Twisted Wonderland Secret Santa

A fandom-wide Twisted Wonderland secret santa event! Run by @oseathepebble and @spadecentral

[twstedsecretsanta]

Directory & Timeline

This is the blog of the 2023 Twisted Wonderland Secret Santa run by @oseathepebble and @spadecentral! Since this event is online, you'll be gifting art or writing instead of real items

Thank you to all those who participated last year! I (Mari) decided to once again host a Secret Santa Event and now this year I have the help of the amazing Eli! Hopefully this year there will be more participants and more wonderful gifts created by you guys!

Timeline:

Signup: October 13th - October 25th

Giftee Receiving: November 1st

Check-In #1: November 20th

Deadline To Dropout: November 25th

Check-In #2: December 10th

Gifting Begins: December 25th

Gifting Ends: January 1st

Pinch Hitter Deadline: January 10th

(Times are in PST)

Here are some links that may interest you:

Rules

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[spadecentral]

🌲 Decoration Standards | Cater Diamond x Reader

>> requested: no >> a/n: merry late christmas @twst-the-night-away !!! i was your @twstedsecretsanta pinch hitter, sorry for the lateness <3

>> masterlist: heartslabyul >> summary: you decorate a christmas tree with cater >> reader prns: they/them >> warning(s): none

Cater Diamond was never one for holidays. Of course, he went to Easter egg hunts, participated in Turkey Trots, and set up a Christmas tree. But he was never really into the idea of it. He supposed that it was because of his family–namely, his two sisters–forcing the ‘holiday spirit’ down his throat. But the only reason he does all of these things is to take cute photos with his friends to post to his Magicam account later.

That was, until he met you. He had never seen someone so keen on the holidays and spending the time with the people you felt closest too. Your stark contrast to his dislike for the holidays intrigued him, if he was being honest. So when the two of you started dating, it was definitely one of the hardest things he’s ever done. Adjusting to you and all of your holiday excitement, that is.

You buzzed with the utmost excitement as you placed ornaments on the tree that he had so carefully picked out, not caring at all where you put them. The garland that you placed on its branches didn’t wrap the whole length around the tree, causing you to find another one. And find one you did, the only problem was that it was in a different color. But you didn’t seem to care at all. You just walked around the tree and wound it higher and higher, until it reached the top. It looked as though all you wanted to do was have fun, and not care about the way things looked at all. To him, it was unsettling, at the very least.

But at the same time, he couldn’t help but love every second of it. Your carefree smile that rested softly on your lips as he took more and more photos of your decorating process did nothing less but enchant him. It was hard for Cater to stop watching you, even though he still didn’t like Christmas at all. But he would definitely try, just for you.

Stepping backwards to look at the absolutely beautiful mess you called a Christmas tree, you bumped right into him. 

“Oh Gods!” you nearly screamed, trying to regain balance before you fell to the floor.

Cater, startled by both your knocking into him and your yell, dropped his phone to catch you before you fell. Pulling you into him, he smiled discreetly to himself before looking at your face.

“Are you alright?” he asked, an undertone of suaveness in his voice. 

“Y-yes, thank you,” your voice wavered, still in a light sense of shock from your trip.

Both you and Cater stood there within each other's arms for a moment, relishing in the warmth. He took a deep breath in, finding comfort within your embrace. The air smelled of the vanilla candle that you had insisted on lighting earlier to ‘get into the Christmas spirit’, even though the smell made your nose tingle in irritation.

“Well then,” you said, pushing away from him with a slight nudge to his chest (which he most definitely pouted at). “What do you think?”

To Cater, that might have been the worst possible question to ask him. He knew that your decor on the tree did not even barely come up to his sisters’ holiday Code of Cuteness. But at the same time, he would rather die four times over than tell you that your tree was horrendous. So in a stroke of absolute genius, he said something that hopefully wouldn’t hurt your feelings. “I love its character! The way that the colors are bright and the ornaments are scattered around the branches. It’s great! Hashtag Great Decor!!”

As he looked back over to you, he could tell that you were definitely not buying it. Your eyes were half-lidded, your arms were crossed, and your eyebrow was lifted in such the smallest manner.

And you also knew he was lying straight out of his teeth.

“Cater, I think that was the fakest four sentences I’ve ever heard.” your sentence wasn’t really… mad. It was more of just general displeasure. He couldn’t tell if he liked that less. “What don’t you like about it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it,” he was quick to say, hoping to dig his way out of the hole he created. “I just grew up with… standards for decoration, I guess.”

“There is no way you just said there are rules for decor,” you half snorted, not believing a single sentence.

“Look,” Cater said while patting his pockets for his phone. When he didn’t feel it in his pockets, his expression went a little sour before looking around him. Finally finding where he dropped it on the floor, he unlocked his phone and opened the Magicam app. Scrolling to his previous Christmas posts, he showed you exactly what he was talking about. Each tree had a set theme that the ornaments and other decorations, such as stockings, would stick to for each post. The first was cream, then red, then blue, and so on and so forth.

As you looked at the posts that Cater showed, you glanced up and down from his phone to the fully decorated tree.

“Those are kind of boring though, don’t you think?” you asked before pursing your lips in discontent.

“...Huh?”

“I mean, those are cute and all, but aren’t they kind of bland to look at? It’s like you’re overexerting a color until you can barely look at it in a way,” you huff. “If everything is nice and jumbled like this, wouldn’t it be nicer and more pleasing on the eye to look at, since it’s not a singular color and all that?”

“I never thought of it like that,” Cater responded. He never really thought of it much, anyway. He only thought of how his sisters wanted it to look ‘the cutest possible’ and how he would be forced to redo it if he didn’t decorate it up to their standards.

“See! Isn’t it beautiful?” you smiled before turning back to face the tree.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, which in response you smiled and leaned on his shoulder. But, his eyes didn’t even dare to glance in the direction of the tree. Instead, they stayed firmly planted on you, taking on every edge of your body. How your eyes glistened from the bright lights of the christmas tree, and how you relaxed after working on the tree for upwards of thirty minutes at most.

And in that blissful moment, he finally felt happy with the way things had turned out. He was happy with the decorations not being a theme, he was happy with the dim overhead lights and the bright flickers of the tree, and he was even satisfied with the thick layer of snow that was piling up outside the dorms–which is something that he would most definitely have to trudge through to get to his classes the next day.

But most importantly, he was happy with you. With being in your arms, smiling up at the trainwreck tree, and not having a care in the world. And there will never be a day where he isn’t content with you.

>> twst taglist: @tulipluvlettr | @strawberry-hyacinth | @oseathepebble | @wisteriainslumber | @villaim | @pastelmage | @xphantasmagoriax | @atlasnessie | @divinesapph | @ze-maki-nin | @silly-ez | @l1vyatan | @savanaclaw1996 | @enigmatic-pers | @ruggiethethuggie | @ravenlking | @queerlordsimon | @kyraxiyn | @rayisalive

[the-trinket-witch]

Merry Twstmas, @mystery-skulls-ghost!!

I'm your Secret Santa This year! Heard you wanted some Spider-sonas, so I put your spider Yuu with your spider twst!

And as an extra: have a silly meme:

[luminessdoodles]

Happy new year, @geminiiviolets !!! I was your gifter for @twstedsecretsanta :D

I'm such a fan of Circe; I just had to draw him!!

[liliths-missing-pen]

How The Cookie Crumples: Kalim x Yugure

Summary: Tis’ the Christmas season, and Kalim wants to bake cookies with you!! < 3

Hiiii @xopeach I was your secret santa for @twstedsecretsanta hope you enjoy this and I apologize for it not being on Christmas but you could also take this as a birthday gift too hehe

my masterlist!

It was the night before Christmas, all through the dorm. Not a creature was stirring, not even the magic carpet platform. 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that the man in the red coat would soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds.

All except one child that was in it’s bed,

Kalim, the dorm house head.

Kalim tossed and turned in his bed, his eyes fixated on the canopy above. He glanced at his clock. 2:49 AM. His eyes stayed fixated on that clock… He watched fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-three as the numbers ticked by till it hit 3:01 AM. He couldn’t handle it anymore. He swung the covers over him and he flung himself out the door. Was he in his otter pyjamas? Maybe but he surely didn’t care. 

Kalim had the greatest idea. He couldn’t hold it in much longer. Astrew of streamers still left around the common area from a couple of hours prior, it was in his nature of course to party and he wouldn’t miss a great opportunity not to. He raced through the halls avoiding the mess lying around. He left the Scarabia dorm and he knew where he was heading. He sped through the chambers to make it to Pomefiore. 

This is where he slowed down his fast pace up till now. He didn’t wish to be caught to bother Jamil since he knew his furry was bound to fall upon him if he was to be caught by his fellow dorm leader. He stood in affront of two doors, but see, he didn’t remember which door led to the person he was searching for. Unlucky for him, one door was to the vice-housewarden’s room while the other was to the love of his life.

There were many times when he accidentally walked into Rook’s room and he would’ve thought he learnt better by now yet he was here standing in front questioning. He was sure if he opened Rook’s door Vil would be almost immediately notified of his presence and he would be swiftly kicked out so there were no second chances and that’s why-- 

“Kalim why are you here so late?” A sweet voice whispered to him. He whipped around but swift movements were taken as a light was suddenly on one of the doors and Kalim was quickly pushed inside the other room. 

“Wha— Yugure! So happy I found you, I had the greatest idea ever and I want you to help me.” He told her grinning. 

Yugure yawned in response as she motioned her hand onwards, “Oh right! We should make Christmas cookies!” He announces, and the girl only laughs. 

“The whole reason you came to see me and risked getting lectured by Jamil AND Vil was to make cookies?” She questioned. Kalim excitedly nodded.

Yugure opened her door slightly to see all the pitch black again. She grabbed Kalim's wrist and quickly walked through the halls of Pomefiore. The two didn’t say a word but both shared a smile.

Once they made it through the mirror Yugure spoke. “We’re baking in Scarabia though, I heard the fairies in the school’s cafeteria kitchen have been alerting when people have been up there late at night… Something about a mushroom incident a couple of weeks ago..?” 

“That’s fine, let's go!” Kalim snatched her wrist dragging her through the portal. He raced down the halls to the kitchen of Scarabia. “Okay, I’ve seen Jamil make these cookies all the time. It couldn’t be that hard right?” He asked as he pulled out a large bag of sugar. 

Yugure watched him intently as he pulled out the ingredients. “Yu… Do you know how to make cookies?” He asked sheepishly as he slowly realized his mistake. 

The girl shook her head, “No… I mean it couldn’t be *that* hard.” She nonchalantly told him. “However, I think we’re missing something Kalim,” Kalim tilted his head with a confused look on his face.

“Huh? Why? We’ve got everything, there’s sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, soy sauce, eggs, and cream soda!” He exclaimed happily. Peach first gave him a blank expression before laughing.

“You’re forgetting the flour and the chocolate chips!” She chuckled as she started scouring through the cupboards to look for the desired ingredients. 

Kalim slid behind her as he reached above for the chocolate chips and Yugure went for the flour. Yugure was quick to become flustered from the closeness of their bodies but she was quick to shake it off to focus her attention on the bigger and better things, cookies. The two placed their items beside the other disarray of ingredients there was. 

In short, it was utter chaos. The two experimented with many things however the two always seemed to fall short in the cookies the two of them desired. 

Till that is Yugure went digging in the cupboards when she discovered the best thing for the two of them at this moment, a recipe book. “Kalim, throw away the last batch… It was really salty, I don’t know why we thought putting in soy sauce was a good idea… It says here what we need so we won’t be up all night doing this.” Yugure said simply as she started putting together everything, Kalim excitedly came behind and started helping as well. 

While their final batch seemed to be amazing, most sadly had become burnt. Kalim and Yugure sat down as they both enjoyed a cookie which wasn’t burnt to a crisp as many others had. 

“Mhm… At least not everything wasn’t a waste, these are good!” Kalim exclaimed happily.

Yugure only laughed at their baking disaster. The two of them quickly cleaned up even though Jamil would probably figure out about their expedition from how the kitchen was cleaned.

The two tried, they really tried to ensure Jamil wouldn’t figure it out but it was hard to say it confidently as there were smears of butter, rapid chocolate chips and many other giveaway signs that this wasn’t the way Jamil left it the night prior. Not to mention the incident in Pomefiore Rook probably was still up when the two of them left the dorm and it was only a matter of time before the two of them would have to face the consequences of their own actions sadly.

Yugure was about to leave the dorm before Kalim invited her to stay the night in his dorm due to how big it was and how Rook or Vil was probably up and would catch her sneaking back into the dorm. It took a bit of convincing on Kalim’s part since Yugure was quick to get excited to take the chance to pull a prank to attempt to freak out Rook but Kalim was successful in keeping her in his dorm for night. 

Kalim opened the door to his enormous room, fit for the king of the Scalding Sands himself. He was quick to run over to his bed and jump upon it before he quickly motioned for Yugure to follow. 

She did so happily as she crawled into his bed as well. She was extremely flustered by this arrangement but she was far from refusing this. The two of them soon drifted off of their consciousness and into a deep slumber. It was to be known in the morning that Yugure would have a surprise with Kalim’s arms wrapping around her cuddling her.

---

Not to mention the angry Vil and Jamil lectures which were to come along with their rendezvous.

[twst-the-night-away]

TWST Secret Santa 2023

Happy Holidays to @terrovaniadorm from your TWST Secret Santa!!! Sorry it's a few days late, but a lot of things have been going on lately. I've written a little scene for you between Keres and Riddle, set right after the events of book 6. I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks to @twstedsecretsanta for putting this event together!

Keres finished wiping off the last dessert plate, and handed it over to Trey. The Heartslabyul vice housewarden stacked it in the cupboard and shut the door with a sigh.

“There we go. That’s the last of them.”

Trey wiped his hands on his apron, then went over to the stove where the kettle was starting to whistle.

“I appreciate all your help today, Keres. What with … everything, and all.”

“Of course,” Keres replied, hanging up the dish towel to dry. “I’m just glad to know Riddle is back safe and sound.”

“For the most part.” Trey sighed again, stretching his back. “There’s just one last thing I need you to do, then you’re officially off duty.”

“What’s that?”

Trey tuned the flame off on the stove, then poured hot water from the kettle into a small teapot. He set the pot on a little tray along with a cup and saucer.

“Can you take this up to Riddle? I took him dinner, and he seemed a little annoyed with how much I fussed over him.” Trey looked a little embarrassed. “Maybe I did go a little overboard …”

“Well, he did have us all worried.” Keres took the trey when Trey offered it. “I’ll take this to him.”

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate it. Thank you, Keres.”

With a small nod, Keres left the kitchen, tray carefully held in both hands. They made their way through the lounge and up the winding staircase, finally ending up at the door to Riddle’s room at the end of the hall. Shifting the tray to one hand, Keres knocked.

“Who is it?” Riddle’s voice came from within. It sounded smaller than usual.

“It’s Keres. I’ve brought you some tea.”

“Come in.”

Keres opened the door and stepped through. Riddle’s dorm room was immaculate as always, lit in a warm glow by lamps on the desk and nightstand. At the desk, Riddle was mulling over a stack of papers. For a moment, all Keres could do was stare. Riddle looked the same as usual except for one thing: his crimson hair had lost its color and was now snow white. So it was true! Keres had heard whispers about how the housewarden had come back different from his misadventure on the Isle of Woe, but he had kept himself scarce since his return.

Keres recalled stories that they’d heard about people who’d experienced great terror ending up with their hair bleached white. They wondered just what Riddle had seen … 

“It isn’t polite to stare.”

Keres blinked a few times. Riddle had turned around and was looking right at them.

“Ah … I’m sorry,” Keres said with a little bow of their head. “I was only curious as to what happened to turn your hair.”

Riddle shook his head. “I would rather not recount the story over and over,” he said. “I already had to give a report to the headmage, and of course Trey wanted to know everything. I’m ready to concern myself with tomorrow, thank you.”

“Of course.”

Keres walked over to the desk and set the tea tray down.

“I believe Trey’s prepared an herbal tea to help you relax,” they said. “Shall I pour a cup for you?”

“Please do. I have a bit more work to finish before I can truly let myself rest.”

Keres knew the ritual well enough by now. Any Heartslabyul worth their salt could prepare a proper cup of tea in their sleep. They set a small strainer on top of the cup to catch any loose leaves, then poured some tea through it. A minty, floral scent rose from the cup. Keres could pick out peppermint, valerian, and licorice root among others.

“Would you like any honey?”

“Yes, please.”

Keres put the strainer aside on the spare saucer. After spooning a bit of honey into the tea, they stirred it exactly five times clockwise, then counterclockwise, then tapped the spoon twice on the rim of the cup. Just as the Queen’s rules demanded. Keres set the spoon on the side of the cup and stood up straight again.

“There you are. Would you like anything else?”

Riddle picked up the cup and saucer. When he saw the tea in the cup, he looked a bit disappointed.

“Ah … it’s that ‘sleepytime’ blend of his.” Riddle sighed. “Trey, I swear. He’s worrying himself far too much.”

“Don’t you think it’s only right? After all, you were snatched away so suddenly and we had no idea what was going to happen.”

Riddle’s eyes, looking at Keres over the rim of the teacup as he took a sip, went cold and distant. Just for long enough to let Keres know that he didn’t plan on dwelling on the recent unpleasantries at STYX.

There was a long silence. Keres shifted uncomfortably. The curiosity was becoming too great.

“What did you see?”

“Hm?” Riddle put his cup back down. His gaze had softened just a bit, but it was still throwing enough caution to make Keres fumble a little before continuing.

“I … well, there are so many stories of people coming back from terrible situations with their hair having turned white. You must have been terrified.”

Riddle shook his head. “It was merely exposure to a powerful magic. Once I do some research, I’m sure I’ll be able to return to my usual self.”

“You really know no fear, do you, Housewarden?”

“Of course I do. Everyone does. But there was no time to be afraid.” Riddle smiled and took another sip of tea. “Anyhow. I’d rather discuss something else. Anything else. Would you care to join me for a cup?”

“Oh! I’d love to, but -”

“I do keep cups in my room. After all, one must be prepared to take tea at any time.” With that, Riddle pushed himself up from his chair and walked over to a cupboard hanging on the wall. When he opened it, Keres could see all sorts of tea things and other necessities stored in there - and was that candy? So Riddle had a secret snack stash … they couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

Riddle took a cup from the shelf and brought it over to his desk, then poured a cup of the herbal tea for Keres. “Do have a seat,” he said. “Since you came all this way.”

“Only from the kitchen,” Keres said, but they sat down as their housewarden asked. They picked up the cup that he offered and took a sip … it wasn’t exactly the kind of tea they enjoyed, but they’d drink it anyhow.

“So even after all that, you’re just … picking right up and doing homework?”

Riddle raised an eyebrow. “I should say so. There’s no reason for me to shirk my responsibilities as a student.”

Keres shook their head. “You’re right, but …”

“But?” Riddle set his cup down and folded his hands. “You expect me to languish? I’d rather not. Getting back into routine is just what I need.”

“Because then you wouldn’t have time to think about what happened?”

“Because that’s what I’m supposed to do. If I’m to be an example to everyone here, then I must pick myself up and do my best, even after the worst circumstances. And I expect everyone else to do the same. Is that clear?”

“... Yes, Housewarden.”

Even though Keres - and everyone else in the dorm - had been worried about Riddle, seeing him like this was oddly comforting. No matter what had happened to him, he was still their housewarden, still the same as ever. Keres smiled, dropping the subject and taking another sip of tea. There was a warm silence as the two of them drank.

“You shouldn’t stay up too late, though.”

“I’m aware of that.” Riddle sighed and closed the notebook in front of him. He rubbed an eye. “It’s about time for me to go to bed, anyhow.”

“Would you like a bedtime story?”

The smallest of smiles briefly quivered upon Riddle’s lips. He gave Keres a knowing look.

“I’m afraid your idea of a bedtime story would have quite the opposite effect,” he said. “Perhaps I’ll call upon you when I need to pull an all-nighter.”

Keres allowed themselves to laugh as they stood up and collected the empty teacups on the tray.

“Yes, Housewarden.”

“Good night, then, Keres.”

“Good night. Sleep well.”

With that, Keres gave one last small bow before they took the tea tray and left the room.

[twst-the-night-away]

TWST Secret Santa 2023

Happy holidays to @indulgentandidiotic from your TWST Secret Santa! And of course, great big thanks to @twstedsecretsanta for organizing the whole thing!

This isn't completely based off of one of your prompt ideas, but I did get inspired by the "baking with Ace & Deuce" one ... I just took it in another direction. I hope you enjoy!

The chill of the winter morning penetrated the walls of Ramshackle Dorm as if they weren’t there at all. Aries was more than happy to stay bundled up in bed, wrapped in every last blanket and throw he was able to find the night before. Grim had crawled under the covers with him during the night, and even though he squirmed and grumbled in his sleep, the feisty little fellow gave off a welcome warmth.

There was no reason for Aries to get up, right? After all, everyone else was leaving for winter holiday that morning. With nowhere to go, Aries had no desire to leave the warm little nest he’d made for himself. But as he started to wake, something concerning came to his attention. There was a strange smell in the air. Not unpleasant, but still concerning.

It smelled sweet. Sweet … and burnt.

Was one of the ghosts cooking?!

No, there was no way. They never had before, so why start now? Aries thought about lying back down and ignoring it, but … no, if something was burning, that could be a problem. He’d better get up.

With a little whimper, Aries tossed the blankets off and swung his slender legs off of the bed, shoving his feet into fuzzy slippers. He grabbed the plush bathrobe hanging off the bedpost and tied it on before the cold could fully sink through his pajamas, then started for the bedroom door.

Once he was out in the hall, the smell grew stronger. Walking down the steps, Aries could also hear something coming from the kitchen.

Voices. Two of them. Familiar ones, too.

Standing on the landing between the two flights of stairs, Aries felt his mouth break into a wide grin despite his sleepiness. He hurried down the rest of the stairs and ran into the kitchen.

The first thing he saw was a mess.

The counter was covered with flour, powdered sugar, and cracked eggshells. Spilled milk on the counter dripped onto the floor, forming a small puddle. It looked like every single bowl that Aries owned - which wasn’t many bowls, but still! - was dirty, stacked up in the sink. The skillet on the stovetop was still giving off wisps of smoke, as was something in the trash can. The teakettle beside it was boiling and starting to whistle.

In the middle of the mess, also covered in flour and sugar, were Ace and Deuce.

“ - and whose bright idea was it to try and make stuffed French toast, anyway?? You’d never even made the regular kind!”

“I figured it would be easy! It looked easy on Magicam, anyway.”

“Yeah, well -”

Deuce was the first to notice Aries standing in the kitchen doorway. He shut his mouth, and his bright blue eyes widened. Ace turned to follow his line of sight, and he, too, took on the deer in headlights look.

“Uhh … heeeeyyy, Aries,” Deuce started slowly. “Um.”

“Yeah, uh. Hi.”

Aries tried to stifle a laugh, and it came out sounding like a snort. He covered his mouth, but his grin couldn’t be hidden.

“Morning, guys. Um … what’s happening here?”

Ace and Deuce glanced at each other, then both started talking at once.

“So Deuce wanted to do something for you -”

“Ace said he knew how to make French toast, but -”

“ - but he wouldn’t let me even try -”

“I tried to stop him, we should have at least asked Trey how -”

“But then -”

“Hold up, one at a time!!” Aries held up his hands.

Ace scratched the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly.

“Well … we just figured you’d be here by yourself on winter holiday and all, so …”

“So we thought we’d …” Deuce looked down at his feet, tracing an arc through a bit of powdered sugar on the floor. “We wanted to do something fun for you before we all went home.”

Aries shook his head, but he still smiled. He walked over to the stove and switched off the kettle before the squealing could get too loud.

“And you were wanting to make French toast, yeah? I can do that, it’s pretty easy.”

He shrugged the bathrobe off and took the apron off of its hook on the wall, then rolled up his sleeves.

“Clean up the mess you’ve made out of my kitchen, and I’ll make some for all of us.”

“Don’t forget me!”

Aries looked down just as Grim trotted into the kitchen, then stopped short.

“Myah?! It looks like a trainwreck in here!”

“Deuce should be the one cleaning it up,” Ace said, dusting his hands off. “He’s the one who spilled the milk.”

“You’re the one who said we should sneak in!” Deuce huffed. “And you were trying to take shortcuts besides!”

Aries folded his arms. “The longer you argue, the longer we’re going without breakfa - heyy, cut that out, Grim!”

“What?” Grim looked up from the puddle of milk that he’d been lapping up. “No sense in letting it go to waste, right?”

Ace and Deuce started to pick up the mess they’d made, and Aries tied on his apron. Despite their excitement to surprise him with breakfast, the guys hadn’t used up all of the milk and eggs. Aries found a smile coming back to his face as he got the ingredients together.

Winter holiday, huh …

Aries found his mind wandering as he beat milk and eggs together, then added vanilla and cinnamon. So he was going to be alone at school for a little bit. He could handle that, right? Just him and Grim?

Come to think of it, it was probably winter back home, too.

Was he ever going to see the holidays back home again? If not … was he ever going to really be a part of this world? To fit in and start his own holiday traditions with what family he could find here?

Aries sighed. The mixture in the bowl in front of him started to become a little blurry.

“… Hey, you all right?”

“Huh?”

Aries looked up suddenly, finding himself with Ace on one side and Deuce on the other. He blinked a few times, then wiped his eyes with the back of his arm.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine!”

Ace put an arm around Aries’s shoulders and gave him a few pats.

“Aww, Deuce, I think he’s gonna miss us.”

“Hah! Miss you guys?” Grim smirked and jumped up on the counter. “We’ll be glad to get a break from the trouble you give us!”

“Said by the number one troublemaker,” Aries said, giving Grim a gentle nudge with his elbow. “Seriously, I’m all right.”

With a sniff and a smile, Aries turned on the stove to heat up the pan. He soaked the first piece of bread in the egg mixture, then put it on to cook. By the time he’d made toast and tea for everyone, Ace and Deuce had finished cleaning up. Everyone got their plates and cups and headed into the lounge. The morning sun streaming through the window made it warm and comfortable, and Aries sat down in his favorite armchair with a happy sigh.

“What are you going to do over the holiday?” Deuce asked. “Since you’ll be here by yourself and all … I guess it’ll be a nice quiet time to study, right?”

“I guess.” Aries shrugged and cut a bite of toast, then popped it in his mouth. “Mmff. Maybe I can fix up some things around here, too.”

“I would have invited you to stay with me, but my mom’s place is small enough already …” Deuce dragged a piece of toast through the syrup.

“Yeah, and my family’s going on a trip anyhow.” Ace sighed. “But I’ll bring you back a souvenir!”

“You better not forget one for me, too!” Grim pointed at Ace with his fork.

“Sure,” Ace grinned. “I’ll get you a catnip toy or something.”

“I’m not a cat!” Grim squawked in indignation.

“Keep telling yourself that - hey, Aries, what’s wrong?”

Ace and Deuce both looked over at Aries, who was bent over with his face in his hands.

“… Are you upset that we’re going away?” Ace asked.

Aries shook his head, unable to speak for the giggles that had taken him over. He looked up, and Ace and Deuce both visibly relaxed. After a swallow of tea, Aries found himself able to talk again.

“I’ll miss you guys, sure,” he said. “But Grim and I will be just fine. And we’ve got the ghosts here to keep us company, too. There’s never a dull moment.”

“Except in Trein’s class,” Ace spoke up.

“Which I won’t have to worry about over winter break, will I?”

Aries took another bite of French toast and leaned back into the armchair, sighing with contentment.

“We should do this again sometime when you get back. Just make sure to tell me first before making a mess of my kitchen.”

[indulgentandidiotic-deactivated]

TWST Secret Santa 2023

Happy Holidays to everyone! ✨✨🍰

Gift for @twistedpraes !! Sorry that it's a bit late. I hope you enjoy!

🪄🪄☃️❄️

Two scenes combined onto one plane. It seems Leona has to indulge Cheka's whims for a day ! :0

Thank you to those running @twstedsecretsanta for hosting this event!!!

[bluesylveon2]

I Dreamed of You (TWST Secret Santa 2023)

This goes out to @rosietrace from your Secret Santa! I hope you like your gift! I combined some elements from your requests and used your OC, Victoria. I apologize if she is ooc btw. I looked at her profile and your writing to understand her. Also, thank you to @twstedsecretsanta for hosting this event :) Happy Holidays!!

Summary: Victoria helps Yuu with some errands only to find herself dreaming of Malleus Draconia

Note: ft. Victoria Shard (@rosietrace's OC), hint of Victoria x Malleus, fluff, banter, and humor

Warning: not beta read and possible ooc characters

Word Count: 2.2k

Masterlist: here

"Thank you for helping me out last minute, Victoria," Yuu said apologetically as the girls entered Ramshackle. "I usually ask Ace and Deuce to help me clean out the rooms, but they bailed out on me."

Victoria chuckled and elegantly waved her hand in the air. "Nonsense, Yuu. I am happy to lend you a hand." She followed Yuu into an abandoned room hidden deep in the dorm. The entire dorm was currently undergoing a makeover after Charons barged in. Luckily for Yuu, Vil had allowed her to return to the dorm to grab some last-minute things before her vacation at Pomefiore began. 

Victoria let out a whistle as Yuu entered the room. "Wow, Vil was not wrong. I thought he was lying when he complained about how dusty this place was."

Yuu grinned, having been used to hearing similar remarks from others. "I blame it on Crowley’s minimum wage salary, but Grim and I survived somehow. You should have seen how Vil was when he was here. If he was not rehearsing, he was coming up with a list of how to renovate this place."

"Pomefiore was quiet with him gone. It was nice to taste what it was like being a housewarden during it," Victoria muttered the last part.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, Yuu." Victoria smiled softly and approached a nearby box. "I wonder what is in here."

"Be careful. There might be some broken artifacts in there."

Victoria chuckled. "I know, Yuu. That is the last thing you need to worry about for me." Her fingers grazed something cool and hard. Victoria, interested in the item, carefully picked it up to examine. She blew out some of the dust to reveal the artifact. It was a long necklace with an oval-shaped gemstone at the pendant. The gem was held in silver with a rose engraved in it. Victoria was unsure about the gem's color as it was dust-covered. 

"Whatcha got there?" Yuu asked, stepping towards Victoria. Her eyes examined the pendant. "I have never seen before. It does not look like I've seen in my history book either."

"It's probably something from the previous inhabitant." Victoria shrugged. "You could probably sell it for some money if we can see what this gem is." She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and cleaned the necklace. A bright light appeared the moment Victoria rubbed the cloth against the stone. 

"What's going on?" Yuu panicked, startled as she covered her eyes with her arm. 

"I don't know!" Victoria exclaimed. She dropped both her handkerchief and the necklace in the chaos. Just as the necklace hit the ground, a cloud of smoke appeared and enveloped Victoria's body. She felt her eyes grow heavy, and she began to lose control of her body. A piercing sound filled her ears and overpowered Yuu's concerned yelling. Victoria began to feel lightheaded as her vision became blurry. 

Before she knew it, everything became black.

---

Victoria was running through the forest.

It was a complete 180 from where she was a minute ago back in Ramshackle. Her purple and black gown flowed around her as she automatically navigated her way around. It felt familiar, yet Victoria had never been there before. 

The forest was dark but had a strong aura of magic within it. Victoria could see some steep cliffs and mountains in the distance. Despite that, the moonlight warm against Victoria's skin. The girl felt a smile form on her face. Her body felt free even though she could not stop to observe the scenery. 

A set of firefly-like lights appeared, causing Victoria to stop moving in the middle of a field.  

"Took you long enough," Victoria found herself automatically saying. Victoria’s eyes widened in shock. It was like she was trapped in her own body. 

The lights formed into a familiar figure, one she was not too pleased to see. "I had to give you a head start before I searched for you." Malleus grinned, and he pulled Victoria into his arms. 

WHAT? Victoria asked internally, but the close proximity gave her a better look at Malleus. Gone were the Diasomnia dorm uniforms, but a black and purple outfit with a cape and silver pieces of armor on it. A silver crown with a green gem in the center was on his head. His face looked more mature than what she was used to. Yet, his eyes looked the same, except he stared at her like she was the brightest star in the sky. 

"You don't have to give yourself a handicap. We could've arrived together."

"Really?" Malleus chuckled. He gazed into Victoria's eyes and pushed some of her dishevaled purple hair behind her ear. "I prefer me chasing you. It reminds me of our school days, where I would chase you across campus to get your attention."

Malleus? The prince of Briar Valley, chasing after her? Victoria thought. That annoying prince would consider that the last thing he would ever do. 

"This again? I've already lived and heard this story many times. It's your fault that the kids keep asking about it before they sleep."

"The kids like it because it helps them sleep peacefully at night," Malleus smirked. "It also gives me time to dedicate my nights to having you sc-" Victoria covered Malleus' mouth with her hand. 

"Don't think about finishing that sentence, Draconia." 

Malleus pressed his lips against Victoria's palm and gently pulled it away to speak. 

"I was going to say, screaming happily about the gargoyles. What was that phrase Lilia mentioned? ‘Get your mind out of the gutter.’ You should do that, my love." He smiled innocently. Victoria frowned. She made a mental note to punch Lilia the next time she saw him. Malleus laughed at her reaction. "Now, now, let's focus on our alone time. We cannot let any second go to waste."

Victoria rolled her eyes, and her frown disappeared slightly. What was she even doing here in the first place? "I know, Malleus. I don't want to come home to find Lilia throwing the kids off a tall tower to teach them how to fly."

KIDS?! Victoria yelled internally. Sure, her body is saying these words automatically, but she did not have kids, and with Malleus, of all people!

"He won't. Although Lilia did the same to me when I was younger…"

Victoria placed her hand on Malleus' mouth again. "You better not finish that sentence for my state of mind." She felt Malleus smile as he gently pulled her hand away again. 

"I won't. Instead, I will do this." Malleus snapped his fingers, and fireflies filled the field. The girl had to admit, but watching the fireflies light up the flowers around them felt magical. It almost looked like the stars had come down from the sky and around her. Victoria kneeled in the grass to look at the light and noticed Malleus looking at her fondly. 

"Victoria," Malleus' voice caused Victoria to stand up. He held a hand out to her. "Would you like to dance with me?"

No

"Yes," Victoria said, and she let herself get swept away in a slow dance by Malleus. The fireflies made way for them with each step or twirl they took. Victoria wanted to look away, but the soft glow illuminated Malleus' eyes like emeralds. The girl felt something in her chest she never felt before. 

I'm probably coming down with something. Victoria told herself. It's most likely from staring at Malleus longer than she needed to. 

Malleus hummed a tune for the two as they continued their dancing. Victoria had to admit that Malleus was a great dancer. She had heard stories about how good we were from students who attended the Noble Bell College event. 

She did not plan on admitting it out loud to him, though. 

Malleus stopped moving when the song ended. He picked up Victoria's left hand and placed a soft kiss near her ring. 

"Happy anniversary, my love."

To this day, Victoria has no idea what happened. Still, she only remembers Malleus's smile after he uttered those words and as the world faded away again.

There was chatter all around her, much more than there was before. Victoria could hear the worried tone in Yuu's voice and in the new person. Her head hurt too much to concentrate on the speaker. 

"Victoria?" a deep voice asked. Victoria felt something warm against her forehead. 

"I think I saw some movement! She must be waking up." Was that Yuu? That's right, Yuu was right by her before she got knocked out. The warmth went away. 

"Indeed, Child of Man. She is coming through." Victoria knew that voice from anywhere. Malleus Draconia. What was he doing there?

Victoria felt her head hurting like Tartarus. She groaned as she placed her hand on her forehead. 

"Where am I?" Victoria asked, opening her eyes. There was not only one face but two, and they both had concerned expressions. 

"You had fainted whenever we were cleaning out the storage room. You didn't wake up, so I called Tsunotaro for help," Yuu explained. Victoria looked at her with a confused expression. 

"You called Malleus? Why?"

Malleus spoke up this time. "The Child of Man said it looked like you were having a nightmare. I had used my magic to make it more pleasurable until you woke up."

Victoria frowned. Her view of pleasurable was not with a future with Malleus of all people. 

Yuu, noticing Victoria's frown, cleared her throat. "I notified Vil of your whereabouts, and he said you are free to stay here or go back to Pomefiore. I can prepare a guest room for you if you choose to stay here."

Victoria smiled at Yuu's offer and shook her head. "I think I will return to my room if that is alright with you."

"That's alright with me!" Yuu grinned as she turned to Malleus. "Malleus, can you walk Victoria back to Pomefiore?"

"Sure." "What?"

Victoria's usually poised face became flabbergasted as she turned to Malleus and then back at Yuu. "I could walk there by myself."

"I agree, but I don't want you to faint again. I would walk with you, but I must feed Grim his tuna. Luckily, Malleus is here, so I don't have to call Rook to come get you."

Victoria would prefer if Rook came by instead of Malleus, but the puppy dog eyes Yuu was making made it hard for Victoria to express her true thoughts. "Fine, I'll let Malleus bring me."

Yuu's grin grew wide. "Yay!" She jumped up and pulled Victoria to stand. "Make sure to text me once you make it back." Yuu pushed the girl towards Malleus, who caught her quickly. 

The walk back to Pomefiore was quiet and awkward. Luckily for Victoria, Malleus did not speak except for looking deep in thought and the obligatory "goodnight" once they reached her dorm. The halls were quiet as Victoria lay in her bed, her mind filled with the events from her dream. 

That's all it was: a dream. That does not mean it would come true.

Right?

Lilia entered the Diasomnia lounge with the intent of going into the kitchen. He was somewhat peckish and thought whipping up a late-night snack would help. No one should be up this late at night. The bat fae did not expect to see one of his sons sitting on the dorm's sofas looking deep in thought. 

"Malleus? Why are you still awake? You have class in the morning." Lilia said like a father would if he found his child stealing cookies from the cookie jar. 

Malleus looked at the clock on the wall, and his eyes widened. "It is? I did not realize how long I was sitting here."

Lilia raised an eyebrow and sat next to Malleus. "It seems like something is on your mind. You can let it out on me if you want to."

Malleus sighed and looked down at his lap before speaking. "Have you ever felt as if you were connected to someone? Like you were bonded to them?"

Now, it was time for Lilia to be the one in shock. "I can't say I have, but I read books about that phenomenon during my travels. There is a story similar to that where the Rose Princess met her prince in a dream."

"Interesting." Malleus hummed and turned to Lilia. "Earlier, I was in Ramshackle because the Child of Man said there was an emergency. Victoria from Pomefiore had fainted, and the Child of Man wanted me to use my magic to wake her up."

"Did your magic work?"

"I did not use any magic. I placed my hand on her forehead, and she woke up minutes later." Malleus confessed with a frown on his face. He looked away to think more about the cause, unaware of the smirk growing on Lilia's face. 

"Oh, Malleus," Lilia sighed and threw an arm around his son. "It seems like you need to learn more about what is happening. Luckily, I kept a few copies of those stories I mentioned in my dorm."

Malleus eyes sparkled. "I see," He stood up and dragged Lilia towards the dorms. "Then we cannot waste a second until we find an answer to my questions."

Lilia let himself get dragged away. All thoughts of the late-night snack were gone. His mind was interested in learning what was happening between his son and a girl. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Twisted Wonderland and its characters. Those belong to Aniplex, Walt Disney Japan, and Yana Toboso.

©: This story belongs to bluesylveon2 2020-23. DO NOT modify, republish, or plagiarize my work.

[jasdiary]

TWST Secret Santa ~ 2023 ⋆˙⟡♡

Merry christmas and happy holidays to everyone!! So excited to participate in twst secret santa this year!!

My lovely person for secret santa this year was none other than…

@twsted-princess !!!💖

As she wanted, I did my best to draw Mel, Grim and Louise having some holiday fun!

I really hope you enjoy your present Mel, I hope you have a great christmas💘

@twstedsecretsanta totally forgot to tag them omg so sorry😭😭

[xopeach]

TWST Secret Santa 2023

“Christmas? Is that something from your world?”

I had the pleasure of being part of @twstedsecretsanta this year! gift for @monochromepalette <3 sorry I’m not the best at drawing/shading clothes but it was fun to draw Ace’s hair :)

[twsted-princess]

Another Christmas another secret santa! This is for @liliths-missing-pen and thank you again @twstedsecretsanta for hosting again!!

Christmas with the Spades

[starry-night-rose]

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Happy Holidays @the-trinket-witch ! I’m your Secret Santa! I hope you enjoy your gift!

I just had to draw Albert in this sweater when I first saw it! Hope you don’t mind me adding Fly Fishing + Ellis to the drawing!

Again, Happy Holidays!

The gift exchange was hosted by @twstedsecretsanta !

[terrovaniadorm]

Happy holidays!! I was @bluesylveon2 's @twstedsecretsanta , i did "X reader fluff with any character" i looked through their blog to see they like Jamil so i decided he should be the one 🫶 hope you have a great holiday season!!

[authoruio]

Hello @k-looking-glass-house! Happy holidays for I am your Secret Santa!!!

I really couldn't think what to draw for you, so I decided to draw your very detailed Vil deep sea iridescence outfit!

Edit: Forgot to put this but @twstedsecretsanta, thank you for letting me part of this once again!

[k-looking-glass-house]

Secret Santa 23~

Merry TWISTmas @oseathepebble I'm your secret Santa (maman Noël!) this year!

French Christmas time zone ! I hope you'll find some happiness along with this little gift! I read your writing about Christmas with Jack and Tsukiko. Hope I got your santa's wish and writing scene right. I did such a Christmas setting... blue, hope that's ok! With the famous strawberry cake, famous in Japan during Christmas celebration! Have a great holidays along with your loved one!

Same for everyone who are reading, have great holidays, a good ending year to come and an happy new year to start!

See you!

This is a kind of automatic message since I will no longer be active starting the beginning of December, till the next year by now (work is time consuming ha ha also those celebration!!) But I thank everyone for staying all this year with me, for your nice comments, your fantasy ha ha and kindness! Hope we'll have more fun the next year again!! I'll catch everyone up during January!!! (Cass' is cheering with you with Champagne! "Santé!")

Take care

Thanks to the "team" @twstedsecretsanta to have let me join you this year!

[spadecentral]

🌲 Tree Decorating | Deuce Spade x Epel Felmier

>> requested: a little >> a/n: merry christmas @luminessdoodles !! it was very fun being your secret santa for @twstedsecretsanta

>> masterlist: heartslabyul ; pomefiore >> summary: deuce and epel decorate for christmas >> reader prns: none >> warning(s): slight misunderstanding; i feel like i got some stuff mischaracterized..

Standing in front of the stove with an apron still on from previous cookie baking, Deuce stirred the milk for hot cocoa. Epel was fluttering about in the other room, finishing with the decorations for the tree. The shorter of the two really had no true care for the ornaments that were put on the tree, nor did he care about how they were arranged; but Deuce did, so he did it for his boyfriend instead of leaving the room bare.

“Epel, what do you want in your cocoa?” Deuce called out from the kitchen.

“Some marshmallows ‘nd a candy cane,” was his answer.

“Alright!” came the extraordinarily simple response.

Epel was uncharacteristically glad that Deuce was there with him during the holidays. Epel was generally glad that Deuce was there with him, period. But, that didn’t really mean much anyway. Of course, nothing could ever beat the sled racing back at his home at the Village of Harvest. But there was something so different, so utterly magical, about spending the holidays alone with his boyfriend that he couldn’t help but place this experience above all of the others.

He stepped back from the tree for a moment to look at the beauty he had somehow created. But when he did, he became very annoyed with the fact that the star still wasn’t at the top of the tree. He was also acutely aware of the fact that the bottom half was much more abundant with the decorations than the top half. Epel began to groan, annoyed with how the tree seemed to get uglier and uglier every passing second he looked at it, only to be pulled away and pecked on the lips by Deuce. Unfortunately, that also meant he accidentally got flour onto his clothes from their previous chocolate chip cookie baking.

“Eww…” Epel cringed, pulling back from the embrace, looking down at the flour that had gotten all over his sweater.

But, Deuce didn’t see the almost obvious gesture that Epel had made with his body when he looked down at the sweater. So, he was unsure if his boyfriends displeasure, and couldn’t tell if the groaning was aimed at the kiss or if it was about the flour that he got all over Epel’s clothes. But instead of saying something, he just got a little pouty. Unluckily enough for Deuce, Epel could spot the smallest changes in his emotions. That’s what happened after a while of them dating, and Deuce still didn’t know how Epel managed to pull it off.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling Deuce’s face down to meet his eye level.

“Nothing,” Deuce answered, trying not to overthink about it.

“You’re gonna tell me what’s wrong,” Epel said, his accent laying thickly on top of his words.

“Epel, I’m sure it’s nothing, please.”

“Deuce, darlin’,” he said, the frown that covered his lips grew deeper.

“I’m just…” Deuce paused, the look on his face turned into one of sheepishness. “I’m just worried that you were saying ew at me.”

“What?!” a deep crease between Epel’s eyebrows formed. “Why would you ever think I’d say somethin’ like that to ya?”

“Maybe because after I hugged you, you mumbled ‘ew’?” Deuce said, suggesting that scenario to his boyfriend.

“Ah,” the dumbfounded look cleared almost instantly from Epel’s face.

A thick layer of awkwardness permeated the air as the two stared at each other, both of their faces heating up ever so slightly in embarrassment.

“I– uh– I didn’... I didn’t mean to make ya feel like I meant it towards you,” Epel said, exasperated with himself. “I kinda meant it about the flour.”

“Oh!” Deuce’s face started to heat up even more than it did before, if that was even possible. He forgot completely about the flour-covered apron he was wearing. “Oh.”

Almost immediately, he turned around and walked back to the kitchen, completely embarrassed with himself.

“Your uh, your cocoa is ready, by the way.” Deuce’s voice traveled from the kitchen, but he didn’t dare turn around since his face was still a bright shade of red.

But, he didn’t need to call Epel, since the purple-haired boy was almost right behind him, following on his heels.

“Deuce,” Epel’s voice wasn’t demanding, the soft undertones in his tone of voice wouldn’t let it seem like that. “Look at me.”

The taller of the two turned around, and looked Epel in the eyes. “I’m sorry for being such an idi–”

“Shush.” Epel shut down Deuce’s antics almost immediately. “It’s my fault.”

“But–”

“I should have been more clear with my words, and I’ll do that next time,” Epel said. “Alright?”

There was a pause that felt like forever–when in reality it only lasted a second or two–in between Epel’s question and Deuce’s answer. “Alright.”

“Good.” Epel said, squeezing Deuce’s hand. “Now, let’s go sit down and watch a movie or somethin’, I’m tired after puttin’ up all them decorations.”

Deuce only chuckled in response. Grabbing the two mugs, he followed Epel back into the living room. He set them down on the coasters that Epel laid out for them and went to sit down, but was stopped by him.

“Aht,” Epel said, and one of Deuce’s eyebrows raised in confusion. “Take off the apron.”

“Oh shit–” Deuce said, rolling his eyes at himself for how stupid that he was acting. Untying the back strings, he took the fabric off of his head and placed it on the counter, leaving it to be dealt with later. “Okay, is that better?”

Epel looked over at him from his spot on the couch. “Do a twirl.”

Deuce gave him an unamused look but did it anyway, which earned a quiet giggle from his boyfriend. “Am I clear to sit on the couch, sir?”

“I suppose you are allowed to sit on the fabric throne,” Epel said, putting on the most fake posh accent he could muster to match Deuce’s mock accent as well. “But do not sit too far upon it, lest you ruin the material.”

And totally opposite of Epels fake instructions, Deuce sat down on the couch harshly, before sprawling out all over him in a teasing manner. “Is this too far, Epel?”

“Not even close.” Epel laughed and rolled over on the couch, which caused Deuce to fall onto the floor.

Now, the both of them were laughing together, but whether it was at the predicament they were in or at each other, they couldn’t tell you even if they wanted to.

Taking a cookie from the platter on the coffee table, Deuce shoved it into Epels mouth, causing his eyes to light up.

“These are actually really good," he said after he took the cookie out of his mouth. “Here, try some!”

It was now Deuce’s turn to get a cookie shoved into his mouth. After he took a bite of Epel’s cookie, he hummed in agreement with a smile on his lips. “They are.”

“Deuce,” Epel said, the corner of his mouth curling upward. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you too, Epel.” Deuce said, the sentimental feelings that Epel radiated grew to affect him as well. “I don’t think this Christmas could get any better even if I tried.”

“I think so, too.”

>> twst taglist: @tulipluvlettr | @strawberry-hyacinth | @oseathepebble | @wisteriainslumber | @villaim | @pastelmages | @xphantasmagoriax | @atlasnessie | @divinesapph | @ze-maki-nin | @silly-ez | @l1vyatan | @savanaclaw1996 | @enigmatic-pers | @oepionie | @queerlordsimon | @kyraxiyn | @rayisalive | @monochromepalette