I Am Absolutely Obsessed With Final Girl!!! It Is So Good And The Way You Write Everybody, Including

i am absolutely obsessed with final girl!!! it is so good and the way you write everybody, including y/n is perfect ! i love how y/n is observant and picks up on a lot of the weird things that stu and billy do and say and then brush it off cause of her upbringing, its a perfect way to have the reader pick up on the clues yet not ruin the plot! (please use this ask to explain and rant away about it because i am obsessed with their dynamic in every way possible!!)

im curious, does the reader being from texas mean anything for the plot and the backstory? if not then i am seriously overthinking it and im going mad 😭😭

i cant wait for the next update but of course take your time!! hope you have a good day/night!!

Hi!! omg this ask is exactly what i needed!!

Thank you for picking up on how Y/n is observant but then brushes it off!! that's something i'm super intentional about when writing chapters, especially bc i've always felt like fics feel more realistic/immersive when the reader does notice things that can influence plot,, but sometimes it's hard bc i have to think of a way for billy and stu to cover up what they do 😭

but i try! a large reason it works is bc of their dynamic,, that i will always be willing to go into heavy detail about!

Y/n doesn't have a ton of experience with close guy friendships. It's partly bc of her mom being relatively "strict" in that area and that area alone, and it's partially bc of where she grew up. Lots of lifelong friendships in a small, southern town before the move,, which i'll be exploring a little more really soon in the series!!

but anyways, the point i'm getting at is that in those towns, any guys you're friends with barely feel like boys bc you've grown up with them. They're basically your brothers. So Y/n's a little...i don't like using the word naive bc it's not exactly that...i see her as trusting and inexperienced.

She's aware just enough to be like hm...this feels a little weird, but once billy or stu offer any kind of explanation or breeze past it casually enough she just assumes that it can't be too bad. A tiny bit of it is a gender assumption thing...like oh, it's a guy thing to be a little cagey and play around with girls that are just friends like that bc they're a little flirty.

But that's just a fraction of why she dismisses things, it's a baseline thinking that she chooses to lean into subconsciously bc billy and stu wanted her to feel borderline dependent on them,, and honestly, they've done a good job so far.

ik we don't have a tonnn of canon details on the og friend group when things were nice and normal before billy and stu went on their little stab spree,, but i definitely picture them as being that group,, you know the ones where they're super solid but still feel comfortable hanging out in different combinations of pairing. I feel like they're also the kind of friend group where people that go to the same school/are in the same age range see hanging out in public and a tiny part of them wishes they were apart of it bc once you're "in" you're "in" and even if you're kind of a sideline piece in the friend group, it'd still be great.

(Opening of part 8 is actually a friend group bonding thing to explore this a little more!!)

Anyways, all this is to say that Y/n's still feels like she's circling around "in",, so at first, she lets things slide bc she likes all of them and the friend group is the only thing making the move bearable. And if you're referencing all the advances they get away with--especially Stu--it's bc it's also done in front of the entire group, and if it's not a big deal to everyone (especially their girlfriends), why should she make it a big deal? Plus, when Stu goes out of his way to do it,, it's kind of like announcing that y/n's "in".

Then, after some time has passed, they started getting away with more and more until they got to the point that we see them in in the actual fic. The end goal was always to have y/n look like the group's friend (to keep from suspicion) but be closest to them,, and they're not smart for nothing, it's definitely working.

Now the reason they get away with so much isn't so much y/n being scared of losing out on the group, but scared of losing them. Even though y/n definitely sees everything that's happened between them as platonic, they're her boys now. Things are easy to dismiss because she feels like she knows them. Sure, there might be the odd comment or reaction, but it's nothing worth looking too closely at. Not when she's comfortable, and they've been consistent enough that even the new questionable things can fall under the umbrella of 'oh they're just like that'.

They're also tactful about the behavior they make obvious and planting seeds that explain it, especially billy. I see billy as being a little more in touch/at least aware of how other people that are wired without the murder mindset feel. Like he knows that bouts of possessiveness/jealousy that aren't justifiable make him look bad and might even make him off putting.

I think this awareness comes from how close I picture his mom and him being. I've always felt like there was probably some unhealthy co-dependency between billy and his mom, which factors into how he views attachment and gave him some more awareness on other people's feelings. It's not a perfect view, but at least something he factors in. Definitely feel like the thought of being left makes billy panic, so that's why he at least tries to think things through. If he acts normal in front of y/n and thinks about how things would make him seem, she won't leave.

That's part of the reason billy goes out of his way to plant explanations for behaviors that aren't under control. He tells stu to mention his family when he apologizes and he'll mention his own dad when he wants sympathy points. He knows how to tug on y/n's heartstrings/empathy.

Stu's tactic is the opposite of being subtle. He gets away with things because he's him. I think he definitely hides darker/more serious toxicity under a layer of open toxicity that feels lighthearted. Like he's easily 'set off' but his moodiness doesn't off put y/n bc it's played off as being almost meanly oversensitive. It'd annoy y/n a lot more from anyone else bc when stu's good, he's great, and he's always been open about it.

And as far as y/n being from texas there are some reasons!! it comes up a little in part 8 for the first time! no spoilers, but part of the reason is bc i pictured Gloria, y/n's mom, as one of those southern-y, larger than life moms. There was also a scene that I took out of part 6 that I'm going to use later (probably in chapter 8, but might reserve it) about y/n and her ability to shoot. Texas has pretty lax gun culture, so there's a scene where y/n shows that she's a good shot bc her mom's been taking her to a shooting range for years. It's a way for her defend herself from ghostface!!

I also wanted y/n's hometown to be far away for a couple reasons. More of a start over feel, if she ever tries to go back it could cause some tension bc of distance, explains why she doesn't have anyone else around, etc

omg y’all what if i write a joel fic where it’s set during/maybe right after the bill and frank episode and it’s just joel reflecting on what the reader means to him bc they’re kind of in a pretending not to be pining but it’s so obvious phase

and then the reader mentions how nice it seems to just have your purpose be someone and living a life the way bill and frank did and joel agrees but it’s a lot deeper than the reader realizes

also could see ellie being in the back the entire time absolutely going through it with how oblivious everyone but her seems to be 😭

Hi! Can I have billy and stu (separate) with a gn!s/o that cries for 10-30 mins whenever they dont get something right?

A/n why is this lowkey so me

update: after the way i reacted to losing three points on an assignment today,, yeah, this is me 

also made some serious progress in part 8 of final girl!! might have to split my original idea for that chapter into chapter 8 and 9 bc i want to have something out for you guys 😭 fell a little behind with school starting and some personal stuff

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Billy Loomis with a gn!s/o that cries whenever they don't get something right:

hm, i go a little back and forth on this bc when dealing with dating killers that have at most a limited amount of empathy capability, emotional, feely stuff is back and forth

But I feel like that's accurate, like one day, you could burst into tears and Billy would be 10/10 attentive physically because he doesn't have the right vocabulary,, and then the next he'd just sort of freeze up or get manipulative

Let's get into the good days though

If Billy knows something's going on that could lead to you crying, he'd take a preventative approach on a good day

Softly rubbing your back while you do whatever the thing that could make you cry is

Won't make you talk about the root of the problem, but will listen more than he lets on if you do want to

If you want to be distracted, he'll think of something else for the two of you to do together

In that vain, if you needed a minute, you'd get as far as the bathroom.

He doesn't like leaving you alone when he knows you're emotional, a part of it goes back to his abandonment issues with his mom.

He may not know a lot about feelings and isn't above the occasional manipulative ploy,, but he knows he doesn't ever want you to feel like that

A small part of him worries that if he does leave you like that you might either resent him or somehow start associating bad feelings with him and try to leave him

He also doesn't like feeling shut out, and likes feelings trusted

Speaking of feeling trusted, that feeling of vulnerability makes it easier for him to be understanding

Even when he doesn't get it or feels like something's dumb, he knows not to say that because he doesn't want you shutting him out

The fact that you're willing to cry in front of him kind of makes the medicine go down easy

Depending on what it is, might even encourage you to try again Now, onto the not so great days

It's rare that Billy's cruel (out loud, bc his lack of empathy thoughts aren't always the nicest) about you getting emotional, bc he doesn't want to feel like you're going to leave

But there are a few exceptions, the main one being if it involves something/someone that makes him feel jealous/territorial

Like if you're crying over a project that you're working on with some guy, his reaction to that will vary in levels of passive aggression

Or if you're crying because of some fight with friends he feels like you spend too much time with, he'll be even more aggressive/manipulative about it

"Only want me when your new friends are making you cry, huh?" type of thing

Will for sure use these moments to encourage a state of co-dependency, like reminding you how much you need him bc of who or what made you cry

Stu Macher with a gn!s/o that cries whenever they don't get something right:

Okay, so similar levels of versatility to Billy, just bc i see them both having trouble understanding emotions, and having even more trouble caring about other people’s feelings

Just bc you’re the exception to Stu not ever really taking into consideration other people’s feelings doesn’t mean he knows how to help

So his first instinct on days where he’s a little more patient/understanding is to try to change the subject

Sometimes it feels like he’s trying to redirect you like you’re a toddler with too much energy 😭

Like if you’re tearing up or crying over let’s say not understanding homework or getting a bad grade, Stu suddenly remembers this movie he’s been dying for you to see or randomly has a need to go out for ice cream or do anything that could make you stop thinking about something 

It’s normally nice, even when it doesn’t feel super helpful to you, because you know it’s his way of showing that he cares

He’ll also probably make fun of whatever/whoever is at the heart of the issue

The jokes have a range depending on how upset you are, if you’re feeling better he’ll probably be a little ruder/more open about his dislike

If you’re super upset, he’ll make fun of it in a more lighthearted way,, will probably also make the insulting parts of the joke more ridiculous so that you laugh

Definitely goes out of his way to try to make you laugh on his more understanding days

He’s also super touchy, will hold onto you in one way or another, usually won’t let go until way after you’ve calmed down

He says it’s just to be sure,, but you have a feeling he has some personal motivations

Now, on his less understanding days, Stu’s first instinct is to manipulate 

He sees how emotional you are as an opportunity to push you towards co-dependency,, so he’ll go out of his way to baby you

It’s generally nice,, he’s super attentive, but if you try to do anything for yourself while upset, he’ll be bothered

There is some intended manipulation there, but it’s also because he doesn’t know how to talk about his feelings, at least not without layers of innuendos and sarcastic quips to hide the actual feely stuff 

So all he has to show you that he does care, that you do matter even though he might not get why you’re upset, is his actions 

It’s a mix of what he’s picked up from media and the softer things he never had anyone do for him when he was a child 

So it does feel a little patronizing when he goes too far with it, especially because it’s rooted in things no one’s done for him so it’s not like he has a lot of experience/examples on how to do it “correctly”

It’d be a lot sweeter if you knew why he gets like that, but besides a few implied comments, I can’t see him directly admitting this 

Honestly, not always a “bad” thing,, it just has the ability to get a little volatile depending on how you’re feeling and how moody Stu is that day 

Also definitely tries to throw money at the problem, will offer to take you shopping as “his treat” while you’re emotional/crying bc that’s the only supportive model he’s seen 

Billy: *calls y/n* where are you?

Y/n: the shower… can you come help

Billy: yes! *rushes to the bathroom*

Stu: *is on his hands and knees trying to peak under the door sticking his fingers under it* come on y/n come out?!

Billy: *sighs realizing that this was the reason they needed help*

in honor of the new episode and the fact that i’m writing a part 2 for this and the fact that some new tlou ppl have been on my blog,, thought i’d reblog this one

i’m not one to be like ‘oh my writing is so good’ but idk,, i like the vibes in this one and i’m proud of the fact that i got it to come across in a way that fit my intended vibe to me at least?? idk if that makes sense

ik it’s pretty common to reblog your own work but i always feel awkward about it 😭 so if you’re like ‘that’s weird, don’t’ but say it in a nice way i won’t be doing it too much, i promise 

What Follows

a/n can (likely) see myself making a part 2 of this, it’s like 4:30 AM and i cannot make that decision rn,, so if you think that’s a good idea or are interest,, lmk, public opinion could make or break my decision once i’m better rested

Summary: If you had to think about the coincidences that brought you to this, you’d realize that it was inevitable. Domino pieces falling into place. Or, to put it simply, it’s the end of the world and yet your biggest concern is your teeny tiny…terrible, life ruining crush. 

*cough* sharing bed trope, and some other stuff 

also i’ve never played the game i’ve only watched the show but i have some context of the game (i’ve watched some videos),, but timeline wise,, location wise, it’s pretty general as i’m just going with what fits for my intended story line like i do with most fics :)) it’s mainly set in a sort of safe house 

warnings: potential timeline errors, mentions of age gap that’s pretty vague, allusions to anxiety and canon angsty-ness

—-

Memories of before are tricky. Most of them hybrids, odd mix-matches of true experiences and snippets of other things. Stories from an uneasy rotation of people, bits and pieces from books and magazines and other odds and ends. A collage that makes up an easily swayed perception of the world before. 

But you know this one is real. You know it is because it’s so mundane there’s no way someone gave it to you. It’s a quick glimpse, a brief flicker of you in a pair of roller skates with those thick, plastic stoppers attached to the front. The memory isn’t of what they felt like, or how many laps you did up and down your block. All you remember is the stinging. The soft skin of your knee scraped raw by the sidewalk. The particularness of that kind of pain. 

That’s what the realization feels like. Knowing that there’s a chance that you might feel something for Joel outside of general gratitude for the unofficial way Ellie and him took you in is speeding down a street just to collapse with no warning against unforgiving concrete.

His fingers brush around broken skin with a delicateness that turns you rigid. These are the same hands that beat a man within an inch of his life the first time he met you. It’s a juxtaposition that twists your nerves tight around your stomach.

It’s quiet now. More so than usual because Ellie’s asleep. If you had to come to your realization at all, you should have done it during the day. With Joel at a safe distance and Ellie awake to distract from the fact that you’ve been staring at his hand in total silence for minutes now. A violently out of character mistake, which is why you’re not surprised when his voice breaks the nothingness with a question: “You alright?” 

You sit up a little straighter. “Yeah.” It comes out flat and distant. “Yeah,” you affirm, a little more here, “Just thinking.” 

Ugh. Not nearly deflective or subtle enough. It’s the kind of cop out answer that worked in the beginning, before there was any form of attachment. Back then, you thought you’d only be around them for a few days. Until the swelling in your ankle went down enough to let you walk efficiently again. It was the least they could do then, after you jumped in to save Ellie when Joel and her were briefly separated. 

Keep reading

Gingerbread

 A/n small christmas drabble i talked about earlier,, just a cute little holiday snippet 

Summary: Billy and Stu don’t particularly care about Christmas, but they like being around you.  

----

His words are sinking in because it’s been long enough and you can’t just stare at Stu forever, but you can’t think of a way to react. After all, one of the most enthusiastic people you’ve ever met just casually admitted to not being super into the holidays. 

The holidays aren’t something people are or aren’t into. They’re a state of mind, a ritual, a time of year to put aside the pretext of angst in order to take joy in the simple things like decorating little cookie people and walking around to look at everyone’s lights.

“You’re ‘not into the holidays’?” Stu blinks, a pinch of humor playing into his expression at your disbelief. “What do you mean you’re ‘not into the holidays’?” 

“What I said, sweetheart,” he hums with a casualness that’s nearly suspicious because you’re still not convinced, “I’m not nine so I’m not super into it.” 

It. “What’s there not to be into?” You feel a bit like a kid with your insistence, but come on--it’s weird that Stu, who’s all energy and pro anything that gets him time off school is indifferent about the holiday season. 

Who’s indifferent about the holiday season? You get why some people might hate this time of year and you don’t expect everyone to be all deck the halls, tinsel coming out of every crevice of their being, or anything--but this much flatness? It’s weird. Especially from him. 

Stu’s eyebrows pull together. He’s clearly enjoying something about your shock. “It was fun when I was a kid, but you grow out of the holly jolly. The decorators come, Leslie pops in, and we get gifts. It’s nothing world changing.” 

The bit of insight only vaguely helps, shifting your total disbelief into something a little more downcast. His apathy seems to stem from his family dynamic at least a little. “Well, what about you?” 

Billy angles his head in your direction, leaning against the island of your family’s kitchen. His pause is cut short by Stu, “Oh, don’t even try with Billy. He’s the real Grinch here.” 

Your head snaps towards Billy. “You hate Christmas?” 

“Hate’s a strong word,” Billy answers, his flatness ruined by the slight amusement at your total shock. When you don’t ease, Billy shrugs, eyes dropping to focus on the granite countertop instead of your face, “Christmas was my mom’s thing.” 

You have to bite your tongue to keep from asking if you heard correctly. Billy mentioning his mom in any capacity is shocking enough, but hearing him talk about her so casually and with such blankness is something else entirely.

“My dad and I just aren’t that into it.” 

Nodding once, you’re not sure there’s a good way to continue. “So no baking cookies? Got it.”

Stu leans forward, nudging you with his elbow. “I didn’t say that, princess, I’ll play house with you.”

It takes a second of reflection, but you guess you can see how Stu found a way to weasel in that angle. You weren’t thinking of it when you brought up the cookie thing, but you should have expected it. Stu has a talent for reading between lines in a way that makes it easy to translate subtext into anything he wants it to be. You don’t think you get why he’d want to perceive it that way, but decide that a dip into psychoanalysis will derail the afternoon.

It’s not too weird, you guess, at least not too weird for Stu. His parents aren’t around much so all those little things need to be found in friendship. It’s the defense you use for a lot of Stu’s tiny comments and actions. It’s a fair excuse, and not the worst way his potential parental issues come out, and--

Okay. This is the exact psychological deep dive you didn’t want to take. If you think too hard on it, you feel bad about it. What kind of friend needs to over observe and read into everything like that? 

“Yeah?” You tap your nails along the granite, “Willing to wear an apron and everything?” 

Stu tilts his head, leaning forward and lifting his hand to your cheek. He pinches the skin of your cheek too quickly for you to protest. “You’re the one with the legs for it.” 

It’s dumb enough that you should be able to think of some kind of retort, but the way he says it, voice all low and eyes too focused, derails your train of thought entirely. “And you’re the one with the legs that can reach the top shelf where the flour is.” 

----

“I’m doing it right.” It’s little more than a huff and it’s quickly followed by a full, unashamed pout. “You just like being bossy.” 

Glaring at Stu as he squishes the dough between his fingers instead of fully flattening it, you cross your arms across your chest. It’s a bad idea, because flour is coating both of your hands and more powder smudges against your shirt. You’re surprised that you didn’t think to expect such a mess.  “Do not.”

“The power trip’s adorable.” 

“And how cute will you find it when I kick your ass?” 

He does the most offensive thing possible. He grins, full teeth and not even the tiniest bit menaced. “Yeah? You’re gonna kick my ass?” 

His reply is equal parts teasing and something you’ve never been able to name but have always known not to push too far. Winding Stu up is fun until it’s not and the line shifts with little warning. “Maybe,” it feels more like a retreat than you’d like. 

“I wouldn’t try her,” Billy’s voice comes out half disinterested as he continues to mostly do as told, evening out the dough Stu un-smoothed. “She can be mean.” 

You fight a smile, “Not mean--fair.” 

Billy pauses in a consideration so deliberate it almost feels like he’s making fun of you in a lighthearted way. “Tough.” 

Nodding once, you move to press your palm into the dough. “I have to be to keep two specific people I can never shake in line.” 

“Two people you can’t shake.” Billy’s thumb presses into the side of the dough stiffly, flattening the dough too thinly. “Sounds like you have some stalkers.” 

You move your hand to adjust the distribution of the dough, your fingers brushing against the side of Billy’s hand. “Nah,” you hum casually, “They’re nice in their own weird way.”

Billy turns his hand, skin settling against yours in a way that’d feel intentional if it wasn’t for the way he dutifully returned to evening the dough. “Weird?” It’s said softly enough, a touch of lightheartedness etched into the word. 

You’re about to make some joke about how weird is a total understatement when you’re yanked back with no warning. Your body has barely moved a full step, but the sudden, firm grip on your waist and left forearm forces you to bite your tongue to avoid yelping. Flour puffs into a cloud that gets all over you and up your nose.

“Stu!” 

He laughs, not letting go. “What happened to keeping us in check?” 

The jab makes you feel like you could kill him in order to prove a point. You squirm aimlessly, too offended to manage anything else. Stu’s relentless in his hold as you twist until you’re facing him. His expression leaves something in your stomach on edge. It’s not genuine panic or comfortability either. You can’t decide whether that makes you want to move or stay in place.

Stu angles his head downwards and you slowly raise a hand. He doesn’t question it until it’s too late and you’re opening your palm in order to let out a quick, sharp breath. Flour strikes Stu in a way that seems to genuinely catch him by surprise. It’s enough to make you laugh until his stillness sinks in. His hold on you feels firmer now and you’re not sure if the change is new or if you had been too distracted to notice before. Your lower back presses into the kitchen counter as you instinctually shift back. 

The bubbling of your internal awkwardness combines uneasily with the humor of earlier. It sits and builds with no where to go until you blurt out, “You in check yet?”

He cocks his head to the side. “Don’t get a big head, babydoll.” 

You’re not sure you get the framing of his words and their uncharacteristically stiff undertone. Before you can dwell, Billy sighs. “You two are little kids.” 

Any hint of edge that had just started building up vanishes as Stu turns his head. “Moody.” 

“Yeah,” you echo, feeling like your proving Billy’s point, “We should dump flour on Billy.” 

“An entire bag,” Stu angles his head to face you again, slowly releasing you, “We could wait for him to go to the bathroom and ambush him.” 

“You hide around the corner and I’ll hide behind the couch. No escape.”

Billy rolls his eyes. “You’re conspiring in front of me.” 

“Maybe I’m just trying to lure you into a false sense of security and I’m actually planning something a lot worse.” 

His eyebrows draw together, a desperate attempt at annoyance. “You wouldn’t make a good bad guy.” 

You let out a sound of mock offense. “You have no idea what I’m capable of plotting. I could be a total evil mastermind.” 

With a loud snort, Stu brings attention back to him. “You’re better off sticking to the cookies.” Before you can protest, Stu challenges your irritated expression with a question, “Okay--slasher movie, how do you take out your first victim?”

You’d point out that you weren’t trying to prove you’d be a fantastic killer in a scary movie, but they’d take that as giving up. Especially since you should have known that one of them would go there eventually. “Those things are unrealistic because half the time not getting caught isn’t a priority.” The answer feels a little bit like a cop out, and so you take a second to actually think it through, “But, I guess, off the top of my head I’d take out the first victim way before the others to make the crimes seem disconnected.” 

Billy asks, “Then what?” 

Ugh. You don’t love being put on the spot and this could easily turn into a sore subject with how seriously they take their scary movies. You’re not in the mood to be made into a joke as they pick apart your murder plan without taking into consideration that they gave you no notice. “I don’t know--take out the second victim alone to allow suspense to build and then attack the last of them all at once at some place I’m supposed to be at and then injure myself to make it easier to frame someone close enough to the victims to already have the police’s eye on them.” 

“Boring,” Stu exhales, dragging out the two syllables, “You left out the good, bloody details. Think you’d look cute all stabby--” 

“You want to see me stab happy? Because I guarantee you won’t like the outcome.” 

“Ouch,” Stu drops his head onto your shoulder, feigning a pain to rival an actual wound, “I’d let you live if I was a killer.” Not breaking at what’s clearly a compliment, you cup some more flour into your hand before blowing it into his face again. “You’re mean.” The whine is followed by him burring his head into his shoulder as he pretends to cry, affectively forcing the flour all over your shirt. 

Billy leans forward, grabbing a cloth rag from the other side of the counter before dropping it in front of you. “Clean up before you get it on me.” He catches the look behind your eye before you even realize what you’re doing. “Don’t.” 

His warning isn’t serious to constitute a threat or ruin the mood, but you’re not in the mood to make this painful. He’s already precarious enough when it comes to Christmas as is. “You’re no fun.”

----

Baking cookies has never taken you this long in your life. You’re sure that you were a better cookie assistant when you were a toddler than Billy and Stu were today, but you don’t mind. 

You had to take a quick shower while the cookies were in the oven because there was no other way to get all of that flour off. Stu did the same once you got out of the bathroom. Though, according to Stu and his never ending jokes and little comments, the truly practical thing would have been to shower together.

But now you’re dry and clean and Stu finally put on the shirt you stuck in the wash back on, you’re all left with a tiny army of gingerbread men. Yours are decorated a little cliche, gum drop buttons and crooked frosting smiles. Stu took creative liberties in the making of his thanks to help from the red food coloring he found in the back of the kitchen cabinet. Billy’s was surprisingly the neatest but was only decorated as an average guy in order to be a victim to Stu’s axe wielding gingerbread man. 

You rolled your eyes, but the amount of background and voices that went into the production of the mini massacre that only spared your cookies was funny.

"So, sugarplum.” The nickname forces your nose to wrinkle and you fight a laugh the same way a parent who doesn’t want to encourage bad behavior in a toddler would. That much affirmation could lead to sugarplum joining the already lengthy lineup of pet names Stu rotates through on a regular basis. “What’s your heart’s Christmas wish?” 

Okay--you’re not made of stone. A laugh that’s a little too loud slips out. “You don’t need to be that cheesy, all I did was get you to bake cookies.”

Stu forces out a mock gasp, eyes flitting towards Billy. “Can you believe her?” 

“I can’t believe you used ‘sugarplum’ and ‘Christmas wish’ in the same sentence.” Billy lifts his head up from the couch long enough for you to catch his slight smile. You laugh again, a little more comfortably. 

“Yeah, yeah, gang up on me,” Stu says this like he has never been this tired or this victimized in his life. He moves to sit on the couch, taking a second to comfortably adjust before patting his thigh. “If I get one of those hats will you sit on my lap and tell me what you want?” 

You roll your eyes, fighting against the burning sensation in your face. “Yeah,” flopping onto the couch at what you consider a safe distance, you continue, “And then if I’m lucky you’ll put me on the nice list.” 

“There’s an easy way to g--” He’s cut off by a pillow hitting the edge of his chin before smacking against his chest and landing on his lap. Stu gasps with an over the top level of offense. “What? I was going to say all you had to do was get me another cookie from the kitchen.” 

It’s blatant bullshit. “Mhm,” you cross your arms, settling on your spot, “I’m sure.” 

“Cross my heart.” He makes a point of tracing the ‘X’ motion over his chest. “I’m easily pleased.” 

Billy gently kicks his foot against Stu’s. “Since when?” 

“Since always.” Stu sits up, turning his full attention back to you. “But seriously, princess, what do you want for Christmas?” 

The question makes you feel awkward despite it’s casualness. “Um...” Every time people ask it, your mind instantly wipes and you can’t think of anything you’ve ever desired or needed. Besides, gift buying is inherently awkward when it’s talked about. “Nothing really, as of right now, I guess.” 

Stu practically whines like your response is a seriously, deeply personal issue. “Don’t pretend, it just makes Christmas shopping harder.” 

“You don’t have to get me anything.” 

“Like I’m not getting my best girl anything.” 

Sitting up a little further, you’re not sure what you to say to that. Sometimes Stu’s joking flirting is a little hard to laugh about when it’s that blatant. “You guys should help me put up some lights in my room. Last year I almost broke the curtain rod so now I’m banned from doing it alone.” 

You stand before any further comment can be made, fully aware of how transparent and flimsy the transition feels, but you can’t bring yourself to care. You’d much rather be playing with colored lights as Stu gets too comfortable climbing up stepping stools and furniture than having whatever that conversation would have been.