#but she doesn't even notice they're practicing to fake it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mastermindmiko · 6 months

Text

Congrats! You're a heart breaker

an: the title will make sense when you read

Pairing: Bill Weasley + fem!reader

Word count: 1933

Summary: You're in love with Bill, unfortunately, Bill's engaged to Fleur

Warnings: Fights, Cheating, Shouting, that's it?

Hey! If you think this didn't completely suck, feel free to check out my masterlist.

Requests are open

His entire family is beaming around him, and my heart sinks deeper and deeper, as Fleur shows off the engagement ring she has on her finger. Molly and Ginny are less than pleased to have him marry fleur, but they're still excited.

A hand gets placed on my shoulder, and my grip around my cup tightens in surprise. I look to my side and there's Percy standing beside me. He squeezes my shoulder in support and asks, "Are you alright?"

"I will be." I reply and give him a weak smile. I look back at them and I can't seem to look away. He doesn't even notice that I'm here, and it makes sense, to him I'm only his younger brother's friend.

"Let's go somewhere." Percy says, like he does whenever I get sad. I let him lead me away up to his room. He closes the door behind us and I feel safe enough to let my eyes water. I sit on the bed and grab my blanket that he has stored for me under his bed.

Percy sits beside me and he holds my hand in support. He waves his wand and it brings over a box filled with books. Percy calls it 'the safety box' . It's filled with the books that bring me and Percy comfort and support, whenever one of us feels sad, we grab a book and start reading, the familiar characters fill us with a small sense of joy.

We started the box when Percy fought with his family and he found himself needing more comfort than usual. I never agreed with the whole disagreement, but I had to help my best friend. Eventually, after I gave him a stern talking to, and a couple break downs, he apologized to his family. Molly practically worshiped me the week after he came back.

I pick up one of my favorite books, and he hums in agreement. I grab one of the bookmarks that Percy has on his nightstand and shove it in the first page of the book. He squeezes my hand and says, "I don't think it's going to last."

"Why's that?"

"He doesn't love her." Percy says, and I bitterly chuckle, why would he be engaged to her if he didn't love her? Percy continues, "Bill's a bit like Ron, they're a bit dim when it comes to these types of things."

"And like you." I add, and Percy looks at me confused. I huff, incredulously and say, "Penelope had to give you obvious signs for three months before you noticed anything, and even when you did you couldn't get it through your thick skull. She had to ask you out!"

"That was one time!" Percy complains, and I laugh, "I could name the right if you like."

The door opens and Bill stands there. I wonder how he so easily got away from his family. He looks straight at Percy and then says, "We've been looking for you."

Bill's eyes flicker to Percy's hand that is joined to mine then looks back at his brother. He doesn't spare me a glance, as he turns around to leave, but not before adding, "Come on."

Percy stands and points to the door with his other hand, awkwardly, and repeats, "They're looking for me."

"Go, I'll just stay here for a while." I say, and give him a weak smile, I don't know why I try anymore, Percy already knows that it's fake. He clears his mouth and reluctantly goes to the door. He gives me one more look as if making sure that I'm safe, then shuts the door softly behind him.

I huff and lean back on the bed. This is what happens when you've had the same crush on the same stupid guy since first year.

~~~

I reluctantly went to work next Monday. The ministry has been on edge since the war's started, but it's gotten even worse after Dumbledore died. I worked on training the new Aurors, but not by going on field missions, but by giving them tasks to do, and things to learn.

It was boring most of the time, but I liked working with other people, and helping them reach their dreams of catching dark wizards. This wasn't originally the job I wanted, and I was so close to reaching my dream, but to me, staying home was my priority. I wonder what could've changed if I had gone to Egypt to be a curse breaker.

The worst part of the job was no doubt, the paper work. There was always heaps of it to get done and not enough time to do it. My feet dragged as I went to the office where I do the paper work, instead of the training room where I get to teach Aurors defensive spells.

I'm on the elevator when I notice that there's only few minutes before I'm supposed to be at my office. My boss was unfortunately, Nott Sr., who was not only a tough boss, but a boss was a sexist. He would do anything to get all the women in his department fired, so if I'm late, who knows what'll happen to me.

I bump into someone on my way to the office. I get steadied by two strong hands that feels familiar and I look up to find Bill looking at me. I can't move an inch, with the feelin of both his palms on my skin, it feels as if they're burning me, but I can't move.

"You didn't talk to me the other night." he clears his throat, and I avoid his gaze, I couldn't exactly do that with Fleur hanging off his arm, and I didn't want to either. I reply, shortly, "You were busy."

"Right." He replies, and I really don't know what to say. I look around and I see women eyeing Bill, like they've always had. Bill's attractive, I can't recall a time when he wasn't. We all fancied him when we were third years, but as soon as he graduated, everyone stopped, I didn't.

"Isn't this wonderful?" I hear someone say from behind me, and we turn to find Mr. Diggory coming towards us excitedly. Bill still has an arm on mine when Mr. Diggory comes to us. He grabs Bill's free hand and shakes it, excitedly, "Congratulations! Arthur told me this morning. It's such wonderful news."

Bill smiles awkwardly and thanks the man. Mr. Diggory looks at Bill's hand on my arm which has his engagement ring. I move away from him, as if I couldn't stand having that ring anywhere near me. Mr. Diggory looks between us and his eyes snap to my hand. He looks at me concerned, and says, "My dear, I think you've misplaced your ring! It's only been so song since you've had it!"

I flush a bright red and start to fumble trying to explain to the older man that I wasn't engaged to Bill, despite how much I wanted to be. Bill steps in, and says. "Oh! I'm not- she's not- I'm engaged to Fleur Delacour, sir. Y/N's just a friend."

"I'm one of Percy's closest friends." I interrupt. I've never been Bill's friend and I don't think I ever will be. I give Mr. Diggory a smile. I fix my bag over my shoulder, and excuse myself politely. I walk away, and notice, the clock once again. I groan, I wasn't going to enjoy the talk that Nott was going to give me.

I didn't bother walking faster anyway. I remember what Bill said, and I scoff at his words. When have I ever gave the impression that I was his friend?

~~~

I don't expect to see Bill again until I go to the Burrow once again, but the next day, I find him at the ministry. He was talking to someone, but when he catches me walking, he pauses his conversation and jogs towards me.

I try to rush past him, but he stands in front of me to stop me. I say, "I have class, and I need to go right now."

"You're class starts in ten minutes you have time." Bill says, and rolls his eyes at my antics. I huff and fold my arms over my chest. I look at him with a quirked eyebrow waiting for him to say what he wanted. He avoids my sharp gaze and he fumbles.

"You-you look good today." He stutters and it's my turn to roll my eyes. If it were only a few months ago, I would've jumped up and down at the words. I snap, "What do you want Bill? Why are you here? You don't work here."

"I'm finishing up some things for Gringotts." He says, and I frown, Gringotts, the god forsaken place where everything went to hell. The place he met Fleur. I say, "If you don't have anything to say, let me pass."

"I don't want us to be like this." Bill says, and I don't feel myself getting sad, instead I feel myself getting angry. I hiss, "Are you still engaged, Bill?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then this is how it's going to be." I huff, and walk past him. Onlookers are starting to pay attention to our conversation, and Bill notices. He pulls me off to the side into a secluded area near the toilets where he starts, "It doesn't have to-"

"Bill, leave me alone. Don't talk to me unless it's something Percy related. That's the only way we know each other." I say, and Bill says, "But I don't want it to be that way."

"Can't you understand that talking to you while seeing that stupid ring on your finger is killing me?!" I shout, and I feel my eyes tear up. I lean against the wall, and look away from him. I blink away the tears. I say, "Do you understand how it feels? How I feel?"

Bill doesn't say anything, so I continue to ramble, "I've liked you for forever Bill, and when I went to Egypt, we had fun. I even thought you feel in love with me, like I did with you. You tried to kiss me then ignored me, and I was an idiot to go to you and tell you that I loved you. I don't hear from you for months, and the next time I see you, you're with your family telling them that you got engaged!"

I rub my hands over my face, and wipe away the one tear that fell against my will. My mascara must be ruined. I sniffle and say, "So excuse me, if I don't want to be your friend."

"Wait!" Bill says, before I open the girl's toilets to escape when. I open the door with Bill behind me and we both stand transfixed at the sight inside. I gasp, and that alerts both, Fleur and Roger.

I had no idea that Fleur was here, Percy told me that she was going to France to her parents for a week. Turns out, Parents is code for Roger Davies. Fleur gasps, and pushes Roger away. Bill looks angry, and I take that as my sign to head to my class.

~~~

"The engagement is off." Percy tells me when he enters the flat. I hum in acknowledgement, looking at the set of papers in my hand that were the official grades of everyone in the class, these were the papers that would say if they were going to be Aurors or not.

"Don't you want to go talk to him?" Percy says, and I look up to see Percy shifting from foot to foot in front of me. I narrow my eyes at him, and I bite the insides of my cheeks, and said, "No."

"Too bad." Percy says and as I'm about to inquire about the weird sentence, Bill enters the flat. Percy heads out before Bill can close the door to give us some privacy. I stand up to go to my room, but Bill rushes to talk a hold of my wrist.

"I'm sorry."

Bill was never good at giving heart felt conversations or saying what he was feeling at least to me. He takes a step closer and I look away from him. He takes a hold of my chin in between his fingers, and makes me look at him. My heart skips several beats, and it reminds me of when he almost kissed me. The pleasant feeling leaves me and a bitter one takes it's place.

"I'm sorry that I was an idiot when I didn't kiss you that night." Bill says, and it all comes back to me. That night, I was about to finish my training as a curse breaker and they gave me my acceptance. I was going to work in Egypt, but decided against it. My life was here. I told him and I remember it very clearly.

He had a cake made with the words 'Congrats! You're an official curse breaker' on it. It made me telling him even harder but I did. He shrugged his shoulder like it was no big deal, but I could tell that he didn't want me to leave. The year I spent with him there was one of the happiest times of my life because my crush turned into love that I thought was reciprocated. He hugged me goodbye and when we parted he looked at me like he had something to say. Instead, he grabbed my chin the way he was doing now, and tried to kiss me. He stopped before our lips touched, and left.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I loved you back when you told me." He added. The morning after, I was about to leave for London, and I told him that I loved him. He apologized and left. Bill's hand moved to my cheek to cup it. He says, "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you for months, but I had to."

"Why?" I croak out, my voice heavy with emotion. He rubs his thumb over my cheek, soothingly, and answers, "We were going to be apart. We couldn't have a relationship like that, it would've been easier to get over you, if I didn't talk to you."

"And when you came back. What stopped you? Why did you propose to Fleur?" I ask, one question after the other, and he replies, "I couldn't be with you. I wouldn't do that Percy."

"What do you mean?" I ask, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He smiles, sadly and says, "Percy told me that he liked you, a while ago. I couldn't be with you when my brother liked you."

"A while ago? You mean..." I trail off, thinking if there were any signs of Percy liking me. I have a revelation and I hit his arm. I shout, "You broke my heart because Percy told you he liked me when we were in third year!"

"Ow! Ow! stop, he already gave me enough of that himself!" Bill complained, and moved away from my arms that were hitting him, aggressively. He help both my wrists to stop me, and he looked into my eyes, and said, "I'm sorry."

"You're going to have to make it up to me." I say, pointedly. He nods his head. He says, "I'm going to make it up to you, and heal that broken heart of yours. What's the first order of business?"

"Finally kissing me."

#harrypotterimagine #hogwarts #harry potter #harrypotter #fanfiction #fluff #gryffindor #harryjamespotter #harrypotterfluff #hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry #bill weasley imagines #bill weasley x reader #bill weasley #billweasley #weasleys #the weasleys #angst with a happy ending #light angst #bill weasley imagine

201 notes · View notes

caesium-55 · 10 days

Text

—everything is orange. [ iii ]

pairing: lando norris x kpop idol! reader

summary: a racecar driver who needed a fake girlfriend to dispel rumors and a kpop idol who needed publicity for her song. somewhere in between orange cars and orange sunsets, stands something they're afraid of naming.

masterlist.

“Are you feeling better now?” Lando asks, concern marring his handsome features. True to his words, he comes by your hotel room after he finishes the qualifying race. You don't expect him to. The race ended quite late in the evening and you're sure he has to prepare for tomorrow but he's knocking on your door by quarter to twelve and you let him in. He’ll start tomorrow in fourth position, he told you. You acted pleasantly surprised at his revelation as if you didn't watch an illegal livestream of the race on your phone earlier.

“Yeah,” you nod.

He lets out a relieved sigh, hand coming up to his chest, “Oh thank fuck. I was worried.”

“By the way, thank you for driving me home last night. I didn't mean to fall asleep.”

“Did Jinnie tell you that?”

“No, it's in X. They saw you carrying me to your car.”

Your sleeping face on camera is going to haunt your dreams forever. The oily skin and your mouth hanging open. You don't sleep pretty. Knetizens like playing god, smiting everything not pretty, especially celebrities. You're not checking out Naver lately because you're scared of finding what's there.

“Were you doing something? I can leave if you're busy.”

“It's nothing important,” you wave your hand dismissively. “Just working on a song.”

Lando’s eyebrows rise to his hairline.

“You produce songs?”

You nod, humming.

“The reason I agreed to this PR stunt is to get publicity for my upcoming single,” you explain. You assume Lando already knows about it, the real reason why you're here. Despite that, you still tell him anyway. “Wanna hear it, boyfriend?”

“I didn't know you produce songs.”

“Well, now you know.”

He laughs at the dryness of your tone.

“Well, I’m glad you offered. I wouldn't mind listening.”

“It's all just basic melodies. Nothing concrete.”

You hand him a headphone.

“So you’re like KPop Charlie Puth?”

Lando takes the headphone.

“Please, I can't even compare to his producing skills.”

You press play on Demo_42.

You order hotel service food because he tells you he hasn't eaten and while you both finish the bowls of noodles, you converse with each other. Talking with Lando is easy, you find out. He knows how to keep the conversation alive and going despite the fact that you don't have much to say most of the time, that you frequently speak with finality. You praise him during the conversation once. He says he’s got practice from his teammate, who, like you, is a man of few words. He decides it is time to go back to his hotel at 2:50 AM.

“Thank you for today, boyfriend,” you say and if you sound too sincere, you like to think it’s because you’re a good actress.

A flustered laugh escapes his throat.

“I like the sound of that, girlfriend.”

A pause.

“I think I learned a lot about you today,” he scratches his nose and moves his hands as if he doesn't know what to do with them. “Thanks. For that.”

You wave your hand dismissively, as if to tell him that you don't need his thanks.

“Drive safe.”

“Good night, girlfriend.”

The WAG wardrobe of the day consisted of a Dsquared2 black suited jumpsuit and Versace crystal medusa ‘95 sandals of the same color. For accessories, you go with silver. Rings are your staple and earrings to pair. You don't wear a necklace.

When you reach for your racer jacket, a personal favorite that you think will absolutely be the highlight of your outfit with its white-red-black color combo, Jinnie stops you.

“Wear the McLaren one,” she orders, pointing at the McLaren jacket that sits on the couch. Orange. Bright. Easy to notice. It's almost as if it’s begging for attention.

You grimace.

“No.”

“[Name],” Jinnie’s voice holds warning. You ignore it. Obedience is not your strong suit.

“No.”

Despite your insistence, you end up leaving the racer jacket at the hotel and bringing the tacky McLaren one to the paddock. You secretly brought a black blazer and shove it inside your shoulder bag, which caused the bag to look like a Minecraft block. You pout childishly in the backseat of the car. You don't like orange.

“Stop pouting.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

You hear Jinnie sigh, exasperated.

“I can't with you sometimes.”

You ask Jinnie to drive by a coffee shop. You tell her what you wanted to get—an iced Americano with five shots of espresso and Lando’s coffee—and she leaves to buy it while you stay inside the car and patiently wait for her to return. She insisted on getting the coffee herself and you do not dare to complain. You like it this way anyway.

Jinnie, like the day of the FP1, drops you off at the same parking lot. You hop off the car.

“Text me when you need help. I’ll be nearby.”

You give her a thumbs up and Jinnie drives off.

It's night time but you pull a pair of sunglasses on, toss a ball cap over your head, and a face mask to cover the rest of your face. The McLaren jacket is tied around your shoulders. You don't want to wear it but Jinnie insists it has to be on your being. You're waiting for an opportunity to take it off, perhaps at the garage. You can strategically leave it on an empty chair or any flat surface and act like you have forgotten it.

You carry your phone in your right hand, your paddock pass and a paper zarf with two takeout coffees in the left. You send a quick message to Lando.

you: here

He replies not even three seconds later.

lando: coming

lando: same place?

you: okk heading there now

you: you reply fast

you: do you always hold your phone while in the garage?

lando: it's either i reply fast or i reply a week later take your pick

You let out an amused snort and lock your phone. You begin walking.

You freeze mid-step. The path you took on the day of the FP1 is filled with people. It's not supposed to be this crowded. This is a place far away from the stands and the track and the general admission area. It's also a good distance away from the team garages and the food stalls. It shouldn't be this crowded.

Your hands begin to tremble and become clammy. You lower your head, gaze fixing on the cement pathwalk. The people haven't noticed that it's you. At least, not yet. That's good. You can still leave and hide.

This is not what we planned, says your conscience. You're not a coward. Why are you running away like one?

I’m not a coward. If you say it as many times as you can, perhaps it will become the truth.

You turn around but begin to hesitate midway as you remember something.

Lando’s on his way. You can't leave now.

You swallow hard and turn back up front slowly. You let out a shaky breath and force your heart to become steady. You clench your hands into fists in an attempt to get them to start shaking.

They can't see my face, you assure yourself mentally.

Your hands, now fists, are still trembling.

I can do this.

You walk into the den of lions, not looking back even once. You take deep breaths underneath your mask. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth; it's not going well for you. The longer you perform the breathing exercises, the more you think you're going to end up with a public meltdown.

They're all looking at you.

You can feel their collective gazes.

“Is that her?” you hear someone murmur. Your shoulders turn tense but you keep walking.

“It’s her, right?”

“I don't think so. She could be just a random fan.”

“Wait, look at the jacket. It has Lando’s last name stitched at the hem.”

A loud gasp, “Is that his personal jacket?”

“That's her! That's [Name]!”

Someone snatches your cap. Your eyes widen. You hurriedly turn your head to the side. Your sunglasses fly off at the abrupt movement. Your panic intensifies and you feel the air in your lungs running away and your throat closing up. The same way the crowd closes up on you. None of them even grant you the mercy of leaving a tiny gap for you to escape through. You are but a sheep in a den of lions about to be slaughtered.

You see faces and the backs of phones all pointing at you. They're all screaming your name, excitement apparent in their loud voices. You don't understand any other word they're saying, only your name. The chanting of [Name], [Name], [Name]; the tone slowly shifts into eerie the longer you listen to it.

They hate you.

They always do.

If this exact situation you're in happened two years ago, before the scandal, you would have adored the attention. You know how to handle a crowd confidently, the best at it among all the members of ORACLE if you dare say so.

But now, the attention is just….

You want nothing more than to hide from it.

No matter how you try to convince yourself that you can handle it, that you can handle when everybody looks at you, you can’t. You try to control how your mind thinks but ultimately, it is your mind that controls your entire being.

Someone snatches the face mask off your face before you can stop them. Now, you feel too naked, too bare. You slap a hand over the lower half of your face, dropping the coffee cups and your paddock pass down on the ground. You hiss when the coffee burns your feet. A chorus of surprised yelps. A few curse words are thrown in the air. Because of the spilled coffee, the crowd parts. You see a space and you waste no time weaving yourself from the people to try and leave.

The gap disappears when a person blocks it and you halt in your steps, almost colliding with the person. Your chin snaps up and your eyes widen, terrified, when Kang Geon Ho’s familiar face smiles at you. Kang Geon Ho, the sun to your Icarus, the one responsible for your downfall.

“Smile, [Name].”

A camera lens appear. The camera clicks just as a hand comes up to block it. Before you know it, the camera is wrenched away from your face.

“Fuck off, mate. That's too close.”

You’ve never never been more relieved seeing Lando there again.

The crowd grows impossibly louder. You have to cover your ears with your hands so the sheer volume of everyone’s screams won't damage your eardrums. Your eyes met Lando’s worried ones. He's frowning, you notice. You see his mouth move. He's talking to you, but you're not hearing anything and you can't read his lips either. You figure he’s asking you if you want to leave with him so you nod, a little too eagerly.

You don't expect him to throw you over his shoulder and make a run for it, a surprised scream already making its way out of your throat as your hands grip his hair so you won't fall.

username: livetweeting from the paddock rn and i think i just witnessed smth bizarre. i think i just saw a driver (or was it a mechanic??? idk really) running with someone on their shoulder

username: is there a kidnapping going on inside the paddock??

username: girl it's lando and his girl

username: what 😭😭

Your chest rises and falls in quick breaths as you try to catch your breath. You're leaning against the wall, both hands pressing flat against the wall for support. Spots are invading your visions, not disappearing even after finally standing upright. The bright orange color of the walls isn’t helping you either. You think you're going to lose consciousness or vomit your brunch or both.

“I think she needs to sit down,” the brunette sweetheart says. She was already in the garage when Lando pulled up with you in tow, locking hands with the guy you recognized as Lando’s teammate. It's a no-brainer. She's another WAG like you.

“No thank you,” you say in between heavy breaths. You start coughing. Lando rubs your back in soothing circles. “I’m fine. Just… I’m anemic.”

You need to start fixing your sleep schedule at your earliest convenience. Need to start exercising, too. You're not even this unfit before.

“Lando, mate, come on,” Oscar berates. “Is your IQ a single digit number?”

“I was just trying to get her out, mate!” Lando defends himself.

Oscar’s girlfriend shakes her head at the two. She draws closer to you, taking your hand in hers and pulls you away from the busy part of the garage and towards the back.

“I think it's best if we move someone less crowded, hm?”

You hear Lando protesting but you don't bother glancing back at him as Oscar coaxes him.

The girl makes you sit down in a monoblock chair she found, hands you a battery-operated mini fan that she conjured from inside her tote bag, and takes the empty space beside you.

“Are you thirsty?” You shake your head.

“Just dizzy,” you sigh. “Thank you, uh….”

“It's Lily,” she smiles. Lily is such a perfect name for a girl as sweet as her. You dip your chin to a light bow.

“I’m [Name].”

You and Lily watch the race together. She is pleasant company. She only talks when she needs to, which makes you happy because you’re not a person who’s particularly fond of chit chat. You don't hide your confusion as you both spectate the races projected on the large screen; you don't know what's happening for half the race. Lily is kind enough to explain everything to you. You know, you can tell if someone is intelligent when they are able to dumb down complicated information and explain it to another person where the information is easily understandable. Lily is definitely an intelligent woman.

“You're so…” you try to find the right word. “... Knowledgeable at this. Like not just the race and rules but the engines and cars and—”

You move your hand and hope it conveys what you're trying to say.

Lily giggles, “I’m studying engineering so I understand how the cars work. Most of the time, at least.

Your mouth forms an O, amazed.

She’s the type of woman you’d bring home to meet your parents. Oscar, that lucky motherfucker. You turn your gaze back to the monitor.

“You?”

You chuckle nervously, “I-I didn't finish uni.”

“I’m not finished with university either,” Lily says and you appreciate the underlying message in her words—there’s nothing to be ashamed about if you didn't finish uni. But here's the difference between you and Lily. She's going to finish uni some day. You're never going to.

South Korea is known for their high standards in education and you once received backlash when you shared that you only finished a year and one semester in university before dropping out.

“Psychology,” you tell her. “One year and one sem.”

“Psychology is such an interesting program.”

“Yeah.” It's the only course that the scholarship program you applied to is willing to offer to you. You didn't choose it because you wanted to. You were so poor you don't even have the luxury of a choice. “Agreed.”

You continue watching.

“Oh that was smart of him,” you note. “The red one. He’s going to win.”

“Ferrari?”

“Yeah. The one in front of Lando,” you point out.

“I think Lando can overtake him. Or maybe one of the Mercedes since they got fresh tires while the first two are still using their old ones.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong but the red one slowed down slightly until Lando was one second behind him. Then, Lando activated the DRS—that’s called a DRS, right?” Lily nods in confirmation. “And then that, uh… buffered the DRS of the fast black car behind Lando. So with that, Lando is able to defend his place but since he’s busy defending his place, he can't overtake the red car at the front.”

Giving yourself an advantage in the guise of helping someone. You rub your fingertips together in thought.

“Only three laps left. He’s going to win. Lando will either come second or third.”

“You’re quick at this,” Lily compliments.

You shrug nonchalantly despite feeling suddenly shy on the inside at the praise, “I try.”

“They used to be teammates, by the way.”

“Who?”

“Carlos and Lando.”

“Oh.”

You turn out to be right. The red car—the Ferrari and its driver, Carlos Sainz—wins the Singapore Grand Prix. Lando is a close second. Everyone inside the garage screams in pure ecstasy when he crosses the finish line and the checkered flag waves above the livery. You and Lily stand to clap your hands, happy for Lando. Lily’s boyfriend finishes seventh and you clap your hands for her, happy for her and her boy.

“Let's go to the podium, boys!”

You and Lily sit back down on your chairs so you can watch the ceremony on the screen but a mechanic comes by, tugs your arm, and says, “Come on! Your boyfriend is on the podium!”

Your eyes widen and you glance back at Lily, who grins widely at you and waves her hand encouragingly. Go, she mouths. You gulp and bend your head low as you make your way out of the garage and into the open. You lost your cap, your face mask, and your sunglasses at the earlier incident so you feel too bare. You want to go back to the garage. The garage is safer.

But you know full well that the world will question your absence. Why wouldn't a WAG support her boyfriend on the podium? They’d doubt your relationship and that's the last thing you need to happen right now.

You purse your lips and follow the other McLaren mechanics, speed walking while they all jog. You watch the awarding at the front row, strategically standing near a tall McLaren aerodynamic engineer so you can hide behind him once you see a camera panning in your direction.

Lando shines on top. Even if he's only second, he shines as if he’s the race winner. You're proud of him. You’re not acting this time.

You slowly clap your hands and smile in a way a girlfriend does when his boyfriend does something incredible—lovingly and in awe. All the people in McLaren watch Lando with proud faces.

He’s loved, you realize. Very much so. By his entire team. He’s his team’s prince. That's why they worked so hard in protecting him to the point that they'll hire a fake girlfriend to kill the rumors that damaged his reputation. And when a team loves their prince, the prince shines.

You used to be like this, too. HAN Ent used to love you like this. Not anymore.

He meets your eyes and they look gray and you notice how they widen slightly as if he didn't expect you to be here. Then, he grins, lifting the bottle of champagne as if he’s trying to show it to you. You give him a thumbs up and laugh, covering your face as you do so.

You return to the garage after the ceremony and the fireworks display. You and Lily wait patiently together for your boyfriends—your fake boyfriend but boyfriend nonetheless; you’re unsure if Lily and Oscar and any other McLaren staff employee besides the PR team are aware of the nature of your relationship with Lando—to finish the formalities of a post-race. The podiums, the interviews, and whatnot.

When they enter the garage, Lily immediately goes straight to Oscar, who meets her halfway and engulfs her in a tight hug. Your heart softens.

You turn to Lando who stands closely behind Oscar. He's looking at Oscar and Lily before he trails his gaze to you. Shrugging his shoulders, he opens his arms. You raise a single questioning brow.

“Come on, girlfriend.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“You're sweaty.”

“You don't see Lily complaining that Oscar’s sweaty.”

Lando inches towards you. You take a cautious step back.

“Lando, no.”

A mischievous glint appears in his eyes. You prepare yourself to make a run for it.

“Lando, no. LANDO!”

He breaks out into a sprint. Naturally, you also make a run for it, not wanting to hug a very sweaty Lando.

You tire yourself quickly and your heels put you in a great disadvantage. Naturally, Lando catches in his arms in just a few minutes. You struggle against his arms at first then later, you resign to your fate despite not liking the feeling of sticky and damp skins. You're not the fittest person and Lando is a high-performance athlete; you fought a losing game.

“Oh, right,” Lando pulls away but still remains holding your wrists. “The team is planning to celebrate tonight. Do you want to come with me?”

With me, you note. Not with us but with me.

“Raincheck?” You're not sure if you’re using the right word in the right context. Hence, the questioning tone.

“Not a party girl, aren't you?”

You shake your head, “I prefer working in my hotel room anyway.”

“Oh right…. The song….”

“Mhm, the song.”

Lando glances at your surroundings. The mechanics are packing up everything now.

“I mean, I can miss the party.”

You raise a brow, confused.

“Why would you want to miss the party? You're second place today.”

Lando makes a weird noise that sounds like it's between an amused laugh and a disappointed groan, “Don't remind me. But yeah, I can miss it. Oscar already went with Lily anyway. I think it'll be suspicious if I spend the night partying instead of going with you, am I right, girlfriend?”

You roll your eyes, though not unkindly. He is right, you suppose.

“Besides, PR scheduled a hard launch today.”

Ah, dreadful hard launches. You need to make a new Instagram account just for Lando when you return to the hotel. It's a drag. You’ve never operated Instagram since 2021. You’ve kept burner accounts in Tiktok and X, formerly Twitter, but never Instagram. Not since the scandal.

“Okay."

Lando grins with glee.

“Come on, girlfriend.”

username1: IT’S CONFIRMED GUYS IT'S CONFIRMED

username2: AAAAAAHHHH F1TV HARDLAUNCHING THEIR RELATIONSHIP BEFORE ANY OF THEM CONFIRMS

username3: lando already did

username4: by accident 😭 does it even count as a hard launch

Lando snorts audibly from his place on the couch. You look up from your laptop and send him a confused look. You're inside your hotel room again, enjoying the silence while basking in each other's presence.

He shows you the tweet, making you cringe when you see your face on the screen.

“Did McLaren Racing tell them I was your partner?”

“I think so, yeah.”

You sigh.

“Well, it's nice to know they told everyone for us. At least, we don't have to do it ourselves.”

“Do I even need to hard launch you now?”

You shrug.

username5: lando wins p2 and girlie’s reaction was like:

username6: lmaooo why does she look so angry she be squinting at everything 😤 gurl never beating the bitchy allegations

username7: what kind of wag is this? she should just go back to south korea fr idk what lando sees in her

LandoNorris: Hi! To clarify, my girlfriend’s default face is angry but she's not angry, she's just confused. and she’s squinting because of astigmatism. She actually isn't sure what's happening because everything is so fast for her.

LandoNorris: And she's holding her bangs so it wouldn't fly away in the wind lol. She forgot to spray it this morning. Please don't misunderstand thanks.

username6: LANDO???

username8: lmao lando be suddenly remembering that he has a twt acc just to tell people not to badmouth his girl

username9: MORE LOWQUAL [NAME] SCREENSHOTS

username10: ugh she looks so annoying and fake fr

username11: get a life

Lando reports the hate tweet before he shows you your pictures.

“Your bangs are so thick. It's like you’re hiding a dozen secrets in there.”

You snort, “I might be.”

“What secrets?”

In the most serious, no nonsense tone you can muster, you say, “I killed my mother.”

Lando laughs.

username12: LANDO CAN YOU FIGHT BARK BARK

LandoNorris: 🤺🤺🤺

username13: i want lando’s girl 😭😭😭

LandoNorris: well too bad, she doesn't want you, she wants me

username14: LMAO CANT BELIEVE IM SEEING JEALOUS LANDO

username15: rip fuckboi lando, hello loyal and protective bf lando

LandoNorris: Well, cat’s out of the bag now 🤷

LandoNorris: But I'm still not very happy with what happened earlier before the race. Our relationship might be out now but it doesn't make it okay for all of you to gather around [Name] like what happened today. I sincerely ask everyone to respect us.

“Oh, that's a sick beat," Lando lifts his head.

“Sick?”

“I mean it's good. Good sick. Not like sick sick, fever sick.”

He’s saying the word “sick” a little too much.

“Woo, that wasn't very cool of me.”

“You're lucky I’m fake dating you even if you’re uncool.”

“Uh, rude?”

A phone ring interrupts you both. It's not yours.

Lando stands from the couch and walks away to answer the call on the balcony. You continue tweaking the bits. It still doesn't sound like it's worthy to be a single. This song has to be perfect. It doesn't have to be SOTY material, it just has to be the song. You have to make a mark to gain your relevance in the KPop industry back.

Lando comes back, his phone against his ear.

“Do you mind helping me out, baby?”

“What is it?” you ignore the way your heart wavers slightly because of the “baby.” It's not the word. You're used to hearing people call sweet pet names. It's just the way he utters it. You can't find a few accurate words to describe it. Affectionate? Soft? Real.

“My family kinda….wants to see you?” He pulls the phone away from his ear and covers the microphone of the gadget with his hand. He whispers: “They don't know we're fake dating and they just saw the race.”

“Oh,” you hurriedly fix yourself, straightening your hair and setting your laptop aside. Family wasn't in the list of the people allowed to know of the PR stunt. You're not surprised that Lando didn't tell them. However, you still didn't expect them to call their son over this. “Video call or…?”

“Video.”

You nod. You hurriedly smooth out the creases of your top.

“Do I look perfect now?”

“Beautiful.”

You give him a look. You won't accept anything less than perfect.

“You look okay, [Name].”

“I’m going to get my powder—”

Lando grabs your elbow, “No, you’re already beautiful. You don't need to reapply. Oh, look, hey Mum!”

Your eyes widen and you cover the lower half of your face with your palm as Lando moves the phone so the two of you can be seen on the screen. You shyly wave and his mother proceeds to scream. You jump slightly.

“Sorry, that was your sister.”

Lando laughs, shaking his head.

“You have a sister?” you whisper-ask.

“Yeah,” he holds up two fingers. “Two younger ones. They're Corales.”

Your eyes widen. Corale is the fandom of ORACLE. (You hate this name but that's what the company decided.)

“You're serious.”

“Dead serious,” Lando says. “That's why they called immediately. You're Cisca’s bias. Flo is OT7.”

You gape. You can't believe you're hearing this.

“I—”

Your surprise turns into horror. Lando's sisters are definitely aware of your scandal. As fans of ORACLE, they're certainly updated about it.

Shit.

“Let me talk to her. Let me talk to her. Oh my god, hiiiiii.”

You force yourself to smile and shyly wave at his sister. She squeals, excited.

“OH MY GOD, LANDO YOU FINALLY DID SOMETHING RIGHT IN YOUR LIFE.”

“Hey!” Lando barks. “Can you at least act like you respect me in front of my girlfriend please? Jeez, Cisca.”

“Let me see her—Oh my god, I will cry. Annyeong [Name]-unnie! Eotteohge jinaeseyo? Dangsin-eun neomu yeppeuda!”

You chuckle softly, “Hi, I’m doing well. Thank you for asking.”

“Your Korean is terrible.”

“Shut up, Kinder.”

“I think your Korean is wonderful. Lando is just being mean,” you say, making Lando gasp as if your words offended him. “I love your hair.”

She squeals again, delighted.

“She noticed my hair! Oh my god! I went to the salon today just to talk to you! Wait, you’re speaking English?”

“I can speak English, yes.”

You turn to Lando, “What’s her name again?”

“Cisca.”

“Cisca,” you repeat slowly, testing how it sounds from your tongue.

“She said my name!”

You chuckle.

“Kinder, you are never ever allowed to mess this up! If you break up with her, I'm going to break your legs."

Cisca gets shoved away and another girl replaces her on the screen. Ah, she must be Flo, you think. She and Cisca look alike.

“Hi [Name]!”

“Hi Flo.”

“Have I already told you I loved you?”

You're unsure how to respond, “Thank you?”

“That's enough,” Lando decides, moving the phone away. You hear a series of protests.

“No, no, that’s enough.”

“Don't gatekeep your girlfriend!”

Lando, like a brat, sticks his tongue out to the camera, “I will do whatever I want.”

“Is she going to be in Suzuka? I’m flying to Suzuka! I need to see her!”

“Bye Flo, bye Cisca, bye Mum. Tell Dad and Oliver I said hi.”

“Kinder!”

Lando playfully sticks out his tongue towards the phone and ends the call.

You can't help but feel relieved. You expected them to hate you. But they didn't. So you're grateful.

“That wasn't very nice. They still wanted to talk.”

“No. They just wanted to fangirl.”

You shake your head at him.

“By the way, you’re coming to Suzuka, right? With me?”

He said with me instead of with us again.

“When is that again?”

You can't remember dates very well.

“The 24th.”

“The FP1?”

“No, the FP1’s on the 22nd.”

You press your tongue against the inside of your cheek, “I have to go back to Seoul and talk to Yoon PD-nim.”

Further discussions about the whole agreement and situation has to be made. He sent you to Singapore only a day after accepting Yoon PD-nim's proposal. He didn't elaborate on the situation enough but has promised to explain after Singapore.

“I’ve never been to South Korea before.”

“You should come and visit then," you say, nonchalant.

“Okay, I’ll tell my manager I’m flying with you.”

You blink.

“Heh?”

Koreaboo: Former member of ORACLE, [Name] spotted today at Incheon International Airport with Formula One Racer boyfriend after the Singapore Grand Prix. Click the link to read more about this news.

koreabooo.com

“So you brought the boy along?”

“He brought himself.”

A heavy sigh goes past Yoon PD-nim’s lips. He lowers the paper in his hand to his desk. It's the revised contract with McLaren.

“What did they think about this?”

He’s referring to the contract.

“This isn't what was initially planned.”

“I know.”

“How did you get them to agree with your terms?”

Your terms, you note. His choice of words only remind you how alone you really are. The company is sending you as a soldier to a war you don't know how to navigate into and will do nothing to help you. They'll only wait for you to come back, either as a corpse or as a victor. If you return a corpse, they’ll dump you. Your contract is going to end in less than eleven months, it’ll be easy for them to do so. If you return a victor, they’ll reap all the benefits you sowed. You noticed a new McLaren in the parking lot today. Yoon PD-nim is already reaping benefits. If you're lucky, the only benefit you’ll get after this is a solo debut promotion and a contract extension.

“I did what I could."

You pushed a bluff and hoped it would go your way. Fortunately, it did go your way.

A proud smile appears on Yoon PD-nim's lips.

“I knew I was right in choosing you.”

He can never be so wrong.

A knock on the door ruins your concentration, causing you to draw a stray jagged line on the paper. You sigh, muttering a shibal beneath your breath. You do a quick glance on the time projected in your laptop—11:31 PM. You assume it’s Min Hee, a member of ORACLE who promised to come by earlier after her rehearsal for her solo in the upcoming MAMA Awards in November. It's still quite early to start practicing for the award show but Minhee always liked doing things in advance. When you open the door, your eyes widen.

It's not Minhee.

“Lando?”

#lando norris #f1 x reader #fluff #formula one #f1 imagines #fanfic #formula 1 #lando norris x reader #ln4 fic #ln4 x reader #ln4 #kpop idol! reader

145 notes · View notes

finn-writes-stuff · 1 year

Note

May I ask for headcanons for Grog, Scanlan, Percy and Vax with gn shy s/o pretty please?

Shrinking Violet

Quiet and shy, you've caught the eyes of the men of Vox Machina.

Grog, Scanlan, Percy & Vax x Reader

Fandom: The Legends of Vox Machina/Critical Role

Format: Headcanons

Warnings: N/A

Gender-Neutral Reader

Masterlist

Whoever sends me a proper Percy request next is going to have my hand in marriage. -Finn

Grog

Grog has never been shy in his life. It often just doesn't occur to him to be nervous about talking to people. He has things he wants to say and do, so why would he not?

It creates an interesting contrast with you. His booming exuberance compared to your quiet restraint. There's a joke in the party that between the two of you, it averages out to the perfect usual amount of speech.

Grog wants you to feel comfortable around him! He understands on some level that people are often quiet around him because they're scared or intimidated, and he really doesn't want you to be.

You're definitely able to notice that Grog is gentler with you, trying to pull you out of your shell without scaring you off.

The extra obvious tell is Pike trying to very nonchalantly tell you about how Grog is totally chill and you can just talk with him! She isn't the most subtle of wingmen.

Scanlan

He has little restraint and even less shame. He will say anything that pops into his head, no matter how awful it is. Speaking to him will inevitably leave your ears burning.

Scanlan thinks it's kind of cute that you're so shy and makes a game out of getting you to laugh at his jokes and talk without seeming so nervous.

Seeing you when you're happy enough to forget how nerve-wracking social interaction is, melts him. The first time that he made you properly laugh, like a full, loud, straight from the chest laugh, he was left a little dazed.

The innuendos actually get worse. You don't brush them off with snark the same way most of the party does, and he absolutely capitalizes on it to double down on flirting with you.

Percy

Percy has a hack for social interaction and it boils down to being rich. He leans into the 'I am important and smart and well-spoken' part of his personality and it gets him what he wants. So even when social interaction is overwhelming, he can just default to that.

So, naturally, he teaches you the finer points of it to help you talk when you need to. He lets you practice with him and only laughs when you start making fun of him.

He is a big fan of leaving crowded situations to go work in his own space, and he will offer you the chance to come with him whenever he does. You just have to hold tools for him while he works.

If you're in a situation where you're stuck talking with strangers, he develops a habit of sweeping in with a convenient reason for you to leave the conversation. It satisfies something deep in his chest when he gets to play your knight in shining armor.

Vax

Vax'ildan, king of charming his way behind closed doors. He is pretty solidly at ease in conversations, and when he isn't, he can certainly fake it.

He'll tease you about how shy you are, he finds it adorable and he likes pushing to see how far it goes.

That doesn't mean that he allows other people to tease you or push is though. He will make them fuck off the moment you look uncomfortable.

As a kid, he was shy and nervous, but it has been a long time since he had to watch everything he said. He doesn't want you to feel that talking is going to get you in trouble. As much as he can be an ass, he genuinely wants you to be comfortable with him and the rest of the party.

908 notes · View notes

love-toxin · 1 year

Note

We’ve seen bully!eddie, but what about obsessed worshipper!eddie?

Like he sees the reader as this untouchable deity and he absolutely worships the ground she walks on, everything she does is perfect. He doesn’t feel worthy of her but he just has to have her, he just can’t let anyone else taint her

obsessed worshipper you say? ohoho.....

(cws: worshipper!eddie, f!angelface, self-esteem issues, stalking, delusions, masturbation, stick and pokes, punishment-centric self-harm, eddie literally licks your boots w/o you in them, mutual pining.)

he twists his rings whenever you walk by the table he sits at, a little squeak squeak squeak as he fidgets and fiddles until you're completely out of sight. he has to stare but he can't be idle, he's rarely ever idle, so he watches and ogles until it's a running joke at the Hellfire table that Eddie's whipped for the new girl.

maybe. no, not really--he's just in awe. probably. you're really pretty. and you don't seem at all like the fake people that far outnumber him and his comrades, he knows you're more genuine than they are because he's not scared of you, and you're not scared of him. you tell him good morning when you see him, your lockers separated only by a single one between them, and when he says it back you always smile and seem so happy. but it's not because people don't like you; you're so warm that everyone likes you. why wouldn't they? how could someone dislike you? it doesn't compute in his mind even somewhat.

it's always weird being around you, but good weird. like butterflies in his stomach that turn into hurricanes when you smile, or laugh, or when you get close to lend him a pencil and he smells your perfume. so pretty. he buys a bottle just to spray it in his room so it always feels like you're around, and that's a little creepy, but he's already a freak so it probably isn't any worse than what people think he gets up to. it's not any worse than when he's pricking his own arm with a homemade needle to tattoo your initials into his skin, or when he cuts a tiny lock of his hair off and sneaks it into the bottom of your backpack. you just need something of his, he needs people to notice that you shouldn't be messed with--he needs people to stay away from you because they don't deserve you. they don't deserve your kindness when they turn around and terrorize other people, and they shouldn't get to take away your smile when someone's rude to you and you flinch away. they're all beneath you.

when he starts following you home is when Eddie knows he has some kind of problem. at first he convinced himself it was just to make sure you got home unscathed, but soon he realizes that it's just because he needs more time with you. there aren't enough hours in the day for him to spend looking up at your godliness, and while he's gone from egregious truancy to a near perfect attendance, even worshipping you at home isn't enough after awhile. he can only practice so many love songs before his fingers bleed and his throat aches, and gripping his own cock as he drowns himself in fantasies of you can't satisfy him forever. he needs something of yours, but what he really wants is you. stealing one of your shoes is the next big infraction, although he reasons it out that because he brought it back it wasn't a big deal--even though he came all over the toe of your polished doll-like dress heel, just so he could lick it off and feel like he was polishing them for you. touching himself later that night was especially brutal, as he punished himself with as much pain as he could bear in some sort of confessional apology you don't even know about--mostly bruising pinches to his inner thighs just as he's about to finish, and a tight, dry grip that leaves him sore and shaking from his own abuse even though it felt so good.

after a while, he even worries over whether or not you're getting enough release yourself. you're so perfect, do you practice self-pleasure? how often? how do you do it? how long? what do you think about? do you use your hand, or....those questions and thousands more cycle through his head on a daily basis as he fixates on his new idea of you, but they don't stop and only get stronger the closer the two of you get. soon enough you're friends, he spends time in your room, you spend time at band practice and Hellfire. he loses his mind at the sight of the bed you sleep on and the furniture you touch every day, with the clothes that wrap around your body and the bits of makeup that cling to your perfect skin. he wishes he was all of that and more, he just wants to be around you, on you, 24/7. he has a moment of clarity one night, where he's so deliriously worried for you after a degrading comment was made earlier in the day by some jock, and he has to physically punch himself in his own stomach to stop himself from crawling through your window and cuddling up next to you as you sleep. after that he has to distance himself, worried he may encroach too far and scare you into fearing him.

but Eddie is beyond happy to find that's not the case when he finds whispers of his name in your diary entries. flipping through them becomes a passing hobby when you're not home, and once he's gotten through quite a bit to start reading more recent entries, his breath hitches as he discovers some passages from when you first moved to Hawkins.

"sometimes the only good thing about my day is seeing Eddie. I feel so worthless most of the time, but he makes me feel special."

"maybe he's lying when he says I'm pretty, but I don't care. I really like him. I feel like I've known him forever."

"this is so embarrassing, but I think I might have a crush on Eddie. I feel like he's with me all the time--I can't get him out of my head. but how could I tell him how I feel? how could he ever like someone like me?"

it's a dream come to life, but it's bittersweet all the same. among those glorious admissions of your feelings for him, someone so low and unworthy compared to you, there are so many sparks of doubt and self-hate that just kill Eddie inside. as your most loyal follower--your only follower--he can't allow that to stand.

so this time, he'll wait. and when you get home, oh, will he have so much to show you to prove that you're so much more divine than you seem to believe.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie's angelface #worshipper!eddie munson #spicy writing #st 4 #stranger things #ellie writes #anons

464 notes · View notes

ladymarlin · 6 months

Text

Total Drama Headcanons 🤯🤯🤯

Mostly Heather tbh

Heather cuddles w ppl by like, laying on them. Like if Alejandro's sitting down she'll lay on him

Like these cats

After Heather has dance practice ESPECIALLY rlly long ones, Alejandro gives her massages so she's less sore

Lindsay and Justin matching Juicy track suits (they're besties)

Heather gets VERY jealous and she's rlly sensitive abt stuff like that bc she's so used to being hated so whenever someone loves her and does ANYTHING that makes her jealous she's like "ok u hate me?"

Heather is a middle child with 2 older siblings and 2 younger siblings (one of which is her "evil younger brother" Damien)

Heather is Japanese and can speak almost fluently in Japanese

Heather has beef w/ her parents

-her relationship w her mom is complicated. She spent more time w than her dad bc he's just a lot but really her and her mom didn't rlly get along

Heather kinda hates her culture bc it reminds her of her mom

-She'd end up more immersed in Alejandro's culture than her own

Courtney either still has her tattoo or has a scar from getting it removed

Duncan and Courtney's tattoos were tramo stamps (@m7nd3w's hc)

-Courtney wanted it to be somewhere her parents wouldn't notice, so Duncan suggested lower back (my hc)

Alejandro cooks but like Heather can also cook he just INSISTS he does all the cooking

Sometimes Alejandro and Heather dance together like on their living room. Mostly when Heather's upset abt something and he's trying to calm her down

Heather has really strong legs (and arms but mostly legs) because of dance

Alejandro insists on getting the nesquik with the "authentic Latin flavor" bc it's better. Nobody knows if he's joking or not

Courtney and Heather besties fr

Courtney is mixed (South Asian and Hispanic)

Heather hasn't been able to eat jelly since tdi and even the sight of it freaks her out

Heather is bad at genuinely flirting w ppl she's ACTUALLY interested in bc she's never actually had to flirt she's such a babe ppl always flirt w her

Courtney's parents are strict.

Heather is high achiever (kinda canon) but her parents barely acknowledge her achievements

Heather kept her gold tooth in

Heather was rlly mean in elementary school. In middle school she was quiet most of the time

Alejandro carries Heather a lot. By choice.

Anne Maria gets duck feet nails sometimes

Anne Maria has an Ed Hardy tracksuit

Heather doesn't like storms

Anne Maria's tan isn't completely fake

Courtney felt really bad about herself after the show

Heather is very independent and hates having to rely on others

-she's also very protective of herself

Alejandro is always warm, Heather is always cold (to the touch)

Heather sometimes does things as reassurance that she doesn't need other ppl (like cooking)

Heather was really close with the family cat. She's a major cat person, she loves them

Heather and Alejandro moved in together asap.

- Alejandro only really keeps in contact with his mom, but Heather has minimal contact with her family only going over during parties/holidays.

-Alejandro got Heather a cat bc she missed hers.

-Heather's family throws a lot of big parties and stuff like that bc they're rich and that's just what they do. They have Heather show up for appearances because it's all only really to make the family look good. She hates these parties and usually ends up talking to Alejandro away from everyone else. He does most of the socializing.

-When Heather moved out her room got turned into a storage room. She still hangs out in there sometimes, anyway, if she goes over and wants to get away from everyone.

Courtney's the lactose intolerant person who actually takes it seriously, with few exceptions

Heather really likes movies with deeper meanings, especially horror movies

#ill update as i think of more!!#total drama #courtney total drama #total drama heather #heather td #td headcanons #td hcs #total drama headcanons #td duncan #duncney #td alejandro #total drama alejandro #alejandro burromuerto #aleheather #justin total drama #td lindsay #alejandro x heather

111 notes · View notes

letsgolandoo · 5 months

Note

Omg thank you sooooo much for writing!! <3 Absolutely love the Puddlemere setting! And “I'm breaking up with you, or, dinner at eight?” part totally cracked me up 🤣 I wouldn’t dare change perfection! But I am however now curious as to what would happen if some guy was really checking the reader out 🤣

Let's find out, shall we? This took so long I'm sorry 😭

Oliver Wood never zoned out. He was a quidditch player, he didn't have the time to. If he did, he'd either let a quaffle through one of the three hoops, or he'd get hit by a bludger if one of the Weasley twins didn't get to it in time.

Fred Weasley sighed as he realised how little his quidditch captain had been listening to him talk about strategies to use to win their next game against Slytherin. "You know, I hate to admit it, but George is right. You do have a staring problem."

"No, I don't," Oliver said, so defensively that it sounded as if it was the most absurd and offensive thing he had ever heard, and his voice even went up an octave.

Fred said, "You don't have to sit here and pretend that it doesn't hurt you."

Oliver released a sarcastic chuckle. After being hit by bludgers from all directions, and letting in more quaffles than he could count in his first year or two as a keeper, there was nothing in the grounds of Hogwarts that could hurt him. He was put out, maybe, but not hurt. "I'm fine, Fred. Why would I be hurt?" He didn't say he was good, or great, he said he was 'fine' because that's how he hid how unstable his relationship with his girlfriend was. Fine. But wasn't that how everyone else answered the common question of 'how are you?', anyway? I'm fine, thank you, how are you?

Fred jerked his head in the direction that Oliver had been not so subtly staring at for the past ten minutes.

And there you were, in all your glory. Even wearing the Gryffindor colours - red and gold - like everyone else, you stood out.

He looked at you again and noticed the thing that had been irritating him. You were still talking to him. He hated the boy, and he hadn't even met him. And he had reasons for it - not good ones, but still reasons.

Who the hell wears a black tie with a black suit?

Who the hell even wears a suit at a party with loud, rowdy teenagers?

Who the hell goes to a Gryffindor party when they're not a Gryffindor?

You were still smiling and talking with the Ravenclaw boy. That was okay. You loved to talk, and you smiled at everyone. What wasn't okay, however, was the way the boy was not so subtly checking you out.

"Oliver, why don't you just talk to her?" For a moment, Oliver is taken aback. He had forgotten that Fred was still sitting beside him.

"Tell who, what?" Oliver feigned nonchalance, averting his eyes from you.

Fred chuckled. "How many hers do you have in your life, Ollie?" None, Oliver thought, just her.

"I know many people who go by 'she/her'. You're going to have to be more specific."

"Sure. How many 'hers' do you stare at?"

"None," he replied, a little too fast for his liking, and Fred gave him the knowing Weasley smirk that he was so used to at quidditch practice.

"I am not staring at anyone, Fred." He gave the younger boy a pointed look.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Oliver. But I'd talk to her before it's too late. These rumours have damaged your relationship enough, all you need to do is show her that that's all it is - a rumour. She needs to know that you're not cheating on her with Angelina, who is, by the way, my girlfriend, so these rumours better be fake. I will not hesitate to punch that handsome face of yours."

Before he even knew what he was doing, Oliver was out of his chair and walking towards the bar. You laughed at something the blond boy said before you noticed Oliver walking towards the both of you. Your smile grew wider but was clearly slightly forced.

"Hey," he greeted you, completely ignoring the boy standing beside you.

"Hey, Ollie. Please tell me Fred didn't talk your ear off about skiving snack boxes. Being a prefect is hard, I can't bring myself to confiscate any more. Pranks are what make them who they are," you said.

The awkward clearing of a throat brought both of your attention back to the boy standing beside you.

"Oh, I am so sorry. Ollie, this is Finley. Do you remember the posters for the transfiguration club that Professor McGonagall put on the noticeboard?"

Oliver simply nodded, not at all interested in the boy's identity.

"He's the one who leads it with her." You introduce him to Finley, while Oliver seemed as uninterested as humanly possible and instead looked as if he would rip the boy's head off if he could.

"Hi, Ollie, I've...heard a lot about you." Finley said, clearly indicating that he had heard the ongoing rumours. He reached out a hand for Oliver to shake, but it was ignored.

"Oliver." He replied with a stern look on his face.

Finley awkwardly withdrew his hand. "Sorry?"

"My name is Oliver. It's only shortened for friends." If looks could kill, Finley would have fallen dead at the beginning of the party.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person, Oliver, the famous Gryffindor quidditch captain."

"I wish I could say the same, Finley, the not-so-famous transfiguration club captain. What are you even doing here? You're a Ravenclaw." Oliver asks, annoyed.

You sigh. Here he goes, you thought. "Ollie, he's here to spread word about the club."

"You've been standing here the whole time, you must be very talented if you've managed to tell anyone here about your stupid turn-your-teacup-into-a-cat club." Oliver muttered.

"The whole spreading word about it is just an excuse, really," Finley said, ignoring Oliver. "I came here in hopes of meeting a beautiful girl." He then winked at you. "Clearly, I was successful."

You flushed at his words and your eyes darted to Oliver. His jaw was tense and his hands were clenched into fists. If the three of you were not in school, let alone standing in a room full of so many people, Oliver would have picked up the empty Butterbeer bottle from the nearby table and smashed it on Finley's head with no hesitation.

He instead just said, "Well, then, you don't have a reason to stay any longer. Leave."

Finley shrugged. "I could. But now that I am here, maybe I could enjoy the party for a bit. Gryffindors sure know how to party. Ravenclaws need some tips."

"You should stay. Our parties are the best. We have all you want. Food, drinks, g-" you tell him, but get cut off.

Oliver interrupted. "But you know what's better? The exit. You should check it out. The Fat Lady can give you a tour."

"Ollie!" You shove his shoulder. "Can I talk to you in private?" You sent Finley an apologetic smile before grabbing Oliver's hand and pulling him away from the Ravenclaw.

Oliver paused for a moment to look back at Finley again. "The exit is that way." He pointed at the passage in the wall.

You let go of him when you reach the only secluded area in the Gryffindor common room. "Oliver, what the hell is wrong with you?"

He immediately spun to face you after craning his neck to see Finley finally exiting the room through the passage. "Oh, so now it's me who has something wrong? You're the one who believes the rumour that I slept with Angelina when a) she's dating Fred, b) she's not even been at Hogwarts this year because of family issues, and c) I love you."

You looked slightly alarmed at him suddenly turning on you. "Okay, I got it wrong, I'm sorry. I believed something when I didn't have any proof. But how does that excuse your behaviour towards Finley?"

"He was flirting with you," Oliver argued.

"Ollie, you're acting like a spoilt 5-year-old now. Why are you-?" You stopped yourself as an amused grin spread on your face as you put the pieces together. "Oliver, you- you are jealous."

"No, love, no I am not. Not even a little bit. No, why would you think that? I'm not jealous. I don't get jealous." Oliver shook his head.

You grinned at your boyfriend. "I would have believed you if you hadn't denied it six times. You are jealous. You're jealous because he was talking to me the whole time and I didn't spend the night with you for once. You're jealous that he called me beautiful and said I look amazing in the simplest things."

"When did he-" Oliver cut himself off as he felt the rage creeping into his voice. He took a step back and turned away.

You stood beside him, about to say something, but then you looked into his eyes. You took his hand once again, this time gently, lovingly, and held it to your chest. "Ollie, I am- I am so sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Ollie, I am so-"

"I'm not jealous, okay?" He then turned to look you in the eyes. "I just hate it when someone else has your attention, especially someone who's flirting with you. Not because I'm jealous, but because I'm scared." Oliver swallowed, squeezing your hand.

"I'm scared because I don't want anyone else to realise just how amazing you are. I don't want to lose you, because it'd be forever, and this is our final year here and I'd never see you again. And- and I don't want that. I don't want to lose you to someone else when I love you and nothing can change that. Not you, not graduation, not Finley,"

#oliver wood #oliver wood x reader #harry potter #seventh year #fred weasley #gryffindor #quidditch #ravenclaw #keeper #request #taking requests

115 notes · View notes

xoxoavenger · 3 months

Text

Drunk Under a Streetlight

pairing: JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

summary: But I knew you/Dancin' in your Levi's/Drunk under a streetlight, I/I knew you/Hand under my sweatshirt/Baby, kiss it better, I/And when I felt like I was an old cardigan/Under someone's bed/You put me on and said I was your favorite

word count: 961

warnings: drinking

cardigan masterlist main masterlist

That night, they get absolutely wasted. It's mostly because JJ knows Y/N wants to be able to forget about what her parents have done to her, to numb the hurt of their betrayal, but instead of depressingly getting drunk alone at the Chateau, they go to Charleston, just the two of them. They take the ferry and walk to one of the bars, laughing and reminiscing about how they used to come with their fake IDs, finding the places that didn't card and taking everyone and going crazy on weekends. Sometimes they would fall asleep in a park, waking up to officers telling them to leave, but sometimes they would rent a hotel room and continue drinking until morning.

"Maybe you should slow down." JJ says when she nearly falls of a chair finishing her drink. He's laughing though, and when she leans against him he knows it's time to pay the tab and find a hotel room. He doesn't think they'll continue drinking, not this time, but Y/N's had a rough day and he wants her to have the comfort of a bed tonight.

But it's too late in the night, and without them knowing everyone else has left and they're being kicked out of the bar. They stumble away, laughing and leaning on each other. JJ has halfway forgotten about his plan to get a room when Y/N runs ahead.

"I have a song stuck in my head!" Y/N yells, one hand around the lamppost as she twirls to the music in her head.

"Oh! Oh! Let me guess!" JJ screams, grabbing her hands and spinning her around. It's two AM, but they are near a park, houses far enough away that they won't hear the couple's screaming.

"It's Taylor Swift!" She tells him, causing him to gasp dramatically and drop her hands, swaying away.

"I wanted to guess!" He wines, causing her to laugh.

"She has like, a million songs! I wanted to make it easier for you!" She laughs, falling to the grass on the other side of the sidewalk.

"I'm about to read your mind." JJ says, the street light making his light hair practically reflective and his eyes the brightest shade. Y/N is about to doubt him, tease that there is no way he could know that, when he stars singing. "I like shiny, yeah, but somethin' paper rings, uh huh you're the one I want!" He calls, and she can only laugh as he hums and dances, a splash on his jeans illuminated as it catches the light. She can't remember how it got there, but she smiles all the same.

"How did you guess?" She asks, letting him pull her up to her feet, the two of them singing out of tune and the wrong words as they twirled around, kissing in between words.

The truth is, she actually had Getaway Car stuck in her head. But it was cute that JJ started singing Paper Rings, or at least trying his best. They get halfway through Lover, which is easier to sing, before they collapse on the ground and fall asleep in each other's arms.

This time, they wake up abruptly not to a police officer but the sprinklers. They scream and stumble away, noticing that they've only been asleep for a short period of time; the sun had barely risen and the air was still cool, despite the summer. The couple grumble and take the first ferry home, sitting close to each other. Y/N was wearing JJ's sweatshirt that he had shoved in a small backpack that had shielded it from being wet.

As their headaches settled in, all Y/N could think about was her previous night. She left home. And sure, she hadn't been sleeping there for a while, but her parents hadn't actually kicked her out. All she could think of is that her mother didn't care, just yelled at her as she left.

"Baby," JJ was wiping her tears before she even knew that she was crying. She looked up, letting him put his arms around her.

"I'm sorry," She was glad that in the morning the ferry was only full from the OBX to the mainland, plenty of people going to work there. Not as much so vice versa. "I was just thinking about how my mother didn't even care that I was leaving. She only wanted to save face, that's why she didn't kick me out sooner." JJ's hand went to her waist, under her sweatshirt to rub circles on her skin.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. It's your parent's fault. I don't know why they wouldn't like someone like you." He comforts, pressing kisses to her cheeks and then one to her lips, even though their breath was sour.

"Probably because I was a terrible daughter." Y/N frowns. Maybe, if she hadn't pulled so many stunts, if she had tried a little harder, then her parents would have cared.

"Hey," How JJ knew what to say Y/N had no idea, because JJ never had the best parents either. "Parents are supposed to love unconditionally. They were like this before you started acting out. It's the same with my dad." He kisses her forehead and pulls her closer, hands caressing her skin. It's almost like he read her mind.

"Your dad is worse by a mile." She tells him, because it's true. But they both smile, if only because they don't have to deal with Luke anymore, and Y/N can't help but feel the love she has for JJ blossom in her heart. Her mother made her feel useless, weak, but JJ? JJ made her feel needed. She was important to him, and the fact that he made sure to tell her made her fall even more in love.

tags: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @one-sweet-gubler

#jj maybank x reader #jj maybank #jj x reader #jj maybank imagine #obx imagine

29 notes · View notes

stromuprisahat · 4 months

Note

I think Zoya was a good soldier overall, not quite there as a leader but as a soldier, she was essential enough for Aleksander to want to manipulate her. He doesn't just employe 4-5 the post powerful grishasTM, he has an entire army at his command so him wanting Zoya who is strong physically (power wise) and also is herself good at manipulating people too to be on his side is a smart decision really.

Gods, I really have to disagree with all of this.

She wasn't a good soldier, since that one is expected to obey without questioning. Decision making is their superior's job. Show Zoya disobeyed on the skiff, book Zoya while hunting "her" amplifier. In both cases she was jealous of Alina enough to "magically" attack her at training grounds, although soldier should recognize another's strategic importance. What if she cracked Alina's skull in some unfortunate way? Dead Sun Summoner, and useless amplified Squaller offended that daddy doesn't love her the best.

I'd also love to see that manipulation. Sure, she "remembers" the Darkling told her the exactly same sentence he told Alina, but to be fair- she's lying about other stuff too, and why would he tell an ordinary, albeit promising, Squaller they're going to change the world?! How many of those did he meet in his long, long life?! Nah, Zoya's re-writing other events (slaughter of "Second Army") we had the chance to witness, of course the man she was looking up to just HAD TO notice her too! The girl has daddy issues so grand her next target is a fucking dragon. And unless LB retcons the hell out of it, Zoya should pay for her lack of growth by her own body and mind.

The Darkling is also described to be constantly on the move, while Zoya was about a year out of school, and stationed at the Fold. Not much contact if you ask me, and even when studying in Little Palace- how likely is it that Aleksander will make more time for Zoya than the fucking Sun Summoner?! He talked to Alina like once a month max., and most of those were a combination of unplanned meeting and him being happy to run away from his nagging mother. I know people like to throw around the word "manipulation", but a good one-on-one manipulation requires time and contact. Especially if you want to be certain of the result.

I also cannot remeber a single example of Zoya being good in it?! She's about as subtle as a rock through a glass window, she can't even fake being interested in negotiations with people she doesn't like! How is she supposed to act sneakily and hide her true intentions in such a delicate matter?!

If you asked me why did the Darkling "favour" her, he saw powerful Grisha with strong need to prove herself, able to gain enough skill to be worth officer training. Time would show her best use in practice, but so far she's too rash for leadership and too careless for closer cooperation. The Fold was a safe option. Her enemy is pretty straightforward- volcra, if anything. I also wouldn't risk her near the front or borders in general, and certainly not anywhere near more "delicate" positions. I certainly wouldn't call her "essential". That was Ivan. Genya even. Likely other characters we've never been introduced, because we've never seen his side and inner workings of an actual Second Army.

#reply #Zoya Nazyalensky #The Darkling #grishanalyticritical #anti Zoya #because her stans will hate this.

22 notes · View notes

onstrangerthighs · 1 year

Text

👑 After Billy encounters a demodog while on his way to pick up Max from a sleepover, Steve takes a walk to Cherry Lane with a flashlight to check on him, and it soon becomes an unintentional routine. Billy has yet to call him out on it, so Steve isn't sure if he knows (he does). Steve doesn't know how to bring up what he's seen through Billy's window. He's starting to understand what Billy meant when he said that he's no stranger to monsters. He also starts leaving a light on in his house to let Billy know he's always welcome. Steve may be facing a different kind of monster, but they're all the same in the end. They thrive in the dark and prey on the lonely. Billy won't be lonely anymore; he'll make sure of it.

📸Jonathan sees the bruises that Billy's jacket can't hide. He follows Billy whenever he can, like a friendly shadow. If Billy notices, he doesn't say anything. He does, however, walk around with a small smile and a pep in his step. He's a walking masterpiece that sticks out from the drab background plaguing everyone else in Hawkins.

🤝No one understands Billy better than Patrick and Jonathan when it comes to his life at Cherry Lane. They just get it. Patrick has a curfew, so he can't stay up late, and both Jonathan and Billy have work, but they find a way to meet up whenever they can. Patrick and Billy are partners in lab and in pranks. Patrick calls Neil regularly, pretending to be a scorned ex-lover. Billy calls Patrick Senior at his job (accountant) just to annoy him. They're also on the basketball team together. Patrick secretly enjoys watching Billy get under Jason's skin. Jonathan occasionally stops by to watch them. Billy asks him if he wants to join the team. Jonathan looks at he and Patrick, all sweaty, and goes right back to his sketchbook.

📔Nancy meets Billy at the library every night at a certain time, so if he doesn't show then she'll know something is wrong. She also gives him Murray's address just in case he needs a place to go. She and Billy have a book club with Patrick and Eden, where they suggest different books to read every Wednesday. Sometimes they read to the little kids.

📢Heather covers for Billy at work if he can't come in. She'll stay with him at the pool after closing times. She helps him with his injuries and doesn't ask questions. When he's ready to talk, she'll be there. She switches shifts with him so he won't have to deal with Karen and the other creepy mothers.

🍍Argyle is always up for talking with Billy. Most of the time, it's just Argyle going on about the first thing that pops into his head. Billy chimes in whenever he feels like it. Argyle always has a story about annoying customers, and of course, everything is funnier when they're both high as hell.

🫧Carol lets Billy borrow her makeup. She takes him to the mall and they try on clothes together. Sometimes, they sit in his car, and she tells him he can let it all out.

🥋Tommy takes him to their favorite diner. Whenever Billy is filled with extra energy, Tommy lets him use his punching bag. They watch cartoons and throw chips at each other.

📣Chrissy fixes his hair into braids and ponytails. Billy reminds her that Neil doesn't like that, and she replies, "You want it. Do you really care what he wants? I don't." If he wants a hug, then she's more than happy to give him one (or three). Chrissy is also kind of a cuddle bug, and Billy is her favorite person to cuddle with because he's warm. They both talk shit about their parents. "Neil's mustache looks fake," or "Are you sure your mother's hair isn't a dead skunk?".

She drives Billy to her safe place, a hill under the stars. She says they can share it. She tries teaching him cheer routines and even gets out a uniform for him whenever they sneak into the gym. Patrick occasionally joins them to practice his free throws.

🍨Robin lets Billy into Scoops Ahoy, and they eat ice cream. They talk about crushes. They have inside jokes about their fellow classmates. Sometimes, Robin brings alcohol from her mother's stash and puts some in the ice cream for them to enjoy.

73 notes · View notes

piracytheorist · 1 year

Text

Regarding Nightfall in today's SxF episode... what exactly is her goal? To marry Twilight and live with him while they're both being spies? Like, is she aware of the issues that will arise if they really get involved with each other like that? Does she think that they'll overcome those issues because they're PerfectTM?

I mean... she does kinda think they're both perfect, both as spies and for each other. Whatever Twilight does, Nightfall looks at with awe and admiration. If he suddenly drinks coffee with milk, there's nothing wrong, it's because he's putting on an act for the fake family he's created. If he spares a thought for her after having told her spies are expendable, he's not becoming compromised, he's just being the Perfect (potential) Husband she wants. Because even if they're in Wuv they'll still be perfect spies because they won't allow their feelings to get in the way, of course.

Which is also how she probably justifies to herself her anger that it's Yor and Anya that are uncovering Twilight's true emotions, and not her. Those two plebeians could never have the control over their emotions that she does! And that can lead to disaster! But she has perfect control over them, so even if she and Twilight break the rules and have an intimate relationship, that wouldn't cause an issue to their spy lives.

And it's that obsession she has for him that blinds her to how he views her. She's trying her hardest to prove to him that she's the perfect candidate for a wife (a wife, not a mission partner), and with Twilight not having a clue about the feelings she harbors for him, he takes all her efforts as aggression, opposition, and/or competitiveness. He wasn't affected by the Boric brothers taunting him - he's had way worse and why would he even bother - but Nightfall was like "No one insults my Senpai!!" and didn't care to think what Twilight thinks about him being taunted, and she attacked the brothers viciously. He then saw her put so much effort into the tournament that she was ignoring her own injuries, and his concern was that she was panicking and losing her composure, which would make the mission fail - but she saw it as him caring for her. And I mean, he actually does care whether she lives or dies because he cares for people in general, but she takes that as him encouraging her feelings for him. They're in such different wavelengths that any relationship between them beyond practical and professional would be impossible. Nightfall refuses to consider what Twilight actually thinks, and Twilight is completely blind to her affections. Not wanting to crack your poker face ain't helping, hun! Allowing your face to express some emotions now and then could go a long way!

I've kinda answered my own question, I guess, lol. That's why I like how Nightfall is written, even though I don't like her character and don't agree with the way she acts. I like that it inspires me to talk and analyze her behaviour and through that understand how she is doomed, but also, how her very wrong ways of going about her goals provide a contrast to Yor's ways.

Nightfall thinks Twilight is perfect - every little thing he does, to her it's perfection. Even him becoming softer and allowing himself to grow feelings in the midst of a mission is perfect to her. Because even when emotionally compromised, Twilight can do no wrong. Her priority and one goal in life is to convince Twilight she's the perfect choice for a wife.

In comparison, while Yor has a great impression of Loid, she still notices (or overcomes!) his missteps and flaws, even when she doesn't comment on them. She sees that he's upset at the restaurant, and she suggests they go out for some air. When Master Swan is being an Asshole and Loid tries to keep his own calm, Yor is the one who runs to Anya to comfort her, and asserts her right to do so. When Loid pushes Anya to study so much that she resorts to hiding in her room, Yor is the one to remind him to be more gentle with her, and when she sees him doubting himself, she reminds him that Anya gave them "A perfect 100 points". She's being both aware and respectful of the times she feels Loid is lacking, while at the same time retaining her amazing impression of him. She sees him as human; a kind, caring person, who makes mistakes from time to time - mistakes she is ready to point out if they have a big impact (like making Anya sad) and step up to cover for if needed.

And most importantly, her priority is for her family to be happy. When she sees the others being upset, she offers support, all while being extremely humble, by the way. She takes other people's feelings and points of view into consideration, and she offers help in any way she can.

Of course, she does have moments where she makes wrong assumptions of Loid's feelings, but those mistakes stem from either her lack of confidence (when she thinks that Loid thinks of her as a bad wife) or not knowing he's a fucking spy on a mission of all things.

And for all of that, it's why Loid/Twilight understands Yor, while he cannot read Nightfall at all. He doesn't even know Yor's real job, Nightfall is his actual mentee (yes that's a word apparently), yet it's Yor's treatment he understands so well to the point of responding to it. As someone mentioned here, Yor caring for him not having stomach aches is making him comfortable to a) change his habits to help himself and b) actually ask her to help him. Yor is open and honest, and that inspires Loid to count on her and consider her an equal. Nightfall has an unbreakable poker face (again, because she mistook him telling her to not act on her emotions as him giving her the Perfect Advice to not express emotions ever) and Twilight is left clueless as to what exactly she wants besides succeeding in the missions.

Yeah, wow. This post is all over the place and my thoughts are very disorganized but god damn do I have them. I love it.

#Spy x Family #sxf meta #I did say Imma make this everyone else's problem #that's me keeping my word #no manga spoilers please #sxf Nightfall #Yor Forger

134 notes · View notes

surplus-of-sarcasm · 1 year

Text

Short Prompt #10

Notes: This can work as a standalone or a part 2 to this. You choose!

TW: Bruises mention, blood mention, bone breaking mention, illegal activity mention

"There," Hero says, a sort of finality to their tone as they brush the makeup over the last of the bruises on Villain's face.

The criminal's gaze wanders over to their reflection in the mirror, eyes widening as they take note of their now untainted face, as if the scratches previously marring their visage had never been.

The hero chuckles, sharp eyes glinting with amusement. The villain is awfully adorable like that. They resemble a confused kitten as they register their own appearance and the formal attire, in a striking shade of dark green, all about style and nothing about functionality. Replacing their usual bland, practical costume. Even if they were naturally good-looking, they were usually somewhat dishevelled. It suited them, in a way, but it was very different from their current state and completely unsuitable for a gala hosted by the mayor.

"You look ravishing, doll," the crime-fighter purrs lazily, warranting a flustered blush rapisly spreading like wildfire across the villain's face and neck. "Let's go, we've got a mission to complete."

Villain nods at them, letting the Hero take their hand, feeling their face burn and desperately praying that the hero wouldn't notice how strikingly their face was flushed.

Foolish hope because Hero notices everything, and it is among one of their favourite activities to make it so cruelly obvious to the villain, letting the corner of their lip curve upwards with a lopsided smirk as they lead them to where all the guests were gathered.

If the crime-stopper isn't buttering them up too much, and Villain actually looks as attractive as their careless flattery describes, it doesn't mean at all that they can actually replicate the part, that their acting would fit the part. Maybe if the objective had been sit still, look pretty, the villain's nerves might've been calmer.

Villain had learned that Hero's real identity was that of a wealthy, young civilian. A fact that felt strangely intimate to know. They were here to procure a piece of paper from the mayor's office; some document that convicted him of striking an illegal deal.

"Oh hello, darling! You look wonderful!" a middle-aged woman in a wine red dress croons excitedly at Hero.

"And you're stunning as always," the crime-fighter replies smoothly, flashing her a million dollar smile. From whatever strange firsthand experience, the villain could tell it was completely fake. Though, in a place where the air reeked of superficiality as much as it did of ridiculously expensive fragrances, they're pretty sure it wouldn't crumble under scrutiny.

"Hmm, and who is that?"

Still letting that dazzling smile dance across their face, their enemy-turned-date brings their hand up to their lips, pressing a soft kiss into the villain's knuckles. "This is my partner, Villain Civillian Name."

"Lovely," the woman attests, though the icy edge to the sugar-sweet tone unmasks how unimpressed she is with Villain.

They were definitely not rich nor famous as VCN, but it brings them solace to know that if she knew who they really were, she wouldn't dare be so dismissive of them.

"Would love to stay and chat, but I've got some rather important matters to attend to, so see you later."

They wrap their arm around Villain's waist, pressing a kiss into their hair, almost as though they are trying to annoy that guest on purpose.

"Alright, sweetness. Your turn to shine. You're going to distract the mayor. Talk to him, keep him interested until I'm done. And you will make great work of it," they whisper, tone still silky, but it held a promise of danger, reminding the villain that this hero pretending to be hopelessly in love with them can still break bones and leave their enemies drowning in their own blood.

Villain nods at them, changing their half-nervous walk into what they hope is a confident saunter, making their way towards the mayor. They take in a deep breath, trying for some calm. They have a million and one cards to play, and they desperately hope they choose the right one.

"Mr Mayor! It's so wonderful to finally see you in person!"

An old, balding man with an impossibly thick moustache turns their way. "Ah, and who might you be?"

"I'm VCN, Hero Civillian Name's partner. And sir, I do hope this isn't too annoying, but I would love if you'd share even just a hint of how you managed to run so many successful businesses while balancing being the mayor!" They flash them a bright grin, eyes wide with well-feigned excitement.

Judging by the grin on the man's lips and the awfully proud, "Certainly," he gives, Villain had made the right choice. Flattery was any egotistical person's kryptonite. Any chance they got to talk about themselves, they jumped at immediately.

And so, the villain gets stuck being tormented by the man's incessant chattering, nodding and smiling through it all, until they feel a light tap on their shoulder. Their saviour.

Shaking his hand warmly, the hero beams at Mayor, eyes devoid of any trace of malice. "Ah, I see you've met my lover. Mind if I borrow them, sir?" they quip.

"Sure, HCN!"

"Well done, love," they congratulate them once they are far away from the mayor. "Things went as smooth as ever. The bumbling fool kept his study unguarded. Keeps most of his papers outside his house. He thought he was so clever."

"Shouldn't we be leaving now?" They raise an eyebrow inquisitively.

"So soon? That's suspicious. So how about a dance, dove?" They extend their arm forward elegantly.

Slowly, Villain takes it, letting themselves be dipped and twirled by the hero.

It feels like magic, however fake it was meant to be. However dangerous it was to do this with their supposed sworn enemy. It takes their breath away, and between the lazy compliments, the dancing and the delicate kisses pressed to their jaw and cheekbones, at least a fraction of it must hold something beyond a perfectly executed act.

✨️Le Taglist: @larinzz @syberianjade @lateuplight @altu-interactions @enbious-prince @astr0-mj @thelazywitchphotographer @addictedsandwhichaki @justalittlecorrupted @quaggasus @theangstyclown @vernilliom @mothmancommitsarson @starssabove @kurai-hono-blog @talkingsperm @catsarecool00 @muffinrebel44 @sunnynwanda @annablogsposts @cardboardarsonist @itsmyworld23 @onlywhump @shr3ya

Wanna be on the taglist? This'll take you there!

48 notes · View notes

phoenixcatch7 · 1 year

Note

LBH probably follows SQQ around whenever he goes crime-fighting. Even if SQQ told him to stay home, he’s still going to do it. So, imagine Batman running into Catwoman and stopping her from doing some crime. And she flirts with him as per her habit. Something like, “have you ever thought about bringing a feminine touch into your life 😉😉?” Cue Binghe popping up, “HE DOESN’T NEED A FEMININE TOUCH 😡😡! HE ALREADY HAS ME!!” Cat woman: Batman, who’s this? SQQ, trying not to facepalm: my husband.

Asdfghjkl absolutely!! I hadn't thought of that that's so funny. Batman would know lbh would be there anyway but as long as he can spin it properly, something something reputation, his husband should refrain from getting involved. Fingers crossed.

Anyone he brings on patrol has to just. Ignore the chimney radiating malice whenever they get in a fight. Damien handles it the worst lmao.

Of course catwoman, being catwoman, has not stopped flirting with b since they met. He's completely oblivious, but all the Robins (bar Damien, it's so obvious he's his father's son) get so embarrassed and honestly it's a game to see how blatant or crude she can get before either he realises or Robin successfully drags him away (or they arrest her). None of them really take it seriously anymore.

Until lbh arrives.

There's the normal chase scene across rooftops, ignoring taunts and teases, and then Spoiler cuts her off and there's a brief tussle. She starts her routine (my, you're looking awfully tense today. Cat got your tounge?) and generally making everyone on comms roll their eyes until there's a dark growl echoing from the overhang. Batman freezes and closes his eyes in resignation as a shadow drops down. Catwoman, as all women who don't know his reputation, immediately goes 'wow, that is a Very Hot Dude' and yes he's emanating aggression but unexpected flirting catches pretty much everyone off guard or at least softens the blows - and Batman isn't doing anything about him so he should be fine.

She tries to flirt with him too.

Unfortunately for the people on comms, this actually gets batman's attention. For the first time in the decade+ they've known him, he is noticing flirtation. And he is not happy.

Selina: *practically purring* ohhhh, who is this bad boy?

Lbh, This Close to pulling sqq off of her and tossing her off the roof: 😡 leave my husband. Alone.

Selina, who, having not successfully flirted with and lowered the guard of batman, doesn't actually know who he is:...... YOU'RE MARRIED??!! TO THIS HUNK?!!

Lbh, puffing up: I am - *batman releases her and launches across the roof to cover his mouth* ???

Sqq, abruptly realising that he doesn't have a secret identity for lbh despite the fact that they're having two marriages for their civilian and super sides, blanking: :) um. His name is. Um.

Lbh: I'm shizuns HUSBAND >:3

Selina, not bothering to get up (Robin pinned her down again), sensing a far better distraction/entertainment: oh? There's a lot of people who've claimed to have batman's heart over the years. Why should I believe you?.... Don't tell me you're just faking? Why, the batman I know would never take a lover.

Lbh: shizun? 🥺 Would you let this husband prove himself?

Sqq: no. I'm on the job.

Lbh, demon lord, married for literal centuries, fully down for any excuse to kiss his gorgeous husband: but!!! Shizun 🥺🥺🥺 don't you love me?

Sqq, reincarnated immortal, fully aware he is being played, also refusing to admit how much he missed him: hmph. Just a quick one.

Selina, in shock that that actually worked, watching BATMAN kissing an even taller man in a way that is most certainly not quick or chaste: oh my cats what.

Robin, age 12, having to watch his father and step dad French in full uniform IN FRONT OF THE CRIMINAL THEY WERE APPREHENDING: >:O!

(Everyone is still on comms. They are hearing it all.)

#A bit of a long response but my brain went 'wfa scene where b and catwoman flirt with their comms open but worse'#Whoops lmao #Just like wfa everyone is curling up into balls of disgust and agony Very Loudly #Oracle just has her hands over her face because the cowls record and she does NOT want to see that no thank you #It'd be even worse than wfa because they have zero exposure to their dad being even remotely interested in anything #Sqq is going to be mortified when he realises lol #batman #dc comics #Batman!sqq au #svsss #shen qingqiu #luo binghe #bingqiu #This is my first time actually writing romance btw is it working?? At least with bingqiu I can have corn and cringe and its realistic lol

56 notes · View notes

ansbobcar · 2 months

Text

Darts (OrKa scenario)

Orter x fem oc (my oc Rinka) my friend helped make the shipname :D

Feel free to imagine it as a x fem reader tho if you want. (Gotta encourage y'all to write more)

Anyways I'm too lazy to write it properly I got inspired by too many manhwa scenes and that one kdrama called Nevertheless well the ost mvs atleast so here you go:

_ _ _

Rinka and Orter are at Joe's again but instead of opting to do the monthly endurance drinking game that he won 24/25 times. He suggests a different game.

"Darts?" - Yeah. (fyi idk how darts work so this is like not accuratteeee)

The gist of it is that whoever hits the lower target has to drink a shot and that after x number of rounds, whoever has the higher score winsss and gets a favour from the loser. And if you've read the fandom wiki - Orter is god at darts.

Oh yeah and this is without magic too so Rinka's garbage at it. "How do you do this without magic?"

"Let me show you."

They're both pretty comfortable with each other (I mean they're like fake dating dating out of convenience) and too concentrated on the game to really take a moment and consider how close they were with each other. Like the sides of their heads were practically beside each other with his arms guiding hers. They both don't notice it even when she gets her first tiny win (the dart actually hit the thing) in an ocean of fails.

I'm telling you they're oblivious to the fact they ACTUALLY like each other romantically. Nobody even points it count because THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE IN LOVE. (It's genuinely stupidly effective that Kaldo, someone who knows Rinka really well, can't spot the half-lie.)

Rinka's like tipsy at this point (they played like a bunch of rounds) but thinks she can keep going with the drinking.

So Orter wins obviously but he doesn't utilise the favour straight away like she did. (Not yet published EP 7 moment)

He's saving it for when it's necessary to use because she's pretty accepting when she trusts that person to doing stuff.

They head back to his office and like: the two heavy drinkers were now officially drunk.

Orter's open about his feelings/thoughts he sounds more like a flirt/clingy lmao while Rinka's shy (her usual persona is more like a cool older sister type, so her being shy/hesitant which is more in line with her as a teen is like partial truth.)

So mannerism switch from the typical OrKa interaction.

Orter brushes out some loose strands from her face (hairstyle is now down and free) and she's like not used to the feeling of being the center of attention still.

"Don't be startled when I say shouldn't hide yourself. You're pretty" She's taken aback by this (yeah bro has never stated she was pretty, it's a big deal). "Not even a thank you? You're too humble for your own good."

"You're starting to sound like Ryoh."

"How so?"

Lists their similarities until he's like right at her face and she's like super conscious of him. Bro's eyes feel like they're looking right through her which wells up more fear in her than expected.

But it's still calming.

They get interrupted by a phone call by Renatus that a super important corpse went missing.

_ _ _

Extra thought/crack interaction:

Drunk Rinka: Oh god what the hell is he doing up in my face? Does he know... he shouldn't know how would he know AAAAAAAAAAAA

Meanwhile, Drunk Orter: I WANNA KEEP HERRRRR! SHE'S PRETTTTTYYYYY AND FUN!!! I LIKE HER AROUND!!

#mashle oc #mashle fanfic idea #orter madl #for future reference #mashle #mashle x oc #orter madl x oc #mashle fanfic

9 notes · View notes

kayssweetdreams · 9 months

Text

A "Perfect" Vacation Ch 19

The kids were now getting nervous, Now Fiona and Haoyu had vanished and Ka Lā, Thea or the others were no where to be found. "This doesn't make any sense...Where is everyone?" Yuri asked, getting worried. "Um...Maybe they're having an adults night?" Emma asked, trying to stay optimistic. "But wouldn't we HEAR them?" Mei asked, raising an eyebrow.

Suddenly, the kids could see some of Ka Lā's employees walking over to the Bruno's suite. And walking back out...with a dazed out Kaylo in their grasp. The kids quickly hid as they walked back past them, and more suspicion came to mind. "What are they doing with Kaylo?" Leo asked. "I don't know, but we better find out." Rebecca said. The kids nodded and they followed the employees back down to the stage, where a smiling Ka Lā, and a miserable looking Thea stood.

"Now then. Let us REALLY get this practice underway! Places everyone!" Ka Lā said, as the music began to play. But to the kids surprise, it was one of the boring slow songs that Ka Lā had suggested...the ones that had the strange notes on them. Thea began to sing, but her voice seemed depressed, and devoid of joy. However, that wasn't even the biggest shock.

Sitting at a table closer to the speakers, Kaylo began to snap out of her dazed demeanor, but something was wrong. The glimmer in her pink eyes faded, leaving nothing but dulled rose circles in their place, the pink haired girl then sat up straight, her posture on point, as a small, but almost fake smile appeared on her face. Once Thea finally finished singing, Kaylo quietly sat up, and gave a slow, and small clap. "Bravo. Bravo. Encore." She said in a monotonous voice, devoid of any emotion.

Thea took one look at her daughter...and threw herself at Ka Lā "YOU WITCH!! YOU SAID YOU'D LEAVE HER ALONE!!!" She screamed, heartbreak in her voice "SECURITY!! SECURITY!! GET HER OFF ME!!" Ka Lā yelled in panic, Two large men grabbed the singer, and dragged her off of Ka Lā "Lock her in her room until further notice. I will not have her screaming at me like a lunatic." The tropical woman said. The kids watched as Thea was dragged away, sobbing for her daughter until she was out of sight.

The kids looked in horror, but they needed to ask Kaylo what had happened. Running over, Lora Jade tapped the pink haired girl on her shoulder "Kaylo? Are you OK? What happened with your mom?" She asked. But her only response was the now different Kaylo turning around with her dulled out eyes, and strange smile "Now Lora Jade...My mother just needs to calm down. It is improper for a lady's emotions to get the better of her." She said in a monotone voice.

Lora Jade shakily took her hand off of Kaylo's shoulder in horror. "Kaylo?! Wh-What happened to you?! Why are you talking like that?!" Trisha Jane asked, remembering the only other time Kaylo talked in that tone, she was "purified" "Why...Whatever do you mean? I finally am 'Perfect'" she said, the fake smile on her face growing

"And very soon...You'll be too."

Mei belongs to @sundove88

Rebecca belongs to @thehypercutstudios/@thehyperrequiem

Trisha Jane belongs to @lovelyteng

Lora Jade belongs to @alex-frostwalker

#Balan Wonderworld #Leo Craig #Emma Cole #Yuri Brand #Haoyu Chang

20 notes · View notes

green-fifteen · 2 months

Text

Day 2: unauthorized surveillance in the boys room

Prompt: Eavesdrop Fandom: X-Files (TV) Pairing: Scully & Mulder / Gen Summary: In a world where Scully and Mulder meet as Dana and Fox, two teenagers take on a high-stakes case. (I wrote a high school AU for some reason.) Word count: 2,889 read on AO3 instead

for @fluffyfebruary

Fox opens his locker and dumps his books inside. They land noisily in an uncomfortable-looking pile. He can hear the locker to his right opening as he shuffles through the mess of papers on his shelf. Where is his damn essay?

The girl next to him tucks a few strands of orange hair behind her ear and adjusts something neatly within her own locker, then closes and locks it. There's a tall boy standing at her side who looks like he was sculpted by the head coach to fill out a football jersey. Fox looks away from them when he bends his head to kiss her.

"Come to practice?" he hears.

"I can't today. There's a lab after school."

"Danaaaaa," he whines. Fox wrinkles his nose and his search starts to feels a little more desperate. He hates it when he has to listen to this guy. If he could just find that stupid essay! He knows it's here somewhere. He wrote it a whole week in advance, then put it in his locker for safe keeping until it was due. Which it is. Right now.

"Maybe you could come over for dinner tonight, when you're finished. Mom keeps asking me to invite you, even though I told her I have. Like seven times. She wants to meet you."

"I'll try. I'll be real tired after practice, though. How about I call you when I get home and let you know then?"

"Okay. I think my dad is making pasta, so there'll be plenty if you decide to come. I hope you do."

They're quiet after that while they lean in to kiss each other again, this time longer and more noisy. Fox scrambles through his mess one last time and finally spots what he's looking for. He nearly crows in triumph, but a glance at his watch shows him he doesn't have time to celebrate. He has to be on the other side of the building in one minute. He slams his locker shut and dashes down the hall, away from Dana and away from her lying boyfriend.

For Fox, school is (mostly) easy and very boring. As his report cards show, he doesn't have any trouble performing above the standard, academically (if you ignore his D+ in German). His extracurriculars are impressive, too; he's a cross country runner, and a whiz on the debate team.

The people at his school are also very boring. And, in a sense, they're also easy. There are lots of 'in-groups' that he's noticed: mean and pretty people, technology obsessives, artistic flunkies, just to name a few. Despite not caring about any of the things that bind these groups together, he's managed to become friendly with almost all of them. It's all surface level for him, though. It isn't that he doesn't care about people, or that he doesn't want to have real friends. It's just that everyone he goes to school with is too easy to read.

Take Dana's boyfriend as an example. He doesn't want to meet Dana's parents, likely because he doesn't take their relationship seriously. Despite this, he feeds her fake and obvious excuses to string her along, pretending he's as serious as she is. Once, Fox heard him say he "needs to clean the oven," after Dana invited him to her sister's birthday party.

And, unfortunately, Fox is never taken in by the little lies people tell to make and keep relationships. He hopes it will be easier when he's older, but at 17, he sometimes feels like he's the only genuine person he knows.

After he turns in his essay and manages to stay awake through the rest of class, he strides back to his locker. Dana is already there, bending to arrange her textbooks into some kind of order. When he opens his locker, she straightens and turns to face him.

"Hey, Fox," she says, voice friendly. It isn't hard to hear the nervous tension underneath it.

"Hi, Dana," he replies. He's pulling his folders from his backpack, tugging them out three or four at a time.

There's a moment of silence where he knows she's chewing on her lip. "You heard what Paul said today, right?"

Fox snorts and looks at her. Her face is a little pink and her eyes keep darting to him and away again. She holds her mouth in a straight line. He can't help but feel sorry for her.

"Yeah, I heard him."

"Do you think…" the words catch in her mouth, but she soldiers on. "He's not coming over for dinner, is he?"

He tries on a gentle smile, then says, as kindly as he can, "I don't think so."

She straightens her back and turns to lean on the front of her locker. Her entire posture signals determination to him all of a sudden, and he gets an uneasy feeling.

"Okay," she says. "I want proof."

"Proof?"

"Yes. No offense, but I'm not sure if I can totally trust your perspective on the situation. I don't know you that well." She shakes her head and the white light in the hallway glints gold off her glasses. "I want to break up with him. I think I need to. But I want to be sure."

He nods, slowly. "And you are going to do this… how, exactly?"

She faces him fully, arms crossed and gaze direct. "I need your help."

Fox feels his eyes go wide.

He's only spoken to Dana Scully twice since the beginning of the school year. The first time it happened, he'd been rushing to cross country and he was already late. He'd closed his locker and immediately lunged into her. Their books and homework pages had flown across the hallway and they'd worked together to sort everything. He didn't have much time for pleasantries, but when she'd said "I'm Dana," he'd said, "Fox," and "Nice to meet you," before sprinting away.

The second time was only five or six days before now. She'd been humming to herself, rummaging around in a bag of cosmetics. He'd been leaning against the locker on the other side of his, fiddling with an origami crane. He couldn't get the neck to fold correctly. Boyfriend Paul had come up and startled both of them, his huge hand slapping on metal.

"You look like a fish when you make that face," he'd said. "Like some deep sea thing with huge eyes."

She'd whacked him hard with a notebook and then they'd kissed. Their interaction after that had been almost identical to the one Fox saw today. Dana had asked him to come over, Paul had said "Sorry, Dana, I volunteered to babysit my nephew tonight," and then he'd gone away again.

And apparently, that was enough to push Fox over a line he didn't even know he'd been toeing.

"He's not going to come over," he'd said.

Dana had been surprised to hear him talk, at first. Then she'd been angry.

"Excuse me?"

"You have to know he's stringing you along."

"I don't--" she spluttered. "As a matter of fact, it is none of your business." She kept her voice low as she turned away from him, stuffing her backpack in an uncharacteristically haphazard fashion.

"Listen," he pressed. In for a penny, in for a pound. "I just wanna know why. Why are you still with that guy?"

She laughed like she was being forced to. "Oh, I see what this is. You're--"

"I'm not coming onto you." He ran a hand over his clammy forehead. "It's just been bothering me."

She slammed her locker shut and didn't meet his eyes. "Well, now you're bothering me." As she walked away, she looked like she'd like to turn back and say something else, something really biting. She appeared to think better of it and just marched away from him instead. Her orange ponytail swung in lockstep with her stride.

Now she's asking him for help.

"What?" he says, mouth hanging open a little.

She ignores him. "Football practice is tonight. Paul will be in the locker room in about," she checks her watch. "Fifteen minutes."

Fox just gapes at her.

"You're in cross country, right? I looked you up in the yearbook." He nods. "Good. And where are you going now?"

He looks at her with suspicious eyes. "Cross country."

"Perfect." She closes her locker with a bang like a striking gavel. "You'll take me with you."

"You can just go to the track yourself," he says. "You don't need me to take you there."

"No," she clarifies. "I want you to take me to the locker room."

Fox tries to argue, he really tries. He isn't nearly invested enough in this relationship to risk being punished when they get caught. He speaks at length to this point, at a rising volume. Unfortunately, Dana has a strategy of her own. She gives just as good as she gets while they argue, but then, when Fox has had enough and stomps away, she follows him. Realizing she'll just follow him all the way to the locker room, he takes an awkward minute to re-evaluate the situation, Dana standing fuming behind his back.

"You really think you're going to see or hear something about you?" he asks.

"Well, no, of course not. Not naturally, anyway."

He sighs. "You want me to bring it up." She nods. "But I don't even know Paul, I have never spoken to him!"

Dana gives him a hard look. "Fox, if it bothers you so much to listen to him lie, you should be happy to get him to tell the truth."

And she's right, he realizes.

That's how they find themselves in the empty locker room, mere minutes from being discovered, Dana's hands over her face while Fox changes faster than he ever has in his life.

"Okay, get in," he says, once he's crammed his school clothes into his backpack and placed everything on the hook. She's lucky the bottom of his locker in here is much emptier than his regular one.

She folds herself down into the cramped space and gives him a thumbs up. Before he closes it, he says, "You won't be able to say anything after I close this."

"I know." She looks annoyed.

"So do you want to say anything?"

"Yeah." She glares up at him, her eyes the only part of her that isn't in shadow. "Close the damn door, Fox."

He sits on the bench with his homework in his hands as the other athletes trickle in. The pages are just a prop-- he's listening for Paul, who comes in after a few minutes with a group of football players, laughing raucously. They're at a different group of lockers, somewhere behind him. His cross country teammates have already arrived and are making noise and chatting too loudly for Fox to make out what the footballers are saying, so he stands and pretends to stretch.

Then, his heart pounding, he sidles over to his teammate, Collins. "You know Dana Scully?"

Collins looks confused. "Yes? She's in my history class."

He makes himself fidget, like he's nervous to be asking, and says, "Does she have a boyfriend?"

"Why are you asking me? I hardly know her."

"Well, who might know? Could you ask around?"

He heaves a put-upon sigh, but walks over to another of their teammates and speaks to them. From there, it isn't long until one of them darts gleefully over to the football players.

Paul's voice cracks over their heads like a whip, halting all conversation.

"Who the hell is asking?"

And then he's coming around the corner, looking pissed off. His jersey hangs on his shoulders at a weird angle, like he just got it over his head before he came over.

"Mulder? You wanna date my girlfriend?"

Fox is a little afraid, he'll admit it. Some of the blood from his face seems to drain into his feet, pumping in and preparing him to run.

"Oh, uh." He looks around. Everyone is watching them, eyes darting from one to the other. The football players are leaning around the corner, wide grins on their faces. Even the swimmers have come around to see what's happening, padding over barefoot in their swimsuits.

"I was just asking if she was dating anybody. I didn't know she was your girlfriend. I don't even care about her that much." He's aware that this could be the fatal flaw of their entire plan-- that this innocent act depends on Paul being so blithely unobservant that he never noticed Fox listening to their conversations at Dana's locker.

"Well, now you know, idiot. Watch your mouth."

Well, there's that. Still, Fox knows he should to be very careful about what he says next. He's still not really sure how this is going to play out. What if he was wrong about him? He takes a deep breath.

"I will. I'm just curious, though-- how did you land a girl like that?"

Paul's eyes flash dangerously, but he laughs. "Oh man, Mulder. You did not just say that." The rest of the football team is laughing, too.

"No, I'm serious. Dana is great. How did you get her attention?"

Paul sobers and looks right into Mulder's eyes. "Dana is a redhead and boring as hell. I have never met a chick who talks more about her grades. On the other hand, I could date anyone I wanted in this school. Do you know why I'm still with her?"

Fox shakes his head.

"Because she's almost ready, man." At this, the footballers holler and make lewd gestures. Fox interprets them correctly.

"You think she'll have sex with you?"

One of the football players guffaws. "It's been two years! She'd better put out after two years!"

Another one says, "I wouldn't be surprised if she gives it up tonight."

Furrowing his brow, Fox asks, "What's tonight?"

Paul takes a menacing step closer. "What's it to you, dork? Why are you asking these questions? Researching how to make Dana fall in love with you?"

"Is she in love with you?" he asks, and it sounds like a challenge.

Paul's nostrils flare but he turns his head. "What do you think? She's been begging me to meet her family. Trying to take me tux shopping for prom. Of course she's in love with me." As he speaks, he's scanning the room just like Fox had, gauging the reactions from their classmates.

"And tonight," he says, almost grandly like he's making a royal announcement, "I'm gonna tie off the net."

"What does that mean?" he asks, honestly puzzled.

"I'm gonna come over for family dinner and convince her to go all the way." He says it like he thinks Fox is an idiot for needing an explanation.

After that, the locker room is a chorus of hooting and jabbering. Paul turns away from Fox to sneer something to his friends when a whistle suddenly cuts through the noise-- time to hit the field. Before he's tugged away, Paul looks at Mulder again.

"Maybe you can date her when I'm finished, jerk. Hope you like sloppy seconds."

And then he's gone, rushing away to football practice.

When everyone is gone and the locker room is empty again, Fox realizes he's smiling. He feels incredible. It had taken no time at all to get Paul to spill his guts to him, and he was right about everything! Well, Paul was planning to go to Dana's house for dinner tonight, but he really had been stringing her along the rest of the time! And what a confession it was-- not only the incriminating evidence he wanted, but even more besides! This proves Paul was operating with forethought, that he'd planned to use Dana in this way for a long time--

A thump comes from his locker and Fox spins the combination into the lock, feeling triumphant. He flings it open and grins at Dana.

She's still crouched in the same position, but now her face is hidden in her knees. The smile dies on his lips as he takes in the way her shoulders are shaking and the near-silent gasps of air he can hear despite her efforts to muffle them in her jeans.

"Dana?" He lowers himself on the bench on front of her. She doesn't respond.

"What do you think?" he asks, feeling helpless and a little lost. "Is that enough to break it off?"

She makes a wet sound that he realizes is supposed to be a laugh, then she lifts her head to blink up at him.

"Truthfully?"

Her eyes and nose are red and watery and her voice sounds choked and frail like she just woke up. He can't look away.

"Of course I want the truth."

She wipes her eyes with her sleeve. "I think Paul is getting single-er as we speak."

His mouth twitches and hers does too, and then they're laughing together.

He doesn't know why she decided to trust him with this, why she came to him for help even though she'd been angry at him for telling her the truth. In the end, it doesn't matter. When he listens to Dana laugh like this, he can honestly say he has never heard a more genuine sound in his entire life.

5 notes · View notes