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#i wasn't going to finish this one but i really wanted to cheer myself up-
suuuupernovaaa · 1 year
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seze
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seze [ˈsɛ.zɛ] n. blue flower
Anonymous Request: Reader confesses her feelings to Ao'nung and he rejects her pretty harshly, and Neteyam comforts her and eventually confesses to her and she realizes her feelings for Neteyam. When it comes time for them to mate before Eywa, Ao’nung regrets rejecting her, but it’s too late.
1,708 words
He looked me right in the eyes as he said it, with no shame, holding back nothing.
"I could never love someone like you."
He didn't yell it, he didn't even use a particularly harsh tone... he said it as if he was commenting that it looked like it might rain. It was a simple fact, and he seemed surprised that it wasn't something I'd considered.
I knew what he meant by 'someone like me'. Someone of little consequence. Someone with no particular or special skills. Someone on the outskirts of the clan, someone no one had ever really noticed.
Someone unimportant.
Though the words knocked the wind out of me, drained the blood from my face and made me feel light headed, all I could do was nod, turn, and walk slowly away.
It had taken weeks to work up the courage to tell Ao'nung how I felt. He had been so kind to me lately... I thought maybe, he felt the way I felt. Now I realized, that was foolish.
I left the beach for the protection of the treelined, and once I was out of sight, I sank to the ground, and let out a painful, low-pitched wail that I felt through my entire body.
The disappointment was hard, but the embarrassment was almost worse. Of course Ao'nung wouldn't be interested in someone like me; he would take a high-born mate, not a fisherman's daughter.
I cried myself to sleep, slumped against a tree, trying to accept my fate.
--
Neteyam noticed a change in Y/N right away. Though she mostly kept to herself, she was always cheerful and happy. He knew Kiri had a particular interest in Y/N, they had become sort of friends, and so she was around his family sometimes.
Something had happened to Y/N about three days ago, but Neteyam didn't know what. Though she was still around, she didn't speak, or smile, or engage hardly at all.
Neteyam asked Kiri what it was, but Kiri just shrugged and told him Y/N hadn't said anything to her.
He thought that was obtuse of Kiri. Hadn't he noticed the change in her friend? She was quiet before - not absolutely silent.
After another day of this, Neteyam could no longer hold his tongue, and when the opportunity presented itself and he found himself alone on the beach with Y/N, who was braiding a fishing net, he decided he had to speak up.
--
Neteyam sat next to me, lifting the net I was working on into his hands. It was small yet, but would be quite large when I was finished.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked.
I glanced over at him and nodded.
"Actually, I wanted to ask... if you're okay?"
My hands, once busy, settled into my lap, gripping the netting tightly. I was not okay, but I couldn't imagine why Neteyam would care. He had never shown any particular interest in me. In fact, no one had, save his sister, but even she hadn't noticed what was going on with me.
Ao'nung was right - I was not lovable.
A tear slipped from my eye, and I brushed it away, hoping Neteyam hadn't noticed.
"I'm fine," I replied.
Neteyam shook his head. "You are crying."
I turned away from him, pulling my knees to my chest. "It doesn't matter, Neteyam. Don't trouble yourself with me."
His warm, strong hand gripped my shoulder, and without thinking, I leaned over, pressing my cheek to his hand. The contact felt so good, and I tried to remember the last time someone had touched me like this... or at all.
"Tell me."
He pulled gently, and I turned to face him. The look on his face was so genuine, so earnest, and so full of concern. For a second, I wondered if he was teasing me. Maybe Ao'nung had told him what happened already, and Neteyam wanted to make fun of me.
That didn't make sense, though. Ao'nung and Neteyam weren't even close to being friends.
So maybe the concern was genuine.
The words spilled out of me then, like vomit, and I couldn't stop them. I told Neteyam about my years-long crush on Ao'nung, how I had pined for him, imagined a life with him, took his kindness to mean something it hadn't meant, and how when I'd told Ao'nung how I'd felt, he made it clear that I was too unimportant for someone like him to ever care about or notice.
I was crying by the end, fat tears rolling down my cheeks and splashing hot onto my lap, but it felt so good to finally tell someone that I didn't care, I couldn't feel embarrassed anymore. I had suffered enough embarrassment to last a lifetime over the past few days; I wanted to be done with that.
When I finished, I furiously wiped the tears from my eyes, and waited for Neteyam's response.
His expression was... angry. His brows furrowed, his mouth pursed, his eyes focused.
"I will kill that moron," he whispered.
I sighed and shook my head. "He doesn't have to love me."
"But he could at least be kind!"
I didn't reply, because I couldn't exactly argue with him.
Neteyam reached out unexpectedly, pulling me to him, wrapping me in a tight hug. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around him, scooting closer, our bodies pressed together.
It felt so comforting, so intimate, so nice to be treated like this and cared about, I would've started crying again if I'd had any tears left.
"Neteyam, thank you," I whispered.
He pulled back, looking me in the eyes. "You are important, Y/N. I have watched you. You are kind and thoughtful. You watch Tuk carefully to ensure she doesn't ever get hurt, you treat Kiri with thoughtfulness and protect her when others treat her like she's different, you even tolerate Lo'ak. I have never met anyone so gentle or caring. That someone could hurt you... it makes me want to kill him, Y/N. He had no right to speak to you that way. You are like... you are like a flower, with soft petals. You should be protected, given water and sun, not stomped on."
A flower. This is was nicest thing anyone had ever said to me, and Neteyam was staring into my eyes, so intently. How could someone like him, the son of Taruk Makto, have noticed and felt these things about me?
"Neteyam, I..." I searched my mind for a perfect reply, but could only come up with: "I see you, Neteyam."
"I see you, Y/N."
My lips spread wide in a smile - my first in many days - and Neteyam smiles in return.
--
After that day, Neteyam and I were scarcely ever apart. He became at first, a best friend, my closest confidant, and then naturally, it turned into something more.
There wasn't a moment when I realized it had happened. He just began holding my hand nearly all of the time, guiding me by the small of my back, touching his forehead to mine when we part and finally, one night, he kissed me.
It didn't even shock me. It felt natural, that Neteyam would kiss me. It felt really almost overdue. Neteyam should have been kissing me since the moment we met.
We were completely in step, in sync, together always. Neteyam was meant to be my mate, and I was meant to be his.
He didn't really ask me, formally, to be his mate. He just mentioned once, something about, "when we're mated..." and I agreed.
And the date was set... but we told almost no one, outside of his family and mine. It felt special, secret, just for us.
--
"Kiri says they're very happy," Tsireya told her mother while she chopped fruit. "I think it's nice, that Y/N has found someone. She's always seemed so lonely."
Ronal nodded. "That's good. Good for Y/N. She's a nice girl."
Ao'nung sat across from them, his jaw set in anger. Y/N had done him a kindness by telling no one about his harsh rejection, and he had since realized that.
It wasn't that he didn't like Y/N. He had always thought she was beautiful, and kind, and there was something interesting about her, a quality he hadn't seen in other women in the clan... but no one really knew her, or cared about her. Her parents weren't particularly important to the clan, and neither was she, and Ao'nung thought, as future Ole'eyktan, he should have someone better.
He had come to realize that he had been stupid. Better wasn't more well-known, more talented, more superficial... better was kind, and caring, and someone his mother thought was a 'nice girl'.
"They are to be mated before Ewya," Tsireya said with a blush. "They don't plan to make a ceremony of it, just the two of them."
Ronal smiled. "Beautiful."
Ao'nung sat, simmering in anger at the chance he had lost, thinking of how Neteyam had almost beat him senseless when he found out how Ao'nung had treated Y/N.
He knew now, he deserved it, and he'd missed his chance.
--
When Ao'nung had told me he could never love me, it had seemed like the end of my life. It made me feel stupid, and worthless, and ugly. I hadn't thought I'd ever recover.
Then, Neteyam breathed new life into me. He didn't have to, but he did, and he kept doing it, every single day since then.
We emerged from the water, Neteyam breathless, chest heaving, my mate before Ewya.
He pulled me into his arms once more, pressing a desperate kiss to my lips, holding my face in his hands, then wrapping his arms around my waist.
"I love you," he whispered over and over between kisses, and I thought I could cry with gratefulness and joy.
"I love you, Ma Neteyam," I replied. I pulled away, just for a moment, to smile at him. "Thank you."
He pushed the wet hair from my face. "My flower," he said with a soft smile, as he so often did.
The sting of rejection was long behind me, replaced by enough joy to last a lifetime.
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sebscore · 11 months
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if you feel comfortable doing so, how do you think the grid would react if gzd was going through a rough patch and she’s being like really quiet and in her head?
i’m kinda slipping back into this era and i just need the grids comfort
THIS IS ALL I NEVER WANTED
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pairing: lando norris x driver!reader / daniel ricciardo x driver!reader / sebastian vettel x driver!reader / lewis hamilton x sebastian vettel
warnings: reader feels defeated and is ready to give up. swearing. mention of sexism.
author’s note: the comfort fic is finally hear, lmao :) sorry that it took me this long, got caught up with gentle hit, but it’s here now !!
masterlist
• • • • • • •
''That's the car of Y/L that goes into the gravel- another DNF for the young driver.'' Crofty commented as he watched her retire from the fight for the third consecutive race. 
Meanwhile in the car, Y/N's radio was bombarded by her engineer. ''We're so sorry, Y/N. A podium was possible, but we'll keep pushing harder for next time. We'll debrief.'' Marco apologised, frustration and guilt audible in his voice. 
''Understood.'' The indifferent tone came as a surprise to the team and viewers, but it was understandable as the driver hadn't been able to finish a race in over a month. 
The ride back to the paddock was humiliating to say the least. The pitiful looks from fans, the judging eyes of critics and the loud whispers didn't do much to brighten the dark cloud that was her mind. 
Her post-race interviews also weren't a great help to her already declining confidence. 
''It's the third consecutive DNF for you- how are you managing to stay positive and to not lose hope in the car?'' Nathalie asked her, sounding compassionate. 
Y/N shrugged her shoulders. ''Nothing is positive at all,'' she sarcastically chuckled, ''I think I'm doing everything right and then it all goes wrong for some reason.'' 
''I'm working hard with the team, but it doesn't seem like it's paying off at the moment. I'm just very disappointed and I- yeah, well, I hate the car.'' 
The reporter in front of her wasn't used to the visible pessimism of the female driver. Y/N was known for her cheerful and up-beat character, always open for a chat and ready to take on any challenge. That figure seemed to be missing at the moment. 
''I hope it gets better for you, Y/N. You're an amazing driver and I wish you good luck for the next race weekend, thank you so much for talking to us.'' Nathalie rounds up the interview before signalling to her cameraman to stop the filming. 
Y/N was about to leave, but a gentle grab of her wrist stopped her. ''Hey, darling- don't let this get you down, alright? There are many people rooting for you here, me included, and we all want to see you do well. You have incredible talent and we know these lasts results aren't a reflection of that.'' 
The Sky Sports presenter had a soft spot for the young woman ever since her arrival to the paddock. Nathalie has always been amazed by Y/N's ability to shrug off all the sexist remarks and to prove the people that doubt her wrong. 
''Thanks, I appreciate it.'' The soft smile on Y/N's face was a fake one, even a child could spot that. However, her words and gratefulness were genuine and that's all that mattered to Nathalie. 
The driver moved quickly between the different journalists, not in the mood for the long and lovely chats that would have happened had she crossed the chequered flag. ''If one more person reminds me of all the DNF's, I'm going to knock myself out with one of these microphones.'' She mumbled to her team's press officer, making the woman laugh but also look at Y/N with a bit of concern. 
Luckily for her, all the media responsible people must have listened to her prayers and went easy on her- maybe sensing her agitation and worsened mood. She and her press officer moved back to the team's hospitality, where a dreaded team briefing would take place. 
''Obviously these aren't the results that we want. We want wins, podiums and points.'' Her team principal started off the meeting, standing at the head of the table. ''It is clear that changes need to be made, whether that be the car, the strategy or the driver even.'' The eyes of the team shifted from their leader to the young woman staring daggers at him. 
''It's not my fault that the fucking engine blows up or that another drivers decides he wants to play bumper cars.'' Y/N defended herself, not seeing why she should be replaced. 
He shook his head. ''I didn't say it was your fault, but we have to look at all the options and that includes you, Y/N.'' The man clarified, taking a deep breath. 
The woman rolled her eyes, causing Marco to send her a stern look that said ''Please, don't make this harder on yourself.'' She got his sign and sat up straight in her chair, figuring her slumping didn't give off a great impression. 
The briefing continued for another hour, going over all the alternatives they had and all the work they had to do while waiting for the next race weekend. ''Alright- thank you, everyone! Have a great break.'' The team principal dismissed the team. 
Y/N was the first one to get up and leave, debating if she would slam the door, but she didn't want a Kevin x Guenther moment with her boss. 
By the time she was on her way to her hotel, most fans had gone home themselves and the paddock was occupied by crew members cleaning the place up. Y/N had a slow pace while walking, not in any hurry to leave the circuit. 
''You're going back to the hotel?'' A voice behind her spoke up, making the female driver yelp as she didn't expect someone to walk up on her. 
Y/N turned around, Lando looking at her with a grin. ''Did I scare you?'' He laughed, finding amusement in making his friend flinch. 
''You could have been a serial killer for all I know, you idiot.'' She slapped his arm, the tension leaving her body as it was only Lando and not some creep. 
''Only on track.'' He winked. 
The young woman frowned at his action. ''Please, never do that again.'' Her feigned disgust with his wink resulted in a light push from her friend. 
''So… you're going to the hotel now?'' Lando asked her again, not having received an answer yet. 
Y/N nodded. ''Yeah, I could use some sleep before the flight tomorrow.'' 
''You, uh, wanna take a car together to the hotel? You know- that way we're not wasting gas, I guess.'' He nervously asked, mumbling the question almost under his breath. 
''Sure,'' Y/N chuckled, ''Seb will be proud of us.'' 
They decided to take his car as she wasn't in the mood to drive anymore and Lando didn't seem to mind. She was grateful for Lando's company, at least her bad day would end on a good note. 
''Sorry about the race today, I know you could have done more.'' Despite being competitors, they were also great friends and it's not fun seeing your friends have bad results. 
Y/N sighed. ''My team- they're, uh, thinking about replacing me.'' She wanted to get her worries off of her chest and Lando bringing up the race seemed like the perfect oppurtunity for it. 
''What?'' He exclaimed, not anticipating that sentence to come out of her mouth. 
''They say they just have to think about all the changes they could make to get better results, but they've been talking an awful lot about the junior drivers so I'm just preparing myself for it.'' She clarified for him, resting her head against the window. 
Lando let her words sink in. ''They- they can't possibly do that, you're one of the best drivers on the grid.'' It came out louder than he intended, but the thought of one of his best friends not being with him on track anymore upsets him. 
''They can do that,'' she sarcastically chuckled, ''I'm impressed I lasted this long- I just know the FIA will be throwing a party now that they don't have to be feminists anymore.'' 
''What do you mean 'lasted'? You're not going anywhere, we have enough races left where you can show your true skills.'' Lando took his eyes off the road to look her in the eye, perhaps wanting her to see how serious he was. 
Y/N shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to talk about it any further. 
The car stopped in front of a red light. ''Hey,'' Lando put his hand on top of hers, ''I'm being serious. We've been racing against each other for over 10 years now- you're a good driver. You'll probably be a World Champion one day.'' 
''You really mean that?'' Her usual confident demeanour had been traded in for an insecure one, her voice coming out smaller than normal. 
He chuckled, nodding his head. ''Of course, I wouldn't lie to you.'' The gentle way he was looking at her assured her that he was in fact being serious and meant everything he said. 
''Thank you,'' Y/N turned her hand and squeezed Lando's, ''now, shut up and drive me to the hotel!'' She pushed his hand away. ''Enough of this emo shit.'' 
''This is the one time I am being nice to you and you just reject my love.'' 
''Stop being so emotional, Norris.'' 
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''There she is!'' Daniel loudly announced as Y/N stepped onto the plane, his hands up in the air. 
She tiredly waved at everyone, exhausted from the lack of sleep she had gotten. The young woman groggily sat down next to her Australian colleague, Michael sitting in front of them. 
Daniel snickered at her disoriented state. ''Good morning to you, mate.'' He greeted her, his infamous bright smile on his face. 
''It's fucking early, what are you so happy about?'' She mumbled, while trying to find a good sleeping position. 
''I'm grateful that I get to live another beautiful day, Y/N! We don't appreciate our existence enough, we need to-''
''I'll be grateful for my life when you shut up and let me sleep.'' She interrupted him, closing her eyes and pulling her hat slightly over her face. 
The McLaren driver opted for another teasing comment, but he could see the obvious exhaustion she had going on and let her be, a light pat on the shoulder working as his way to say ''have a good nap''. 
About an hour later the turbulence of the plane woke her up from her much needed sleep. Y/N took her hat off and noticed Daniel still awake, scrolling on his phone while listening to music through his headphones. 
A soft push against his arm brought his attention from his device to the woman next to him, immediately smiling upon seeing that she's awake. ''Sleepyhead.'' 
The beam on his face slowly changed into a nervous frown, worrying his friend. ''What is it? The reality of life finally settled in?'' Y/N awkwardly said, trying to cheer him up. 
''No, uh, it's just that uhm interview you did with Nathalie yesterday- I watched it.'' He answered, sympathy written all over his face. 
''Oh,'' she sat up straight in her seat, ''well, you know it was just after the race so obviously I was very frustrated. You know how it is.'' The driver tried to come off as nonchalant, failing horribly. 
''Lando told me, Y/N.'' Daniel revealed, wanting her to drop the 'it's not a big deal'-act. 
She sighed. ''Oh, that little snake.'' She muttered under her breath. 
''No, I'm glad that he told me. He said he's never seen you so defeated and the way you were talking to Nathalie- you haven't given up, have you?'' Daniel had seen how her recent race results had affected her, but he wasn't aware how deep her frustrations and insecurities had settled in. 
Her silence to his question was an answer in itself. 
''You've been working your ass off since you were like what? 5-6? You're not gonna throw all of that away just because of 3 bad races, right? That's nothing like you.'' The Australian ranted, baffled over her ruined confidence. 
Y/N glanced outside her window, seeing they were high above the clouds. ''I'm not throwing anything away, it's just… my teams seems to have already made up their mind and are just waiting on the right time to tell me that someone else is taking my place.'' The young woman clarified, her words not helping Daniel's growing worries. 
''They would be fucking idiots to replace you, you know that.'' He sneered, rolling his eyes at the thought of another person driving in her seat. 
She weakly chuckled at his response, not finding much humour in the insult to her bosses. 
Daniel's shoulder gently pushed against hers. ''Hey, maybe you need to talk to Seb or Lewis, they're better at this pep-talk shit than I am.'' He suggested, figuring the two older men might have more of an influence on her. 
Y/N let his words process for a few seconds, considering seeking a listening ear in either of the world champions. ''I- I don't know, Dan. They probably have better things to do.'' 
''Like what?'' 
''I don't fucking know- planting trees, feeding Roscoe, whatever.'' She blurted out, making both of them laugh at the random activities they could be doing. 
''Just think about it, I think you'd feel a lot better after talking to one of them.'' Daniel didn't want to push her, knowing it would have the opposite effect on what he wanted for her. 
A tired smile made its way onto her face. ''I will, thank you.'' 
''Good,'' his face mirrored hers, ''and if they do replace you, they're just like Netflix.'' 
''Like Netflix?'' 
''A bunch of cunts.'' 
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''I've never seen her that quiet.'' Sebastian mumbled to the Brit next to him, observing the young woman who sat slumped over in her chair. 
Lewis looked over at her, being as equally bewildered as his German colleague. ''I don't blame her, all the stuff they've been saying about her is awful.'' He whispered back. 
''What do you mean?'' Sebastian frowned. 
The Mercedes driver uncomfortably shifted in his head, leaning more towards his friend. ''People have been saying a lot of shit on social media and those fucking annoying journalists certainly don't help. Also, that interview their team principal did.'' 
Sebastian rolled his eyes at the mention. ''Hanna showed me, that was so out of line. He knows people have been wanting her out since the day she got in- shame on him for making all of that so public.'' 
Her team principal had given a quite lengthy interview over the break between the race weekends, publicising the team's problems and their possible solutions, which included a hint to a potential driver change-up. 
''None of the DNF's were even her fault, it's absolutely ridiculous.'' The slander on her name greatly upset Lewis, aware of the talent she possessed and it made him angry that there was even a chance that she might not be on the grid with them the next year. 
''I know and it has taken such a toll on her, Daniel said he talked to her, but I'm a little worried.'' The Aston Martin driver told Lewis, his puzzled look turning into one of sadness. 
The Brit scratched his voice. ''Maybe you can give her some confidence? You've known her for a long time, I'm sure she'll appreciate it.'' 
Sebastian slowly nodded his head, figuring the World Champion might be right. ''Yeah, I'll talk to her later.'' He confirmed, still watching the obvious daydreaming woman from across the room. 
The driver's briefing went on for about half an hour more, the director seeing the visible boredom on every person's face and calling it a day for everyone. 
Y/N couldn't have been more relieved that the meeting was finally over, wanting nothing more than going back to her own hospitality and figuring out ways to make the car work, and actually finish this time around. 
She was one of the last people to leave the briefing room, only George, Lewis and Sebastian walking behind her. The latter tapping her shoulder. ''Hey, haven't talked to you today.'' 
''Yeah, lots of briefings with the team, you know.'' The younger one responded, giving him a quick glance. 
''How's that going?'' 
The woman remained silent for a few moments, considering how much she should tell her mentor about the current state of her place in the team. ''Uhm, well, it's going… decent, I guess.'' Y/N muttered, trailing off. 
''Decent?'' Sebastian repeated, as if asking ''are you serious?'' 
''There are like a bunch of reporters around us, what do you want me to say?'' She replied, a defensive tone to her voice. 
The German patted her back, sensing her agitation. ''It's okay, let's discuss somewhere private.'' He calmed her down, suggesting a different place to have a conversation. 
''Okay.'' 
They opted for her personal driver's home, that being the closest space where they could talk with just the two of them. Some of her team's staff had given the Aston Martin driver some weird looks while they walked through the hospitality, but he brushed them off. 
The pair sat down on her small couch once they arrived, not much space between them. 
Y/N felt some nerves settling in her stomach as she waited for Seb to start speaking, not knowing what he was going to tell her. 
''I'm just gonna be straightforward,'' he started off, ''you can't continue with this attitude, cause you're only setting yourself up. You are a great driver, Y/N. We all have our off weeks, we're not perfect.'' 
''I understand that this isn't a nice situation to be in. Trust me, this green vegetable that I'm driving isn't doing much better at the moment,'' he chuckled, making her crack a smile, ''but if there's one person that can completely turn their season around, it's you.'' 
Y/N avoided eye-contact with him, not sure how to respond to his kind and encouraging words. ''I appreciate that, Seb. I'm not giving up, it's just… very difficult and people are constantly bringing it up, and making articles and shit- that doesn't help me at all. I'm still gonna do my best, but… yeah- it's just difficult.'' 
''I know it's hard and I've heard the media has been hard on you. That's what they do and they see you as an easier target for clicks and whatnot,'' Sebastian rolled his eyes at his own mention of the media, ''But you're better than believing their words.'' 
''You are a talented driver, you have so much potential. Do you think I would have spent all these years with you if I thought you shouldn't be in F1?'' He asked her, a look on his face that told her he wanted an answer. 
The young woman timidly shook her head. ''No, you wouldn't have done that.'' 
Sebastian smiled at her response. ''See?'' He put his arm around her, pulling her closer into him. ''Whether you believe it or not, you're leading this new generation. You're a decent car away from being a World Champion, you know that right?'' 
''Did you talk to Lando? He also said that.'' Y/N nervously grinned. 
''Just accept the truth!'' The German squeezed her shoulders. ''You've proven that you can do anything. You don't want to let down all those young girls that started karting because of you, right? What message would it send to all of them that their role model quit, because she got bumped off the road or her car simply decided to turn itself off.'' 
''You're right,'' she sighed, admitting to herself she needed to drop the pessimistic attitude, ''I don't just owe it to myself, but also to them.'' 
Sebastian nodded along to her words, letting out a deep breath. ''I'm relieved you're seeing it, I don't like seeing you like this. It's weird not seeing you smile or making fun of the drivers.'' He smirked, patting her shoulder. 
''I guess everyone deserved an off-day, tomorrow I'll start again.'' Y/N grinned, laughing at Sebastian's reminder of her fondness to poke fun at their colleagues. 
The senior driver gave her one last squeeze and stood up from the couch, adjusting his pants. ''No more frowns, alright? You're gonna do great this weekend and you're gonna show everyone why you deserve your seat.'' 
Y/N nodded, more confident than when she first walked back into her driver's room. ''Yes, I'm gonna do my best, Seb.'' 
They bumped their fists as if to solidify it was going to be a great race weekend for them both. 
''And go easy on me tomorrow with the teasing.'' 
''I'd rather be run off the track again then let that happen.''
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itsfeckinwimdy · 1 year
Text
3 times Toto was oblivious + the 1 time he was surprised
George Russell x Reader
Reader Pronouns: She/Her
Prompt: Toto Wolff may be a good team principal but that doesnt mean hes good at observing things.
Work Count: 1.2k (1257) words
Tree speaks: The physical restrain I had to put on myself to not write Grussell every time I wrote George was immense. This one is a lot better than last week's. I was able to actually enjoy writing this so I might change up what I post each week to keep it varying.
Also, I know that George doesn't have James as his race engineer but I can't part with him so he's in this.
Formula 1 Masterlist
Published: 24/12/2022
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One
Barcelona
If Toto thought he was going to have issues with George and Y/n getting along with each other after Lewis' departure as a driver then he would surely be proved wrong.
To him he couldn't have asked for a better pairing, the exception being Y/n and Lewis as they were the dream team, but to him, the new duo seemed to get along a little too well sometimes. Maybe it was him overanalysing everything like he tended to do so, but he had to be critical of his team and ensure that it was the best it could be especially after the consequences of last year.
Toto looked over at where the two were standing in the garage talking to each other. The screens in front of them clearly displayed the data he presumed the two were meant to be reading but were they paying any mind to it at the moment? Of course not.
He had half a mind to go over there and strangle them as they needed to get ready for their first test drive in the W13. However, he paused in his movements. The two of them had descended into fits of laughter, Y/n's hand gripped George's bicep as she held herself upright whilst the younger lad smiled broadly at her. When their laughter ceased, their smiles never faded and they continued to stare at each other. And Y/n's hand never moved.
And Y/n's hand never moved-
Toto's eyes squinted as he stared at them. Was there- no, Toto shook his head ridding himself of those thoughts. There was nothing going on between the two of them.
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Two
British grand prix
As Toto continued to discuss and dissuade George from going to the stewards, he didn't notice his other driver clamber out of her car. It wasn't until he saw a blur of black fireproofs barrel into George that he realised she was back in the garage.
He saw the way George pulled her in close to him and how he held the back of her still helmet-clad head whilst she hugged him tightly. His eyebrows furrowed slightly when he noticed that the hug was lasting longer than normal only for the thought to be pulled straight out of his mind as Y/n stepped back to pull her helmet and HANS device off.
"You out of the race?" Y/n asked George only for Toto to sigh in response. He really didn't want to have to listen to George's rant about not being allowed to race again when there was nothing wrong with the car bar a missing tire. Yes, he agreed that it was shitty that he couldn't have started the car up again, however, once the marshalls move the car, the driver is not allowed to continue racing in it.
"Don't-" Toto began, interrupting George from beginning his rant once again, "I don't want to hear another word, we just have to focus on your race now."
The Austrian continued with his avid discussion about what was to happen next not noticing the entwined hands of his drivers or picking up on the "Stay safe" that left George upon Y/n climbing back into the car.
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Three
Circuit of the Americas
When the Mercedes crossed the finish line, eruptions of cheers exploded through the garage and the pit lane as Toto himself was ecstatic. Y/n had managed to get the first win for Mercedes of the year and George had continued his streak of being in the top 5 of each race.
That had transpired just over two hours ago and the team was in the process of getting the team photo's ready. The two drivers were currently in the cold air of the garage softly talking to each other whilst their physios were helping them with their cooldown routines.
Toto was currently conversing with James and Bono about how they could improve for the upcoming weekends when his attention was drawn to the back of the garage.
Y/n was hunched over in her seat, an ice pack being held to her lower back by her physio, her hands clasped in her teammates. A few tears fell from her eyes as Toto deduced it was from the pain of the cars' porpoising issues which was mentioned by both drivers earlier today.
George's hand came up to cup her face, wiping away her tears as he kept speaking to her.
Toto turned his gaze away from the two making sure to mention to the race engineers about the porpoising issue they were already aware of but making sure they knew it needed sorting instantly before he walked out the garage to check on the progress of getting the cars in place.
But what he missed in his absence was the two race engineers looking at the two young drivers, witnessing the younger lad place a chaste kiss on Y/n's forehead before resting his own against hers.
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+ One
Brazil
The entire Mercedes team crowded into parc ferme underneath the podium, waiting for celebrations to commence. Toto stood amidst the crowd with Susie by his side.
The spray of champagne rained down on him from high above where George had chosen to spray it over the crowd whilst being doused in it himself by his teammate.
Toto couldn't be prouder of the two. Having been able to witness George's first win in both the sprint and the Grand Prix and the first Mercedes 1-2 of the weekend, he couldn't have been happier.
Except that now meant adding the W13 to the collection of race-winning cars.
Maybe there was a spot near the back for it.
Focusing back up on the podium, he saw Y/n pull Goerge into her arms and kiss him, hands reaching up to push the Mercedes cap from his head.
Wait-
Toto blinked in shock as the crowd around him roared in joy.
Are those two together?
He looked at Susie next to him, and then Bono at his other side only to see the two of them cheering the couple, no- the drivers, on.
Had he seriously missed this?
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Bonus
"Guess they've finally stopped sneaking around then."
The ever so infuriating voice of Christain Horner flew into Toto's ears as the Austrian turned to look at the greying man.
"What do you mean by that?" Toto questioned him, not understanding what the red bull team principal was referring to.
"Y/n and George," Christian continued, but upon still seeing the confusion on Toto's face he chuckled to himself slightly, "You didn't know?"
"What? Have the two of them been dating for a while now?" Toto slowly put two and two together from the event that occurred on the podium a mere hour ago and Christian's words.
The short British man laughed at the taller man's confusion and blindness, "Oh Toto, everyone knew. They've not entirely been good at keeping it a secret."
And with that Horner walked back to his garage, leaving the Austrian standing in the pitlane contemplating where he went wrong. He heard some muffled laughter from next to him and his head turned to look at the culprit only to see his wife, Susie.
"Was it really that obvious?" he asked her, knowing that she would at least be honest with him.
"Oh, Toto-" Susie nodded as she kept trying to hold in her laughter at her husband's ruffled nature only for him to walk off into the garage and throw his hands up in frustration.
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squerlly · 1 month
Text
flames of desire chapter 5: bonding exercise
Alastor x (f! bunny reader) -Fluff- chapter 1
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your POV:
through out my time here in hell I have grown accustomed to the musty hot atmosphere of the underworld and the loud mornings of screaming, gun shots, and road rage, its hell after all and there technically isn't any rules. me and angel hang out a lot more, behind his sex jokes and playful demeaner hes a great friend. husk and I are cool I suppose, according to him I'm more tolerable. Nifftys a bit crazy and energetic but I enjoy helping her clean sometimes, but one person that's been on my mind a lot is Alastor. hes always watching me, I catch him staring at me with that weird smile, I wonder if his face hurts from smiling all the time...none of my business what he does I just wish he wasn't so eerie. I was in the lobby this morning when Charlie called us over for a "bonding exercise", seeing everybody gathered in there seats I sit on the couch next to angel, "good morning everybody thank you for comingggg, I would like to have you all here for a little bonding time yayy!!!..." the silence was defiantly loud... "uhm- well I though we could all do something fun like drawing!" standing behind her vaggie comes out with paper, markers, and crayons "oooo colors" niffty giggles "what's does this look like kinder garden?" "angel please try and at least participate" letting out an annoyed grumble he agrees "fineee..." "great! were all going in partners and you will draw each other, that sound fun right!!?" oh no... "charlies with me, husks with angel, and Alastors with y/n, nifftys can uhm..." "oh oh can I be the judge!!!" "sure..." "you gotta be fucken kidding me..." "aww cmon whiskers I'm not that baddd~" walking to there partners I turn to see Alastor sitting on the arm chair looking at me with a wide grin on his face, "fuck me..." I grumble walking over to sit on the floor beside him "well my dear looks like its just me and you" "yeah... me and you" grabbing two pieces of papers and some crayons "I cant even draw..." "oh don't worry I'm sure you will do just fine!" "why am I doing this again..." "cheer up dear this is supposed to be fun after all, I cant be that hard to draw" "yeah your right just need two colors" scribbling on the paper I start at the base of his face, doodling his creepy smile and red hair, looking up I see him studying me curiously "what's the matter, am I hard to draw?" I say smugly "not at all dear your quite easy to draw" ouch, thanks...
Alastors POV:
I never really focused any time on things such as art, yes I can cook and maybe play the piano but drawings not one of my few good skills although ill give it a shot. I would have never guessed I would be sitting here doing one of charlies silly little projects, attempting to draw y/n I look at here for a while, this is the closest I have ever really been next to her, my she really is small it makes me want to squeez her tiny little body, her head could fit in my hand easily. I have noticed a few things while observing her, her ears twitch when she's focused on things like now, her pink bunny nose twitches when she's scared, and her fluffy tail wags when she's exited or annoyed what a strange individual...
your POV:
"ok guys once your done with your drawings you will show them off to your partners!!", as a few minutes pass by I have finished my drawing and well I'm quite disappointed in myself, man I should have taken art class in high school "I finished if your ready to show them" hell no... "I- I'm done but I don't think I wanna... "oh I'm sure its not that bad" giving the drawing one last glance I turn the page I show him the drawing facing away to hide what little dignity I had left. hearing a quiet static buzz noise I look back up seeing him looking at the drawing with a questionable face "I know its badd!!!" "w-well I wouldn't say that dear its just..." "just say its bad!" "its interesting" "well what does yours look like?" turning his page my jaw drops to the floor, what is this creepy deer man not good at "its not my best work but-" "are you kidding me Al this is good!" standing up I grab the drawing, it was in crayon but it looked just like me. pausing I try to tone down my excitement seeing alastor wide eyed from my reaction "I'm glad you like it dear" "what cant you do" "well I did say I was a man of many talents but drawing isn't one of them" "do you uhh mind if I keep this..." "not at all dear~" "you don't have to keep mine you can just throw it-" "nonsense its mine isn't it?" "yes.." "then I will keep it". for once he seemed to have a genuine smile on his face, not some creepy ass smile, its kind of nice...
Alastors POV:
I don't know why but I wanted to keep her silly little drawing, its...cute?. it looks nothing like me but its quite amusing seeing her all embarrassed. I was surprised to see she liked my drawing, her eyes lit up with a small smile on her face, it feels good to know my work is appreciated even in the... strangest things it gives me a sense of pride, I might hang it in my radio tower...
your POV:
looking at everybody else I saw Charlie bouncing on her heels looking at a little doodle vaggie made how cute~, husk made a sloppy doodle of angel and angel just drew himself. niffty was running around looking at others drawings, eventually she got around to ours, climbing on my shoulder she looks at Alastors drawing "ooooOooo you look so cute in the picture!!" I smile a bit "thanks niff" grabbing her off my shoulder I set her down "well that's the end of the exercise, how was it!" "ehh it wasn't to bad" "it was alright" "whatever...im going back to the bar" Charlie puts on a little smile "well do one again next week, maybe we could make cookies together or do all about ME's oh oh!! what about-" "ok hon slow down" "sorry". this was nice, hell isn't that bad, at least not here. better than home...
hey guys!!! I was supposed to release this earlier but I'm a little sick right now from the cold weather but I refuse to let you guys down! I made this chapter a little longer than usual so I hope you guys loved this cute chapter as much as I did, love you guys have a good day/night
-squerlly
for more content or chapter please click this masterlist
@pooplyface1423 @strippezzz
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redskull199987 · 11 months
Text
New Friends
Sodo x female!reader Part II(new Ghoul/replacement for Aether) 
Word count:2.1k
Warnings: making out, kissing, lots of kissing, in general just cute again and lots of interactions with the crowd:D
Summary:The Reader takes the place of Phantom in this, replacing Aether and playing the Rhythm Guitar. She was working at the ministry before and was always close to the Ghouls, especially Sodo. Now Papa decided, that it was finally her time to shine… 
let me know if you wanna be tagged Part I, Part II(you are here), Part III
Masterlist
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You knew, you should be somewhere completely different right now. With the other Ghouls or with Papa. Anywhere…
And still, here you were. Stuck between the door of your dressing room and your favorite Ghoul. His lips were currently attacking your exposed neck, while you tried to keep your voice down. 
"Sodo…", you groaned, trying to convince him, that this was not the right time, but the fire Ghoul knew how aroused you were. He could smell it after all. 
"What is it, doll?", he asked and backed away a little, a grin on his face. 
You only sighed and pulled him back towards you, mumbling into his ear,"I hate you", he didn't have time to respond, as you pressed your lips to his again. He gasped, not expecting you to be so straight forward, giving you the chance to sneak your tongue into his mouth. By this point, Sodo had fully melted into the kiss. He pushed you harder against the door, sneaking his hands around your waist, all the while he explored your mouth with his tongue. 
"Sodo-", you groaned his name again. You could feel his hot breath against your mouth. You knew, he was just as horny as you were. 
"We need to be on stage soon.", you mumbled. 
Sodo only hummed, softly kissing your temple:"I know, my love. But for now, I got you all to myself." 
Your cheeks reddened at his words. It didn't help, that you could feel his fingertips brushing up your shirt and softly kneading your hips.
You looked up at him. You almost giggled. You weren't the tallest Ghoul, but Sodo wasn't either, so you were about the same height. But right now, Sodo tried everything to tower over you as much as possible. You quickly looked down and saw that he even stood slightly on his toes. 
You smiled softly and wrapped your tail around his calf, mentioning for him to come back to his feet. He hesitantly obliged your request and before he could complain about it, you quickly pressed a kiss to his temple, just like he had done it to you only minutes ago. 
He closed his mouth again, choosing not to complain about his height and just enjoy the moment instead. 
"I love you, no matter what height, my fire boy.", you smiled, throwing your arms over his shoulders and intertwining them behind his head. 
Sodo was starstruck for a second, as he didn't say anything, but then his lips curled up into a sweet smile, that could almost rival Swiss'. 
" I love you too, my beloved.", he finally said, leaning his forehead against yours. He was careful to not knock his horns against yours. Which was rather easy considering that yours weren't as big as his and they sat a little bit more on your forehead. His were closer to his hairline. 
"We really should get going", you finally said. You knew, that you didn't want to be late again. You and Sodo had kind of become notorious for being late, since you joined. Which was a huge problem, since you were needed for Kaiserion, the opening song. 
Sodo could only nod:"We really shouldn't be late again." 
"Let's go then", you said and kissed his cheek one last time, before you went to grab your helmet. 
"Here we go again", Sodo grinned, his own helmet resting between his fingers,"You still nervous?"
You smiled at his question. He had been so caring this entire tour. You had only done a few rituals yet, finishing all the ones in France. But still, the Fans were absolutely awesome. You received so many sweet presents and people cheered and clapped for you, especially when you were interacting with Sodo. 
"No.", you finally answered his question,"I am starting to really love this." 
Sodo only grinned:"Told you." 
"Let's go", you chuckled and pushed him out of your dressing room. 
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Thankfully, you had made it on time. Even though, you had almost destroyed your own guitar, as you hastily made your way onto stage. 
Apart from that, everything was going according to plan. Right now, you were sitting on the edge of Aurora's stage, vibing together with your fellow Ghoulette. You had decided to join her, since she couldn't leave her stage. You looked up, as the song slowly came to an end. She looked down and grinned at you. You smiled back and jumped up, pushing your guitar behind you back. 
You quickly pulled Aurora into a huge hug, you even heard her laughing over the cheers of the fans, who were probably focusing on Sodo right now, as he was harassing Rain as always. 
You vibed a little bit more with Aurora, but as you saw that Swiss made his way over to her stage, you departed and left the two Multi-Ghouls to themselves. 
You kept to yourself for a while, walking closer to the edge of the stage, propping your leg up on one of the small podiums. 
Some Fans cheered and reached their hands out for you. You chuckled and only pointed at them and then to yourself, asking if it was you who they wanted. They only cheered louder and you quickly ducked away, as you saw something flying onto stage. You looked at the crowd to point out, who had thrown it. You found a smaller person in the front that waved their hands, signaling that they threw it. You smiled and went to pick it up. You literally gasped, as you saw that it was a drawing of yourself. With all the details correct, like the horns or the patches of your mask. 
You spinned around again, pushing your guitar back and doing a little dance as to thank the person. You waved at them and threw your pick as a thank you. They cheered happily, which made your heart warm. You looked at the picture one last time. It was rather small, so you carefully rolled it up and stored it in your jackets pocket. 
While you had your little interaction with the crowd, you hadn't noticed Rain and Sodo sneaking up on you. As the song, you were currently playing ended, they caught you off guard from behind, throwing an arm around your shoulder each. 
You yelped at the sudden contact and almost pushed them away, but as you realized that it was your fellow Ghouls, you only laughed. Sodo gave you a grin, as he pulled you into his side. Rain only patted your shoulder, as to apologize for the jumpscare. 
You goofed around with them for a bit, before it was time for one of your favorite songs: Mummy Dust. 
And as the song finally started, you could already feel that it was going to be an interesting performance. It usually felt like, everyone on stage went feral, but this time it somehow felt ten times worst. And you were standing next to Sodo right now, so it could only end bad. 
And you would remain correct. Right as you started to play, Sodo leaned towards the crowd, looking at them like they were the best snack of his life. You would be lying, if you said, you didn't find it hot. So, you did what came to your mind. 
You slowly walked over to him. As he noticed you, your eyes met and he almost immediately understood what you wanted. 
You stopped right next to him and together, you leaned towards the people, reaching out both of your hands to them. Sodo was able to touch someone's hand but you weren't fast enough, as you already pulled back again. 
You looked at Sodo again and what he did next honestly surprised you. The hand that directed towards the fans before, reached for you cheek. And even though, you couldn't feel his touch through your helmet, you could feel the heat radiating off of him. You slowly did the same as him, so that you were holding each other's cheeks. 
You just stood there for a second, staring at each other, before both of you realized, that you had to continue playing, so you quickly broke apart. But Sodo still bumped his shoulder against yours one more time, before walking off again, probably to interact with some more fans on the other side of the stage. You only smiled to yourself and continued playing. 
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A few songs later, you were still in the same spot. But you weren't bored, oh definitely not. You didn't know how it happened, but it had somehow become your thing to prop your guitar up on your knee or to play it behind your back once in a while. And you enjoyed showing off your skills. It was something, that you had worked on for so long and now it finally paid off. 
You were vibing with the crowd, as you noticed Papa Coming over to you. It was the first time this ritual. You slightly bowed your head to greet him. He did the same, before he took a place next to you and gently laid his head on your shoulder, softly singing his lyrics. You smiled and focused on your guitar again, trying to show off a bit. As Papa noticed, his eyes widened and he jokingly fell to his knees in front of you. You only laughed and reached your hands out to help him up again. 
Sodo had seemed to notice your little interaction with Papa, as he stomped over to the two of you rather quickly. As he reached you, he protectively put an arm around your waist and pulled you to his side. You could only chuckle at his, on purpose overplayed jealousy. You knew, that he would never view Papa as a threat, but as always, he had to put on a show for the crowd. And oh, how the crowd loved it. Papa of course only patted Sodo's shoulder, as if he was apologizing before leaving the two of you alone. 
You quickly stepped away from Sodo and threw one of your picks at him, for his behavior. You watched how his shoulders slumped and he started to act all pouty. You only stuck our tongue out to the fire Ghoul. He stomped his foot one more time, acting like he was upset by your behavior, but deep down you knew that he really enjoyed it. 
You quickly threw your hands up and walked towards him, throwing your arm around his waist and pulling him closer. You gently patted his head. He immediately smiled again and hugged you warmly. 
This was one of the moments, were all of your negative thoughts and feelings completely vanished and you just enjoyed the moment. Being here together with your Lover, your friends and of course all of the fans, was the best that could ever happen to you. 
You felt that Sodo softly nudged his Nose against your cheek. He wanted to signal to you, that you had to play the next song soon, but this little gesture made the crowd cheer and scream loudly, causing you and Sodo to laugh as you broke apart to finally start playing again.
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Unfortunately, it was time to leave for the night. You were walking around the stage, throwing away your picks, as you encountered Cirrus. The Ghoulette was waving at the fans in the front row as she noticed you. 
You were about to greet her, but she immediately pulled you into a hug, dancing in a circle with you. You laughed loudly at her antics, grabbing her hand and swirling her around like a Disney princess. As she finally stopped again, she grinned at you before walking off. 
You only stood there with your hands at your hips, smiling to yourself. 
You gasped audibly, as you felt someone embrace you from behind. You immediately knew that it was Sodo, as he picked up and spinned you around, like he had done it after your first ritual together. The cheers of the crowd exploded. By now, they had probably caught up on the fact that Sodo and you were a thing. 
As your feet finally touched the floor again, you took a deep breath in. With all the little accidents that happen on the stage all the time, you thought that this was a dumb idea, but luckily nothing had happened. 
Hand in Hand with Sodo, you walked over to the other Ghouls and Papa and together you all bowed. You took one last look at the crowd, before leaving the stage. You spotted the person, who threw the drawing again. You grinned and blew them a kiss, before walking off stage. 
This was certainly a ritual to remember. 
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cptnleviackerman · 3 months
Text
I don't wanna touch you (I don't wanna be) / Just another ex-love (you don't wanna see) / I don't wanna miss you (I don't wanna miss you) / Like the other girls do
eren jaeger x reader content - alcohol consumption, hangover mention, new relationship, friends to lovers, new relationship anxiety, gn but Eren has had ex-girlfriends, comfort words - 1.5k reputation event masterlist
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You press the shot glass to your lips, shivering slightly, the cool glass sending goosebumps down your neck. You swallow with a shudder. Vodka. Your eyes narrow, scanning across all the faces surrounding the table of alcohol in front of you—Mikasa, Armin, Reiner, Jean, Marco, Sasha, Connie and Eren.
“Eren, that was your idea wasn't it?” You ask, but you know you're right. Everyone knows that you practically swore off all vodka shots after your last disastrous, horrendously terrible hangover, but only Eren would be cruel enough to suggest giving you one despite knowing this.
The group burst out laughing, solidifying your guess as correct. Eren has an oddly sheepish look on his face, but you know he doesn't regret his choice.
“It was flavoured!” He laughs. “You love raspberries!”
You roll your eyes, and as the group disperses—your go being the last in this round of truth or dare—you move towards where Eren is standing, giving him a light shove as he watches you with a gleam in his eyes.
“How come you didn't want to answer your truth? I thought it was a fair question.” He brings his cup up to his lips, and the smell of rum and coke wafts into your face.
He looks good tonight, oddly put together and well dressed for the occasion—a party at Connie and Jean’s place. He even texted you, about 3 hours before the party started, to ask you what you were planning on wearing. You'd told him something blue, probably a navy, and here he is, wearing a navy hoodie with a pair of black jeans.
“You know damn well why Eren, it's too soon. It's bad enough Mikasa caught us making out at her party last month, I don't want everybody asking questions about our relationship yet, we've barely adjusted to being more than friends.” Eren turns towards the table. “I can't imagine getting the third degree from Sasha every time I come back from spending a night with you. I don't want to answer all the questions people have when you go from friends to more. I just want us to remain in our little bubble for a while longer, before we start talking about us with the group.”
Eren turns back to face you as you finish your mini rant, and presses a shot glass into your free hand. It's pink again. Raspberry. You wordlessly accept it, and clink the glass against the one Eren holds in his hand—his is clear, likely the unflavoured version of what you're drinking.
“Cheers!” You both say, and you grimace as you swallow your second shot of the evening. Somehow it tastes even worse than the first one, and your face contorts in discomfort as the liquid runs down your throat.
You watch as Eren takes the glass from your hand, and he places both shot glasses—now empty—down behind him without looking away from you. Something stirs in your stomach, a familiar rise of want, and you try to squash it before it can take a hold of you—the last thing you need is to sneak off to some dark corner of the house and get caught making out, again.
“I'm sorry about the question.” Eren's face is flushed, whether from the alcohol or something else you're not sure, but there's a slightly guilty tone in his voice that makes you feel embarrassed for how you reacted.
“It's okay, really, I didn't mean to go so hard in that rant. Of course it's nice that people care about us, and our relationship. I just don't want to share those moments yet, those firsts, and the story of how we finally got together. I want to keep those things to myself, for us, a little while longer. You know?”
Eren nods, and silently grabs your hand, leading you towards the edge of the room, further from the music and the shouting coming from the latest round of cards against humanity—Connie's losing.
Eren brings a hand up to cup your cheek. “We're okay you know. It doesn't matter what the others think, the teasing from Jean and Connie, it's basically irrelevant. And you know they don't mean any harm by it.”
You let out a small huff, a half laugh, and Eren swipes his thumb across your cheekbone, catching a tear that you hadn't even realised you'd shed.
“It's the alcohol, I'm fine.” You say, mostly to persuade yourself. The tears surprised you, and you didn't want to make it worse by acknowledging it—the anxiety of a new relationship, the fear of ruining your friendship with Eren, the worry of making the friend group uncomfortable.
“I know you're fine.” You let out a surprised spluttery laugh as Eren wiggles his eyebrows. “But it's okay if you aren't fine. You can tell me, even if it's something silly.”
You take a breath, suddenly feeling like saying anything would be enough to cause your chest to crack wide open. Your palms are sweaty, the room is practically spinning, and your lip quivers. But your thoughts have been sat, festering in your mind for long enough, their weight pressing down on your chest. You need to set them free before they burst out of you of their own accord.
“I don't wanna touch you, in front of our friends, family, in private, whenever, if there's any possibility that this isn't going to last—that this isn't going to be serious. I'm terrified of our friendship being lost. What happens if we don't make it and then we can't be friends again?” You pause, and take a deep breath. Eren's eyes are locked onto yours, and he nods almost imperceptibly to encourage you to continue. “I don't wanna be just another one of your ex-loves that you don't wanna see. I don't wanna miss you like the other girls do. I want us to last, I love being with you and I don't want to lose that.”
Eren wordlessly brings you into his arms, securing you against his chest. One of his hands rests on the back of your head, and you can feel him gently running his thumb back and forth to help sooth you.
It's a while before Eren speaks, he weighs the options in his head, trying to decide how to phrase what he wants to say. He'd be lying to himself if he said he hadn't had similar thoughts—ruining your friendship was not something he ever wanted to do—but he wants this. He wants you.
“I know how you feel.” You angle your head upwards to get a better look at Eren, his arms sit loosely around your waist now. “And although I’m also terrified of losing you, I don't think I want to stop dating you because of it. I'd never want that. I love that I get to see you tonight, laughing and joking with all of our friends, taking shots and dancing with Mikasa and Sasha, knowing that I get to go home with you. That at the end of the night I'm the one that you're going to be kissing. Me.” He says the last word in a whisper, almost as if he can't believe what he's saying. “You are not like anyone else I've ever dated, everything with you is different. It's more special, and I am going to do everything I can to keep you next to me for as long as possible. Does that sound good?”
You nod, and you're about to speak when Reiner runs up to you, seemingly out of breath despite only coming from the other side of the room.
“You guys good?” He doesn't wait for a response. “It's Eren’s turn in card against humanity and Connie is getting fidgety waiting—he's a terrible loser—will you be over soon?”
Eren turns to look at you, and you smile, nodding again.
“We are on our way.” Eren says, standing up straight and giving a mock salute as if this was the most urgent situation that requires the utmost seriousness.
Reiner heads back towards the table, and Eren moves to grab your hand once again. You hold him back from following Reiner, just for a second, and place your hands behind his head. You bring his lips down to meet yours, smiling ever so slightly into the kiss. He snakes his arms around your waist, and you're unable to stop yourself from giving the hair at the back of his neck a small tug. A low groan escapes his lips, but you pull away before anything more heated can happen—you know people must be watching, and you feel your cheeks heat up at the thought. But you couldn't resist.
“You're pretty cool, you know that?” You say, as you walk towards the table.
Eren smirks. “I know, but you can remind me anytime.” You roll your eyes, giving him a small shove as he pulls out a chair for you to sit on.
The two of you sit next to each other at the table, knees touching, as Connie tries round after round to play the best cards he has, desperate to win the game. (He doesn't win though, Mikasa does.)
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thebananagirl08 · 1 month
Text
Maybe next time, maybe in the next life, maybe never.
Warnings: Angst, James being clueless, James Potter x Lily Evans, James Potter x Reader, unrequited love
Was i a fool for falling in love with James Potter of all people? Maybe. Maybe i was. But how could i stop myself when he's so kind and funny to me? How can i resist him when he keeps helping me with my schoolwork despite the many times i told him there was no need? I couldn't. That's the answer. From the moment I've met him, he's been nothing but welcoming, even if i was skeptical of him at first. But it didn't take me long to warm up and see him as the amazing young gentleman he was. That was for me, but not for Lily who hadn't liked him at all because of his loud and way too cheerful personality. I kinda understood her. James could exaggerate at times, but he was trying his best to make everyone around him happy. I appreciated it. I knew he had a crush on Lily. I mean, it was obvious from the way he acted around her. It didn't bother me until i realised i felt something more for him, something way stronger than friendship, so strong that it made my heart beat faster than when we had a test on transfiguration. Lily didn't seem interested in James, rather disturbed instead. So i thought to myself.. why don't i try? I don't need to get straight to the point, I could just try to get closer to him and see where this goes. Maybe it can end in us together? Or maybe i was dreaming too hard.
"Hey, James! Mind coming with me to the library today? You know, for the erbology we have tomorrow. We could just.. review some things. Study some more."
"Ah.. sorry, i can't. I was planning to go ask Lily on a date.. Maybe next time? You can ask Remus to help you! I'm sure he'll be glad to have some company while studying. Wish me luck!"
And with that, he'd run off, not even giving me a chance to say 'bye' or wish him luck in this quest of his. I sighed before turning and walking off in search of Remus. Let's hope he didn't have someone to conquer as well. I really needed help for this test. But hey.. maybe next time we'll be able to study together. Just me and James.
Maybe.
"Good morning, James. Are you feeling alright? I haven't seen you at breakfast and me and the others got a bit worried. Is something wrong?"
I asked after finally finding James outside the castle when he did not show up for breakfast that morning.
"Oh, good morning. Sorry i wasn't there. I had to get some of these flowers for Lily. What do you think? She'll like them right?"
My body stiffened a bit, but I still smiled.
"I'm sure she'll love them, James. They're beautiful."
He chuckled and nodded, looking down at the flowers he had taken with a slight hint of blush on those squishy cheeks of his.
"Just like her.."
He mumbled dreamily as my heart sinked further into darkness.
"By the way, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to Hogsmade with me this weekend to-"
He didn't even give me time to finish that his attention was drawn to something behind me. Or rather someone.
"Sorry! Gotta go! I see Lily over there! Uh- maybe we'll go another time, okay? Next week?"
He said with an excited smile, again, not leaving me the time to answer before he stormed off to Lily.
Alright.. maybe.. maybe next week.
It's been.. how long as it been since this stupid crush started? Way too long, I'll tell you that. I tried everything. I swear.. everything i could possibly think of. But nothing. James was so damn stubborn and set on conquering Lily that he basically ignored all my attempts at hanging out with him. It was like he was obsessed with her. At this point i was getting tired. I didn’t want to hide anymore, i wanted him to know. Even if he rejected me, it didn't matter. At least he would finally get it through his thick skull that there wasn't only Lily in this world.
"James, i need to talk to you."
"Not now, i really need to-"
This time i was the one who didn't let him finish.
"No. Please, it's serious. I need to talk to you now."
He looked at me kinda worried, but he did stop and listened.
"James, i don't really know how to approach this any differently. I've tried many times to make you understand, but you just don't get it."
His worry increased, but now his eyes were filled with curiosity.
"I like you. And not in a friends way.. I really, really like you. I want you to be my boyfriend, James. I want to go on dates with you, give you the love and respect you deserve. I admire you for who you are and i want to show that i appreciate all you've done for me."
His eyes widened, his body stiffening and his heart stopping for a second before his expression turned to.. honestly, it hurts to even say it.
"I'm sorry, but i do not like you that way. I appreciate what you said, but.. listen, i haven't really told this to anyone because i didn't want to ruin my chance, but I've been going out with Lily for a while now, and.. it's really going well, so.."
He stopped, not really knowing if to continue, afraid to hurt me even more than when i was. But i just laughed. I laughed.
"It's fine! I'm not mad at you, James. I'm actually happy."
Liar.
"I'm glad you finally achieved what you desired. And hey. Maybe in the next life we'll be together! Who knows."
I said in a joking tone, letting out a small awkward laugh. How I wished it could be true.
"Yeah.. maybe in the next life."
He said with a small laugh.
"I need to go now. Lily is waiting for me at the black lake. Oh, and.. I'm sorry."
He didn't look sorry at all.
"It's fine. Just go get your girl."
I watched him leave with a smile before it disappeared as quick as it came, replaced by a sad frown.
Maybe in the next life.
Maybe never.
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worriedvision · 1 year
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okok I just got this idea in my head.
alhaitham and you were already in an established relationship and he gave you lots of affection and praise. this led to you falling in love with him more.
one day, he leaves you alone in your bedroom in the evening. you soon woke up, wondering what had happened - you ask kaveh (you 3 live together) where alhaitham had gone, but all he knew was that he was gonna go to a restaurant/cafe.
you think, “oh! he’s probably getting us some take away. maybe I should go follow him and say hello!” with a smile on your face, you get out of your pajamas and head outside.
once you arrived at the cafe, you saw alhaitham and another person. wanting to come and surprise him, you hid behind a wall. but as soon as you were about to come out, you saw him kiss the person.
you couldnt believe what was happening. it was like your life really was flashing before your eyes. alhaitham was your life.
you can continue the rest of the story <3
Oh my god the angst with this one! You came to the right person lol, gender neutral reader. Tagged as cheating as well.
---
When Kaveh told you about where Alhaitham was, you got the idea to surprise him by joining him while he ordered dinner. You liked being around him, his warmth was so comforting.
You find him, not yet seen by him, and he enters the café. You decide to hide for a bit, to plan the nicest moment to walk in, but unfortunately for you that doesn't happen.
He walks up to a well dressed individual, and he pulls them in and kisses them on the lips before pulling away, sitting with them while they start to eat.
You back up slowly, processing the entire thing, before running back home. Thankfully the distance was small, but it still felt like you had been running for hours as you run in. Kaveh had been making up a meal for himself, dropping the pan on the floor out of surprise when the door slams. Checking the contents in the pan were still in there, he nips out to see what happened.
You must have seen Alhaitham do somethjng really stupid, he had never seen you like this before. He was thinking maybe Alhaitham had told you off for leaving the house instead of waiting for him to return.
"He kissed someone else." You croak out, finally letting the tears fall. "He kissed them and sat down with them to eat."
"Oh, that absolute buffoon." Kaveh tuts, inviting you to sit and wait while Kaveh became the most supportive friend he could be.
--
"Oh, good evening, Alhaitham. I didn't know you were dating this person, given you have someone waiting back home for you." Kaveh grits his teeth, Alhaitham looking up out of shock.
"Oh, I'm just a side piece. A little something to enjoy on the side." The person explains, fully knowing Alhaitham was a taken man.
"Oh, well I have some spectacular news for you! You've just been promoted to the main dish." Kaveh cheers, people looking over to figure out what happened.
"You wouldn't want to break this to _, would you?" Alhaitham states, cutting into his meal. "Don't break 'bro code'."
"Unfortunately, Alhaitham, they came along to surprise you." Kaveh shrugs, Alhaitham looking away in shame. "They told me what they saw, and I had to see for myself to make sure there wasn't a misunderstanding. Really, Alhaitham, you ruined a rare relationship. They loved you." Kaveh shakes his head, walking out.
"Kaveh, please let me explain-"
"Explain what? Explain that you couldn't keep it in your pants?" Kaveh asks, storming out as Alhaitham turns to finish his meal.
--
You had packed your bags while Kaveh was away. This was clearly the end of your relationship, and it really hurt. You lived in his house, you had slept with him, he was many of your firsts. Now, you couldn't bear to be there. He was your whole life, and now he had ended things in the worst way you could think, you had to think of where to move to.
Kaveh finally got home, shaking his head, and turning to see you preparing to leave, looking for any last minute accommodation you could go into.
"I have a friend who works as the forest watcher. He's been thinking of getting someone to act as his representative, someone who can do the things you can." Kaveh thinks out loud. "How about I lead the way? I'm sure he'll take you, and he could sort something out with accommodation."
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horseshoegirl · 6 months
Text
Damn Those Dog Tags: Part 23 - Sleep Deprivation
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📜So... I really don't know what to say right now. As a writer, we are supposed to be able to form words into sentences that create worlds, characters... emotions... but I cannot bring myself to form the correct words to describe how grateful I am that you guys took a chance on me, writing this piece of fan fiction after an 8-year hiatus, wondering if I still had it, if I was enough. DTDT is the first piece of Fan Fiction I've ever finished, the first story I have ever finished. And along with you all, I've cried, I've laughed, I've wept, I've smiled over Sadie being herself and Liz standing up for what is right. Jake being who he is, and Bradley... well, he speaks for himself 😅 It's one thing to say you write fan fiction, but it's another thing to say that you want to write fan fiction for people who make you feel supported in what you do. This is my THANK YOU to you all. For your kind words and lengthy reblogs, for the comments, likes and support. DTDT only exists because of you guys. And I love every one of you from the bottom of my heart.
So... with a bittersweet mention, here is the final Part of DTDT. Part 23, Sleep Deprivation 😭
❗18+. Strong Language, Pure fluff, Original Female Character, Original Child Character, PDA, Just in case letters, and maybe a few tears...
#6K words
Part 22 | Masterlist
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"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday, Dear Sadie Bug, Happy Birthday to you!" 
Cheers erupted throughout the Hard Deck as Sadie smiled at her family, all gathered and singing to her around the piano. Uncle Roo was playing, lightly swaying into her side, making her laugh. Alyssa had her hand on Uncle Roo's shoulder, and the rest of the Dagger Squad was scattered about, singing along with the crowd.
She turned eleven today, and while she loved the fact everyone was here, with her celebrating, she found that the best gift she ever could have received was in how she saw you smile, here and now, with Uncle Jake holding you close. You were smiling like you used to, long before you had left to live in this small town she now called home.
Uncle Jake had lived up to his promise. He reminded you that you were worth it. He made you happy. And he tried.
She didn't need anything else.
"Sadie," a hesitant voice called from behind her. She spun on the piano stool, only to find a single yellow tulip attached to a slightly shaky hand in front of her face.
"Happy Birthday." Will smiled crookedly.
You felt Jake tense up against your back, his chest puffing out and his grip on your waist near the point of pain. Bradley even twisted at the sound of Will's voice, staring him down above the rim of his father's Raybans.
While Bradley might be dating his mother and, albeit, starting to bond with Will, he knew a wooing attempt when he saw one. Sadie's heart was another matter entirely.
You and Alyssa giggled softly at Sadie, blushing as she took the flower and at Jake and Bradley for shooting each other, what you could only describe as an "overprotective dad vibe."
Sadie delicately grasped the tulip, her eyes lighting up as she glanced at Will. "Thank you," she managed to say, her voice a mix of appreciation and surprise.
A silent exchange passed between Jake and Bradley. It was as if they had reached an unspoken agreement, a united front. Will had no idea what he was up against, two grown men ready to go to comedic if not slightly absurd, lengths to stir hardship to any boy that dared to approach Sadie.
Will shot his mom a look, who nodded at him encouragingly.
"Do you wanna.. go play on that old arcade machine in the back?"
Sadie went to open her mouth, an eager yes about to escape her lips, until she thought she heard a growl coming from behind her. She turned back, seeing her Uncle Roo first, his jaw tight. Her Uncle Jake wasn't that far off either, his nose flaring with each breath he took, glaring down at her best friend.
She shot you a pleading, panicked look, hoping you could see the desperation on her face.
Jake and Bradley opened their mouths, Jake's voice overtaking Bradley's as he went, "Over my dead..."
But they were cut short. You had taken your arm resting on top of the piano and jabbed Jake in the gut with your elbow. Alyssa had caught on, grabbing a lock of Bradley's hair at the back of his head and tugging once hard.
"Of course, sweetheart," you replied, jutting your head urgently towards the back. You silently mouthed, 'Go. Now!' and Sadie giggled, scrambling off the bench with her flower in hand, running off with Will towards the back.
Alyssa let go of Bradley's hair, prompting him to shout out, "What the Hell!" as you turned to face Jake.
"Relax, both of you. She's eleven!"
Jake pouted, clutching his stomach. "That little shit stole my idea. Only I get to give her a yellow tulip... it's a tradition at this point, and here he comes, swooping in with his tulip-like he's Mr. Original. It's my thing with her."
"Hey, that's my son you're talking about, Seresin!"
You tapped the back of his head with your hand, biting your lip to stiff your giggle. "He's a kid, Jake! It's just a tulip, not a wedding ring."
That was definitely the wrong thing to say.
Jake gulped hard, and you swore you saw a flash of pure terror cross his face. "No, Nope. No. I just got to call her mine. I need to do the things with her before she properly grows up," he sputtered. "A wedding ring? Liz, she's eleven! Don't put that mental image in my head. She's our girl, don't do that!"
Jake wasn't kidding about Sadie being his, not really.
Once the two of you brought Sadie home from Camp, you sat her down and asked if she was okay with Jake moving in. Of course, Sadie was ecstatic, nodding her head and asking 'when' or 'how soon', which prompted the two of you to start to plan things seriously. But it also posed the question Ridley had to consider the second Sadie was born.
Who would look after her if something happened to you?
It was nothing formal. You merely had to change your Will, stipulating that Jake would be the one to get her should anything happen. But Jake treated it as if it actually was, boasting to anyone he could about his niece. The words practically rolled off his tongue with ease and that sheer cocky confidence he was known for. It also didn't surprise you when you found information packets lumped on top of his computer in your office about the process for formally adopting.
It just further proved to you how much Jake wanted to be in your life.
"She has a good head on her shoulders, Jake. And she adores you," you remarked, looping your arms around his neck. Jake's chest rumbled against yours as he huffed. "Besides, I think you set a good example. She clearly expects high standards."
He let out a grumble, and you could only laugh and stand on your toes to plant a kiss on his lips. "You'll always be the reigning champion in this house, Hangman."
"I agree with Jake, Liz. We need to lock her in a tower."
You dropped your head to Jake's chest before you turned to roll your eyes at Bradley. You caught sight of Sadie in the distance, and she met your eyes and gave you a thumbs up, the tulip still in her other hand. The message was clear; she was okay, she was happy. That's all that mattered to you.
"Want another?" you asked the two of them, gathering their empty bottles. The both of them nodded, and you shook your head as Jake stepped into the space you vacated, leaning over the side of the piano to scheme with Bradley. You rolled your eyes at Alyssa, who shooed you on your way.
You smiled at Penny as you approached the bar, holding the empty bottles out to the air, signalling for two more. It's not as if you couldn't have gotten them and added them to a tab yourself, but Penny was adamant you didn't work tonight.
Your phone rang out and vibrated within the pocket of your dress. You pulled it out, wondering who could be calling you. Everyone who possibly could be was here at the Hard Deck, celebrating Sadie's Birthday.
Then, you saw the caller ID.
The bottles slipped from your fingers, shattering upon impact with the floor.
Not that you noticed, but everyone's heads lifted and turned towards the sound of breaking glass. Jake was the first to reach you, mindful of the broken glass at your feet. Then Bradley, Alyssa, Nat, and all of the Daggers swarmed you, knowing your history with phone calls and wondering what else might be thrown at you this time.
You pressed accept on the tiny device, bringing your phone to your ear, eyes wide as you stared at Jake, panting hard.
"Hello?"
Penny had yelled for someone to turn off the jukebox and for everyone to shut up. It was dead quiet, but for the sound of your voice and the tiny speaker of your phone, the entire bar invested in the outcome of your call.
Jake wanted to reach for you, but he didn't know if he should, wanting to leave you to have your space to deal with whoever was on the other end of that call. You turned your back to face him as the other person started speaking, you pressing a knuckle to your lips and biting down hard.
Everyone watched you nod and heard the question, 'What does that mean for us?' cross your lips.
"What..?" Rooster started to say, breaking the silence. Jake shot his arm out, shaking his head.
But the second he saw you grip your forearm and your skin turning red, he stepped forward, uncaring as glass crunched under his boots, to stop you from hurting yourself.
"Yes, thank you. I'll call if I have any more questions."
You squeezed Jake's hand once he gripped yours, and you hung up the phone. Turning to face the group, you looked at them with a shocked look on your face.
"Liz? Darlin?" Jake asked. "What happened?"
You swallowed, hardly believing what you heard yourself. "Uh...Tyler got thirty years to life."
A few collective gasps went around the room.
"They got him on attempted kidnapping, two counts of physical assault, and.. and murder."
Jake reached for your face and cradled your cheek. "Murder?"
You nodded, silent tears falling from the corners of your eyes. "There was a traffic camera... that fucking white car... the spoiler on the back... they caught him chasing her..."
Your words were fractured sentences as Jake combed your hair back from your face, you trying to sort between your thoughts and the information you had been given.
"That was the district attorney. I didn't even know he had a court date," you sniffed. "His whole family is going down for this... and there was a jury too. Apparently, they didn't take kindly to him attacking an active and decorated Naval Aviator."
Jake huffed, a soft smile on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes. You could tell he was stuck somewhere between relief and discomfort.
You raised your eyebrow at him. "Are you okay?"
He was. Tyler was truly well and out of your lives, and that was a good thing. But somewhere deep down, Jake felt as if the universe had twisted things to make him the hero in a story where the true victims were you and Sadie. It didn't sit right with him.
"I don't wanna sound like an ass, but my career shouldn't have had any bearing that decision."
You shook your head, touched by his reaction. "It doesn't matter, Jake. Not to me. He's going away."
You pressed your forehead to his, a happy sob escaping your lips at the realization suddenly washing over you. "He won't be able to get near Sadie ever again. And Ridley finally has justice for what happened to her. We're free."
Jake pressed a quick kiss to your lips, smiling as you gasped another deep breath. The second he pulled away, letting his nose rest beside yours, you chanted out happily, "We're free!"
Cheers went up around the Hard Deck, and Penny rang the bell, singling a free round on the house. The rest of the Daggers sighed with relief, lamenting about needing a drink, while Rooster whooped, running back to the piano and sliding along the bench as he ran his fingers across the keys.
Yet Jake and you stayed where you were, staring at each other with echoing smiles.
A well-known piano riff sounded off the walls of the Hard Deck, and Jake and you fought the urge to roll your eyes, using the distraction to slip out onto the hard deck patio and over to a grassy part of the beach. You could hear Rooster's playing at a distance, but it was enough not to be a bother.
You went to step forward, but Jake pulled you back by the grip he had on your hand, spinning you under his arm. You giggled, your head tilted back as you went, only to find Jake's hand resting flat on the curve of your back, urging the two of you to slow dance.
Bright orange rays hit the side of Jake's face. Hues of gold, pinks, and soft yellows, all sculpting his jawline, shining tiny flecks into his eyes, and casting a glow into his hair. They highlighted the small, affectionate small that was tugging at the corner of his lips. Jake's Mona Lisa smile was one thing, but this was one that was only reserved for you.
"Is this going to be our thing?" you asked him. "Watching sunsets?"
Jake smirked. "We could do a sunrise to switch things up?"
You let Jake spin you under his arm again, a smile on your face. He pulled you back to him, hooking both his arms around your waist while yours wrapped themselves around his neck.
"No," you smiled, swaying with him across the grass, thinking of when you went to visit Ridley. "I think sunsets are reserved just for us."
---
Despite having a party at the Hard Deck, Sadie's birthday did happen to fall on a Saturday night. So it was only natural one of her birthday wishes ended up being that she wanted these fun-filled nights to continue.
Who were you to deny her that request?
It was just the team that came back to your place afterwards for cake, your backyard lit up by your string lights and the glowing flames of your bonfire pit, music blasting from your speakers. Sadie had just finished opening her gifts from the squad, and Jake and you had saved yours for last.
Jake reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, flicking the stand back on the case and propping it on the edge of the pit. It let out a shrill tone, and Sadie squinted her eyes at the tiny screen, wondering who Jake had decided to call, now of all times.
Suddenly, a woman who looked just like him appeared on the screen.
"Is this Sadie?!"
Sadie squinted her eyes. "Yes...."
Janet's face beamed with excitement. "It's so nice to meet you finally, my brother can't shut up about you. Happy Birthday, Sweetie."
"That's nice of him," she answered, though you knew what she was doing, challenging Janet to earn her affection.
"Which one are you?" Sadie pressed. Jake bit his tongue, fighting a grin.
Janet didn't hesitate when she replied, "Not the twit and not the one that needs a pitchfork shoved up his as... butt."
Sadie giggled, and Janet shamefully called out, "Sorry, Liz."
You shrugged. "She's heard worse."
You met Nat's eyes on the other side of the fire, noticing how she was watching Sadie contently.
"Uhhh," Janet remarked. "You actually kind of look like my brother."
"Do you have any embarrassing stories about him?" Sadie's high-pitched voice made you turn back toward the camera.
Janet glanced over towards you within the frame. "She really is your niece, isn't she?"
You laughed, and Sadie broke into a full smile, her guard dropping a bit. "I like her," she declared, glancing at you and Jake for your reactions.
"If you two are done squaring off.." Jake said, rolling his eyes. "Janet had a hand in your gift and wanted to watch you open it."
He placed a box in Sadie's lap, holding the edge so it wouldn't fall as she tore into it.
"Go on, open it," Jake encouraged with a little bounce in his voice.
Sadie tore at the wrapping paper, lifted the lid and gasped. "Cowboy boots!" she squealed, pulling them out to admire the intricately stitched patterns and the shine of the leather.
"Thought you might need a pair if you're gonna be an honorary Texan," Jake said, grinning from ear to ear.
Sadie lunged forward, giving him a huge hug. "Thank you, Uncle Jake!"
He laughed, hugging her back. "Thank Janet, too. She picked them out."
Sadie squealed out her thanks as she kicked her slip-ons off, quickly trying them on. Except she shrieked when her foot met something within the sole, and she pulled the boot off only to reach down and grasp a few hard pieces of paper.
With a dramatic flair, she pulled out three plane tickets, holding them up for everyone to see. Her eyes widened, and a squeal escaped her lips as she put two and two together. "Are these... are we going to Texas?!"
You took one from her hand, reading the front. "Jake, you didn't."
He shrugged. "She needs to see where her family is from."
Bradley audibly gagged from his spot on one of the chairs, and you barked out, "Can it, Bradley! Don't ruin the moment!"
"We'll see you soon, Aunt Janet," Sadie said, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet with newfound enthusiasm.
"Counting the days, sweetheart," Janet said, waving goodbye as Jake ended the call.
As Sadie tried on her new boots, you reached down beside the bench to grab what would be Sadie's final gift of the night. You carefully slid it into her lap, placing a hand on her back.
"This one is from me... and your mom."
Sadie peered up at you with wide eyes before tearing into the box, practically tossing the lid off in haste. Her tiny hands tore at the tissue paper, and Jake was laughing at her eagerness as the tuffs flew up into the air.
She gasped when caught sight of the dark blue denim folded neatly into the box.
You found that Jean Jacket amongst Ridley's things in the storage unit, finding the courage to go through it finally and see what you could salvage or donate as you undertook the task of redoing Sadie's room. You knew as soon as you saw it that Ridley had been intending to give it to her as a gift, a twin butterfly and ladybug patches having been already sown into the material on the back.
That's what Sadie was seeing now, the jacket folded in such a way in the box only those two patches would be on display.
She wiggled her cowboy boot-clad feet back and forth in excitement as she grabbed the shoulders of the jacket, lifting it up out of the box to hold it in front of her. Jake grabbed the box and added it to the rest of the discarded wrapping paper.
Except as she held it up to inspect the back, the front was on display to everyone else sitting around the fire pit. Collective gasps and shouts of "What?!" sounded off, and you had to bite back your laugh.
"What the hell are those?!"
Sadie lowered the Jacket, peering over to see her Uncle Bob, ready to rat him out for swearing, when she saw his mouth was open like a fish. Twisting her brow, she flipped it over, a high-pitched gasp escaping her lips as she saw the two patches on the front.
The Dagger patch had been the most damaged one, but it was all too easy to grab the one plastered to one of the walls of the Hard Deck for reference. When Mr Murray asked why you wanted to use the busted one and not the one still intact, you had simply replied with, 'This one is special.'
It sat just next to the left breast pocket, perhaps standing out the most. But you, Sadie, and Jake hadn't been staring at that one. There was a second patch adorning the right breast pocket - a patch with a slight modification.
Sadie ran her finger across the gold-threaded wings before tracing the tiny words wedged in tight on either side below it. The tiny words that stood on top of the reason why this particular patch was now so special to her.
Proud niece of Hangman
To your surprise, it wasn't Bradley, but Nat, who yelled out first, "Hey! What about the rest of us?!"
Her shout set off a chain reaction around the group.
"It's not fair he gets to be on there first!"
"Why didn't you ask us too, Liz!?"
"There's a Dagger patch on there. All of us should be on there!"
But you weren't paying attention to any of them. You were looking at Jake, who had reached out to trace the patch as the jacket rested in Sadie's lap.
She looked up at him, hugging his side. "It's true, you know," she said a matter of factly. "I am proud of you, Uncle Jake. I always will be."
Jake snaked an arm around her back, hugging her and pressing a kiss to the top of her head, eyeing you with a smile. You would never stop surprising him—the both of you.
The Daggers were still arguing amongst themselves when Sadie scowled at them.
"Hey, guys!" She shouted, giving everyone pointed looks across your deck. "It's my birthday, shove it! He counts! And If I say he goes first, he goes on first, okay!?"
Everyone else, save Bradley, backed off.
"Guess I'm just chopped liver then."
Sadie narrowed her eyes, pushing herself to stand.
"You listen here, you big fat glorified chicken..."
You couldn't contain your laughter as Sadie marched over to Bradley, her finger pointed out in front of her as she started laying into him. Rooster looked scared, and you shook your head, wondering why he didn't realize Sadie would jump to Jake's defence the second she could.
Jake startled you as he pressed a kiss to your cheek.
"Meet you in the kitchen?" he spoke into your ear, squeezing his hand once before walking off, collecting the tray of dirty dishes on the table.
You stayed with Sadie for a few more minutes, making sure the rest of your crazy family didn't kill each other over who could have one of their patches on Sadie's jacket next. Though you'd never let on that Mav secretly slipped you one of his as he joined Sadie when she came back to sit with you.
As you sat there, watching the people who had come to mean so much to you, you felt an odd sense of what you could only describe as 'home' wash over you. It wasn't tied to a place but to your extraordinary found family. Because as much as they were there for Sadie, they were there for you too.
It was the peculiar kind of warmth they brought you, whether Nat was trying to get you to come out of your shell, Penny for acting like the defacto mother you didn't quite have most of your life, or Bob willing to be himself around you. It was in the way Mav cared for both you and Sadie as he did for each of his Daggers and how Coyote was always there when you needed him. How Payback and Fanboy made sure everyone was having fun, and how Rooster was the troubled brother you never had, a little broken, a little worse for wear, but genuinely kind-hearted.
Every family a bad egg after all, albeit bad wasn't the word you'd use to describe him at all.
They helped to fill the gaps left by your grief and sorrow, and you vowed to hold each of them a little closer. Because your life had been a pile of good things and also bad. The good didn't always soften the bad things you had to go through, but the bad never spoiled the good or made them unimportant in your life. Your life was messy and unpredictable but beautiful with its imperfections.
And you, somewhere along the way, were living with people who had chosen to stand by you in your darkest moments.
And Jake. Your Jake.
You turned to Sadie. "Think you can manage these guys while I help Uncle Jake?"
She smiled up at you, nodding, before looping her arm through Mav's, resting her head against his shoulder, tenderly glancing between some of her favourite people in the world.
Walking away, you paused at the back door, leaning up against the glass with your arms crossed as you found Jake humming, swaying along to the song currently playing outside as he worked, hands covered in suds as he diligently cleaned the dishes.
You faked a cough, startling Jake as the sponge slipped from his hands back into the dishwater.
"Anything I can help you with, Lieutenant?" you tease, playfulness in your tone and a grin gracing your lips. Jake narrowed his eyes at you, a cocky smirk on his face, then jerked his head to the empty space beside him.
"I wash. You dry?"
You walked over to him, wrapping your arms around his waist from behind, feeling him pause to place his hands over yours. You closed your eyes, pressing your cheek to his back and letting out a deep sigh.
A wave of profound gratitude washed over you. This man had chosen to love not just you but Sadie as well. He had stepped into your lives, filling spaces you hadn't even known were empty at a time when you weren't at your best. When you were fighting with yourself tooth and nail not to start a relationship, when you were missing your sister so much, the thought of her not being here was too great to bear. When you were scared to let anyone that close to you without Sadie's approval and yet, Jake somehow found his way.
You loved him. And there would never be a day in your life when you would let him forget it.
The two of you did the dishes, the odd comment or two passing by. The both of you knew a few of them would be sleeping over, you having already made up the pull-out in your office and Jake having gathered the spare pillows and blankets from your hall closet.
The two of you might have bumped your hips, teased one another, and shared a kiss or two. You might have blown bubbles in Jake's face, and he might have tapped you with the dish rag.
But when everything was said and done, and Jake was working to drain the sink, your eyes tracked to the top of the refrigerator, where that white envelope called out to you. It was wedged between your cookbooks, and you saw nothing else as you pushed yourself off the counter with both hands.
Reaching up, you worked the thick piece of paper out from between the books, only to hold it, staring at the front and absentmindedly tracing the writing on the surface.
Without looking up, you spun towards Jake, feeling a complex mix of emotions. Love, apprehension, vulnerability. But underpinning it all was an entwinement of a slight sadness, but more so serenity and acceptance.
"Hey, Jake," you said softly. Jake turned around, the smile on his face fading when he noticed you were holding a white envelope in your hands. A gentle smile was on your face as you looked down, closing your eyes once before lifting your head.
"I have something for you."
Taking the few steps needed to close the distance between you and Jake, you held out the envelope.
"Another letter?" he teased, slinging the dishtowel onto his shoulder and wiping his hands dry before taking it from your hands. He flipped it over, eyes searching the front until he spotted the fancy handwriting.
Jake's eyes shot to yours, utterly shocked. Yet, you didn't do anything except squeeze his wrist once and lean up to kiss his cheek. "I'll be out in the back with the others if you need me."
Jake remained frozen on your kitchen floor, watching as you walked out the back door. Sadie immediately ran to you, and you held out your arms, a cheerful laugh racking your chest as she hugged you tight.
Jake smiled at the sight, his girls laughing with one another as the music changed, and you wrapped your arms around her, waddling back and forth as the two of you started to dance. But then he felt the weight of the envelope you had given him, and he was drawn back down at the handwriting gracing the surface.
To him
Despite not having seen her handwriting, he knew who this letter was from. You had told him you had opened the shoebox about the letters Ridley had left for various points in either your or Sadie's lives.
He'd never expected Ridley to have written one for him... or at least, the idea of him.
Sitting at your kitchen table, he carefully opened the envelope, tilting it upside down to pull at the folded-up pieces of paper nestled inside. But as he pulled, several polaroids fell onto the table and a few to the floor.
Placing the letter off to the side, he reached down to scoop up the ones that had fallen, drawing in a sharp breath as he flipped one over.
The resemblance between Ridley and you was uncanny.
He didn't know what to expect, seeing a photo of her for the first time. Her eyes twinkled the same way yours did when you were happy, and the two of you shared the same dimples when you smiled. She had the same nose as you, the same hair colour, and the same face shape.
But there were also differences.
He smiled when he noticed the line of freckles spreading across her cheeks, the same type he knew scattered across your back. She had a scar running through her eyebrow and another matching just above her forehead.
But above all else, her smile echoed Sadie's, wide and happy.
He picked up another one, seeing you, as a teenager, laying in a hammock with a notebook and a feathered pen. Ridley had written along the white frame, an author in the making.
There was also one of Sadie as a baby, wrapped in a pink blanket, blue eyes wide as she stared up at the camera. And another of you holding her to your chest in a rocking chair, the two of you asleep. There were a few of you as a kid, another of you holding up a key with your tongue sticking out, and another at your graduation, Sadie on your shoulders stealing your cap.
Jake realized almost all the ones of you were strategically taken by your sister without your knowledge. It's so reminiscent of when Sadie sent that first Polaroid, the same circumstances - like mother like daughter.
Jake laid each out in front of him, lining them up to what he assumed was their chronological order, only to stare down at the story Ridley had left him. He felt his throat tighten as he looked at all of them. Even in the face of something as heartwarming as leaving him photographs of the three of you, the lingering weight of Ridley's absence was inescapable, and it hit him square in the chest.
Though he never had met her, the space she had left was undeniable. Seeing her now, he realized maybe he did know her. In Sadie's smile, in your will to take care of others, in the music she had shared with you and in both of your abilities to put somebody in their place rightly. It caused Jake to smile down at the only photo of her, resting on the table.
"It's nice to meet you, Ridley."
So finally, after the last photo, after the last word had been seen, and the last memory had been touched, Jake unfolded those pieces of paper and began to read.
To the person my sister loves,
Well, shit, she finally did it. My little sister finally found her, Mr. Darcy.
Sorry. As you probably have already discovered, the Beck sisters have a little Pride & Prejudice obsession. Totally my fault for naming my sister after a character in a book I fell in love with in school, but I took my chance when I saw it. But if you have the tendency sometimes to be a pompous asshole with an ego problem, then hey, at least she wasn't that far off the mark.
I'm sorry I'm not there to meet you. Whatever circumstances have prevented me from doing so. I'm sorry I can't have you over to a family dinner, ask about your life, and get to know you. For you to win me over, or for us to bat heads.
Just kidding... I'm more bummed about not being able to give you a shovel talk in person. But I know my daughter, and something is telling me Sadie would have already beaten me to it long before I had an actual chance. She has a thing about Lady Bugs, so run if you see her with an empty water bottle and she... Well, if you don't already know now, chances are you will eventually.
One way or another.
So I think this is my only chance to do it, sad as that is. Sad for you - you probably thought you were getting off scot-free. Nope, sir, I'm still going to kick your ass from my grave. So you better heed the wishes of a dead woman.
Now, she wouldn't have given you this letter if she didn't truly love you... if she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with you. She also must have made you promise to put Sadie first, and the fact you're holding this letter means you have. By her giving this to you, it means you are entirely worthy of her love.
(I don't write this as a means to scare you or warn you about what you're getting into. Cause no takebacks, sir, it's a done fucking deal now. I will so totally haunt your ass if otherwise. Sadie gets her wrath from me.)
There is so much more I want to tell you than I can fit into the pages of this letter. There will always be more, more things left unsaid, more things I never told them, or in what I'm telling you - God, the pressure to write something for someone you may never meet is hard…I hope you have a sense of humour cause I really don't stop rambling.
So, I guess I'll stick with three. Three things I want you to know…
One: Music does not solve all your problems.
Liz might try to tell you otherwise, that music can heal, and while I won't entirely disagree, you need to know the reason why. When we were kids, I'd play music to drown out the arguments, the slamming doors, the not-so-quiet sobs. The ability to guess a tune in just a few notes? That came from needing to know which song would best mask the sounds we didn't want to hear. The playlist wasn't just music; it was emotional armour. So when you listen to music with her, know that there's more beneath the surface. Beneath that lighthearted game is a history that's no game at all. When the playlist ends, and the distractions fade away, be the man who's there for her, not one that hides away when things get rough.
Two: A memory is no longer beautiful just because it fades.
People always used to ask me why I chose a Polaroid over a digital camera. With a Polaroid, each shot counts. You have a limited number of exposures, and each film cartridge is precious. There's no delete button, no do-over, just like in life. And when that photo develops in front of you, you have to wait for it to mean something. Once it does, it's permanent. You can hold it, you can touch it, you can pin it on a wall. But polaroids also fade.
Memories fade. But their value isn't in how long they last but in the ones you choose to capture in the first place. My sister and my daughter have been through a lot, so when you're building this life with them, be mindful of the moments you're capturing. Make those moments count. Make them worthy of being looked back on so there is no room for anyone to doubt the three of you didn't live a life that was not full of love.
Three: Grief is constant, unchanging, and complex - it is the most certain thing, next to death, we are guaranteed.
I have a very, very sneaky suspicion you are a pilot in the navy - hell, she works as a bartender in a navy bar; it was bound to happen with one of you lot (You just better not be the one Penny had called her about, rumoured to be sleeping with all the female bartenders... if you are... aha, good luck sir.. you're so in trouble - That's what Liz gets from me) so you know exactly what I mean. It's ingrained into your soul that each time you go up there, you might not come back down.
Liz struggles with grief and the knowledge that life is precious and fleeting. Don't add to it. Be the person who acknowledges it, who understands it, and chooses every day to make the time you have with them count. Life is fleeting; It can be gone in an instant. It's nothing we should ever take for granted, so please, please, from this dead woman pleading to the man my sister loves, please never take your life with her, with Sadie, as such.
They're both yours now, god help you. Liz, my dear sister, who cares too much. Sadie, my ladybug, who is too honest and sassy for a kid.
I've always put the two of them before myself. Liz has probably told you our story, so I won't rehash the nasty details in what's supposed to be a touching letter - I'm brutally honest, so when I say truly believe it was my sole purpose to be on this earth to 1) take care of my sister and 2) to create what happens to be, next to Liz, one of the most precious things in my life, I fucking mean it.
That being said, we need to make a slight amendment to the Sadie promise. Between the two of us, we need to add Liz to it too.
Lizzie needs to be reminded, given a list of all the reasons she's still here breathing, that she is doing right by what I want for the two of them. Because I know my sister, and she overthinks everything. She will be hanging on by a thread to every decision she will ever make with our Bug, wondering if she has done enough or if she is doing enough.
She already is. She already was.
And she doesn't owe me more than that.
You, however, do.
I need you to remind her of that - that she owes me nothing. I need you to take photos. Take as many as fucking possible. Go on hikes and look for the tiniest bugs. Make memories to hold on to and be the person who scares away Sadie's first date or holds her while she cries. To walk her down the aisle if she chooses and help her if she decides to have kids of her own.
Tell Elizabeth you love her. Every single day. Because you know as well as I do, you don't know the last time you'll be able to. Crawl into the bathtub with her when things get too much and hold her. All she needs is to be held, to know someone is there, standing by her. Thats it.
Stay up listening to vinyl with her, dance across a kitchen floor and make her laugh. Communicate with her. Please, for the love of fucking god, communicate with her about your feelings and your thoughts. She is such a good listener, and she cares so much for the people she loves. That's just who she is, so never forget it.
And promise me this one last favour...
There are more letters like this one in the red box I know she's probably only just opened, probably a long time after I'm gone. Mostly for Sadie, but there are some for Liz... maybe a couple more for you. I'm not sure yet, I'm honestly just making this up as I go.
Can you please make sure they open them? Go through the pile of memories I've left in there every so often?
I'm not being egotistical when I say I know I'm going to be missed. Grief does that to people. It's really just love, wanting to be given but with no place to go. I know those two will always love me in life and in death.
But remind them I know. Remind them I love them too - even if I'm not physically there to tell them myself.
This ended up being not as much of a shovel talk as I thought it was going to be, mostly cause I don't have anything to threaten you with truly.
But how about this, instead?
It's probably weird that I want to say thank you, right? Thank you for falling in love with my sister. Thank you for being there for her, for Sadie. For loving them when I cannot.
But I want to anyway. Because they mean everything to me, and it is my only hope they mean everything to you.
So wherever I am, whether it's in the clouds or in a fucking ray of sunshine, or if I'm a freaking bug, I can only hope I get to see the three of you be with each other in every way that matters.
Even if I can't, I know you're there.
And that's more than enough for me.
Love always,
Ridley Beck
~Fin~
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🥲
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@its-the-pilot @dizzybee03 @cassiemitchell
Wickett 🥲
(Sadie, Liz and Jake will be around for blurbs and one-shots if that is something you all are interested in 🥰 )
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Forever After All - The next series after DTDT
122 notes · View notes
thebottomfromhell · 9 months
Note
Hi! Sorry to bother you! But may I request a Dom!male reader like househusband x uppermoons head canons? Like the reader knows there a demon but literally doesn’t care and still loves them and the reader is basically the sole definition of “your doing great sweetie” (and the reader basically just supports them in everything and is like basically there 1# supporter)
(You can choose the uppermoons for the headcanons! I don’t mind!)
have a nice day! ♥︎
(Also if you have already done a similar idea you can just ignore this! I’m a little new to your blog and I really like your writing!)
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I liked this ask a lot, also the image it's very cute, it made me smile, you might also like the traditional courting Headcanons 1 & 2 (but by this time you probably saw them already ����) Also I didn't really know if as "dom" you meant as in dynamic or in sexual content, so I have a sexual connotation or two.
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Househusband Human Supportive Dom Reader x Uppermoons. (Nakime, Douma and Gyutaro are not in this one, since their living conditions make it hard to step in as a house spouse. Also the clones come as a package in this one).
Warnings: Polyamory (Hantengu Clones), Slight sexual content (some characters and reader make out in a more sexual tone, but no explicit sex, so it's mostly implied), Cannibalism (mostly reading sharing his blood),
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Gyokko:
"Okaeri, Gyokko. How was it today?" Gyokko is very organized with his time, he always comes back around the same hour and expects you to be awake to welcome him. "Tadaima." He just says, looking a bit tired. Probably some slayers did comments about his art, that pisses him off a lot. "I guess by that, it wasn't your best night. Is there is something this husband can do for you?" You tease as you get closer to him and hold gently the upper hands of his head, using your thumbs to carress circles in them. He relaxes and sighs after that.
"How about a cup of blood? That might cheer you up." You say as you guide him to the kitchen where you have a first aid kit, which you use a needle to take out your blood. "No, that is an artery. You will bleed out, let me do it myself." It's less messy this way, specially with Gyokko's help (he knows the circulatory system better than you), but it seems this time he doesn't have the patient to that. "Did you kill them or just put them in a pot?" You start a conversation as you put the red liquid in his favorite cup. "It was horrible, this was a Hashira and those sidekicks they have, they were so tasteless, didn't know how to appreciate arts. And the sidekick was infuriating, a damn child!" And you spend an hour with him drinking with one mouth as he complains with the other.
By the time he finishes there is are two hours left for sunrise, so you stand up and kiss the talking mouth "Meet me at bed, I will lock down the house." You close the window, three layers of curtains and move some objects for the weight to secure them more. "Do as I say, and I will treat you good." He compliains of you being "bossy" as you leave the room, but you do find him under the sheets once you step in your room. It doesn't have any windows, so it's already safe. You close the door and then go to sit in front of Gyokko. "You deserve to rest your mind once in a while. You are very hardworking, so let me..."
"Enough talking, darling. I already told you the night I had. Now I want my husband to spoil me. Now." You roll your eyes, and he calls you bossy? Still, you get under the sheets and kiss one of the mouths and you put your thumb in the other, tasting your own blood in the other's tongue as in joins yours. You also feel the teeth and tongue biting and salivating the thumb, you make sure the liquids don't fall into his lower eye. Still under the sheets you get on top of Gyokko, who's arousal is visible. "Then I better spoil you good."
It's already noon when you finish, you are very tired, but Gyokko just rest his head against your naked stomach because he is uncomfortable like that. You are always surprised by the unlimited demon stamina, you massage his scalp with your fingers to help him relax further. "There are people who just don't understand art, Gyokko. But you and I both know you are a great artist. Don't let things like this get you so worked up." He only groans a bit against your skin to speak after a minute of silence, you almost fell asleep before you heard his voice. "Well, I got my husband to support me and make me feel better, don't I?"
You chuckle a bit. He does.
Hantengu:
"T-t-t-tad-d-daim-a..." there, he said it (whispering), as he stepped in, closin the door behind him as quietly as possible. "Okaeri." Hantengu shrieks when you come next to him, when did you get this close? He thought you would still be asleep. "What are you doing up at this hour?" He asks quietly, still covering himself with his arms as he took a protective stance of the fright. He knows you won't hurt him, but it's a reflex. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided ro eat something. I just finished cleaning the kitchen after. How was your night?" He slowly puts his arms down as he sighs.
How long did you stay in a barely understadable ramble of how aggressive and scary Hashira are, how his master is an exploiter, how everyday and night are both nightmares alongside a self-pity monologue? Two hours, at least, but you only show him you are listening, not interrupting him once. Once he stops talking to tremble hard as he hugs himself you walk around him slowly, making sure he can see where you are and what are you doing with your hands as you put them on his shoulder. "Calm down, darling. It's ok. You are home right now, safe with your husband who wants to make you feel better."
He starts to relax as you squeeze and massage the stress away, then going to his back, feeling it full of knots. You sigh, you also did this yesterday and it's like this again? Well, it's not like it's Hantengu's fault. He didn't ask to be conditioned by the emotion of distress, it's already good enough he can find some comfort in you. "Thank you for doing this for me... How was your day? What did you eat just now." You appreciate his interest, even if part of it is only to be able to distract himself from the bad feelings as he listens to you. You do describe your day, talking mostly about when you went outside to buy some things the house needed. "It must be nice to not burn under the sun... even my clones can step on the sun."
"Well, other demons can't go under the sun neither. Have you eaten already? I can give you some of my blood." He shakes his head to reject the proposition "I don't have the stomach to eat today... thk u fr offr.... [thank you for offering]." You don't get to hear that last part, but you just finish the back to get in front of him. "Let's go to bed, I will give you a leg massage, check that the sun won't get through the windows and take a nap with you. That way you should feel better." Demons don't need to sleep, you already know that, but you are tired and asleep Hantengu feels a lot better than while awake, so he agrees.
Once you finish all those things you cuddle with his face against your chest, having him crying over everything and nothing specific as he hugs you tight. "Thank you... I feel better here." He answers honestly as you pat his back to valm him down as you feel the tears move through your abdomen. "It's ok dear, your husband is here for you. Just try to sleep." He does, you feel he stops breathing, but at this point it doesn't bother you, his nature is different to yours. He is still very dear to you, and so you help him as you can.
It can be tiring, but it's worth it.
Hantengu Clones:
"TADAIMA!" Scream Urogi and Karaku as they open the door, waking you up instantly as Sekido was lecturing them. You put another outer robe as you go towards the entrance to find your four idiots, Aizetsu is the first to notice you and go to see you before the others. "Y/N, Tadaima. We have had a rough night... can you please calm them down before going back to bed? I think you are the only one who can." He gives you big sad eyes before blinking fast a few times, making sure to look as cute as he can, manipulative little-. You can only nod before he leaves to the main room where you were sleeping "Okeari, by the way." You say before he disappears in the hallway.. Once he does that the next one to jump over you is Urogi, in his case, literally.
"Y/N! Hubby! We missed you so much!" He rubs his face against your as he has his arms and legs wraped up around you. "Sekido got beheaded like 7 times! It was so funny! Karaku actually had to save his a-" "SHUT THE FUCK UP, UROGI!" Karaku only laughs in the background. "He still got to thank me, ya know? I was so heroic back there, bet that if you saw me killing that slayer you would have gotten a bo-" "Karaku...." Yeah, that's the sign. If you don't step in Sekido will leave them outside all day. "Okaeri you all. I also missed you." You kiss Urogi's horn, wish makes him giggle. "I will set the house for sunrise, so if you want to help-" Joy and Pleasure leave to the main room in order to avoid work, leaving you with Sekido. "Those little shits..." he is very angry.
"Are you ok?" He doesn't answer, so you grab his hand gently and take it to your mouth to kiss it's back, making him blush but relax the frown. "I'm sure you all did great, at least did you all eat." He nods before you let him go, that means you don't need to offer blood (thank the one above and the one below, because you would die if the four were to drink blood from you), you both secure the house and find out that Aizetsu already secured the main room as Urogi and Karaku joined togeter several pillows, futons and sheets. "The beddings are ready! But if you want to have some fun before that, I am willing to give you some "cake" in the bathroom~" Karaku winks (which makes Sekido growl) at you, meking you (and Aizetsu) roll your eyes. "Nah, I'm good. I just want to cuddle and comfort my husbands if that is ok." Urogi laughs at the rejection as Karaku shrugs "Your loss."
Aizetsu goes to take both yours and Sekido's hand. "Can we please get along today. The sun will be up in some minutes, I can sense it... and it makes me sad that we would be trapped here while fighting." The Sorrow clone probably did already the eye trick to the other two and, since you already calmed down Sekido, it works on him to. "Thank you... " In the end you end up all un a fort under the sheets as they tell you the whole story. You are brushing Urogi's hair with your fingers as he lies on his stomach by your side, Sekido gives you his back as he uses your other arm as pillow, Karaku has your head in his lap to massage your scalp and Aizetsu rests his head in your stomach. It's not the most comfortable position to be, but you are happy to be like this (besides, you still could fall asleep how you are.)
You know they are also having a good time, since Sekido nuzzles against your limb, so you know he is there and comfortable. Aizetsu has his eyes close, so he could be asleep, once Urogi gets bore of you playing with his hair he starts nibbling softly your arm as if he was a cat (trying his best to not hurt you) and Karaku lies in his back with you still in his back. "Hey, Y/N... thank you for taking care of up. We like to be with you a lot." Karaku starts. "Yeah, we love you so much! You are the best husband ever!" "... you are good. Thank you for being there." "That tone didn't really sound sincere, Sekido." "Shut up, Aizetsu!" You can only chuckle at that. What can you say, you also enjoy taking care of them, even if as demons they don't need it.
"I love you all, too."
Akaza:
Akaza looks tired, emotionally exhausted, as he steps inside the house, he was just scolded for not killing the Hanafuba earing brat, the weakling, that little shi- "Okaeri, you came back early. Did something happen?" You ask him, you were just going back to sleep (you woke up to eat something) since Akaza usually comes back just some minutes before sunrise, looking for Muzan's imaginary flower he comes back to complain about. "Y/N... Tadaima... sorry, I... did you do the dishes?"
You laugh as he looks concerned, he didn't meam to change the topic, but "I told you I would do them..." he pouts, Akaza likes to be helpful around the house, so most of the time it's you both competing to do the chores. "Go to sleep, I will do the rest." He wants to clean, since the house is already set for sunrise. "You can fix the house for yourself, but I already did everything else after you left." You say proudly as you watch him grind his teeth. "I will cook you breakfast later then, and the house must be cleaned every day, so tomorrow I do the chores." He really likes to take care of you and gets easily frustrated when he can't. It often backfires because you also like to take care of him.
You cup his face in your hands to make him look at you in the eyes, smiling softly as he melts alightly in hour touch. "You look way too stressed for that, how about you tell me first how was your night?" Turns out his boss lectured him for not killing a child, the one he fought the day he didn't come home for sunrise (that night you were worried to the point of sickness, it was the first time since you married that Akaza didn't spend the day in your house) and he is very angry. "I have always done everything he told me! I swear that brat, weakling, will die at my hands. Damn weaklings taking advantage of...." his breathing become unsteady at that, so you pet his face. "I know you will, you are way too stubborn to not manage to kill someone you want dead. I'm sure even that Douma will fall under your hard work sooner or later." You don't really know about Douma, but fantazising of his death makes Akaza feel better.
"How about you go to bed with me? I am a bit tired and I would like to lie down somewhere." He nods as you take his hand and guide him to the main room. Once in the bed you push him so he can lie on his back as you get over him in the space between his legs. "Didn't you say you wanted to lie down?" You smile as you move your robes to expose one shoulder "Well, I will need it depending on the amswer. When was the last time you ate something?" By the look of his face you can se it has been a while, so you pull him from the back of his neck to your naked skin. "Take a bite, love. And I will also take a piece of you. Deal?" The second he bites theough your skin, you know you are on.
You didn't last that long, mostly because of the wound in your shoulder. You curse you only have 4 liters of blood and half gone already show it's effects, unlike Akaza, who is tending the bite. "If it makes you feel better, it's always hot when you bite me." You say something you know is stupid to make him laugh, he hates hurting you, even when you ask him to. "Well, I do think you are a snack, dear husband." You also laugh, gods that was awful.
You love, trust and support him, and Akaza better damn well know it.
Kokushibou:
Kokushibou just breathes in before closing the door behind him, fully knowing you are not only awake, but in the end of the hallway. "Tadaima." He answers without even looking at you, to be honest he was hoping you would still be asleep. He does love you but... he is not the best with feelings, and you are just so- "Okaeri, Kokushibou. How have you been?" good to him, and he just can't aswer the same way. It makes him feel inadequate. He hates that, so he tends to leave for long periods of time. "It's been six moons since the last time I saw you, anything interesting?"
And yet, you never anger, you never are anything but understanding, and that is just so confusing. There was other man that was like that with him, no matter how evasive or cold Michikatsu Kokushibou could get, he would still welcome him warmly, forever patient and stable, like the sun that burns all demons. You remind him a lot, and the worst part is that it attracts Kokushibou, the familiarity and the way you treat him. "Hey, are you ok?" You say as you notice he lost himself on his thoughts, once he gets out of his trance he looks at you. He only wanted to see you, that is why he came back, he hoped you wouldn't be awake when he did.
"Do you want a drink?" Blood, you are offering your blood and he can't find himself to day no. No when this is the only way he can drink it from a cup without calling it what it actually is, that way he can pretend he is still a samurai drinking tea in his free time, that he didn't transform into something that is not human. "Please. That would be nice." He sits in a mat as you serve him the red liquid, and besides thanking you as you hand the cup to him, Kokushibou doesn't say anything. There is a big chance he will leave soon, so you tell him everything that happened while he was missing. "And then I had to tell the ladies I was to old for marry his daughter, but I think she didn't believe me. Still, I'm a faithful husband to the second most powerful demon is not an explenation that will be well received."
Thankfully, between the blood and your story telling, he decides to stay for the day, so you prepare the house so the sunlight won't be able to come inside. You must hurry since you realized he would be staying when there was half an hojr for the sun to come up and he didn't move at all. You started with the room you are with Kokushibou, then the whole house, there was already sun when you finished the last rooms, but Kokushibou didn't burn and you consider that enough. "Kokushibou, the house is ready. You can move arpund if you want." He does, only to get to find yourself in hour room as you followed him. "You look tired. Sleep for a while I will stay here." He says as he sits in front of your bed.
The thing is, you are tired, you were at least half of the night awake and the missing blood is not doing you any good. But you don't want to sleep, you want to spend time with Kokushibou before he leaves. "Only if you promise we can properly say goodbye to each other bedore you go." He agrees, so you get ready for bed, knowing he likes to watch you sleep for some reason. "Kokushibou, remember that if you want to talk about anything, I will listen." ..... "Thank you." He just says that before becoming dead silent. It's very hard to be there dor Kokushibou, since he does and doesn't want you around at the same time.
Still, you try. That is enough.
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mrs-kodzuken · 3 months
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Self care w/ me & you & you ♡
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Pairing: Haijme Iwaizumi x fem!reader x Tōru Oikawa
WC: 1.3k
Genre: fluff, so much fluff
CW: fem!reader, poly relationship, self care night with iwa & kawa, kissing, slight cursing
˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖
"A what?"
A loud gasp was heard from the one and only Tōru Oikawa.
"Iwa-chan! Are you serious? Haven't you ever heard of a lover's self-care night? Oh Y/n-chan! Our relationship is failing!" Oikawa dramatically sobbed on my shoulder.
"To be fair, it really isn't something that's heard of a lot, Oikawa." I tried to reason with him as Iwaizumi scoffed and kicked a pebble that was in his way of walking.
"But if you truly want to, then I'll do it, and so will Iwajime." I smiled at them both, which got me a cheer from Oikawa and a gruff remark from Iwa to Tōru.
"You guys are such little kids. Go and change already; I'm going to go get everything ready. This sleepover is at my house, correct?" I got a thumbs up from Oikawa.
"Alright, see you guys there!" I waved them off, but not before snatching Hajime's volleyball jacket from him and blowing an air kiss to him.
Being in a poly relationship with those boys is pretty hectic most of the time. It's like taking care of two children and making sure they do not kill each other at the same time.
But nevertheless, I still love those crackheads. I still remember when we all got together; Oikawa had actually tried to get Iwaizumi and me together, even though he liked the both of us.
He just wanted his best friend to be happy, even if he couldn't have his happiness.
Reminiscing about that always makes my heart flutter with endearment. When I confessed that I was actually infatuated with the both of them, it was as if I was elated in that moment.
And ever since then, we've been in a heavenly correlation.
I broke away from my relentless thoughts as I headed up the stairs towards my room after telling my parents that they were coming over this weekend.
To be honest, I wasn't really sure what Oikawa meant by 'a lovers self-care night' but I do know that it's probably going to have to deal with facial care and things like that.
Gathering skin care, blankets, snacks, and movies is definitely some type of workout, and I should get an award for it. I slumped myself onto my bed and caught my breath.
I wasn't really into doing anything, so I definitely have low stamina.
The finished product looked way better. I made a huge fort in the middle of my bedroom, and inside are my portable projector for movies, string lights that I hung up, and bowls of snacks for us to eat.
All that was basically missing were my boyfriends, dinner, and a shower. I grabbed my phone and quickly ordered two boxes of pizza.
I didn't have a clue why I was so frantic about this whole ordeal.
Possibly because Oikawa always has everything planned out cautiously. Which is one of his positive skills that also contributes to him being a great partner.
After the pizza had come, I decided to go ahead and take my shower before they got here. I'm pretty sure that Oikawa is going to show up in his alien onesie that I bought him for his birthday.
It's covered head to toe with lots of small alien heads on it, and at the hood, it's green with the aliens eyes and mouth.
Soon, when I was finished with my shower, I put on a new set of pajamas that I had randomly bought.
Its fabric is really soft and has crescent moons, silver small stars, and gold stars, with random dots here and there splattered all over it. I absolutely love it; it fits right in with my love for astrology.
As soon as I pressed the last button from my top, the doorbell rang, signaling that Iwaizumi and Oikawa were here. I quickly rushed down the flight of stairs, almost tripping on a few, and opened the front door.
"Hey guys, come in. I've already set everything up for tonight." I explained as they followed me slowly up the stairs to my room.
"You shouldn't have been in such a hurry to open the door; you could have fallen and hurt yourself, Y/n." Iwaizumi assertively said this to me with a pointed look.
"I know, I know. I'm just excited." I answered sheepishly.
"Baby, we could hear you from outside; trust me, we weren't going anywhere." I mean, who would pass up seeing a face as beautiful as mine?" Obviously Oikawa said.
"Me," Hajime answered, "Yeah, definitely me too." I agreed with him, which made Oikawa pout and turn away from us.
"What do you say? You want to run away without Oikawa?" Iwa joked to me, "Why yes, of course, it's not like we're all in a relationship and love each other unconditionally or anything." I sarcastically agreed with him once again.
"If this is your way of saying you're sorry, then I accept it." Tōru said, but he still had a pout on his face.
I gave Hajime a look, as if telling him it's his turn to kiss Oikawa for when he gets annoying and pouty like this. He rolled his eyes, grabbed Oikawa's right hand, and yanked him down a bit for a kiss.
When he pulled away, his cheeks bloomed into a rosy pink tint, as did Tōru's.
I smiled wide when I saw them kiss. It's something that they always get nervous and flustered about.
"I see you smiling over there, Y/n. Don't think you're off the hook just yet." Iwaizumi said that and tugged my long sleeve over to them.
They both started attacking my face with kisses everywhere, built up laughter bubbled inside of me till I let it out.
"Okay! Okay! We better stop before this escalates to something unwholesome." I pulled away from their pecks and smiled at them. Tōru's face was basically saying, 'Can we please let it escalate?'
I glared at him for having indecent thoughts and engulfed myself in Iwa's arms.
"Oh Iwa! Save me! Oikawa is thinking unholy thoughts!" I cried.
"Shittykawa, quit being nasty." Iwaizumi hit him on the arm, and I finally took time to look at his pajamas.
They were, of course, godzilla, but it was a long-sleeved black shirt with a manga page of godzilla on it in the middle. His bottoms were black and white plaid PJ pants.
"Alrighty, so I've got facemasks, nail polishes, a pillow fort, snacks, and movies." I said, clapping my hands together.
"Ooh! I want to do my nails and a facemask." Oikawa almost jumped at the thought of getting his nails done.
"Okay, anything you would want to do, Iwa?" I giggled at Toru's childishness.
"No, you two go do that. I'll turn on a movie," he said, turning around.
"If you say so, baby, alright, Tōru, let's get this facemask on you." I turned around and faced him, but he already had one out and prepped his nails, ready for me to paint them.
"Kawa, you're so cute," I complemented while getting my green nail polish out and painting little aliens on his nails.
When they were dry and his facemask was off, we found Iwa under the covers on his phone, waiting for us.
"Hi babes! What movie did you put in?" Oikawa asked Iwaizumi while showing him his nails.
"Shrek, I thought that you might want to see yourself on TV tonight." Iwa smiled at him as Kawa gasped.
As much as I wanted to laugh, I decided to say, "Hajime, please apologize to Tōru." I finished as I laid on Oikawa's chest while Iwa wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Sorry, honey," he said sarcastically, just in time for the movie to play. I'll never get tired of these types of nights.
Just me and my boyfriend's cuddling and watching a movie with the occasional teasing.
˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖
a/n: this is from my book “Haikyuu x Reader One Shots” on Wattpad! I hope you enjoyed and let me know if you have any requests!
the header is made by me, please like/reblog if used <3
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allmoshnobrain · 2 months
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𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫
✧・゚: *✧・゚:* *:・゚✧*:・゚✧
part 33 of 35 | masterpost
word count: 2597 | ao3 link | fic's playlist
I could feel his heart tapping against my fingertips, a bit quicker now, a subtle blush coloring his cheeks. His blonde eyelashes looked almost see-through in the sunlight, his blue eyes sparkling and locked onto mine, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. I brought my hands up to his face, running my fingers over it slowly. He let out a sigh, lightly shutting his eyes like he'd been waiting for my touch his whole life.
✦ on this chapter: dave mustaine x female!oc, james hetfield x female! oc, oc is cliff's cousin, +18, language, slice of life, angst, romance
✦ a/n: Hi, everyone! I posted this chapter a little later than usual because I was too busy today, but it's here! Sorry for the delay. Also, some of you may have already seen this, but: I missed writing about Dave and Nore happy together a lot these last few days, so I posted a small extra chapter set somewhere between chapters 16 and 17 for all my Dave and Nore enjoyers 🖤 You can read it here. Hope you liked reading, feedback is welcome!
✧ you don't have to leave, you could just stay here, with me / forget all the party police, we could find comfort in debauchery ✧
“I should've been there with you,” James's voice, annoyed and concerned, crackled through the phone pressed to my ear. “You shouldn't have dealt with this on your own. I should've been right there beside you.”
“James, it's alright,” I mumbled, sparking a cigarette, propping myself against the payphone stand. It was late afternoon, and I’d dialed James to tell him all about my disastrous mission in Los Angeles. If I wasn't in tears at the moment, it was only because I'd already exhausted my supply in the hours before.
“Of course, it's not okay!” he burst out, matching my frustration. “Did you check with the neighbors? Wasn't there some dude you knew living downstairs?”
“Yeah, Ellefson. He bailed too. Apparently, they moved out together last week. Left no trace for anyone to follow,” I finished the sentence with a tremor in my voice, eyes burning with fresh tears, but I wasn't going to break down now. Not while James was on the line, his concern clear in every word he spoke.
“Fuck. What a mess,” he muttered. “Hey, it's gonna be alright. I think I've got his mom's address; I can try reaching out to her. We'll find him, Nore.”
“Thanks, James,” I said, feeling a bit better knowing that even if the day had turned to crap, he still had my back.
“I'm sorry about all this Pat shit. Had no clue she'd pull a stunt like that.”
“It's fine…”
“No, Nore, it's not. You know, you said the right thing to her. I never want to see that girl again. But I can hop over to Los Angeles if it means making her apologize to you,” he declared, his voice carrying a slightly menacing edge that hinted he might have wanted to go beyond a simple apology.
“James, you really don't have to do that. It'd be just playing into her drama,” I let out a heavy sigh. “All I want is to find Dave and sort this mess out once and for all.”
“We'll track him down, Nore. I promise. Everything's gonna be fine,” James tried to assure me, and I managed a small smile. There was something kinda sweet about how he was going all out to cheer me up, genuinely putting in the effort to help me out, just because it'd make me happy. 
James was just impossible not to like.
“I know, Jamie,” I replied, letting the warmth of my smile show in my voice. “Thank you.”
The rest of February breezed by quickly; I suddenly realized that the one-year anniversary of my move to San Francisco had quietly passed. It seemed pretty wild how everything that had unfolded in the last few months had managed to cram into a year, shaping me in more ways than I could express. It was like I'd been a part of the boys’ life forever, like I couldn’t quite picture who I was without them in the frame.
March rolled in, bringing the end of winter closer and closer. As the days lit up and warmed, James and I kept our long-distance communication going. The phone calls from San Francisco to Long Beach, initially a bit spaced out, soon became almost a daily ritual, and I found myself eagerly anticipating those moments in an entirely new way. Sweet words of affection began to find their way into our conversations more frequently. I had to admit, I missed James more than I'd care to confess — not just the tour moments but also his touch, the sound of his voice and laughter, the blue in his eyes, and even the warmth of his kisses and the feel of his body against mine.
Being back at my parents' house had its perks: with no job on my plate and studies yet to kick in, I found myself drowning in free time. I dedicated most of it to diving into my studies and building up a solid portfolio in visual arts, gearing up for the application grind at the San Francisco Art Institute. The prospect of being in the same city as Cliff and the guys again had me stoked, but in a genuinely good way — I could barely contain my excitement for things to click into place.
Another thing gobbling up my time was my newfound camaraderie with Charlotte, one of my old high school friends. She’d been pouring her heart into her debut starring role in a theatre play, and I'd been chipping in as an unofficial production assistant, giving me a reason to hang out with her and break free from my parents’ house for a bit. On a bright Wednesday morning, the moment I stepped into the auditorium where the theater troupe was fine-tuning their craft, Charlotte threw me a curveball with an unexpected ask.
“Nore!” she squealed with excitement upon spotting me, rushing over and grabbing my hands in hers. Her green eyes looked almost teary, and her lips formed a small pout. “Thank goodness you're here. Everything's going haywire today, and I'm not sure if we can sort it out!”
“What’s going on, Charlie?” I inquired, intrigued, as I shrugged off my jacket, tossing it onto one of the chairs in the vacant audience area. “Did the dressing room light decide to bail on us again? You know I'm useless with those things.”
“Of course not!” she retorted, indignant, and I released a low chuckle.
“Just pulling your leg. What's up?”
“I need you to act in the play.”
I blinked, puzzled, furrowing my brow as I crossed my arms.
“You... Hold on, what? Charlie, the play is in two weeks.”
“I know!” she sighed, slumping into one of the chairs, defeated. “Why do you think I'm so desperate? One of the actresses can't perform anymore. And now the director wants to cancel the play because we won't be able to find a replacement on time!”
“And you want me to step in.”
“Yeah!”
“In a play that's premiering in fifteen days?”
“Nore, you've always been fantastic in our school's Drama Club…”
“No way, Charlie! How am I supposed to pull that off?”
“Nore, please, please, please?” she clasped my hand in hers, her eyes pleading. “It's my first lead role, I've been rehearsing for months! I promise to help you with the lines, I'll do anything!”
I sighed, resigned.
“Fine. But you owe me one,” I replied, and she let out an excited squeal before hugging me.
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret it, I promise!”
Well, she was right — I didn't regret it. Actually, practicing for the play turned out to be a lot more fun than I thought. Plus, scoring some free tickets to hand out to my friends and family made me care a bit less about the crazy deadline to cram all those lines into my brain. Charlie and I basically lived in that auditorium for the next few days; I'd roll in there in the morning and wouldn't bail until way into the evening.
When Saturday rolled around, I decided to escape to San Francisco. Stuff for the band was picking up speed after those European shows. After snagging a deal to record the second album at a studio in Denmark, the guys figured a bash was in order to toast to the good news, and obviously, I had to be there. I arranged with my parents to spend the weekend over at Cliff's place with the boys. Luckily, they had some San Francisco business on the horizon, and agreed to drop by and give me a ride back to Long Beach when it was time to head back home.
I let out a sigh as I hit the old house where I used to live with Cliff, Dave, James, and Lars. It was like nothing had changed, memories still stuck in every nook and cranny; the first chats with the guys, James getting less shy as we got tighter, my first kiss with Dave, the first time we slept together, drinking together, smoking together, laughing together, loving together. And it stung, a sharp and dry ache deep in my chest, with the gut feeling that things would never, ever be the same again.
I mixed with the crowd, strolling into the living room; the first familiar face I bumped into was James', whose eyes lit up seeing me, a grin breaking out. He hustled over, grabbing my face and planting a surprise kiss on my lips, leaving me gasping, my face heating up in a flash.
“James!” I blurted out, pupils dilated in shock as I took a step back.
“My bad. Was that a no-go?” he mumbled, a persistent grin suggesting he had no regrets about the kiss. “Just damn happy you showed up.”
“I’m happy to be here too,” I whispered, my face still warm from his gentle touch.
“Geez, you two are such a clingy couple,” Cliff chimed in, coming over. I blushed, pulling James's hands off my face and avoiding eye contact.
“We're not a couple, Cliff,” I muttered, voice low, his comment knotting something strange and uncomfortable in my chest. “Excuse me, I need a drink,” I spun around, heading for the kitchen.
“Nore, hold up,” Cliff tagged along, standing by my side as I raided the fridge for a beer. “What was that just now?”
“Nothing,” I grunted, popping the kitchen door open and stepping into the backyard. Cliff sighed but joined me, leaning against the porch railing.
“Nothing? Seriously? You're not gonna start keeping secrets from me now, after 19 years?” he came closer, tilting his head to be right in my line of sight, impossible to ignore. I sighed, rolling my eyes at his persistence. “Hey. You and James weren't, like, a thing or something?”
“It's not like that,” I grumbled. “It's just... There's just too much going on, Cliff...”
I told him everything then: how James and I had decided to give in to our feelings during the tour, how I’d tried to find Dave after coming back, how everything went wrong, and now I had no clue where he was. And maybe involving James in all this was a mistake because, frankly, with each passing day, I found myself liking him more while still stuck on my feelings for Dave.
“Well, that sucks,” he remarked after I spilled my story, prompting a nervous little laugh from me. “So, you do like James, then?”
“Of course I like him,” I replied, with a resigned sigh.
“You like him, and yet you were upset because he kissed you just now?” he pressed on, and I rolled my eyes.
“Cliff, it's not that simple…”
"No, I get it ain't," he said, sparking up a joint, taking a slow drag before locking eyes with me, dead serious. "I get you still love Dave. I get you're on this quest to find him, and I'm betting it's gonna happen, Nore. You and him, you'll cross paths again 'cause I know you're head over heels for the guy. I'm pretty damn sure you two will work things out. But..." He hesitated, and I shot him a puzzled look. Cliff usually had his words lined up tight. It wasn’t like him to be unsure about anything.
"But?" I prodded, curious. He let out a sigh.
"But things are changing at warp speed for us, Nore," He handed over the joint, and I grabbed it, taking a slow drag. "We're growing up, for crying out loud. I mean, we're about to cut an album in Europe, can you believe that? A year ago, who would've thought? Things are moving quick, do you really wanna skip the chance to catch some happiness along the way? You don't know when you'll stumble upon Dave. No idea how long it'll take to straighten things out with him. Are you gonna keep dodging happiness till then?"
"Cliff, what are you getting at?"
"What I'm getting at, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but fine, what I mean is maybe you should quit fighting what you feel for James. I mean, you liked him before, but let's be real, you rolled back from Europe completely in love with him, didn't you?"
In love. Those words set my face on fire, my heart doing a marathon, and a zillion butterflies doing somersaults in my stomach. My first instinct was to argue with Cliff, but deep down, he wasn't totally off, was he? If I already had a soft spot for James before, now it was more like a full-blown obsession. It felt like a hunger, like I needed him to fill some kind of void inside of me. And somehow, this crazy feeling coexisted with the love I held for Dave, for the empty space he’d left behind. Everything was so damn new that I could barely wrap my head around it, let alone figure out how to handle it.
"I'm not in love with him," I mumbled weakly, and Cliff chuckled, giving me a shoulder hug.
"You're a lousy liar, you know that?" he said, and I rolled my eyes.
"Hey," a familiar voice called, and I glanced up, blushing when I locked eyes with James, propped against the door frame with a beer in hand. "Nore, everything cool?"
"I'm gonna find Lea," Cliff announced, sidestepping and shooting me a suggestive look before leaving me solo with James. I watched him saunter away, feeling my face heat up, and then turned my attention to James, his blue eyes zeroed in on mine.
"You alright? Sorry about that kiss earlier. Didn't mean to upset you," he said, his voice low, stepping close enough for me to sense the heat of his body. His attentive eyes studied my face, as if trying to decode my feelings from my expression. I sighed, my heart racing in a totally new rhythm when he gently cupped my face, resting my hands on his chest as he leaned in.
"James," I murmured, my voice shaking, almost like I was saying his name for the first time. He gave me a slight smile, his gaze zeroing in on my slightly parted lips with poorly disguised desire.
"What?"
"I don't want you thinking I'm here with you just 'cause I haven't tracked down Dave yet."
"I'd never think that," he whispered, edging even closer.
I could feel his heart tapping against my fingertips, a bit quicker now, a subtle blush coloring his cheeks. His blonde eyelashes looked almost see-through in the sunlight, his blue eyes sparkling and locked onto mine, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. I brought my hands up to his face, running my fingers over it slowly. He let out a sigh, lightly shutting his eyes like he'd been waiting for my touch his whole life.
"James," I murmured again, almost like a prayer, and the way I said his name seemed to light up something hungry in him. He yanked me closer, his mouth crashing onto mine with a deep, needy moan. I sighed, trembling, my fingers tangling in his hair as I surrendered to his kiss, the dawning realization that I couldn't resist him any longer.
Actually, that I didn't want to.
He backed off, peppering soft kisses on my lips before resting his forehead against mine. His hands clung to my waist, tugging me close enough for our bodies to touch.
"I think we should head to my room," he murmured, flashing a smile. I chuckled softly, throwing my arms around his neck, and pulled him into another kiss.
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✧ if you'd like to be tagged on the next parts, let me know and I'll add you to the tag list! ❤ ✧
tag list: @killazilla777 @whatsupvic @70srogah @genswine9
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hellothereiplaygames · 6 months
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Some thoughts on Asra's route...
Replaying Asra's route after having played Muriel's really hits different...
In one of the other routes Asra and Muriel appear to start a romantic relationship, and in Asra's route it's very clear that Muriel cares very deeply for Asra and dislikes the Apprentice. He mentions in one of the paid? dream scenes that he's worried about Asra and the Apprentice fading into their own world and leaving everyone else behind (again, apparently), and that he's determined to stop this from happening. His concern for Asra and initial hostility toward the Apprentice may be rooted in jealousy, not only because his oldest (and only) friend was more or less taken from him, but perhaps with romantic connotations as well.
In Book XI: Justice, Asra and Julian stage a mock trial by combat against Muriel. Though he apparently agreed to participate and is implied to have returned to the Coliseum of his own volition, presumably out of concern for Asra, who has been accused of being Julian's accomplice... he is still more or less backed into a corner and forced to play along with Asra and Julian's plan to stage a fight.
Now, to be fair to Asra, he states after everything goes wrong that it wasn't supposed to end this way, and it appeared that he was attempting to not only exonerate himself and Julian from their charges but somehow help Muriel overcome his past (he does disintegrate Muriel's chains during the fight no matter what choices you make). There was a point during this that I thought I could guess what Asra's plan was regarding Muriel's past, but being refreshed on how it actually pans out, I can't remember it now. Something about making the people of Vesuvia realize how barbaric the Coliseum was under Lucio.
The thing that stands out to me throughout this whole ordeal is that Asra knows about Muriel's trauma. He knows he was enslaved to Lucio and forced to fight and execute people in the Coliseum. He knows that Muriel is terrified of hurting other people, especially those he cares about. In Asra's route, the only person Muriel cares about is Asra, so hurting him is triggering for him. He literally is in a stupor after the board he was using as a weapon splinters off and hits Asra in the mouth, making him bleed. This is clearly meant to make the reader worried about Asra, but Muriel reacts as well, and appears hypnotized by the blood. I remember the first time I read this I thought he was going to have some crazy berserker-Hulk sort of reaction, but having read his route, it's way more tragic.
Though Muriel did seem to return to the Coliseum of his own volition, it does seem that Asra took this as a sign that he was coming to terms with his trauma. He was willing to exploit Muriel's care for him in order to save his own skin so he can be with the Apprentice. Though I recognize Asra's other toxic traits to some degree, I also have similar ones myself so they don't really stand out to me. This, however, where he more or less disregards Muriel's feelings on the matter, is actually really crushing. In Muriel's route, his whole thing is that he DOES NOT want to fight, he DOES NOT want to even spar with the Apprentice with blunt sticks out of fear of hurting them, so why would he willingly go along with this unless he was more or less in the same position Lucio put him in? Fight in the arena, or something bad will happen to Asra.
Asra knows this, and puts him through it regardless. During the whole fight, Julian's actions are written so as to make it seem like he's the one messing things up--he takes the "finishing blow" that Muriel was going to deal to Asra and gets knocked unconscious. Asra spends most of the entire time doing flashy, dramatic magic tricks that get the crowd cheering for him. After he "wins", he and the Apprentice are carried out of the Coliseum like heroes. Though Asra will try to soothe Muriel if the Apprentice so chooses right before the end, and he does look for Muriel in the crowd, he seems otherwise unbothered or unaware of the impact this may be having on his oldest friend. Which is pretty shitty.
Of course, Asra, Julian, and Muriel are all playing characters during their fight--Asra is the flashy magician, Julian is the rogueish BDSM dagger guy, and Muriel is the Scourge. Asra obviously can't show his concern even if he wanted to because he's supposed to be fighting Muriel. But putting his bro into this situation in the first place says a lot about his character. Though Julian is the one whose route is based around self-loathing because he believes he hurts everyone around him, Asra is the only one who gets what he wants out of this ordeal, and he even says so right before the chapter ends. Muriel was forced to relive his trauma and didn't get the resolution that was intended, and Julian gets KOed by a punch that literally sent him flying across the arena (though he probably enjoyed it tbh, he's a nasty little man like that lmao).
I wonder if this dynamic between Asra and Muriel was intentionally written this way in order to further amplify his tunnel vision when it comes to the Apprentice. Is this is how he acted in the past, causing Muriel to hate the Apprentice as he does and remark that he won't allow it to happen again? Maybe (probably) I'm reading too much into it, but as a survivor of abuse and trauma it rubs me the wrong way much more than Asra's obsessive, clingy nature. Of all of the reversed ends, Asra's is the one that actually scared me and kind of haunted me, because it hits a little too close to home.
These are all just thoughts that I wanted to spill out because I thought it was interesting and I wasn't sure if anyone else has talked about it before.
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liveforjeongin · 5 months
Note
Hiii!! I loved the doc that you wrote! Can I request number 12 and 41 with Lee!Chan and Ler!Felix please and ty
p.s your amazing
How To Cheer Your Chan Up (1/8)
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Awww, thank you anon, you're so sweet<3
And thanks for request<3
-tickle fic, if you don't like that you can keep scrolling
requested by: anon
warnings: cheer up tickles, kinda short imo😭 (I'm sorry)
Prompt 12, list #1: “Come on, let me see that smile!”
Prompt 41, list #1: “I’m gonna tickle the sadness out of you!”
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Skz were preparing for their upcoming comeback. It wasn't a secret for anyone that's such a stressful and hard task, but the members always succeed in that and were getting used to it, so they were fine
Excepting for one of them, Chan
As the leader and producer of the group, he had his head in so many things, too much this time. He really wanted this comeback to be perfect, at least in terms of the music
He was trying to deal with all the stress and the pressure he was having all by himself, and honestly, he was doing pretty good so far, until one day
3racha were all on the studio, finishing the last details for their title track "Lalalala"
It was Chan's turn to record, it was all going well til one part. Chan was having some problems to find a tone for that specific line, and that was getting him so frustrated
"Hyung, do it how you think if sounds good. No pressure" Changbin, who was directing the recording, tried to comfort him
"I'm... Trying" Chan said, with a sigh of frustration with himself
"We know, hyung, but it's okay. No pressures, we have the whole day if that's necessary" Hannie said
About 20 minutes later, Chan got to find a tone that sounded... Decent for him, so he decided to keep it, he'll fix it later
3racha went back to their dorm, where they found Felix, watching a dorama with Hyunjin in the couch of the living room
"Oh, hi hyungs~ Hi Hannie~" Lix waved at the three members of 3racha, and snuggled up more on Hyunjin
"Hi Lix~" Changbin waved him back, ruffling his hair a bit and then walking towards his room
"Hey baby~" Jisung did the same as Changbin
Chan, otherwise, waved the younger in a sad mood, still thinking on what happened in the studio minutes before
Lix obviously noticed that his aussie brother wasn't feeling all good, so him, in his sunshine nature, was decided to help Chan feel better
He just had to know how
Chan walked to his room, locking it without talking much more to any of the kids
"Hyunjinnie, do you mind if I go for a second? I need to talk with Chan hyung" the freckled guy asked
"Sure Lixie, I'll pause the drama and wait for you"
"Thank youuu" Lix hugged Hyunjin a bit, walked towards Chan's room (wemissthem) and knocked on the door "Hyung?"
After a couple seconds of silence, Felix heard his hyung's voice "Come in"
Lix opened the door of Chan's room and saw Chan layed on his bed and wrapped up in his blanket, looking like he just stopped crying
"Hyung... What's wrong?" Felix asked, kneeling down next to the bed
"Nothing... It's nothing, Lix, don't worry about me" Chan smiled a bit, a fake smile of course, and Lix knew it
"Chan... Don't lie to me. There's something bothering you, tell me what it is"
Chan sighed and some tears started to run down his face as he talked "I'm... Frustrated with myself. I didn't do good enough today at the recording..."
"Awww, hyung..." The younger hugged his hyung, trying to reassure him a bit "I'm pretty sure you did your best, you always do, that's what matters"
Chan just cried in his dongsaeng's hug, knowing he could trust him
After some minutes, Chan started to calm down, and the tears stopped to fall
Lix pulled away from the hug and smiled down comfortingly at his hyung "You better?"
Chan sighed "Yeah... I think a bit... Thanks, Lix" smiled faintly at the younger
Lix patted Chan's head "That's good... Now, no more crying, alright?. Come on, let me see that smile!" Lix poked his hyung's side, causing him to shudder and let out a small giggle
"Fehelix! Don't"
"Awww, but you look so cute giggling~" started to poke Chan's sides repeatedly
Chan blushed a bit at the younger's teasing, giggling at the pokes, but not moving. He would hate to admit it, but this was exactly what he needed, and was really thankful with Felix for doing this
"I'm gonna tickle the sadness out of you, hyungie!" Lix started to wiggle his fingers on Chan's abs, knowing that was his death spot
"N-NOHOHOHOHO FEEHEHEHHEHELIX DON'T! NOHOHOHOHOT THEHEHEHERE" Chan burst into laughter and started to squirm wildly, which just got worse when Felix started to use his other hand to change between squeezing his sides and his thighs
"But you look so happy now, hyung!" Even though Felix was teasing him, and he knew he was driving Chan crazy, the younger really looked so innocent
Until he started to wreck Chan's sides
"OKAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAY FELIX FELIX YOU CAN STOP NOHOHOHOOHHOW!" Chan squealed out
"Mmmmm... I don't think I'm doing~"
Felix just kept wrecking Chan's sides and abs, making the older go crazy
"FEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHELIX! FELIX I BEHEHEHEHEHHEHEG YOUHUHUHU! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA PLEHEHEHEHHEHEASE NO MOHOHOHORE! I'LL SMILE I'LL SMIHIHIHIHIHILE! I WON'T BE SAHAHAHAHHAHAHAD I PROHOHOHOHOHOHOHOMISE!" Chan stated before his laugh went silent
Felix kept on tickling him for a couple seconds more before stopping, he didn't want to kill his hyung after all
He rubbed the older's sides, in order to ease the ghost tickles he was feeling, and hugged him again "You okay? You're not sad anymore?" The freckled boy looked up at his hyung, hoping he's feeling better
Chan was breathing hard and letting a few more giggles out, overwhelmed by the sensation yet, but it's not like he didn't like it... "I'm fine, Lix, and not sad anymore, thank you for... That" Chan replied with a big smile on his face, ruffling his dongsaeng's hair a bit
Felix smiled at his hyung and, after a couple seconds, he left his room, going back to the living room with Hyunjin, they absolutely needed to end at least that episode of the drama
Meanwhile Chan... Fell asleep pretty soon, with a happy smile and feeling warm inside. Felix really knew how to cheer him up
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HELLO WORLD, I'M NOT DEAD😻
I'm so sorry I haven't post in a lot, I'm grounded so the only way I get to write is at late night when my parents are sleeping😭😭😭
Plus, motivation left me for a while, but here we are😻
Anon that requested this I'm so sorry for making you wait a lot💔
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the fic :3
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ughkat · 7 months
Text
focus on me | l.r.h
part one
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tutor!luke au
your college professor assigns you to an unexpected tutor for your music class. ❥
overall story cw: smut, fluff, tutor x student
wordcount : 1131
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Soft rock played through my headphone's as I took in the unfamiliar sights around me. It was my second week at my dream college in Los Angeles, but I had yet to make myself at home. I swiftly guided my way down sidewalks with my head down, and towards a building labeled "Music" and "Theater", the building containing my next subject.
My school counselor aided me to join a special elective or extracurricular for more credits, my options being an extra math class, or a music class. I went with what I thought was the easiest choice, choosing to not subject myself to extra math. Not that I had anymore interest in playing an instrument.
Within seconds of entering my class, my professor quietly beckoned me. I let out a heavy sigh, knowing he was going to mention my work ethic in his class.
"How's your morning going?" He spoke respectfully, not looking at me while he sipped a coffee. I took a seat at a small stool beside his desk.
"Fine." I smiled with a nod.
"I've noticed you're struggling a bit in here. Have you been practicing out of class?" He questioned.
"Uhm. A little, here and there. I get busy with my other classes." I tried my best to create an excuse for my lack of passion for guitar. My professor let out a quiet "Hm." before turning his chair towards me.
"A past student of mine is a tutor, every fall he comes back down here to help out my students." he began, "I think you would benefit greatly from his knowledge." I mentally rolled my eyes at the thought of someone tutoring me about something I had no drive to expand my knowledge on.
"I think I'll be okay." I spoke kindly. My professor let out a small chuckle.
"Y/n, I wasn't so much asking you as I was informing you." He spoke slowly. "You will continue losing credits if you keep up the work you're doing." I looked at him with frustration.
"So I have no choice?" I sighed.
"I'm sorry, I just want you to succeed, and
Luke is an amazing tutor." I stood up from the chair at took my assigned seat, dwelling on the idea of being taught guitar by a stranger for the rest of class.
"Y/n!" I heard a cheerful shout ahead of me.
I looked up from the floor as I exited the music building, and was met with the face of my best friend, Leah.
"Hey." I spoke flatly. Leah frowned.
"What's the matter with you?" We continued our way towards the courtyard for lunch, dodging the rush of students in our path.
"I have to have a tutor for my stupid guitar class." I began, "I don't even wanna be in that class."
"Have you met the tutor yet? Maybe it'll be fun?" Leah spoke with optimism.
"Not yet. He used to go here though, his name's Luke, I guess." I muttered. Leah stopped in her tracks, turning to me slowly.
"Luke what?" She questioned. I shrugged, confused to why his last name was so important to her.
"I don't know, I didn't ask." I mumbled.
"Find out and let me know." I raised an eyebrow at my friends eagerness as we arrived to the courtyard.
2:00
I swiftly finished my day, my music and sketchbooks helping the minutes pass. As I made my way towards my dorm, I had accidentally brushed shoulders with a faceless figure. Before I could see their face, they were paces behind me. He was tall, really tall. His hair had a slight sandy blond curl to it, and he walked with grace, but with a purpose.
Thinking nothing of it, I continued to my dorm.
I tossed my black tote bag onto my bed, myself following shortly after. I let out a sigh as I bent down to unlace my converse, kicking them off of my tired feet.
The burdening thought of my mystery tutor ached my head, I began to feel my mood slowly decline. Why should I have to put effort into something I have genuinely no interest in? And why is it my fault when I do bad in that subject? I reached for my phone and saw a text from Leah.
"Can I come to your room? I'm boreddd."
I giggled at the message before giving her a yes, beginning to tidy up the small space.
My roommate mysteriously disappeared after the first three days of school—by disappearing I mean she dropped out, and none of us are really allowed to talk about it—, leaving me with the dorm to myself. I thought I would appreciate the alone time, but I find myself wishing I had more company. I did my best to decorate the dull room with posters and plants, and some decorations from home.
Three simple knocks landed in my door, I sat up from my seat to let my friend in.
"Can you please elaborate why you need to know my tutor so desperately?" I laughed as we took our seats on my bed.
"It's so dumb, honestly." She began, shaking her head with a giggle, "I guess there was a boy in one of the music classes last year named Luke, and everyone I know says he's like, outrageously hot or something." She explained. I raised my eyebrow and laughed.
"Well, he can't be the only Luke in this school. It's probably not the same kid." I shrugged.
"Hopefully it is. I've heard every girl who tried to ask him out got rejected." Leah dramatically widened her eyes.
"Whatever." I giggled.
We spent the after noon and early evening gossiping about professors, new students, and my mystery tutor.
5:30
After Leah's departure, I stared blankly at the guitar in its case across the room from me. I huffed before getting up and grabbing it from its enclosure, taking my seat again.
I plucked cluelessly, unsure of where to even begin. I placed my fingers to where I thought I remembered was a C chord, and hesitantly strummed down. The guitar emitted a strenuous tune, causing my face to scrunch. I tried once more, readjusting my fingers and strumming again.
"Ugh!" I groaned, shoving the guitar to the side of me. I was aware of my own impatience, but was too prideful to admit that it was my own lack of motivation to practice that was causing it to sound bad, and not the guitar itself. I began to think to myself, maybe a tutor wouldn't hurt? The faster I get help with the tutor and do the bare minimum, the faster I can leave the class.
I laid on my back in my bed, soaking in my own boredom.
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cutecurly-hair · 4 months
Text
Hearts Unleashed (Part 4)
Pairing: Nick Nelson x Black!fem!reader
Warning: Fluff, Smut in later chapters, Body Shaming
Words: 3,718
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In future chapters I am going to change a few things and spice a few things up just for story purposes.
"Charlie, slow down!" I yelled, my breath coming in gasps as my heart pounded in my chest. The air was crisp with cold, but my body burned with the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Trying to keep up with Charlie, my feet felt like they were on the verge of giving out.
He glanced back with a smug expression. "This is a race, isn't it?" he questioned, maintaining his brisk pace. I'd have a witty comeback if I weren't currently running for dear life.
As if reading my thoughts, Charlie offered a tempting proposition, "If you can make it to the finish line, I'll get you that milkshake you've been craving." He casually wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. Internally groaning, I realized Charlie knew precisely where to hit me my weakness for sweets.
"Come on, Year 10!" Coach Singh's voice echoed across the field. "We've been doing this all term, and no one's beaten Charlie's time yet."
Feeling a surge of determination, I picked up my pace, pulling alongside Charlie. Gasping for breath, I managed to blurt out, "I want a vanilla shake with sprinkles on top." He shot me an impressed look, nodding, "A deal is a deal."
"Come on! Yes!" Coach cheered. "There you go, Y/N. Keep at it. Keep it moving!" she urged.
"Don't stop, Y/N, before Charlie leaves you in the dust!" she shouted. My face grew warm, and it wasn't just from the running. Maintaining my focus on the finish line, I couldn't ignore Nick Nelson's gaze fixed on me. My breath caught, causing me to stumble and lose my footing. Falling face first in the ground, Coach winced blowing the whistle.
I did not get up; I did not move I just laid there in embarrassment. as if the ground could somehow swallow me whole.
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As I pressed the bandage onto my knee, wincing at the pain, Charlie shot me a concerned look. "You sure you're, okay?" he asked, and I just nodded, trying to ignore the ache.
"At least you'll have a good-looking scar," he joked while struggling with his books from the stubborn locker. I scoffed, "Trust me, I've got enough scars already," giving Charlie a quick glance as he continued his battle with the uncooperative locker.
"You know we're going to be late for class, right?" I reminded him, checking the clock across the hall.
He grimaced, "Don't worry, I almost got it—" Suddenly, a loud ripping sound filled the air, and he gasped, eyes widening.
"Clearly, you don't," I teased, nudging him aside to take matters into my own hands.
Grabbing the books, I tugged gently, finally loosening them. I couldn't help but smile, saying, "See, it's all about the touch—"
"Hey," Nick Nelson's voice interrupted as he approached. Startled, I lost my grip, and all the books came crashing to the floor.
"Maybe it's not all about the touch," Charlie said sarcastically, and I could see annoyance written all over his face as he eyed the scattered books on the floor. Ignoring his comment, I crouched down to pick up the books, and Nick followed suit. As I nervously gathered the books, I cursed at myself, wondering why I was suddenly so nervous.
Standing up, I finally looked at him, and he gave me a soft smile. Quickly grabbing the books from him, I didn't want him to notice how sweaty my hands had gotten in the last ten seconds.
"Thanks," I said, smiling back. He looked down at my hands and quirked a brow, "You play the drums?"
I shook my head, "These are actually Charlie's drumsticks. I'm more into photography, actually," cringing internally at why that piece of information was necessary.
"Nevertheless, that's really cool," he said with genuine excitement in his eyes. My smile grew wider; it was the first time someone had complimented my love for photography. My stomach felt like it was doing somersaults again, and I didn't quite understand what this boy was doing to me.
Charlie cleared his throat. "We have class, so…" he intervened. I looked back at him, giving him a 'now you want to go to class?' look, and he just shrugged his shoulders.
Nick got the point "Oh right, sorry I had something I wanted to ask you...Do you think that maybe you can be our equipment manager?" he said looking at me hopefully but a look with uncertainty.
"I also think that you should join the Rugby team to, we have enough for the team but were not allowed to actually play against other teams without a reserve," Nick explained to Charlie, he continued "And I saw you run in PE and you're, like, really fast." he confessed.
Turning back to me, looking down at my knee worried etched into to his face. Making me remember all over again how I fell flat on my ass right in front of him, I swear I can feel my face getting hot. "So...I thought you might be interested." he finished.
Me staring agape at him not really knowing what to say, Charlie speaking up "I don't know how to play,"
"I can teach you how to play if that makes you feel any better?" Nick offered looking at me for my response.
Feeling a little hesitant, I joined in, "And I have no experience as an equipment manager."
"You just have to make sure that you have enough equipment for the game when the time comes," he reassured me. Still not feeling good about it, he could sense the unease in my eyes.
"There's only a good number of guys on the team, so I am sure it won't be too difficult for you,"
Crossing my arms, I replied, "I am sure I will be able to handle it; it shouldn't be that difficult."
"Wait, no. no," Nick said, shaking his head, clearly regretting his words.
I smiled, breaking the tension. Sensing my sarcasm, we both broke into laughter. I don't know why I like messing with him from time to time.
"Um… so, do you want to join?"
I might be over my head; I never get cold feet, but this was definitely out of my element. The idea of becoming the equipment manager for the rugby team and possibly joining them felt like I had stepped into uncharted territory. It's not that I wasn't up for a challenge, but sports and managing equipment weren't exactly my forte. Maybe I should have offered to take pictures for the yearbook or something.
Regret started to seep in as I made my way toward the locker room, spotting just outside of the door. "Charlie, why are you-" I stopped mid-sentence when I heard voices behind the door.
"He's, like, well skinny though."
"Can he even play?"
"I am sure he's a nice guy, but we actually want to be decent."
"Does he even like sports? Everyone knows that he is gay."
Glancing at Charlie, the look of absolute despair on his face mirrored the flood of laughter that filled my ears.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" I interrupted, pushing through the door. The group fell silent, their laughter trailing off as they turned to face me. The tension in the air was palpable. The distinct aroma of sweat and feet hung in the air, making me scrunch my nose. "Did a cat catch your tongue, or is this the first time you've seen a girl before?" I snapped, the sarcasm dripping from every word.
The silence was deafening, and I caught a little smirk on Nick's face as he tried to hide it.
Charlie, not knowing what else to do, just said, "Hi."
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Watching the boys tackle each other on the field made me wince inside. I forgot how physical and intense rugby could be, and judging by Charlie's expression, he was probably having second thoughts about joining the team. Coach Singh had filled me in on my duties as the equipment manager, and it seemed I was essentially the team's maid. Cleaning uniforms before practice, ensuring gear was in good condition, and tidying up the storage room were all part of my newfound responsibilities. The glamorous life of an equipment manager.
"I am definitely too weak for this," Charlie muttered under his breath.
"Well, I'm sure it's not that bad. You just run and tackle, right?" I said, attempting to uplift the mood, though I was probably talking straight out of my ass.
"Y/N is exactly right. Where is your 'can-do' attitude?" Nick chimed in, coming into full view. My eyes widened as I took in the sight of him in his rugby gear. His athleticism stood out, creating a whole different demeanor that I am not used to. The lopsided smile appeared on his face, and all my coherent thoughts seemed to vanish away.
"She left. Long ago," Charlie retaliated, not budging for a second, trying to encourage him.
"I am sure that you can do it" I said giving him a nudged earning me a glare.
"Y/N why don't you just tackling me so you can give Charlie an example," Nick suggested like it was most wonderful thing in the world.
My jaw dropped, I can hear Charlie chuckling in the background, "Absolutely not!" I exclaimed shaking my head.
"Just try. Tackle me, I won't dodge. I promise," he said getting into position. "I will go easy on you,"
My jaw ticked. Oh, he definitely doesn't have to go easy on me. I was more than capable. "I won't hold back," I stated, and Charlie caught a glance of my determined face, kindly taking a step back.
"Come on, I bet you can do it," Nick persisted, giving me a challenging smile. The field seemed to narrow down to just the two of us, the anticipation building with every step I took. With a deep breath, I charged toward Nick, focusing solely on making a solid tackle.
His body felt like a solid rock beneath me as I pinned him down, the satisfying thud echoing across the field. I couldn't help but grin. "Was that good?" I panted, catching my breath.
"That was perfect," he replied, his surprise evident as he swiftly got back on his feet. The rugby team, observing from the sidelines, exchanged weird glances.
"Was it really?" I asked, a surge of excitement coursing through me.
"Yeah, it was actually pretty impressive," Nick admitted, his eyes reflecting a mix of surprise and amusement.
"Now, let's try again while I'm actually moving," he suggested, his infectious smile revealing he was relishing the challenge.
"Don't you think it's Charlie's turn to practice?" I playfully suggested, glancing at Charlie, whose grin mirrored my own. Nick erupted into laughter, and the sound reverberated through the air, welcoming that fuzzy feeling again.
As he laughed, Nick's whole vibe shifted, and I could swear I saw glimpses of that rumored golden retriever in him. The warmth in his eyes and the sheer joy of the moment made me oddly glad that I had stepped in for Charlie.
It was in that moment, as Nick's laughter filled the air and the warmth of his gaze lingered on me, that a subtle warmth crept into my face. In the midst of all the fun, something inside me was starting to spark, even if I didn't fully realize it at the time.
The days melted together, leaving me with moments I'll definitely try not to forget. It's funny, from the intense tackling drills to scrubbing jerseys, I somehow became this part of the rugby world. Like, way more involved than I'd openly admit.
And then there's Nick. His smile? Always there. Every laugh we shared felt like this tiny step closer to... well, I wasn't quite sure. But it was something. The sun would set, casting this warm glow over the field, I would snap a few pictures here and there some with just the boys acting complete idiots or some with just...Nick.
Between the banter and the constant thud of rugby boots, Nick and I found these quiet corners where we'd talk about more than just the game. He'd patiently explain the ins and outs of rugby, which I'd sometimes compared to a mix of American football and soccer. Let's just say he wasn't exactly thrilled about that.
I hung around until all the guys had left the locker room, finally giving me the chance to grab my book bag. Coach Singh had made it crystal clear that I should steer clear when the guys are changing or in the locker room. It doesn't bother me much, but it's clear that some of the guys aren't thrilled about having me as the equipment manager.
Exiting the locker room, I caught sight of Nick lingering by the exit. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be gone by now?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but I couldn't help stealing a quick glance at him. I have noticed I have been doing that a lot lately.
He sighed "My mum is running late, actually. Are you going to be heading home by yourself," he asked looking around noticing no one is with me.
"Me and Charlie usually walk home together," I said lowly noticing that he is not even outside, Nick noticing my confusion he looked even more confused "I just saw Charlie leave a couple minutes ago? Do you need a ride I can always ask my mum," he offered his voiced laced with concerned already pulling out his phone.
I waved him off "Please, there is no need, I am fine with walking," you explained.
"I can't have you walking by yourself, it's almost getting dark," he explained already texting his mom.
Grabbing hold of his arm, I tried to stop him from texting. "Absolutely not! You're not winning this time!" he shouted, struggling to break free from my grip. He held his phone up high, just out of my reach, and for a split second, I saw his thumb brush the send button.
A triumphant smile broke out on his face, and my chest deflated. "I can't believe you did that," I sighed.
"You'll thank me later. You would've gotten frostbite by the time you got home," he argued.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I retorted, "I can handle the cold just fine, thank you very much," hugging myself tighter to conserve warmth.
He clearly didn't believe me, but I couldn't care less. "You know, you've got a pretty strong grip there," he remarked, wincing a bit on the arm that I had grabbed.
"I did say I wouldn't hold back that day, and I meant it," I replied with a proud smile.
"Are you sure you don't want me on the team officially? You could be a pretty good asset," he teased, well aware that it wasn't possible, and truth be told, I didn't want to join.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm sure the guys on the team would despise me even more," I confessed, lacing my words with sarcasm.
"Huh, what are you talking about? None of the guys think that" he asserted.
I chuckled. "Please, don't think I haven't noticed the things they say behind my back. Especially Charlie! That Harry guy really has some nerve-"
"Well, they can simply piss off then. You don't owe them anything. I don't know why they can be such dicks sometimes," he huffed, frustration darkening his eyes, his jaw tightly clenched. I began to realize that I had never seen him angry or upset before. Curiosity getting the better of me, I asked,
"Why did you even ask me to join anyway?" holding my arms closer to my chest.
"Well, I kind of noticed how sad you were about the whole Film club being shut down, so I thought this would help," he said lowly, scratching the back of his head.
A small speck of warmth started to fill my chest; my stomach started to get all fuzzy again. Did he care that much? I tried not smile from ear to ear covering it with a cough.
"We should get out, we'll get locked in if we stay here much longer,"
Walking out the school, I finally noticed how the seasons has changed, looking upon the trees noticing how the leaves have changed at such short amount of time. Reminding me that it's going to get even colder as the days go on.
A sleek black car idled on the school's side, and as I approached, an unexpected wave of nervousness hit me. The realization that I was about to catch a ride with the most popular guy in school, and more importantly, with his mom, made my palms slightly sweaty.
Nick graciously opened the car door for me, and with a mumbled 'thank you,' I settled into the back seat. An inviting blend of subtle vanilla, smoke, and musk lingered in the air. The warmth enveloped me, a clear sign that the heater was working overtime, prompting a sigh of relief as I sank into the seat, finding an unexpected sense of relaxation.
As the car hummed to life, Nick's mom, turned around with a friendly smile that illuminated the interior. Her hazel brown eyes seemed to effortlessly match Nick's, and the smile lines etched around her eyes added a touch of genuine warmth. He clearly inherited more than just looks from his mom.
"Oh, thank you so much for giving me a ride Ms. Nelson,"
"Oh, it is certainly not a problem. I can't have you walking home by yourself. Feel free to call me Sarah," she beamed, her gaze meeting mine through the rearview mirror. I wasn't about to call a full-grown adult by their first name; my mom would kill me for that.
Nick quickly got in car buckling his seatbelt, I can tell he's nervous just by his posture, I have never seen him sit that straight in my life.
"Where do you live dear?" she said, driving out of the school in the street.
"Its 5693 Railway Drive, it's called the Avalone Suites," I said hesitantly, I am still struggling to remember my street name.
"You accent is just adorable, I rarely get to hear it unless I am watching TV," she commented.
I smiled, appreciating the compliment, it better than getting gawked at from just speaking.
As we drove through the familiar streets, Sarah turned to me with a warm smile. "So, Y/N, how's everything at school? Making friends? Nicky has been telling about you being the equipment manager for the team."
Nicky
Nick flamed up like a Christmas tree, he looked utterly embarrassed. Sarah looked at him oddly for a brief moment. I tried to surpass a laugh. Has he really been talking about me to his mom?
I nodded, feeling at ease with her friendly demeanor. "Yeah, it's going well. I'm getting to know people, especially with the rugby team. They're an interesting bunch."
Nick chuckled from the front seat, "Yeah, they are something. But Y/N's been a great addition, though."
I blushed a bit, if I get anymore compliments today, I think I might just overheat. Sarah joined in, "That's wonderful to hear. Nicky always been social, but it's nice to see him meeting new friends."
With a glance at Nick, I added, "Yeah, he's been a great friend, too. Really made me feel welcome on the team."
Nick, looking briefly at me, gave a small, appreciative smile. Sarah, noticing the exchange, smiled knowingly. It was silence throughout the ride until we pulled at my house.
Getting out of the car being welcomed back into the cold air I made sure to thank Nick's mom and giving Nick a grateful smile "Thank you so much for the ride, I really appreciate it,"
Sarah waved me off with a warm smile. "Oh, love, it was the least I could do. Anytime you need a lift, just let me know."
Grateful for the ride, I said, "Thanks, Ms. Nelson. I'll remember that." With a friendly smile, I walked into the house, and the smile just wouldn't fade.
Mom, still in her work clothes and seemingly ready to start dinner, peeked through the doorway. "Back so soon? What's making you smile like that?"
I shook my head, "Oh, nothing much. Just got a ride from a friend." I kept it short; no need to spill all the details, especially about getting a ride from a boy and his mom. That might lead to more questions than I was ready to answer.
My mom shot me a suspicious look before pointing at my shoes. "Make sure to take your shoes off; I just mopped the floors," she ordered, retreating back into the kitchen. I quickly kicked off my shoes and headed to my room, feeling the relief of finally being in my own space.
As I opened my phone, I shot a text to Charlie to make sure he got home okay. Ignoring the stack of homework on my desk, I decided to scroll through Instagram. The usual suggestions of people I barely knew filled the screen, but out of the corner of my eye, I caught Nick's profile popping up.
My finger hesitated over the screen, stuck in that classic "to click or not to click" dilemma. After a brief mental battle, I thought, "Ah, screw it," and tapped on his profile.
Surprise hit me when I saw he was already following me. His profile was like a window into his life, and I found myself scrolling through the mix of photos and posts. My fingers moved across the screen, unsure of where to start.
I groaned at my own indecisiveness. Thinking for a moment, I decided to send a text, pondering over what to say. I hesitated over each word, the cursor blinking impatiently on my screen. "Come on, Y/N, get it together," I muttered under my breath, my fingers hovering over the keys.
I typed in a simple 'Thank you' and sent it, blinking twice at the text, realizing that I accidentally included a heart emoji. I could have sent a smiley face or something but for god sakes not the heart emoji. Fucking autocorrect.
Checking to see if Charlie texted back yet, but all he did was leave me on read.
Part 5: https://www.tumblr.com/cutecurly-hair/742105652967669760/the-weekend-flew-by-and-before-i-knew-it-monday?source=share
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