Because Writing Should Be Fun

[becausewritingshouldbefun]

March 2023

We can't believe it's March already, but here we are with Spring just around the corner. Time to let those words out!

Our Prompts:

War

Dreaming

Pie

Borrowing

Bad Luck

Monthly Challenge: Write a limerick, or a story with a female master character in honor of International Women's Month. No word count this time!

We hope to see some of you join us in our quest to get back into writing!

And remember submitting art is also fine, this blog is about creating and getting back into your groove!

[twomanyideas]

Santu Claus is Coming to Town (Chapter 3)

A collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404

@becausewritingshouldbefun February 2023 Challenge Prompt: Secret Pairing(s): Gray x Natsu AO3 | Ch 1 | Prev: Ch 2 | Next:

Chapter Summary: An oncoming blizzard is no match for Natsu when he's determined to get home for Christmas.

Chapter 3: Here Comes Santu Claus

𝅘𝅥 On Natsu’s last day in Rivera, the universe gave to him…  𝅘𝅥 

Raging blizzards Flight cancellations Passenger outrage One mopey boyfriend  Sleep deprivation Horrible indigestion Nasty public bathrooms Four crowded buses Three and a half train rides Two ferry trips One bumpy flight

𝅘𝅥 And a staggering credit card debt 𝅘𝅥 

BUT… he'd made it back to Fiore in time for Christmas, despite everyone telling him it was impossible!

Suck on that, Universe, Natsu thought as he got into the smelly Uber that would take him the rest of the way home.

Keep reading

[willofthequill]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[oryu404]

I tried to write something for the glitter prompt, but it didn't work out so uhm... Voila.

[fairytail-multishipper]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 2/5

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Relationships: Cana Alberona/Kagura Mikazuchi

Characters: Cana Alberona, Kagura Mikazuchi, Erza Scarlet, Rogue Cheney

Additional Tags: One Shot Collection, Pre-Relationship, Matchmaking, Bad Matchmaking, Unrequited Love, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Kagura Mikazuchi, Gay Male Character, Gay Rogue Cheney, Akward Dates, First Dates

Summary: Cana doesn’t understand why her match-making attempt failed, but Erza has some ideas.

A series of non-connected stories about different ships featuring some femslash ships in Fairy Tail. 2023 writing challenge hosted by @becausewritingshouldbefun on Tumblr!

[twomanyideas]

Santu Claus Is Coming to Town (Chapter 2)

A collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404

@becausewritingshouldbefun January 2023 Challenge Prompt: Resolutions Pairing(s): Gray x Natsu, Sting x Rogue, Lyon x Erza (mentioned) AO3 | Ch 1| Ch 2

Chapter Summary: Rogue faces two challenges this Christmas eve: asking Sting out, and a confrontation with his childhood Christmas trauma.

Chapter 2: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Fuck This

Rogue was well aware his family went all nutcrackers in December, but… man, they had really lost it this year. His mom and aunt in particular. He heard the Christmas music playing as soon as Ultear opened the door to welcome them in. Band Aid, now wasn’t that a perfect fit? That had to be their theme song.

𝅘𝅥 Do they know it's Christmas time at all? 𝅘𝅥𝅮 Yes. Yes, they did. But aunt Ur must've been worried someone might forget because she and that traffic accident magnet of a yard of hers made sure there was no getting around it.

𝅘𝅥 Feed the world! 𝅘𝅥𝅮 You know what? That might just be possible with the metric fucktons of food his mom had prepared. 

No, Christmas was not Rogue’s favorite holiday.

Ultear’s laughter at the parking situation, and the fact she hugged him when he greeted her, were all he needed to know she was already tipsy. They’d never been all that close, but he had to admit it was good to see her again. 

Her husband… hmm, not so much. 

Rogue tensed up as soon as Siegrain approached him, the smirk on his face letting him know he wouldn’t like whatever was about to come out of the bastard’s mouth.

“Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, little cousin!” Ugh, like that. It wasn’t that Rogue hated Christmas. He liked parts of it, like the coziness of twinkling lights in the dark winter days, the abundance of good food, and the joy of unwrapping presents or playing games with loved ones. And his family was nice–not counting Siegrain, and his permanently inebriated uncle. He just had some… issues with the supposedly most wonderful time of the year. Issue, actually. All the holiday's wonderful things combined weren’t enough to make him forget the one thing that ruined the season for him every year. Santa Claus. Of course, Siegrain knew this. Who didn’t? The story behind it had been told so many times that by now it was a family legend. And Rogue knew every last detail of it, despite having no recollections of his own.

His uncle, pre divorce and alcoholism, used to dress up as Santa for the kids. It was one of their family's many Christmas traditions. Gray, Lyon, and Ultear had loved it when they were little, so naturally they'd all assumed Rogue would too. 

And who knows? Maybe he would’ve, if only his brother and cousins–who‌ were seven, eight, and ten years older than him, mind you–hadn't decided it would be funny to have him watch Krampus with them. Cause what’s funnier than traumatizing a four-year-old, right? While he believed that was never their intention, it was exactly what ended up happening once his mother woke him up from his nap and plopped him on Santa’s lap. End result: he’d never lived down the humiliation of peeing on his uncle, and the asshole's reaction had scarred him enough to leave him with a fear of Santa Claus that he still carried with him to this day.

Just as Rogue was about to give Siegrain the greeting he deserved, Jellal–Ultear and Siegrain’s four-year-old son–came running out of the living room. He took one look at him and immediately said the words that Rogue dreaded the most.

“Did you know Santa’s coming here today?!”

“Yeah, that’s great.” 

Lies. It was not great. It was, in fact, about as far from great as you could get, but Jellal looked so excited that Rogue didn’t have the heart to say anything else.

The truth was, he’d flat out refused to attend the party when his parents had first told him they were bringing the tradition back for Jellal. They'd promised it would all be over before they even set foot in aunt Ur’s house, but he’d known that it wouldn’t be that simple, because if there was one thing about his uncle you could count on, it was the fact that you couldn’t count on him. 

And wouldn’t you know it? Dear Uncle Asshole had yet to show up. 

His mom had assured him he had nothing to worry about, because aunt Ur was handling it. He seriously hoped that was the case, because while he would never deprive Jellal of the wonderful experience, he wanted nothing to do with it, and that included talking about it.

So he excused himself and hurried to catch up with Gray, receiving a pat on his shoulder from dad as he passed him on his way back to help mom with the last of their cargo. 

Rogue wasn't surprised to find the kitchen crammed full of people. After all, who in their right mind would want to sit with Siegrain? He’d already had enough of him after only a few seconds. Still, he fretted a bit when he saw just how many people there were. 

A flash of something red in the crowd startled him enough to flinch and back up, and with no one behind him, he almost lost his balance. It was a good thing he caught himself at the last moment, because imagine the embarrassment of falling ass first on the floor over the long scarlet hair of mother and daughter duo Irene and Erza.

Where the hell did Sting go? He’d been right behind him just now. Had he lost him already? At least that meant he hadn’t seen that blunder, and judging by the lack of snide comments, it seemed none of the others had either. “You brought booze? Good man,” Lyon greeted Gray, immediately lowering his voice. “We’re gonna need it.”

He took over the boxes Gray had brought in, and organized the liquor bottles into the bar area they’d set up without elaborating any further, which didn't please Rogue one bit. Sure, most of the adults were likely getting drunk at some point, but this reeked of drama. Aunt Ur, frowning at something on her phone and typing furiously a moment later, further solidified that belief.

“Gray! I don’t see you enough!” She was the next one to greet his brother, putting her phone away so she could squeeze him tightly, as if not enough meant never. 

“Sorry, it’s been hectic.”

“I was sad to hear Natsu won’t be able to join us, we always love seeing him too.”

“When will he be back?” Erza took a break from helping Irene gather napkins and plastic cups to join in, waddling over to give Gray a hug.  

“No clue. Last I heard, they were having a hard time finding flights out.” Gray said, quickly changing the subject by asking “How’s baby treating you?” “Just fine.” Erza rubbed her belly, but Rogue caught Lyon’s expression of disbelief that suggested otherwise. “Although I have to admit, the closer I get to my due date, the more impatient I’m becoming.”

Speaking of due date… when was that? Erza looked like she'd swallowed a watermelon whole. He really hoped she didn’t go into labor mid-Christmas party. If that were to happen, he was out of here. 

“You can only hope the baby doesn’t take after you,” Irene teased. “I swear, you were so late that by the time you were born, I felt like I’d been pregnant for about four hundred years.”

She, Erza and Ur launched the room into the utmost fascinating world of pregnancy and baby talk, which Gray and Lyon either didn’t care to or were too scared to interrupt. And Rogue couldn’t blame them, knowing just how scary the women in his family could be. Or who knows? Maybe they were actually interested.

But he sure as hell wasn’t. So even though he hated being the center of attention, he cleared his throat, stepping out from behind Gray and steeling himself for the circus that was likely to ensue once they set eyes on him. 

“Hi–” he held up the bag of food he’d brought– “Where should I put this?”

“Rogue? Is that you?” Ur gasped, looking exactly like his mother had before when she hugged him. “You look great!”

“You'll want to avoid the tent in the backyard,” she whispered, winking and squeezing his shoulders before letting go of him to grab the bag he’d been holding.

“Thanks Aunt Ur,” he said, offering her the most genuine smile he was capable of as his gaze automatically drifted to the glass sliding doors leading out to the deck. 

He could see the tent she'd mentioned through the gap between the curtains, and instantly recognized it as one she used for large parties. Given how few decorations surrounded it, he had no doubt she had scrambled to put it together for him.

But more importantly, most of the view of the tent's inside was blocked by a Christmas tree strategically placed near the entrance. How many did that make now? Four? Well, whatever. This was hands down his favorite one and Ur was definitely his favorite aunt. Thanks to her, he had one less worry. 

He was so relieved that when Erza and Irene began gushing over him too, he just accepted his fate. He would have appreciated some help from his traitor of a brother, but apparently Gray would rather laugh at him with Lyon. Not that Rogue was all that surprised. It had always been like that; Ultear, Lyon and Gray on one side, and him on the other. 

Him and…

“Where’s Sting?” Ur asked once she was done unpacking the bag and looked around the kitchen. “Didn't he come with you?”

“He did. He should be around somewhere,” Rogue said, shrugging his shoulders as he looked around in search of his friend, feeling oddly lost even in his own aunt's house.

He'd never resented his childhood, had even come to understand that the gap between him and his brother and cousins was simply the result of their age difference. But it hadn’t kept him from feeling lonely, like he didn’t quite belong.

That changed when Sting's mother fell ill. She and Mika had been longtime friends, and so Rogue's parents did everything they could to support the Eucliffe family through the difficult time of her treatment, which sadly wasn't enough to help her win the battle.

Although Sting had been Rogue's playmate from the moment they'd been able to sit up, it was through that tragedy that they truly found the friend they so desperately needed in each other. Despite being as different as night and day, they'd quickly become inseparable. The two of them against the rest of the world.

Maybe that was part of the reason it had taken Rogue so long to realize his feelings for Sting had grown into more than just friendship. 

Once he had, it wasn't long before the worst-case scenarios had taken over his daydreams. So he'd kept it quiet for a while, hoping the stomach-fluttering, head in the clouds feeling would pass and he could go back to simpler times, but there'd been no way around it. Not when the guy lived in his head rent free.

And things between them had felt different lately, feeding the hope that Sting might feel the same way until it was driving him nuts. He’d had enough of wanting, dreaming and waiting; it was time to man up and do something about it. 

And he was going to do it tonight. He'd done his best to look nice, and though the responses he'd gotten so far were annoyingly exaggerated, he couldn't deny they'd also boosted his confidence.

Rogue put his hand in his pocket, feeling for the pouch he’d placed there when he got dressed and squeezing it for courage. 

He could do this.

Assuming he'd find Sting, of course. Seriously, where had he gone off to? You’d think a guy wearing bells on his shoes would be easier to find. Oh! Bells! He heard them! Rogue turned around only to see his parents putting more stuff they’d gotten from the car in the hallway, but no sign of Sting. And the last of his excitement deflated when he realized the sound was coming from his aunt.

𝅘𝅥 Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul, with a corn-cob pipe and a button nose and his eyes made out of coal 𝅘𝅥𝅮

“I’ve got to take this real quick,” Ur sighed before she’d even reached for her phone and looked at the caller ID. “I’ll be right back.”  

“Here we go,” Lyon muttered under his breath in a tone Rogue easily recognized, having heard it plenty of times during his aunt’s divorce.

“Erza! You look wonderful!” his mother chirped the moment she entered the kitchen, while his father shook Lyon’s hand and nodded a greeting to the others. 

“Where’s Ur?” 

“Phone call,” Gray shrugged, wisely not going into further details. Their uncle was a touchy subject in their family. “She said it shouldn't take long.” 

“Oh, alright. Can I get you guys to help me set out the food?”

Erza offered, but Mika and Irene were having none of it, sending her back to the living room with a slice of strawberry shortcake. Silver went ahead of them to set up the warmers in the dining room, while Irene and Mika followed with plates, napkins, and cutlery. 

Rogue watched Gray walk towards Lyon, who was still busy with the bar. Not knowing what else to do, he went through the remaining bags, placing the food on the counter so that people who had a clue could do something with them. 

His gaze landed on his mother's purse, which had ended up among them. He could hear her chatting and moving stuff around in the dining room, and Gray and Lyon were too busy doing their best impression of that one scene from Cocktail to pay him any attention. If he was fast enough, he could send himself those pictures she took of him and Sting by their tree…

Acting as nonchalantly as possible, he opened up her purse and quickly found her phone. The password wasn't a problem. They all knew it was her wedding anniversary. He'd just opened the camera app when he heard bells jingling closer.

Shit, he was coming! Rogue's heart raced as he tried to find the pictures he wanted amongst the hundreds of shots his mother had taken. How the hell did she find anything in here?

“Santa!”

Where?!

CRACK!

….Oh no.

Rogue picked up the phone–which had been an anniversary present from his father, by the way–from where it had landed screen down on the cold, hard kitchen floor. Closing his eyes, he prayed that when he turned it over, it would miraculously be fine.

“You are one lucky bastard.”

The relief he heard in Gray’s voice encouraged him to look, and he was shocked to discover that not only was the phone unscathed, it was also showing him the exact picture he'd been looking for. Whatever cosmic force ran this joint must be on his side today.

“He’s not here yet. See?” Sting entered the kitchen, carrying a very impatient looking Jellal in his arms. 

So that's where he'd gone. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, seeing Rogue on the floor with his mother’s phone.

“Doing his best to get on the naughty list,” Lyon said wryly. 

“Huh?” 

“No, Rogue, don’t do that! Then Santa won’t come!” 

If only…

Jellal’s look of horror would have been comical if it hadn’t been directed at him. Even worse, how was he supposed to put the phone back in his mother’s purse with Sting watching him? 

“Rogue, honey, did you unpack the mashed potatoes already?” his mom called out, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked over to the kitchen. 

Foreseeing exactly what would happen even before she aww'ed at Sting and Jellal, he wanted to crack his own skull on the tile floor for being stupid enough to think about snatching her phone. He'd known she'd be snapping shots all night, paparazzi style, as he'd already seen hundreds of things she'd want a picture of.

And, yeah, Sting and Jellal together would definitely be high on that list. They looked ridiculously cute.

“Don’t move! Let me grab my phone!” She hurried to her purse, opening it in record time. 

“That’s strange. Has anyone seen my phone?”

Rogue scrambled to his feet and handed it over. “Oh, yeah, I found it in one of the bags. I meant to put it back in your purse.”

Judging by the look she gave him, his mother wasn’t buying it. Even worse was the smug expression on her face as soon as she turned on the phone. Rogue really didn’t like the smile that played on her lips as she looked from him to Sting. It seemed to suggest that, at least for his mother, Christmas had come a day early. The cherry on top was his own phone vibrating in his pocket. He could make a fairly educated guess of what he’d find if he checked it.

“Thanks, sweetie. Now, why don’t you go stand next to Sting, so I can take a picture of both of you?” 

He obeyed her commands without protest, realizing no amount of snark was going to improve this situation. Sometimes he really hated his family. 

Luckily, his mom didn't get to take more than a few pics as Jellal grew more and more restless by the second.

“Oooh, I see cookies!” Sting tried to distract him, or maybe he just wanted cookies. Both were equally plausible. “Do you want some? Aunt Mika's are the best!”

“I want to see Santa,” Jellal pouted, his bottom lip trembling as his eyes filled with tears, causing Sting to look from one adult to the next with a face that screamed Help me.

“This is a very busy night for Santa, Jellal,” Lyon said, ruffling his hair and taking him from Sting. 

“But Unka Lyon,” Jellal protested, “What if he doesn’t come?”

“That’s not going to happen,” Lyon assured him with a smile, although the steel in his voice made Rogue think his cousin was getting ready to take matters into his own hands. “Now, how about one of those cookies?”

“Okay.”

Mika handed Jellal a plate with a couple of snowmen sugar cookies and Lyon walked him back to his parents, talking softly to him all the while. 

“I didn’t know what to say,” Sting said, managing to look apologetic even while shoving a cookie into his mouth.

“You did better than I would have,” Rogue shrugged, nudging him aside with his hip so he could grab at least one of those cookies before they all disappeared into Sting’s pretty mouth. “I truly hope he gets a better experience than I did. Then again, could he really have a worse one?”

“Not likely,” Sting laughed.

“Right?”

Gray walked up to them and put his arms around their shoulders. “That reminds me. Who’s in the mood to watch Krampus tonight?” 

“Fuck you,” Rogue scoffed, giving his brother a shove and ducking out of his grip.

Gray laughed at him, and though his attempt to torment him annoyed Rogue, he was too glad to see his brother in a decent mood to let it really get to him.

“Why don’t you guys go join the others?” their mom suggested, peering outside. “I’m going to check on your aunt real quick.” She opened the sliding door and slipped outside.

Well, so much for seeing Gray in a decent mood. No sooner had mom left than his brother was back to looking glum, pouring himself another drink at the bar. 

“You guys coming?” 

Rogue almost caved, having a pretty good idea how Gray would feel sitting with the happy couples while his own boyfriend was a continent away. But he was on a mission, and he wanted to complete it now, before he could overthink himself into chickening out. Or worse, sensed the old bearded demon and self-destructed his mood for the rest of the night. 

“We’ll be there in a minute,” he said, grabbing Sting by the wrist before he could disappear again.

He was sure Gray was going to pry, but all he did was offer a nod and a slightly more depressed version of their mom's smile after the thing with her phone, and then he left without saying a word.   

This was it. The moment of truth. 

Maybe it was the way Sting smiled at him, which was somehow even more distracting than usual thanks to the sugar and cookie crumbs sticking to his lips. Then there was that stupid outfit of his. No cropped shirt this time, thank God, but the image of his legs in those tights was definitely going to stick for a while. And did those shorts really have to be made of fabric that looked so soft it screamed 'feel me'? How was that fair?! 

Either way, the end result was the same. Rogue's mind was eerily empty.

This was so dumb. He knew words. Lots of them! Pretty words, sappy words, dirty words… Now that the moment was here, and he still couldn't put them together to say what he wanted.  

“So tell me,” Sting started, twisting himself free so he could squeeze Rogue's hand before letting go to grab another cookie. “On a scale from one to ten, how done are you with Christmas songs? Because believe it or not, I'm approaching a solid 9.”

“Yeah, I’m going to need a bigger scale than that,” Rogue snorted, glad that Sting had broken the silence. Grabbing one last cookie for himself, he moved the container out of Sting’s reach. “Never thought I'd see the day you got there, though.” 

“I didn't either, but here we are,” Sting said, already scanning the counter for another snack.

“Hey, at least you got some variety. Try working at the mall. If I hear that Mariah Carey song one more time, I might commit murder.” 

Rogue knew he was going to regret those words as soon as he saw a devilish grin spread across Sting's lips.

“I…don't want a lot for Christmas…”

“Don't,” he warned, groaning and facepalming when instead of listening, Sting snatched a salt shaker off the counter to use as a microphone.

“Theeeeere is just one thing I need…”

“You need to shut up.” 

But Sting paid him no mind and kept singing, swaying his hips for good measure.

 “I don't care about the presents… underneath the Christmas tree…” 

Wow, he was really going for it, full performance. Rogue shook his head, but couldn't stop himself from smiling. If this was how the stupid song was going to take his brain hostage for the rest of the night, so be it, especially since Sting had such a nice singing voice. 

He held his breath for the next line, which was something he would absolutely love for  Sting to say to him, but he never got to hear it.

“That’s what I was hoping to see.”

“Huh?”

“Your smile, dimwit.”

“Oh.” Rogue looked away, feeling said smile widening. “Anyway, speaking of presents–” he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the pouch. “You just said you didn't care about them, so I take it you don’t want this, then?”

Yes! That was a start! Sting had always loved presents, so it should get his interest. But sneaking a peek at his reaction, Rogue only got to see a flash of the excitement he was hoping for before Sting's expression fell, his eyes widening as he reached for his shorts pockets.

“Oh no. Where did I–” He patted himself down, muttering a long string of curses under his breath, and storming off to the coat rack to feel his coat's pockets. "You've got to be kidding me!"

“Is something wrong?” Rogue frowned at him when he came racing back in, phone in hand, to search through the now empty food bags.

“Nope!” Sting grinned rather unconvincingly, seeing as he looked more distraught than he had that time he’d lost his lunch money back in middle school. "Just don’t go anywhere, okay? I'll be back before you know it."

"No, wait! If this is about the gift, don’t worry about it. I just want to tell you some–" 

“–thing,” Rogue sighed as the door slid closed on his words.

He watched Sting disappear from his sight, and waited for what felt like an eternity of nothing but his own dumbstruck face staring back at him through the glass. 

He knew he'd missed his shot when he heard two familiar voices approaching, and couldn’t help but huff a laugh. Who knew when he'd be getting another moment alone with Sting? Had he really gotten himself all hyped for nothing? 

“Wow, you look like you need a drink.” Lyon said, after taking one look at him. “You want one?”  

“You might as well make us all one. It’s gonna be a long night,” Gray sighed, grabbing a deviled egg from an appetizer tray and shoving it in his mouth. 

Sure. Why not? It couldn't be any worse than watching Krampus. 

[willofthequill]

The Little Spoon

Hello Hello! I decided to participate in the Februrary 2023 prompts from @becausewritingshouldbefun ! Here’s a little drabble about a ship I rarely write about but has stayed in my head ever since I read a certain fanfiction. AND its under 1000 words. Holy crap, I did it!! 

I hope you enjoy this fun little story! (no ship bashing)

Here is my story for the first prompt of the month: Second Chances

________________________________________________________________

“What?! Everybody likes to be the little spoon!” Orga snapped, defending his refusal to move. 

Laxus struggled to keep a straight face, propping up on his elbow behind him on the couch, looking at his boyfriend. “Oh yeah? Well what if IIIIII want to be the little spoon?”

“Then we can take turns. You can be the little spoon next movie,” Orga grinned with a laugh.

“What are we even watching?” Laxus asked.

“It’s some movie Sting said had good fight scenes. He loves martial arts movies and they are normally pretty good. Except for one time… but we don’t talk about that.”

“Well, now I need to know. I don’t care that you don’t talk about it, you just brought it up. So spill it.” Laxus gave him a quick kiss.

Orga grinned, both at the kiss and the memory. “He brought over a movie to watch and popped it in all excited, typical Sting not paying attention…”

“Annnd?”

“Annnnnd he didn’t look in the case first and Frosch had swapped out the discs. It was some puppet kid show talking about not to bite strangers.”

“What?! Not just don’t bite… but specifically don’t bite strangers?” Laxus laughed.

“It’s weird too, because Frosch doesn’t bite people. Like… where did it come from? Why?” Orga’s grin widened. Laxus was always hot, but when he smiled, it gave the giant man butterflies in his stomach.

“Well, if the frog doesn’t bite people I guess the movie did its job.”

“Yeah, I guess you’ve got a point. He sure is a cute little cat though.”

“Yeah, he’s alright as far as the cats go,” Laxus rested a hand on Orga’s side. “Ya know… I’ve never told anyone this before but for a while I was a little… upset that I didn’t have a cat like the other dragon slayers.

“Your secret is safe with me,” Orga leaned up and gave him a kiss, grinning and resting their foreheads together briefly before laying his head back on a pillow, head still turned towards his boyfriend. “So did you buy a pet or something?”

“I have a Bickslow, that’s close enough to a pet. He’s even been known to bite strangers. Do you happen to know where that DVD you mentioned went?”

Orga laughed. “You know, I never would have taken you for bein’ a funny guy when we first met.”

“Yeah, well, I never would have thought that you’d be in my bed when we first met either.”

“Yeah, I’ll give you that. But I’m sure glad we went for that beer and gave each other a second chance”

“I am too,” Laxus nodded, he leaned over and gave Orga a slow, gentle kiss. “Now start the movie so we can not watch it.”

“What do you meant so we can not-”

Laxus cut him off with another kiss, taking the remote and hitting play.  He moved his arm to pull the other man closer, as he lowered his head towards him he muttered, “Hopefully it has a good soundtrack.”

“They never do,” Orga grinned as Laxus nuzzled his neck with a gentle kiss and a scrape of his fangs against his skin.

The movie began to play, yet not a word of it was heard.

[fairytail-multishipper]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 1/5

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Relationships: Yukino Aguria/Minerva Orland

Characters: Yukino Aguria, Minerva Orland

Additional Tags: One Shot Collection, Pre-Relationship, Post-Tartaros Arc (Fairy Tail), Apologies, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Abuse

Summary:

Minerva apologizes to Yukino.

A series of non-connected stories about different ships featuring some femslash ships in Fairy Tail. 2023 writing challenge hosted by @becausewritingshouldbefun on Tumblr!

————

tagging @girlbossminerva because i know you like yukinerva

[rwby-mulitshipper]

JanuRWBY Writing Challenge

Hosted by @becausewritingshouldbefun

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Prompts and ships for each chapter!

1. Baby, it's cold outside (Sunflakes)

2. Glitter (Nuts and Volts)

3. Invite (Monochrome)

4. Beginning (Partners in Cream)

5. Resolutions (Renorarc)

[becausewritingshouldbefun]

February 2023

February is always such a fun month with Valentine's Day and Femslash February on the calendar. It's also cold as hell for many people, which is a nice excuse to get some writing in!

Our Prompts:

Second Chances

Cupid

Secret

Sweet(s)

Unrequited

Monthly Challenge: Get out of your comfort zone and write for a new pairing, or at least one you rarely write about! To make it easier, we've kept the word count goal to no more than 1,000 words.

The word count goal only applies to the challenge.

We hope to see some of you join us in our quest to get back into writing!

And remember submitting art is also fine, this blog is about creating and getting back into your groove!

[twomanyideas]

Santu Claus is Coming to Town

A collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404 @becausewritingshouldbefun January 2023 Challenge Prompt: New Beginnings Pairing(s): Gray x Natsu, Sting x Rogue, Lyon x Erza (mentioned) AO3 | Ch 1

Summary: It's the most wonderful time of the year... supposedly. Natsu, in his absence, has taken Gray's Christmas spirit with him, and an unfortunate event from Rogue's childhood has him dreading the holiday altogether. Needless to say, they're not particularly excited about attending their Aunt Ur's annual Christmas eve party. But the night turns out to be full of surprises, making it one they certainly won't be forgetting anytime soon.

Chapter 1: Santa Bring My Bastard Back to Me

Christmas had always been Gray’s favorite holiday. That often surprised people, given he wasn’t exactly the most cheerful person to be around, but there was just something in the air that never failed to lift his spirits.

But this year was different, and while he hadn’t yet reached ‘Bah, humbug’ levels of bitterness, he was skirting fairly close.

The reason was simple. 

Natsu, his childhood best friend and boyfriend, had gotten himself stuck on another fucking continent with no chance of getting home before Christmas. And yeah, Gray knew all too well that he was being unreasonable for feeling this way. It wasn’t Natsu’s fault they’d canceled all flights out of Rivera because of a massive snowstorm.

But after five years of only being able to see each other on the occasional weekend and during school breaks, Gray had been looking forward to spending more time together now that he was back home. Instead, they both got swept up by work. Gray was lucky enough to have landed an entry level position at an architectural firm soon after he'd graduated, and while Natsu still worked for his dad, he’d gotten promoted last year. Now he traveled along with Igneel for work so often, it felt like Gray saw him even less than before.

Was spending Christmas together really too much to ask?

“Please tell me that’s not what you’re planning to wear to your aunt’s party.” 

Gray looked up to find his mother frowning at him. It took a minute for her words to pierce through his self pity, but when they did, it just added to his misery.

He’d completely forgotten all about his aunt’s Christmas Eve party.

“I don’t suppose there’s any way I could just stay home?” he asked. The last thing he felt like doing was feigning cheer at a loud family party.

“If he’s not going, then I’m not either,” his younger brother Rogue said as he plopped down on the sofa next to him, destroying any chance Gray might have had of his mother taking pity on him. The smug look Rogue flashed him let him know the bastard knew it, too.

Great. Thanks a lot, half-pint.

“You're both going, and that’s final. Now, go change into something a little more festive,” Mika directed, putting her hands on her hips as she looked back and forth between Gray’s sweatpants and Rogue's all black getup. “How about those Christmas sweaters I bought you?” 

Gray touched a hand to his forehead. “Will you look at that? I think I have a fever. I must be coming down with something.”

“Yeah, me too.” Rogue said, faking a cough.

“Oh come on guys, it’ll be fun,” their mother badgered as she paced to the kitchen and back, gathering all the food she was bringing to the party. “This is the first time in a long while the whole family will be together. Even Ultear made it.”

That touched a nerve. What was she talking about? The whole family would not be there.

Besides, what did Gray care if Ultear and her asshole husband had graced them with their presence when Natsu wasn’t around to make fun of them?

“Wow. Nice, mom.” Rogue rolled his eyes and sighed.

“What?” She paused, her eyes widening as she finally realized her mistake. “Oh honey, I’m sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gray grumbled, even though it did kind of hurt that she’d forgotten Natsu’s absence so easily. You’d think she’d notice. The guy had only been terrorizing their pantry since they were ten, and they’d been a couple since his freshman year of college.   

He got up from the sofa and headed off to his room to change into something his mother wouldn’t give him a hard time over. Rogue followed, looking about as thrilled as he felt. Gray doubted either of them would be wearing those Christmas sweaters. 

It took some searching, but he found a shirt that was ironed and wouldn't have him sweat to death. He’d just located a clean pair of pants when the doorbell rang, soon followed by the elated sounds of his mother greeting their visitor.

He knew it couldn’t be Natsu. He hadn’t rung their doorbell since he was twelve, just made his way in through whatever door was open. Even so, Gray couldn’t quite silence the part of him that desperately hoped his boyfriend had somehow made it home in time.

He quickly finished dressing and went back downstairs, skipping the last steps when he caught the sounds of someone rummaging through the fridge. For a second, he truly believed he’d find Natsu grabbing the makings of one of his monstrous sandwiches with whatever leftovers he could find, but his mother shattered that illusion before Gray could even come out to see for himself.

“For God’s sake Sting, get out of my fridge,” she complained, “I swear you’re as bad as Natsu!”

“Lay off him, Mika, he’s sixteen. You know better than anyone that teen boys are always hungry,” his father snickered, tossing Sting an apple from the fruit basket that sat on the counter.

“Thanks, Mr. F!” Sting inhaled the apple while peering into the multiple shopping bags full of food and drink Mika had lined up, no doubt studying their contents and making a mental list of what he was going to eat first. 

“Are you sure you’re bringing enough?” Silver glanced at Mika as she packed a box with as many bottles of wine as she could safely fit. 

Mika stopped what she was doing and gazed at Silver worriedly. “Do you think I should bring more?” 

Gray had never figured out whether his mom was really oblivious to his father’s sarcasm or whether she just enjoyed playing dumb. Either way, he rarely got a rise out of her.

“I think we should go.” 

“Not yet. We’re waiting for the boys.” 

“Gray still moping around?” 

“I am not moping, I’ll have you know,” Gray said, entering the kitchen before his parents got too comfortable talking about him. “Of course,” he sighed, taking in Rogue’s best friend and his ridiculous Christmas elf costume, complete with red suspenders, bells on his hat, and even bells on his bright green shoes. Of course he would, and of course it would have been Sting. Gray had been a fool to think otherwise. The guy practically lived at their house, hanging around his brother like the two couldn’t function without each other for longer than a day. 

And speak of the devil, Gray heard his brother coming down the stairs. He turned to look, fully expecting some sort of passive aggressive move to protest having to change, but for once, it looked like Rogue had actually put in some effort. 

While he was still wearing the black jeans, he’d found a clean white button-down shirt to go with them, and he’d even tied back half of his hair into a ponytail, revealing the side of his face Gray couldn't remember seeing in forever. 

“Nice!” Silver complimented him. “And perfect timing! Why don’t you help me load the car? Gray and Sting, you too.”

"Sure thing," Sting said, jingling with each step as he grabbed a couple of bags, but he knocked one of them straight into the counter when Rogue walked into the kitchen. “Ow! Hi! Sorry!” “Hey,” Rogue briefly flashed him a smile before he nodded at the bag Sting had just savaged. “Careful with that. You don't want to mess with my mom when she's full of ‘Christmas spirit’.” 

Gray snorted at that, and while his father shot them both a warning look, he didn’t disagree.

“I heard that!” Mika called out, already running around the house and turning off lights, but stopping to come at Rogue with a face that had Gray struggling to hold back his laughter. 

“My, who’s this handsome young man?” She crooned, cupping Rogue’s cheeks, and fondly gazing into his eyes as if she'd never see them both at the same time again. “Are you done?” Rogue huffed, glaring and red-faced as he let her pluck at him, taming a few rebellious strands of hair and making sure his shirt was tucked in nicely from all angles. 

“No!” she said, pulling her phone out from her jacket pocket. “You have a face. We need to take pictures.”

“What are you talking about? I always have a face.”

Now, normally Gray wasn’t a big fan of pictures, but Rogue’s hatred of them was legendary. And given how he was stuck going to this party because Rogue had opened his big mouth, he felt a little payback was in order.

“I think pictures are a great idea!” he said, mustering up as much enthusiasm as he was able, just to piss him off. “How about by the tree?”

“That’s a lovely idea, Gray!”

“How about by the tree?” Rogue mocked in what sounded absolutely nothing like Gray's voice at all, and stuck out his tongue. 

“Rogue!” Mika scolded as she ushered them all out of the kitchen. “It’ll just take a minute. Besides, I have so few pictures of you.”

“Oh, right. My bad,” Rogue said, pointedly looking at the walls, which were covered in family pictures, and at the digital frame that displayed a constant slideshow of shots. 

Gray wasted no time in standing in front of their Christmas tree, a huge Isvan pine that stretched all the way to the ceiling and took up a sizable chunk of the living room, but his smile froze as soon as a picture of him and Natsu grinning like idiots as they tried to shove a s’more into the other’s mouth popped up on the digital frame. 

He could remember that day clearly. The two of them had spent the afternoon building a firepit in the backyard for his mom. They’d broken it in that evening, roasting s’mores from their deck chairs with the rest of the family. Then, after everyone else had gone inside, they’d stayed by the fire, kissing until–

“You know he’d be here if he could,” his father said, patting him on the shoulder and offering him a smile. 

“Yeah,” he said, still wrapped up in his boyfriend’s face and the memories of that night until the picture switched to one of him, Rogue, Ultear and Lyon on Lyon and Erza’s wedding day. 

“And Rogue, can we please get this over with? I’d like to leave soon.”

Rogue sighed long and deep–the closest to a yes that most would get from him these days–and followed their mother's instructions for the pictures she wanted. 

Seeing the discontent on Rogue’s face as he struggled to pose and smile to please their mom made it worth having to do the same thing, as well as keeping his mouth shut when he had to sit through the round of pics his mom shot of Rogue and Sting together. 

Look at that, the little bastard could actually smile after all. 

Rogue bolted as soon as she'd uttered the word “Alright,” grabbing Sting's hand and the car keys from the table.

“We’ll start loading the food.”

“Can someone please grab the presents?” Mika called out as she went to get more bags from the kitchen. 

Gray figured he might as well do that, so he quickly sorted through the tower of presents, grabbing the ones meant for his aunt’s house and placing them into boxes which he set in the entryway to be loaded along with everything else. Then he got to work arranging the remaining presents underneath the tree. 

He paused when he got to his present for Natsu. He’d bought him the usual ridiculous amount of candy and snacks, and he’d found a plush red dragon that he knew his boyfriend would go bonkers over. But the envelope the dragon was holding in its arms was his big present, and Gray couldn’t wait to see Natsu’s reaction when he opened it. 

When he’d heard of a new resort opening up on Mt. Hakobe, Gray had taken advantage of their introductory specials to book them a four-night stay. Then he’d gone a little crazy with the extras: tickets to their onsen, a one-hour couple's massage, lift tickets and equipment rentals, and passes to their indoor water park.

Yet for as much fun as all those sounded, it was the thought of having Natsu to himself for those four nights that thrilled him the most. They’d finally get to try out all the things they never got to do because they both lived with their parents.

He put the present down along with the others, trying very hard not to think about how much he’d wanted to give it to him tonight. 

“Oh good, you’re still here,” his mom said as she entered the room, dragging a box behind her. “Can you please take this to the car for me? I can finish up here.”

“Yeah, sure.” Gray peered at the contents before picking the box up carefully to keep from breaking any of the bottles. “That’s a lot of liquor.”

“Tis the season,” Mika smiled, grabbing presents and rearranging them to her liking.

Fair point. He was definitely planning on having more than a few drinks. He left her to it and carried the precious cargo to the car.

It wasn’t long before they’d filled up the trunk completely and were strapped into their seatbelts, each of them carrying something on their lap that didn’t fit in the back. 

“Will your father be joining us later?” Mika asked Sting once they’d backed out of their driveway.

“Yeah, he just sent me ahead cause he said I was driving him nuts.”

“Wow, shocker,” Gray muttered under his breath, earning himself a glare from both Rogue and his mother. Sting, however, gave no sign he’d heard him.

His Aunt Ur’s house was visible from a distance. She’d always put up lots of decorations, but it looked like she’d kicked things up a notch this year. Huge inflatables and dancing animatronics covered every inch of her front yard, and how she wasn’t causing a town-wide power outage with the amount of lights strung about basically everywhere was a mystery. 

Ahead of them, cars slowed down as they passed the house, while others parked and got out to examine the display up close. The whole spectacle caused them to have to park further than expected, which wasn't helping Gray’s mood in the slightest, seeing as his mother had laden him down with boxes to take inside. 

As he got closer, he discovered the animatronics played music, too. It literally looked like someone had thrown up Christmas on his aunt’s lawn. And was that a dragon?

God, if Natsu were here, he’d fucking love this. Gray could almost hear his excited cries as he oohed and aahed over every little thing. Come to think of it, shouldn’t Sting be doing the same thing right about now? He glanced over to see Sting was indeed taking in the spectacle, but he wasn’t bouncing on his feet with excitement like Gray expected him to. He was just sort of gaping at it, not a thought behind those blue eyes. “I might lose you in there,” Rogue joked, flicking the bauble replacing Sting’s regular stud earring. “You blend right in.” Gray watched Sting nearly jump out of his skin, trip over his own feet and almost drop the box of presents he was holding. Thank God it wasn’t the liquor. “Stupid shoes,” Sting laughed nervously. 

Yeah, the shoes… real smooth, Sting. Gray peered over at his brother to see what he thought of this bullshit, but the idiot looked none the wiser. As he followed his father to the front door, he could only hope that he and Natsu hadn’t been this lame.

“Uncle Silver, Gray!” Ultear opened the door before they could ring the doorbell. “Come in. We’ve been waiting for you guys.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. We had to park kind of far.” 

They filed in, moving out of the way so the others could come inside. Ultear greeted them all with enthusiasm.

“Isn’t it wild?! It’s been like that all day. Someone even left a donation earlier,” she laughed. 

Gray was happy to see his cousin, but he was more interested in putting the boxes down somewhere, so he made his way into the kitchen, following the sound of laughter set to a backdrop of Christmas music. 

He counted no less than three fully decorated trees on his way there, and even though he still wished Natsu was by his side, he could feel the Christmas spell start to grab hold of him.

0-0

A/N: Well we're back with a new story and our first official collaboration for the year! This one, like most of our stories, started out as a drabble and now looks absolutely nothing like the original idea. 🤣

We had a lot of fun creating a world for them to inhabit (and we wonder why things grow outside of our control) and might revisit it at some point. You never know.

If you like it, let us know! If you have any questions about this world, ask us. You have no idea how much background we create for even the simplest story. Seriously, it's a problem!

Anyhow we hope you enjoy this first chapter, and know that the following three are already written. We'll upload them as we edit them and we plan to start on the last one in the next day or two. So bright side, we hopefully won't leave you hanging for the conclusion!

[oryu404]

Fuck Me

@becausewritingshouldbefun

January 2023 challenge: Write a story in 5 sentences

Prompt: Invite

I suck at remembering even the titles of my own damn fics half the time, so at some point during a conversation with my dear friend @mdelpin, I said "Fuck me, title" because I couldn't for the life of me remember the title of the fic I meant. Scarlet being a true menace then went something like "I don't remember any of them being called Fuck me," and I said "Yet."

So here you go ❤️

----------------------------------------------------------

Sting groaned at the thick folder full of documents Rogue jadedly dumped onto his already full desk, wondering how on earth there could be more paperwork when they'd already been working on it for most of the day. 

“Fuck me…” he sighed, closing his eyes and running both hands through his hair as he tried to summon enough focus and motivation to keep going. 

“Is that an invitation?” Rogue snorted, and it really seemed like a joke on the surface, but the silence that followed carried excitement like static in the air, and Sting was all too familiar with that spark he saw when he finally looked into Rogue's eyes.

And, no, that hadn't been on his mind before, actually–he'd fully intended to be a responsible, productive adult today–but it sure was now, and Sting silently cursed himself for having buttons that were so easily pushed, before cursing Rogue for needing only to look at him like that and they'd practically push themselves.

The shady bastard knew it too, because Sting caught a glimpse of something dark and shapeless near the office door, and the sound of the lock clicking in place even before he answered by sweeping everything off his desk, making sure to cast his fiercest glare while he still had it in him to do so as he started stripping off his clothes.

[mdelpin]

Driven By the Snow

@becausewritingshouldbefun January 2023 Challenge Prompt: Baby, It's Cold Outside!

When Gray had left his apartment, he’d only meant to go for a short walk. 

It was snowing, hard enough he could barely see three feet in front of him, and though the cold didn’t bother him in the slightest, he knew it probably wasn’t safe to stay out for long. 

But still he walked, getting further and further away from town until he found himself entering the woods. Briefly, he wondered whether maybe he should turn around. Surely, it would be better to go back home. 

It was an empty thought, and he knew it. The yearning he felt was too strong for him to ignore. 

He trudged on. By now, it was almost impossible to see anything, but that was alright. He’d walked this path more times than he cared to remember. He could probably get where he was going with his eyes closed if he wanted to.

And yet, he felt lost. Why was he going there? He wasn’t lonely, and he certainly didn’t need shelter. His heart quickened at the first glimpse of the house lights. They shone brightly, like a beacon signaling the end of his journey.

Gray climbed the steps slowly, wanting to give himself a minute to compose himself, but the door flew open and he came face to face with Happy.

“You were right, Natsu,” Happy called over his shoulder, “Gray’s here.”

He stood in the doorway, shocked that Natsu had known he was coming when he hadn’t even realized it at first.

Natsu came out of the kitchen then, a big smile on his face. He wasted no time in grabbing Gray by the arm and pulling him inside. 

“Here you go, Ice Princess, something to warm you up,” he said, handing him a mug filled with hot cocoa and closing the door. 

But the warmth that flowed through Gray had nothing to do with the cocoa, or even the fire that blazed in the living room. It was as if a spark he’d caught only the barest glances of had suddenly flared into an ache he was helpless to stop.

And he suddenly understood why he was there. His heart had chosen. 

He wanted to laugh at how ridiculous this was. They could never hope to work out. He knew that better than anyone. But wasn’t it at least possible?

They’d defied the odds so many times before.

“Oh, I made some popcorn too!” Natsu said, hurrying into the kitchen and coming out with a bowl filled to the brim with a singed mess that only he would call popcorn.

“Are you trying to kill me? In what universe is that considered edible?” Gray complained as he followed Natsu into the living room. He could feel Happy’s gaze on him and he stiffened, fearing the Exceed had figured him out, but for once he seemed content to give him a knowing look.

“Fine, starve then. See if I care.” 

They sat on the couch bickering over anything that came to mind while the snow continued to fall, with no sign of letting up. And as silly as it seemed, here, in his rival’s and hopefully new love’s house, Gray felt truly happy for the first time in a long while.

[becausewritingshouldbefun]

January 2023

And we're off... Here's our inspiration board for January!

The prompts we've picked are:

Baby, it's cold outside

Glitter

Invite

Beginning

Resolutions

This month's challenge is to write a story in five sentences or less. A nice little warmup to kick off the year!

We hope to see some of you join us in our quest to get back into writing!

[becausewritingshouldbefun]

Happy New Year, and may 2023 be kinder to us all than the past few years have been!

It's certainly been a ride, getting 3 years of 2020, and unfortunately it hasn't been doing our writing focus any good. Although we've stepped down from running events, we did like the motivation and inspiration it gave us to create, and so, this blog was born.

Our goal is to write as many days of the year as possible and this blog will mark our progress. To help us along, we'll create an inspirational moodboard which will hopefully be up on the 1st of every month. Each board will have a prompt for every week of the month, as well as a writing challenge.

We firmly believe that writing should be fun, and it is even better when shared with friends. So if you too are looking to change your writing habits this year, you are more than welcome to join us.

All fandoms and original content are welcome! If you use a prompt or do the challenge, tag or mention this blog and we will be happy to reblog it for you. Though we are focusing on writing in this post, art is welcome too.

Love,

Maria and Oreo

If you have any fun ideas for prompts or challenges, please send them our way!