at first i mostly liked her because she had good vibes, y’know? also out of spite because you just KNOW the good-natured blonde valley girl is going to get shafted by most of the fandom and ~boy do i love being right~
AND THEN. she’s just. so. cute? LIKE!! ‘man sitting here makes me think weird stuff.... like if our seats are all about to blast off into space...’ at the planetarium. SHE THINKS SINGING IN THE SHOWER IS AN IMPORTANT MORNING ROUTINE, MAN!! SHE ONLY LIKES HER ALMONDS CHOCOLATE COVERED. SHE DOESN’T HAVE A CLUE WHAT HARD WATER IS. IDFK MAN SHE’S ADORABLE.
ngl, part of it is how warm akira is to her, too. other people get neutral/agreeable responses to their texts, but ann gets ‘of course i’m free’ and ‘i would love to’-type responses. (can’t quote directly but it’s fucking hilarious to hold his responses to her and his responses to mishima up side-by-side oh my fucking god i love them both.)
AND AT THE SAME TIME, SNARK.
“i mean... that’s why they call it ‘fake.’“
all the sweatdropping. all of it.
related to that: how she’s regarded in canon as easily the most gorgeous person around. “meow-verlous” and “she’s breathtaking” and “c’mon, don’t you at least think she looks better than a celebrity” and yusuke’s whole introduction is him thinking she’s just THE most beautiful thing he’s ever seen and NEEDS her to model for him.
she gets creeps left and right and she’s exhausted by them, but still does her best to be sort of polite.
and despite all that,,, she’s just so normal. exhaustion when people hit on her meets “as a reward, i’ll go out with you~ 😘” and it’s all just?? she’s gorgeous and she knows it, but that doesn’t mean she’s okay with being the object of unwanted attention, and that doesn’t mean she’s above playing her looks to her advantage.
just how utterly resilient she is? she gets down, and sometimes she just needs to be told things will be okay, but the sheer degree of things she can bounce back from is both astounding and inspiring. mah girl has a soul made of rubber, fam.
how she’s willing to take literally any excuse to think positive, whether it’s akira telling her things will be okay or it’s that guy who tried to kill them all showing remorse and regret.
how she just appreciates people both being real with her and positive about everything else.
veering back to shuann, i feel like akira has a lot of things to be negative about, and being around ann would force him to look at things in a rosier light. that would be really good for someone with a literal prison in their heart.
she’s a romantic!! she gets embarrassed going to sappy chick flicks alone because she works her way through several packs of tissues!! she gets all giggly and happy if akira says he’s looking forward to getting married one day while he’s dating her!! MARRY HER DAMMIT.
she’s just so emotive? so open? she literally can’t hide how she feels and it’s just?? aaaaaaaaaaaaa
again back to the shuann but it makes such a fun contrast with akira’s laconic deadpan. it just. it does, man.
SHE’S INTUITIVE LIKE DAMN. like!! she’s an airhead and a bombshell and she can pick up on subtle lies like idek how but she’s a fucking bamf
on that note: “i will rob you of everything...!”
she’s loyal and loving and kind and forgiving as hell and just... humble? she doesn’t take herself too seriously, she likes soy milk in her lattes, she’s the first to apologize when she realizes she’s in the wrong...
the ‘i love you’s!! all over the place!! both ways!! she’s just!! so!! affectionate!! i die!!!
more shuann that ann on her own, but: she’s the only romanceable who doesn’t have some explicit form of social power, and i just... find that... so interesting? i am 99% sure that akira gets off on fucking with things (people) that could fuck him over hardcore, but the only ‘power’ she has over akira is that love at first sight moment, all the opportunities to mention how gorgeous she is, the ‘i love you’s, just the warmth between them.
i dunno. i really think that implies something here.
(like, say, losing her trust would fuck akira up on the same level as having a genius hacker/reality-altering fortune teller/his pharmacist/a fairly big name reporter/his teacher/the student council president/the daughter of alternate universe mcdonals president/famous chess player after his blood.)
idk i feel like there’s more but this is what i’m coming up with off the top of my head.
Imagine if they were your gf: BLACK Pink Au: Angel
FINALLY!!! A Girl group!!! I will keep this gender neutral as much as possible!! ~Admin C!!
Jennie:
You never knew she was an angel for a few years of knowing her.
Until one day she was like. “I’m an angel you know?”
And you were like “Angel or not...I still love you as my Jennie.”
Her halo grew brighter and her already rosy cheeks turned even more red.
Jisoo:
You instantly knew she was otherworldly
She was always kind and she was hardly ever in a negative mood
You brush her wings often and it always gives her butterflies in her stomach because you’re touching her wings. She won’t ever get used to it!
You finding out that you’ve been dating your guardian angel
Lisa:
She’s still a young angel ladies and gentleman! LET HER REBEL!!!!
She get’s in trouble a lot but always comes you to rant to about her boss always nagging her...A.K.A ROSE!!!
Rose won’t let her date but you see where that wen’t
You’re always making sure she experiences as much happiness this world can offer her for her to learn about humans...including some romance!
Rose:
She’s the boss of angels that always gets sent out to observe Earth and it’s people.
Their headquarters is literally on earth and you’re like a receptionist for her because she loves you very much and wants to stay near you as much as she can.
Every time you look at her, you can see her wings flutter a little bit
She let you try her halo on once and she was head over heels.
Hey! I just wanted to say thank you for all the updates on zines, preorders, bangs and general BHNA content that you update the fandom with. It must be overwhelming at times especially since there's always events happening in the fandom! Thank you for your hard work! <3
Thank you so much! It’s definitely a challenge some weeks, but the response and support I get makes it well worth it. <3
Hello! Firstly, super excited for this zine! And secondly, with regards to the writer's application, what is a mock article? I just want to make sure! :)
Hello!
A mock article is a fic written like a magazine article! So, when writing this, you take the role of a reporter rather than writing in the perspective of Todoroki or Midoriya
I have provided a document link to examples of each of the writing formats in the app where you choose which formats you’d be interested in, this is in the 2nd portion of the app!
I hope this answers your question, thank you for asking!
Oh my gosh. I just love your Catadora art. It's so detailed and their expressions are just incredible! I just stumbled across your blog and now I'm drowning in Catadora. Thank you for drawing them!
@vanilla107 I’m glad you like them! This fandom is actually probably the first in two years that I’ve actively tried to interact with and Catadora is definitely the thing that finally cured my two year long art block so the fact that my art touched you enough to reach out to me is very touching and validating, thank you.
Hello! I just read your updates with regards to the writer's applications and with how many words each piece needs to be. I fully understand how it can be overwhelming to read that many applications and I respect that, but what if my best work isn't within the word limit? Most of my chapters are roughly 2k going to 3k and I don't want to disqualify myself if I send in those. Is there any way to work around it or should I settle for my shorter pieces that don't showcase everything I want?
Hi! You can send in a total word count of no more than 6k words for all three submissions combined. Just make sure to space it out decently amongst them (eg. 4k + 1k + 1k or 3k + 3k).However, keep in mind that we are looking for writers’ ability to tell a complete story within a ~2k limit to reflect the requirements for the zine.mod syn
HELLO! So I just binged your Carmilla fanfiction and I'M HOOKED. CARM BEING SO UNDECIDED AND HONESTLY I WANT TO SLAP HER AND BE LIKE "CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT LAURA IS DOING YOU USELESS GAY?!?!" But I honestly live for slow burn and I adore all the little vampire teasing!! Thank YOU so much for writing this amazing series <333
Thank YOU for reading!! I’m glad I’m doing an okay job of making Carm annoyingly indecisive, it can sometimes be a challenge to write pining from her perspective.
With the holiday season fast approaching the last place Nathanael thought he would end up is out on a shopping spree with Chloe Bourgeois.
This is my @mlsecretsanta gift for the ever lovely and super sweet @vanilla107, when I got my assignment I jumped for joy and then days later I received such a wonderful message from you and was immediately suspicious because of the timing of it all...i was like, “SHE KNOWS!!!” XD but now I’m so happy to call you a friend! I hope you had an amazing, happy, and merry Christmas and are enjoying this lovely holiday season!!!
(ao3 link)
Nathanael peeked out from under the massive pile of boxes and bags he had cradled in his arms. Each one was tied up in elaborate ribbon and tastefully wrapped in various shades of gold. Barely able to keep his balance, he entered the boutique, not surprised to find under the soft lighting that it was just as glamorous as all the other stores they had already visited.
Its interior was decorated in subtle, yet chic touches of the holiday season. White and gold accented the window displays while black and white striped wallpaper lined the walls. Clothing racks showcasing the latest fashion, straight off the runway, filled the store and Nathanael immediately could tell that they would be here for awhile.
As he had for most of this odd journey, Nathanael felt completely out of his element…Chloe however, seemed to be in her natural habitat.
Albeit, the whole afternoon still seemed to be some sort of unfathomable daydream. In a whirlwind of determination and stubbornness, Nathanael had been dragged along into Chloe’s white limo and lead across Avenue Montaigne. With a manicured hand clawed around his wrist, he had been lead through stores where price tags weren’t even on the clothes or items, it was just accepted that you would need the most platinum and elite of credit cards to even think about purchasing such things and if you had to ask for a price, then you couldn’t afford it.
And so Nathanael stood at the entranceway, buried under a mountain of Chloe’s earlier acquisitions as she moved through the store with the power and authority fit for some sort of overseas duchess or a famous movie starlet…
Or a queen.
Perhaps it was the warm lights or the fact that his vision was half-obscured by the items in his arms, but for a short moment, a flash of yellow and black brought a very sudden and unexplainable redness to his cheeks.
Blinking away the image of black and gold, Nathanael glanced around, wondering for not the first time how he had got himself into this situation.
School had just ended and he had been stuck pondering the sprinkling rain from the school doorway when Chloe Bourgeois had walked by, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards her private, white limo that gleamed under the gloomy Parisian rain.
“I—wait what?! CHLOE!”
“We’re going shopping!” was the only reply he got until they settled into the backseat of the limo. “Plus,” she had added, “you don’t want the rain to ruin your hair right?”
Nathanael had been too stunned to offer an answer at the time, equally shocked at the fact that he was now sitting beside Chloe in her limo and by the almost considerate gesture of being saved from the rain. He had in fact been a little more than just concerned about his hair getting wet on his walk home.
But most of all, he was most surprised that she was still holding his hand.
They both seemed to realize it at the same moment, their clammy hands releasing their hold on each other as they moved as far apart as the leather limo seats allowed them.
“Kurtzberg,” she spoke harshly, her eyes not meeting his as her voice dropped into a uncharacteristic whisper, mummering a fast few words that Nathanael hadn’t been able to hear.
“I’m sorry?”
Chloe brought a hand to her mouth, muttering something so quiet that Nathanael had to lean in closer in an attempt to catch it.
“Uh…?” was all he could answer with.
With a glare and deep breath of exasperation, she finally spoke up, perhaps much louder than anticipated as Nathanael jumped back at the sound, “I need your help!”
“Oh!” he responded, still terribly caught off guard, as silence filled the space between them.
Chloe pursed her lips, her eyebrows raising as if waiting for more of a eloquent reply.
And if an eloquent reply was what she was after, Nathanael was not the person to deliver.
“Uh, I…OK?”
She grimaced and he flinched. “OK?” she repeated, and in a fit of nerves all Nathanael could muster was a frantic nod.
Chloe let out a sigh, one that bordered between frustrated and relief. And then, with a quick, yet surprisingly polite, call towards her driver they were off, driving through the streets of Paris.
After another moment of silence, Nathanael recovered some hidden courage to finally voice his curiosity. “So…what do you need my help for?
With a haughty flip of her ponytail Chloe turned to face him, her previous hesitancy molding back into her signature Chloe Bourgeois-esque…haughtiness? Arrogance? Charm? Whatever it was, it was entirely Chloe and something Nathanael just couldn’t name, it was just something he knew at this point.
“I need help Christmas shopping…Daddy gave me money to buy presents for myself and I need someone to hold my bags.”
Nathanael’s mouth fell open. That something he couldn’t quite name, suddenly flashing clear in his mind.
Selfishness™.
“Yes, and since Sabrina was sick, I just saw you, all sad and pathetic, looking at the rain…and I thought perhaps I would do you a favour…”
Nathanael glanced down at the limo door to his side, contemplating the harm of jumping from a moving vehicle, but at the sudden blares of car horns as they passed through a busy intersection, he decided against the idea.
“OW!”
He turned back at the shout, staring in surprise as Chloe rubbed her arm.
“Are you OK?” he asked.
“I’m fine.”
Still concerned, although a part of him wondered why, he continued, “W-what happened?”
“I umm..” Chloe bit her lip before replying glaring down at her bag, “I think I got stung by a bee or something.”
“Oh, ouch,” Nathanael replied awkwardly. “I’ve never been stung by a bee before…”
Chloe laughed dryly, “Well, then consider yourself lucky.”
“I’m usually not.” Nathanael smiled, shrugging slightly.
With a frown Chloe glanced his way, before pointing her chin up in the air. “Today you get to accompany me on a grand shopping extravaganza! I’d say you’re very lucky! Plus bee stings are the worst.” She glared down at her purse for a moment before meeting his eyes once more. “So you can count your lucky stars for that!”
Nathanael’s smile grew. He still wasn’t sure her definition of lucky quite fit his, but as he saw Chloe turn away, staring out her window with an expression he was completely caught off guard. Suddenly the need to jump out of the limo for freedom didn’t seem like the most logical answer.
Which is how he had found himself, hours later entering yet another posh store by Chloe’s side, when usually he would be home amd holed up in his room, sketching out comics on his tablet. He glanced out the windows to the darkening sky, the rain glistening off the streets and sighed.
But if anything Chloe’s Christmas Shopping Extravaganza had been quite the curious adventure. And as Nathanael reflected over the contents of her purchases, he couldn’t help but wonder see how clearly obvious it was that Chloe was not buying gifts for herself.
Thus far, Chloe had bought a pair of the latest noise-cancelling headphones, a special, limited edition Ladybug and Chat Noir figurine set, the most expensive pair of running shoes Nathanael had ever seen, a matching set of necklaces, each with its own jeweled flower pendant, and a pair of bright green rollerblades. He stared around the boutique and wondered if Chloe was going to be buying something bright, pink, and fashionable for a certain classmate of theirs.
“OK done!!”
“ARGH!” Nathanael jumped that the sudden sound, tripping over air and flailing as box after box fell from his hands.
“Oh wow, you are jumpy,” came Chloe’s reply as she bent over to collect some of the dropped bags, Nathanael reached out to help as well.
“Yeah, sorry,” he muttered, reaching to tuck his hair behind his hair reflexively. However with his hands full of bags, he instead settled for hiding behind his fringe with a shy smile.
Chloe glanced up at him with a frown. “Why are you sorry? I scared you…shouldn’t I be apologizing?”
“I—” Nathanael balked at the idea of her apologizing to him, “I’m…I don’t know…”
“Well, I’m sorry Nathanael,” she said.
“Oh,” was all he could offer as a reply.
Together, each laden with her many purchases, they walked out of the store, a store attendant running to open the door for them as they both had their hands full. The rain had stopped, and the late afternoon had morphed into early evening as the lights of the city lit up against the darkening sky.
This coupled with all the strings of Christmas lights across the buildings and the wet sheen left behind by the rain had the city aglow. Nathanael couldn’t help but notice the way it brought out the blue in Chloe’s eyes and he told himself it was the cold night air that had his cheeks burning.
He especially couldn’t help but notice it when she stopped and turned to face him head on. Almost tripping over himself, Nathanael came to a not-so-graceful stop, staring at her with wide eyes. She looked almost angry and Nathanael felt a rising fear build up within him to run lest he be victim to another one of her rampages.
But what he didn’t expect was her soft, almost self-conscious whisper.
“I mean it, you know. I am sorry.”
“Oh…I know…” Nathanael said back almost reflexively.
She shook her head, making him pause. “No, no, no, not about scaring you!” and she jumped at that as if surprising herself. “No, I mean yes about that…But…I mean…”
Nathanael’s eyes widened, not quite used to a stammering Chloe.
She met his eyes again and paused, so bright and blue, Nathanael wondered if he could ever capture such a colour on paper. Would it be better on his tablet? Perhaps paint on canvas, he supposed…the colour…it was something akin to fire in ice, something so cold, yet alive and burning.
It was all he could focus on as she took a deep breath before finally saying, “What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry for being so mean to you.”
That caught his attention.
If it was possible Nathanael’s eyes may have widened even more.
“I’ve been really mean, and to you especially…well to like everyone really,” she shrugged, “…I have a lot of work to do, I think.” She glanced down to a puddle at their feet. “And I, well…thank you for helping me today…I didn’t really give you a choice, but I hope one day I can earn your forgiveness.”
Nathanael was in awe. They stood their for a few moments, him completely frozen in shock and Chloe shyly glancing back and forth between him and that random puddle.
Finally, with the Christmas lights around them glimmering off the soaked city and Chloe’s soft blonde hair, Nathanael’s limbs seemed to unthaw. With a shy hand he nudged Chloe softly with some of the bags in his hand. Her eyes locked back onto his immediately and he smiled.
“Merry Christmas, Chloe.”
She smiled, a wide and bright smile that lit up her face, her eyes crinkled and her cheeks flushed, surely from the cold weather as well. Nathanael couldn’t recall ever seeing her like this and together they shared twin, big smiles as the city bustle of shoppers walked past them and the lights twinkled off like stars above them.
“Happy Hanukkah, Nathanael.”
He blinked in surprise, once again caught off guard.
“Oh! I—thanks! How did you know?”
“What?” she offered back, mildly offended, “I know things!” It was a flash of the Chloe Nathanael was more familiar with. He laughed.
Blushing even more so, she continued, “Oh, well…I noticed you weren’t apart of the Secret Santa thing too…I asked Sabrina and she said it was because you didn’t celebrate Christmas?”
“Yeah, that’s right…you’re not apart of it either?”
She frowned, shoulders slumping. “No one asked me,” she said with a soft whisper.
“Oh…”
“I…I don’t,” she grimaced and Nathanael was taken aback by the slight sheen on her eyes. “I don’t think anyone likes me.”
“Ah…” Nathanael fumbled at words as he swore he saw a tear streak down her face. “I…”
“I’ve been so mean to you and everyone…and now even Sabrina doesn’t want to hang out with me!” she continued, not even trying to hold back the tears now.
On impulse Nathanael said the first thing to pop into his head, anything that would somehow help in this situation.
“I like you!”
“W-what?” Chloe glanced up, another tear falling and Nathanael wished his hands were free so he could at least offer her a tissue…or whip the tears away with his hand. She laughed, no sound of genuine humour filling the noise as she sniffled slightly. “No you don’t!”
“I…well…” Nathanael struggled, “I maybe…yeah.” Chloe let out a broken sob at that and he stepped forward, his hand bumping bags against her side, in what he hoped was a nice gesture. She glanced at him with watery eyes and he sputtered, “B-but, I…from what I’ve seen today…I can see y-you’ve grown Chloe!”
“Really?” she asked, her eyes wide with wonder. Nathanael blushed.
“Y-yeah, I mean…you kinda brought me here against my will,” she glared, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “But you’ve been nice…and I do appreciate your apology…and I know who these gifts are for…It’s a nice gesture. I think you’ll surprise a lot of people.”
“W-what?” she asked, suddenly indignant, “I…these—I told you! These are gifts for me!”
Nathanael smiled despite himself, lifting up and waving one of the many bags in his hand. “These rollerblades are for you?” he asked.
“I…I…” Chloe tried to answer. “Maybe I’ve suddenly taken up the sport! You don’t know me!”
He laughed at that, surprising himself and Chloe, who raised her eyebrows at him. “I guess you’re right…maybe I don’t” And she frowned at him. “But I think I would like to.”
Chloe stared at him, her mouth hanging open.
Nathanael smiled, not sure if he could ever remember seeing Chloe ever look so vulnerable. He remembered that mass text during Kim’s akumatization…when Sabrina had texted everyone a picture of Chloe covered in dirt and despair. But this was different. Rather than defensive and angry, she seemed open and in awe, frozen in shock.
But Nathanael had meant what he said, so he decided to take another step forward, both literally and figuratively. Walking down the street and glancing back at Chloe as he went.
“Do…do you have any plans for the break?” he asked, pausing and waiting for her.
Jolting forward, Chloe stumbled slightly as she caught up to him, the pair walking down the street side by side. She nodded.
Nathanael smiled waiting for her to further elaborate before deciding to fill the void between them, “I’m excited…I’m going to my dad in Johannesburg.”
A pause passed as they took their streets. “South Africa?” Chloe asked, her head tilting to the side causing her ponytail to swish in the evening breeze.
“Yeah, he moved there last year,” Nathanael nodded as they walked in no particular direction. “I got to visit him last year for Hanukkah…it was pretty great. It was warmer than I was used to…but with all the lights in the city at night, it still feels like the holidays.”
Nathanael paused, looking over at Chloe, who stared at him, her eyes, now dry, still glowed as overhead the sky darkened.
“Wow,” she whispered, and Nathanael couldn’t help but notice the smeared lip gloss on her lips.
“W-what?” he said, caught off guard once more.
She blinked, as if somehow brought out of a trance. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk this much,” Chloe said, still with that look of awe on her face.
Nathanael hesitated, another apology on the tip of his tongue before Chloe continued.
“You have a nice voice.”
“W-what!?” Nathanael shrieked slightly, flinching at the crack in his voice.
Chloe smiled, small, yet beautiful, and Nathanael couldn’t stop the blush from rising to his face. “What sort of things do you do for Hanukkah?” she asked, changing the subject, a relief for both of them.
“Oh, ah, well…My family usually comes over and we eat a lot of food and stuff.”
“Do you have lots of family?”
“Y-yeah, with my aunts…and all their kids, and my grandpa and my cousins and everyone…It’s a lot of people.”
Chloe smiled.
“We used to have a cabin in Switzerland.” She glanced up at the night sky. “We would go there a lot when I was younger, especially for Christmas. It was at this really nice ski resort…but none of us skied really…but my mom would make hot chocolate and we would watch movies or sit by the fire…”
Her smile fell and they both came to a stop.
“But now we stay here in Paris. Daddy has work so…” she shrugged, letting the sentence hang.
Nathanael tried to think of something to say, a little unsure of what he could offer, but before he could muster up the courage, Chloe looked past him, her eyes lighting up so suddenly that any words he had were fast forgotten, especially when she reached out to grab his hand and pulled him along towards another shop.
“Come on!” she called, her grip tight in his, ignoring the awkwardness of all the bags between them. “One more store and then I think we’re done!”
“Oh, alright,” Nathanael answered, “I guess I can handle one mo—”
He froze, looking up at the windows of the store as they made their way to the entrance. Paint, pens, easels, and canvases of all sizes were arranged in Christmas themed bunches of red and green along the storefront.
“Yeah, for a bit there, I kinda felt bad, thinking about how you probably don’t get Christmas presents? But then I read that you get eight days of presents?!?! So I stopped feeling so sad about it.” She shrugged as they entered the store. “But that just means, I need to get you eight times the presents!”
She waved at all the aisles, gesturing to the vast selection. Nathanael stood there frozen at the plethora of art supplies before him, thinking of his almost full sketchbook in his bag and slowly becoming overwhelmed at the possibilities before him.
“This…this is too much Chloe!” he gasped as she pushed him towards the first display.
“Nonsense,” she said, waving a hand in his direction. “Now come on! I have like five days of Hanukkah to catch up on!”
He followed her to the front counter where she quickly convinced the shop clerk to hold their bags for them. Once free of her earlier purchases, Chloe turned to Nathanael with an excited smile, one that was almost contagious and Nathanael felt himself smiling just as bright. She held out her hand to him and he didn’t hesitate to take it as she pulled him through the store, picking his brain about what sort of art supplies he liked and asking him all about his current and past projects.
Before they left the store, Nathanael insisted on buying Chloe a sketchbook of her own, with the promise of finding some time to sketch together in the future.
Five Years Later
“OK! I want to do it tonight!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I think I go this,” she said, reaching for the lighter, to which he simply raised his eyebrows. “What?” she asked?
“I—nothing! Please, by all means! Go ahead!” he laughed waving for her to continue.
She glared, her mouth twisting into a rueful smile, before she bumped him with her hip as she walked up to the window. Outside, the evening sky darkened and while the lights of the city shone brightly. Inside their small apartment, Nathanael switched off the lights, the only source of light coming from the windows and their lamp on the other side of the room.
Standing by the coffee table they had set by the window, Chloe picked up the candles she had set out, placing 5 of them, one by one, into their proper place on the menorah. Once she was done she looked up to see Nathanael holding out another candle to her with a smile. She took it with a kiss.
Looking down at her hands, one holding the the shamash and the lighter, Chloe suddenly faced a predicament.
She didn’t want to ruin her manicure trying to light the lighter. And it was made even more difficult with just one hand.
“Uh…honey?” she asked, turning to Nathanael with an all too sweet smile.
“Yes, dear?” he answered back sarcastically, albeit with a smile of his own.
“Would you mind?” she said, passing him the lighter.
“Not at all.”
Nathanael took the lighter with a wink and Chloe held out the candle towards him. With another shared glance and a spark, Nathanael leaned forward, catching the wick with the flame of the lighter.
With the shamash lit, Chloe cradled the flame as she turned back to the unlit candles. Slowly and ever so gently, she brought the lit shamash towards the candle on the end of the menorah.
“Oh! Wait!” Nathanael said, a soft hand reached for hers, guiding her to the candle just off to the center of the menorah. “You start on this side…then move to the right.”
“Right,” Chloe repeated, tongue poking out of her mouth slighting as she focused on lighting each candle. Nathanael’s hand still held hers.
She could feel him move closer behind her as she lit the last candle, his other hand moving to her waist. He smelled like paint and coffee and she couldn’t help but lean back against him, smiling as he lightly squeezed her.
Once the last of the candles was lit, Nathanael helped her set the shamash into the center holder. Chloe worried for a moment as the candle wobbled in its spot, but Nathanael steadied it.
“Oh f—!” a car alarm outside went off, and Nathanael flinched, waving his hand in the air.
“What happened!” Chloe asked, turning to inspect his hand.
“Ahhhhh,” Nathanael ended off with a hiss, blowing air onto his hand. “Candle wax.”
“Are you OK?”
Nathanael smiled through his grimace. “Yeah it’s fine, a common Hanukkah hazard, I guess,” he laughed, bring his hand to his mouth.
Chloe reached for his wrist, bringing his hand towards her for further inspection. His fingers, already slightly calloused from his art classes, were long, his hand a bit bigger than her own, and on the tip of his pointer finger the skin was slightly red.
Licking her lips, Chloe glanced at Nathanael, bright blue eyes meeting bright blue eyes, eyes that shone brilliantly in the candlelight, twinkling almost green like the sea, a beautiful turquoise. Without hesitation, she brought his hand to her lips, kissing his slightly warm finger.
Nathanael’s eyes locked onto the motion, a flush rising to his cheeks and Chloe smirked before coyly swiping her tongue across his skin, finding victory in the bob of this Adam’s apple, the lights of the candles of the menorah sparkled against his red hair.
His hand returned to her waist, and she had no problem stepping forward until she was flush up against him, smiling despite herself.
“T-thanks,” he said, tripping over his words in a way that made her think back to years before, to first dates and holding hands for the first time.
“You’re welcome,” she whispered as their foreheads met, breaths mingling in the space between them. Her arms wrapped around his neck, while his other hand found her waist and they stood there in a silent dance.
“You know....” she finally spoke, grazing her nose against his, to which he hummed a happy reply. “Five years ago today was our first date.”
Nathanael leaned back, “What?”
“Yeah, exactly five years ago!”
With a crease in his forehead, Nathanael shook his head. “No…our first date was in the summer…four years ago…remember?”
She laughed, “But that’s cause it took you so long to finally ask me out! I think our first real date was that time I dragged you out to go Christmas shopping with me.”
Nathanael laughed, “I don’t think that counts, Chloe.”
Chloe leaned her head against his shoulder, smiling as he held her closer. “Well, regardless, I was an important day for me, I think.”
Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt Nathanael’s lips on her forehead. “For me too,” he replied. She felt his hand leave her waist and then this thumb on her chin. She smiled, tilting to his touch until her lips met his.
His hand cradled her cheek as if she were something fragile and delicate, and her hand reached up to tangle in his hair to yank him closer to prove him wrong. She hummed as he sighed, her tongue running over his lower lip as her hand continued to play with his hair.
With both their eyes closed, she felt his hand on her lower back guide her in a turn, bending her slightly backwards. Chloe gasped in surprise, arching in his touch, totally trusting him as he leaned her back, exposing her neck to his lips.
He was so warm, and her skin was on fire, one that was sparked anew at his touch. Her hand in his hair tightened and he growled nipping at her skin before running this tongue up to just below her ear. She moaned as his lips wrapped around her earlobe, her head clouding even as he went back to peppering his lips along her neck.
After leaving behind a trail of kisses across her skin, he pulled her back up, standing them both up straight as they stared lovingly into each other’s eyes.
Chloe giggled, not even shy about the redness of her cheeks, or her neck for that matter, as she reached up to tuck his hair behind her ear. He smiled as he did the same for her. They wobbled for a moment, slightly tipsy from one another’s presence.
Their moment was interrupted when their bodies knocked against the table…the table on which the menorah had been placed.
“Oh!” they both shouted, turning to face the wobbling candles in fright.
A long second passed as the silver menorah swayed, trembling at their momentum before after a seemingly endless held breath, coming to a stop, not a single candle had fallen, each one miraculously still aflame.
Together they let out a collective sigh of relief, both amazed at their luck.
“Oh!” Chloe jumped in realization after a moment of shared silence. “You know what?”
“Hmmmm?” Nathanael asked, voice slightly dreamy.
Chloe untangled her hand from his soft, red hair, stifling a giggle at how messy it was after her ministrations. She stared down at her hand before glancing back up at Nathanael with wide eyes.
“I think I might’ve burned my hand too,” she said, holding back a smile.
Nathanael narrowed his eyes at her.
“Oh no!” he answered dramatically, taking her hands in his and quickly catching on to her ploy. “Are you alright?”
“Oh well, I don’t know,” Chloe laughed. “But I think a kiss would make it all better.” She blinked at him, biting her lips innocently. “Don’t you think?”
Nathanael smiled before stepping away, leaning down over the burning candles of the menorah and blowing them all out with one breath. He turned back to Chloe, taking her hand gently in his before nodding. “A kiss? That’s all you need?”
She nodded, shrugging a bit as she mulled it over. “A kiss, a hug, I’ll take whatever you have!” And she hummed as he bent over, taking her hand as if she were a queen and pressing his lips to her fingertips.
“Whatever?” he asked.
“Anything,” she confirmed, gasping as he turned her hand in his and pressed a kiss to her wrist.
He wrapped her up in his arms once more, guiding her hands back to his shoulders as he kissed her temple. “You know you have all of me,” he whispered gently in her ear.
She shivered, both at the warm air on her skin and at the sentiment. “And you have all of me, Nathanael,” she answered with zero hesitation.
And as his lips recaptured hers, the unspoken words floated between them, words that hadn’t quite yet been said in full, but had been understood in different phrases and gesture of their own making. Each one translated into the same three words.
