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sterredem · 3 months

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Big steps

Lando Norris x Royal!Reader

Face claim: girls on Pinterest + Taylor swift (for outfits)

Summary: meeting the royal family a big step for Lando, especially when they are your girlfriends familie… and the media is there too

Word count: 1987

Warning: hate?, not proofread

A/N: this is the fic for the results of the poll! I hope you like it. I chose England as the country because I thought it would be interesting with the whole akte Middleton thing. I do not know a lot about the real royal family but this is how i imagine it.

Also reader will be the oldest daughter of Princess Kate and prince William she will be 22 years old. I know this will not be logical with the time line of them being married and stuff but we will just ignore that.

Y/n knew that her life was different, she was the princess nonetheless. But she didn’t expect this.

She had always loved motor sports and when she got the chance to attend a race in her country she always did.

But still she didn’t see this coming. It all happened so fast. First them meeting, him not knowing who she was so making a fool out of himself. Then Agee that him figuring it out and still liking her for her. Not het status or fame, no just her. Then them continuing to talk for a while. And then a few months after him asking the big questions, her saying yes and the now.

Het introduceren het boyfriend Lando Norris to her family. And of course he had met them already. They where the royal family of England his home land after all. But still, this was different.

Because now he will be introduced as her boyfriend. And that was pretty big thing for him, he will first be meeting her parents and with the recent controversy surrounding princess Kate that will be a bit nerve wracking for him. But after that it will be a bit more relaxing and he will meet her siblings.

But he knew this would come eventually, he was dating the princess so he should meet the royal family eventually. And now that it had been a few months since him asking her it was about time for him to meet them.

So when Lando arrived at the gates of Adelaide Cottage and saw y/n standing there in her full beauty with her gorgeous yellow flower dress he knew he was in for a rollercoaster.

So after taking a deep breath he walked forward to his girlfriend to meet her family.

“Het Lan. You ready?” She asked with her charming smile and her kind voice.

“Yeah. Just a bit nervous.” He said with a small laugh trying to not make it awkward.

“Hey it’s going to be alright. They are going to love you and you are going to see that the royal family is not just a bunch of rich people that rule the country.” She said teasing him a bit with his Nieves but still keeping it light.

“Okay. I’m ready love.” He said now being a bit more relaxed with what the princess said.

“Okay. Come on I will show you around first and then you can meet my parents.” She said while grabbing his hand and gently tugging him towards the garden. “We should go around the garden first and then I will show you the inside, but there might be a chance we will run into my family so that’s why I will first show you the outside.”

“Okay that’s good” Lando said while walking after her. “Hey y/n…?” Lando asked now nervous again with what he wanted to ask.

“Yeah? What is going on love?” She asked wanting to know what her boyfriend was nervous about.

“Umm… have you’re family said anything about me?” He asked now a bit embarrassed about asking. But he wanted to know because they were her family after all. So if they already thought something about him then he wanted to know so that he knew how to make a good first impression.

“Well they asked about you yeah. And they asked the basic things and did a background check. But they think you are all good. They only know the basic facts and a few of the things I have told you.” She said smiling a bit while talking. Thinking it was cute with how he was so worried with how they will think about her.

But the princess knew that they would like the driver. They did to the search because you wouldn’t want the princess to date a serial killer. But they did it and he was all good. And with a few things she told them about. They seem to be excited about meeting him. But it is maybe not the best time with princess Kate recently being diagnosed with cancer and with the loads of controversy around the family. But now that it was all revealed it was about time for them to meet her boyfriend of 9 months.

She also knew that it was almost a year in there relationship and that he I shuts know meeting her family. But with them both being busy they just hadn’t hat the time.

“Okay that’s good.” The driver said now being relaxed again. But still having doubts in his mind.

After that they walked around the garden and talked a bit more.

When they were done outside they got to the entrance and she showed him the inside.

When she showed his most of the house, he only had a few more rooms to see. But she knew that her family would be in those rooms. So she stood still for a second to talk to him.

“Okay Lando. On that room will be my parents. Are you ready?” She asked a bit nervous for him. She knew that they would like- no even love him.

“I think I am. Just mentally prepared myself” he laughed a bit while saying the last bit. He was less nervous than when he arrived but it still isn’t fully gone.

“Hey it’s going to be fine. My parents are probably the most nerve wracking but when we meet my siblings it will be a lot better.

Lando thought about it and prepared a bit more. He took a few deep breaths and then looked up at his princess again. “Okay I’m ready”

“Okay, come on in.” She said with a smile squeezing his hand softly and leading him in to the room. She opens the door slowly after looking at him one last time.

“Hey, we are here” y/n said tugging Lando in the room with her and then closing the door. Her parents sat at the table at the room and when they saw them they stood up and walked to them.

“Hello Lando, it’s good to finally meet you.” Prince William said to Lando while shaking his head.

“Hello Lando it’s nice to finally meet you. We have heard a lot about you.” Princess Kate said with a smile on her face while shaking her head after her husband was done.

“Hello it is an honour to meet you.” he said with a shy smile after shaking the royal pair’s hands.

The youngest princess in the room smiled at her boyfriend and her parents. She was happy that they finally met.

After a bit of ice breaking with small talk they were all a lot more comfortable with each other.

After what seemed really short but was actually an hour Lando and y/n decided that they should meet her siblings. So they said goodbye to her parents and made a promise to meet again and then walked a bit further into the house to the next room with her siblings.

Lando was a lot less nervous to meet them. He met her parents and that was good so meeting Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis would also be alright.

Once they came to the room his girlfriend turned to him. “Okay this will be more relaxing. They know you and will probably first be a bit protective but then they will be more teasing. So nothing to worry about.” She said while smiling.

“Okay. I’m ready love” Lando said feeling relaxed with his girlfriend.

She opened the door and they walked in. Her siblings turned to her and immediately stood up. They walked towards the pair and inspected Lando immediately.

“So you are Lando? Y/n’a boyfriend?” Princess Charlotte asked.

George begin talking immediately after. “Wait are you the racing driver?” He asked getting a bit excited with that he and his sister both like Formula 1.

Lando didn’t even get to speak because Prine Louis began talking “so you are the man she can’t stop talking about” he said with a teasing smile.

Y/n was already beginning to get tired with them so interrupted them before they were going to overwhelm Lando with questions. “Okay guys stop with all that. Yes this is my boyfriend, Lando. Lando this is George, Charlotte and Louis. Guys this is Lando. And yes George he is the racing driver. And Louis don’t say that.”

“Hello everyone” Lando said already going in to his being with kids mode a bit.

After the first bit of the awkward conversation it all became better and y/n was right. They were now a lot more teasing instead of protective. But it was still fun.

And they asked a lot of questions. Like ‘what was it like with Lewis Hamilton?’ ‘Have you really not won a race?’ ‘What is it like being a F1 driver?’ And Lando was able to answer every one of them. And he enjoyed it a lot. He enjoyed hanging out with his girlfriend and her siblings. And enjoyed there questions and there small arguments and teasing bond.

After what again felt quite short but what was actually 2 hours they decided that it was a long enough day and said goodbye to her siblings. They again promised to meet again and now walked outside to the car.

“So what did you think?” y/n asked with a small smile thinking back with how good he was with her family.

“It was great. They are all very kind and it was better than expected.” Lando said while looking at his girlfriend. While talking they walked to the car (with of course a private driver).

Once they came to the car he opens the door for her and they stepped in. “That’s great!”

While talking they didn’t notice people taking pictures. And that was a bit of a problem, because while they are dating for quite a while. They have not yet announced it. They will eventually but they wanted to wait a bit and see where it was going. Even a lot of the drivers didn’t know that they were dating. The only people on the grid that knew was the McLaren team, his teammate and Carlos. All because McLaren needed to know so they could keep it private, Oscar knew because she was in the garage a few times (in secret) and so he had questions and then Lando explained. And Carlos knew because Lando and him are great friends so he just told him.

So if it came out that it was them then that would be problematic.

But because they didn’t know they didn’t really care. So they drove to her house and they spent the rest of the day together.

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After the tweets Lando and y/n (together with their PR teams) decided that it was time for them to go public. So they took pictures, made a caption and posted it

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Instagram

Lando Norris and the royal family

Liked by: GeorgeRussel, maxverstappen and 20.000.000 others

We are proud to announce that Princess Y/n and Mr.Norris are happily in a relationship and they are happy to finally show it to the world.

Comments are limited

Maxverstappen: Why do I only hear about this now?

GeorgeRussel: Lando Some explaining please?

CarlosSainz: I am happy to say that in knew all along!

Oscarpiastri: finally announcing it? Happy for you both! (I also already knew!)

McLaren: Happy for the (kind of) new couple! (Admin also already know!)

After finally announcing that they were dating Lando got a lot of messages from confused drivers. And the couple had a fun time laughing about it.

Lando explained it to them and when Y/n made her first paddock appearance at his home race as his girlfriend. Let’s just say it was a wild day.

But they knew they could live trough it. And with Lando now having met her family and her eventually having met his and the drivers they where very happy and knew that they where many to be.

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Bonus:

A/N: This is a longer fix than the last. But I deeply like it! I hope you also like it! I really tried to make it as long as possible but still make it fun. I also personally really like the twitter ‘beef’ between user6 and user7. Let me know what you think! And please Like comment or reblog! I would love feedback

I am not really happy with how it turned out but I hope you enjoy it! Please tell me if I made an error or something!

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lilasamaaa · 1 month

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Missed chances | Max Verstappen x Reader / Part One

Genre | Angst, Hurt, Fluff.

Word count | 4.1K

Warnings | Mentions of heartbreak, alcohol consumption, Max being an asshole.

Summary | It's been years since you've had a crush on your best friend's brother. But him too, right? Or is kissing you every chance he gets just a game for him?

Author's note | Angsty Queen is back at it! This piece is the result of this poll. Thank you so much for all the feedback on the previous pieces, I'm so glad you like them. Enjoy this one! (Not proofread yet, sorry!)

You and Victoria are thirteen when you cross paths for the first time. The shy blonde girl stands upright, nervously nibbling her lip. It's the first day of school, and you're both waiting to find out which class you'll be in, hoping to be with friends. Her gaze meets yours, and she offers a timid smile. You're not friends. Not yet. You just have mutual friends. Your names are called almost simultaneously, indicating that you're in the same class. Instinctively, you head towards her, giving her a big smile. You don't know anyone else in the class, so you'll have to get to know each other. Stick together.

A few months later, as your father drops you off in front of Victoria's house before rushing off to your little brother's soccer practice, you take a moment to observe the pale blue house from the outside. Upstairs, a curtain moves, catching your attention. You don't see anybody, though. You knock on the door, and Victoria opens it, immediately throwing herself into your arms.

"I'm so glad your parents agreed to this," she says, excited. "This is gonna be so cool. My parents aren't home so Max is supposed to look after us, but he'll probably lock himself in his room. Boys, you know..." she finishes, leading you into the hallway.

Max? For months, you've been sharing your lives between classes, but you've never heard this name before.

"Who's Max?" you ask, curious.

"My older brother," she replies, rolling her eyes. "We don't get along so well these days. He thinks he's all grown up... Barely even acknowledge me," Victoria says, frustration evident in her voice.

"I can relate," you reply sarcastically. "Well, mine's younger, but not that interested in me either."

You spend the afternoon in her room painting your nails, braiding each other's hair, and sharing your secrets (you're starting to run out, after all this time), until night falls. You're deep in conversation when someone knocks on the door. That must be Max, you think, waiting for the door to open.

And it is Max, indeed. His face appears, and your heart skips a beat. He's cute. He seems a bit grumpy. Not in the best mood, that's true. But there's something immediately touching about his big, wide eyes and annoyed expression.

"Diner's ready," Max says before closing the door.

"I bet he made fish sticks again," Victoria grumbles, getting up. "That's the only thing he knows how to cook."

Sitting at the table, cutting a fish stick in half with your fork, your gaze shifts from Victoria to Max, who sit across from each other, not exchanging a word.

"So..." you start shyly. "What's your favorite subject, Max?" you ask, immediately regretting your words as the boy glances in your direction, brows furrowed.

Of course, your only topic of conversation is school. You've always been one of the top students. A real bookworm, as they say. Plus, you're not exactly comfortable around boys, especially those around your age. Victoria shoots you a desperate look, eyes wide open. But right now, anything seems better than this uncomfortable, excruciating silence.

"Erm," Max says, grabbing a green bean with his fork. "Geography, I guess. I don't know."

Silence falls once again, lingering until each of you finishes your meal, and then Victoria and you retreat to her room.

"Don't even bother trying to talk to him," the blonde says as she slips into her pajamas. "Nothing interests him except go-karting."

The next time you encounter Max, you're fourteen, and he's sixteen. Victoria and you are participating in an endurance race to raise funds for a charity, and your families have been invited to attend the event. Your parents, who have crossed paths several times at school meetings and other events, find each other in the stands and share enthusiastic greetings before sitting down. Already on the track, you watch the reunion with a smile when your eyes fall on him. Max is here? you think. He never attends these things.

The race begins, and Victoria and you take off along the lake, completing lap after lap. On one of them, as you pass by the stands, particularly the one where your parents are seated, you turn your head, hoping to catch a glimpse of them. You don't see your father or your mother. Your eyes only see him. Max. And he's looking at you, too. Your eyes don't leave each other until your foot slips on a stone, and your ankle twists violently. You fall to the ground, letting out a cry of pain as your father rises, rushing to your aid.

A little less than an hour later, as Victoria finishes her run and joins you at the infirmary, the blonde gives you a worried yet disapproving look. "You're too distracted," she says, hand on her hip. "What was it this time? Did you see a cute boy or something? Was it Jan?". You don't respond, giving a sheepish smile to your friend. A cute boy, yeah...

As the years go by, you see Max less and less. At the beginning of your friendship with Victoria, you often ran into the young man when you spent afternoons or nights at the Verstappen's, but the aspiring driver has started to become increasingly scarce in his own home. One evening, though, as you're racking your brains over a philosophy essay, your phone vibrates, signaling a message from the person who's become your best friend.

"Max is throwing a fucking rager at home. Please come, I beg you. I'll shoot myself if I have to deal with his drunk friends all alone."

Thirty minutes later, you're on your bike, covering the five kilometers that separate your house from Victoria's. Summer has begun, with only a few days of classes left, which certainly explains Max's sudden urge to throw a party. On your bike, you're anxious, your stomach tying itself in knots. Despite your daily visits to Victoria, it's been almost a year since you've last seen her older brother. You try to convince yourself that the fact you applied a bit of mascara to your lashes or straightened your hair has nothing to do with his presence. You just wanted to tidy up a bit, that's all. Nothing else to it.

When you arrive at the blue house, your first instinct is to anxiously glance at the surrounding houses. How has no one called the cops yet, you think, impressed by the decibels pouring out of the open windows, and the number of people you can already see inside the house. Leaving your bike in the grass, you venture into the house, passing by the wide open front door. On the way to the living room, drunk bodies cling to you, spilling beer on your shoes, shouting incomprehensible words in your ears. Wow. Victoria wasn't kidding. This thing is a huge mess.

Spotting your friend in the middle of the kitchen, you make your way to her.

"What the fuck is happening here?" you ask, casting a glance over the room.

"Can you believe this asshole?" Victoria replies, fuming. "Mom has been gone for five hours. Five! And I haven't even finished my fucking essay," she says, despair filling her eyes.

"Forget about it," you reply, stifling a laugh. "That's not happening tonight."

Victoria launches into another tirade about how much her brother annoys her when you catch sight of him in the middle of the living room. He's wearing a shirt that looks slightly too big for him. Maybe borrowed from his dad. He's holding a beer in one hand. A girl in the other. The sight twists your heart and brings a bitter taste to your mouth. Clinging to his arm, the blonde —who you recognize as Sanne, a girl from his class— can't seem to tear her gaze from Max, looking at him as if he belonged in a museum.

"Hey, are you listening?" Victoria says, bringing you back to reality.

"What?"

"They want to play a game," Victoria repeats. "Seven minutes in heaven."

"Seven minutes in heaven?" you repeat, eyes wide.

"Yeah. Sanne suggested it."

Of course she did, you think, biting your lip. Of course Sanne, who clearly has a big crush on Max, would suggest a game where the goal is to get locked in a narrow closet with someone for seven minutes.

"Listen to me," Victoria says, suddenly serious. "If Max has to be locked in a closet with anyone, I want it to be you. We'll figure it out. We'll cheat at the draw," she continues. "I hate Sanne. At least with you, I know nothing will happen."

You swallow loudly, completely at a loss for words. Getting locked in a closet with Max? The Max who's never really noticed you? Who's always seen you as nothing but a kid because you're a year and a half younger and his sister's friend? You don't have much time to think about it because already, you're sitting in a circle in the middle of the living room with a dozen other people, a bottle in the center.

Johannes, a friend of Max's, spins the bottle, which lands on Sanne. The girl's eyes sparkle with excitement, her gaze fixed on Max. Johannes spins the bottle again, and this time, it stops in front of another girl you don't know. You glance at Victoria, who seems particularly amused by the situation. Sanne looks absolutely gutted.

"Rules are rules, girls," Johannes says, laughing.

A boy from your class escorts the girls to the closet by the entrance before locking them in and starting a timer. The seven minutes pass, filled by various discussions. When the alarm goes off and the girls are freed, Sanne sits back in the circle, her face closed off.

"It's my turn to spin the bottle," she announces, seizing the plastic object.

She's quite skilled, as the bottle spins twice before landing directly in front of Max. Sanne grabs the bottle again, sending it spinning, and it rotates for a while before stopping right in front of you. Sanne seems beside herself, but your attention is focused on Victoria, who gives you a discreet thumbs-up. Your eyes meet Max's, and it's safe to say the young man doesn't look too pleased. But as Johannes said, rules are rules, and the two of you get up before walking towards the closet.

The space is ridiculously tiny. Max ventures in first, one foot behind the vacuum cleaner, the other squeezed between two shoe shelves. There's barely enough room for two people to fit, and as Johannes pushes you inside unceremoniously and you hear the lock click behind you, you realize you're standing between Max's legs, your hands on his chest.

"Sorry," you say, trying to get away, your back hitting the door.

A heavy silence settles between you as outside, you hear the lively conversations resume in the living room.

"I'm sure you would have preferred to be locked in with Sanne," you say, trying to fill the silence that's slowly eating away at you.

"Not really," Max responds, evasive.

"Aren't you two together?" you ask, curious.

He scoffs against you, sending vibrations to your chest.

"She would like to, yeah," Max says, as you feel his breath against your face despite him being twenty centimeters taller than you.

"And you don't?" you ask, trying to appear nonchalant even though you fear his answer.

"I don't have time for her."

"Oh. I didn't realize your time was so precious," you reply, stunned.

"Depends on who it's spent with," Max replies, his voice deeper.

You're suddenly incredibly grateful to be plunged into darkness because your cheeks are definitely burning red. Is Max Verstappen flirting with you?

"You've changed since the last time I saw you," he continues, as you feel like the temperature in the closet has risen several degrees.

"Changed how?" you ask, seeking his gaze despite the darkness.

"You're taller. Your hair seems longer. It's lightened up a bit, it's nice," he says. "Sixteen suits you. You're not a kid anymore."

You're going to suffocate. Die in a closet.

"We're only a year and a half apart," you reply, breathless.

"I know," he replies, as you feel his hand caress your cheek. "I'm not a kid anymore either."

His lips crash onto yours before you even have time to comprehend what's happening. You melt into him, closing your eyes, savoring the contact you've dreamed of for years. His hand rests on the back of your head, bringing you closer to him, as your hands find their way back to his chest. You bite his lip, and he lets out a groan before wrapping his arms around your waist. You thank the loud music from the living room for drowning out the sounds you're making in this closet, pressed against one another. Your hands find his neck, and his crawl to your ass, squeezing it as you let out a moan against his open mouth.

You thought you couldn't get any closer, but one of Max's hands slips under your right knee, lifting your leg. You've never kissed anyone. Never touched anyone. Yet, as your two groins press against each other, everything feels so easy, so natural. You could stay here for hours, exploring his mouth, his face, his body, but already, footsteps echo in the hallway, and you pull away from each other as if you'd been burned.

"Time's up, lovers!" Johannes says opening the door, prompting laughter from the living room.

"As if," Max says, getting out first. "That's disgusting, bro. She's like my sister."

You stay in the closet for a few seconds, watching the two boys go back to the living room, catching your breath. Several hours later, lying in Victoria's bed as the music has stopped and most of the guests have left the house, you stare at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep, despite your best friend softly snoring by your side. Getting up to get a glass of water, you walk blindly through the dark hallway, passing by Max's room.

"Can we talk?" a voice suddenly rises, making you jump, your hand finding your heart which threatens to leap out of your chest.

You remain silent. Not quite sure if you want to talk, let alone with Max. And certainly not to talk about earlier, in the closet, and be rejected by the boy who stole your heart.

"Come here," he says, pulling you into his room before closing the door behind him. "I don't want Victoria to hear."

You're about to pour your heart out, tell Max how much he hurt you, when he pulls you towards him and presses his lips to yours. Again. Everything you had planned to say escapes your mind as your tongues meet and the hands of your best friend's brother slide under your shirt, stroking your back. Max pulls back, sitting on his bed, pulling you onto his lap, one leg on each side of him. The kisses intensify, your noses brushing, your hands getting lost in each other's hair. Your lips speaking without sound, your hearts opening up without words.

"I don't understand you," you admit between kisses.

"Don't try," he replies, biting your lip.

Max grabs your butt, pressing you against him, and a flash of panic grips you when you feel him against you. Hard. You moan, and suddenly, all the reason seems to come back to him. It's you. His sister's best friend. He pulls back, avoiding your gaze.

"I..." he starts, breathless. "You should go," Max says before pushing you off his lap. You stand here, facing him awkwardly for a few seconds. Waiting for him to say something. Anything. When nothing comes, his head still low, you turn on your heels. Back in Victoria's room, slipping under the covers of your best friend's bed, you let out a tear, feeling a sadly familiar ache tugging at your heart.

Max and you cross paths again a year later, at your high school graduation ceremony. You and Victoria are among the top students in your class, and you're invited to go on stage to give a speech with eight other people. One of these people is Niels. Your boyfriend. You've been together for a few months now. He welcomes you on stage, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek before holding you close. In the audience, your eyes meet those of your parents, proud. Those of Victoria's parents, proud. And those of Max. Icy.

The speeches go by quickly, and just before the buffet begins, you apologize to Niels and your parents, saying you need to make a quick stop at the restroom. In the deserted corridors of your high school, your heels click against the floor, soon joined by the sound of another pair of shoes. You turn around, surprised, seeing Max approaching in the distance.

"Niels Harmen?" you hear the boy say. "Really?"

"What do you want?" you reply, eyes cold.

"That guy was still picking his nose last year."

"It's good that he stopped, then," you respond, annoyed.

"Why are you dating him?"

The question makes you laugh. Not a sincere laugh. A laugh that says "mind your own business" and "screw you" at the same time. An ironic, ugly laugh that you don't even recognize.

"When we kiss, I'm not afraid that he'll reject me the next second," you reply, even though you know it's hitting below the belt.

Max scoffs, crossing his arms.

"Is it what it is? Some sort of revenge?"

"I'm not seeking revenge on anyone. My life doesn't revolve around you," you spit before turning on your heels.

You haven't taken a step before a hand grabs your wrist. You already know what's going to happen. So you try to resist. You know you shouldn't turn around. That if your eyes meet his, you'll fall back in. Start another round of false hopes. Disillusionments. Heartaches.

Yet, you do. You turn around, and, of course, his lips find yours. It's almost routine now, mechanical. You close your eyes, your heart torn between the joy of feeling his touch again, and the anticipation of the pain that will undoubtedly assail you in a few hours. When he'll reject you, again.

You're lost in each other when the sound of applause brings you crashing back to earth. The two of you quickly pull away before turning towards the source of the noise. Sanne.

"Don't you have a boyfriend waiting for you?" the girl asks with a fake smile.

"Get out of here, Sanne," Max says like a warning.

"What happened to "I'm not interested in her", Max?" Sanne asks, one hand on her hip. "Or to "She's just a kid, and not even my type"? Or, wait, what was it, the last time?" Sanne continues, stroking her chin. "Oh, yeah. "She was just there, and I was bored"."

You look at him, mouth agape, but Max carefully avoids meeting your gaze. Sanne's words tear at your heart. In a way, it's even worse than being rejected by him. You turn on your heels for good this time, passing by Sanne who's looking at you like you're the most despicable thing on earth. You're vaguely aware of Max saying... no, screaming your name, but you keep on walking, not looking back once. For a second, you thought you were gonna cry, break down in tears in the middle of the hallway. But nothing comes. You don't feel anything. Your heart has given up, surrendered. Returning to the ceremony, you smile at your parents before settling next to your best friend.

"Have you seen Max?" Victoria asks, and you don't miss how the mention of his name doesn't make your heart flutter, for the first time in years.

"Nope," you reply, smiling at her.

Three years later, you're in Victoria's car, on your way to the Zandvoort Grand Prix. You don't even know why you agreed to come with your best friend. You don't watch F1. You have no interest in the sport. Curiosity, your inner voice whispers. You wanted to see him again. You shake your head to dispel those intrusive thoughts when Victoria turns to you.

"I'm so glad you agreed to come. Max is so happy, too."

"What?" you ask, turning to her.

"He told me over the phone. Is that so surprising?"

Well, it is. Max and you haven't exchanged a word since the last ones thrown in the hallway of your high school. But Victoria, of course, doesn't know that. Victoria thinks you're friendly. Like two people who grew up together, gravitating in the same universe without ever colliding.

"He got us VIP passes", your best friend continues. "We'll be able to go everywhere, even see the pit stops!"

"How kind of him," you mumble.

"Look," she says, looking over at you. "I know Max wasn't the kindest... or the warmest, growing up. But he's changed, so much. You'd be surprised!"

"Oh, I bet," you say, smiling at her.

Victoria parks her small car in the VIP space, and a RedBull staff member greets you, handing you two passes before guiding you through the paddock. A stress you haven't felt in three years creeps into your head, into your body. Your thoughts collide, your hands are sweaty. You're beginning to wonder if coming here was a good idea after all when you spot him. At the end of the aisle, in his racing suit. Helmet in hand. Victoria's phone suddenly rings, and she apologizes, gesturing for you to continue without her.

You take the few steps that separate you from the driver. He's changed. So much. His teenage roundness has vanished, replaced by sharp features. His hair is longer, his eyes darker. He gives you a warm smile that twists your insides. It's impossible, you think. After all these years. Having so much power, so much hold over me.

"You came," he says, still smiling.

"For her," you reply curtly.

"Well..." he says, laughing softly. "She's not the one racing."

The silence falls again. Cold. Heavy. You turn your head, spotting Victoria a little further away, hoping she hangs up soon.

"You look beautiful," he says, and you know he means it despite you wearing the blankest blue jeans and white shirt ever made.

Silence, again.

"I'd hoped you'd no longer be mad at me." Max says, and you scoff.

"I'm not mad at you."

"You're cold."

"You broke my heart."

The driver winces, looking away.

"I should have called," he says, softly.

"I wouldn't have answered," you reply.

"I should have come to see you," Max starts again.

"I wouldn't have opened the door."

Your eyes meet his. Fire and ice.

"Well, I should have done something. Fight for you," he continues.

"Fight for who?" you ask. "The girl who was just there?"

Max runs his hand through his hair, embarrassed.

"You were never just that to me. You were so much more. I was just too young, too stupid to realize it. I have. Now."

You hadn't planned on getting into deep explanations with Max today. Not here. Not now. You're about to respond when Victoria returns, linking her arm with yours.

"Maxie!" she says, kissing his cheek. "Are you catching up on lost time? Did she tell you she's still dating Niels? Rumor has it that he's going to propose soon!"

Max's eyes glance down at your hand, and something in his demeanor shifts. It might be the breath he holds, or the way his shoulders seem to slump, defeated.

"She hasn't," he says, smiling faintly at his sister.

"We should go," Victoria says. "The race is about to start. Can we go to the stands?"

"Yes, no problem," Max replies as Victoria begins to head towards the garage, leaving you face to face once again.

"Congrats on your future engagement, I guess," he says.

"Thank you. I'm going to break up with him," you reply, crossing your arms.

"What?" Max says, astonished.

"It doesn't feel right. Him and I."

"If it has anything to do with me, please, tell me," Max breathes, as you avoid his gaze. "I was so focused on my career these past few years that I never wrote to you. I knew I didn't have the time to make it work. I knew it'd be selfish. Unfair to you," Max admits.

"Here you are, once again, thinking that my life revolves around you", you say, smirking at him. "I'm not waiting for you, Max. I haven't been for a while now."

The driver nods, swallowing hard.

"Of course," he says. "I'm sorry for assuming."

"I'm not against the idea of grabbing a drink with you sometime, though," you say, winking at him. "Just text me when you're free."

"I will," he says quickly, blue eyes boring into yours.

"See you around," you say, running to catch up with Victoria.

Watching you leave, Max stands there, grinning like an idiot, before unlocking his phone.

"How about tonight?"

Sent.

#f1 #f1 2024 #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #formula 1 #max verstappen #max verstappen x you #max verstappen x reader #lilasamaaa #mv1 #mv33 #mv1 x reader #mv1 x you #mv33 x reader #mv33 x you

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sinofwriting · 10 months

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Fans and Press - Oscar Piastri

Words: 776 Summary: Oscar finds out from a reporter that his girlfriend was spotted at a hospital. Note(s): Did a poll to see if people would want this and it was a majority yes. Also based on me having to get an MRI earlier today. Already got the results back, but have to wait for my doctor to call to discuss, but it’s looking like I’m getting surgery. Wish me luck!

Taglist | Masterlist

Oscar could feel his jaw twitch. He hated having to deal with media after DNFing. It was all part of the job, but it wasn’t his favorite. Though media duties in general weren’t his favorite thing.

He nods along to what the reporter from Sky Sports is saying to him, wiping a hand over his forehead, just wishing to get through debrief and sit in his driver's room. Call his girlfriend back, knowing she’ll have already seen the results and called him.

The sound of her name snaps him out of thoughts. Reporters had never brought her up. They were the definition of private not secret. “What?” “Your girlfriend,” the reporter repeats. “Was spotted at the hospital by a fan. Apparently getting an MRI. Is her visiting the hospital possibly the reason for what happened today?” His jaw nearly drops, disbelief and concern wanting to show on his face, but he just shakes his head. “What happened today was unfortunate. But it had nothing to do with personal things going on.” and before he can stop himself, media training disappearing for a moment. “Besides can’t be the reason If I didn’t know that was happening.” He winces immediately after making the comment, at the way the reporter's eyes widen, and he’s thankful when he’s pulled away by his press officer.

“I’m sorry.” He apologizes immediately, as soon as they are away from the media. She shakes her head, “That was mild and easily dealt with. Call your girlfriend, write a report of what happened today and get out of here. A full debrief will happen when you go back to Woking for testing.” He wants to question it, the whole thing sounding too good to be true, but he couldn’t risk it being taken away. Not when concern is taking over his whole being now that he’s in private.

He rushes to his driver's room, striping out of his race suit and fire proofs as he dials her number.

She picks up after three rings, “Oscar, baby, I-“ He cuts her off before she can continue. “Are you okay? Is everything alright?” “What? Oscar, are you okay?” “A reporter told me that someone saw you at a hospital. Getting a scan.” He holds his breath as he waits for her to answer, hoping that it’s not true. That the fan was just mistaken. “Oh,” the quiet response tells him all he needs to know and he’s never been more thankful that he's not a messy guy, his suitcase already packed sitting by the door. With a pair of socks, underwear, sweatpants, and hoodie sitting on his couch ready for him to put on.

“What happened?” “Oscar, maybe we should wait until your home.” The usual warm feeling of her calling his apartment, well their apartment, home isn’t there. There’s just dread sitting heavy in his stomach. “I want to know now.” “You won’t be able to sit through debrief if I tell you now.” “I don’t have a debrief. I got told to call you, do a report and get to you and that’s what I’m doing.”

There’s silence for a moment and then she sighs.

“Don’t be mad.” He says her name, already not liking where this is going. “I’ve been having some pain for the past few months.” “What?” He nearly shouts. Pulling his phone away from his ear he puts on speaker before googling flights and pulling on the clothes he set out earlier. Hoping there will be something sooner than tomorrow afternoon. “It’s not anything too serious. I just,” she stops and he stops searching, anger and hurt simmering inside of him. “I should have told you.” He’s silent, but resumes his searching. Clicking on a flight that leaves in three hours and thankfully doesn’t have any connectors. “The doctor thinks it’s a muscle tear.” He takes a sharp breath. “If that is what it is, I’ll have to get surgery. It all depends on what imaging says.” “I thought muscle tears could heal on their own.” “They can. But if they are going to heal on their own they do it within two to four weeks. It’s been longer than that for me.”

“Are you okay?” He asks. “Are you in pain?” “I’m alright, baby. Promise. They gave me some muscle relaxers, they help.” “But you are in pain.” “Only when I do certain things. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.” “Darling,” he says pained. “I’m okay, Os. I promise. My doctor will call me sometime tomorrow with the results.” “I’m coming home now. There’s a flight that leaves in three hours.” His voice turns soft, “I’ll be home soon.” “Okay,” she pauses. “I love you.” “I love you too.”

---

Tagging: @gemofthenight

#oscar piastri x reader #oscar piastri imagine #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #formula 1 imagine #formula 1 x reader

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digitaldiarystuff · 2 months

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Our Secret Pt.2

sooo i’m starting to write before the poll is over hope the result stays the same lol

also thank you for not giving up on me💕

you can read part one here

————

pairing: Pedri Gonzalez x Y/N x Fermin Lopez

summary: you are Pedri’s girlfriend and know his friends, one of them being Fermin. It doesn’t look like he likes you very much but what if he likes you too much?

genre: angst

————

That night after Fermin dropped you at your place you had a weird feeling in your stomach you couldn’t quite place, you didn’t do anything wrong, you kept reminding yourself. Fermin is literally Pedri’s friend, he was just doing you a favor and you’re mad at Pedri because he left you alone, that’s it.

After taking a much needed shower to clear your thoughts you laid on your bed hoping to sleep quickly but unfortunately, you weren’t that lucky and had trouble falling asleep. You felt upset about Pedri’s behavior at the party and suddenly realized all the other times he made you feel uneasy in public, there were times he didn’t feel comfortable being seen with you because you weren’t official yet and that’s understandable given the fact that he’s insanely famous but a part of you felt like you shouldn’t be hidden no matter what. The more you thought about it, the sadder you felt but finally, you felt your eyes closing.

The next morning you woke up a little late and with a headache, great, you thought. You found your phone in between your sheets and looked at missed notifications secretly hoping to see a good morning text from Pedri but there was something else. An unsaved number texted you at 8.32 am

Hey, good morning! Hope you’re okay and don’t have a headache or stomachache, I think eating McDonald’s that late was a mistake 😅

You immediately realized it was Fermin and your heart warmed with his thoughtful words, he didn’t have to text you or check up on you but still did it while your boyfriend couldn’t even bother asking if you went home okay. It’s not like he was asleep because you knew for a fact he had practice this morning so he had to be up. You decided not to let it get to you and started typing.

Hey thank you so much for everything, I don’t know how I’d survive last night without you! And yes the nuggets definitely were a mistake lol, hope you’re okay too

You reread the text trying to make sure it’s not weird but why would it be weird, it’s just two friends checking up on each other even though you didn’t even know he had your number before today. He could’ve easily got it from Pedri, right?

Fermin didn’t text you back after that and you thought maybe it’s for the best but you also didn’t hear from Pedri until well into the afternoon when he called.

“Hey” he smiled softly like he wasn’t black out drunk last night

“Hey” you said with slight coldness in your voice but you weren’t doing it on purpose.

“Are we still on for tonight?” he asked without even mentioning anything about the previous night’s events and you were kind of taken aback.

“What’s tonight?”

“We have that charity event, remember, I told you a week ago.” you suddenly remembered him asking you to accompany him to this fancy event.

At first you were thrilled with the idea thinking this may be the night you make your relationship official but he quickly shut the idea down by telling you he’d pose for the cameras out front and meet up with you once the auction starts. You were less excited now but still said yes and forgot about it all till now.

“Oh yeah, sure we’re still going. How are you planning on going there?”

“The boys and I were thinking about getting a limo, can you take an Uber and meet me there?”

“Do you not want me in the limo?” you asked shocked by how inconsiderate he was being. First he hides you from the world and now he wants you to step in an Uber with a fancy looking dress and ride there alone.

“No of course not, you can come get ready at mine then. I’ll be at the house by five.”

“You know what, I’ll find my own way Pedri. You don’t have to worry about me, not that you care.” you said and ended the call feeling agitated.

He tried calling you a few more times but you didn’t pick up, you even considered turning your phone off and not showing up but wanted to have a nice night with him, maybe this could solve your issues.

You started getting ready for the event, trying on 2 different dresses. One was an off the shoulder black silk maxi dress and the other was a dark red spaghetti strap maxi dress with a wide slit on the side and a corset as a top. You took mirror selfies with both dresses and sent it to your best friend who was on top of your messages app and started on your makeup as you waited for an answer. Your phone pinged not long after and you picked it up expecting it to be Elena but was shocked to see Fermin’s name on the screen. You remembered saving his number in the morning. He sent you a single text.

Definitely the red one

Your cheeks heat up immediately realizing your mistake, you sent the photos to Fermin instead of Elena because he was the last person you texted.

I’m so sorry, it was meant for someone else lol

You wrote back but made a mental note to wear the red dress, maybe it was that much better. You anxiously waited an answer from Fermin but it never came and you felt stupid, did he think you did it on purpose or was he being the cold and stoic Fermin you know again? You felt like you managed to make him open up more and made progress in your friendship and would hate if he went back to being distant. You thought about what can you text him that would make him answer but before you could find something your phone started ringing.

Fermin Lopez

You picked it up slightly nervous.

“Hey”

“Hey, are you not riding with everyone else to the venue?” he asked straight away without even asking how you were.

“No, um, I’ll go straight from my place so…” you drifted off not knowing how to explain why you weren’t going with your boyfriend.

“Are you ready?”

“Well, I’ll probably be ready in 15.” you looked at yourself in the mirror, you had the dress on and your makeup was almost done.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up then.” he suggested but his voice was so neutral you couldn’t understand any emotion behind it.

“What? Fermin you don’t ha…”

“I’m on my way Y/N. I’ll text you once I’m outside.” he said and hung up before you could even reply.

You stood there for a few moments trying to understand what just happened, why was Fermin this interested in how you’ll arrive at the venue or how you’re doing and more importantly, why wasn’t Pedri?

You decided to push these thoughts away and put on your accessories for the night but was a little too slow because Fermin already texted you before you could put everything on. You told him you need 5 more minutes and he was welcome to wait in your living room whilst you finish up and he soon rang the doorbell.

You opened the door revealing Fermin in a suit, this was the first time you’ve seen him this formal and admittedly, he looked nice. Actually he looked so good that you had to tear your eyes away from him but he didn’t look like he noticed, he was too busy looking at your figure with wide eyes. This may be the longest he’s ever looked your way but once you made proper eye contact, he immediately looked away.

“Hi” you smiled and hugged him softly, kissing one of his cheeks. He smiled at you and placed his hand on your waist careful not to put it too low. It felt more like a fancy first date than two friends carpooling to a charity event where your boyfriend was waiting for you and the thought made your stomach turn. There was something about Fermin that you couldn’t understand, he was never inappropriate or weird with you but you couldn’t help but feel something and that something scared the living shit out of you.

“You look amazing, told you this was the best dress.” he shyly said and your cheeks turned red with his compliment, you knew he preferred this dress but it was also your favorite. You didn’t wear it for him.

“So do you.” you replied and it was his turn to have reddened cheeks. He looked down at his shoes and didn’t look back up until you spoke again.

“Let me put on my shoes and we can go.”

You went into your shoe closet and picked out the nude heels you had in mind. They weren’t too high but still elevated your look. You dropped them in front of your door and tried getting in them but struggled because of your dress hugging your body tightly, Fermin soon noticed your uncomfortable state.

“Here, let me help you” he didn’t even let you reply and kneeled down in front of you to help you step into your shoes and buckle them, he did one foot and lightly tapped your calf for you to hold the other one. His one hand on behind your calf steadied you while the other helped you and you were standing so close that you could feel his breath on your exposed leg which made you shiver. You placed one hand on his shoulder and he looked up at you, his eyes were filled with yet another emotion but this time you knew it wasn’t something like sadness or anger, it was pure lust and you hated that you also had the same look on your face.

He slowly rose to his feet but you didn’t let go of his shoulder, you felt glued to him at that moment. Fermin must have felt the same because he stood so close to you that your noses nearly touched and he made no effort to pull back, you knew better you really did, you should’ve taken a step back thank him for helping you and go to the event but Fermin had other plans.

He suddenly closed the gap between you two and pressed his lips onto yours in a hasty manner like he had to do it, he did it so urgently as if he needed you and you couldn’t help but move your lips with his placing your hand on the back of his neck. Your judgement was too clouded to stop as he walked you back into your living room without breaking the kiss, he only stopped when your back hit the wall and a soft moan escaped your lips.

“Fermin” you mewled as he was moving his hands all around your body and on your exposed leg.

He pulled back slightly, your foreheads still touching and both of you panting. His eyes opened for the first time since he kissed you and looked straight into your soul.

“Fermin” you whispered this time not even sure if you were asking him to stop or carry on.

“Y/N, I want this. I want this so fucking much but if you don’t, I can get out of here now and we can pretend this never happened. I’ll never bother you again.” he softly said and you were surprised at how calm he was talking contrary to how passionate he was being mere seconds ago.

You closed your eyes to try to slow your heartbeat down, your whole body was shaking a little. You tried to think but all you could think about was his lips and hands on you.

You stood there for a moment before leaning in again and he happily accepted your advances telling you to jump and you obliged not caring about anything else in the world other than Fermin. He was making you feel that alive.

“God, you’re perfect” he said while carrying you to your room and kissing every inch of skin he could find.

“Just make me feel good” you begged him and he nodded eagerly. He was going to do just that.

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doyoulikethissong-poll · 7 months

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Hi everybody! <3

Don't be too upset if you like a song and a "no" option wins, it's the total % that counts overall, so if a song gets 51% yes it's still a win even if it's not marked as such by tumblr. :)

The two different options for both yes and no is more for my own interest, to see how many hears a song for probably the first time. Some of my favourite songs have gotten such a high number of "yes, first time" votes and it really does make my heart soar!!!! 💖💖💖

(don't be too mean to new listeners, we all were new to discovering songs at some point in our life :D )

I also know it's sooo much more satisfying to get a total landslide win for a "yes" option such as with Britney. I might try a simple basic yes/no poll for a suggested song that I have no connection with, to make a probable transition easier for me. 😂

speaking of;

i'm gonna take a break from receiving suggested songs.

There are over three hundred (edit: wait, i looked now and there's 450+ asks with song suggestions, both with one and several at once. lol oh man) suggested songs already for me to go through and cut and post (and i'm super thankful for the suggestions for songs I already had in mind so it makes the number of finding and listening to them a bit smaller lol)

I'm still gonna keep the askbox open in case you do want to contact me about something, but please respect this. I'll let you know when you can suggest again. Thank you! 💖

Remember to reblog a song if you like it, and tag/pm other people who might enjoy it too, to get a higher % of yes. 😊

(There's one poll in particular where i even already have made a gif ready to celebrate if the poll results stay the same as of now. i'm sitting here biting my nails in fear that the results will drastically change, lol. 😅 )

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icallhimjoey · 1 year

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To Have And To Scold

♥ ♥ Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: Your best friends are getting married, and who else can they ask to be their best man and maid of honour but you and Joe? It’s just that… you don’t really get along all that well, do you? At least, that’s what you think.

CW / disclaimer: sort of enemies to sort of lovers, slooow burn, language, rpf, fem!reader, panic attack

Author’s note: when i reached 7K i kind of knew the poll’s results wouldn’t matter to me anymore – there is going to be a part 11, or an epilogue if you will, because there’s just... it’s just too much. I need to thank @thebellenouvelle for the inspiration behind eyelid kisses, and @alwayslindie for fisticuffs (ifykyk) SO SORRY BUT THIS IS NOT THE END pls enjoy

Wordcount: 7.1K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five- part six- part seven - part eight - part nine- part ten - epilogue

Today was not the day you expected to find yourself in a dark coat closet of a hotel suite, hiding from your friends with Joe's hand covering your mouth as you made big shocked eyes at him.

Today was about Poppy and Mark.

The happy couple. Getting married. Mark, and Poppy. Poppy, and Mark.

It was about them. Full focus just on your friends. Just on his friends. Nothing else. No one else.

So then why the fuck had Joe hurriedly pushed you into a closet in a full scuffle of frantic limbs when he heard Poppy and Mark outside the door? And why did you, despite still being so angry, and hurt, and so fucking embarrased - why did you like it?

Joe had to recount his steps. How did he get here? How did he find himself in a small, enclosed space that instantly created a sense of intimacy and closeness which intensified all and any existing feelings he had towards you?

Joe remembered having looked himself in the eye in his hallway mirror that morning, right before he headed out, and had sighed deeply at his own reflection.

Today was going to be impossible.

He thought about setting reminders on his phone because he knew, he fucking knew his mind would be with you all day. Guilt and shame and embarrassment and, God he felt so awful.

As he should. He was well aware.

But today was about Poppy. Poppy and Mark. And yes, he was going to be seeing you again, which... ugh, he could eat himself alive at the prospect.

For two and a half weeks after he'd gotten to touch you, and smell you, and taste you - Jesus Christ Joe had actually gotten so much more than he'd ever even dreamt of - he had almost reached out thousands of times. Had hovered fingers over a text thread. Over your name in his contact list.

But what was he going to say?

How was he going to break the ice? The thick, thick, thick thick ice that had frozen over because of his doing. He'd known the second your front door fell shut behind him that he'd done the wrong thing. That'd he had fucked up in a way he knew he could never come back from.

Joe was the worst.

When Joe thought of you now, it didn't involve swooning or tender romantic feelings. Instead, it was all gut-wrenching guilt and violent shame that made him want to hide himself away.

The thing he'd been so scared of, the chance of things going wrong and ending badly between the two of you, had happened before anything had even really started at all. He'd been left humiliated by his own actions, and couldn't even begin to imagine how you must have felt. Left disheartened by the vast impact of his mistakes and the loss of something that he had never even had made him want to get away. To leave. To move abroad and not tell anyone. If he could, Joe would happily disappear and skip this whole wedding all together.

Obviously, he couldn't.

Today was about Poppy. Poppy and Mark.

And Joe was the maid of honour after all. And so, after a last stern look at himself, Joe walked out and made his way over to where Poppy and her gaggle of bridesmaids were meeting to get ready for the big day.

In your flat, you gave the e-mail a last once over.

Joe had e-mailed you a week ago. You still had to go over your speeches, and instead of being a normal person and perhaps reaching out to apologise, to maybe talk things through - instead of that, he'd gone and sent you an e-mail.

An e-mail.

And it was all professional too, which was... you couldn't even begin to organise your feelings about it. He'd attached his speech 'for your acknowledgement' and you'd had to drink three fat glasses of wine before you'd been able to read it.

It had the audacity to be good. Rude. It made you rewrite your whole speech with a clenched jaw whilst tipsy and you'd regretted not backing up what you'd previously written the next morning, because you definitely had only made it worse.

But.

Today was about Mark. About Mark and Poppy.

Not about how angry you still were with Joe. Not about all that weaponized disappointment you could feel sit inside of your chest that hadn't gone anywhere, because you weren't going to be the one to reach out to Joe, were you?

You were stubborn like that. Embarrassed like that. Because Joe had fucked up, and in doing so, for some weird fucked up reason, you now had feelings for Joe.

Very real feelings that were conflicting and painful and so, so stupid. It made it all too easy to pivot the anger and aim all of its arrows right at yourself, when, no. Joe had fucked up. Not you.

Joe was the one that fucked up and, Joe could be the one to fix it, too.

You know, if you'd actually let him. You weren't sure if you'd even let him, but you wanted to see him at least attempt it. It was the least you deserved, you thought. And then after that, you could just avoid him for the rest of your life. You'd work something out. Find a system. Something.

So then... how had you even allowed yourself to be shoved into a closet by Joe before he quickly stepped inside himself and closed the door, engulfing the both of you in darkness? And why did Joe feel that it was totally okay to press his full palm over your mouth in order to make sure you didn't respond when Poppy and Mark walked in and called out for you?

As you had made your way over to the hotel suite where Mark and his groomsmen were going to be getting ready, you tried to get rid of the exasperated feeling in your fingertips at the prospect of having to be near Joe all day.

But the feeling was still there when you walked in and got hugs from all the heavily-cologned men who were all scattered throughout the room, each attending to their own individual tasks. Some were carefully doing their hair, others were using lintrollers all over themselves, and you spotted two of them keeping busy polishing their shoes to a high shine.

The feeling was still there when you let a photographer into the room, to take some photographs of the camaraderie and brotherhood among the groomsmen as they joked and teased each other. Men being men, boys being boys, with you mixed in among them, the only one not in a matching suit.

And the feeling was still there when all of them made you help them with their ties.

All together they were a picture of elegance and sophistication, but beneath the surface, you could feel the excitement and anxious anticipation for what the day held. Everyone was a little nervous, and obviously Mark probably was a lot nervous, but fucking hell, why couldn't your hands stop shaking? The bottle of whiskey Mark's brother opened, because, "the girls are having champagne, aren't they?" really helped, and, yes, you hated whiskey, but fuck it, please, let's fucking go.

You used the excuse of having to put your dress on to slip into the bathroom. In there you took your sweet time, because the large bathroom gave you some time to yourself, and all the cool luxurious white marble that surrounded you in there was calming.

When you stepped back out, the groomsmen were just on their way out, following the photographer who was going to use them for test shots.

"My turn," Mark said to you as the door fell shut, leaving the large suite quiet, and he held out his tie for you to help him with.

You grinned and took it, glad you were given a task you could manage. Maybe that was the secret. Just keep your mind occupied the whole day. Right in the middle of doing a full Windsor knot, Mark suddenly placed both palms over your biceps and ducked his head down a little to force eye-contact.

"It's all going according to plan, isn't it? We're on schedule, right?"

"Of course we are," you said, but Mark could see your eyes find the clock on the far end of the room behind him to check.

"We're actually ahead of schedule, which is great," you said, finishing off his tie and making sure it was straight before you patted him over his chest.

"So, then... why are you shaking?"

You paused and curled both hands into fists to hide whatever shaking Mark had detected.

"It's just... my best friend is getting married today," you said quasi-casual, trying to make Mark laugh. "It's kind of a huge deal."

You looked up to see Mark's hair was flipping outward over his ears, and you used both your palms to flatten the hair, to push it back the way you knew Poppy liked it.

"Speaking of huge deals," Mark started, and for a second you made eye contact before stepping away. Off to find your make-up bag that you'd brought with you.

"When were you going to tell me that you've had Joe over at yours?"

Bent over your bag on the floor, your froze immediately. Who had said what to who and, what did Mark know?

He might not have known anything.

Just that Joe dropped you off at your flat the night of the stag do.

"Poppy told me," Mark continued after you hadn't moved from your position, hovering over your bag still, and you didn't know what to respond.

Of course Poppy had told Mark, because Joe had told her and Joe was the worst person alive, so that checked out. Of course that's what happened. The man couldn't tell his best friend about you sleeping in his bed fully dressed that one time, but this, this was fine.

Joe could go suck a thousand dicks.

"Joe said you kissed,"

Ah.

Just kissed, huh? Was that all he had said?

All right.

You cleared your throat and finally got back up, make-up bag in hand that you zipped open.

"We did."

You tried your bestest best to sound so very casual about it, but feared that the tone of your voice had just given away too much. You couldn't look Mark in the eye. Had to keep your eyes at the make-up bag in your hands as you searched for the lipstick that was a quintessential part of your look.

How did you ever think Mark wasn't going to see right through you?

"Do you like him?" Mark frowned through a small smile as he asked the careful question. There was no judgment. There was definitely confusion, though, and he stepped a little closer to not have this conversation across the whole room.

Did you like Joe?

Ugh.

Where to even fucking begin?

You bit both your lips into your mouth, squeezed the tube of lipstick in your fist and looked at Mark a second as he stopped right in front of you.

"Hey," he poked your arm with a finger by ways of showing affection, the way siblings would do. "It's okay if you do."

A loud, deep and very annoyed sigh left you as you frowned deeply, because you were meant be all angry with Joe, and you were, but, what the fuck? Yes. You liked him. It was confusing and infuriating, but you did. Joe had been weird and distant, but then also sweet and kind, and he'd hugged you and made sure you didn't have to walk home late at night all alone, and had let you spent the night in his bed and hadn't taken advantage, and then he had kissed you, and for three seconds, there had been more than kissing before all of it had ended and now...

Now?!

Now you wanted more.

Didn't people always want what they couldn't have?

Now wasn't the time, though.

Because today was about Mark and about Poppy and about them together.

Not about you. Or about Joe.

So you just shrugged, signaling that you didn't want to get into it and said, "Joe's a weirdo," which made Mark laugh. That, in turn, made you smile.

Mark looked good. Radiant and happy, tie all straight and his hair the way Poppy liked it.

"Got your vows?" you asked, trying to round this up, and thank fuck, Mark just went with it as he patted his chest over the pocket of his jacket.

"Rings?" you asked, holding your hand out, and for a moment, you were ready for a snarky comment. For the same joke you'd heard time and time again for months now. But it didn't come. Mark just went, "Yes," and found the little red box that held both wedding bands inside.

"Here you go. Guard it with your life."

"I will. Promise I won't–"

You were about to reference the joke yourself, but were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Mark went to answer it, and you stole the moment to quickly do your lipstick in the full sized mirror. Mark didn't look through the peephole before he opened the door, so there was zero warning, and you almost left a fat stripe of lipstick all across your cheek when you turned your head at the sound of his voice.

"Hey," Joe smiled politely, hand scratching the back of his head, in the middle of a deep breath. You could tell he was nervous.

Good.

"The bride has requested to talk to you,"

"Oh no, cold feet?" Mark joked and turned his head to find your face to laugh with you. Except you weren't laughing, because you were still applying lipstick and pretending that Joe wasn't standing in the doorway.

"Um- no, not you, sorry. Poppy needs some girl talk."

Poppy had seven bridesmaids.

Poppy probably hadn't had anything but girl talk all morning.

But sure. You could go talk to Poppy.

You didn't look Joe in the eye when you walked past Mark, touched his arm and said you'd see him in a bit. Told him he should probably also go see his parents before the ceremony, and snuck past Joe, who stepped aside and gave you all the space and then some. Which offended you.

He could've done whatever, actually, and it would have offended you.

As you made your way down the hallway, you heard Mark say, "Actually, now that I've got your here, can you..." before it trailed off and the door closed.

Interesting... not suspicious at all.

You had to promise yourself you weren't going to drive yourself insane today, weren't going to fret over what information Joe and Mark would share with each other, and instead went over the itinerary in your mind several times. It did a great job of calming you down a bit, especially since so far, everything was on schedule.

"I have a confession to make," Poppy blurted out the second you saw each other.

She looked gorgeous. Absolutely stunning.

"Uh oh," was all you managed to say before closing the door behind you.

"You are here for one reason, and one reason only, which is that Mark wanted to talk to Joe and I had to get you out of the room,"

You gave Poppy a blank stare before narrowing your eyes at her.

"What's with the secrecy... he could've just said–"

"They have... things to talk about," Poppy said, giving you a pointed look. "Don't they?"

You weren't sure what she was insinuating, but you had an inkling that she wanted you to spill the beans. Which you weren't going to do.

"Well... Mark's getting married to his best friend, I'm sure they've got lots to talk–"

"I've got another confession," Poppy frowned and waved a hand, dismissing what you'd tried to sell her would be their topic of conversation.

You couldn't help but frown deeply at her in response.

"I'm not sure I like all these confessions, Pop,"

"It's my wedding day," Poppy resonated, grabbing both of your hands in hers and wiggling them around a bit. "Let me get all of this out, please."

You closed your eyes and breathed through flared nostrils, keeping quiet, silently granting Poppy permission to confess whatever needed confessing.

You knew exactly what was coming.

"Joe told me you kissed."

"Yea, I gathered," you said flatly, letting unwilling laughter escape you when you opened your eyes to see Poppy biting down on her bottom lip to hide her excitement. This wasn't what you expected from her. "Mark let something slip earlier."

"No!" Poppy groaned immediately. "Ugh... Joe said I wasn't allowed to tell Mark, but Mark promised me he wouldn't tell you!"

It was official. This little group of grown ass whole adults could keep no secrets from each other, ever.

"Did um... did Joe tell you about what happened?" you tried, carefully, because this was meant to be Poppy's most important day ever and you didn't want to ruin it.

But your expression made hers falter.

"He didn't..." Poppy stared into space as she thought back a second. "But, to be fair, he told me you kissed and I... I kind of... even if he wanted to tell me more about it, he couldn't have, because I freaked out,"

You winced a little. Wanted to apologise, even though you knew within your soul you'd done nothing wrong.

"No, no, don't worry, it was the good kind of freak out. Are you joking? You and Joe? I knew something was up when I saw you hug outside that day, and now, this is so great, it's–"

"Pop..." you started, and shut her up instantly.

Besides the fact that you had never expected this reaction from her at all, Poppy clearly had only heard a very small little titbit of what had transpired that night. You wondered how Joe had even brought it up in conversation with her, and what the vibe had been.

Her eyebrows knitted together, copying yours, and you sighed.

"Oh no..." Poppy knew something was up. "What did he do?"

And yea, what did he do was the right question to ask, it kind of made your insides shriek. But this wasn't the time to answer it. Not the time to reveal to Poppy how her friend had done you wrong. Instead, you smiled and cupped Poppy's face with both your hands, told her she was beautiful and that today was about her and about Mark and that you'd talk about this later.

For a second it looked like Poppy wasn't going to accept the postponing, but an urgent raise of your eyebrows in question made her give you a little nod.

"Come here, you pretty bitch," you said, grinning wide before pulling her into a hug. "You look like a princess,"

"I feel like one," Poppy spoke, voice a little strained from how tight you squeezed her.

"I can't believe Mark gets to marry you," you said when you pulled back, and kind of meant it. Poppy was too good for him.

"Meh, we'll see," Poppy quipped. "I could still run." she shrugged one shoulder which made you laugh and then squeeze her even tighter than before. Poppy was far too good for him.

On your way back over to the groom's suite, you walked with stiff arms that held two hands with crossed fingers down at the end.

Please don't run into Joe. Please don't run into Joe. Please, don't run into Joe.

You turned a corner and...

There he was.

A mere few feet away from you.

For a split second you contemplated walking backwards, back around that corner, just, rewinding yourself in time and hiding somewhere so you wouldn't be forced to have whatever awkward exchange this was going to be. But Joe had seen you. You couldn't pretend you hadn't spotted each other, and so you didn't.

"Hey," Joe called, and it seemed a bit urgent. Like he was glad he had just ran into you.

You just gave him one of those polite nods. The kind you'd give a the driver of a car that stopped to let you cross at a zebra crossing. You even almost added the half-wave – just a raised hand with only the index finger flexed.

Joe'd stopped walking, but you were about to whizz right past him because you weren't going to do this – didn't want to do this.

But then Joe grabbed you by the arm and it stopped you in your tracks. His soft touch lit you full body on fire.

"This is yours," Joe said, holding out a white plastic card. The hotel key to the groom's suite. "Mark went to go see his parents."

You took it from him, eyes not meeting his. You couldn't.

"Listen, I need to– want to... I want to apologise, for– um, for not reaching out sooner, and, I mean, not that you–" Joe stumbled through his words and suddenly had to cough loudly after choking on his own spit. "Excuse me– sorry. I have to, um, apologise for–"

"Let's not..." you started and looked down at where Joe was still holding your arm.

Joe followed your gaze and startled himself, quickly letting go.

"Just... let's just stick to wedding stuff today, all right?" had this been a month ago, you'd have given Joe a polite smile at this point. But this wasn't a month ago. This was now, and Joe had humiliated you in the most extreme manner you had ever been humiliated – had left you dripping with your own arousal and his pre-cum with a full tit out in your kitchen. Said he'd see you around.

This didn't really count as around, you thought.

You saw how dismissing his attempt at an apology completely worked something behind his eyes before he gave you a quick nod.

"Yes," he looked down at his own feet a second before looking back up at you. "Of course. Did you– I sent over my speech, um, last week. Did you get–"

"Got it."

This chat needed to be over.

"You never replied."

"I didn't."

You couldn't muster up anything but coldness for Joe. Distance. The same type of harshness sharp by the edges that Joe had reserved for you for years. You were treating Joe the way he had treated you forever. It was kind of the only way to go about it, because you were angry and Joe needed to feel that you were angry, but you also knew, you fucking knew that the second you'd drop this hard exterior, you'd absolutely fold for this man.

"But I received it fine."

You would've stuck a thanks to the end of that sentence if you weren't so fucking stubborn.

"So, you ready for the day? Got your own speech? Got the rings?"

Oh, motherfucker thought he could be cute and joke, did he? You were mid-way through an eye roll when you suddenly stopped breathing.

No.

Your eyes grew twice its size.

No.

"What– what's wrong?"

You'd never quite felt a panic take completely hold of your entire being quite so fast. This was no slow-building storm but instead an instant raging tempest within your chest.

You were immediately sweating when you realised you didn't have the rings.

Where were the fucking rings?!

Mark had given you the rings, you'd applied your lipstick, and then you'd gone to visit Poppy in the bridal suite. Had you even taken them to the bridal suite?

Your chest constricted itself into a tightness you hadn't experienced so lucidly before, which made you only more aware of how fast your heart was beating and what the fuck was happening?

"Are you– Jesus, breathe," Joe grabbed you by both upper arms, and you spluttered through a big inhale, noticing the sudden heat within your face and why did it feel like you were on a rollercoaster ride hurtling towards an inevitable crash?

"The rings," you managed to squeak out before turning your head towards the bridal suite from which you came.

No.

It couldn't be in there.

You hadn't touched anything in there. Hadn't placed anything down anywhere. Groom's suite. It had to be in the groom's suite still.

"You lost the rings?"

Just for a second, you looked Joe in the eye, both entirely blank faced, faces reading nothing, before your brain managed to tell your legs to tell your feet to start moving and Joe let go of you.

Your dazed walk quickly turned into a frenzied run down the hotel corridors, and Joe followed you on your tail.

"Mark!" you called out, hurriedly knocking on the door when you reached it.

"Key, key, you've got the– use the key," Joe scrambled, about to take the plastic card from your hands, but you wildly evaded him and shakily opened the door yourself.

Inside, you immediately traced your own steps.

"Red box," you panted. "It's a little red box, square, rounded corners, bright, bright red,"

And without thinking, Joe started throwing pillows from the sofa, pulling sheets from the beds and tipping over whichever bin he could find.

The two of you turned the entire room upside down, all anger and awkwardness forgotten for a second.

But it was nowhere to be found.

No red box.

Fuck.

How could you mess up this fucking badly?

You felt your throat grow rigid, the panic intensifying and overwhelming you until it was too much to bear. Sliding both hands into your hair, you closed your fingers and pulled. You couldn't cry. Had to keep a level head. Think straight.

Mark was going to murder you.

You couldn't cry.

"Let's hit the bridal suite," Joe said, jumping from the bed, over the covers that were now splayed out across the floor, jogging past you towards the door.

"They've got to be either here, or there," Joe reasoned, and you knew he was right, but... but what if he wasn't?

"Come on," Joe said, beckoning you, and you were about to blindly follow him when suddenly, he stopped. He froze completely and you nearly crashed into him.

Voices.

Mark and Poppy.

No.

Joe pushed you back inside and quickly closed the door. You saw him look behind you, the room a full mess, and then, without much thinking, opened the coat closet to his side that he then shoved you into.

"What– Joe!"

"Quiet!"

Joe pushed you deeper into the closet, following you inside before quickly and quietly closing the doors behind you. It was all just in time, as you heard the small beep from the door unlocking as Mark and Poppy walked into the suite.

They called out for you and for Joe, and you could heard Mark go, "Jesus, what happened in here?"

All you could think about was that Poppy and Mark weren't supposed to even see each other before the ceremony. Not because anyone thought it would be bad luck, they didn't buy into that shit, but because you knew Poppy, and Poppy wanted that big entrance, that big reveal that would get Mark all choked up.

You were about to step out, about to say something, but Joe sensed it and so with both arms he held you in place, folding one palm right over your mouth so you wouldn't make a peep.

Your eyes were still adjusting to the dark, and you could barely make out Joe's face, but everything felt like he was being absolutely serious.

So there you were, pressed up against each other, both bodies impossibly tense, wholly focused on staying quiet.

"Well, they've clearly been in here," you could hear Poppy say.

"What the–" Mark's voice sounded far away, and you could picture him walking around the entire suite, taking in the mess that you and Joe had just created mere seconds ago.

"Did they fight? Like, full fisticuffs you think?"

"No, I think they were looking for this, look," you could practically hear the smile in Poppy's voice, and inside the closet, you and Joe frowned at each other.

"What are you..." Mark gasped. "Poppy! How did you get a hold of those?"

No fucking way.

You had touched one thing in the bridal suite. You had touched Poppy.

You peeled Joe's fingers from your face to mouth, "the rings," at him with wild eyes. As a precaution Joe raised his fingers up to his mouth, signaling you to stay quiet. Which you were. Joe could fuck off.

"Took them,"

"No, babe... that's not funny–"

"It's not meant to be funny, it's meant to create a little hiccup that–"

"A little hiccup?!"

"Mark, listen! Think about it... who is going to help her find them?"

Jesus fucking Christ.

Poppy could fuck off too.

"You're aware she's going to stab you with the cake knife later if she ever finds out about this?"

"She won't get the chance to, because she'll be too busy making out with Joe."

A silence fell within the hotel suite, and you were suddenly very aware of how the enclosed space you were in started growing hotter.

"Mark, he's been in love – like, actual love with her for fucking ages, if we don't help them out at least a little, nothing's ever going to happen,"

What the fuck?!

You saw in real time how Joe went from looking all stern, fully focussed on making sure that you kept quiet in every sense of the word, to his full face scrunching up before his head dropped down entirely, nearly head-butting you in the process.

"It's my wedding day. I deserve this." Poppy continued, and you heard Mark scoff.

"And I'm sure that for today, you'll be excused. But there's going to be a tomorrow," Mark was ever the voice of reason.

Meanwhile, Joe hoped the coat closet was dark enough for you not to see how his entire face had turned beet-red, or how his heart was trying to jump its way out of his chest. He still had you wrapped up in his hold, so he logically understood there was no hiding anything.

But still. Joe could hope.

"You know what he said to me?"

Fuck, fuck. Poppy shut the fuck up.

Joe was about to move his hands to cover your ears, but in a small scramble, you managed to grab hold of both his wrists and pushed them down.

Joe's elbow nearly knocked into the panel behind him.

"He said he cares too much, like, cares about her, and that he just wants to hold her hand and kiss her over the eyelids... he wants to kiss her eyes, Mark. You've never kissed me on the eyes before."

"Come here,"

"No! It's too late for you!"

"Too late?! We're getting married!"

Outside of the closet, the mood turned playful and you heard Poppy shriek followed by footsteps that chased each other.

Inside the coat closet, the air was thick. You were so aware of your breathing, of where your bodies were touching, and of Joe's eyes on you. He looked mortified.

"You care too much?" you mouthed, completely inaudible but for the movement your tongue made within your mouth.

Joe nodded, but it was careful. Insecure, almost.

You frowned and shook your head.

Joe couldn't care too much. Joe was a friend of a friend who never really took to you. Always remained aloof and stand-offish. Was weird around you. Made no contact, and then when he did, made misplaced jokes.

"You left me,"

Joe closed his eyes, and in the little light that the doors let in, you could see his jaw tense and nostrils flare.

"I didn't want to hurt you," Joe let a little bit of his whispered voice slip through as he spoke on an exhale

Your frown deepened.

"I care," Joe followed up, completely silent again, and for a moment the two of you listened to Poppy and Mark going around and putting the room back together. Shuffling of duvets, thumps of cushions being thrown, and had you not been staring into Joe's eyes whilst being pressed up against him in a space far too small for two adults to spend this much time in, you would've stopped them. They were in their wedding outfits. Tidying a hotel suite ahead of their own wedding. What the fuck were they doing?

But it just so happened to be that you were staring into Joe's eyes whilst being pressed up against him in a space far too small for two adults to spend this much time in. And then Joe's lashes fluttered as he looked down at your lips and...

Joe was in love with you?

Had that registered properly?

Were you able to process that right now?

Fingers then curled around your neck, and soft palms pressed up underneath your jaw.

For a moment, you just stood like that. Shaky breaths, trying to stay quiet still, and God, it was so fucking hot in there.

But there was not a chance you were going to break away now.

This coat closet suddenly was the exact right place you needed to be.

You were already so tense, were still sweating from the panicked search for the rings, and then tension built up even further as your noses touched.

"I care,"

You automatically closed your eyes and let your mouth fall open in a little gasp before you kissed Joe. It felt like he'd been waiting, because the frevour with which he returned the kiss was on a whole different level. Joe guided your head, turned it so he got the best access and licked his way into your mouth like a starved man.

It made all tension slip off of you.

The shakes you had earlier, when you had help Mark get ready? You could feel them pour from your finger tips. The anxiety you'd felt when you'd ran into Joe in the corridor? Ran down your frame like water off a duck's back.

Joe was making out with you, and it was a perfect push and pull of hot breath, wet lips and soft tongues.

It was really fucking hot, and you allowed yourself to forget everything for a second.

You couldn't forget that you had to stay quiet.

No noises allowed.

You couldn't make any sounds. If you didn't, this would last longer, so you really tried.

Your hands found Joe's hair, and you let your fingers slip into it, scraping his scalp as you did and it made Joe pull your face back a little.

"Don't," he mouthed, worried he was going to be the one to make a noise, but dove back into your mouth immediately.

It made your knees nearly give out. You were folding. Folding hard, and folding fast.

So.

You knew you were hiding in a closet with two of your friends on the other side of the doors somewhere still, but, how much convincing would you need to do to let Joe finish what he'd started weeks ago?

The second you thought it, you heard Joe's throat stutter.

Probably not a lot, then.

You wrapped both arms around Joe's neck and were about to hike up a leg, let Joe know what you wanted from him, but, that ruined everything.

Because your knee knocked into the panel behind Joe loudly.

The two of you stilled instantly, and your face grimaced. That hurt, but moreso, that was far too loud for Mark and Poppy not to have heard.

Shit.

You waited in complete silence, frozen on the spot, breaths held, both with huge eyes, and listened for a reaction.

But you got none.

It was silent in the hotel suite, and for a moment, you considered just opening the door and peeking out. Maybe they had left already. There was a huge chance you hadn't noticed.

But then, footsteps.

"Okay, let's go!" Poppy said, her voice raised to a volume it didn't need for Mark to hear her.

"The ceremony is in about half an hour, best not be late!" Mark replied, uncharacteristically chipper, voice becoming louder as he walked right past the coat closet that held the two of you inside.

You were holding your breath for fear of Mark hearing you and pulling open the doors to reveal the two of you completely entangled with each other.

That didn't happen though.

Instead, you heard the door open, heard them walk out, and then heard the door fall shut.

It took less than a second for the two of you to fall out of the closet into the cool air of the hotel suite.

And there it was.

Sat right in the middle of the hotel suite, promptly placed centre stage so you couldn't possibly miss it.

The red ring box.

Fuck.

They had obviously heard you.

You picked it up and turned to show Joe, but when you made eye-contact, the both of you gasped.

Your lipstick was fucking everywhere.

Joe looked shocked and anticipated your panicked state to fully grab a hold of you again. He was ready to go straight back into apologising. Reassuring. Calming you down. Comforting you.

But then you burst out into laughter.

This was so stupid.

Joe didn't know if you were laughing at the absurdity of the situation, or if you were laughing at what he looked like with lipstick smeared all over his face. He didn't care. You were laughing, and it felt like genuine, honest laughter. Sounded like music.

"Come here," you said and beckoned him to follow you into the bathroom where you still couldn't stop the giggles as you opened a packet of make-up wipes.

"Oh Jesus," you said when you saw your own reflection, and the laughter picked up once more.

Joe couldn't help but laugh along.

This was a delicious way to break any and all tension, and Joe knew he'd be apologising for... well, for forever. But it'd be worth it.

You knew Joe loved you now.

With a smile still plastered on your face, you took hold of Joe by the chin and with a wipe wrapped around your fingers, started cleaning off the maroon smudges.

"My eyelids, Joe?"

Joe grimaced, but let out a huffed laugh as he did. He blushed and looked down as he pursed his lips, trying to minimize the smile he had going.

"Well, anywhere, really," Joe couldn't lie. He didn't just want to kiss you on the eyelids. He kind of wanted to kiss you all over.

His answer made your breath hitch in your throat as your face slowly fell.

Joe was in love with you.

You didn't understand how that could be true. How that could even work.

Joe didn't say anything, but watched as the cogs turned in your head and you stared right at his chest with the make-up wipe hovering in front of him for a moment.

Joe was in love with you.

Suddenly your snapped back up at him.

"I'm still mad at you,"

"Yes, of course," Joe immediately accepted the fact that you were.

"That's going to take me a minute,"

"I'll make it up to you," Joe smiled sweetly as his eyebrows knitted together.

He looked cute like that.

"I'm not sure if you can,"

Another silence lingered, and you decided it didn't need more words from you. So you got back to ridding Joe's face off of your make-up, and then bent closer towards the mirror and cleaned up your own face. Joe gazed at you intently as you did, and when you made eye-contact through the mirror, he loudly cleared his throat and pretended something needed doing outside of the bathroom.

Joe was an idiot.

Made you smile.

Ugh. Fuck.

Yea all right. You guessed Joe's awkwardness could be cute now, or whatever.

Jesus Christ.

You finished redoing your lipstick, and you could still faintly see how the smears had stained your skin, but this was going to have to do.

You were going to go down and get through this wedding and pretend nothing had happened and you were ready for it. Were going to power through this. You were tough. And strong. You were going to give a killer speech, make sure the cake cutting happened at the right exact time, and would get enough people to fill out the dance floor in the right amount of time with the right music playing.

You were an amazing best man, and this was the time to really fucking prove it to everyone.

You stepped out of that bathroom, chest puffed out, shoulders pushed back with your back as straight as you were going to get it.

You felt like superwoman.

"Ready? Let's go." you didn't wait for Joe to answer as you marched towards the door.

"Um," Joe said, and you heard the soft snap of the ringbox closing.

"Oh my God,"

You were an idiot.

Joe threw you the box, and you caught it with one hand, impressing yourself as well as Joe. You gave the small little red box a once over in your palm as Joe walked past you, opening the door before stepping aside to let you through first.

"Hey,"

Joe stopped you right in the doorway, fingers around your arm the way Joe always seemed to stop you.

You looked at each other a second, and you could see his eyes flick down towards your lips again.

"Fresh lipstick, Joe," you commented, but couldn't help the curling of the corners of your mouth.

"I didn't say anything," Joe feigned innocence. Pretended he didn't want to bend down to give you another kiss. But in a second, you'd be at Mark and Poppy's wedding and it would be all about them.

About Mark and Poppy. About Poppy and Mark. Not about you. Or about him. Or about you and him. Him and you.

And you felt it. Felt what Joe felt. Almost wished you didn't, but not because you didn't want to, but because the timing of it was so awful.

"Here,"

You had an idea. A risky one. But you were going to go for it. Because Joe was in love with you.

You took hold of his wrist, and raised Joe hand to your mouth where you pressed a soft kiss right into his palm.

It made Joe groan as you made eye-contact with him.

You checked and saw you left a perfect kiss print on his skin, and just to be a little gross, because you really were angry with him still, you followed it up with a quick lick. It made Joe pull back his hand as he laughed.

"Let's go," you fought a smile of your own as you both left the hotel suite, ready to make your way down to see your best friends get married to each other.

Joe was in love with you.

And you couldn't fucking believe it, and definitely weren't going to admit it. Not to Joe. Not to yourself. Not to anyone. Not today, at least.

But Joe was in love with you, and you were in love with Joe.

Joe was in love with you.

And you were in love with Joe. ---

(just letting you know, once again, this is NOT the end, there WILL be a final part!)

--- The Taglisted:

@ghostinthebackofyourhead @dirtyeddietini @jasminearondottir @josephquinned @cancankiki @sidthedollface2 @dylanmunson @munsonsgirl71 @thefemininemystiquee @alana4610 @emmamooney @thatonefan-girl @paola-carter @figmentofquinn @haylaansmi @thewondernanazombie @munsonmunster @kellysimagines @mybffjoe @chaoticgood-munson @sherrylyn628 @bdpst-massacre @05secondsofsexgods @lovelyblueness @adoreyouusugar @nadixq @prozacandnicotine @munsonswhore86 @alwayslindie @breddiemunson @eddie-joe-munson @ali-in-w0nderland @pepperstories @phyllosilicate-s @thebellenouvelle @luvrsbian @joesquinns @choke-me-eddie @alizztor @jnnyrd @did-it-work @capricornrisingsstuff @quinnsmunson @frogers @kennedy-brooke @daleyeahson @eddielives1986 @harringtonfan4 @sadbitchfangirl

(taglist currently full, sorry)

#Joe Quinn #Joseph Quinn #Joe Quinn x You #Joseph Quinn x You #Joe Quinn x Reader #Joseph Quinn x Reader #Joe Quinn Fanfic #Joe Quinn fanfiction #Joseph Quinn Fanfic #Joseph Quinn Fanfiction #rpf #icallhimjoey #To Have And To Scold #joe quinn x y/n #joseph quinn x y/n #part 10

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ariadnelives · 29 days

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Author's note: I recognize not everyone does drink, not everyone can drink, and everyone loves clicking buttons. If you're one of these people, feel free to either imagine this is a Sober Night Of Fun, or to simply pick the funniest option

If you're interested in seeing more of these characters, please feel free to check out their exploits on Tumblr and ao3, and give me a shout with your thoughts! And try and reblog the poll, for maximum results!

#polls #character polls

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pomrania · 3 months

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The first scene opens on Han Solo scrolling through holo-tumblr. "Really?" he says, or types, "really?" The perspective shifts, so that we now look over his shoulder at the holo-tumblr post he's reading. It says "Which of these would surprise you more to find at your door?" and then the results for a poll with two options; the options' text is too small to read, but the bar for the second option is much larger.

"Eighty-one percent?" Han continues. "That many of you, would be more surprised to see a tauntaun than a Jedi? A creature that actually exists, than a mythical space wizard? You're all a bunch of superstitious idiots," he says, and then powers down holo-tumblr, or scrolls past, as the camera pulls away.

Cut to Han Solo again, maybe a bit older, in a different outfit. He's watching Luke Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi practice Jedi things on board the Millennium Falcon; then his expression shifts, as he remembers. He turns his head, looks around. "Don't suppose there's any tauntauns here?" he mutters.

Cut to Han Solo yet again, wearing another outfit, in the Rebel base on Hoth. A door opens; it's Luke Skywalker with a tauntaun, either ready to leave or just returned. Han turns towards the noise and motion, and begins to say something, then he simultaneously registers what he's seeing, and remembers. Behind his figure, the background is now no longer just the scenery, but the holo-tumblr post, from however long ago, fades in. Zoom in on his face, as his frozen expression slowly goes blank. The camera suddenly pulls back, and the normal background noises and scenery return. Han turns and walks away.

The last shot is of Luke and the tauntaun, looking at each other in mutual incomprehension.

#fandom: star wars #original content #not a reblog #writing

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for-a-longlongtime · 8 months

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WIP Wednesday with Peña-Rockford

(It's still Wednesday if it's 3 am and I haven't gone to bed yet, right?)

Alright, if you saw @sin-djarin's poll from this morning you may have noticed how, eh... things escalated quickly. So this WIP preview/mood board is the result from that. Also major credit to her for the song below which fits the mood perfectly for how this is shaping up to be.

Figured I'd drop it here to make sure I won't overthink it too much and will just get it written & ready to post. Particularly because of the encouraging reactions from everybody this morning. Please mind this is still a very rough draft without any editing! Not sure what this will be called, so I'm rolling with a working title for now. Gifs by @arcanefox207 , first line courtesy of @morallyinept.

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I Fought The Law (And The Law Won) - WIP snippet #1

Detective Tim Rockford x f!reader x Javier Peña

“That will teach you to run your fuckin’ mouth at me, Agent”, Rockford hisses. His hand is on Javier’s throat, the other one cupping him through his jeans as he holds him pinned against the wall. “Mind your manners. Brat.”

Javier fumes at him, attempting to push back, but Tim doesn’t only have a good ten years on him - he’s also broader, an inch or two taller and, as it seems, stronger. Which shouldn’t be a turn on, Javier thinks to himself, but his dick appears to have different ideas about that.

The slow smile spreading over Tim’s face makes it clear he notices it, too. He leans over, his dark brown eyes admiring the splay of his long fingers over Javier’s throat. The smile turns into an arrogant smirk when he feels the DEA agent swallow hard, almost gasp for air.

“Why am I not surprised?”, he says softly in a low sing-song voice, his breath warm and ghosting over the curve of Javier’s ear. When there’s no response, he moves his hand up to tilt Javier’s chin, making his head tips back against the wall, eyes meeting. “The brat tamer really wants to be tamed himself.”

Javier closes his eyes, his mind cloudy as he tries to figure out how the tables got flipped on him so fast. Fuck. “You talk a lot of shit, Rockford,” he eventually manages as he shakes his head, but he knows how weak of a retort it is as the words leave his lips. He can’t open his eyes yet - can’t make himself meet Tim's intense look again. Not when it takes up all his effort to resist thrusting against the large hand that's gripping his dick.

NEXT: WIP Snippet #2 right here

If you can't listen to the track, here are the lyrics;

Don't worry I'm not looking at you Gorgeous and dressed in blue Don't worry I'm not looking at you

I know you see me see you As you see me walk on past

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

FYI @sin-djarin @legendary-pink-dot @imalrightllama @secretelephanttattoo @rhoorl @mysterious-moonstruck-musings @trulybetty @goodwithcheese @linzels-blog @rifflovesjoey @maggiemayhemnj @magpiepills @youandmeand5bucks @morallyinept @5oh5 @missredherring @avastrasposts @anavatazes @imaswellkid @pedrit0-pascalit0 @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @libellule2001 @survivingandenduring @boliv-jenta @sheepdogchick3 @inept-the-magnificent @northernwindd @alltheglitterandtheroar @readingiskeepingmegoing @alwaysmicado

If anyone wants to be added to the taglist when I put up the entire fic, just drop a comment and let me know!

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thebarontheabyss · 6 months

Note

Oh no... the ROs can break up with us?! How can we avoid this tragedy?!!! I am way too in love with Death to let go! 😭

Also if we can have some fluff, how would the ROs react if we peppers their face with a kiss? Thanks!

Haha, don't worry; as long as you won't act like a massive jerk to them, there's no need to worry about it. (and if you will, well... you died already, so you don't have to worry about dying alone!)

AND NOW FOR SOME FLUFF

Death reaction depends on where you stand in a relationship with them - so let's say you are already together. Still, they would be utterly flustered, and a deep blush would spread across their face. "Oh, um, that's... really nice, actually," they'd stammer, their awkward charm only endearing them more to you. They might even try to pepper you back, kissing you on the nose and saying, "Is that how you do it?"

Lilith/Damien responds to your kisses with... well, a devilish gleam in their eyes. Their reaction is immediate and intense; they see it as an unmistakable invitation. Before you know it, they're playfully tugging at your clothes, always ready to escalate a moment of affection into a fiery encounter.

Morgan/Morgana would beat you to the punch, peppering your face with kisses before you even have the chance. Their laughter rings through the air, a sound as spontaneous and lively as their actions. As always, they're often one step ahead!

And here are some bonuses for upcoming later-stage romances. Which I guess is my way to announce that more romances will be added in the future!

Hastur is initially surprised by the sudden shower of kisses, a rare moment that catches him off guard. For a brief second, he's frozen, but then the corners of his mouth curve into a genuine, albeit rare, smile. Without warning, his strong arms encircle you, lifting you effortlessly into the air. He then plants a firm, heartfelt kiss in return. It's a clear, wordless statement from Hastur: he's as capable of giving love as he is of protecting it.

Peisinoe initially reacts with a dramatic gasp, “Oh! You’ll mess up my makeup!” Their voice is playful, tinged with mock indignation. But then, almost immediately, their demeanor softens into a wide, beaming smile. They pull you into a warm, loving embrace, a gesture that speaks louder than words - or songs.

He Without Name (Yes! I listen to the poll results! DEMENTED as they might be!) moves with a subtle shift in the air, a gentle swirl of the abyssal mist around you. "I... Feel..." they will whisper. You can almost see a blush forming inside their black void.

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percahliaweek · 1 day

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FAQ '24

What tag should I use?

#percahliaweek is our designated tag - you can @ us @percahliaweek so we can reblog your contribution on the corresponding day.

Where are the prompts?

Ah, seems this has escaped containment then. You can find them HERE!

Will you be doing anything on Twitter/other social media?

We considered it! However, as other social media sites have proven unreliable (especially lately), we'll be hosting the event only on Tumblr. However, you're welcome to post your work wherever you like! Just understand that without a Tumblr post we can't exactly RB your entry.

Can I do _ for the event?

Yes. Yep. That too. Seriously, so long as it focuses on Perc'ahlia (and is appropriately tagged to avoid spoiling people), you can do it. Cosplay, inspired recipes, beadwork, podfic, go wild! Well, with the caveat that no hateful content will be permitted - don't use a joyous event to rain on someone else's parade or promote hatespeech, alright?

Is NSFW content allowed?

Given the ship in question and just how canonically horny they are for eachother - yes! However, we request that you tag this content as #nsfw and use the appropriate content filter on it. If posting in the Discord server, keep it to the 18+ chat. Be mindful of potential minors in fandom space + people browsing content in public.

I want to participate but haven't watched Campaign 1!

We welcome fans of The Legend of Vox Machina with open arms. As a result, it's requested that campaign fans do their best to avoid spoiling show fans for anything beyond what Season 2 has shown (Umbrasyl's defeat). That means late Campaign 1, the oneshots and any mention of them in other campaigns should be tagged as #cr1 spoilers (using just this tag for simplicity). Show fans, if you want to remain unspoiled, I recommend you block this on Tumblr and mute spoilery channels in the server.

Wait - what might get spoiled for me here?

The #cr1 spoilers tag should broadly cover anything TLOVM hasn't yet, but do note that Percival and Vex'ahlia pop up in Campaign 3 and so some fics might contain mild spoilers for the events of that campaign and the decades between their epilogue and now.

Is there an AO3 collection for the fanfics?

Yes! HERE it is, ready and waiting for your fics! If interested in last year's fics (which definitely deserve some love), you can find them over HERE!

Does my submission have to fit one of the prompts?

That would be ideal, yes! Anything freeform should be posted on Day 5 for Free/Random prompts. But fitting the prompt can be very loose - maybe you just use the word as a motif, or you take it in an entirely unexpected direction. We want to encourage creativity and fun more than anything else.

I don't know what to do for the Free/Random day!

We have a few recommendations (we are unaffiliated with the websites linked): Random page of the Encyclopedia Exandria Random word generator OTP prompt generator AU generator Ghost’s Spell prompts [roll 2d20?] Wild Magic Surge table Life events table If you've made prompt lists and would not mind them being featured here, reach out!

How did you choose the prompts?

Prompts were selected by a combination of admin discussion and voting in our Discord server to try and ensure a good mix of evocative prompts (we see y'all voting disproportionately for the Scars prompt! We see it!).

Where can I find last year's prompts?

You can find the list and links to individual tags HERE. Given last year was our first year, we unfortunately didn't think to tag Day 1 until after the fact (we'll need to go and clean that up).

Why late September?

On September 29th, 2016, the Critical Role episode 'Passed Through Fire' aired, which features an iconic Perc'ahlia moment (no spoilers for show fans!). Following Burr's poll last year on which scene is most iconic for the pairing, we decided to have the week celebrate the anniversary of that episode. And, with TLOVM S3 airing the next week, who knows - we might get the animated version to go with it soon! ;3

Is it okay if I only do one prompt?

This event is intended to be relaxed and fun - one entry, or seven, or fourteen, however many you want! We've tried to announce the event earlier this year, to allow for more time for everyone to work on their entries, so please don't feel pressured to do them all the week of. And if you can't finish on time, there's no pressure: late submissions will still be RB'd and added to the AO3 collection. Mind you, after a month or two we might stop checking the blog and tag regularly, so your best bet is to @ us or post in the Discord server!

A Discord server?

We have set up a little server for this event on Discord, mostly to hang out with other Perc'ahlia fans and motivate eachother to work on our respective projects. The current link is HERE - let us know if it's not working!

Who is hosting this?

At the moment the users running this blog are @burr-ell, @blorbologist, @crithaus, @essayofthoughts and @rightpastnowhere! If you have any questions or concerns (i.e. we didn't see your post and missed RBing it :c) please let us know!

Any more questions? Feel free to send in an ask and we'll do our best to answer in a timely manner!

#percahliaweek #percahliaweek24 #critical role #percival de rolo #vex'ahlia #percahlia #perc'ahlia

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djarins-cyare · 4 months

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The WIP poll results are in!

And the winner is…

✨ Guns n’ Angst!!! ✨

Thank you to all 199 (!) of you who voted because omg that’s so many people and I’m blown away by this level of interaction 😭😭

As a reward, I’ll tell you a little bit more about the winner…

So this is a smutty angsty piece based on the ‘5 of this and 1 of that’ plot structure. The essence of it is 5 firsts and 1 last.

To See A Thousand Things

“Nothing can be sadder or more profound than to see a thousand things for the first and last time” —Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

1. FIRST ENCOUNTER…

2. FIRST FLESH

3. FIRST FEEL

4. FIRST KISS

5. FIRST SIGHT

6. LAST EVERYTHING… 😭

EPILOGUE: Life is simple, people are complicated.

I don’t want to give too much away, hence you’re just getting the chapter titles and that teeny tiny sneak peek for now 😝

I will say that with each chapter, what starts as casual gradually transforms into something else, something neither of you are prepared to admit to or remotely ready to deal with (cue angst).

Timeline-wise, it spans all we’ve seen on our screens so far and more. We begin about a year before season 1… chapters 2 and 3 occur after s1e8… chapter 4 happens halfway through season 2… and chapter 5 takes place after season 2 has finished. Chapter 6 then happens just before s3e1… and the epilogue is after the final episode of season 3.

I should add that I cannot write tragedies, I simply don’t have it in me, so that’s why this has an epilogue. Although it’s laden with angst, I’m ending it with hope.

Also, the inspiration for chapter 6 of this fic comes from @immarocketman’s phenomenal digital painting of Din getting head but looking oh so devastated at the same time (he knowwws it’s the last time 😭).

It’s been in the works since back then (November last year), but it’s taking a while to get right. Generally, I find both smut and angst the hardest things to write, so I’ve really set myself a challenge here. But the fact that it won this poll has bolstered me big time, and I now have new motivation to work on getting it finished.

So thank you once again everyone! 🙏🏻

Hopefully I won’t keep you waiting too long! 🤞🏻

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wouldtheybecomeafearavatar · 2 months

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Stats Time!

All right, are you ready for some data analysis? I'll give an overview in this post, and then I'll probably analyse the data per Fear over the next while if there's demand for it (This post is long enough already).

Global stats

So far, as of the polls currently finished (up to the Bigby Wolf poll when I started making this) there have been 331 characters polled from 247 different sources. The average percentage for each option (leaving out the see results option and the polls from before the other fears option) were:

Yes, willingly: 44.48%

Yes, by coercion: 9.67%

Yes, by unawareness or conditioning: 24.31%

No, they would decline/resist from the start: 8.03%

No, they would go along but stop before transformation: 4.41%

No, they would already be an avatar for another Fear: 9.10%

I doubt people are submitting characters because they think they won't be an avatar, which I think accounts for how much more "Yes" votes there are in general, especially for "Yes, willingly".

For more heroic characters, if they are going to be an avatar it would make sense it would be by unawareness or conditioning. Some characters would probably have to get to the point that the alternative is death before they'd choose to become an avatar (though it's important to remember that anyone who becomes an avatar does have to make a choice).

Coercion and stopping before transformation are proportionally less used than other options. I suppose both are more unusual situations and less generally applicable for many characters, but it's possible that these options are just being underutilised. You guys will have to be the judges of that!

The Fears

Fear Submitted Avatars

The Buried: 7 3

The Corruption: 23 21

The Dark: 4 4

The Desolation: 32 31

The End: 27 26

The Extinction: 17 14

The Eye: 25 25

The Flesh: 13 13

The Hunt: 29 27

The Lonely: 31 27

The Slaughter: 30 28

The Spiral: 31 30

The Stranger: 21 19

The Vast: 10 9

The Web: 45 43

(Sorry about the funky table, Tumblr isn't really built for this)

The Web had by far the most submissions and avatars. I'd guess that this is probably due to the fact that villains are in general going to be more likely to want to become an avatar (few moral scruples, desire for power) and more likely to be Web aligned specifically (all that scheming). That, or Web aligned characters are just more popular!

The Dark was the least popular Fear with a grand total of only 4 submissions! I suppose it's a bit basic, maybe? Compared to the other Fears it's kind of hard to know what defines a Dark avatar in terms of personality. Still, I'm sure there's more out there! There are a couple of recent submissions in the inbox actually now that I think about it, but it'll take a while to get to those.

There were 25 characters who were deemed to not serve the Fear they were submitted for. Most Fears had 1 or 2 rejections, while Lonely and Buried had 4 each. No submitted characters rejected The Dark, Flesh or Eye though!

The Buried had by far the largest proportion (4/7) of characters rejecting it. I suppose that's pretty appropriate for a Fear that has "poor working conditions" as part of its domain. Like Dark, it also had quite few submissions. There's only a couple in the inbox at the moment too.

Top Characters by Poll Option

To calculate this, I divided the number of votes for each option by the total, and found the character with the max percentage. I decided to separate the characters into low vote characters and high vote characters based on if they had over 50 voters who knew them, as there is more uncertainty with lower votes.

Most willing:

High Voted - Jareth the Goblin King from Labyrinth for The Spiral, 112/121 votes (93%)

Low Voted - Nikolai Gogol from Bungou Stray Dogs for The Spiral, 20/21 votes (95%)

Funny that they're both for The Spiral. The Twisting Deceit has some enthusiastic followers on it's hands!

Most likely to be coerced:

High Voted - Anthy Himemiya from Revolutionary Girl Utena for The Buried, 21/56 votes (38%)

Low Voted - Nathan Wallace from Repo! The Genetic Opera for The Hunt, 16/34 votes (47%)

Wow, The Buried had to coerce one of it's 3 avatars? People really don't want to serve that Fear in particular. Interesting to note that even with the most coerced characters that option was still under 50% of the votes! It's definitely not being used as much.

Most unaware:

High Voted - Siffrin from In Stars and Time for The Lonely, 74/113 votes (66%)

Low Voted - Nelson Tethers from Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent for The Eye, 9/13 (69%)

Uh, oops. I still haven't reblogged Siffrin's poll, have I? Sorry In Stars and Time fans (Mostly because I want to get around to playing that game, but I've already spoiled several major plot points for myself, so that's hardly an excuse). Anyway, these are most likely to stumble into a Fear, and not realise they are transforming until they get to the point of it being an avatarhood or death choice.

Most resistant:

High Voted - Murderbot from The Murderbot Diaries for The Stranger, 52/83 votes (63%)

Low Voted - Captain Hawkeye Pierce from M*A*S*H for The Slaughter, 25/49 votes (51%)

Funny, these two are both associated with being asked to be violent and resisting. Congrats to them for being able to fight off a Fear outright.

Most likely to stop before transformation:

High Voted - Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender for The Hunt, 77/188 votes (41%)

Low Voted - The Traveler from Chants of Sennaar from The Lonely, 7/34 votes (21%)

This one seems to be even less utilised than the Coercion option proportionally. Zuko is a pretty good example of a character that people thought would fit this scenario, while The Traveller had more votes for decline and unawareness than stopping before transformation.

Most likely to serve another Fear:

High Voted - Jevil from Deltarune for The Buried, 43/74 votes (58%)

Low Voted - Sarah from The Shaperaverse for The Web, 11/30 votes (37%)

Interesting. For Jevil there was quite a clear consensus that the alternative Fear he would serve is The Spiral, but Sarah was voted a Web avatar and there was no clear consensus on what other Fear she would serve instead. She's nearly a rival for Monika in the number suggested. Most of the characters with a high number of votes for this option must be in the High Voted category.

Most unknown:

High Voted - Five Pebbles from Rain World for The Corruption, 41/52 (ratio of 0.79 for voters who did not vs did know this character)

Low Voted - Hijiri Kanna from Puella Magi Kazumi Magica: The Innocent Malice for The Extinction, 28/5 (ratio of 5.6 for voters who did not vs did know this character)

Five Pebbles is a character who has been polled twice, and somehow less people knew him in the second poll! That poll also got less votes, putting it in the Low Voted category, which is why this poll is being featured here. This goes to show that the characters more people knew tend to have more votes on the poll, which is not surprising. The most unknown character is Hijiri Kanna! Not super surprising for a character it was very difficult to find a decent picture of. I'm a fan of Puella Magi Madoka Magica and I had no idea this spinoff existed.

Conclusion

Well, that's all for now! Hope you found that interesting, I know I certainly did. I think it would be interesting to dig into the data Fear by Fear, so let me know if you'd be interested in that! If you have any questions fell free to ask. The spreadsheet is in the pinned post, so you can dig into the data yourself if you want.

#archivist activity #the magnus archives #tma #mod Moth 🦋#data analysis #poll statistics #data my beloved #stats

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todoroki-waifu · 1 year

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Super late, but this is from the poll results! Thank you again to those who voted. :)

Itadori x Reader

Warning: Gender neutral reader, a small, slightly suggested part, and cursing.

Scenario: How Itadori shows he really cares for you.

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 1,896

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

You returned from your two day mission late that evening, exhausted and sore. You also didn't recover from the previous missions that were given to you prior to the one you just came back from. Because of your abilities and the rising numbers of high grade curses, you were needed more frequently. You either went solo or in a group, but lately it's just been you.

"Good morning, everyone." A yawn is laced with your greeting as you walk towards the entrance of the dormitories. The others were training, but stopped when they saw you.

"Good morning? It's already evening!" Itadori straightens up from his defensive stance to rush over to you.

"__(y/n)! It's been forever!" Kugisaki beats Itadori and has her arms wrapped around your body.

"I know, I've been a bit busy with these assignments." You returned her embrace.

"I'm gonna yell at Gojo-sensei for taking you away from me. I'm getting hives from being around these two monkeys for so long." She jests as Fushiguro sends her a glare while Itadori raises a brow.

"You might have to hold on just a bit longer. I'm leaving again tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Already?" Itadori was starting to agree with Nobara about scolding their white haired sensei.

"Yeah, but it's at night! Hopefully it'll just be a one day kind of thing."

"I hope so! Anyway, go get settled. We're finished here then we're gonna make some hot pot."

You nod at the three of them, agreeing to join them later once you finish taking a shower and changing into comfortable and intact clothes. Yuji leaves Megumi and Kugisaki to walk with you back inside.

"You sure you're gonna be okay going tomorrow?" He then grabs your bag and belongings, offering to hold them for you. You attempt to get them back, but Yuji wants to help. Even if it's something as tiny as this.

"Yeah, I mean...I don't really have a choice, but even if I did, I'd still take it. There's people in danger so I want to do this."

"You're over exhausting yourself." He frowns at the consequences your body may potentially suffer.

"I'll be fine. Promise." You give him a smile as you make your way towards your room. Once in front of your dorm, that was when you both departed to get ready for dinner.

You're gathered on one table with a boiling pot of soup and various ingredients scattered around. You thanked those who prepared it since none of them allowed you to help and instead encouraged you to rest. A few minutes into dinner and your body was starting to crave sleep.

"Whoa, hey, you okay?" Itadori sees your head in an alternating up and down motion with your eyes fluttering and bowl almost tilting forward. He puts down his own bowl to stabilize yours as you finally lift your head up.

"Sorry! I just got so tired suddenly."

"We can save you some if you want to go to bed." Megumi suggests and you shake your head.

"I'm hungry, too. Wish there was a way I could both eat and sleep at the same time." You tried to rub the sleepiness from your eyes.

"Oi, why don't you feed them? They can barely hold their bowl. Help them out." Nobara points her chopsticks at Yuji.

"M-me?!" A red tint develops across his face.

"Duh, of course you! You're the one sitting next to them."

Itadori grabs your utensil and dish, picking up some noodles before telling you that he'd assist feeding you.

"You mean I can close my eyes and eat? Perfect!" You turn your body to face Itadori with your eyes shut and mouth open to accept some food. Itadori's blush only deepened and he could feel his blood was being directed elsewhere.

"Oh my God!" He shouts suddenly, earning confused stares from his friends.

"What happened?" You ask and Itadori shakes his head.

"No-nothing. Sukuna was just being...funny."

"Fuck you, kid. You know you were thinking the same thing." A toothy grin appears on his right cheek, making Itadori yell at the cursed spirit residing in him.

"He's having a moment...Fushiguro, you go feed __(y/n)." Your brown haired friend elbows the shikigami user and he starts to stand up.

"N-no! I got it. Just give me a sec." The pink haired boy was able to quiet a laughing Sukuna before focusing on you. You went back to your previous position and Itadori had to bite down on his tongue to fight off another blush. He thought back on how tired and hungry you were which redirected his concentration.

Yuji made sure that the food wasn't too hot or too big for you to bite on. He kept a steady pace and managed to find a way to feed himself in between. After a few more bites and enjoying being fed by your crush, you took back your bowl. It was fun to see his reaction, but found it sweet at how determined he was that you fulfilled your nutritional intake for the day.

Once everyone was satisfied with warm and full bellies, you attempted to wash the dishes. Again, none of them allowed you and Kugisaki sent Itadori to bring you upstairs.

"You should get some rest." He starts leading you to your room.

"Not yet! I've missed you!" You immediately swerve in front of him then your eyes widen at what you just said. "A-and Nobara! And Megumi, too! I haven't hung out with you guys in a long time."

"Well, Kugisaki and Fushiguro are gonna head to bed early since they leave for a mission in the morning. Mine isn't until the afternoon so I can hang out with you if you don't mind just me?"

"Of course, not! I love hanging out with you. C'mon." You grabbed his hand, dragging him to your room. You both occupied your bed, you leaning against the headboard while Itadori was laying sideways on the foot of your bed.

Within a few minutes while Itadori was catching you up on the past few weeks, you were nodding off again until you plopped on the bed. The pink haired vessel wasn't offended, instead was relieved that you finally accepted some sleep.

He carefully maneuvers you into a better position, covering you up to your shoulders with your blanket. As he adjusts the pillow under your head, he frowns at the number of bandages and bruises on your person. He then exits the room after turning off the lights, pulling out his phone to dial his teacher's number.

"Itadori? What's up?"

"Please let me take __(y/n)'s mission."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I know they have one tomorrow night. Let me take that instead and switch theirs with mine."

"Why?" Gojo asks after a brief pause.

"Be-because I...I just..they've been, you know and I just-" He stutters, face and ears becoming warm. "Just let us switch! Please, sensei."

The white haired male exhales loudly before explaining the details of the case. "This is going to be a difficult one for you, Itadori. Based on __(y/n)'s abilities and technique, they could finish the job in 3 days, but for you, 6 days. Are you prepared for that?"

He had no idea that there was such a difference between yours and his fighting levels. Itadori was going to need to catch up so you didn't leave him behind or worse, be a burden to you.

"Yes. I'll take it. Do I need to wait until tomorrow? Can't I just go now?" Itadori had the energy and resolve plus if it was going to take him 6 days, maybe he could cut it down if he starts now.

"I don't see why not, but be aware that even if you leave now, you're only shaving off maybe...half a day earlier. Anyway, pack your things. I'll send a ride for you in 20 minutes."

--------

It's been almost a week since you last saw Itadori and when you noticed the changes to your assignments. They've become lighter and you were able to finally work with Megumi and Nobara again. You also found out that Itadori had swapped missions with you and you were anxiously waiting for him to return so you could question why.

As you sit on the front steps of the dorm, you see a familiar white and pink haired teacher and student. You're the only one to greet them since Nobara went shopping and Megumi was visiting his sister.

"Yuji! You're all beat up." He sees concern swimming in your __(e/c) eyes.

"I'm okay, promise! That curse was a tough one, but I did it!"

"I heard what you did. Why did you switch our missions? Were you afraid that I couldn't handle it?"

"Wha-no! That's not it at all!" Itadori fidgets in his spot, trying to explain it in a way that doesn't devalue your sorcery skills. Behind Itadori, you see Gojo a few feet away, laughing quietly at the boy who was in love with you. Your teacher makes an outline of a heart with two fingers then points at Itadori.

Ah, now you understand.

"I didn't think that you couldn't handle it. I just felt like you were being overworked and I wanted to help you. I wanted to relieve at least a bit of your workload because you deserve some rest, too. And you know, teamwork makes the dream work...ahehe..."

Gojo slaps a hand over his blindfold, shaking his head at Itadori's missed opportunity to tell you exactly how he felt. But you already knew what he was trying to say. Maybe it was time for you to make yours a bit more obvious.

"Thank you, Yuji." You take one step towards him, aiming your lips to his cheek. Instead of feeling a soft, somewhat flat surface, another pair of lips touch yours. You gasped, pulling away as you realized that you had kissed Sukuna's mouth and not Yuji's cheek.

"Sukuna!! What the hell?!" Yuji places his hand over the side of his face, covering the cursed spirit.

"Hey now, I did most of the work so I should be getting some kind of reward, too."

"Well, thank you, Sukuna, for all your hard work." You cut off their bickering and you move to the other side of Yuji's cheek. However, a mouth and eye were staring at you, showing off a toothy grin. Before Yuji yells at the King of Curses, you press your lips to his, finding that it was a safe place where Sukuna couldn't appear.

You removed yourself after a few seconds, giving Yuji a sweet smile. "You should probably shower and change. I'll make you some food. It's tiring after a long mission."

"S-sure!" He nods then jogs to the dorm entrance, but immediately stops to turn back to you. He plants a quick kiss to your lips this time, a big grin decorating his face as he walks back to his room.

You giggle at the extra energy Yuji has in his stride, happy that he returned to you in one piece and with a surprise. Gojo comments about how both of them are going to be a handful, but you knew that already. You love all of Yuji, even the King of Curses that resides in him.

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