t move a muscle, not even where a normal person would’ve begun to cramp after a few seconds. They didn’t even seem to be breathing.

They reminded you of those leopards that you had watched. Especially in the way that those leopards went when they were hunting.

“Who says where I can and can’t be?” they, or rather, he said, masculine voice smooth and calm. “It’s certainly not your job.”

Sensing an opportunity to get the hell out of dodge, you grit your teeth as you shifted onto your hands and knees, slowly pushing yourself up into a crouch. The raw and ragged skin on your knees screamed in protest as it pulled taut, and you had to bite your tongue to stifle your soft sounds of pain.

The vampire’s jaw worked, and even as it drew itself up to its full height, you noted it was much taller than whatever had decided to intervene. (Something was wearing that cloak, but if he was an actual human person, you would eat your hat.)

The cloaked figure titled his head. “If you know what’s good for you, you should leave.”

You froze in place, heart jack-hammering in your ribs. Was he talking to you?

He went on- “Wouldn’t want to break any more rules. The covenant will have your head.”

For a long, tense moment, nothing happened. The wind whistled down the street. In the distance, police sirens wailed.

You didn’t dare move- not when the air itself felt charged, waiting for something to snap.

Then, the vampire growled, lips pulling back from their teeth wolfishly as they reluctantly bowed. Flabbergasted, you watched as it reluctantly melted back into the shadows, the red gleam of its eyes the last thing to fade to black.

The only thing you could hear was your heart thumping in your ears.

After a moment, the cloaked figure’s head turned deliberately towards where your crumpled form was hunched over, and you hastily scrabbled to your feet, Balling your hands up into fists. you trembled, staring him down.

“Are you alright?”

You don’t know what you would do if he decided to attack you, but you weren’t going to take it kneeling- not when you still felt the burn of humiliation for remaining paralyzed by terror. To your continuing horror, he took your silence as an invitation to step forward.

“Stay back,” you bit out, adrenaline buzzing through your veins. “I will not hesitate to punch you in your stupid face.”

Impressively, although you couldn’t make out his face with the shadows that clung to the hood of his cloak, you could see him do a double-take. “... Sorry?”

“You better be,” you muttered, eyes flickering to and fro as you tried to find a good escape route.

To your surprise, he hesitated, murmuring something under his breath that you couldn’t make out. He cleared his throat, shifting on his feet. “I am, if that makes you feel any better. You aren’t supposed to be attacked like this, it’s… uncivilized.”

Gaze snapping back to him, your brows raised incredulously. “Really? You’re not just saying that so that I let my guard down? And then you kill me and steal all my blood?”

“If I wanted to ‘steal all your blood’ I would’ve done it already.”

You deadpanned. “That’s not as comforting as you think it is.”

He took another step, but before you could threaten him again, pulled the hood of his cloak down. By now, your eyes had adjusted to the light (or lack thereof), and you found yourself sucking in a harsh breath.

Although you had guessed, what you saw definitely revealed him to be another vampire. His hair, a close-cropped shock of white, stood out against the darkness of the surrounding street.

You couldn’t describe the way that he was looking at you if you tried. His eyes burned like hot coals, pinned on you with a kind of unyielding focus that made your arms prickle with goosebumps. It both struck you as similar to that other vampire’s regard, a predator watching prey, but it was distinctly different- more like he was cataloging the rise and fall of your breath, the grinding of your shoe heel into the pavement.

A black mask- one of those anime ones that you couldn’t bother to remember the name of- hung around his neck, ready to be pulled up without a second’s notice. It looked well-cared for, despite being a little worn around the edges, and he fiddled with it absently as your gaze swept over him.

The most glaring thing about his appearance was the fact that he was almost flawlessly handsome, skin unblemished, bone structure pristine. The only thing that marred him was the long, thin scar that cut across his left eye, splitting his eyebrow in half.

“Even if you are pretty, I still won’t hesitate to punch you in the nose.”

He barked a laugh, fangs- holy shit his fangs- flashing. For some reason, he seemed pleased at your jab, chest puffing out slightly. “So you think I’m pretty?”

“Do I look like someone that would be attracted to an overgrown mosquito?” you scoffed, eyeing his shrewdly. “And a vain one, at that.”

He paused for a moment, staring at you, and you felt the fear that had temporarily abated come back in full force. One of these days, you were going to take a vow of silence so you could never say anything stupid ever again. 

You swallowed, hugging your arms tight to your body as you leaned away. In a blink, he was suddenly, much, much closer, and you swore as you jumped. 

“No,” the vampire said abruptly, tilting his head in a predatory manner. A smile split across his face, and a confident gleam arose within his eyes as his hand came up to grab your chin firmly. (Privately, you were relieved to find that he clipped his nails like a normal human being.)

“But you do look like someone who knows something they shouldn’t.”

You thrashed in his grip, eventually stilling with your palms pressed flat to his chest. Although you were pushing as hard as you could, it didn’t seem to affect him. 

You laughed, a little bit hysterical. “Oh, so now you’re going to kill me?” 

His fingers drummed against the flesh of your cheek. Languidly running his tongue against the swell of his upper lip, he cocked his head to the other side. You winced as you heard the vertebrae in his neck crack. 

“What could I give you to keep you quiet?”

You blinked, taken aback by his jarringly serious tone.

“What?”

“What do you want? Money? Favors? What would convince you to keep your mouth shut?” he pressed, eyes narrowing, Distantly, you noted that his eyelashes were as pale as the hair on top of his head. “We’ve got kind of a secret society thing going on, y’anno, and we don’t need you blabbing.”

Confused, you shifted, and his hand came up to squish your cheeks until your lips puckered like a fish’s. You tensed but didn’t attempt to move.  “‘Oul’nt you j’st kill ‘m?”

He smirked, ruby red eyes gleaming. “Yes, but it would be a shame. You’re funny.”

You batted his hand away, staring at him. He… seemed sincere, or he could just be a very skilled liar. It was more than likely that both were true, and whatever you did, it would be a gamble.

“... A tutor,” you said after several moments of silence, voice laced with quiet certainty. “That’s what I need. A tutor.”

He stared at you. You stared at him. There was a lot of staring at one another.

“That’s it? ”

You shrugged. “College is hell.”

“Not cash, or fame, or… cash…” the vampire frowned. “Everyone asks for cash.”

“I guess I’m just built different,” you said, as if you weren’t running on less than half of the minimum sleep quota and hubris. 

You would be kicking yourself later when you sprung out of bed, wild-eyed as you beheld the healing cuts that littered your knees and palms, but right now? You were absolutely not in the right mindset to be making pacts with a creature of the night.

“Alrighty then,” he said after a moment, letting go of your face in favor of offering you his other hand. “It’s a deal.”

You, with all the bravado and lack of self-awareness that only a college senior could possess, took it.

He grinned, and in a blink, a solid chest bumped into your back. There was no heat to your proximity other than your startled flush, even as the vampire’s cold breath caressed the shell of your ear.

“The name’s Etho. I have a hunch that you and I... we’re going to have a lot of fun together.”

The crack of your fist hitting his face resounded through the street, drawing a startled hiss from the vampire.

Well, he couldn’t say you didn’t warn him.

When humanity first raised its gaze to the stars, some millions of years ago, it ignited a spark within them. A drive, a desire to see more, to do more. They weaved stories about the shapes that they drew between the stars, a rich oral history of monsters and heroes and all that is divine, passed down between generations. Only a hundred years after the first people managed flight, they were touching down on the surface of the moon itself.

“One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

That’s what they had said, staring down at the beautiful, temperamental mess of an Earth that they called home.

When you were younger, you had always wondered how they had felt, being so small and far away from home. You had wondered if they had balked at all at the sheer size of their planet compared to them, or if they were afraid of being alone, stranded in the darkness of space with only a radio connecting them to home.

Now, as you watched the sunrise over the smooth curve of Earth’s horizon, setting the blue glow of the atmosphere ablaze in a riot of golden-red light, you couldn’t help but feel anything other than pure, genuine contentment.

It may not have seemed like it, but your entire life you had worked towards moments like these. Moments that stole your breath straight out of your lungs from the sheer majesty they exuded, just knowing that a millennia ago, you would’ve never had the opportunity to see them in person.

But here you were, standing in the bridge of one of the most famous starships in the known universe, staring down at a planet you hadn’t set foot on in months.

You smiled to yourself as your comm buzzed in your pocket, pulling it out to view the excited messages in the server as your friends and fellow crewmates expressed their excitement about going planetside, especially the few that had never set foot on the homeworld of humanity, and the crown jewel of the Mojang Federation.

Even for you, only having been traveling in deep space for barely a year, it was nearly unbearable to be so close to home, yet so far- you wouldn’t be able to board the shuttles primed to enter the atmosphere for at least another hour.

The rest of the bridge was bustling with activity, flight control and operations management tasked with last-minute checks on ship integrity and orbit speed. The background hum of consoles beeping and the hurried voices of your fellow crewmates would’ve been annoying if you weren’t so used to the sound, having worked in the busy atmosphere for nearly your entire time on the ship.

It had been nerve-wracking, of course, for you to be assigned to the Hermity right out of command school. Hell, you don’t think you had stopped gaping at everything for the first few days, stumbling wide-eyed through your duties, much to the equal chagrin and amusement of your superiors.

You looked back at that time fondly, if with a little bit of embarrassment at your naivete. It had certainly been a big adjustment to make, going from the familiar and controlled environment of school on Earth to being faced with a ship-wide catastrophe seemingly every other week, but it had certainly gotten a whole lot easier once some of the more senior crewmembers took you under their wing.

You jolted as an arm slung itself around your shoulders, whipping your head to the side to see a familiar smirking up at you.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

“BDubs,” you sighed, rolling your eyes emphatically and digging your elbow into his ribs as he started giggling. “I should’ve known you’d come and harass me sooner or later.”

The brunette squawked in faux offense, waving his free arm around exaggeratedly as the other one came up to rub at where you had hit him. “Well, excuse me for wanting to come and check on my best friend! Y’know, I don’t know why I stick around you when you’re so mean to me all the time.”

Huffing, you stuffed your comm back into the pockets of your flight suit, raising an expectant eyebrow at BDubs as he pouted at you. Despite his harsh words, you could hear the amusement in his tone- borne out of the bond of camaraderie that can formed between you over your time serving in the Federation.

“So, why’re you here?” you started, switching topics abruptly as the brunette forgot his pretense of anger, bouncing back over to you with his ever-present grin. “I thought you would be making plans with the rest of the gang.”

“Wweeellll,” he started, rocking back on his heels. “I was thinking that I could go and hang out with you? I figured you’d know the best things to do for someone who’s never visited Earth before.”

You blinked. Ah, right- Having been aboard the Hermity as long as you had, it was easy to forget that some of the people that you worked with weren’t exactly… human, per se. 

In fact, humans like you only made up a little less than half of the Federation itself, with the rest being various different sapient species that had agreed to become a part of the organization.

These days, it would actually be extremely uncommon to see a crew composed of singularly humans (or Terrans, as many tended to call them), and the Hermity was no exception, with BDubs belonging to one of over a dozen wildly different non-Earthen Federation members aboard the starship.

A member of the Glare species, BDubs was immediately recognizable as something… other. It had thrown you off, the first time you met him: his large, dilated yellow eyes that seemed to almost glow in the dimmer sections of the ship, and the numerous creeping patches of an almost moss-like substance that covered his body, oddly soft to the touch when he had offered to let you feel them.

Despite your initial disorientation, you had quickly grown used to the brunette’s childish antics and insistence on everyone going to sleep on time, sometimes even resorting to forcibly dragging you away from your work just to get you to bed. At the end of the day, it was really his personality that mattered, regardless of what he was, and it was exactly because of his personality that you had become friends so quickly.

You felt your face split open in a grin, suddenly excited at the prospect of showing BDubs around Federation headquarters. You had basically grown up in the city surrounding it, crossing through the main plaza on your way to classes too many times to count. It made you giddy, almost, to be able to share your old haunts with one of your new friends, even if the nostalgia threatened to swallow you whole.

“That sounds really nice, actually!” you enthused, bumping BDub’s shoulder with your own as you warmed to the idea. “I’m practically an expert on the area, y’know.”

He huffed fondly, rolling his eyes at your words. “Yeah, like you haven’t talked about that a million times.”

You squawked. “So it’s illegal for me to talk about my childhood, now? Oh, this is so mean. You’re so mean to me. You- you’re not invited to my birthday party anymore, because you’re mean.”

The brunette shoved you playfully, gasping like you had dealt him a fatal wound, before his eyes suddenly lit up. The look already sent apprehension swirling through your veins, too familiar with the Glare to not know that when he got ideas, they tended to be… interesting, to say the least.

“We should bring Etho with us!”

You choked, any calm you had felt flying out the window as you stared at BDubs like he had grown a second head. “Excuse me?”

“Well, he hasn’t been to Earth either!” the brunette said by way of explanation, rolling his shoulders in an exaggerated shrug.

Rubbing exhaustedly at the bridge of your nose, you pinned the Glare with a deadpan look. “BDubs. ‘Dubs. Honey. You’re asking me to invite Etho, as in, the same Etho that I’m pretty sure hates me with a burning passion.”

The brunette’s face did something complicated, features morphing through several different expressions too fast for you to catalogue, before finally settling on something that looked close to bewildered indignation. “What are you talking about? Etho doesn’t hate you!”

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, sure.”

Despite whatever protests that BDubs had, you were more than certain of your white-haired crewmember’s less-than-friendly opinion of you. If you were being honest, you had absolutely no idea what could’ve set him off- those first few days of adjusting to spaceflight were awkward, of course, but it wasn’t like you had been particularly rude or cruel towards him in specific. Hell, you had even apologized for any weirdness on your part with a cupcake!

However, it didn’t stop Etho from acting… strange… whenever you were around each other. 

Even if you had seen him happily chatting away with Iskall or BDubs a few minutes earlier, the second you joined the conversation it was like his eyes were boring holes in your head, just... staring.

The white-haired man seemed to take delight in torturing you as well, teasing and prodding everything you did until you were left a flustered, embarrassed mess in front of the whole crew. Hell- he’d even taken to suddenly appearing at your workstation, making it his mission to distract you from your very important work.

Prime forbid you touch Etho, either- on too many occasions you had accidentally brushed against him whilst grabbing something only for him to flinch back as if he was burned, face flushing bright blue in (presumably) anger, and brush off any of your apologies brusquely before leaving in a hurry.

So, naturally, the only logical explanation was that (for whatever Prime’s damned reason) he didn’t like you. You had no clue was BDubs was going on about, but before you could open your mouth to tell him exactly that, your words died on your tongue as you finally noticed the figure looming just behind BDub’s shoulders.

“I heard something about ‘Etho’? You guys talking about me?”

You blanched at the same time as BDubs whirled around, a winning smile on his face. “We sure were, buddy!”

Unlike the brunette, Etho himself was a Phantling- a naturally nocturnal species that was sensitive to sunlight, an easy thing to guess when one noticed the bluish tint to his already pale skin. His eyes, one coal-black and the other a bright red, shone green in the light for a split second as they flickered over towards you, something unreadable in their depths as he took your presence in.

“Uh, hi?” you offered uncertainly, giving the white-haired man a timid little wave as he stared you down, expression oddly closed off compared to how it had been a few moments ago.

Etho blinked, as if snapping out of a trance. “Hey.”

As if sensing the awkward tension brewing in the air, BDubs jumped between you guys with a cheery (and suspiciously mischievous) expression. “We were wondering if you’d wanna come with us when we go planetside!”

You sighed through your nose, allowing yourself to roll your eyes fondly at the Glare’s antics. Prime help you.

“What BDubs here meant to say,” you said, voice thick with exasperated amusement. “Was that he wanted to bring you along while I gave him a tour- which is completely fine if you want to, I guess.”

The Phantling tilted his head to the side, humming softly under his breath, and if you didn’t know better, it seemed as though he was pleased, although it was kind of hard to tell when the entire lower half of his face was obscured by that black mask he always seemed to wear. “Really?”

Hesitantly, you nodded. “Uh- sure? Why not?”

‘Why not’ indeed.

You soon realized what all the other crewmembers were talking about when it came to BDubs and Etho’s shenanigans- despite being almost functioning adults apart, it seemed as if when they were put together, they shared two brain cells. Biting back a chuckle, you watched as BDubs, once again, attempted to chase the pigeons into the street, only to be hauled back by the scruff of his green hoodie before he could get crushed by a passing car.

Being one of the few days that deep space personnel were allowed to visit Earth, given the Federation ceremony that was to take place in a few days, the streets were packed. Crew members, some still in their uniforms, flooded the city, visiting family and taking in the sights of Earth. 

“I know you have the self-preservation instincts of someone who’s met Prime and wasn’t impressed,” you remarked drily, watching as the Glare spun on his heel to squawk at Etho, who was still holding onto his clothes with the iron grip of someone who’d had to do this a hundred times. “But I’m pretty sure this is an all-time record for the number of times you’ve nearly killed yourself.”

“You’d be surprised to learn this isn’t even the worst of it,” Etho said mildly, the unexpected interjection sending you scrambling to hide your surprised expression (Was it just you, or was he being more chatty?). “I’m just glad he hasn’t tried to climb in the sewer system you Terrans have, yet.”

You could’ve sworn BDubs had never whipped his head around so fast before. “The what?”

Before you could stop him, the Glare was breaking away with new rigor, speeding through the crown of confused pedestrians with the aura of a man on a mission. You groaned.

At least Etho had the gall to look a little remorseful, as he watched the brunette go. “Uh, whoops. I, er, probably shouldn't have said that?”

You shot him a look somewhere between exhaustion and a kind of existential amusement. “You’re just thinking of that now?”

“... Unfortunately.”

A moment of silence stretched between the two of you, and, once again feeling the tension start to rise in the air, you decided to extend the olive branch, so to speak.

“Should- do you think we should go after him?” you tried, stealing a glance at the Phantling next to you out of the corner of your eye. He shrugged, idly reaching up to ruffle his already wind-blown hair, and you quickly looked away once you realized you were staring.

“I dunno, it would be kind of funny to see what trouble he’ll get into.”

You didn’t expect the snort of laughter that escaped you, a hand shooting up to cover your mouth as you felt heat suddenly rush to your face. Mortified, you could only whine when Etho started laughing, rumbling chuckles that nearly shook his entire frame as your embarrassment only worsened.

“Stooppp,” you whined, smacking his arm lightly in a futile attempt to salvage some of your pride. The Phantling could only shake his head, letting an amused huff escape his lips as you scowled up at him.

Puffing out your cheeks in an exaggerated pout, you crossed your arms in front of your chest defensively. “You’re the worst.”

“And you’re cute.”

You nearly froze in your tracks, mentally bluescreening, and it seemed that Etho was on much the same page as you. His eyes, usually as calm and placid as a pond’s surface, were blown wide with surprise, almost as though he himself couldn’t believe what he had just said.

“What?”

“Um… sorry? That just- just kinda slipped out, I think? You are cute though, so, I don’t really feel sorry about that, but, uh, y’know.”

Jaw working, you finally managed to speak. “I thought you didn’t like me!”

“... No?” Etho honestly seemed bewildered, either not noticing or not caring about the scolding looks the other pedestrians sent your way as he took a cautious step towards you. “It’s very much the opposite, actually.”

“You have a crush on me?”

The white-haired man shrugged, either not noticing or blessedly not commenting on how flustered you had become in the last thirty seconds. “I mean, I have for a while? I kinda thought you knew, with how obvious I was, but- well, I guess not.”

Oh. 

So, all those moments, all those weird behaviors…

You resisted the urge to slap yourself.

That was him flirting?

Biting your lip nervously, you jolted slightly as something big crashed in the distance, immediately on guard at the shouting that sounded from a few streets away- including a voice that seemed awfully familiar…

Cursing under your breath, you met gazes with Etho once more, conflict evident in your twisted features.

“We don’t have to talk about this right now, but, ah-” his eyes crinkled as he looked down at you, before darting to the side, where people were beginning to run towards where the noise had originated. “Maybe we could go out sometime?”

You studied his face intently for a moment before lightly grasping his hand, peering up at the Phantling with a shy half-grin. Although this entire thing was new to you, you were always up for an adventure. “I think… that’d be nice.”

Another crash, and Etho winced. “We should probably go deal with that now.”

Nodding frantically, you pulled the both of you into a brisk jog. “Yes, lets.”

Neither of you elected to comment on the fact that you were still holding hands.

Deciding to apply to Hermit Inc. was one of the best decisions you had ever made. Not only were you able to do your dream job, but by some divine intervention, all of your coworkers had turned out to be literal angels. With them around, days that would have dragged on without an end in any other situation passed in a blink of an eye.

However, sometimes you found yourself regretting it when you had to put up with their shenanigans.

“Come onnnnn,” Grian whined, flopping against the wall that separated your cubicles until his body was half-hanging over the divide. “It’ll be fun!”

You sighed, taking your eyes off of your computer screen only for a split second to shoot the blonde a deadpan look. “As much as I would like to go, I honestly don’t have time. I have to get these reports through by midnight, Gri.”

You heard, more than saw, one of your other coworkers lean against the wall behind your chair. With a sigh, you pushed away from your desk and spun around in your seat to meet them, a skeptical eyebrow raised towards the new arrival. 

“Just as Xisuma to push back the deadline or something,” Iskall said, taking a sip from the coffee mug he was holding in one hand. You had gotten it for him after he brought his bonsai tree to work, the words ‘World’s #1 Tree Dad” emblazoned across the white ceramic.

You sighed, scrubbing a hand across your face. “I shouldn’t. He’s just as busy as we should be-” you affixed both of them with a pointed look “-and I don’t want to add more to his plate.”

Grian huffed, puffing his cheeks out childishly, and before you could move to stop him, was leaning back to shout over to where you could see your boss sitting in his office. “Hey X! Your favorite employee here-” he gestured violently towards you, almost slipping off his perch on the wall “- says they can’t make it to the party because they have too much work. Which is dumb. Make them not have too much work.”

Yes, the party. The thing that prompted this whole conversation.

Every winter, the higher-ups at Hermit Inc. hosted a company-funded holiday party before Christmas break. The departments who met the annual quota for productivity were invited to come, and this year, that included the creative department- where you worked.

If you attended, it would be your very first company event as ‘the newbie’. To be completely honest, the prospect was both exciting and absolutely terrifying. After all, it would also be the first time you would potentially meet one of the big bosses- the people further up in the chain than even Xisuma, who was in charge of everyone you worked with. Like, how would you even interact with them? What were you supposed to talk about?

...You may or may not have been making up excuses to just stay home. (You can’t get into awkward situations if you avoid them entirely!)

From where you were sitting, you could see Xisuma lean back to peer through the door, glancing between you and the self-satisfied expression on Grian’s face.

“I don’t see why not. I was going to go back through those after you were finished, so it doesn’t really matter if they’re completely finished or not.” Xisuma said calmly, giving a half-hearted shrug at the betrayal on your face. “It’d be good for you to get out of work mode for a while, anyway. Being around these idiots kinda weighs on your sanity.”

You crossed your arms over your chest, trying not to pout like a petulant child while Grian broke out into cheers, cupping his hands around his mouth and jumping up and down like his favorite sports team won the big game. Iskall wheezed, setting his mug on the desk so its contents didn’t slosh everywhere from the force of his giggles. “YES! Our favorite administrator X- wait. Did you call us idiots?”

Xisuma eloquently closed the door to his office, blocking out Grian’s faux-enraged spluttering as the words registered. You sighed, putting your head in your hands as Iskall collapsed on one of the walls, choking on the force of his laughter.

God, this was going to be an absolute shit-show, wasn’t it?

“This is a terrible idea,” you muttered for what seemed like the millionth time as you pulled up to the venue, hands clutching the padded wheel of your car so hard your knuckles went white. When your coworkers had basically strong-arming you into going to the party, you had found yourself volunteering to carpool. Knowing your friends, it would take several miracles interspersed with acts of God for them to drive to the venue and get everyone there in one piece.

In the backseat, Cleo, a fiery redhead that you had befriended during your time in the office, groaned. “It’ll be fine. We’ve gone to this thing how many times now? Two? Three?”

“Five,” Joe, another officemate and Cleo’s best friend, offered from where he was sitting in the passenger side next to you, eyes glued to his phone as his fingers flew across the screen- probably texting the rest of the group that you had arrived.

“Five,” Cleo conceded, nodding in agreement, “And it’s been one of the best nights of our lives. Besides,” her eyes took on a mischievous gleam, and you felt a sense of impending doom settle over your soul. “I heard Etho is going to be there too.”

You couldn’t hide the way you visibly flustered at that, refusing to make eye contact with the woman while she smirked. It was no secret among the creative department that you had taken a liking to the handsome contractor the company had hired on to assist in your latest project. Your team had zeroed in on the stuttering nervousness you only seemed to gain around the man like sharks to bloodied water. You had finally admitted that you may have liked the man after an intensive interrogation on the subject, and you really wish you hadn’t- they took advantage of their knowledge to tease you about it constantly.

“Oh, shut up,” you grumbled irritably, cheeks still heated, and dug the keys out of the ignition as the other occupants of the car opened their doors with serene calm.

The company had rented out one of the fanciest hotels in the city, a high-rise that towered over everything in the immediate vicinity. As you approached, you couldn’t help but notice just how palatial the architecture was- the brick at the base of the building giving way to Greco-Roman pillars that divided the walls into parts, climbing almost halfway up the structure. Expansive windows lined the open space, light from the spotlights beneath them scattering across the glass in hues of orange and gold.

Although you had dressed up far more than usual, you still felt out of place as you met up with the rest of the department at the doors, plastering on a smile when Mumbo asked you if you were ready to head inside. Better to rip the Band-Aid off, right?

If the façade of the building was opulent, the inside was somehow even more breathtaking. The ceilings soared high above the crowd of people milling on the polished tile floor, you having to crane your head back to see them at all. The décor looked like something straight out of a Hallmark movie, or maybe one of those Christmas home decoration magazines. 

Pine trees lined the floor of the lobby, branches groaning under the weight of all the tinsel and ornaments piled on them. Boughs of holly and spruce needles decorated the walls, strung with red and gold ribbon. They had strung mistletoe under seemingly every doorway, and you grimaced as you spotted a young couple making out under one. (As cute as the concept was, it would be better if they didn’t do that in full view of literally everyone at work)

The lobby had been converted into a strange hybrid of a lounge and a dance floor, and you blanched at the sheer amount of alcohol that they had stocked behind the bar. How much were they expecting everyone to drink?

As soon as you stepped foot on the main floor, your colleagues were making a bee-line for where everyone was getting served their liquid courage. Cleo stuck by you as you stood awkwardly to the side of the action, too shy to join those who were chatting, but also too sane to start drinking this early.

Cleo stayed with you for quite an impressive amount of time before the party started to pick up(a whole thirty minutes!), abandoning you as more and more people were drawn to the bar. You weren’t surprised- she had always been more of an extrovert than you. However, what did surprise you was how she immediately downed five shots of tequila like it was nothing. 

Huh, so that’s why they needed so much liquor.

Leaning against a wall, you geared yourself up for a long night of looking after the children- children being your coworkers who were drinking like it was the civil war and a doctor was coming to saw their limbs off. Wait- was Doc chugging straight Vodka from that bottle?

Before you had any more time to be concerned about that very distressing observation, your thoughts were interrupted by someone slumping next to you, leaning back against the cool plaster with a groan.

“Looks like you’re on babysitting duty, huh?”

You jolted at the voice, flushing first in embarrassment, then something else as you recognized just who had spoken. It was hard to discern Etho’s expression with the shadows cast on his face, one red eye staring down at you with something like amusement as you scrambled for words.

“Unfortunately,” you said after an awkward pause, your mind struggling to wrap around the fact that Etho was talking to you, praying that your flustered state wasn’t obvious. “Um, I didn’t expect you to be here.”

He shrugged. “One of the management asked me to come, and I thought ‘why not?’, and boom! I’m here now.”

You made a sweeping gesture with your hand towards the crowd of partying office workers, the majority of them hammered beyond belief, as if to say ‘this is what you get for that’. “I hope you’ve been enjoying tonight’s entertainment.”

He laughed, the sound not unkind, and scooted along the wall until he could settle next to you, shoulder almost brushing your own. With the new position he had taken, the soft light from the party was finally allowed to brush across his features, and your breath hitched as you finally got a chance to look at him.

Etho was one of the most attractive men you had ever met, hands down. You had known this before, of course, having met with him on multiple occasions- but this felt different. Something about the ambiance of the party, the background sounds of glass clinking and jazz music coming through the PA system, painted him as though he had stepped straight out of a dream.

His white hair was messy, mussed as if he had run his hands through it in frustration, and hung over his eyes when he tilted his face to peer down at you. His eyes, one ruby red, and the other slate grey glittered in the low glow of the room, threatening to swallow you whole if you stared into them for too long. He was still wearing his usual black face mask and work clothes, but he had rolled up the sleeves of his grey dress shirt and popped open the collar for a more casual look.

You tore your eyes away from his bare arms, trying desperately not to seem like you were ogling the way his wiry muscles bulged as he crossed them over his chest. Sighing, you swirled the glass of champagne that Stress had shoved in your hands earlier, idly watching as the bubbles spun in the mini-whirlpool you had created.

“I’d be surprised if they haven’t blacked out completely yet,” Etho said, jerking his chin towards where Cleo and Doc were singing German drinking songs. They were horribly off-key, but their enthusiasm made up for their lack of vocal coordination. 

“Yeah,” you chuckled softly, grinning at your boss as you spotted him clinging to Impulse’s shoulder from across the room. “You wouldn’t expect it from him, but Xisuma can’t even handle a White Claw before he starts getting all sappy on us. He’s probably one of, if not the most, lightweight part of the team.”

Etho raised an eyebrow, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Oh? So what you’re telling me is that Xisuma, the administrator that is famously the only person able to wrangle you creatives, holds his liquor worse than Grian?” 

You snorted before you could stop yourself, bringing a hand up to your mouth and widening your eyes dramatically to shoot a faux-shocked look towards the masked man. “You’re telling me that you doubt that gremlin’s abilities? He carried Mumbo around like a princess one day because Iskall made a bet with him.”

Etho visibly perked up at that, leaning forwards with a curious gleam in his eyes. “Do tell.”

You smirked. If they were going to drag you to this, then you were not going to let a chance to get some payback slip by.

As you launched into the many, many stories you had collected over time about your coworker’s most embarrassing moments, you failed to notice the way that the white-haired man’s features softened as he listened to your rambling, the way his body leaned towards yours like a flower towards sunlight. Little did you know that he saw the same dreamlike beauty in your manner that you saw in his, unable to be anything but hypnotized by your smile and laugh as you recounted a particularly unfortunate encounter between Ren and a particularly stubborn Tupperware container.

How had you somehow become even more stunning than you already were?

The moment was only broken when, during a momentary break in your spiel, you glanced over to see Grian climbing one of the many Christmas trees that were set up around the floor. You gasped and, without any further explanation, took off running through the crowd to stop him. As much as the hotel staff could tolerate, you didn’t think having an intoxicated gremlin ruin their careful decoration was one of the things that would fly.

Etho, utterly bewildered, only took a second to follow your line of sight before he too was off like a shot. Ducking and weaving through the crowd, you skidded to a halt in front of the tree where the blonde had already climbed about halfway up. A group consisting of Cleo, Doc, and Iskall cheered him on from around the base, faces flushed with alcohol more than enough evidence to figure out what might have led to this.

“Grian!” you called frantically, cupping your hands around your mouth. The man paused in his ascent to stare down at you, a manic grin spread across his cheeks.

“Heyyyy! We were wondering where you were!” he called, haphazardly waving down to you. He must’ve been at least a foot up in the air, the tree swaying with every little movement he made. It was a miracle he hadn’t fallen off yet, joining the same fate as the many ornaments that he had knocked onto the ground. (Plastic, thankfully. You weren’t sure how you would have dealt with them if they were something more breakable like glass)

The blonde’s eyes shifted to where Etho was standing behind you, demeanor as anxious as it seemed to get, and suddenly his cheery smile turned into something more teasing. You blanched, knowing that that expression couldn’t mean anything good.

“Oooh,” Grian sing-songed, eyebrows rising dramatically as the group below burst into giggles. “Is that Etho? The guy?”

You cursed under your breath, pointedly ignoring the confused look that Etho shot you out of the corner of your eye. “C’mon Gri, you don’t want to be up there right now.”

Your words flew over Grian’s head completely, your friend fixating on seeing you and your workplace crush standing together. 

“Do you know they have a crush on you?” he asked bluntly, achieving the impressive endeavor of spitting on all rules of social etiquette in one sentence. You made a sound like a dying animal, feeling your face burn red-hot as you buried it in your hands. The night was going fine- great, even! Better than you thought it would! But no, the universe couldn’t let you be happy for one single second.

You were going to flay Grian alive when all this was said and done.

Etho didn’t respond, startled into silence at the sudden revelation, and Grian decided that this was the opportune time for him to lose his grip and finally fall off. Everything seemed to slow down- the sound of the other attendee’s chatter, your colleague’s body tumbling through the air, your sharp intake of breath as you registered what had just happened. Frozen, you could only watch as Grian tumbled down, down, down-

Only to be caught in Etho’s awaiting arms.

You sighed, pure relief coursing through your veins as the masked man gently lowered Grian down to the floor, steadying him with a hand as his balance wobbled.

“I don’t know how I’m still friends with you,” you grumbled as he moved to lean against you, cheek smushed against your shoulder.

“We’re friends?” Grian said, voice filled with awe. You sighed, equal parts exasperated and fond, and gave the blonde a gentle push towards where the rest of the group was congregating again.

“Of course, idiot. Now go bother Mumbo or something.”

You watched with an amused expression as he stumbled over to flop on Mumbo, giggling drunkenly at the tall man’s protests. Feeling Etho sidle up on your left, you turned to find his eyes already gazing down at you.

“Nice catch,” you teased, propping your hands upon your hips with a jaunty grin.

“Thanks,” Etho said wryly. He paused for a moment, before continuing in a tone much less amused than before. “Although, I’m still a little confused about that thing Grian said- you have a crush on me?”

Oh shit, that.

“Uhm-” you laughed awkwardly, feeling all your anxiety come rushing back full-force. As much as you wanted to sink into the floor, there was no way you could avoid this, and why was he looking at you like that-

You inhaled sharply. “Yeah, I do, actually. You don’t- you don’t have to feel the same way though, I just- uh, yeah. Don’t wanna lie, y’know?”

You bit your lip nervously as Etho stared down at you, the statement obviously processing. Every second of silence that passed had your nerves skyrocketing, and you had to resist the mounting urge to just make a run for the exit. Finally, the white-haired man coughed, turning his face to the side to avoid looking at you. From where you were standing, though, you could see the tips of his ears flushed bright red.

Huh.

“Anyways, I’m just gonna go-” you started, but were cut short when Etho’s hand flashed out to grab your arm.

“Wait! If- if what you’re saying is true, then would you want to go out sometime? Like for coffee?”

...What?

You felt a brilliant grin tug at the corners of your mouth as you stared wide-eyed up at him, biting down on your tongue to prevent yourself from squealing like a schoolgirl. “That would be nice, actually.”

“Cool,” he breathed, seeming almost dazed as his grip loosened and allowed you to slip away.

“Cool,” you parroted, taking a step back. “I should probably go and make sure that Grian doesn’t try to cause any more chaos. I’ll see you later, okay?”

Etho nodded, the warm sensation of giddiness rising in his chest. 

I guess this turned out better than I would’ve ever thought.

MASTERLIST...

12/15/2021

Don’t Kiss And Tell (Please Do) | C!GoodTimesWIthScar x GN!Reader | fluff & angst | 3.4k words

To say that you had a crush on Scar was an understatement- it seemed like you had been pining for the man forever. However, despite your desire for more, you are firm on not doing anything to ruin your current relationship- even if that meant going to extreme lengths not to get caught standing under any mistletoe. (Un)fortunately for you, it seems some other people might have a different idea...

12/16/2021

Two Mockingbirds (And A Parrot In A Pine Tree) | C!Ethoslab x GN!Reader | fluff | 3.3k words

(Office AU) Under normal circumstances, you would have never gone to the holiday party your coworkers threw every year. However, getting dragged by your best friends was far from normal. Oh well, at least you can make fun of their drunken shenanigans with your long-time work crush.

12/17/2021

It’s Elves, Not Gremlins | C!Wilbur Soot x GN!Reader | fluff | 2.7k words

(Mall AU) Working as Santa’s helper at the local mall wasn’t the most exciting way to spend the holiday season, but you weren’t about to start complaining about it. Well, not until you had to pry off a trio of feral children who decided to attack the Santa. At least their older brother(?) is kinda hot.

12/18/2021

Tchaikovsky Lovers In Your Area | C!Georgenotfound x GN!Reader | fluff | 4.6k words

(Highschool AU) After joining your high school’s drama production of The Nutcracker as a costume designer, you’re mortified to learn that you’ll be working directly with George, who not only plays the Nutcracker, but is also one of the most popular guys at school. You can only pray you’ll survive until New Year’s. 

12/19/2021

Frost Bites | C!Sapnap x GN!Reader | angst & fluff | 3.5k words

(80s AU) Spending Christmas with your friends in a remote winter cabin sounded like a great idea on paper, but when you throw in some unresolved tension with the resident hot-head and an unexpected blizzard leaving you snowed in, things are bound to go off the rails.

12/20/2021

Picture Perfect | C!Dreamwastaken x GN!Reader | fluff | 3.3k words

(Modern AU) Every year, your town throws a winter festival to celebrate the spirit of the season. And, this year, you were hired to take pictures of the event to be shared on social media. You were a little anxious about the job, but you definitely weren’t expecting the son of the organizers to start flirting with you.

12/21/2021

Peppermint Chai | C!Foolish Gamers x GN!Reader | fluff & mild angst | 4.5k words

(Modern AU) It’s your first Christmas since opening your own café, and in the spirit of the season, you’ve gone all-out with decorating. You love serving families, always happy to see parents doting on their children despite the bitterness that comes without having anyone to celebrate the holidays with. However, one sassy lost child later, and that might not be the case anymore…

12/22/2021

It’s The Most Wonderful Time (For Me To Kick Your Ass) | C!Technoblade x GN!Reader | fluff | 4.6k words

(High School AU) You and Techno have been self-proclaimed ‘rivals’ since the seventh grade, constantly trying to one-up each other every chance you get. Now that the holiday season is getting into full swing, it’s only logical that the two of you make Christmas decorations a competition as well. The winner gets to decide their prize, and you aren’t losing this thing for the world.

12/23/2021

No Way Home (But Aren’t I There?) | C!Mumbo Jumbo x GN!Reader | fluff & angst | 3.1k words

(Modern AU) With all the flights home grounded due to a freak blizzard, it’s looking like you have to spend Christmas Eve alone. To top it all off, your phone is almost dead, leaving you with no way to call your family. Maybe the guy next to you has a charger…?

12/24/2021

That’s The Way Things Happen (On The Polar Express) | C!Grian x GN!Reader | fluff & angst | 2.6k words

(Polar Express AU) Ever since you were a child, you’d been able to see the mysterious train that would appear to pick up the other children on your street every Christmas Eve. Unlike them, you were never invited aboard. However, upon returning home from college for the holidays, you’re met with the sound of a train whistle outside your bedroom window…