#< yes prev you're absolutely right

[5sospenguinqueen]

Lullabies Pt 2 | Max Verstappen x Singer! Reader

Summary: Max left without letting you fully explain. Nearly a year later, he realises he made a mistake when he thinks you're moving on.

Warnings: Swearing. Angst but also fluff. Redemption arc.

Female reader with various faceclaims (pics found on pinterest). Takes place in 2021 with slightly altered timelines.

Main Masterlist

prev.

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Oct

YourUserName just posted

liked by pierregasly, kellypiquet and others

YourUserName a huge thank you to everyone who came to my album release concert! 🥀 a huge apology to anyone who missed out but after such a phenomenal crowd this evening, i'm pleased to announce the GUTS tour coming 2022!!

11,998 comments

User1 a tour!!! release the dates/countries now please and thank you

User2 mother treating us

User3 okay but when she SANG The Grudge with the tears rolling down her cheeks, poured her whole soul into that

→ User4 omg yes, you could legit feel the pain in your own chest

→ User5 no no no because what about the gasp through her sobbing at The Stranger

User6 nobody can tell me that Obsessed wasn't written as a kelly piquet pov

→ User7 haha literally because y/n has never said a bad word about this woman but she is all up in her business 

→ User8 and all up in her likes too from what i saw

User8 not my delusional ass hoping it’s max and that the lighting just made his hair darker

User9 love how she’s still featured on the wags page despite her and max not being a couple for 10 months now

→ User10 legit. they post her more than kelly

User11 i bet max is kicking himself for letting her go now that someone else has realised how much she’s worth 

FutureF1Wag i need to know where f1 wags got that pic from because it’s SOOO much clearer than the one i got

User12 okay but where can i get a man like that because that kiss looks hawt!

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Nov

YourUserName just posted a new story

lilymhe have the best time, babe. brunch debrief tomorrow?

→ YourUserName 11?

→ lilymhe absolutely 

YourBestFriend oo look at you being treated right 

→ YourUserName i know. how sweet

they're sooo pretty as well

→ YourBestFriend you’ve had bigger though 

→ YourUserName don’t do this today 

→ YourBestFriend sorry. be safe. text me when you’re home 

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Dec

User1 max really said, just because i didn't want her doesn't mean anyone else can

→ User2 be serious, he clearly loves her. he just confused his priorities for a hot second

User3 the way these rumours have been floating since max and kelly went social media official though. like everyone has constantly said they're on the rocks since we found out about them

→ User4 literally. like i loved max and y/n but they've both moved on. people are just creating drama because they can't accept that max and y/n aren't together anymore

User5 no because y/n is literally max's forever after and nobody can convince me otherwise

User6 max and y/n are literally each other's one true love. kelly was just the poison apple that leads to their true love's kiss

User7 y/nstappen shippers rise!

User8 she's watching his races again!

User9 she watched him win!!

User10 @ YourBestFriend is just like us for real. you can tell she's been praying for them to get back together

→ User11 she's feeding us crumbs and we're lapping them up

User12 not red bull down here fighting with us in the trenches

maxverstappen1 just posted

liked by YourUserName, danielricciardo and others

maxverstappen1 FUCK YEAH! WORLD CHAMP! 🥇🇳🇱 a huge thank you to @ redbullracing for their support throughout the whole season. you made all of this possible.

7,330 comments

redbullracing what a season! here's to many more, champ

christianhorner so unbelievably proud of you! enjoy the celebrations

danielricciardo congrats, mate. couldn't be happier for you. looking forward to celebrating later 🍾

landonorris woohoo! my shirt is still wet from your tears

→ maxverstappen1 don't lie. you cried more than i did

→ landonorris true

mclaren well done, max! an amazing achievement

YourUserName congrats, world champ x

liked by maxverstappen1

→ User13 mama en papa

→ User14 not the best phrase to use when the reason they broke up is due to a miscommunication about having children 

User15 omg omg omg, not a drill, guys. the queen has commented. and max liked!! 

→ User16 user we may not get them back together but i’ll take the tiny trickles of friendship they give us

→ User17 same sis same 

→ User18 may our delulus come trululu

YourUserName just posted

liked by maxverstappen1, carmenmmundt and others

YourUserName so i may have just won my first grammy? my ultimate gratitude to @ lovelessofficial for taking a chance on me when no one else would, the biggest love to those who supported me before i deserved it, and a final huge thank you to the inspiration behind the album 💕🦁

9,556 comments

User1 miss thing, looks like you got more than just your first grammy

→ YourUserName it's definitely a nice collection ;)

francisca.cgomes so proud of you, minha linda 🌼

→ YourUserName couldn't have done it without you pouring wine down my neck, kiks

lilymhe that's my girl!!

YourBestFriend wow, look at that dress. it would look better on my bedroom floor

liked by maxverstappen1

lewishamilton amazing achievement, y/n. well done

→ YourUserName thanks, lewis. you raced so well this season

danielricciardo did somebody say celebratory drinks later? 🥂

maxverstappen1 congrats, grammy winner x

liked by YourUserName

→ lovelessofficial thanks for joining us for the celebrations

→ User2 max was at her after party!!!!

→ User3 over a year after their breakup and we might be getting them back together??

User4 the trophies in their house must be overwhelming 

→ User5 love that we’re talking like they’re already back together

User6 'the inspiration behind the album' is so shady and sweet haha, poor max. i love that he'll be forever reminded of how badly he fumbled

→ User7 what makes you think she's on about max

→ User6 um, she wrote the album after their breakup and used the lion emoji, which she always used in posts about him. read the room, babes

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Jan

YourUserName just posted

liked by victoriaverstappen, charles_leclerc and others

YourUserName happy new year's from me and my loved ones to you and yours (yes, he got drunk after this and ruined the rest of my photos)

13,441 comments

User8 omg omg omg omg!!!

User9 they're back together! they're back together! we win!

charles_leclerc beautiful couple. glad to see you both happy again

danielricciardo yuck. i haven't missed the pda

→ YourUserName you're just jealous you can't be our third

→ danielricciardo every day baby

maxverstappen1 i didn’t ruin them! they just become less pg

→ User10 woah, mr verstappen, we were not familiar with you

redbullracing our favourite trophy winning couple. can't wait to have y/n back in the paddock next month

maxverstappen1 looking forward to all that the future brings us, mijn mooie vrouw 🥰

→ YourUserName mijn lieve echtgenoot 💕

→ User11 um, the pet names!!!

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I know some people said on Danny’s that they wanted it to be longer but this are only planned as a duo series. Sorry, guys! 💕

Baby Fever Angst Series

Tag list

@bibissparkles @barcelonaloverf1life @rlalliehayes @dullypully @softtina @callsignwidow @lav3nder-haze @minkyungseokie @luvrrish @fall-bambi @evans-dejong @sadsierra2 @justdreamersdream @spookystitchery @dark-night-sky-99 @majusialikesfastcars @luckyladycreator2 @bborra @mrosales16 @reguluscrystals @tvdtw4ever @alwaysclassyeagle @gigicisneros @spanishcorndogs @thecubanator2 @goldenharrysworld @awritingtree @jxnellat @sbrn0905 @hc-dutch @buckybarnessweetheart @ironmaiden1313 @dreamercrowd @yourbane @reguluscrystals @peachiicherries @g-l-o-b-e-w-h-o-r-e @itsjustmyopinionf1 @evesfile @openthenyoor01 @princessria127 @hrrorflm @the-untamed-soul @nataliambc @oliviarodrigostan13 @sweate-r-weathe-r

As always, so sorry if I missed anyone. Thanks for all your support x

[landograndprix]

where your heart truly lies ✾ l.n - iv

❧ in which you and lando are not together, right?

❧ this series contains topics of cheating and such, don't read if it's not your cup of tea; also poor grammar & typos in edits but it adds ✨ character ✨ :')

❧ prev part – next part

y/nusername posted on their story

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yourbestfrienduser

liked by maxfewtrell, landosgfuser and 19,897 others

yourbestfrienduser the gangs back together & games were rigged 🎡

tagged: landonorris, y/nusername, maxfewtrell, landosgfuser

view all 201 comments

grussell63 why's norris always dressed like he's going to Antarctica?

yourbestfrienduser because he's our special little snowflake

julieeeexo 😭

bott_ass so nice of you guys to take lando's gf with you, definitely not making her the fifth wheel 💀

y/nnorriss max and lando really said these are all for you and handed y/n all the stuffed animals 😭

lanlan definitely the princess of the group

yourbestfrienduser little spoiled brat

y/nusername okay, real rich coming from daddies little princess

lanlan yo lmfao keep it civil ladies 😭

maxmaxmax so you're telling me I could've met them if I went there a day later? 😢

charlos16 this looks like so much fun!

norrys4 lando's girlfriend tagging along to keep an eye on her man and y/n 💀

dandoo lando & y/n: don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious

norrys4 max & yourbestfriendname: I can't see, I'm bliiiiind

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y/nlandooo

liked by yourbestfrienduser and 319 others

y/nlandooo lando & y/n core <3

view all 89 comments

norrizzzy/n no but for real 😭

carlandooo they're so boyfriend and girlfriend coded

hamhammerc I want to be so disgusted and annoyed with these y/nlando shippers and all these accounts popping up but I can't help but lurk around and see the truth in everything they post like yes man, they're in love 😭

simpingnorris welcome to the right side of the internet

messyquadrant welcome to the lando & his 'real' gf are a pr stunt side 🥰

fewtrelllando now do max & y/n 💀

y/nlandooo y/n resorts to violence 💀

norr4slando absolutely love it when yourbestfriendname is in the likes of these kind of post, lurking on y/nlando pages..like ma'am, what do you know, give us the tea

y/nlandooo omg I didn't even notice her liking this post 😭

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taglist; @honethatty12 @alilstressyandlotdepressy @spideyspeaches @babyvinnie @summerslike11 @waratah-vroom @beatricemiruna @thecubanator2 @lunamelona @leclercdream @pedrileclerc @chelseagirl98

if your name is crossed, it means I wasn't able to tag you!

[kunikame]

# PURPLE LILACS !

[10] - a sudden.. !! | prev. | m. list | next

ace trappola x fem!reader smau

! warning(s) : cussing, sebek gets stepped on (literally), death mention, not canon compliant turn of events for plot, crowley, no beta we die like ortho shroud, love u guys btw

! w/c : 761

and so on a sunny wednesday lunch break you find yourself sitting at your usual table, surrounded by your fellow first years. you spot jade a few tables away, menacingly glaring at some poor unfortunate student, and send him a quick wave when your eyes meet.

“–nd i kid you not he genuinely folded. so like the great person i am, i used the newly placed hallway carpet.”

“ya stepped on him?!” a few droplets of apple juice land near your plate. you shoot a quick look at epel, only to see the rest of the table doesn’t look much better, since he spat all the juice in his mouth out at this newfound piece of information (read: blackmail material).

deuce sighs in his seat to your left, “yeah, he did. i had to watch malleus’ face go from perplexed to absolutely horrified in the span of barely 5 seconds because of him. thought we were gonna die.”

epel finds this unfathomably hilarious. sebek, however, has not spoken in the past 10 minutes, despite usually being the loudest of the group. you feel a little bad for him– the poor thing has just been staring at his plate with a scarlet face this whole time. yet just as you open your mouth to try to console him, lilia appears out of seemingly thin air, hanging upside down directly in front of your face.

“hey faestie!~ a little bat told me the headmage has something important to discuss with you! you best hurry before he changes his mind, kuhuhu~”

and just as swiftly as he appeared, he also vanished. where his face once was, you now see the horrified eyes of jack and epel, and sebeks full face for the first time today.

you turn to the right to glance at ace with an eyebrow raised, silently asking if they've done anything bad without your knowledge. he shakes his head, fluffy ginger hair flying with the motion, and gives you a concerned look (which seems a little out of place on his face when directed at you, but you quickly dismiss the thought).

“i’ll be fine,” you say, slowly getting up from your spot and cleaning up your mess, “it’s probably just another unpaid job he wants me to do. i’ll see you guys later.

“with all due respect, what the fuck?”

crowley lets out the most offended gasp you've ever heard, “that is no way to be speaking in my office! this is unacceptable behavior! but since i am so gracious, i shall let it pass, because you have clearly not yet processed my generous offer.”

you heave an exasperated sigh, the seven know you're tired of this, “if i heard you right, you basically just said i have magic? like, actually? you're joking, right? i mean, come on, i've been here for like half a year and the only magic i can produce is manslaughter. be so for real with me right now.”

crowley's glowing eye twitches (at least, you think it does. it’s really hard to tell, honestly) “yes, that is basically what i said. see, the carriage did not bring you here by mere accident, despite it being through..”  he pauses, taking a seat in his gigantic chair, “unfortunate means. if it brought you here, it means it sensed something within you. so i’ve had some tests run in the background, and as it turns out, you do have a magical affinity, it just seems to be suppressed.”

you fall into the chair opposite him. whether it was because of your knees giving out from pure disbelief, or just because of how tired you are of everything, you're not really sure.

“.. okay, so what does that mean for me?”

“it means you can use magic once we figure out how to unlock it. it means you can continue studying here as an actual student.”

you blankly stared at the wall, thinking your choices through thoroughly.

you can't go back to your world unless you want to be dead, so having a place to stay would be great. if you had magic it would certainly make life, and your classes, much easier. you would no longer have to rely on grim or the guys to protect you in case of an overblot, either. it sounded great, overall.

“so? what will it be?”

your eyes slowly moved from the window to crowley's glowing ones.

your parents would feel more at peace knowing you could protect yourself in a foreign world (if they remembered you, that is).

“alright. let’s do it.”

## ❝ after the events of the phantom bride wedding, ace started wondering whether he still had the ability to charm girls. he hasn’t thought about anyone romantically in years, hasn’t really flirted with anyone either, what if he’s gone out of it? perhaps it’s time to put his talents to the test; with the person who hates him most, no less. if he can charm her, he can charm anyone. ❞

#TAGLIST ! : @solxima @gabirii @lunavixia @y2unagiz @the-ghost-0f-t0m0 @borlining @verity-moon @myunghology @doughnuts-eater @lifeless-bug @babygurlenthusiast @shirishere @xopeach @stormyovent0aster @bontensbabygirl @ars-tral @wrathy-mcwrathface @sinofthesloth @skeet-2 @everettelz @sakuram1nt @shatiyuh @ambigrueity @junebunny06 @norylight @dyedracoonhair @persm1net @meowbuscompany @sugarrush-blush @oopsie-daisy-doo @yuumei-strawberry-shortcake @jaiistg // ask/comment to be added/removed! (if you’re in bold i can’t tag you)

[luifaro]

how does it feel to be right all the time i'm curious

It's no secret that Clover and Flowey have a very apparent power imbalance. Especially with Flowey in control of the timeline and acting as Clover's save point. So, it's pretty given that Flowey has the upper hand and most power in this duo. But I don't see anyone ever talking about how Clover goes against this power imbalance in other routes besides the vengeance route.

Starting off with the vengeance route, this is the most cut and dry portrayal of Clover's defiance towards Flowey. After mercilessly going through the Underground, enacting vengeance left and right, and defeating Zenith Martlet, Flowey unintentionally reveals his plan and tries to load another save file only to realize that Clover's taken control of it. Right then and there, the power dynamic shifts, Clover is the one in control and Flowey is the defenseless one. This is further affirmed when Clover kills Flowey as he insults and degrades them as a way to assert control and dominance over them, which obviously doesn't work.

On the topic of the vengeance route, I would like to shine some focus on the overall dynamic here. As much as Clover is following through with Flowey's suggestions of straightforwardly going through the Underground to get to the castle with no regard for anyone, he is not in control of them. He may be getting what he wants but it's in a way that doesn't follow through with his plan. Like Flowey said, Clover was reckless. They attract too much attention with their actions and that won't do for Flowey who wanted to attract as little attention as possible. Even when the two are the most similar in terms of goals and attitude, Clover does not allow Flowey to dictate their actions and when push comes to shove, they will assert their power.

In the neutral route, Clover, no matter what LV they are, defies Flowey by accepting Martlet's offer to live with her. In turn, Flowey kills Martlet and absorbs their soul. We know the psychological horror mindfuckery that is the Meta Flowey fight takes place in Flowey's mind as he tries to make them give up control, yet Clover never does. They resist all the way to the end and even go further by snooping in Flowey's memories. Clover never once gives in or falters to Flowey, they will not allow him to have control over them. They will not give him control over their soul no matter what incomprehensible horrors Flowey throws at them.

In the end, Flowey has to give up and reset the timeline because they would resist Flowey every time. I would like to remind you that it's implied that Flowey did this multiple times and never once did he succeed. For someone who doesn't have much determination to control the timeline, Clover has a lot of determination to resist Flowey in absorbing their soul.

Honestly, out of the three routes, the Pacifist route has the least obvious show of defiance from Clover. It's still there and very much so, but it tends to get overlooked due to the nature of the storyline of the Pacifist route. Clover's defiance comes with their choice to connect with the other characters of the game. Time and time again, Flowey tries to dissuade Clover from interacting and forming bonds with the others. He attempts to isolate them by repeating that he's their only friend and to ditch the others when they accompany Clover, like with Martlet when Clover first crashes from Ava. Flowey tells Clover that they're better than the Wild East and urges them to leave as fast as possible and head straight to the castle. And each time, Clover ignores him and continues to form these bonds anyways.

The last act of defiance against Flowey is Clover's decision to sacrifice their soul. It's indirect sure, but it is possibly the biggest 'fuck you' to Flowey. Clover probably didn't mean it as such but the point still stands. Despite this, Flowey acknowledges them as a friend, recognizes their sacrifice. And so, the power dynamic shifts again, this time to a lesser degree. Of course there's still the Omega Flowey fight but even then Clover goes against him, refusing his control and actions towards torturing the next human that falls.

Overall, despite what some of the fandom believe, Clover is not completely helpless against Flowey. As much as he tells that to himself and even us the player, Flowey is not in control of Clover nor is he so powerful that they cannot fight against him. Clover has a sense of agency that Flowey cannot take away. Clover is free to make their own choices and he cannot stop them. Sure Flowey manipulates them but when has that ever succeed in the long run? When has that ever fully brought Clover to his side? Flowey may be the one with the most power in this relationship but that doesn't stop Clover from wrestling out of his control. Clover is free like a bird and no cage will ever bind them to Flowey.

[istharoth]

In love with a 2-D Character?! Hotarubi Edition!

Blurb: In which you are a character in a popular game the Tokyo debunker boys are coincidentally in love with.

↪ Subaru Kagami

Another one on the list "does not play games".

But he does! This game in particular catches his eye because everyone has been playing it.

He does not have the idea of choosing a character at the beginning, it's too stressful and what if he likes some other characters?

He's going into this knowing it's an otome game (it's not but characters have the power to ignore it. *cough Haku cough*) and poor guy is just worried if he'll lose a route if he chooses a character.

If he's starting the story + if it has routes, he needs to see all the routes.

Chooses you because you're so...he can't put it into words. You're suspicious but you're also very comforting in a way.

Is financially responsible. Does not feel the need to gamble.

"Oh no, I didn't get the character." *2 seconds later* "It's okay, I'll get them on their rerun."

F2P throughout!!!

Apologizes when his character apologizes too, he feels so bad for them but then him and his favourite character are seen together so little, it's kind of sad :(

He wants to see more of you! But the game said no so he turns to the next best thing.

Fanfiction. Writes only for your character alone, has done numerous character studies, directed your personality, even going as far as to find tidbits your voice actors may have left for you

He's a chill player, does not worry much but does very a lot in the story if he's about to die.

No, he's not used to almost dying in every chapter.

↪ Haku Kusanagi

Where do I begin...?

THIS MAN FLIRTS WITH YOU

you're a character on his screen, he's a human who flirts with you after you say your automated line.

Is a bit nsfw but he means well

Commissions? Art commissions?

He's the king of yume.

Has his own fanpage dedicated to you but no one knows it's him because yeah, how will they know?

You know those "Timely Character" accounts? Yeah, he has that.

+ another one to defend you from any haters.

SPEAKING OF SELF-SHIPPING/YUME, he has likely commissioned every artist he knows + likes the art of to draw him (not his OC) and you together.

Will also get into drawing because 1) he wants to make fanart for Subaru's fics. 2) he wants to draw you.

Merch? Babe he's the creator of merch.

You know that one Hatsume Miku deodorant being sold at a Comicon? Yeah, he's going to do that but with you instead.

Jewellery inspired after you? oh absolutely. Body pillow of you? No. Plushie he made after you? Oh hell yes.

He's a keeper, but he pulls on every character. Has insane luck + cracked builds.

Claims he doesn't know how to build anyone except you (but he does)

↪ Zenji Kotodama

Can he hold a phone...? Does it go through him or isahukvas anyways!

First and foremost, he writes bloody good flowery fanfiction.

He chooses not you, but his brother's favourite character! Eventually meets you in Chapter 5?

BAWLS HIS EYES OUT AFTER KNOWING YOUR FATE

you were so young :( how could the clash cut your life short?

Is your biggest fan ever, only pulls on your banners and if he doesn't get you, he's discreetly using Darkwick's money to pull on your banner.

Don't ask me how he got the card details, he's a ghost, he can get places.

You're on his home screen and because he doesn't need sleep, he's constantly hearing your voice lines in game

Eventually, the biwa in Hotarubi was accompanied by the voice of a character.

LIKE, KEYCHAINS!!! Biggest fan of Keychains, will hold them around everywhere displaying them to the world. He's your biggest fan!!

and if someone else claims that title, he's fine with it! More people love you right!! That's all he cares for.

Prev [Sinostra] Next: [Obscuary]

[oliversrarebooks]

The Rare Bookseller Part 57: Fitz's Dance

Prev > Masterlist > Next

September 1905

tw: mind control, dehumanization, slavery, kidnapping, drugging

He was being shaken gently, and he managed to crack open his heavy eyes. "Nnnn… let me sleep…"

"You need to wake up now, Fitz," said his master, and Fitz's eyes popped open with a gasp.

"What happened?" he said, looking around. He wasn't in the middle of the party any longer, but seemed to have been taken to a darkened hallway. He could hear the muffled din of the party from a distance -- or maybe it just seemed muffled because his head still felt stuffed full of cotton.

"I did something ridiculous and petty," said Lex. "That rat Jameson wound me up, and instead of ignoring his bait, I just had to show off. I put every thrall in earshot under my power." He sighed. "You must think it's ridiculous. I put both of us in more danger simply for a cheap thrill, and -- why are you smiling like that? Did I not wake you from trance?"

Fitz couldn't hold back the slightly maniacal laugh bubbling up inside him. "Perhaps I'm pleased that my dashing master swooped in to rescue me, and that he made such an ostentatious show of power just because he could."

"You're not upset with me?"

"Lex. Do you really think I would be upset with you for making a big dramatic scene in the middle of a party? I'm just glad that I got to witness it -- well, the beginning of it, anyway. And after that -- Jameson, was it? -- called me filthy cattle and called you a half-wit, he deserved everything he got and more." Fitz leaned in closer to Lex. "You have to tell me about the look on his face. I was trying to stay awake to see it, but… you know."

"Oh, he was absolutely furious, with nothing to say," said Lex, finally returning Fitz's gleeful smile. "As ill-advised an idea as it was, it was very satisfying after what he tried to do to you."

It felt intoxicating, to have Lex defending him so eagerly, to have such a powerful vampire at his beck and call. "That idea barely counts as ill-advised. I used to do a dozen things more ill-advised than that over the course of a normal week."

"It just calls attention to us, which is something I normally prefer to avoid. I'm powerful, yes, but not invincible. It's generally not wise to make yourself a target," he said. He picked up Fitz's aching wrist and gently stroked his thumb across it. "Are you hurt?"

"It's a bit sore, but nothing serious. I'm fine."

"Jameson said you had fallen under the sway of Lord Edgar. Is that true?"

"I wasn't -- I wasn't under a sway," Fitz protested. "I was simply distracted for a minute and got separated from you. That's all."

Lex cupped his cheek. "Fitz, you have to tell me what happened so I can be on my guard against it."

"Damn you and your eyes," said Fitz, caving to Lex's worried look as he always did. "…He had a pocket watch out, hypnotizing some other thrall," Fitz admitted sheepishly. "I stupidly looked at the damned thing, and the next thing I knew, I couldn't look away. Ugh, I made a fool of myself."

"You didn't make a fool of yourself. Edgar is an old, prominent vampire, and his enthrallment skills were some of the best in the city before Lily and I were sired. Steer clear of him, and watch yourself around any other vampires using their powers, all right?" He squeezed Fitz's hand. "Do you want to leave? If you don't want to be here any more, we can leave. I wouldn't think any less of you."

"What? No. This is by far the most interesting thing that's happened to me in weeks," said Fitz honestly. "I can handle it. And if I can't, well… you'll bail me out, won't you, sir?"

Lex sighed. "You might be the death of me yet," he said fondly, running his hand through Fitz's hair and planting a kiss on his forehead. "If you're that eager to stay, we can. But the dance will likely be starting soon, and I might not be able to keep my eyes on you."

"What, you're not going to dance with me?"

"Of course I will, but during this dance, it's customary to constantly switch partners. Thralls need to dance with whatever vampire wishes. We'll very likely be separated, and someone like Jameson might even take the opportunity to harass you."

"I'm not afraid of Jameson," Fitz lied, pushing the memories of how his skin itched from Jameson's vampiric aura, how for one bleak moment he was sure he was going to die.

"Perhaps you should be," said Lex. "Edgar as well. Vampires who keep their thralls in deep, mindless states are often not friendly towards humans. The only reason they'll refrain from drinking from you and doing as they please is because they believe you're my property."

"Aren't I? You did purchase me."

"You're much more than that, and I truly hope you know that," said Lex. "But as I've told you before, most vampires here would think I'm a deviant for having such… feelings… for a thrall."

"And what's wrong with being a deviant?" said Fitz with a blinding grin.

"…Vampire society, like human society, isn't kind to those who violate the unspoken rules." Lex glanced at the end of the hallway. "Well, if we're going to return, perhaps we should before the dance starts." He took Fitz's arm in an uncomfortably tight grip, clearly still upset about another vampire having laid a hand on his thrall, and Fitz couldn't help the little thrill he felt about that.

Fitz was dazzled all over again by the costumes and spectacle as they re-entered the main ballroom. Lex, however, was scanning the crowd with a purpose. "I suppose I should find someone agreeable to mingle with, before someone less agreeable notices I'm free. Maybe -- oh, there she is."

Fitz was pulled toward a small gathering of thralls, some of them kneeling, some of them swaying gently, all of them with dazed and blissful smiles. "What vampire brought an entire herd with them?"

"She didn't bring a herd of thralls. A herd of thralls simply forms around her at these events, since so many of them are attuned to her voice."

The group parted enough to reveal a petite woman in a beautiful green gown, her matching mask bearing several sparkling peacock feathers. Despite her small size, she had a commanding presence, and Fitz felt her voice before he could even make out what she was saying, felt it resonating somewhere deep in his mind.

"Miss Lily," he said, memories of the auction house flooding back. The logical part of him thought that he should feel fear or anger at the sight of the woman who kidnapped him, but the deeply ingrained thoughts of hypnotic bliss were stronger. Besides, if it weren't for her, he never would have met Lex.

"Oh, if it isn't dear Fitz!" she said, and Fitz felt powerless to move as she approached and laid a hand on his cheek. "You look well. I assume your master has been treating you right?"

"Yes, sir," he said far too quietly. Just the proximity to Lily was sinking him back into a hypnotic daze. He shook himself out of it, cursing under his breath. "I've been taking good care of Lex here," he said with a mischievous grin, grabbing Lex's arm.

"Good, he needs someone to take care of him."

"I'm hardly that hopeless," said Lex. "I see you've gathered quite a crowd."

"I speak, and thralls listen," she said with a smug grin. "Although I don't usually flaunt it as dramatically as you did earlier. I saw that little stunt with Jameson." She leaned in towards Fitz. "And I saw you spit in his face. I knew there was a reason you were one of my favorite thralls."

Fitz didn't bother to fight the warmth blooming in his chest at Lily's praise. "He was about to drink me, sir. I hardly had a choice in the matter unless I wanted to become some oaf's midnight snack."

Lily laughed. "As much as he did deserve it, be careful. Lord Jameson has few friends, but there are also many vampires who won't suffer the presence of a disrespectful thrall. You should know that, Lex."

"I don't keep Fitz on a leash like a dog, and you know that. He's free to do and say what he wants. Anyone who takes issue with that can answer to me," said Lex, and Fitz's heart fluttered.

"Between that and your all-too-obvious affection… you do realize that our sire is going to hear about this, right? I don't know how he knows, but he does."

"So let him stew in his manor. Perhaps someday soon, he'll also have to answer to me." Despite his bold words, Lex's face showed his concern, and Fitz couldn't help the suppressed fear bubbling to the forefront. "But let's not talk about him. This is a party. You've been working so much that I've hardly even seen you. Don't you want to make merry?"

"I never thought I'd see the day when you were telling me to be more merry. Fitz really must be taking good care of you," she said.

They laughed and chatted for a bit longer, until a cacophony from the stage at the back of the ballroom served as the announcement that the band was setting up. Around them, vampires took their thralls by the arms and began to gather on the dance floor.

"Shall we?" said Fitz, offering his arm before Lex had the chance. Lex smiled and took it, allowing Fitz to lead him on.

"Dance with whatever vampire engages you. I'll find you at the end of the dance," said Lex quietly as the music started up. "And, you know…"

"I'll try not to offend their delicate sensibilities," said Fitz. "For supernaturally strong immortal beings, some of them seem quite fragile."

"Too much time spent with nothing but mindlessly fawning thralls and spawn will do that."

Fitz placed his hand on Lex's back and began to effortlessly lead him through the room in a waltz. His dance lessons were some of the only lessons he'd actually enjoyed as a lad, and he was proud of how graceful his steps were, how Lex easily followed. He'd always lamented that his skill in dance would be wasted in stuffy society balls; he'd never expected he'd be using it to weave in and out of masked vampires, his heart brimming with the thrill of being one of the few lucid lambs among the wolves.

And as they twirled around, Fitz could hardly tear his gaze off of Lex's intense blue eyes, boring into him with such intensity that he couldn't imagine any other vampire cutting in. "I'm surprised vampires allow their thralls to dance with anyone else. An unusual tradition."

Lex shrugged. "The mild taboo of it is what makes it interesting, I suppose. The power play, the chance to touch a thrall you could otherwise never."

Fitz could understand the intriguing novelty of that. "Oh? And is there a thrall here you've just been dying to touch?"

"Only you," said Lex. "Although I suppose others here would enjoy touching you as well. I'll have to endure it."

"They're all staring at us," said Fitz, watching heads turn as he glided past, unable to deny the thrill of desirability. "We just might be the most handsome pair here."

"That may be true, but that's not the only reason they're staring. It's because you're leading."

"Leading?" Fitz hadn't even thought about it, falling back into his lessons. "We're both men, though. Does it matter who leads?"

"Yes, but not because we're both men, but because you're a thrall leading a vampire."

Of course, he should've realized that -- every social rule Fitz stumbled across seemed to revolve around keeping thralls beneath them. He continued to lead the dance with renewed stubbornness now that he knew it was a transgression, and Lex kept following. "If that's so, then what happens if two vampires dance? Or two thralls?"

"If it's two vampires, the more powerful one leads, and yes, this has led to actual brawls on the dance floor. If it's two thralls… no one cares."

Before Fitz could question Lex further, a female vampire in a sleek dress that would have been considered scandalous in human company tapped Lex on the shoulder. In a swift motion, Lex bowed to her and motioned to Fitz. Ah, right, trading partners. He curtsied to the woman and took the lead on instinct before he remembered he wasn't supposed to be doing that.

The vampire laughed. "A thrall that leads the dance! That's such an adorable parlor trick. And you're skilled at it, too, aren't you?"

"I like to think so, sir," said Fitz, suppressing the urge to keep his eye on Lex. He'd be fine, he could handle himself.

"It's just the cutest thing when vampires let their thralls think they're so independent. And Mr. Alexander is so handsome, too! You're a lucky boy, aren't you?"

Okay, perhaps he couldn't handle himself, gritting his teeth against the insinuation that his free will was an illusion. Thankfully, before he had to form a response, another vampire cut in, grabbing the lead from Fitz before he realized it. This vampire didn't say anything, but he had an appraising, hungry look in his eye that Fitz found unnerving.

His mind was still spinning with what the previous vampire had said -- that thralls like him just think they're independent. It wasn't true, obviously. He was still himself, still had his own thoughts.

…But of course, if Lex had used his prodigious hypnotic powers to subdue Fitz in ways he didn't even realize…

Another vampire cut in, and Fitz momentarily thought it would be a reprieve from that uncomfortable gaze, until he realized who he was now dancing with.

"If you think your master will shield you from all consequences of disrespecting me, you're sorely mistaken," said Jameson, pulling Fitz along in a clumsy facsimile of dance, with a tight and furious fake smile.

Fitz swallowed his fear and put on a contemptuous face. "Well, if you're going to punish me, sir, get on with it. Or are your atrocious dancing skills my punishment?"

"Oh, it will be so deeply satisfying to silence you forever," he said.

"Is that a threat, sir?"

"It's a vision."

Someone tapped Fitz's shoulder, and he was more than eager to let another vampire cut in and escape from Jameson. He turned, and was swept up by a man in an impeccably tailored suit, wearing a sparkling white mask with blue feathers, gliding easily across the dance floor. Fitz looked up and found himself looking into deep, dark eyes.

"That's it, boy. Focus," said the soft but firm voice. "Look straight into my eyes."

Fitz swallowed hard, eyes widening, as he felt himself practically falling into those eyes, completely unable to look away. As his brain caught up to what was happening, he realized that this was the same vampire who had been swinging the pocket watch earlier, the one who had captured his attention so easily -- Lord Edgar, Lex had said.

The other vampire he was supposed to stay away from.

"There you are. Everything has its place, and you need to be put in yours, don't you?" he said. "I saw your little stunt earlier. A born thrall like you would be so much happier with your will dissolved into obedience."

"N-no… what are you trying to do, sir…?" Fitz managed to get out, struggling against the unnatural urge to obey and submit. This Lord Edgar was bold enough to entrance Fitz right on the dance floor, right under Lex's nose, and Fitz found himself powerless to stop it.

"Your master isn't giving you what you crave. You need real guidance, real power. It's written all over your face."

"I… don't…" He could feel his will being locked down, a cage with no escape.

"May I have this dance?" said another nearby voice.

"I'll see to you later, then," said Edgar, passing Fitz over to…

"You looked like you needed a bit of rescuing," said Miss Lily. "Don't ever say I haven't done anything for you."

"You're the reason I'm here in the first place," Fitz pointed out as he regained his senses. "…But yes, thank you."

Miss Lily glanced over at Edgar. "He had you under his spell, didn't he? What was that about?"

"Punishment for speaking my mind with Jameson, sir, at least I think."

"Hmph, figures. I didn't think anyone would actually want to defend Jameson… knowing Edgar, it's probably more that he doesn't like so-called disrespectful thralls." She smiled at Fitz as she led him in the dance. "No taste, if you ask me. I think I did an excellent job with you."

"You had high quality material to work with, sir." This vampire gathering certainly made Miss Lily seem like the lesser of many evils.

"I don't see Lex anywhere in this crowd, do you?"

The room was a dizzying chaos of elaborate gowns and masks, vampires and thralls crowded together. "No, sir, I don't."

"When you see him again once the dance ends, let him know what Edgar said to you. And be careful!"

"You're concerned for my wellbeing now, sir?"

"Why of course, you're my dear Lex's precious thrall. And if anything happens to you, I'll have to deal with him moping and whining for months."

Lily relinquished Fitz to another vampire trying to cut in, and Fitz was barely paying attention to who it was, nodding his head to whatever they were talking about. He was trying to spot Lex in the crowd -- or, failing that, to make sure he kept his distance from Jameson and Edgar. He was passed to another vampire, and then the next, and just as he was starting to get frustrated, his thoughts scattered to the winds, mind filling with haze.

"Why hello there, you cute thing!" Lady Jessica patted his cheek, cooing at him. "You're just the sweetest, aren't you?"

"Uh… sweetest…yes, sir…" said Fitz, once again fighting against a current of mind-bending power, this one threatening to drain him of his thoughts.

"Such an adorable, dazed look on your precious little face! Oooh, I could just eat you up! I know Mr. Alexander would never allow it, though, so I'll just have to imagine how good you taste."

Fitz's mind, already compromised from various enthrallments and the high concentration of vampire auras in the room, had little defense against Jessica turning it to mush. "Yeah… I'm looking for him, sir… for Lex…"

"Awww, the poor little thrall misses his master! Of course you do, sweetheart. Let's see if we can find him?"

He nodded dumbly. That sounded good. He'd like to be in Lex's arms where he was safe. The room was too loud, too bright, and and too chaotic for his dampened mind.

"Excuse me, Lady Jessica," said a voice behind him. He recognized that voice. This was important. Who was it?

Jessica pressed Fitz to her chest protectively. "Aw, I have to give this doll up already? If you insist."

And Fitz, already incapacitated by Jessica, had very little defense as he found himself looking all too deep into Edgar's eyes again.

"Focus. There you are," he said, with a firmness that indicated he wasn't going to miss his target this time. "Look deep into my eyes, and sleep in my will."

"Nnnnn," Fitz groaned, succumbing all too quickly. He was being pulled, taken somewhere, and he dimly realized he was in danger of something more than being insulted and condescended to. "Lex --"

A hand clamped over his mouth before he could do more than weakly call out. "None of that. You will sleep. Sleep. Sleeeeeep."

Fitz felt his limbs grow heavy, his vision blurring as his eyelids drooped. He was someplace darker than the ballroom, now. The hand left his mouth, but before he could react in his drowsy state, a cloth with a noxious smell was pressed hard to his face.

"This will help you sleep," whispered the calm and commanding voice in his ear. "Go to sleep now, boy. Just sleep."

He was too weak and enthralled to try and pull the cloth away, to do anything but let his head spin and consciousness fade. His last thought before going under was that Lex would be so mad at him.

Prev > Masterlist > Next

Next week, the conclusion to Fitz's little adventure.

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[daniigh0ul]

I have no comment to add for this one so I am running away

part one: click.

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SAVANNAH: Hurry up, losers! I have a club meeting this morning! KEVIN: Ouch! Give us a minute. SIDNEY: First. I need to put my shit away. SIDNEY: Second. You can walk. KEVIN: Hold on. Jess just texted me. You think I got a chance? SID&SAV: No. Loud teenager noises. SAVANNAH: Let me have the aux! SIDNEY: No way! You're gonna play that weird anime stuff again. SAVANNAH: It's Vocaloid. And you have no taste. students yapping KEVIN: Merlin. Trade seats with me. MERLIN: No way! You're gonna flirt with Jessica again. SIDNEY: Don't cockblock him, Metz. MERLIN: Fine. JESS: I can hear you, idiots. JESS: We're still not official. IGGY: Fine with me. After team photos were taken... SIDNEY: Hey! Got a minute? GIA: Yes! What's up? SIDNEY: OK. Cool. You're a pro in Chem? I could use your help. GIA: I can help. When works for you? SIDNEY: I'm free right now. GIA: I am heading to the library. Come with? SIDNEY: Lead the way. GIA: Thanks for the compliment earlier, by the way. SIDNEY: Heh. You're very pretty today, Gee. SIDNEY (clears throat): Let's go cram formulas into my head. GIA (giggling): Let's. Gia and Sidney absolutely not studying. GIA: You're really bad at chemistry. SIDNEY: HEY! This stuff is hard. GIA (teasing): Well. You also keep staring at me instead of practicing for the exam. SIDNEY: You're very distracting. I was going to ask for a kiss, next. GIA: Oh, no. This is not a date. You have to ask me out for real to get a kiss. SIDNEY: So I have a chance? GIA: Maybe. SIDNEY: How about Bob's tomorrow night? GIA: I could eat. SIDNEY: So. It's a date then? GIA: Yes.

[cloudshuffle]

a new dawn. yan!childe

index / prev / next

You rise from a deep, dreamless slumber, tangled up in soft sheets and insistent hands. Ajax’s chest rises and falls gently, ginger lashes shut over his blue eyes, cradling you to him like his most precious treasure.

Asleep, he looks more like a boy in need of affection than a warrior.

The moon is still suspended in the sky, a silver balloon ready to burst. A glance at the clock tells you that you’ve only been asleep for about an hour. Enough time to sneak back into the cabin and pretend you've been there all night.

You begin to negotiate your way carefully out of his hold. With the alcohol no longer sparkling in your veins, you feel nothing but a vague sense of urgency to return to your cabin before anyone else sobers up and notices you’re gone.

It’s a declaration. It was exactly the sort of lovesick, foolish fairytale he’d fall for. And though you’d both enjoyed those once upon a time, one of you had to grow up. Had grown up.

A puff of air ruffles your hair, and you look up to meet his eyes, blinking slowly.

“Going somewhere?” he mutters sleepily, snuggling you closer.

You tense up so he doesn’t get too comfortable. “Yes, actually. I should be getting back before anyone notices I’m gone.”

His gaze roves around the room, as if he didn’t recognise where he was, followed by a lazy yawn. “I can sneak you off the ship. Stay here.”

You push against him and he releases you, more out of surprise than anything else. “Ajax. Be serious.”

“I am.” His puppy-dog eyes follow you as you get out of bed, collecting your discarded clothing and pulling it on. “Please?”

“No,” you reply, more sharply than you’d meant. Adjusting your outfit in the mirror, you just pray that no one can see the creases in the darkness. Or the torn stocking. Behind you, his expression is a little hurt, but it only fills you with a grim satisfaction. Good. Whatever it took to keep him at arm’s length. “Do you have a rag?”

He sighs, climbing out of bed to find one for you. You soak it with water, wiping down the parts he’d left more than just bruises on.

He accosts you on the way to the door, nuzzling a kiss right by your ear. “You’re so eager to get rid of me.” His sleep-warmed skin is littered with scars, you realise, slashes and stabs of all shapes and sizes, some pale with age and others fresher.

A pang of guilt. “Sorry,” you whisper, and then you’re gone.

────────────

Liyue Harbour dawns on the horizon, sprawling and golden in the morning sun. The roofs seem to glow, speaking of riches untold - but only if you knew where to look. Which was why the Tsaritsa was expanding her presence here, entrusting the task to her harbingers and soldiers.

High above, the Floating Palace looms like a sentry, guarding the city from celestial destruction. Your fellow soldiers gather at the side of the ship, watching in awe as Liyue draws closer in all its glory. Even your heart stirs at the sight.

Childe is nowhere to be seen, likely holed up in his cabin, doing last minute paperwork he hadn't had the chance to last night. 

Probably for the better. After… that, now there's a strange, ambiguous feeling in your relationship, one that had been carefully kept nonexistent during your time back in Snezhnaya. 

And like a wounded fox offered easy prey, you're not sure how he might strike out next.

There's a scramble of activity again as goods are unloaded, sailors prepare for docking, and you're all ushered off the ship like a flock of sheep rather than esteemed Fatui operatives. But finally you're on solid ground again, having arrived safely at the port of Liyue Harbour.

Nadia’s eyes are so wide you think they might roll out from her skull. You wonder what you all look like to the locals - foreign operatives here to butt into their business, dressed in heavy coats absolutely not suitable for the weather, looking around in awe like a group of schoolchildren. No wonder the Northland Bank was running into so many problems here.

Only once you’re sequestered safely within the walls of the Northland Bank do you begin to relax. Despite its golden walls and Liyue-esque decor, you’re relieved to see a Fatui mask at the front desk. She gives you all a tired once-over, then returns to her ledger.

You’ve been assigned to fieldwork - meaning tax collecting, outwardly, but also venturing out past the walls of Liyue Harbour and doing whatever Childe required of you. Knowing the Fatui, there was no such thing as simple tax collecting.

As you linger at the back of the group, following the Fatui senior on a brief tour of the bank, you think of what you’d seen in Childe’s cabin. Papers. Maps. Diagrams. Theories about… dragons in the water and adeptal magic? You couldn’t be very sure about what you’d seen.

You’re dismissed to your little offices to get settled in and start on some paperwork.

You shut the door, exhaling a sigh of relief. It’s a blessing to be alone with nothing but your thoughts. 

You head over to your window first, peering carefully outside. Your view overlooks a regular street, lined with other businesses, their employees stationed outside to entice customers in. You watch as a gentleman, his long brown hair tied back, strides meaningfully past. He glances up.

You duck back, holding your breath until he passes.

Enough excitement for today. You shake yourself and take a seat at your desk, thumbing through the various files and folders for you to handle. Most of them are about clients of the bank you need to keep an eye on, but they’re all normal, low profile civilians. You don’t think you’ll have a problem dealing with them.

At the bottom of the stack, substantially thicker than the rest, a folder waits for you. It’s bound in red string, full to bursting. You untie it gingerly and flip it open.

Papers spill out across your desk. Adepti, rituals, ancient ink on gold paper.

Talismans.

You feel like you’re holding your breath as you sift through the information. It seems as if the Fatui in Liyue had been doing extensive research on talismans infused with adepti magic - Sigils of Permission, more commonly known. Created by Rex Lapis and infused with adeptal power, these sigils were once used by mortals to channel divine power.

On the last page is a breathtaking hydra, rising from the waters of Liyue Harbour - no, created from the waters of Liyue itself, jaws fixed in a ferocious roar.

Oh, Ajax. What are you up to now?

────────────

“What’s that?”

You wiggle aside to make room for Ajax. There’s not much room on the windowsill, but it’s just perfect for two little children about to waste the afternoon away reading fairy tales.

“Mama and Papa got me a book of Liyue legends.”

He hooks an arm through yours so neither of you slide off your seat as you flip through the stories, reading them out loud so he can keep up.

Something thuds against your window, startling both of you from a particularly riveting passage where Rex Lapis, unable to defeat his primal foe, pins Osial to the ocean floor. 

“Ghost!” someone yells from outside. “Dead girl!”

A jarring chorus of laughs as the boys ready another round of snowballs.

“Go away!” Ajax yells back, making a rude gesture, to which he receives one in turn.

“Nikolai!” One of their mothers hurries past, gathering the children up in her skirts. “Come now. It’s time for dinner…”

Her fearful, fleeting glance isn’t lost on you, as have the looks from so many other adults. They say you’d been in the water for so long that even a grown man couldn’t have withstood it. That the cold had infected you, kept you alive to spread its clutches into your village. Some of the elders even make the symbol of warding off evil whenever you come by. 

It doesn’t hurt quite as much as it should have.

— word count: 1368. thank you for reading!

[gremlin-girly]

Flufftober Day 26

Alt Title: Sweater Weather

Prompt: "I can't find it."

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale x Reader

Tags/Warnings: FLUFF, pet names, swearing (it's Ran)

Summary: Ransom's iconic cream sweater mysteriously vanishes...

Word count: 556 words

A/N: Following from day 7's Hoodie Weather - I just couldn't resist haha - Love, Grem x

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"Where is it?" Ransom shouted from upstairs. You'd heard him pottering about but you hadn't cared enough to investigate.

"Where's what?" You called back, not even bothering to look up from your book.

Ransom always lost something, somewhere but only you could ever find it. You knew where everything was or would be - like some mysterious trinket psychic.

"My sweater!" Ransom's voice echoes through the ceiling. There's a slam of a door somewhere and you sigh.

"What sweater?" You frown, trying to focus on the words on the page.

"My favourite one." You can hear the irritation building in his voice and wonder how long it would take for him to pop a vein.

"Not helpful!" You call back again, slipping your bookmark into your book. You'd be summoned in about three seconds to help look for it if you weren't careful. "Have you checked the drawers?"

"Yes!"

"The coat rack?"

"Yes!"

"The closet?"

"YES!" You can hear Ransom stomping down the stairs, huffing in agitation. "I have looked everywhere. I can't find it."

You roll your eyes, you could bet your bottom dollar he hadn't. "Gimme a sec and I'll come help."

You're not even halfway out of your chair when the door to the living room creaks open to reveal Ransom standing in the doorway, glowering at you in a t-shirt.

"You little-" He grits his teeth, and the smile he gives you borders on maniacal. "You're wearing the fucking thing!"

"Oh, this?" You look down at your arms that are swamped in the cosy woven sweater that smelled an awful lot like your boyfriend - and just so happened to look exactly like the one he'd been looking for for the last thirty minutes. "It was on the floor in the bedroom and it just looked so cosy -"

Ransom crosses the floor in record time, towering above you, holding out his hands. "Give. It. Back."

The smile is still in place and you're smiling right back at him. "Say please."

Ransom closes his eyes and you can tell he's trying to count to three. "Please."

You roll your eyes playfully and peel the sweater away, throwing it at his head. You shiver at the loss of warmth but somehow, Ransom's scent clings to your skin. Ransom's too busy tugging the sweater over his head to notice, but when his head pops out of the head-hole, his honey blond hair dishevelled, his face is flushed. You looked good in his sweater and he didn't want to admit it.

"It was cosy," You pout at him, rubbing your arms for warmth.

"I know. That's why it's my favourite." He retorts, crossing his arms across his chest. He's trying to glare but he's finding it difficult to keep up the annoyed act. "I was searching for thirty minutes."

"Sorry," You say innocently, batting your eyelashes at him. He sighs in defeat, settling next to you on the couch and wrapping his arms around you. You smile as you cuddle closer into him, the softness of the sweater and Ransom's heat warming every inch of skin.

"Forgiven." He huffs and then his eyes narrow. "For now."

You place a kiss to his nose. "I'll take what I can get. But maybe... buy me a matching sweater?"

Ransom chuckles, kissing your temple in return. "Absolutely not."

[httplilyyy]

𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 || 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑

pairing: tara carpenter x reader

summary: shit just got real

warnings: descriptions of violence, knives, murder, character death, swearing, scream vi spoilers, bad writing

word count: 4.4k

a/n: dino nuggets…

scream masterlist | prev. part | next part

003. killer - crazy lixx 

‘cause there’s a killer, a killer on the run.’

"Can we get these?" You asked, walking around the aisle to see Tara and Mindy looking at some food to buy.

"Absolutely not." Tara said, shaking her head from side to side.

"Why not?" You mumbled, looking at the item in your hand.

"Y/n, I'm not getting you dinosaur chicken nuggets." Tara said, walking into another aisle causing you and Mindy to follow after her.

"But- please." You huffed. “Mindy, back me up here.”

"I’m not getting involved in your little lovers quarrel." Mindy chuckled, holding up her hands in defence.

"I'll do whatever you want." You pleaded, placing the item under your arm so you could put your hands together as if you were going to pray.

"Fine." Tara muttered, finally giving up. “But you owe me one.”

"Yes!" You smiled, putting them in the shopping basket and fist bumping the air.

"You're a child." Tara said, reciprocating your smile.

“You love me though.” You grinned.

“Oh I am third wheeling so hard right now.” Mindy whispered to herself but you and Tara heard her.

“Oh, no, no, no.” Tara repeated.

“Okay, ouch.” You said, holding a hand to your chest. “No need to act as if I’m a common cold.”

“You know I didn't mean it like that.” Tara sighed. 

“I didn't.” You sniffled, pretending to wipe away a tear. “You wound me.”

“Oh cheer up you big baby.” Mindy laughed, patting you on the back.

“Okay, you two. We need to get some food.” Tara said, chuckling at your antics.

“Yes, boss.” You said sending Tara a salute and Mindy gave her a thumbs up.

The three of you continued to get the food needed for later and with a small dent to your bank account you were making your way back to Tara’s apartment.

Chad had texted Mindy telling her that Anika had arrived but Ethan said he couldn't make it.

Finally walking up the mass amounts of stairs to Tara’s apartment, the younger Carpenter opened the locks on her front door and let the three of you in.

“Honey, I'm home.” You called out walking through the front door.

“Did you get the food?” Chad asked, standing up from the sofa.

“Oh hello, y/n. How was the trip to the store? I h-”

“Yeah, we got the food.” Tara cut you off, pushing you into the kitchen with her where Sam waited for you.

“What did you guys get?” Sam questioned, looking up from her phone before placing it on the counter beside her.

“Dino nuggets!” You said happily.

“Dino nuggets?” Sam repeated with a confused tone.

“Dino nuggets!” You said again, with even more excitement.

“You got dino nuggets?” Chad asked as he sprinted into the kitchen.

“Yeah!” 

“Hell yeah!” Chad smiled, high fiving you.

“Did you get anything else?” Sam wondered, looking into the bags you placed on the counter.

“Of course, we’re not all children.” Tara said, directing the last part towards you.

“Okay, if you’re not going to help with the food please get out of the kitchen.” Sam said, pointing to the living room where Mindy and Anika were watching a random channel on tv.

“I’m the best chef in town.” You smiled, getting the necessary food out.

“Please try not to burn my apartment down, y/n.” Sam said sternly before going off to get something.

“I can’t promise anything.” You called out.

You pulled out a chopping board and washed some vegetables. As you were going to chop up the vegetables you wondered where all the knives were. 

Looking around the kitchen, you tried to find something else to use but you came up short so you placed the vegetables in the fridge and pulled out some macaroni to make macaroni and cheese.

“I think you should get out of the city.” Tara spoke up suddenly.

“Huh?” You replied, confused as to why tara would say something like that.

“Y’know, considering what happened last time. I- I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to go.” 

“Aww you do care about me.” You teased, looking at the younger Carpenter.

“Y/n, I’m being serious I-”

“I know, and I’m not going anywhere. Whether you like it or not.” You smiled.

The little moment between you and Tara was soon interrupted by Mindy gagging as she set up the table.

“Would you two just make out already?” Mindy said, continuing to set the table.

“Mindy, that’s so inappropriate, dude.” Chad huffed.

“Ooh, someone is jealous.” You whispered to Tara causing her to step on your foot.

“Ow.” You groaned, picking your foot up with your hands and hobbling around in the kitchen.

“Oh whatever.” Mindy said, waving her brother off as she walked into the kitchen.

“Here you go.” Sam said, placing down some cushions and blankets in front of Anika. 

“Sam.” Mindy said. 

“Yup?” Sam answered, walking into the kitchen.

“We don’t have to stay here.”

“Well, too bad. I insist. Safety in numbers.” Sam shrugged, getting a wine glass from on top of the fridge.

“This will be so fun.” Chad smiled as he too, walked into the kitchen. “A little slumber party with the core five!”

“That doesn’t even go.” You chuckled, leaning back against the counter.

“The core five?” Sam repeated.

“Yup.” Chad nodded, ignoring your comment.

“Did you just give us a nickname?” Tara wondered. 

“Sure did.” Chad said. “I mean we’ve been through a lot together and it's a cool nickname.”

“That's debatable.” You said.

“That's extremely debatable.” Tara said, nodding towards you.

“You can’t just give yourself a nickname, dingus.” Mindy said.

“Oh of course I can, dingus. Because I just did.”

“Oh dear god.” You muttered.

“Core five, up top!” Chad said loudly, raising his hand in the air.

“No.” Mindy shook her head.

“Down low.”

“Get that away from me.” Tara deadpanned.

“Please for the love of god.” Chad exclaimed, holding his hand up to Sam

“Don’t do it.” Mindy chuckled.

“Y/n please.” Chad begged, fully turning to you.

“Tempting.” You teased.

“Y’know I’d actually like a little more respect from my fellow members of the core five.”

“Oh my god.” Mindy whined. 

“Guys!” Anika called out from her spot on the sofa, where she turned up the tv. “What the hell?”

Everyone in the kitchen moved to the living room to see what Anika called out for. On the tv was a news reporter, talking about breaking news.

“Reviewing resources from inside the homicide division, the prime suspect is none other than Samantha Carpenter.” The news reporter said. “One of the survivors of the woodsboro killings in twenty twenty-two. Seen here attacking a woman on the street last night.”

A video was shown on the tv, the same one Bailey showed in the police station, of Sam pushing the girl who had thrown her drink at her. 

“In the wake of the woodsboro tragedy last year, rumours sprouted online that Carpenter was actually responsible for the killings. Blaming the crimes on her boyfriend Richie Kirsch and teen Amber Freeman.” 

As everyone watched, Sam scoffed to herself, grabbing the remote before turning the tv off. She trudged her way into the dining room and sat on a chair, desperate not to let the tears flow.

Tara watched her sister, contemplating on what to do before she sat down beside her. You, Chad, Mindy and Anika let the sisters talk, giving them the needed space.

“It just sucks being this hated.” Sam sighed, wiping away a tear that fell.

Upon hearing Sam say that, you felt a frown form on your face. Seeing Chad walk into the dining room, you and Mindy followed shortly after.

“Hey.” Chad said softly sitting on a chair in front of Tara whilst Mindy sat to his right and you sat between him and Tara. “Hey, just a reminder, not a single person in this room hates you. Okay, we have all been through some fucked up stuff, and we are coping with it differently. I mean we moved here together for one very specific reason. We’re a team.”

Sam smiled sadly at the boy, a tear falling from her eye, grateful for each of you.

“We are the core fucking five.” Mindy spoke up from beside her brother.

“Thank you!”

“I hate myself now.” Mindy laughed.

“I can't believe you said that.” You chuckled, shaking your head.

“Me either.”

“Core five!” Chad said, high fiving Mindy. “Tara, say it! C’mon you should say it.”

“Nope, I’m not gonna say it.” Tara shook her head as she laughed. “I mean, yes, we’re a team but-”

“Come on.”

“I’ve been sleeping with cute boy from across the hall.” Sam interrupted, looking up from the table, a worried look on her face.

A beat of silence went past, each of you staring at the older Carpenter until you all broke out into smiles and laughter.

“Boom!” Mindy said loudly, leaning back in her chair.

“I called it.” You shouted, tapping the table repeatedly.

“I fucking knew it.” Tara joined in. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it.”

“Quinn owes me twenty bucks.” You smiled, fist bumping the air.

“You bet on me?” Sam questioned, her face lighting up with a smile.

“I mean c’mon-” You shrugged.

“I knew it since the day I saw you both talking.” Mindy pointed out.

“I feel like… we should high five or something.” Tara said once the laughter died down.

“Core five, high five!” Chad smiled, holding his hand out in the middle of the table.

“Don’t call it that, but we’ll do it.” Tara nodded, placing her hand against Chad’s. You added your hand next leading Mindy and Sam to follow suit. 

Sam’s phone suddenly started to ring, causing you all to pull away. She pulled it out of her pocket, checking to see who it was but before she could take a glance at who it was, Tara had taken the phone from her.

An excited gasp left her lips as she held the phone out in front of her, showing that Danny was calling. Sam tried to take her phone back but Tara fended her off.

“No, Tara- don’t.” Sam said, trying to take her phone back.

“Hey, so what are your intentions?” Tara said, holding Sam’s phone to her ear as it kept ringing, pretending to talk to Danny.

You all let out loud laughs as Tara handed her sister’s phone back to her.

“No. It's fine. I'll call him back.” Sam said, pressing the red button- putting the phone down on him.

As the laughter died down once again, the five of you heard grunting coming from Quinns room. You let out a low ‘ooh’ through a chuckled breath as you tried not to cringe at the sounds.

“I'm so jealous.” You sighed, leaning back on your chair.

“Of Quinn?” Tara questioned, head tilting towards you.

“Uh, yeah.” You said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “She’s in there having sex-”

“Y/n!” Tara exclaimed.

“What?” You wondered, holding your hands up in defence. 

“You and your bloody high sex drive.” Tara muttered to herself, shaking her head as she tried to fight off a smile.

Mindy and Chad laughed at the two of you whilst Sam sent a knowing look in your direction. The laughter, however, was cut off when each of you received a message at the same time.

Furrowing your eyebrows, you pulled out your phone and opened the message to see what it was. Your eyes widened as you looked at your screen, a photo, sent to you by Danny, showing Quinn getting attacked by Ghostface.

“I am definitely not jealous of her any more.” You mumbled to yourself, gaining a smack on the arm from Tara as she shot out of her seat along with the rest of you.

Tara rushed to open Quinns door but you took a hold of her arm and pulled her back into you and away from the door. You all stood, watching the door waiting for something to happen. The sound of Quinn screaming filled the apartment until she stopped.

“Run.” Mindy said as the apartment went quiet.

The door was slammed open, Quinn’s body being shoved towards you. Quinn’s body landed on Anika causing her to fall to the ground screaming. Mindy and Sam went to help Anika but you pushed Tara towards the front door.

Chad took a hold of both yours and Tara’s arms, pulling you out of the apartment but before you could go down the stairs you slipped out of Chad’s grip.

“Y/n?” Tara questioned, her voice straining as she tried not to cry.

“Go, I’ll be right behind you.” You said, with a small smile before running back into the apartment.

“Y/n, what? No!”

You stood at the door, watching as Ghostface plunged their knife into Anika’s stomach. You soon realise what a stupid mistake you made by going back but you couldn't leave now, especially seeing your friends in danger.

Using up all of your superhero complex, you rushed forward and tackled the Ghostface to the ground. Luckily they had pulled their knife out of Anika so she didn’t sustain any more damage.

“Hey fuckface.” You grunted, getting on top of them and punching them in the face.

As you raised your arm back up to punch them again, they pressed their knife into your abdomen causing you to reel back in pain. 

Sam pulled you up from the floor and kicked the Ghostface back down but they got up twice as fast. As you were running to the front door, the Ghostface slammed it shut before you had a chance to escape.

You helped Mindy with Anika and you ran into Quinn’s room, Sam hot on your tail as she closed the door just as the Ghostface swiped their knife at her.

Anika and Mindy sat on the bed trying to control the bleeding coming from their wounds. You stood up, pressing a hand into your side as you watched as Sam held the door closed.

Sam turned around and saw that the bathroom door was still open, she whispered for you to go close it. You gave her a small nod and as you were about to close the door, the Ghostface popped up in front of you.

“Shit!” You exclaimed, kicking your foot into their stomach, making them tumble back which gave you just enough time to close the door. They didn’t give up though, continuing to kick and barge into the door in hopes of it opening.

“Sam! A hand please?” You yelled, trying to hold the door closed as well as put pressure on your wound.

The older girl gave you a nod and instructed Mindy to help her with moving a drawer to hold the door. You moved out of the way and the drawer took your place against the door.

Using all your weight, you leaned against the drawer as the Ghostface was still kicking the door down. 

Sam rushed over to the window when she noticed Danny yelling at her from his apartment. She opened the window and looked down, now realising how high up you all were.

Danny grabbed a ladder from his room and pushed it through his window and over to Sam.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Sam shouted incredulously.

“Do you have a better idea?” Danny replied.

“Fuck! No.” Sam said, grabbing one end of the ladder and making sure it was secure on her end.

“You have to come one at a time.” 

“You go first!” Sam said, turning around to you three. “Y/n!”

“No chance, Sam. I need to hold the door.” You said, motioning behind you as the Ghostface kept kicking the door.

“But-”

“Sam, go!” You shouted. “I’ll get Mindy and Anika to go next.”

Sam contemplated for a while before she made her way onto the ladder. After many reassuring words from Danny, she made it to the other side. 

“Guys, come on!” Sam and Danny yelled from his apartment.

“You have to go first.” Mindy said, tears welling up in her eyes as she helped Anika move closer to the window.

“I can’t.” Anika sobbed, holding onto her stomach.

“Look at me, you have to go.” Mindy said, now fully crying too. “You have to go!”

“No, Mindy, No! I’ll be right behind you. I promise.” 

Mindy gave you a look, one of uncertainty and you replied with a reassuring nod and a smile before she gave Anika a kiss. After the short but sweet moment between her and Anika, Mindy made her way across the ladder too. 

“This asshole just won’t stop.” You huffed, using more weight to hold the drawer against the door. “Anika. I need you to get ready.” 

“No, Y/n.” Anika sobbed. “You go next, you’re hurt enough already.”

“So are you, I’ll be fine.” You said, tears forming in your eyes. “I’ve been through this before, you’ve got to go next.”

“Please, y/n, go next. I won’t go until you do.” 

You exhaled shakily, moving away from the door, pushing the drawer into a more secure position before you made your way to the window.

“You follow straight behind me alright.” You said, holding Anika’s hand.

With a nod from Anika you crawled onto the ladder. It shook from side to side but you didn’t stop, not wanting to, afraid that you might fall.

You were pulled into Danny’s apartment and all you had to do now was wait for Anika to cross. You sat yourself down, leaning your back against a wall as you held a hand to your side, the pain sending shocks up your spine.

You could hear your friends screaming for Anika, telling her that she could make it, that she would be okay but then they went silent.

Popping your head up in question, you saw the frantic look on Mindy’s face, a sign telling you that something was wrong.

“Anika, you have to move now!” Mindy yelled to her girlfriend who looked over her own shoulder, seeing that the Ghostface was right by the window.

The Ghostface placed their knife on the windowsill before they took a hold of the ladder and started to shake it violently.  

“I don’t want to die.” Anika cried as she tried to make her way across.

Sam reached her hand out and just as Anika could take a hold of it, she slipped through her fingers and off the ladder, falling to the floor.

Then there was silence.

“Hey, uh guys.” You muttered, seeing blood seep through your fingers as you pressed on your wound. “I think I may be bleeding out here.” 

“Oh shit.” Sam said as she turned to face you, seeing how pale you looked.

Sam helped you up from the floor, placing an arm around your waist as she guided you down the stairs. Danny and Mindy followed closely behind, the four of you walking in silence, still not believing what just happened.

As you were brought onto the street you were met with flashing lights and sirens. You were quickly taken away by an EMT and to an ambulance where they helped stitch you back up.

Sam and Danny stood beside you and Mindy was being tended to by another EMT. After you were all patched up you sat at the back of the ambulance beside Mindy as Sam and Danny went off to find Chad and Tara.

You felt Mindy rest her head on your shoulder, a sigh falling from her lips as the exhaustion caught up to her.

“Y/n!” Tara said loudly as she rounded the back of the ambulance, coming face to face with you and Mindy.

“Hey.” You smiled tiredly.

“I’ll leave you two to it.” Mindy said softly, patting you on the thigh before going off to find her brother.

“Are you out of your mind!?” Tara exclaimed, running a hand through her hair. “You just ran straight towards danger for no reason!” 

“Well- I- uh- I thought that I could help your sister?” You replied not looking into her eyes, picking at the skin of your fingers. “And I knew that you were safe because you were outside the apartment and-”

“What were you thinking!”

“Um, nothing? I guess.”

“You really are so stupid! I could’ve lost you!”

“But you didn’t.”

“That's not the point!”

“I was stupid okay! I know.” You said, raising your voice as you stood up.

“You need to stop putting yourself in danger!”

“I wasn’t thinking but I did it for you! I know how much you love Sam and I know that you would’ve been heartbroken if anything happened to her and I-”

“Y/n,” Tara said, calming down as tears brimmed her eyes, “just promise me not to do something like that again.”

“I can’t.” You said, smiling sadly. “You know I can't, Tara.”

“I hate you.” Tara mumbled.

“No you don’t.” You chuckled, pulling the younger Carpenter into a much needed hug.

You gritted your teeth and tried to push through the pain as Tara hugged you but you let out a small groan causing Tara to pull back with a confused face.

“What was that?” Tara asked, looking over your body for injuries and her eyes focused on the blood staining your top. “Y/n!”

“I’m fine! I promise.” You tried but Tara was having none of it.

“Show me.” 

“It’s bandaged up-” You said but Tara tugged on the bottom of your shirt, lifting it up to see your stomach. “-oh okay.”

“Jesus, if Ghostface doesn’t kill you, I will.”

“I got a hit in, atleast.” You said, the corners of your mouth tilting upwards.

“You’re lucky I won't hit you.”

The two of you continued to talk to each other, throwing in occasional silly insults here and there, till you both heard some commotion coming from Chad and Ethan.

You both stood up, watching as Chad grabbed Ethan’s collar and slammed him against a nearby car.

“Woah, that does not look good.” You muttered, walking over to Mindy with Tara as she watched her brother with Ethan.

“Where were you?” Chad questioned, a harsh tone laced in his voice.

“What? When?” Ethan stuttered.

“Last night!”

“I-I had econ!” Ethan stammered as Chad pushed him harder into the car. “You know this.”

“Bullshit, man! You disappear and my sister almost gets killed.”

“Dude,” Ethan said, raising his hands up, “I was in a study hall with a hundred other people, you can ask any of them.”

“Fuck, man.” Chad scoffed, letting go of Ethan reluctantly before he walked over back to you, Mindy and Tara, giving one last glare at Ethan.

“Oh my God.” Ethan uttered, noticing a body bag. “Who?”

“Anika and Quinn.” Chad sighed.

“Mindy I’m so sorry-” 

“Step the fuck back.” She snapped, causing Ethan to take a step back with an apologetic look on his face, but she didn’t care. “You’re at the top of my list.”

“I had econ!”

“Y’know I got stabbed too.” You voiced, standing up to look at the boy.

“Y-you did?”

“Yeah, and I got a pretty decent hit in, right across their cheek.” You said, slowly walking closer to Ethan. “And I don't know if it is just me but your eye is looking a little bruised.”

“It must be the lighting?” 

“Hmm.” You shrugged, not looking convinced. “Must be.”

From behind you, Tara looked to her right seeing Bailey stumbling out of the apartment complex, tears falling from his eyes.

“I’m gonna be right back.” Tara said quietly.

“Where are you going?” You asked, seeing Tara walk up to you and taking a hold of your hand. “Correction, where are we going?”

You followed Tara as she walked over to her sister and Bailey, the man having tears flow down his cheeks.

“I’m really sorry about Quinn.” Tara said apologetically, a sorrowful look on her face.

“Thank you.” Bailey said, nodding his head before looking down to the ground. Sam placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, causing him to cry even more. “Both my kids are gone… my whole family’s gone.”

You were not quite sure what to do, not being close to the man so you stood there in silence, interlocking your fingers with Tara’s and rocking backwards and forwards on your feet.

“They took me off the case, but I'm not gonna stop until I find him.” Bailey said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “You fuck with my family, you die.”

“Agreed.” Sam nodded.

“Hey.” You turned around, hearing Gale run up to the three of you. “You okay? I came as soon as I heard.”

“Gale, I swear to God-” Sam snapped, shaking her head as she looked at the older woman.

“Truce, okay? I-I’m here for whatever you need.” Gale said, placing a hand over her heart to show she was being serious.

“Yeah, okay, nice try.” Sam scoffed.

“Really, I am!” Gale said before she sighed and loosened her posture. “Okay, fine, off the record, okay?”

“Okay, thank you.” Sam said reluctantly, a heavy sigh falling from her lips.

Gale then turned to You and Tara with an apologetic look on her face. You gave the older woman a small nod and a smile but didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry I punched you.” Tara said.

“No you’re not.” Gale smiled, shaking her head.

“I’m not.” Tara replied, a smile taking form on her face.

“You’re the cop right?” Gale asked, turning to face Bailey as the man gave her a nod, listening to what she had to say next. “I did some digging on your first two victims and I found something. I know where the masks are coming from.”

“Show me.” Bailey said, taking a step forward.

“Ladies.” Kriby’s voice was heard causing you to watch as the woman walked up to you five.

“Kirby?” Gale questioned, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Gale.” Kirby smiled, giving the reporter a smile.

“She’s with the fbi.” Sam informed.

“She’s a child, when did they start letting children into the fbi?” Gale asked with a confused look on her face.

“I’m thirty” Kirby stated.

“Well you look like a zygote.” 

“I have a gun, Gale.” Kirby said, pulling her jacket back to reveal her gun.

“Okay, fine.” Gale sighed. “You’re gonna want to see this too.”

[viennakarma]

No but rae

One of the dobermans being named 'tiny' and being the tallest one

Nando having his own Doberman named, idk, 'devil' who is an absolute sweetheart but don't touch mrs alonso or you're dead meat

In my head Lance would be so scared at first and then

Then he meets mrs alonso

And she baked him cookies or something thst was his favorite

He thinks he's in love (or was it just a crush, but he CANT have a crush on his mentor or his mentor's wife!!)

WAJT WAIT 🛑🛑🛑✋🏽✋🏽✋🏽

yes to all about the dobermans!! the doggos being affectionate to lance and nando is like 🤨🥹

mrs alonso being a sweetheart to lance and then something bad happens and he finds out she’s actually just as deadly as nando and he gets shamelessly turned on and nando is like smirking the whole time noticing lance all flustered etc

meanwhile nando is aware of EVERYTHING and he just lets it happen waiting for the right moment he and wife can act on their desires (teehee)

PREV

[quitealotofsodapop]

Everything is just so cute and heartbreaking! 🥲

And if Wukong and macaque or orphans, does it make Pigsy nervous about who they could be running from?

Prev.

Yes absolutely.

Pigsy initially thought that "Wu and Mihou" were a pair of crazy kids who's respective parents didn't approve of their relationship/future baby, and they fled to the mortal realm to be together.

But now with the knowledge that the two don't have family out there?

It makes Pigsy, Tang, and Sandy super nervous about what these two are hiding from.

And of course there's the arrival of "Nez" - Wu's "little cousin" whose dad just kicked him out, and the kid has clear signs of an abusive upbringing.

Pigsy gets a bit protective. He and the other two have discussed the possibilities of the two monkeys being political refugees - that they angered someone out there in the underworld and don't want their baby wrapped up in it.

Some of Wu's habits and resources also bring his origins into question... Pigsy grumbled about the rent one day and within hours an envelope of cash sent from the office of someone called "Fire Star" appeared in his doorway - the only other identifier being a note written in traditional Chinese saying the money was "an investment from a close party".

Pigsy is currently on the theory that "Wu" is actually the heir to some shady Underworld inheritance, and he's hiding out in Megapolis to shelter his mate and future kid from being used as bargaining chips.

As long as the monkeys don't bring harm to his friends, or to their kids (Since Nez is clearly here to stay), Pigsy won't delve deeper into the matter.

Tang: "What if they're actually Sun Wukong and an old ally of his? The names are kinda suspicious on their own." Pigsy: "Seriously Tang?? "Wu" and "Kong" names are like the most common monkey demon names out there. Nearly half the phonebook for Xiānhuaguo is Sun-something. It's like me asking if you're the Tang Monk 'cus of your name." Tang, still unsure: "Hmm. I suppose you are right." Pigsy: "Of course I am."

Plot twist: He was not.

[landograndprix]

「Feel the magic ๛ l.n」

part xii

✧.* triple header, triple podiums, and triple the love.

✧.* quick little filler before it kicks off. Foreshadowing? Maybe. More insight in the y/nlando household? Yes 🥰 getting to know girlie even better? Yes ❤️this is a psa for the people who wanted to be on my taglist but never got tagged, i didn't forget or ignore you, I simply am unable to tag you and therefore removed you from the list feel free to ask me again so I can take a look at it. Taglist is open Love ya ❤️

✧.* prev part - next part

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mclaren

liked by yourmumsuser, maxfewtrell and 253,678 others

mclaren front row locked in once again!

#imolagp

tagged: landonorris, y/nusername

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mcpapaya this team!!!! 🧡

johnson87 them sharing the sheets really works out for us fans huh

bott_ass you're so real for this

norry4 that's my team y'all 😭

sharllekler girlie really said I'm in a good mood, let me give my man a tow and then proceeded to take his pole away 😭

norrizz gotta keep him on his toes :')

marcusklein she's gonna make it up to him tonight

lanlan 🕯 lando p1 🕯

maxfewtrell absolutely mental!

teampapaya HAPPY MCLAREN WEEK 🧡🧡

y/nloveee can't wait to see my girl pull a max verstappen and win her 4th wdc halfway the season 🥰

ohnomeshoes no joke, bagging y/n might just be the best thing to happen to lando, man's is killing it on all fields!!

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y/nusername

liked by cecilemoulin, riabish and 672,652 others

y/nusername fam fam ❤️

tagged: landonorris

view all 1,231 comments

hamilt44n once in a while y/n posts one of these fam fam posts and every time there's a new addition 😭

norrizz a new cat, dog and boyfriend 😂

yukisan I wanna live with you guys, pls, I know I'd be spoiled rotten

y/ngirlie bestie you're such a mom

alex_albon you're going to end up with more pets than us..

norry4 lando being accepted as a part of the family, my boy promoted to dad and step dad 🥺

cecilemoulin something tells me lando did not know about the goodest little doggie 😍

y/nusername unplanned parenthood

y/nlandooo girl stop, what's next, a goat? 😂

bobnorriz she already got a goat back at her parents house, two horses and one fucking duck 💀

y/nusername they didn't fit in my place here in Monaco unfortunately :(

bobnorriz girl get a farm 😅

carlandooo wait so you really adopted a cat back in Spain lmao

landonorris I'll find a cow in the living room next week

y/nusername don't give me ideas

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y/nusername posted to their story

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y/nusername

liked by landonorris, pierregasly and 789,672 others

y/nusername España, un hogar lejos de casa ☀

tagged: landonorris, maxfewtrell, cecilemoulin

view all 1,212 comments

mrsnorris 'home far away from home' and for what reason? Oh that's right..Carlos..🥴

chilisainz okay bestie, let's put you to bed..okay? You're talking shit again.

norrizz honestly, it's been a while since we last saw you..how have you been my love? Enjoying every single piece of y/nlando content we've had so far? 🥰

yukisan okaaay but that food looks amazing 😭

teamnotrell bunch of cuties enjoying their few days off :)

landonorris can't believe max got a girlfriend

maxfewtrell okay mate..

cecilemoulin I'm getting paid for this

maxfewtrell you're always bullying me and for what?

y/nusername I've got your back babes ❤️

maxfewtrell thank you ❤️

charles16 lando, y/n and Cecile podium this week? 👀

norry4 I love this little group of gremlins <3

landonorris love you muppet ❤️

➽────────────────────────❥

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Feel the magic taglist: @celesteblack08 @mrsmaybank13 @cha-hot @judesgfirl @roseseraj @kissesandmartinis @jpg3 @amulhermaisfelizdomundo @marialovesf1 @silkenthusiasts @luvrrish @laneyspaulding19 @emily-b @buckybarnessweetheart @strawberrychita @iifloweringnightsii @buendiabebeta @babyvinnie @mishaandthebrits @hockeyboysarehot @ironmaiden1313 @justdreamersdream @dreamsarebig @angelfreckless

Lando taglist: @beatricemiruna @simp-for-fictional-people @landossainz @christianpulisic10

Everything taglist; @thomaslefteyebrow @hopefulinlove @smoothopz @honethatty12 @cixrosie @parkersmjs @ireadthensuetheauthors @celestialams @be-your-coffee-pot @heli991113 @kodzuvk @reality-is-a-con @80sloverry @bibissparkles @myescapefromthislife @lanando4 @elliegrey2803 @ravisinghs-wife @harrysdimple05 @minkyungseokie

[nowoyas]

koi no yokan 16: stop the spiral (nishinoya yuu/reader)

First - Prev - Next - M.list - Ao3

A/N: HAPPY NOYA WEEK

Summary: You spend time around the Nishinoya family. Yachi experiences a normal day anxiety.

Warnings: blanket series warnings, depictions of the early stages of an anxiety attack, implied self-harm (for one sentence, non-explicit)

Words: 4300+

Time flies when your head isn't desperately trying to prevent itself from splitting apart. Two days takes you into a stage of recovery where Noya's mom tells you that you can go home if—and only if—you'd like to, and two nights of sleeping within arm's reach of Noya and not hearing from your father even though he knows you haven't been home in nearly a week takes you into just the right amount of risk-taking behaviors to ask to stay a little longer.

When you work up the courage to ask, you're sitting in the kitchen, legs swinging as you watch Noya's mom make lunch for the three of you. Satsuki's out with friends, Mei's studying upstairs, and Kaede's out. Apparently, Noya's grandfather spends a lot of time out of the house, just generally having a good time, so you're left with Rina.

"Um, Nishinoya-san…" you start, biting your lip.

"Please, Rina's fine."

"R-Rina-san, then…?"

She nods, not looking up from where she's slicing tomatoes. "Yes?"

"You know how you said I could leave whenever I wanted?"

Another nod. Her knife hand slows as she tilts her head to listen to you. "Of course. Now that you're well enough to handle yourself without too much risk to your health, I'm not going to trap you here."

"…is it also okay if I stay a bit longer…? I just, I mean, I don't know how Noya-senpai really feels about it or anything, and I guess Satsuki-san said she wanted me to stay, too, but, I mean—I don't want to impose, I just…"

She puts down the knife entirely. "Honey, you can stay as long as you like. I'm absolutely positive that Yuu is happy to have you here, and the girls all like you, too."

"Okay," you say. Rina makes you feel small in the worst way. Not looked down on, but vulnerable. "I don't think I'm ready to go home yet."

She hums her approval. Picks the knife back up.

"I, um, I'm feeling really good today, so I might try to go to practice tomorrow for a little bit to see how I handle it."

"That's a good plan. The doctor's orders said to slowly start returning to school and activities, so that's a good start."

"Oh, but—just in case I can't do it, um, don't tell Noya-senpai? I wanna go in the middle of the day, I think."

Another nod. "I'll see if any of the girls are available to walk you."

You smile and turn to your phone as Rina finishes making lunch, firing off a few texts to the newly-created manager group chat. The excitement buzzes already; you can't wait.

~

…or maybe, you can wait. Maybe you really, really can.

You wake up and there is no one here. Soba is not with you—she slept somewhere else last night—and Noya must have already gone to practice. He sent you a text, a picture of Soba with her face in her food bowl, along with a have a good day!.

You wish it helped. Yesterday's quiet excitement—coordinating with the girls in short bursts of texts over the course of the afternoon, talking Mei into walking you to and from the school today so you can surprise them properly and leave before practice is officially over—is gone now, replaced with a lump of dread that makes it difficult for you to swallow and the looming memory that your father didn't even notice.

Part of you wants to simply not show. Let them wonder. The other, more insidious part of you knows that you wouldn't be able to handle it if they didn't notice, either.

You roll over, flip over to the managers group chat.

[name] to Karasuno Managers!!! at 8:48

[name]: hey, uh, nix the return today

[name]: sorry

[name]: feel like I'm gonna throw up lol

No replies pour in right away. That's fine, that makes sense; they're at practice, they're busy.

You drag yourself down the stairs, meander into the kitchen to pick out the most meager breakfast you can get away with.

You stumble, head-first, into Mei in the kitchen. She's holding a plate of food, and at the sight of you, she blinks in surprise. "Oh. You're up."

"Good morning," you mumble. "Sorry for bumping into you."

"No, no, don't be. I made breakfast?"

You nod to the table. She joins you, lays down a plate in front of you and another in front of herself. You pick at it. It looks and smells delicious, and honestly, of everyone who's had the chance to cook for you so far, she's probably the best.

"Do you still want me to walk you to the school today?" she says after a moment.

Your hand stills. "I… I dunno."

She leans forward, chin resting in her hand. "What's up?"

"Just—just overthinking," you admit, probably because she suddenly looks stunningly like her siblings. "It's probably not anything."

"I don't want to needle you the way Yuu or Satsuki might, but if you wanted to talk about it, um… I'm good with overthinking. Satsuki says it's my best skill."

You stifle a sudden laugh. "Same here. Uh, Satsuki-san doesn't say that to me, but I mean—you get me." A pause. You take a bite of your breakfast, chew painfully slowly. It's not like you particularly mistrust Mei. And given that you do kinda feel your heart in your throat for no reason right now, and given that Mei's experienced with dealing with this…

Well, it probably wouldn't hurt.

"…I just kinda feel like maybe Noya-senpai's the only one who cares if I come back and maybe he just cares because he's nice."

She tilts her head, searches your face carefully. "Why?"

You cringe. You're in too deep already to back out, but… "I just… I don't know. I guess I just kinda always assume that no one actually wants me around? But, y'know, I'm kind of the bonus manager. I joined because I happened to be standing close to Yachi-san when Shimizu-senpai asked her, and we both just sort of agreed to it. And Shimizu-senpai is obviously really established and impossible to compete with because the guys think she's a goddess on Earth or whatever, and Yachi-san didn't seem like she was gonna stick around but not only has she stuck around but also she made these totally kickass posters for the team because they needed donations and like, that leaves me as the extra, right? She's actually done shit to establish herself. So now I'm, like… left over. And I'm sure they've spent all week realizing how much they absolutely do not need me around. I don't wanna go back and them not be, like, happy to see me, or whatever, but—"

You groan, dropping your head to the table. You stop short of what would have been a satisfying thunk, if only because you expect a lecture for mistreating your head that way under the circumstances. "This is so stupid. I haven't cared about having friends in ages. I don't get why I'm getting worked up about it now."

"I mean, I don't want to assume anything, but… isn't it just that you like being a manager? I think it's probably normal to want to feel accepted."

"I don't want anything. I don't like wanting things. It feels itchy."

"Well, do you think it'd help if you did something for them, too? Like, um, Yachi-san did?"

"Nothing's going to be as cool as those stupid posters," you whine. "They're amazing, Mei-san. They look like they were designed by a professional and everything. I can't make anything like that."

"Well, Yuu was talking about how you like to cook for people. Maybe you could do something with that?"

Your eyes light up a little.

You… you could do something with that.

"Mei-san," you say, picking your head up. "Are you busy today?"

~

Hitoka stares at the messages, heart thumping in her throat until it threatens to choke her.

She knows, okay? She knows that she gets her head caught up in things and trips down paths that no one else seems to think are worthy of exploring. She knows her imagination runs away, and her heart with it, at the slightest provocation. Usually, in hindsight, laying awake and mind racing, she can see where, maybe, her anxiety took over and dragged her into the realm of unreasonable, or she can follow those same paths deeper, depending on the night.

The trouble is that knowing that much doesn't actually stop the spiral. If anything, it makes it worse—between the they're gonna die or she's going to try to murder me is the constant backbeat, the stop being silly, the you're being stupid. Frustration and shame and embarrassment cloud it, make the panic worse. Sometimes she wonders how anyone ever puts up with her, her social missteps, her catastrophizing at the tiniest slights.

This isn't one of the occasions where she knows she's being stupid. Actually, she's pretty sure the new fear is well-founded. No matter how many times she rereads the texts, she falls short of any other explanation for them, anyway.

[name] to Karasuno Managers!!! at 8:48

[name]: hey, uh, nix the return today

[name]: sorry

[name]: feel like I'm gonna throw up lol

[name]: actually, when you guys see this, could one of you ask Takeda-sensei to meet me outside?

[name]: I gotta talk to him about something, but I don't want any of the guys to see me and get excited

Her hands shake as she taps out a response.

Yachi: no problem! I hope yuou're feeling better soon!!!

Yachi: omg I'm sorry *you're

Yachi: I'll let Sensei know and you can ytext when you're herer and i'll get him!!!

Yachi: *text **here ***I'll

She'd done as much. The sick lurching from the first time she'd read and replied to the messages lingered long after, lingers even now. It had lingered through the short work of tracking down Sensei, and through the short conversation in which she let him know what was going on with you. It had lingered through her teeth, her closed-lipped smile as she held her fear bundled up in her hyperactive heart. It lingered through the twenty minutes it took for you to send a follow-up text—I'm here! Can you send Sensei to find me?—and through watching Takeda-sensei slip out of the gym to speak with you. And then, in the time since then, it wells up and threatens to spill over.

She glances at the clock on the wall, protected by a dented cage. You've been talking to Sensei for almost half an hour.

"Hitoka-chan."

She screams, the towels she'd been carrying to hand out going flying at Shimizu's sudden voice behind her. Shimizu moves effortlessly, glides as she collects the dropped towels. Hitoka babbles as she joins her, some sort of overblown apology, made worse by her awareness of the guys on break looking at the source of the scream.

"Are you alright? You're looking paler than usual."

"O-oh, I'm fine!" she stammers, failing to pick up one of the dropped towels. "It's nothing! R-really!"

Shimizu hums, peering at her with a worried look, and she's screwing up again, she's making such a pretty woman worry about her, she's such a failure, such a—

"Are you overheated? You have to watch your temperature in this heat. It won't do any good if you get heat exhaustion."

No, her brain replies, emphatic. She's not going home, she can't, she needs to be here—

"I'm not overheating! I-I just don't want [surname]-chan to quit, t-that's all!"

"Quit?" Nishinoya repeats behind her, stunned.

She drops the collected towels all over again.

"Did she say anything about that?" Shimizu asks, and Yachi fights the urge to dig her nails into her arm to calm down.

"N-no, she didn't say anything, I just—she just—[surname]-chan was g-gonna come back today, but then she randomly said she couldn't b-because she was feeling sick, and t-then she came anyway to talk to Sensei about s-something? A-and they've been talking for a while, a-and maybe she's—maybe she's quitting because—"

She slaps her hands over her mouth. The sick feeling is finally gone—no more tension, only horror, racing horror through her veins.

She wasn't supposed to say anything.

Now you're going to be mad. Furious. Livid. How is she ever supposed to keep friends if she can't even listen to something as simple as a "don't mention this thing to anyone"? How is she ever—

Nishinoya snaps his fingers in her face and her out of her spiral. At some point, he crouched in front of her, expression serious. "You're gonna give yourself a panic attack. You gotta stop thinking like that!"

Easy for you to say, her mind supplies bitterly, and then she instantly feels worse for having thought it.

He laughs, smile wide. "True, it is easy! Y'know why?"

Oh my god I said that out loud—

"[name]-san doesn't wanna say it, but she really likes it here. She was really happy when I gave her the card and stuff from everyone, y'know? When I checked on her before bed that night, she was just looking at it and smiling. And she's always asking how everyone's doing when I come home. And when the doctor mentioned that she might not be able to go to the next training camp, depending on how smoothly her recovery goes—she'll be coming, with the way she's been improving—she got so pouty. She definitely wants to come back, you just gotta trust her."

"Y-you really think she's gonna stay…?"

He nods. "You should've seen the way her eyes lit up when she was talking to Nee-san about the team the other day. She tries to pretend like she's all aloof and doesn't really care, and she's definitely getting caught up thinking we don't want her here no matter what I tell her, but I can basically guarantee that the idea of quitting has never even occurred to her."

That…

is comforting, actually.

Maybe.

A little bit.

"You're… really serious about [surname]-chan, aren't you?" she asks.

His smile only widens. "Of course! I'm gonna get to a thousand proposals and marry her, you know!"

Impossibly, her heart does lighten a little. "W-well, if you're so sure she's not going anywhere, then I guess I can believe it, too."

He smiles. Nods. Darts off to chatter at Tanaka about something to do with you… sleeping with noodles? She definitely missed something.

"He really does act different when it comes to her," Shimizu notes mildly.

"D-do you think so?"

She nods. "He's been flirting with me since last year—if you can call it that—but… I dunno. It's like he actually calms down when he's talking about her."

"I wish I had someone like that," she sighs.

Shimizu raises an eyebrow. "Like him?"

"No! I-I'm sure he's perfectly fine, I just mean—someone I can be calm around. You know?"

She smiles. Tilts her head. "I get that."

~

Mei is fun to cook with. You talked to Takeda, worked out the menu and timing, and talked to him about your staggered return to practice. It was a good conversation, and you left with notes and a shopping list, and then left the store with the needed groceries. Mei lets you take the lead on cooking, helps you out dutifully while letting you control, and for a while, it's peaceful.

Then Satsuki comes downstairs.

She's in sleep shorts and a tank top, and she grabs a soda out of the fridge seemingly before she notices either of you. "Mornin'," she says, rubbing sleep from her eye.

"Morning," you chirp back.

"Satsuki, it's one in the afternoon," Mei chides.

"Afternoon, then," she corrects. "It's summer. When else am I gonna sleep in?"

"I guess, but…"

"Eh, let her," you shrug. "At some point we're gonna have jobs and have to beg our bosses for the chance to sleep in two days in a row. Might as well milk it now, you know?"

"See, you say that, but didn't you basically sign all that away for the volleyball club?" Satsuki teases. "Yuu, like, never sleeps in."

"Senpai's insane, though. He just like, wakes up alert. He lays down to sleep at a normal time and actually falls asleep. It's freak behavior, if you ask me."

Satsuki stifles a laugh. "Yeah, I don't know where that came from. Jii-chan's like that, too. It freaks me out. Morning people."

You clasp a hand over your chest in mock horror. "Monsters walking among us!"³¹

Her expression shifts into something more teasing as you turn back to preparing food. "Oh, speaking of: I noticed someone's been sleeping in his room at night."

"What can I say? Soba loves me."

Mei stifles a laugh. "I don't think she was talking about Soba."

You roll your eyes. "I felt bad making him sleep in the hallway, that's all."

"That's all? Ms. Single, I'm starting to think you might be a bit of a heartbreaker."

You set aside the prepped ingredients for now—you have to wait for the rice to finish cooking before you do anything else. When you turn, Satsuki has hopped up to sit herself on the counter, one elbow propped up against the side of the fridge. "I'm not a heartbreaker."

"So, you're in love with my brother, and/or in denial about being in love with my brother."

You cough, brushing past her to grab a drink of your own. "You Nishinoyas are really good at jumping to conclusions. Where did you even get that?"

"So I landed on something? If you're not leading him on, then you have feelings for him. I don't think that's a wild assumption to make."

You roll your eyes. "Noya-senpai and I are friends. That's it. I don't deny that he thinks I'm pretty; he's made that glaringly obvious, but teenage hormones are a hell of a drug. He'll get bored of me and give up soon enough."

"Denial, then," Satsuki nods.

"I hate to have to tell you this," Mei says, "but, um, have you met Yuu? He doesn't give up. Like, ever."

"Especially not with pretty girls. Like it or not, babygirl, he's not giving up on you until you're taken, and even then, probably not until you outright reject him. Do you have any idea how much time he's spent trying to catch the attention of girls who think they can wait him out?"

…oh. Yeah, you do. You're not exactly blind. You shrug. "Yeah, exactly. I'm not special. He'll find some prettier girl with less problems, of which you'll find there are many, and drop the idea."

"[name]-chan…" Mei breathes, brows drawn together with sympathy.

"You know that he's not gonna give up just because you're a little broken, right?"

"Uh, Satsuki—"

Satsuki rolls her eyes at Mei. "What? We're all broken here. So's Yuu. He's just better at not paying attention to his broken parts. If anything, I think he probably likes her better because she's not all perfect and flawless. Can't really relate to a doll, y'know?"

You drop into one of the seats at the table, resting your chin in your hand and carefully schooling your expression as Mei turns to chiding Satsuki for being too blunt.

It's not like anything said today has been news, except maybe the comment about Noya being just as broken, and even then, hardly. But it's easy to forget about the way Noya leaps for any shred of attention from Shimizu, the way he'll sometimes double-take at some pretty girl in the hall when you're taking lunch together, the way he fucking… audibly growls if he thinks some random dude might be interested in your senior manager. It's easy to forget all that with the way he looks at you.

He hasn't given up on her just because you're in the picture. Because you're not special enough for that.

It's not like he doesn't really feel something for you. He's made abundantly clear how pretty he thinks you are and how much he wants to be around you, and you don't think that's diminished just because he thinks other girls are beautiful or wants to be around them. He really, genuinely, feels all of that for every girl. But…

You let a sigh pass your lips.

What happens when he finds an equally pretty girl who gives him what he deserves? Will he give up on you, then? If you gave in, you doubt he'd stop thinking every girl alive is beautiful. If you gave him more, he'd only…

"Anyway, [name]-chan!" Satsuki shouts suddenly, pointing at you with dramatic flare. "All that's to say, I'm not gonna get into Yuu's shit with you if he hasn't told you himself, but he does genuinely like you and he's not just fucking around. Nor is he gonna drop you just because you've got some shit going on. You don't have to do this whole, clam up and protect yourself thing."

You raise an eyebrow. Now's not the time to depress yourself over things that hardly matter to you. "Uh-huh?"

"Uh-huh! If you're not gonna make out with me, and you're not gonna hurt him, then go for it."

You huff a laugh. "Right. I don't plan to hurt him, but you know everyone hurts everyone eventually, right? I've made my stance with him clear enough, so if he gets hurt… I'm not gonna say it's not gonna be my fault, but I will say I'm not going out of my way to hurt him."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that at some point, I'm gonna blow up, because again, broken, and if I'm too close, it's gonna hurt him. But like, I don't say shit I don't mean. If he actually keeps up with the proposals and shit and makes it to a thousand, I'm still gonna marry him. Even if I think it's a horrible idea on his part. Hell, if he manages it a thousand times and I'm already in a relationship with someone else, I'll break up with them."

She leans forward, nearly tumbling off the counter. Mei steadies her quickly, muttering a careful! in admonishment. "Oho," she says, not missing a beat, "interesting. When do we get to start calling you our sister-in-law?"

"Slow down. He hasn't even made it to a hundred yet."

"Uh-huh. How many is he up to?"

"Sixty-seven," you reply automatically.

"I think he's making good time. You're, what, fifteen?"

"Sixteen," you mutter.

"So he's got four years before you're actually legally able to marry him, he started talking about you like two months ago, and he's averaging more than one proposal a day. He's actually gonna have to slow down if the wedding is coming right after proposal 1000."

You shrug. "Assuming he doesn't give up."

"Again, this is Yuu we're talking about. Even if you got a boyfriend in the meantime, he'd probably punch the dude just to get to keep asking you so he doesn't lose time. Face it, you're either going back on your word, or you're gonna be a Nishinoya."

You don't know how to respond to that. The inside of your cheek is a little raw from where you've been chewing it. Are you stupid to be this serious about what was initially a joke? Are you stupid to hedge your bets on him giving up on you? It's not like you don't like his family. It's not like you don't like it here.

Mei pipes up from where she'd been lost in thought, tilting her head. "When was your birthday? It would've already passed if you're sixteen and a first year."

You wouldn't normally want to tell her, but if this conversation does not change subject ASAP, you're going to explode. "Couple weeks ago. The seventh."

Satsuki grins. "He's gonna be mad that you didn't tell him, you know."

"He'll get over it. I don't like people making a big deal over me."

Mei stifles a laugh. "You're a weird pair, then."

"I'm gathering. Do me a favor and don't tell him?"

Satsuki hums thoughtfully. "Mm, I'll think about it."

~

Somehow, you manage to keep a sea of prepared food away from Noya's prying eyes. The kitchen is cleaned before he gets back from practice—reasonably late, all things considered—and Satsuki has started in on making dinner, since it's her night. You and Mei let her in on the surprise, so she puts herself to work bossing Noya right out of the kitchen with a teasing go bother your girlfriend, this is a no boys allowed zone today. You're happy to let him flop dramatically across your lap as long as he lets you rest your book on top of him and he doesn't look in the fridge.

He scrabbles for the TV remote, apparently intent on replacing Soba for the night, and you stop yourself halfway to poking at a new bruise on the back of his calf.

You turn back to your book and try not to sigh. Perceptive bastard's gonna notice anyway, but you're trying not to let him, even if your throat feels like cotton when you try to talk to him.

Stop being ridiculous, you chide yourself sternly. It doesn't seem to work.

You just can't get your head off everything. You don't even know why it fucking bothers you.

You sigh. Catch his waist when he reaches too far and nearly falls off your lap. He successfully retrieves the remote, and grins up at you with his thanks.

"Fell for you," he teases quietly.

"Stupid," you reply. "You're gonna get yourself hurt."

Footnotes

31. ඞ

Tags: @deeplightgarden @idonthaveanameideayet @dusstory @kazunish

[istharoth]

In love with a 2-D Character?! Sinostra Edition!

Blurb: In which you are a character in a popular game the Tokyo debunker boys are coincidentally in love with.

CW: Mentions of Organ Harvesting in Taiga's section.

↪ Taiga Hoshibami:

He doesn't play games. Next.

JKJK he only plays for the gacha aspect and gets annoyed when he doesn't have any more to pull.

Streamer Taiga? In this AU yes. Streamer Taiga who does absolutely insane things + says out of pocket things but doesn't get cancelled because people think that's his humour.

Taiga: "Lmao, last week I harvested organs." His fans: "OMG TAIGA YOU'RE SO FUNNY! WAS IT BLOODY!?" Also Taiga: *wants to explain the full thing but forgets so he just laughs it off*

So he plays the game right, he's bored as hell, he chooses a random character and then he sees you in the prologue.

You're bloodied up for sexy reasons and you're trying to kill him? That's his type, he loves those angry people who try to kill you, maybe you're a bit greedy too?

Geneunely regrets not choosing you in the selection screen but forgets about your existence just as quick, until you re-appear in the fourth chapter.

Pulls on every banner, does not care who the character is, he just wants to test his luck.

Has insane streamer luck, and luck in general. Is the type of streamer who does pulls on his viewer's accounts and to mess with them, he deletes a high-levelled artefact for fun.

His fanbase knows they have to say goodbye to the artefact to get the character lol

He doesn't remember you for the most part, he just knows you're relevant to the lore of the game.

Maybe has one or two merch items his fans gave him but he forgets who you are.

↪ Romeo 'Fico' Scorpius Lucci:

Adds him into the does not play games list.

Judges every character in the selection screen because Rui will not stop yapping about the game he's playing.

But who is he to judge? His last name is literally a play on Gucci.

You're a satisfactory character, in terms of design, so he picks you.

He's the type to have two accounts, has one for you, his side account, and his other account mains the character you torment, that's his main. [In this case Kaito's favourite character]

Doesn't spend money on the game because he thinks it's unnecessary, though he's easily annoyed when he doesn't get a character. Romeo: SIH [Shrivel in Hell] WTF [What the fuck] RIH [Rot in Hell] CHBB [Come home, you Basic Bitch!]

That's what goes down every time he pulls on his accounts. The last one is meant for his main account, he could never call you BB. You're him, he is you.

Romeo will go out of his way to have the clothes you wear custom-made for himself because he likes them so much.

If you mention a brand in-game, be it perfume or makeup, he's going to search for the equivalent of the irl one and get it.

Also isn't much on merch, might have a few of your jewelry statements and clothes but that's about it.

↪ Ritsu Shinjo

Why is everyone in Sinostra in the does not play games category?

But he'll play it because peer pressure always works.

Is the type of player who focuses too much on the story and if laws are mentioned, he's going to write threads on if they're wrong or right.

Might sue the game company if they're wrong. [nah he won't, I'm just exaggerating.] He understands the concept of fictional and real so i doubt.

selects you because you're the most normal based on the character selection screen.

He thinks he isn't big on merch, but no, he's a collector. You know those standees of characters outside events people steal sometimes? Yeah, he's going to get Taiga to steal them, but in a way that makes them unpunishable by law.

Won't go buy a body pillow but a cardboard cutout is a must. If you have a fan club, he's going to rise up the ranks and would likely be in the single digits of the fandom.

He likes them underrated characters frfr.

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[pardi-real]

Tarot of Destiny / Chapter 3 - Unfulfilled Wish

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[Devil's Palace, Your Room]

December 30. Today is the day we finally leave for Maginaria. As I readied myself in my room, Muu and Flure entered, wearing their new outfits.

Knock, knock…

> "Please come in"

Muu: "Excuse us, my lord!"

Flure: "My lord. Your change of clothes is ready."

> "Both of you look lovely in those outfits"

Flure: "Fufu… Thank you very much ♪ I think I tailored it well by referencing the tarot cards as the clue! And here is the lord's outfit. Let me help you change."

> "Okay"

~ A few moments later ~

Muu: "Woah~! You look absolutely stunning, my lord!"

Flure: "I would expect nothing less of you, my lord. You look even better than I imagined!"

> "Thank you"

Muu: "Fufu. Both the lord and Flure are amazing!  It still looks great despite being themed after that ominous 'Death'…"

Flure: "Hold on, Muu. Calling it 'ominous' is rude, isn't it?  It’s just fortune-telling... Don't take it seriously.

Muu: "Uh… Y-you're right... I'm sorry, my lord."

> "Don't worry, I don't mind"

Muu: "I see... I'm glad to hear that!"

Flure and Muu seemed relieved at my words. The truth is, I felt uneasy when I saw that the card representing me is Death in the upright position. Something ominous might happen to me from now on. I knew that Elvira's fortune-telling had been right in the past, leaving me worried...

Flure: "My lord.... Is something wrong?"

> "No, it's nothing"

Flure: "I see. Okay then, it's time for us to leave. Let me show you to your carriage."

> "Thank you, Flure"

Right after I drew the Death card, all the butlers supported me frantically, telling me not to worry.  For the sake of the butlers who care for me and don't want me to be anxious… I won't let my uneasiness show in my face. With such determination, I left the room…

[Devil's Palace, Foyer]

Berrien: "We have been waiting for you, my lord. Oh...what a wonderful outfit ♪ It suits you perfectly."

Haures: "Yes, indeed. It is a fantastic start to the trip seeing you in such a beautiful outfit. This trip is going to be a very good one."

> "Th-thank you…"

Berrien: "Fufu… The other butlers are already heading there, but if they see the lord now... I’m sure they’ll be just as pleased as we are."

Haures: "Well, shall we, my lord? First, we’ll meet Lady Elvira in the forest near Espoir. After meeting up with her there, we’ll head for Maginaria. Flure and I will be the coachmen...  My lord and Muu, please go to the seats with Mr. Berrien."

> "Okay"

As the carriage rocked, we eventually reached the forest near Espoir, taking over Ms. Elvira's protection from the Grovaner family soldiers.

The four of us–me, Muu, Berrien, and Elvira–rode in the same carriage.

Elvira: "............"

Berrien: "............"

Muu: "............"

> "............"

Muu: (M-my lord.... It feels a bit awkward...) (When Lady Elvira boarded the carriage and we talked to her... ) (She only said a few words, saying, 'It's been a while,' and 'I'll be counting on you.' ...) (I had various things I wanted to ask her, though.)

Elvira: "Hmm… I see.  'I have a question I want to ask, but I can't bring it up'.... Is that what you mean? Mr. Talking cat."

Muu: "What!? H-how did you know!? Could it be...? You can read my mind through fortune-telling…?"

Elvira: "No. I heard you whispering."

Muu: "Ah... I-I see."

Elvira: "Hmm... The thing you guys want to know desperately... No other than what I sent to the Lord of the Devil Butler... ‘Death in the upright position,’ isn’t it?

Muu: "Th-that's right! Actually, I've been curious about it... That card… What in the world does that card mean?"

Elvira: "Well… If you ask me, I don't know."

Muu: "Eeh!? But didn't you do the fortune-telling...?"

Elvira: "Yes, but... I am not the one who determines the interpretation... All I can say is... the Death card implies something. Considering the meaning of the card... you should be very cautious. If you’re not careful, you could lose your life."

> "M-my... life?"

Elvira: "Yes. Even now, at this very moment, you might be in danger... Regardless… Be cautious."

> "Uh... uhm…"

Muu: "N-no way… Don't say things that make me uneasy! Please explain it clearly...! Will the lord be fine...?"

Elvira: "I don't know about that. All I can do is to tell you the result of the fortune-telling, one of the meanings of Death in the upright position is ‘end of things’.... That's what my fortune-telling says."

Muu: "Ugh... I couldn't even get a word of comfort... Um.... What do you think, Mr. Berrien? If the lord is really in danger, maybe we should forget about the request and go somewhere safe…"

Berrien: "Muu…"

Elvira: "Ah. Just to be clear... there is no point in hiding somewhere. You cannot escape the destiny indicated by the tarot.

Your lord is someone who was born carrying the ‘Death’ card… No, that isn’t quite right. “While in this world," is more appropriate, I guess.

Anyway… No matter what measures you take, you cannot escape from the ‘Death’ card. The only thing left to do is to accept the fate of the card.... I guess that's it."

Muu: "Ugh… I've even been driven into a corner…"

Berrien: "Muu. Lady Elvira didn't mean to say that with malicious intent. And her words.... There is some truth in them. Wherever you run… There is no safe place in this angel-infested world.

And as she said… this card is not temporary. In other words, it will always be with the lord, as long as they are in this world... In that case, whether we are on a trip or in the mansion doesn’t matter…

What we can do… is being there for the lord to protect them. I… I accept it as such."

Muu: "I-I see… so you can see it that way… But still... I can’t help but worry…”

Elvira: "Well... There may be no need to be in such a hurry, though. The fate of ‘end of things’ is that you never know when it will come.  In the first place, it’s in humans’ nature... we are all doomed to death, sooner or later.  The fate indicated by the card will come.... but it might be far in the future."

Muu: "R-right! It may not be now! I’m sure the lord will live a long life too!"

Elvira: "However... The Lord of the Devil Butler is fighting against angels. They're closer to danger than an average human."

Muu: "............ Ugh... Please don't play with my feelings like a toy…"

Elvira: "Oh my… I'm sorry. I'm just answering honestly, though."

Personally, I'm sure Berrien and Ms. Elvira are right.... I felt she was just saying what she thinks without any malice. That's why her fortune-telling results were credible… and made me worry even more.

Berrien: "My Lord… please don’t worry. We will always be by your side to protect you. Whether it is fate or angels.... Nothing will change that fact."

> "Berrien…"

Muu: "Th-that's right... It’s definitely just as Mr. Berrien said. But... if we could save the lord from this ominous fate somehow... Is there anything we can do?"

Elvira: "Oh my… You say the strangest things, Mr. Talking cat.  If you seek an answer for it... You should have it already, haven't you? No... I think it would be more appropriate to say that you have experienced it firsthand."

> "Experienced it...?"

Berrien: "Hmm… Lady Elvira. If you don't mind me asking, what is that 'answer'? Could you please tell us?"

Elvira: "............ No... I can’t answer here. Rather than from other people… Sometimes it is crucial to be aware of things on your own."

Muu: "W-wait! Please don’t tease me, just tell me! If you do... you can touch my ‘paw pads’ until we get to Maginaria!”

Elvira: "......... ……………….."

> (Is she… considering it?)

Elvira: "No... I probably shouldn't give you the answer. Instead... I’ll give you a guidepost."

Muu: "A guidepost?"

Elvira: "Yes. The tarot cards I gave you. You have to take a good look at yourself through those cards."

Berrien: "Take a good look at ourselves……"

Elvira: "And the thoughts that come out of that... Tell it to the lord.  ……That's all."

> "That's all…"

Having said that, Ms. Elvira straightened up… then she just stared at Muu's paws.

Elvira: ".......hints have been sent out. Paw pads… May I touch it for a moment?"

Muu: "C-can't be helped.... Just for a moment, okay?"

Berrien: "Hmm… I'll tell the lord the thoughts that came to me when I looked at the tarot cards... And that will save them from their ominous fate...? What in the world does that mean…"

> "Who knows…"

I wanted to hear the answer from Ms. Elvira, but… She was staring out the window while touching Muu's paws, signaling no desire to continue the conversation.

Elvira: "Oh…"

> "Huh?"

Elvira: "So many birds in the sky... This is an ominous omen…"

Muu: "You're right... It's ominous...  Uh… H-how long are you going to keep touching my paw pads!"

Elvira: "Oh my... Is it over already? For it to end on the way… ……Stingy……."

Muu: "Well, likewise!"

note: when Berrien was inquiring for the answer, he used the word for 'wish', hence the chapter's title.

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