#⠀⠀⠀ ❝i was found by you — nikita.

[your-ace-cousin-clover]

"Sahara Force India Formula One Team invited a few friends to help Nico Hülkenberg and Sergio Perez celebrate 100 #F1 GP entries...."

[theoryandahalf]

ETN Season 3: Final Four Alignment

WTF this is strangely addictive. I can only justify putting this one here because Matpat was in it.

[patheticloser69]

Video about Nikita's apartment, we can finally see in video the famous Hall.

Wow wow wow, I'm back and this time stronger.

(Credits to gitamfetamin X) I found this in the telegram group, please if you have the opportunity go to the group and give them some love because the dedication that they had is incredible)

[multifandomgirl08]

All That I Can Give [Mini Verstappen Series]

Dad!Max Verstappen x Mother!Reader (Established Relationship)

Summary: Another Mother's Day and one of Nikita's first.

Warning(s): Talks of breastfeeding, implied sexual content at the end

A/N: Title from the song Give by Sleep Token.

Words: 4.6k

Previous Part → Next Part Mini Verstappen Masterlist

Max had woken up early today since it was Mother’s Day. He had stayed in bed holding Y/N for a few moments, the feeling of her back against his chest. He opened his eyes taking in the quiet sound of the room with the sun peaking between the curtains. His eyes still felt heavy but he forced them open. He took in the sight of the cream walls, the couch leading to French doors that lead out onto the terrace, and the white sheets around him. He got up out of bed as quietly as he could before taking his phone off its charger.

He walked into his closet and found a pair of sweatpants and a white linen shirt getting dressed before walking through the bedroom to see that Y/N had turned over in bed, her hair now fanned out over her back as she clutched his pillow to her. He heard her let out a content sigh before nuzzling her head further into the sheets.

He had let Y/N sleep while he went to make her a cup of coffee the way she liked. He assumed that he was the only one awake in the house and that Nico and Nikita were still fast asleep.

Max quietly woke Nico up tapping on his bedroom door. Nico shifted in bed a little clutching his bedsheets closer to him. Max gave him a few moments to wake up before asking Nico what he wanted for breakfast. He got a half-muttered response back before letting him go back to sleep. Nico was quick to turn over hugging the stuffed Charizard plush to his chest that he had gotten for Christmas.

Max ended up ordering food from a breakfast place that wasn’t that far from the house. He didn’t want Y/N cooking today, as it was Mother’s Day and she should have it off from doing her normal routine.

He ordered Nico his requested pancakes, your favorite breakfast food, and ordered himself something that his trainer wouldn’t kill him for eating. He locked his phone standing in front of the expensive coffee maker that was put in after the kitchen was redone, watching your beloved mug fill with the brown liquid.

Over the last few months, Max had tried his best to spend more time with you and the kids on his days off. Sylvie would watch the boys one night a week in addition to the time she was there during the day while he was home. You and Max would end up going out to dinner to spend some time together, just the two of you. It was what you both needed. He loved the boys so much, but he missed you.

It was nice, like when you first started dating.

Once the mug was filled with your coffee exactly as you took it Max made his way back downstairs to where the bedrooms were. He stopped by Nikita’s room which was down the hall from the master bedroom, peaking in the open door to see that Nikita was still asleep in his crib.

He finally made his way down the hall back to the master to see you in bed with the red strap of one of your bras peeking out from under the sheets. You normally slept with nothing on when he was home, you must have gotten out of bed at some point while he was wandering around the house. 

Max walked to your side of the bed placing the mug filled with coffee on your nightstand. Max watched as you turned over in the sheets, curling your hand around the edge of his pillow. Your hair was casting a light shadow over your pillow.

Max walked around to his side of the bed, letting the sheets pool around his waist once he was under the covers. He reached down, kissing you on the forehead lightly before your arm moved to settle around his middle.

"Mijn leeuwin," Max whispered into your ear. He heard you groan into his neck. He felt your long eyelashes flutter, tickling his skin, making him stifle a small laugh. He felt you hair move over his arm before your eyes met his.

"Happy Mother's Day, Liefde.” He said. He saw a smile spread across your lips.

“Thank you, Maxy.” He saw her reach her hand up lightly stocking his cheek, and then press herself closer to him kissing his lips.

It wasn't long before she had found a way to discard his white linen shirt at the end of the bed, her delicate fingers pressing into the skin of his naked back, and her other hand moved through his hair that she insisted he did not cut for a while.

His phone let off a loud bzzz sound from the nightstand.

“What’s that?” You asked him.

Max moved up in bed, lying back against the headboard before taking his phone off the nightstand.

“Breakfast,” He said, looking at the Uber Eats notification.

“I could have cooked.” You said resting your head on his chest. Max dropped his phone into the bedsheets. He would need to let the delivery guy past the gate in a few minutes.

“It’s Mother’s Day.” His hand moved up to stroke your cheek. “I don’t want you to do more than you have to today.”

It was a few more minutes before the buzzer went off for the front gate. Max got up, reaching for his phone to let the guy in. He was about to reach for his white shirt before he found it missing from the edge of the bed. You had disappeared into the bathroom. Max watched the little silver Renault car making its way up the driveway.

The sound of your footsteps made him lift his head a little to see you standing in his white linen shirt, and a pair of long white sleep pants.

He moved off the bed slowly walking close to you before pulling you into his chest, "You're stealing my clothes again."

You nodded back at him, quickly kissing him. He gave you a wide smile before pulling him out of the master bedroom and into the hallway so you could wake up Nico, and get Nikita for his morning feed.

Max walked to the front door collecting the bag from the driver. He said a quick thank you before placing it on the kitchen counter.

Nico had walked up the stairs still in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes when you had walked into the room holding Niki in one arm and your cup of coffee in the other.

Breakfast went relatively well. Halfway through Nico managed to spill juice on his rocket-themed pajamas. You told him to finish his breakfast before changing since you would be leaving to go out to lunch with Sophie, and Victoria in a few hours. Tom unfortunately couldn't make it because of something going on with work. It would just be the eight of you today.

Nico ran back downstairs to his room to change out of his sticky clothes. Max tackled putting the leftovers away, and you went into Nikita's room to change him out of the onesie he had slept in. He had been giving off bits and pieces of baby talk the last few weeks, making sounds and laughing when Max would pull a particularly funny face that caught his son's eyes.

You heard a light knock on the doorframe, and looked up to see Max. You were finishing up buttoning Niki’s onesie before going into the drawers to find a pair of pants that he hadn’t grown out of yet.

“Nico’s getting changed.” Max said.

“Did he pull out his Red Bull shirt again?” You asked with a smile. Max gave a small shake of his head, without having to say no.

“I told him no before he could get the chance.” You immediately knew the look that Nico had given Max. It was a pout that made Nico’s lower lip stick out.

You pulled out a pair of soft grey pants for Niki to wear and moved to put them on his little legs as they kicked the air.

“Did he give you his pouting face?” You asked. Max quickly pushed out his lower lip mimicking his son perfectly. You couldn’t help the smile that broke out after.

“Let’s hope that you don’t go pulling that face, huh Niki.” You tap Niki’s nose with your finger.

“Yes, or we will all be in trouble.” Max looked on into the room at both of you seeing you finish dressing Niki.

He watched you moved around the room, picking up Nikita’s diaper bag to restock it with a few things. Pacifier, two clean burp rags, and a few extra diapers just in case.

Max moved to pick Niki up, when he saw you turn towards them both.

“He’s not fully dressed yet.” You said putting your arms down, with the white velcro baby sneakers in your hand.

“I’ll finish dressing him, while you get ready.” Max walked closer taking the shoes from your hand and kisses your temple.

You quickly pulled out the black zip-up jacket out of an open drawer and laid it over the diaper bag. “Okay.” You said lightly brushing your hand over Max’s arm and then slipped out of the room to get ready.

​​

You quickly check your phone before going into your closet to pick out clothes and put on some light makeup. You had to be at the restaurant at 12:30 so you had well over an hour until you would have to leave the house.

You had just finished up putting on your makeup when Max had come wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. He turned the water on in the big walk-in shower.

“I laid Niki down for a short nap before we have to leave.” It was probably a good idea. He would be up the entire time you would be at the restaurant and wouldn’t get a chance to nap until you got home.

You let Max get undressed before looking into the mirror, watching as the water hit the back of his shoulders before moving to put on the dress that you had laid out earlier. It didn’t feel nearly as tight as it did the last time you tried to wear it. You had slowly been losing that last few kilos of what you had gained while pregnant. Max had told you that it didn’t matter if you weren’t at your pre-pregnancy weight, you still looked beautiful.

You had slipped on your engagement ring, wedding band, and a matching diamond band to wear around your other ring finger. Your everyday pair of diamond stud earrings adorned your ears before you pulled your hair to the side to clasp the second one on. The shower had turned off a bit after while you were in your closet looking for a pair of shoes, and moving things from your normal bag into one that you didn’t wear as often.

Max was still getting dressed so you quickly walked into Nico’s room to see him sitting in jeans, a white t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers.

You had walked back into Nikita’s room to see him in his clothes minus the shoes that you had picked out asleep. You quietly moved him into the carrier that clicked into the car seat. It took a few more minutes to put Nikita’s bag by the door, and right after you went into the kitchen to fill a bottle with formula, so Niki could eat if he got hungry. 

“Mama, can I take some of my cars?” Nico came up to you as you slid the bottle into the diaper bag. He was holding three Hot Wheels cars in his hands.

“Sure, but you may want to bring more. I’m sure Luka and Lio will want to play as well.” You suggested. Nico gave you the three cars that were in his hands, placing the blue, silver, and red cars in your hand and then ran back downstairs to his room to grab a few more. You placed them into your purse towards the bottom so they wouldn’t get lost. If you put them into the diaper bag, you wouldn’t be able to find them.

Max had come downstairs shoving his wallet, into the front pocket of the tan Ralph Lauren pants that he was wearing, the Rolex you gifted him sitting proudly on his wrist, with a light blue sweater on.

“Where is Nico?” Max asked quickly looking around the living room.

“He went to go get a few more of his toy cars.” You answered before you heard loud footsteps coming up the stairs. Nico had a few more of the cars in his hands and you had opened the lock of your Birkin for Nico to put them all in. You slid it closed while you heard the jingling sounds of your keys. Max had taken the carrier and your keys. Nico had your hand, as you walked to the dark blue Aston Martin that you normally drove.

After Max had locked the front door, he strapped Nikita into the car seat attachment of the carrier. You had Max drive, your hand on his thigh with his right hand on the steering wheel, only using both hands when he had to make turns. 

Over the last few months, you have grown better at being able to multitask with two kids. Sophie, Victoria, and your nephews would be meeting you at the restaurant from the hotel. You were happy that the restaurant that Sophie had chosen had a preset menu for everyone. It would be easier on all of you given the kids.

When you had gotten to the restaurant, Max gave the key to the valet and followed after you and the boys to go inside. You could see Sophie and Victoria sitting out on the patio, already at a fully set table. You had pushed the stroller forward before stopping and accepting hugs from everyone. Luka and Lio peaked in on their little cousin until Nico had gotten their attention.

Once everyone was at the table, Sophie sat between Nico and You with Nikita in a high chair, so it was as if an adult was sitting between each child. Drinks had been ordered a few moments later when Sophie had started trying to get Nikita to smile from Max’s arms.

The waiter had come back to take your orders and then swiftly left.

“Ma,” You heard in baby babble from Nikita. Nikita didn’t pay Sophie any mind while he was drooling into the sleeve of Max’s light blue shirt. You snapped your head up fast, looking up from Nico over to Nikita.

“Wat Nikita?” You asked him slipping into Dutch a bit. Niki started to make grabby hands at you wanting you to pick him up. It took a moment for it to set in before you looked up at Max to see him smiling wide at you.

It must have been because you had been taking the Dutch lessons that Max was giving you seriously, and you were very slowly able to pick up the language. You were living in Belgium during the off-season, so it only made sense that you learn it.

“Mama!” Nikita loudly whined, his chubby face turning a light shade of red.

“Wil je mama Nikita?” Max asked Nikita. Niki just looked at Max with a blank stare before looking over to you and started to fuss in his Papa’s hold.

You reached toward Max to take Niki from him, marveling at your son whose first word you just heard. Nikita placed his head on your shoulder, moving his little arms back and forth before his little fist clasped around the thin chain around your neck.

“Max, he’s talking?” Victoria asked. Max gave a small shake of his head and then a shrug of his shoulders. He knew that Nikita wasn’t fully talking. It was mostly still sounds, and he would occasionally make grabby hands when he wanted you or Max.

“Not really, he’s mostly still making only sounds.” He answered. Victoria was quick to break into a story about when Lio first started talking.

You leaned down towards Niki, pretending to bump your head against his, “Burum, burum, boop.” Niki let out a loud laugh that felt like it could rival Max’s for a moment.

You looked up after Niki’s eyes shifted over to the little blue car in Nico’s hands. Niki didn’t try to reach for it. When Luka crashed the silver car into Nico’s blue one, Niki dropped his head to your chest, moving to stick his hand in his mouth.

After a few minutes, Niki seemed interested in visiting Sophie and pointed at her. She gave a big smile and was delighted to take her grandson for a bit.

Nico had come up to Max telling him something before Max kissed your forehead and whispered that he was going to take Nico to the bathroom.

“How are you, with the boys?” Victoria asked. She leaned back in her chair and fixed the bracelet on her wrist.

“I’m doing okay, a little tired with my work schedule but Sylvie has been a big help while Max isn’t home.” It hadn’t been easy, especially with your 30+ hour work schedule, but you had been able to manage before Niki was born. It would just take a little while.

“How’s the breastfeeding?” Sophie asked while taking Niki’s fist out of his mouth.

“It was going okay. But Niki eats more than I can pump so we’ve been giving him formula for about a week, he doesn’t seem to mind it.” You reached over and ran your fingers over Niki’s shirt. He looked up at you but didn’t seem like he wanted to leave Sophie’s arms. “He’s a good eater, just like his Papa.”

When Niki was a few months old you found it fascinating that he could fall asleep with the bottle in his mouth. It was like he preferred it over the pacifier. Then when you could take the bottle out, you found out that he was drinking the milk with his eyes closed.

“I remember when Max was really young,” Sophie said. “He would eat anything that I would make.”

You looked on a bit at Luka and Lio who were playing in the grass. They were mostly playing with the toys that Victoria had, abandoning the toy cars when Nico left with Max a few minutes ago.

The waiter had stopped by the table placing food down, when you saw the plate with carpaccio placed in front of you, and the salad bowl in front of Max’s plate, you waited until the waiter had left to switch them around. You looked up afterward to see Sophie laughing and Victoria with a big smile on her face.

You knew that it was strange to switch the plates as Max would eat both items regardless. Sophie gave you a reassuring pat on the arm.

Max had come back with Nico. He sat down in his chair and grinned at the carpaccio in front of his plate.

“Did Nico wash his hands?” You asked Max before he had the chance to reach for his fork. Nico had taken up not washing his hands in the last couple of weeks, saying that it took up too much time.

“He says he did,” Max said while filling his plate.

Nico was already back in his chair, and you quickly reached over for one of his hands to smell the strong scent of soap they used in the restaurant bathrooms. Nico then showed you his hands, his way of saying that they were clean. Nico looked right at you after, “Papa said to watch my hands.”

While Max had been at home after Nikita was born, it seemed like he had become the center of Nico’s world. He did everything that Max asked without complaint, while you sometimes had to ask Nico to make his bed twice, or to put his shoes away. Everything Nico did, Papa needed to be there for.

It was the way the cycle always worked. Max would be home for a few months, and Nico would cling to him like glue. He would play with his cars while Max was sim racing as long as he wasn’t disturbing him until Nico needed to go to bed. By the time June would come around Nico would understand that Max wasn’t home more then a few days a week and would stop depending on him as much.

The rest of the food eventually came. Everyone ate their fill, and you let Nico order something sweet to eat afterwards. Sophie had asked if she could feed Niki and you prepped the bottle with formula only having to ask for hot water that you could cool down with the bottle of still that was on the table. You pretended not to notice when Max had finished the rest of Nico’s desert after he had pushed his plate away.

You were waiting for the bill, and had rested your head against Max’s arm until the waiter came. You pulled away from Max a bit when he reached to pull out his credit card to give to the waiter. Max gave a nod to the waiter who slid the card into the little booklet for the bill.

“Y/N,” Sophie started to say. “Can we get a picture of all the kids?”

You just gave her a nod before asking Nico to go stand with his cousins by the bench that was next to the table. Nico let out a small huff before walking over. Sophie pulled out her phone taking a picture of all of the older boys, having Nico and Luka both hold Niki, after that Max took Sophie’s phone so you, Victoria, and Sophie could be in the photo as well.

There was a waiter walking by who was nice enough to offer to take a picture of all of you together. Max sat next to you with Niki in your arms and Nico at Max’s side, Sophie in the middle, and Victoria, Luka, and Lio to the left. Sophie took her phone back and told you that she would send you a couple of the photos while you were packing up Niki’s diaper bag.

The waiter had come back with Max’s card, he signed the bill leaving a generous tip before you all started making your way back to the cars, offering for Sophie, Victoria, and the boys to come back to the house for a bit.

Once it was pretty late in the evening, Sophie and Victoria said their goodbyes with Luka and Lio giving sleepy waves to both you and Max. Nico was already asleep on the couch, and Nikita was in his bed after Sophie asked if she could put her grandson to bed just before they had left.

Nico sluggishly went up to bed, and you watched to make sure that he brushed his teeth before changing and climbing into his bed. You tucked him in, kissed him on the forehead, and then watched as Max followed suit. Telling Nico good night hearing back a quiet “Night,” back. Max turned off the lights after you both walked out of the room. It was only 10 pm and you know that Max was most likely going to get on his racing sim for a few hours before coming to bed.

You made your way towards the master bedroom, pulling off the rest of your clothes from today, putting your shoes away, taking off your jewelry, and getting out a pair of sweatpants and an old worn-in shirt from the few things you had taken from Max’s closet over the years. It had a few small holes at the bottom hem and had somehow still held the scent of the Bulgari cologne he liked.

You went to wash off your makeup and could hear Max in his own closet, walking around most likely throwing his clothes into the hamper haphazardly. By the time the water was warm in the sink you saw him from the doorway that connected his closet to the bathroom, he was in a white shirt and a silver chain with his white gold and weaved carbon fiber wedding ring looped through it.

He never wore it on race days, always afraid that something might happen to it while he was in the car. So it was given to his trainer for the race on the chain, and was back on his finger the moment he could find his trainer after the race had ended.

You quickly took all of your makeup off, scrubbed your face, turned the water off, and then patted your face dry. When you had walked out to the bedroom, Max was in bed sitting on his phone texting someone back.

You took your laptop off the armchair that sat in the corner of the room and climbed on top of the sheets before opening the computer to see that you had no work emails from today. Holidays seemed to be the one time when everyone from your work was truly unplugged from their work life.

“Movie?” You asked once Max had placed his phone into the nightstand.

“Sure, but if you fall asleep I’m going to get on stream with Enzo and Crane.” Max teased knowing that you had a tendency to fall asleep watching a movie sometimes.

You closed your laptop then placed it on the floor turning over to look at Max. You pressed yourself up against his chest.

“Okay, I just hope Crane knows that he’s not allowed to flirt with you on stream.” You joked placing your hand onto his chest.

Max let out this big almost high pitched laugh, “Wha… Crane?” He dropped his head into his pillow. “Mijn leeuwin, Crane is the last person you need to be jealous of… Daniel on the other hand.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes a bit. You were very aware of Max’s ‘bromance’ with Daniel. Sometimes Daniel would even go as far as to flirt with both you and Max, but never thought anything of it since that was just who Daniel was as a person.

“Well if you ever leave me for Daniel, at least I know that you’ve truly lost it.” You ran your finger over the planes of Max’s chest, stopping just where his sternum ended.

“I’d never leave you for Daniel. What would his wife say?” Max muttered as you curled up at his side with the TV remote in his hand.

“Probably what I would say.”

“And what’s that?” He looked down at you, with a bit of mischief in his eyes.

You moved the climb into his lap pressing your chest against his, “That I’ll make you live to regret leaving me.”

Max moved up just a bit before turning you onto your back. He boxed you in with your hands above your head, holding you down into the sheets, with one of his thick thighs forcing your legs open. You found a way to lock one of your legs around Max’s waist, your lips quickly met in a short kiss, a longer one followed, and soon after the TV remote was forgotten.

A while later you were pressed up against Max’s chest, feeling his fingers running over your naked back as you could feel the sweat slowly cooling against your skin. You pressed a few light kisses just under Max’s collar bone where his chest was flushed pink, feeling him shift under you, while he was still settled inside you with his hand on your lower back. You tucked your head against Max’s jaw, the feeling of the slow rise and fall of his chest lulling you to sleep.

“Happy mother’s day, Mijn leeuwin.” You heard whispered into your hair.

You said nothing back and just tightened your arm that was over Max’s chest.

Translation(s):

Was Nikita? - What Nikita?

Wil je Mama Nikita? - Do you want Mama Nikita?

Mini Verstappen taglist: @karmabyfernando, @barcagirly, @sachaa-ff, @iamahallucinationnn, @musingsbyshreya, @glow-ish, @nonsensical-nonsence, @fanboyluvr, @champomiel, @gothicwidowsworld, @lighttsoutlewis, @itsalwaysgay, @minkyungseokie, @mynameisangeloflife, @ursforever129, @aundercover, @bborra, @mindless-rock, @cixrosie, @barcelonaloverf1life, @taylorslovesswifties13, @konsti081, @mellowarcadefun, @smnthnclj, @brekkers-whore, @lpab

[nopanamaman]

Q&A: Nikita Reizner

Character interview. January 2024

Well, well, well, if it isn't everyone's most behated teacher. Today Nikita Danilovich will answer some of your most popular questions. The interview is image based, but you can find a transcript at the bottom.

Let's get to it!

TRANSCRIPT

VIOLET_GALAXIE asks: What’s your favorite artefact you’ve found in the Zone?

Nikita: I don't have an impressive resume in that regard. My job wasn't to collect artefacts, it was to keep those who do alive. I guess dropping my glasses that one time made for a useful trinket…

MOONPATCH asks: So, off the record, how tempted were you to try and kill/disappear Yura when he blackmailed you? Even if you decided against it, did the thought cross your mind at any point?

Nikita: Of course. That would be the easiest solution. Ah, but I’d prefer not to resort to that. I do not like violence. Regardless, I couldn’t do much after being seen by Sokolov. 

At the end of the day, threats to the family are just more practical.

DYMESTL asks: What is your relationship to the Kazarins? What made you want to work with them?

Nikita: Kolya knew the group Victor was part of first, I joined later. Had I not, that scatterbrain would bite the dust a decade earlier. 

The Kazarins are good folks. All of them. Victor was great. Maria, too. Their relationship, not so much. (She hated us. Really.) 

Well, even if both of them were still here with us, Sasha and Serozha would never grow up… normal. In the plainest sense of that word. But it’s only natural. People like us, stalkers - we’re poison to our families.

BRANDON ONTAMA asks: What's your relationship with Sanya? Any fond memories with her?

Nikita: Oh, Sashka? She ran to me whenever she and Serozha had arguments. Which was great, because I got her to check lab works for me.

Ah, and her cultural development is entirely my achievement. Books, films, documentaries. Scary to think what she’d become if she grew up watching nothing but those… animes.

REKANOCHI asks: Tell us about your daughters!

Nikita: I’m aware they exist. Two girls, apparently. But I was never stated as the father. I cannot contact them.

WALNUT: Do you know how Nadya’s doing these days?

Nikita: …She is dead.

[totaly-obsessed]

Questions

Mary Earps x reader request

-> Mary gets jealous of the Reader for getting all the glory after an outstanding game -> requested by @michellelawrence222 under a different story - I hope you like it!

-> Cursing

a/n: I'll try to catch up with requests next week - Uni is killing me rn.

➳ Masterlist

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Playing on the same team as Mary, your fiancé, was the best scenario there was for you. Not only could you play with your partner – but your job was your childhood hobby. Your life was a literal dream.

And so was Mary – she was your dream, your future.

She always paid attention to you, valued you and your opinions, and helped you find your voice and ultimately yourself. She was an angel sent from heaven – a much-needed sign of peace for you and your chaotic life when you had met her all those years ago.

But a side not many people got to see from your girlfriend was her jealous one. The goalkeeper was usually the calm and organized one in your relationship, but when someone got just a little too close to you? All thoughts went out the window.

You found it quite cute. Yourself not ever able to imagine yourself with anyone else than her, not even able to pay attention or able to think of anyone else than her. But Mary, sweet Mary tended to get jealous or as she liked to call it ‘protective’.

It wasn’t intense or overbearing. She didn’t make you change clothes or stay home or any of that cliché stuff you see in the movies. Mary just liked to know that you were hers and that she was yours.

Whenever she got jealous her cheeks would turn red, her brows furrowed and her cheeks would puff up, desperately trying to calm herself down.

But that certain day was a little different, she was jealous of you, not someone who got too close to you. You.

As a striker who scored as often as possible, you were often in the spotlight – seen as a ‘savior of the club’ – while Mary was the unsung hero. She worked hard. Day and night to get better and to be the best goalkeeper in the WSL. But the recognition got lost somewhere you could not understand – your fiancés's biggest fan.

On that unfortunate day, you had scored two goals in the second half after Nikita Parris had scored in the first, while Mary had scraped every ball off her own goal line, making this one of the best games of the season for Manchester United.

Yet the applause for Mary’s efforts fell short, all eyes on you and Nikita. Your fiancé had enough. How come she did everything she could to keep the score zero on their side, but no one cared? If she had let all those shots on goal in, this would be a very different situation and she would have been heckled by fans and critics alike.

After the game you were on a winning high, like everyone else on your team – it was a great game. But Mary was scowling in a corner, not even looking at you. Meanwhile, every interviewer there wanted to speak to you and you did your best to talk to each and everyone.

Once you finally entered the dressing room it was mostly empty, aside from your fiancé who looked busy sorting through her bag. “Hey, baby. You did so well! I’ll shower real quick and then we can go, hmm?” You pressed a sweet kiss to her cheek, a little weirded out by her jerking her head in the other direction, and letting out a grunt.

The drive home was tense. You had hurried so much that your hair was still wet and you were missing your socks, trying not to make Mary wait any longer – you thought she was annoyed with you because you took so long doing the interviews.

Her left hand which usually found its home on your thigh was clutching the gear stick. The silence was swallowing you whole at this point – and it felt like shit.

At home she stomped into the bathroom, getting ready for bed. Meanwhile, you did your best to cook up a decent meal out of the stuff you had left in your cabinets – it eventually came down to a pasta dish.

But Mary didn’t make her way down, while you waited patiently on the couch, your partner's favorite show already lined up on the TV.

You had already called out for her, texted her, and knocked at the bathroom door – but she never made her way out to you. Tears brimmed your eyes as you sat the meal in silence in the harsh kitchen light. The usual setting of the couch made it clear that something was wrong – so you avoided it.

Maybe she just needed to wind down by herself, just some alone time?

But after three hours and falling asleep on the couch twice, you decided to head up to bed, packing Mary’s dinner portion into a Tupperware box in the fridge.

The bathroom door was now open and the lights were shut off. At least she had left the room.

The blonde was already in bed, a book in her cramping hands as she ignored your presence. “Mary?” She didn’t even look up. “I left your dinner in the fridge. Do you want me to heat it up for you? I can bring it up and you can eat in bed if you would like?”

She still eyed the book, aggressively turning the page which nearly teared under the force she had used.

It felt like walking on eggshells as you got ready for bed – leaving the bathroom door slightly open, scared that she would just vanish from the bed. The silence nearly drove you mad as Mary’s tense jaw shifted from one side to the other.

Eventually, you sat down on your side of the bed, feet still on the ground as you had your back to your fiancé. Your hands fidgeted nervously. Had you done something wrong? Why was she so mad at you?

“You really put in a shift tonight baby, you did so well.” The scoff that left the goalkeeper's mouth was immediate. You could not really understand why – she really did play great tonight and while she was her own harshest critic, she usually knew when she did well. “No, you really did! That dive you made-“

“Will you just shut up?” Oh. So, you really were the problem here – good to know.

You nearly wanted to vomit with how sick to your stomach you felt but if you being quiet made her happy, you would be quiet. Tears streamed down your cheeks as you slid off your slippers, finally getting into bed, your back still turned to the love of your life.

Mary however didn’t care – in fact, she rolled her eyes at you. “Do you want praise for shutting up as well?” Her voice was cutting and you nearly didn’t recognize her. Gone were her soft eyes and lingering touches, instead you could feel a hate-filled stare hit your back as you remained quiet – sobbing into a pillow.

“Give me a second and I’ll post it for you: ‘Star striker good at staying quiet – she deserves a fucking Oscar’ Maybe if you beg you will finally earn a trophy instead of praise.”

Who was this person in your bed?

“I don’t understand what’s happening Mary. How c-“ The blonde started laughing like a maniac. Maybe she was just tired from the game and the stress. “Of course, you don’t fucking see what is wrong! Too busy bathing in the glory while I do all the goddamn dirty work!”

Mary had gotten out of bed, pacing up and down the open floor, pulling at her hair while mumbling to herself. “What if I hadn’t been there, huh?” she was shouting now, angrily gesturing through the air “Who would have stopped them from coming? No matter how many goals ya would have scored, still would have lost without me.”

You flinched as your cold feet hit the ground but your cheeks were still hot in anger, the tears on them nearly evaporating. “Where are you going now?” Mary looked well and truly out of her mind, crying as well. “I’m gonna sleep on the couch. Maybe you should just go to sleep and calm down. Drink some water as well, huh? I love you – good night.”

Your voice was curt as you pressed a short kiss to her cheek, tasting the salt of mixed tears. But you left your fiancé no place to argue as you left the room while she could just stare after you.

The couch was comfortable enough to spend a night as you desperately hoped that she would just come to her senses overnight. It felt like someone had body-switched the woman you loved so much, for someone really mean.

But Mary couldn’t sleep, lying awake in your usually shared bed, clutching your pillow to her chest – what had gotten into her? How were you to blame for the people not recognizing her efforts and work? You were the first to congratulate her on everything, always making sure to mention her in post-match interviews.

If there was anyone at fault it certainly was not you.

Fuck.

You could hear her trudging down the stairs before you could see her, as she stood still behind the couch, nearly standing like a ghost in the kitchen. “You wanna say something?” The nervous gulp showed you that the goalkeeper didn’t expect you to still be awake.

“I’m sorry – I fucked up.”

A sigh so deep that it nearly knocked out the rest of the air in your lugs, left your lips as you sat up again – your head would surely kill you, as a headache already forming from all the crying. Mary sat down on the spot that you had cleared for her.

“Say it again, to my face and tell me what has gotten into you.”

Gone was the scared woman from the bedroom, you’ve had enough. If she wanted to behave like a child you would treat her like one. Mary took your hands into hers, shocked at how cold they were. Her eyes met yours in an ashamed gaze, looking up through her lashes.

“I am sorry for treating you the way I did. I was angry that you had gotten all the glory after the game – but that wasn’t your choice and I shouldn’t have come at you because of it.”

Even in the dark Livingroom, you could see the frustrated tears making their way down her cheeks, wetting your hand as she pressed a kiss to it.

“I accept your apology, Mary.” She could finally breathe, pulling you closer to her and giving you the first of many kisses.

“Pull something like that again and I will kill you.”

You would always be her number one fan, and maybe you just needed to show her that bit more, tell her after more games how well she did – talk about her in more interviews because no matter how frustrating life could be – she was the answer to all your questions.

[vivwritesfics]

In Bloom

Chapter One

Max wasn't like other Hogwarts students. He was having to live with the terrible things his father had done. Everybody expected him to turn out like his father, but he was the furthest thing from. He just needed two people to see that

Lestappen X Reader

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Okay so this follows the basic plot of the Harry potter books (from memory), with some major differences to fit our drivers. A list of which Harry potter each driver relates to can be found HERE

Series Masterlist

Max Verstappen could still remember the dread he felt as he stepped up to the sorting hat at just eleven years old. Everybody avoided him on the train, and he'd waited at the back of the queue to be sorted.

Not Slytherin, he thought as he climbed those stairs. Anything but Slytherin.

It came as no surprise that he was sorted into Slytherin. His entire family had been, and he was no different. 'There wasn't a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin,' he'd heard somebody say before the sorting.

But even Slytherin didn't want him. He went to sit down and everybody shuffled away from him, giving him plenty of space. Even in his newfound house, even with the people that were supposed to be like his family, as professor Vettel had said, he felt alone.

Unable to look past his own dread, Max had failed to notice something. He failed to notice the boy with his hair covering his forehead and eyes, definitely impairing his vision. Even when the boys name was called, Max didn't notice.

He shouldn't have been surprised to hear the name 'Leclerc Charles' called. He was the boy that had defeated his father, after all. The whispers began as soon as his name was called. Gryffindor, his new house, cheered as he ran to join them. The same thing happened for Max just moments later, but without the cheering. They were like mythical creatures to the other students in the hall. Well, Charles was. Max was more like a circus freak.

First year for Max Verstappen was incredibly lonely. All anybody wanted to talk to him about was his father. They were all questions he couldn't answer because he didn't know his father. He had been destroyed when Max was only a year old.

Flying lessons were Max's favourite. He'd grown up watching Quidditch with his mother, even playing it sometimes. She'd played it for her entire life, up until she met Jos. It was in Max's blood. Max was determined to show Professor Button just what he could do to be put on the Slytherin team. No first year had ever made it onto the team before, he was determined to be the first.

Max tried to act shocked when Professor Button went to Professor Alonso, the head of Slytherin house, and begged him to put Max on the Qudditch team. "He's the best thing this schools ever seen!" Professor Button insisted.

Professor Alonso gave him a trial period. One match to prove he could keep up with the older kids on the team. For Max Verstappen, it was the easiest thing in the world.

This was the stuff of legend in Hogwarts. But it was overshadowed by Charles Leclerc and his idiot friends.

Max didn't know what happened to Charles, Esteban and Pierre under the school. It was all speculation and rumours. Nobody know whether they fought a dragon or found the legendary philosophers stone. Only Professor Schumacher knew that. Professor Schumacher and Charles.

Max heard all of the rumours. He ignored them as best he could. But there was one rumour that he couldn't shake. "Someone said that it was your dad Charles was fighting under the school," said Nikita, a fellow Sytherin and a massive dickhead. "Said he killed him, again."

Max couldn't stop his reaction. He leapt out of his seat in the common room and swung his fist at Nikita, hitting him square in the jaw. Nikita stumbled back, holding his jaw. Shock played on his face, but it soon turned into a smile. "You're going to regret," he started. "Didn't you know my father is close, personal friends with the minister?"

"I didn't ask, Nikita," Max spat as he walked away, leaving the common room all together.

First year wasn't all bad for Max. No, he made history on the Quidditch team and he made a few friends. Lando and Daniel, two Hufflepuffs with the widest smiles and hearts of gold.

He met Daniel first. He was maybe the first person Max had ever properly gotten along with. He found a kindred spirit in Daniel. He was maybe the funniest person Max had ever met.

Daniel had introduced Max to Lando halfway through their first year. Max had never had that connection with anybody. He finally knew what it was like to have friends, and it felt amazing. For the first time since arriving at the school, Max was himself. He was happy, funny, bubbly. Every joke Max cracked had Daniel folded at the waist, hands on his knees as he laughed.

Their friendship continued into Max and Lando's second year. Daniel was just that little bit older, going into his fourth year.

Second year was the first proper run in that Max had with Charles Leclerc. It had been a shit day for Max, Nikita was being an ass and his potions test scores were less than perfect. He was pissed at himself. His escape was the quidditch pitch. It was supposed to be empty. He could fly around, weaving in and out of the stands and goal hoops as much as he liked.

But he wasn't alone. No, somebody else was opening the box of quidditch supplies. Max hung back, watching to see what Charles did. He watched as Charles tucked the quaffle under his arm and mounted his broom.

He wasn't even on the quidditch team for his house. What was he doing there? But, the more Max watched, the more he understood. He watched as Charles flew around with skill. He did what Max was going to do, weaving around the stands and through the goal hoops, all with the quaffle tucked under his arm. It was no easy accomplishment. Max was thoroughly impressed.

He gave Charles a nod as he mounted his broom and flew around. They stayed away from each other that time, practiced without disturbing one another.

As soon as Max was done, he rushed to Professor Buttons office. He was still in his quidditch robes, his fingers a little frozen as he held his broom. "Professor," he called as he knocked on the door. "Can I talk to you?"

Max would never tell Charles Leclerc that he was the reason he was on the quidditch team. They hadn't spoken two words to each other yet, Max couldn't imagine a time where they'd be that friendly.

In his second year of Quidditch Max proved himself to be better than anyone expected. But, with the addition of Charles to the Gryffindor team, Slytherin finally had some real competition.

But the year wasn't all sparkles and rainbows. Not when the attacks started. Muggleborns being petrified, it was terrifying.

When the chamber of secrets was opened, everybody turned to Max. His father had opened it last time, hadn't he? So it only made sense that he opened it this time.

Those were the first words Charles Leclerc spoke to him. "Did you open the chamber of secrets?"

Mac couldn't hide the shock on his face. "Are you kidding me? Why would I want to attack muggleborns?" One of his best friends was muggleborn, for goodness sake.

But still, Charles wouldn't leave it alone. Things only got worse when Esteban was petrified. Charles cornered Max, demanded he fixed what he had done. All Max could do was express condolences and walk away.

But then Daniel was petrified. "Fuck," Max choked out when Lando told him. He followed him to the hospital wing and rushed straight to Daniels side. He wouldn't leave, not until his best friend was up and moving. The nurses were too afraid of him to pull him away.

Golden boy Charles saved the day. He found out who had been opening the chamber, a little first year who had no control over her actions. A cure for the petrifications was made using Mandrakes and Esteban and Daniel were on their feet just before the end of the year.

Max had been avoiding Charles. Ever seen his confronted him over Esteban, he wanted nothing to do with him. He and everyone else would always see him as the villain. It was so sad to learn that at just twelve years old.

But Charles found him. He cornered him once again, but this time, his expression was soft. "I'm sorry," he said.

Max looked at the floor, his jaw tight.

"It was wrong of me to assume that you're the one who opened the chamber. I realise that now," he continued.

Max let out something of a snort. "Just because my dad is a monster, it doesn't mean I am," was all he said. He pushed past him, trying to get away, trying to get to the end of year feast. But, before he could get too far, he stopped and turned back towards Charles. "If you want any chance of beating us in Quidditch next year, you should get a haircut, stop it from going in your eyes."

Just before the start of their third year, mass murderer Nico Rosberg escaped from Azkaban. Max remembered reading it in the paper. He read the headline out loud and his mother let the plate she was holding slip from her grasp. "Nico got out?" She asked as she rushed over.

Max nodded his head and showed her the paper. "I wanna know how he got past the dementors," he said with curiosity. He then turned to his mother. "Did you know him?"

It wasn't often she spoke about her time with Jos. From the little bits Max knew, it was awful and Max was the only good thing to come from it.

She shook her head. "He started Hogwarts just as I was finishing. I remember hearing his name a lot. He was always causing some sort of trouble with his best friend."

Max dropped the topic. The news article had said that Nico had been a supporter of his father. If he was out, maybe he was going to try and finish the job on Charles.

At the first feast of the year, a new teacher was introduced. Professor Hamilton, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for the year. But that wasn't all. Max watched from the Slytherin table as Lando walked into the hall, his arm around a pretty girl. He knew Lando had other friends, had seen him with this girl a few times. But he didn't know her, not at all.

It was indescribable how pretty she was. Max's eyes followed as she sat herself down between Lando and his other Hufflepuff friend, Max (Fewtrell).

Max tried really hard not to stare, but it was damn near impossible. She was his very first crush, and he didn't even know her name.

For the few classes he shared with Hufflepuff, Max tried to get Lando to tell him her name. Maybe it was because Lando wasn't the sharpest tool in the box, but he just wasn't getting it. Max was being as obvious as he could be, without saying anything at all.

The day he learnt her name was the same day that he watched her run up to Chatles Leclerc and plant a kiss on his cheek. Maxs face fell. She was his first crush, and she was with somebody else. That was just his luck.

She was with Charles, that was clear. Max saw the way he placed his arm over her shoulders while they talked with Lando. So, why the hell was Lando introducing her to Max in the middle of charms?

She held her hand out to him, a lovely smile on her face. "I can't believe you two haven't met before," Lando said as he sat on the table.

Max couldn't quite believe he was shaking her hand. He had no clue what to say to her and, in a desperate bid to make a good first impression, he made a terrible one

But it didn't matter. The next time Max saw her was care of magical creatures with professor Brown. As with every lesson, Nikita made an ass of himself. Max couldn't help but shut him down, and that seemed to impress her.

But Nikita didn't know when to quit. It was his fault the beast struck him. It was his fault he'd sustained such an injury to his arm.

It was all he could talk about for the next few weeks. Max didn't know what would happen to the beast that had 'attacked' Nikita. Nikita boasted about a trial, about the beast being put to death. Of course, Max didn't believe it, not until he saw her crying about it.

She was too pretty to cry, Max thought as he watched her across the hall. She sat at the Gryffindor table, leaning against Charles as he rubbed her back. That should have been him, Max couldn't help but selfishly think.

On the day of the beasts execution, Max followed her and Charles down to Professor Brown's hut. He stayed behind them, watching as she swung her fist towards Nikita. Good, he thought. It was what that prick deserved.

She and Charles didn't notice him as they stepped into Professor Brown's hut. But Professor Brown did. "Come on in, Max," he said, stepping aside to let her and Charles see him.

Charles didn't scowl, like Max had expected. He gave him a sad smile as she stepped towards him, holding him. "It's awful, Max," she sobbed against his shirt. "They're going to kill him because Nikita is an asshole."

Max stood there, looked at Charles over the top of the head. There was a minute before he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed slightly.

"I found something of yours," said Professor Brown as he guided her away from Max. He grabbed a shoe box and opened it up, revealing her pet rat.

She didn't show up to Hogwarts with an owl, cat, rat or toad. This rat she had found at the station and, in a bid of desperation, she picked him up. He was so tame, she figured he had to be a magical rat.

Before they knew it, they were being ushered out of the hut by Professor Brown. They hid behind shrubbery as Professor Schumacher, the head master, brought Bernie Ecclestone, the minister, and the executioner, down to the hut.

As soon as the three of them had their backs to the students, Max and Charles got her back to the castle. They got halfway there before the sound of the axe hitting something stopped them.

Her gasp rang in the boys ears and she turned towards Charles, burying her face in his chest as she cried. "It's okay, chérie. I've got you."

But, suddenly, he didn't have her. Suddenly she was on the floor, screaming as a vicious, hairy beast dragged her towards the womping willow, its jaws clamped around her leg. Charles screamed her name as he ran after her, but the tree fought back.

Fuck, Max thought as he ran after Charles. The tree attacked them however it could, keeping them away from the tunnel the beast had dragged her down.

Charles dodged those he could, but one smacked him in the chest and he went flying back, the air knocked from his lungs when he landed. Max had gotten closer to the tunnel entrance. He jumped over the trees limbs when they came towards him, getting to the tunnel entrance in minutes.

But he couldn't leave Charles behind. The tree didn't fight him as he ran back towards him. "Come on," Max grunted, grabbing Charles's hand and pulling him to his feet.

The tree once again tried to stop them. Max kept a hold of Charles's hand, pulling him around the attacking limbs. They ducked and dodged and jumped. But one limb managed to knock them both over. Max immediately grabbed the limb and Charles grabbed a hold of him.

They were lifted into the air, the tree trying to throw them off. But it was doing do in a pattern, one Max easily deciphered. "Hold on!" He shouted to Charles, who just squeezed him tighter.

At the right moment Max let go of the branch, falling into the tunnel entrance. Charles was right behind him, landing on top of him. "Sorry," Charles said, taking his hand and helping him up. He pulled his wand from his back pocket and held it out in front of him. "Lumos," he whispered and the tunnel lit up.

Holding his wand out in front of them, Charles led the way through the tunnel. They followed paw prints until they weren't paw prints anymore, but feet, the soles of battered shoes against the dirt.

When they got to a set of old and unstable steps, Max and Charles looked at each other. She was up there, she had to be.

"Nox," Charles whispered. The first step creaked under his foot and he nervously looked to Max. But they climbed the stairs anyway. The closer they got to the top of the stairs, they more they could hear her pained gasps. The two of them hurried.

Charles couldn't stop himself from kicking the door open. "Charles, Max, no!" She cried, grasping her bloody leg. "It's a trap, he's an animagus!"

As the door swung shut behind them, Max and Charles turned around. There he was, his striped jumpsuit tattered and dirty. The smile he wore was grim and his blonde hair was long and disgusting.

Immediately, Max and Charles put their bodies between her and Rosberg. The escaped convict's smile only grew as he took a step forward. "Move aside." His eyes were focused on Max. "It's not you that I want."

But Max stood in front of them protectively. "If you want to get to either of them, you have to go through me."

Rosberg laughed. "Stupid boy," he said through his laugh. "I don't want either of them, I want him," he said, pointing at her.

Her body tembled as she held her mangled leg. The rat in her pocket was squeaking uncontrollably. "I-I'm a girl!" She cried.

But Rosberg let out an exasperated sigh. He lifted his wand.

"Expelliarmus!"

Professor Hamilton, that years defence against the dark arts teacher, stood in the door way. It wasn't a surprise that none of them heard him coming up the stairs, not with the way adrenaline was running through them.

Professor Hamilton looked at the kids and then at Rosberg. And then he dropped his wand and stepped forwards, pulling him into his embrace. "Good to see you, old friend," he said, clapping him on the back.

"What the fuck?" Max couldn't help himself. He held his wand out in front of him. "I trusted you, and this entire time you've been working with him? You've been on my dad's side, too?"

"Max, you don't understand," Hamilton replied, holding his hand up. "This entire time I thought that Nico did all of those terrible things. But then Charles came to me and said he saw someone on the map that I believed to be dead. Sergio Perez."

"Well, the map was wrong, then!" Charles called. He had migrated over to her, crouching by her side. She wasn't okay and there was nothing he could do.

Hamilton shook his head. "The map never lies," he said. "It could only mean one thing, Charles. That Checo was alive and he was the reason your parents are dead."

Slowly, Charles stood up. He pulled his wand from his pocket as he walked forward. "That's not true," he said. "It couldn't have been him because he died. Rosberg killed him and all they could find was-"

"A finger! Chopped it off and escaped into the sewers, he did," Rosberg finished.

Hamilton looked past them as Charles tried to process everything in his mind. "Your rat, please," said Hamilton as he looked at her.

"What? No! What do you want with him?" She cried as she pulled him from her pocket and held him close to her chest. But Professor Hamilton was still advancing, reaching for the rat.

It was Charles that stopped him. He held his hand up, asking Professor Hamilton to just give him a moment, before crouching down to her height. "Please, chérie. I need you to trust me," he said, reaching for the rat.

For just a moment, she stared at Charles. He thought he was going to have to pry the rat from her hands and lose her trust forever. But she willingly gave the rat to Charles, who handed it to Professor Hamilton.

"We do this together," said Rosberg as he grabbed his wand from the floor.

"Expelliarmus!"

Once again, Rosbergs wand went flying out of his hands. Hamilton kept ahold of the rat as they wheeled around to find the head of Slytherin house.

"I told Schumacher," Alonso began as he walked into the room. "I said from the minute you arrived that you were trouble. And here you are, helping your old friend into the castle. Well, Lewis, you can have Nico's old cell once the dementors give him that kiss. I've heard they're looking forward to it. Got a cell in the tower waiting for you."

"Oh, piss off, little Nando no mates," Nico spat, but suddenly Fernando had his wand against his neck. Instantly, Nico stilled.

Fernando turned his attention to the kids. "You three, get back to the castle."

But they weren't going anywhere. Max knew it, Charles knew it, and she couldn't move.

Fernando quickly turned his attention back to Lewis and Nico. Before he could begin talking, Charles had raised his wand. "Expelliarmus!"

It was just meant to disarm Alonso, not send him flying back into the wall, knocking him out cold. "Shit, Charles," Max said through something of a grin. "You attacked a teacher."

But Charles didn't care about that. "Show me Perez," he demanded.

Hamilton and Rosberg were only too happy to oblige. Hamilton placed the rat onto the floor. He and Rosberg pointed their wands at the rat, sending silent spells in his direction.

The rat kept going, seemingly dodging the magic. But then, he wasn’t a rat at all. It wasn't clear which one cast the incantation, but a small-ish man in tattered clothing stood in the place of the rat. The most damning piece of evidence? His missing finger.

Charles couldn't quite believe his eyes. So Rosberg hadn't been the cause of his parents death. It had been Perez all along. Rosberg was an innocent nan, wrongfully imprisoned for all of those years.

"We do this together," said Rosberg. Hamilton nodded and, together, they pointed their wands at Perez.

"No, no, no!" He cried, scurrying across the floor. He quickly moved past Charles,towards her. "Girl, sweet girl," he said as she attempted to shuffle away from him. But, with her leg, she couldn't get far enough. "You won't let them hurt me, will you?"

Max pushed Perez away from her. "Leave her alone," he said through something of a snarl.

"Don't kill him," Charles said as he looked to Hamilton and Rosberg. "Take him to the castle. The dementors can have him and you could go free," he said, eying Rosberg.

Rosberg couldn't quite believe it. He cast a spell that bound Perez and lifted Alonso into the air.

"Oh, chérie," Charles whispered. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead before lifting her into his arms. She let out a small cry as Charles adjusted her, her injured leg brushing against his arm. But she locked her arms around his neck.

Max led the way. His wand was out, light coming from it as tye group of seven made their way back through the tunnel towards the school. Periodically Max turned around, looking at Charles as he carried her. That should have been him, he thought again.

Max climbed out of the tunnel first. He turned taking her body from Charles. One by one they climbed out of the tunnel. She stood on her uninjured leg as Alonso's still unconscious body was placed on the ground. Rosberg and Hamilton wandered a little way away from the group,the two of them looking up at the castle.

"How're you feeling, chérie?" Charles asked. He hardly called her by any other name. She gave a weak, pained smile. That was all Charles needed before he was pulling her body into his own, letting her rest against him.

Suddenly, Hamilton made a noise. A low, guttural noise, something inhuman. He looked away from the castle, his jaw slack and his eyes distant as he stared at the moon. The full moon.

"Shit," Rosberg hissed. Max stood to attention, placing himself between the changing werewolf and his friends. "Lewis, not now!" Nico cried wrapping his arms around him, as if trying to hold him together. "Any time but now!"

But Hamilton was still changing. His limbs were elongating, a thin layer of hair covering his skin. His clothes were shredded from his skin as his snout formed and hid ears sharpened.

Realising that he could do nothing, Nico let go out Lewis. He transformed into his animagus form, putting himself between the werewolf and the students.

At first, Hamilton barely moved. His breathing was heavy as he took just a moment to recover from the transformation.

As best as she could, she hopped forwards. "Chérie," Charles hissed in warning, trying to keep a hold of her.

She couldn't push him away, couldn't stand on her own as she looked at the werewolf. "Professor?" She called. "Professor Hamilton?"

The beast raised its head. The howl it let out echoed around the castle grounds. It was enough to rouse Professor Alonso from his temporary time out. "You!" He cried, pointing an accusing finger at Charles. Charles, who didn't much care, Charles, who was more concerned with getting her as close to him as possible.

When Alonso turned and around saw the beast, he threw his arms protectively around the three of them, keeping them behind him. There wasn't much else he could do but watch, his body shielding them, as Nico jumped at the beast.

The werewolf immediately threw him off, but Nico came back, this time doing damage. But again, the werewolf tossed him to one side. This time, Nico didn't get back up.

With his threat neutralised, the werewolf turned his attention back to the four of them. He got down onto all fours and slowly stalked forward. His slow pace only seemed to indicate that he was toying with them, that, no matter what they did, they were his prey.

Suddenly, from way in the distance, there was a howl. Hamilton turned towards it. He howled once more himself before he took off, running in the direction the howl had come from and completely ignoring his once prey.

As soon as Hamilton was gone, Charles passed her to Max. "Get her to the hospital wing!" He shouted as he took off running.

"Leclerc!" Alonso bellowed, but he made no move to go after him. "Get back here!"

But Charles was gone, disappearing off to wherever Nico was.

Her arms locked around Max's neck as he picked her up. Suddenly he was thinking quidditch for the useful muscles it had given him. "I'm sorry to put you through all of this," she whispered as her head fell against his shoulder.

He shook his head. "You didn't put me through anything," he replied. He so desperately wanted to kiss her head like he had seen Charles do. "Besides, if I wasn't here Professor Alonso would be carrying you. Do you really want that?" He asked and she let out a little giggle.

A small amount of pride blossomed in his chest.

At the hospital wing Max was asked to leave. But he refused. There was no way in hell he was just going to leave her. It was the only time he threw his name around to get his way.

At some point in the night Charles was brought into the hospital wing. He looked awful, like he had tried to drive a race car after suffering from appendicitis. But the nurse had confirmed that he was alive.

Max didn't sleep much that night. He stayed up, watching over his friends, recounting the events. It wasn't Nico Rosberg who had killed all of those people in the name of his father. It was Sergio Perez. Perez had gotten away in the commotion of their teacher being a fucking werewolf. It was crazy, but Max didn't know how he hadn't spotted it soon. Lupin took a few days a month off, Max just didn't notice that they were around the time of a full moon.

But Perez had gotten away, his father's loyal dog had gotten away, and Max would never forgive himsed.

He didn't know when he had fallen asleep. But, when he woke up, Pierre and Esteban sat around Charles. "I can't believe you went with him instead of us," Pierre muttered as he gestured to Max. Max simply sat up straighter, scowling in return.

"He saved her," was all Charles said as he nodded towards the girl sleeping beside Max.

The three of them continued to talk, and Max tried his best not to listen in. But it was harder than it looked when he constantly heard his name being dropped. They could fucking talk about him, he didn't care. By this point, he just didn't care.

When the doors flew open and Professor Schumacher strode in, Esteban and Pierre stood up. "Esteban, Pierre," the professor said. They said goodbye to Charles and walked past their head teacher. But, before they could get too far, Professor Schumacher grabbed a hold of Pierre. What he said to Pierre was too hushed for anybody else to hear, but it had him pulling something from beneath his shirt and striding towards the boys.

"Max, Charles," he said and Max left his chair, coming to stand beside Charles. Wordlessly, Professor Schumacher placed something over their heads.

Max picked up the necklace. "A time turner?"

"What's a time turner?" Asked Charles.

But Professor Schumacher didn't answer his question. "Two turns should do it," he said. "And you should be able to set everything right. Remember, don't let anybody see you," he said and strode out of the hospital wing.

Max turned the time turner. "How on earth did Pierre get one of these?" He asked as he spun it twice, and the room around them moved backwards. Professor Alonso carried Charles out of the hospital wing and Max took her back outside. Other students came and left, time still turning around them.

When it, at last, stilled, Max pulled the time turner from around their necks and placed it in his pocket. "Come on," he said as he grabbed Charles's hand.

As he pulled him out of the hospital wing, Max checked the time on his watch. "It's 5PM, where were we at five?"

Charles took a moment to think. "Ugh, I know I was taking her down to see Zac," he answered. "She punched Nikita."

Knowing exactly where to go, Max pulled Charles along. He pulled him through the halls, towards where they already were. But, suddenly, Max stopped. "Wha-" Charles began, but Max put his hand over his mouth, silencing him as he pulled him into an alcove.

The Max from before, the one that had been following Charles and her, turned for just a second. But, when she swung at Nikita, it distracted him long enough for the Max from the future to pull Charles outside.

"Max, what the hell?" Charles hissed as they watched Nikita and his friends run away. Charles from the past had his hand on the small of her back as he moved her along, heading to Zacs, Professor Brown's, hut. Max from the past followed. "That's us!"

"You're incredibly observant," Max quipped as he grabbed his hand once more. "I suppose you can see now you've cut your hair."

Charles let out a scoff, but Max was pulling him along once again, into the woods just opposite Zac's hut.

Nobody saw them, nobody but Rocky, the hippogriff. He raised his head and snorted, but quickly went back to sleep. "We can save him, too," Charles realised. "Him and Nico."

He strode forward and sent to grab the chain that kept Rocky tethered to the garden, but Max stopped him. "Professor Schumacher and the minister need to see him first, or you'll get Fred arrested," he whispered. Charles clenched his fists at his sides, but he nodded.

They watched as Fred pulled the rat from the box and handed it to her. There he was, Sergio Perez. Max and Charles looked at each other, their thoughts much the same. But they held back, and not just because the headmaster and the minister were coming.

They watched as the three of them left the hut. As the minister and Schumacher conversed with Fred, Charles and Max ran into the vegetable garden and grabbed a hold of Rocky's chain. "Come on, Rocky," Charles hissed, but the creature insisted on sleeping. It was only when Max bribed him with food that he followed them into the woods.

A sliver of satisfaction ran through them when the execution brought his axe down onto a bit of wood in anger. Rocky was safe, and all they had to do was wait.

It was surreal, watching everything that had happened. They watched as Nico, the dog, grabbed her leg and dragged her beneath the tree. They watched as they struggled to follow her.

"Can I ask you something?" Max enquired as he sat on the ground beside him. Rocky was behind them, playing in the trees. When Charles nodded his head, he continued. "Last year, you asked me if I opened the chamber. Do you really think I'm that much of a monster? Do you really think I'm that much like my dad?"

Charles let out an audible sigh. "I feel awful for that," he said as he lent back against the tree behind him. "All I know about your dad is that he's the reason my parents are dead. I'd met him in first year and, well, I still have nightmares about it. Of I had known you last year like I do now, I wouldn't have dreamed of blaming you."

They talked, actually talked, until Professor Hamilton came to the tree. "Did you have any idea he was a werewolf?" Max asked and Charles shook his head.

He pulled the time turner from his pocket. "Do you know why Pierre would have that?" Charles asked as he reached out to touch it.

Max shrugged his shoulders. "It makes sense, though. Pierre has been in so many classes this year, more than he should have had time for. This must be how he's being going to them all."

Next, Professor Alonso came by, and then, minutes later, they were all making their way out of the tree. "Thanks for looking after her," said Charles as he watched himself hand her to Max.

Max waved him off.

But it wasn't long before Professor Hamilton started his transformation. "Fuck," Max whispered as he watched Nico try and fail to protect them. What happened when they were up there? Something had howled, but no howl was coming. "Shit, get ready to run," he said to Charles before cupping his hands around his mouth and letting out a mighty howl.

The werewolf looked, but he didn't immediately begin running towards them. So, Max did it again.

The beast howled back and suddenly it was running towards them. "We're going to die out here," said Charles.

"Yep," Max agreed and the two boys took off running. But they didn't get very far, not before the werewolf caught up to them.

Their hearts were beating, blood so loud in their ears that they were sure the werewolf could hear them. Max squeezed his eyes shut, unable to keep them opened. He was incredibly grateful when Charles pulled him further around the tree they were hiding behind.

All they could hear was their werewolf Professor sniffing around behind them. It was the only indication that they were somewhat safe. But then, the sniffing stopped and the growls began. The two turned, almost paralysed with fear as the werewolf stood to its full height. "Professor," Charles began, but he was no longer human.

He moved towards them and they tried to back up. He raised a large, clawed hand, but he didn't get a chance to bring it down, to strike them. Not before Rocky jumped in front of them, using his large talons to fend off the beast.

Whimpering, the werewolf ran off. "Go Rocky!" Charles called as the hippogriff pranced in front of him.

Max checked the time on his watch. "Come on," he said, once again reaching for Charles's hand. Over the course of the evening he'd noticed just how much he'd enjoyed that, enjoyed holding Charles's hand. "We've got to get back to the castle."

But Charles ripped his hand away from Max. "We need to go and save Nico!" He called before he took off running. "Someone was there, Max! Someone cast a patronus and fended off the dementors! I need to know who it is!"

But, when they got to the lake, nobody was there. Just Charles from the past cradling Nico's body as dementors fed off of them. "Charles!" Max called.

"They're coming to help! I know they are!"

But Charles from the past and Nico looked terrible, close to the end. "Charles, you're dying. And nobody's coming," he said softly.

Charles bit his lip as he looked at Max. He sucked in one steady breath and ran over to the edge of the lake. He raised his wand, drew in a deep breath and bellowed, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

It was an incredible sight. Max knew Charles was capable of some serious magic, he just didn't realise it was this serious. All of the dementors left the scene just in time for Professor Alonso to lift the unconscious Charles and Nico away from the scene.

Nico, they could still save Nico. "Come on!" Charles shouted as he climbed onto Rocky's back. Taking Max's hand, he pulled him onto Rocky's back and he secured his arms around him.

Rocky flew them out of the woods. "Where would Alonso put Nico?" Max shouted over the sounds of the wind.

"When we were in the shack, he said something about the tower," Charles called back.

That was exactly where Rocky took them. As he landed them outside of the cell, Max slipped from Rocky's back and cast a spell to open the door.

Immediately, Nico ran out to them. "Thank you," he said to them. "Both of you. If it wasn't for your bravery, I would have lost my life."

"Quick, take Rocky and go, before the dementors come," Charles said. He helped Nico onto the Hippogriff's back. Immediately they took off, and Charles and Max began running, heading back to the hospital wing.

When they got there, Professor Schumacher was pulling the doors shut behind him. "We did it," said Charles, his hands on his knees. "We saved both of them."

Professor Schumacher looked at the both of them. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said and took his leave, leaving the boys standing there.

Charles released a breath. "I can't believe we actually did it," he said, grinning at Max. "Should we go and tell her all about it?"

Max nodded his head and Charles pushed his way into the hospital wing. He watched, frozen in place as he strode across the room, over to her. Suddenly, Max didn't feel so jealous as he watched Charles run his fingers through her hair.

That was when he realised, he liked boys, too.

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[atinyniki]

100 things i like love about you.

group: stray kids !

pairing: nonidol!lee know x f!reader

genre: romance, slow burn, fluff, little angst???

warnings + additional info: reader is referred to as y/n, drinking, vomiting, kissing, other members of JYP groups are side characters, overthinker lino, whipped reader, lee know is referred to as minho and min.

authors note: hiii im niki (nikita) ! this is my first time writing a fic and i decided to try and make one for lee knows birthday. english is not my first language, so please excuse any grammatical or spelling errors. happy reading :)

wc: 6191

(pt. 2)

it’s mid july and you’re sat at your computer at home, unable to think about what you should get your roommate for his birthday. 

it’s never too early to plan right?

minho had given you the best birthday you could have possibly asked for. he brought you all of your favorite snacks and you two pulled an all nighter watching dorky kdramas. 

you truly didn’t know how to feel about the gift he gave you at the end of the day though. all he gave you was an envelope before he headed to bed. 

you still remember everything that was said in the note he gave you. you didn’t know minho had it in him to write such a beautiful letter. inside were a few cute polaroids you guys took over the years as well.

you wanted minho’s birthday gift to be as special as his was to you. 

then it hit you.

the best idea ever.

you decide to call it “100 things”. you knew minho deserved a thoughtful gift, and you knew he’d appreciate it. you immediately went out to buy cute notecards and kitty print washi tape.

once you returned, you got back on your laptop and check the date. 

july 16… perfect !

you decided that you’re going to use this extra day to plan. you open an empty document and start creating a list. 

at first, you thought it’d be too difficult to think of so many things, but once you actually started writing it was difficult to stop yourself. you start wondering if minho would realize your true feelings towards him after reading all those cards.

it was no secret to you or your friends that you’ve been head over heels for lee minho for the past two or so years. 

you make sure to brainstorm carefully. you don’t know what you would do if he were to find out, and quite honestly you didn’t want to pain yourself with the thought either.

you were brought out of your thoughts when you heard a loud knock on the door. you quickly saved your progress, and shut your laptop. 

“come in!”

as soon as minho opened the door, you were met with a toothy grin on his face. 

“i made your favorite, are you hungry?” you nodded quickly, blushing a little at the gesture, but not enough for minho to notice.

slowly, you got out of your chair and made your way to the door. you senses were immediately filled with the savory aromas, and you couldn’t help but smile.

you’ve always loved minho’s cooking, and minho loved cooking, so it worked out perfectly for the both of you. 

what you didn’t know though, was that the main reason he always cooked for you was to see that adorable smile on your face while you were eating. he loved the way your cheeks would puff up whenever you stuffed more food in your mouth and how you’d thank him with a grin after every meal. 

he didn’t mean to be weird, but he always found himself staring at you while eating. normally, he’d try to focus on finishing his food but he couldn’t help but watch your cheeks inflate more and more. 

this time was no different. you used the chopsticks to quickly fish out the bell peppers, something minho noticed you’ve always done. 

you glance over at minho to see that he’s not even half done with his plate yet. 

“what’s wrong? are you not hungry?”

“oh no, sorry. i just zoned out i guess” he continued eating but stopped again when he noticed your eyes soften.

“do you want to watch a movie after this? you don’t have to, i just thought you needed a break from all your wo-“

“yeah of course y/n.” he cut off your rambling, and chuckled a little at your words. you smiled back, quickly finishing your food and getting up to wash your plate. 

minho finished not too long after, and he went to go meet you at the couch. “so what do you want to watch?” you asked. “we can continue watching that show we were watching earlier if you want” 

you put on the show and laid back, grabbing a blanket from your side to lay over the both of you. minho stared intently at the tv, and you were starting to think he loved this show even more than you did. soon you found yourself staring at his eyes, his gaze still focused on the tv. you made a mental note to add it to the list. there was just something about his brown boba eyes that you found so perfect. 

soon, you started to doze off, but tried your best to stay awake. it was the best part of the show, when the leads find out they’ve been in love with each other for months, but you were tired. you’ve studied for so long today, and you just couldn’t keep your eyes open anymore. 

your eyes slowly fluttered shut, your breathing becoming even. not too long after, the episode ended and minho was broken out of his trance. he was so focused on the plot that he didn’t even notice you had fallen asleep. a smile slowly appeared on his face, you looked so peaceful when you were sleeping. 

minho carefully pushed himself off the couch, not wanting to wake you, and went over to your room. he pulled up the covers and kept the door wide open. 

quickly, he made his way back to the living room and picked you up, making sure not to shake you that much. he carried you to your room, silently giggling at the way you nuzzled into his warmth. he placed you down on the bed carefully, and tucked you in. 

he left your room and shut the door behind him. he wondered if you could hear how fast his heart was beating. he noticed the kitty washi tape on your desk, and reminded himself to ask you if he could borrow it later.

you woke up the next morning, not remembering how you got into your bed. you got ready for the day ahead, even though you were gonna spend most of it inside. 

you quickly made yourself a bagel, and headed back to your room to write. you decided on writing about his bunny teeth first. his cute bunny teeth that would peek out whenever he was sleeping or focused on something. you thought his bunny teeth suited him wonderfully.

you made sure to make the note sound as friendly as possible, you didn’t want to ruin your friendship after all. you kept writing, but it all sounded too sappy. when you finally got it right, you put all the wasted notecards in the bin, and headed to the living room again to watch the last of the episode you missed last night. 

on your way to the living room, you passed by minho’s room, but you didn’t expect him to still be asleep. his bunny teeth were on full display, and you couldn’t help but smile at the way his face is still puffy from his sleeping state.

you quickly make your way to the kitchen, cooking breakfast for minho to surprise him.  

noticing that he wasn’t awake yet, you left the house as quietly as you could and ran to the local convenience store to buy him some pudding. 

once you reenter your house, you see minho walking out of the corridor, indicating that he’s probably just gotten ready for the day. he was surprised to see food on the table, and even more surprised to see 3 cups of pudding in your hands. the second he saw what you were holding, his eyes lit up and he grinned. 

“awhhh you did all this for meeee?” he teased. “shut up, this is just for last night” you retorted. you made your way to minho and handed him a pudding cup, storing the remaining two in the fridge to cool. 

“thank you, y/n”

you were a little thrown off by the sincerity in his voice, contradicting the teasing voice he had just used. your heart fluttered at the tone, “your welcome” you quickly mumbled.

you watched as he quickly finished his food and headed back to his room. you didn’t really feel like watching your show right now anymore, so you walked back into your room to quickly complete your list.

a week later, you were working on an upcoming assignment, and you jumped a little when you heard your phone ringing. you smiled when you saw the name, “jinnie” written in bold at the top.

“hyunjin! hey, what’s up?”

“hey y/nnie. i was just wondering if you were coming to the party tonight!” you weren’t much of a partier, it wasn’t really your thing. “probably not, why?” hyunjins exaggerated groan made you laugh. 

“but you never come to parties! please?” he begged. “no, there’s nothing to do there anyways”

“what do you mean? there’s lots to do! we play so many games and…” 

“and…?”

“minho’s gonna be there”

“wait what? minho never goes to parties though?” you were careful not to talk too loudly so minho wouldn’t hear. “yeah, he wanted to see chan since it’s been so long”, hyunjin started giggling at how invested you were now. 

“fine, i’ll think about it, but only if minho agrees to drive me.” 

“fine with me! hopefully i’ll see you there y/nnie. bye now!” you laughed a little at his excitement. “bye jinnie” 

minho was deep in his work during your phone call, trying to think of new lines to implement into his song. all of a sudden, he heard a knock on his door. “come in!”

you make your way into his room stepping over the mess on the floor. you know he always gets like this when he’s working on new songs. “are you going to the party tonight?”

“yeah, you going?”

“yeah, hyunjin somehow convinced me to” you awkwardly chuckle. 

“i’m guessing you need a ride?”, you laughed. “well yeah, obviously”, you retorted, rolling your eyes. he chuckled at your actions, “i’d be happy to drive you”

you walk over to him and ruffle his hair playfully “thanks min!” and you trotted out. all he could do was stare at the door as left, still in shock. he started to wonder if you’d play with his hair like that if you two were actually together, but he quickly snapped himself out of it and decided not to pain himself with such thoughts. 

a couple hours later, you pick out a nice red dress and do your makeup. you know jisung’s parties are always crazy, hyunjin’s always talking about them. you expect there to be a lot of partying, so you dress nice.

you make your way out just on time, minho’s exiting his room too, but halts his movements when he sees you. he’s never seen you like this before, and suddenly he feels underdressed. he can’t seem to take his eyes off of you. 

you seem to notice this, and your confidence has suddenly boosted. “you can stop staring now”, a smug smile plastered on your face. 

minho meets your gaze and suddenly realizes what he’s been doing. “oh what- wait sorry i didnt realize i was-“, you giggled at his stammering.

“dork”

you quickly made your way to the entrance of your home. minho’s ears start to turn the same shade as his crimson cheeks, frozen in the corridor.

“COME ON WE’RE GONNA BE LATE” you yell from the hall. 

he rushes to the door and grabs his keys, locking the door behind him and settling in his car. he waits for you to get in, and then you’re off to jisung’s.

the drive wasn’t too far away, but it felt like forever for minho. you were sat there humming a song in peace, but he couldn’t get his mind off of what happened before in the hall. 

could you see how much he liked you? did he make you uncomfortable? thoughts like these were running through his mind the entire time, but he was just hoping that he could forget about them at the party.

when you both walked into jisung’s house, you were instantly greeted by changbin, who was sitting on the couch near the front door with hyunjin. 

“Y/N! YOU MADE IT” hyunjin yelled out of excitement.

“YAH! keep it down hyunjin” changbin scolded.

you laughed and made your way into the kitchen, where you saw chan greet minho with a smile. you were met with ryujin and yuna, who squealed at the sight of you. 

“y/n… finally at a party hm?”, yuna said as she pulled you in for a hug. ryujin chimed in, “that dress is gorgeous by the way”. you smiled, “thank you”. you don’t wear dresses very often, but they make you feel pretty. maybe you should start wearing them more. 

the drinks were all set out on the table, you haven’t had any alcohol in a while. minho had already told you beforehand that he wouldn’t be drinking so he could drive you home safe, so you figured you might as well. you took a shot with yeji. 

and another.

and then another…

it was too early in the party to get wasted, but to be honest you didn’t really care. it’s been a while since you drank and you wanted to let loose.

“shall we start the games?” asked jisung.

“what types of games?” questioned changbin. 

“oh you know… the usual”

you haven’t been to any of ji’s parties, so you weren’t really sure what the usual was. it’s not like you were sober enough to care anyways.

the set of games started with 7 minutes in heaven. 

minho’s heart dropped. he was scared. the thought of you kissing one of the guys here made him sick to his stomach. 

“y/n’s turn first!”, seungmin slurred.

you slowly went over to the hat to pick a name out. 

“chan” you read aloud. 

slowly, chan got up and led you to the room. it was dark, but the rules were the rules. you sat down on the bed with chan, a small frown on your face. 

he laughed a little at your disappointment, “what’s wrong, were you hoping to pick minho?” 

your eyes widened and you stared up to look at him. “how did you-“ 

“you’re not very good at hiding your feelings you know”, he cuts you off and smiles at you again. 

“i’m sorry chan, i know this isn’t how the game is really supposed to be played but i want to save my first kiss for someone special and-“ 

“FIRST KISS?!” chan screamed.

you smacked a hand over his mouth, “shut up they’ll hear you!” you whispered

“sorry, sorry” he mumbled

minho heard chan through the thin walls of the room. it wasn’t too hard to hear considering the fact that chan practically yelled it. minho’s heart dropped straight to his stomach. did chan just steal your first kiss? were you even thinking straight considering that you were drunk?

questions ran through his mind, and hyunjin noticed minho’s eyes darting around the room. hyunjin holds on to minho’s shoulder, “you okay min?” 

“yeah i’m fine, i’m gonna go grab some water” 

once minho returns, he sees that you and chan have already left the room. 

“have fun you two?” jeongin teased.

“you know we did”, you replied with a wink.

chan started laughing, and the lump growing in minho’s throat started growing bigger. 

suddenly, you felt sick. it was probably the alcohol, so you quickly excused yourself to the bathroom. 

worried, minho followed you there, only to see you on the ground in front of the toilet. he quickly rushed to you and held your hair so it wouldn’t get wet. you were embarrassed but it’s not like you could really do anything when you’re throwing up buckets. 

you had finally calmed down and looked at him. his hands were intertwined with yours, and you made sure to add his touch to the list too. pure worry swirled around in his chocolate eyes.

“i’m sorry, i didn’t mean-“ 

“it’s okay. are you feeling better? do you want to leave?”

you really did just want to go home and rest, but didn’t want minho to miss out on the fun.

“do you want to stay?”, you asked hesitantly. 

“if you’re feeling sick i’m more than happy to bring you home now y/n.” ‘you’re my top priority’ he wanted to add. 

he helped you up and dried your face after you washed it, he preferred you without makeup anyways. it was easier to see your perfect features clearly. he tucked a stray hair sticking to your forehead behind your ear, and walked out of the bathroom with you. 

“guys y/n is feeling a little sick so we’ll have to be leaving now. sorry to cut it so short” he quickly announces. he leads you out, listening to the “get well soon!”s and “hope you feel better”s. the drive back home is silent. minho can’t stop thinking about what happened between you and chan today. he didn’t know that you’ve never kissed anyone before. and now that he knows, he wished you had saved it for him. 

you arrive home and he walks you back into your room. minho brings you your sweats and a t-shirt, his t-shirt, along with a pair of undergarments straight from the dryer. you reminded yourself to add to the list later. you admired how caring he was towards people, even if he didn’t show it much.

“call me if you need help okay? i’ll be right outside the door. tell me when you’re done changing” 

not too long after, you call him back in your room. he smiled at you, the oversized t-shirt hanging off one of your shoulders. he probably thought you’d be too drunk to notice, but you couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like if you were to steal his clothes everyday to wear. 

you make your way into the bed, exhausted and tired from what had happened earlier. minho places a glass of water next to you, and sits down on the bed next to you. you didn’t mean to, but you couldn’t stop yourself from cuddling up into the warmth of his body.

he let himself sink down a little in the pillows, so it was more comfortable for you. his heart was beating so fast that he thought you could hear it. he couldn’t control his thoughts, and his mind drifted back to what happened between you and chan.

“was chan really your first kiss?, he asks softly. you suddenly felt a pang in your chest. “no, we just talked. i told him i wanted to save my first kiss for someone special and he kind of freaked”

minho let out a light sigh of relief, and prayed you didn’t hear. he began to rub soothing circles on your back with his thumbs.

you know minho isn’t a very big fan of physical touch, but the gesture didn’t go unnoticed. in fact, you couldn’t stop thinking about it. you felt tears well up in your eyes, no one has really taken the time to care for you like this. 

as much as you tried to fight it, light sobs shook your body. you’ve been so overwhelmed with your feelings, you truly just needed a hug. minho felt your body shake, and pulled away in panic.

he slid down further on the bed. “what’s wrong? are you okay?”, he made sure to speak softly. he didn’t want to overwhelm you. you clutched his shirt tightly in your hands, balled into fists. 

he was scared. he didn’t know what was wrong, but the least he could do was be there for you. he stayed. he made sure to stay awake till you fell asleep. and soon after, sleep overtook his body as well.

you never talked about that night after that. you woke up in his arms that day, you still remember the way your heart started doing somersaults. he later brought you all the essentials for your hangover, and cooked you some food too. you couldn’t get over the domesticity of it all. you wanted him to be there for the rest of your life. you just couldn’t spit it out already.

you never returned his shirt.

a couple weeks later, you’re writing another card again, this time about his ears. you found it adorable the way they would get red whenever he was flustered.

you hear the door open and check the time. it’s late, almost half past midnight. you open your door to see a disheveled minho staring at you. your heart cracks at the sight. 

“sorry, did i wake you? i just got back from dance, i didn’t-“

“no it’s fine, i was up working on… a couple assignments. are you okay?”

minho didn’t answer your question. not because he was ignoring you but just because he didn’t know how to.

you tell him you’d be right back, and run over to the bathroom, leaving him in the hallways confused. while he waits for you, he places down his bag and gets out a comfortable shirt and some sweats.

you run a warm bubble bath for him, making sure it wasn’t uncomfortably hot, and put in a couple bath salts to color the water a soft shade of pink. 

you make your way back to minho’s room. “min”, you spoke softly, “i ran you a bubble bath”

his heart twists at your tone, he wasn’t expecting something like this. he wanted to thank you, but he was too exhausted to do so, so he just smiled. he walked over to the bathroom and locked the door. you hoped he’d feel better soon.

it was early september now, and you were writing another one of your notes. you thought minho would really appreciate your gift, you just had a lot of trouble making it sound more platonic. 

minho knocked on your door again, handing you a plate with cut up fruit on it. you smiled at him, “thanks min”. and got back to work. 

“what’re you working on?” 

“oh nothing important, just a present”

he didn’t think anything of it so he left it alone. as he was walking out, he saw your trash bin filled to the brim. “i’ll swap this out”

“oh sorry! i didn’t notice it was that full already. thanks again minho”

now, minho wasn’t trying to snoop. he was honestly just trying to help you. he was taking out the trash when one of the scrapped notecards fell out the bin. he picked it up and read the title. ‘your lips’

he wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but he was curious, and couldn’t stop himself from reading the rest. ‘i love the way your lips sit-‘ and just a bunch of scribbles. 

his heart drops. were you writing love letters to someone? he picked up another one. ‘your warmth’ ‘i love the way your warmth makes me feel like im wrapped in a safety blanket-’ and more scribbles

who was making you feel this way? minho decided not to ask about it. he didn’t think you’d appreciate his snooping. he trashed the letters and made his way into his room. he wrapped himself in a blanket, but his room just felt cold.

everything felt cold. minho felt cold. maybe he was too late. maybe he should have confessed to you a year ago. he felt empty. he couldn’t sleep that night. 

it was nearing the end of october now, meaning minho’s birthday was coming up. you two have gotten closer over the past couple months, and you couldn’t be more grateful, but recently he seemed off.

when you wake up, you quickly go to the convenience store to grab some flour. even though you already had a gift, you wanted his birthday to be special. he had no plans so you figured why not? 

while at the store, you also made sure to pick up some blue food dye for the frosting.

recently, minho couldn’t get seem to get out out his mind. he wondered if you were a secret admirer of someone, or maybe you were seeing them. he hasn’t been as affectionate recently either, he didn’t want to ruin anything for you.

it’s october 24th now, just one more day until his birthday. you prepare your cards, and place them neatly in a decorated blue box. you decided that you’d write the last one at midnight on his birthday along with a small letter. 

you leave your room to see minho at the kitchen table, quickly eating lunch before he went out for groceries. 

you groaned “oh come on, stay home! it’s your birthday tomorrow for gods sake.” he laughed at your whining “i’ll go, just text me the list.”, you continued.

“nah i need some fresh air anyways. do you want to…”, he trailed off.

“want to what?”

“would you like to come with me?”

you didn’t understand why he was so hesitant, but you nodded and just grabbed your jacket. 

you both arrived at the shop and you immediately ran off towards the pastry section. minho had to chase after you so he didn’t lose you.

“do you want the cherry or the peach filled ones?”, you asked him excitedly.

“cherry”

minho couldn’t help but smile at you. he wished he could go grocery shopping with you for the rest of his life, but he couldn’t. he stopped his mind before it could get off track, and decided to focus on his time with you instead. 

you two finish grocery shopping, and you made sure to grab an extra two cups of pudding. 

it was now nearing the end of the day, only two hours before midnight. you set up your gift, and got your last card ready for writing later. 

as the time got closer, you suddenly became nervous. you were worried that minho would be able to see right through you and discover your true feelings. 

it’s was only ten minutes before his birthday. once you had finished brainstorming what you would write on his last card, you made your way over to his room at 11:58. 

you knocked quietly on the door. “min? can i come in?”. no answer.

you thought he’d fallen asleep, so you opened the door and peered through the crack, not wanting the hallways lights to wake him. to your surprise you see minho at his desk, busy with some work. he hummed along to the tune of the track, his voice low.

he hadn’t heard you come in due to his noise-canceling headset. you checked your phone. october 25. you slowly walked over to his chair where he was sitting and put your hands over his. 

he shook a little bit, a little surprised by the sudden touch and he took off his headset. “sorry i didn’t mean to startle you…”, you paused. “happy birthday min”

he teared up a little at the softness in your voice while saying this. he felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips, and soon it became a grin. you were happy to see him smile, and wondered if he’d feel the same way after opening your gift. “thank you y/n”.

you heard a small quiver in his voice, but accounted it for his tiredness.

“go to sleep soon, we have a long day tomorrow”

“oh yeah? what are we doing?”, you giggled. “making you the best cake you’ll ever have”, he smiled at your confidence. he was a great cook, but isn’t all that great at making sweets. 

“thank you, y/n. it means a lot that you waited down to the minute” 

your eyes widened a little at his sincerity. he only uses this soft voice when you’re sick or dozing off. 

“of course min, goodnight”

you walked into your room and you felt like your heart was about to beat out of your chest. you packed up all the cards and decorated the box with cute little cat drawings. 

you decided to head to bed for the night, and set your alarm at the same time as minho’s. you didn’t want to miss a single second with him.

you got ready for the day ahead, meeting minho in the kitchen. you got the cocoa powder out from the pantry. “what do you say we have some chocolate cake for breakfast?”

“hopefully you don’t set the kitchen on fire again” 

you thought back to the last time you tried to bake something last time. you got distracted watching tv and couldn’t smell the poor pie burning.

you and minho began to make the batter, some splattering on the counter. while mixing, some of the batter got on your finger, and you couldn’t stop yourself from tasting it. even though it probably isn’t safe to eat raw eggs, a drop can’t hurt right?

you turn to see minho staring at you, laughing. “you just couldn’t resist, huh?”

you turned back to your bowl and continued mixing, and minho couldn’t help but smile. he wondered what it would be like if you could always cook together. 

minho began to work on making the frosting, a light chocolate buttercream. you put the cake in the oven and waited for it to finish while minho brought out the cooling rack and placed it on the counter.

you checked the time. 1:47 PM. you didn’t expect this to take so long, and your stomach was grumbling just about every second.

minho laughed at your groaning. “would you like some pudding?”

“no i’m okay, i’ll just wait for the cake”

minho grabbed a spoon from the drawer and picked up some pudding.

“here, you’re hungry”

all you could do was smile. you wanted minho to enjoy his pudding, but if you were going to be honest, you were really hungry. 

you finally gave in, the vanilla coating your tongue. you hummed in satisfaction. “thank you minho!” 

he couldn’t help but smile at how you sounded like a child. the cake was finally finished after a while, and minho went to go chill the cake while you enjoyed your pudding. 

once the cake was fully baked through, you grabbed the piping bag and started icing the cake. you drew pretty chocolate rosettes around the top. 

minho admired your skill, surprised that you knew how to pipe perfect rosettes. he continued to let you do your thing, and soon the cake was done. 

it was about 2:38 now, and you both were so hungry. you each cut yourself a slice of cake and sat down at the couch. 

“oh my gosh this is amazing, genuinely the best chocolate cake i’ve ever had”

after hearing minho’s reaction you were glad you had looked up so many recipes. 

“thank you”, you replied, mouth still full.

minho loved seeing how happy you were while you were eating. it’s great to appreciate good food.

not too long after, you both finish your cake and put the rest in the fridge. you both sit back down on the couch to watch a movie. you decided to treat minho to a horror movie, since he loved them.

you were a little skeptical about it, since you get scared easily, but figured you should make an exception today, for him. minho didn’t understand why you were being so incredibly caring, but he didn’t mind it.

you started the movie, and the intro was already unsettling. you started to shift in your seat uncomfortably next to minho. you tried not to move too much since you didn’t want to bother. 

the movie started getting more suspenseful. you were practically on edge, trying not to make a noise. all of a sudden you feel something warm under the blanked. you tore your eyes off of the tv to see minho staring at you.

“are you okay? if it’s too scary i can shut it off” 

as much as you wanted to be honest, you couldn’t. “no it’s okay, i don’t mind”

minho’s hand never let go of yours during the duration of the rest of the movie. it was heavily comforting, and you didn’t seem to be as scared anymore.

“i can’t believe you did all this for me y/n. i was really just planning on treating myself to some pudding today.”

“well, im not done just yet”

minho was appalled. “there’s more?!”, he exclaimed. “it’s nothing much, just meet me in your room in five, i have to get it ready.”

minho was curious as to what it could possibly be. he made his way back to his room, while you grabbed the decorated blue box and made sure the notecards were sorted in the right order. 

you make your way to minho’s room, your heart beating loudly. you suddenly felt incredibly nervous, but it’s not like you could change your mind now. 

minho’s eyes drift to the blue box in your hands. “what’s that?”. you sit on the bed next to him and hand him the box. 

“open it”

he removed the lid of the box and his jaw dropped. the notecards. he picked one up, the first line had the date and time. ‘your smile’

‘you have such an amazing smile. i love the way your eyes crinkle and how you smile with your whole being. it warms my heart to be able to see it so often’

he was speechless. he could feel the tears pricking at his eyes. he picked up another card. ‘the mole on your nose’, and then another, ‘your lips’, except this time, the description was complete. 

you were practically beaming at him as he shuffled through the cards. but you didn’t expect him to look back up at you with tears in his eyes. 

i love you so much

your eyes widened.

shit. did he just say that out loud?

“i’m sorry, i didn’t- i didn’t mean to say that out loud”

“you love me…?”, you stared at him in complete shock. you didn’t know what to say. 

fuck. he knew there was no turning back now. “of course i love you. how could i not? you do so much for me y/n. you make me feel like i can be myself. your touch feels like im being lit on fire. my heart feels like it’s going to beat out my chest every time i see you. not to mention you’re absolutely gorgeous and-“

before he could say anything else, you crashed your lips into his. you didn’t know where it was going or what you were going to do, but you knew you wanted to save your first for someone special. you wanted to save it for minho. his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you onto his lap. the kiss wasn’t really urgent or needy, and instead it was comforting. you loved the feeling of his lips on yours.

you slowly pulled away from him, foreheads touching and breath fanning just under his nose. “you don’t know how long i’ve waited to do that”, your words coming out breathy. 

you can’t get over how beautiful minho looks right now. his hair is a mess due to your hands pulling at it. his lips swollen and pink from the kiss you had just shared. 

“i love you y/n”

you kiss the small mole on his nose and smile at him. 

“i love you more minho”

his entire face lit up at those few words. he let the tears fall freely now, burying his head into your shoulder. “thank you for everything y/n. you’re the best gift i could have ever asked for”

his voice was honest. sincere. soft. you knew he meant it, and you could hear the raw emotion that his words contained. you brought you hand to his face to wipe away a stray tear. 

“i can’t wait to experience so many new exciting things with you.”

he looked back up at you and smiled, picking up the box behind him and setting it on his dresser. there was the familiar look in his eyes again, and you were stupid not to notice it before. he pulls you into bed and wraps you in a hug.

“min? what are you-“ 

“shhh. please, just for a little while”

you smiled at his words, and held him back. you peppered kisses all over his face, listening to his soft whines. you could definitely get used to the feeling of minhos skin on your lips.

slowly, you heard his heavy breathing turn into light snores. you reached over him to turn off the lights, and held him for the rest of the night. you wanted him to sleep peacefully now. he deserved it.

you two would talk about what happened in the morning, but right now this moment was too special to waste.

<3

[welldonekhushi]

Call of Duty OC: Katya Kovalevskaya 🌹

An updated bio sheet of Katya! The last one felt like it was straight Wiki format style, but doesn't really explain her character properly, I also added some changes to her character as well so, here you go! <3

GENERAL:

Name: Katya

Full name: Yekaterina Viktornovna Kovalevskaya

Codename: "Katyusha"

Alias(es): Lady of Death (by the Red Army), Mama Katya (by her soldiers), Der Russische Leutnant (by the Germans)

Age: 32 years old (Call of Duty: World at War), 58 years old (Call of Duty: Black Ops), 70 years old (Black Ops: Cold War)

Gender: Female

Nationality: Russian

Languages spoken: Russian, German (for intelligence purposes), English

Date of birth: June 15, 1916

Place of Birth: Ural Mountains, Imperial Russia

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Martial Status: Single

Occupation: Senior Lieutenant and Sniper of the Red Army (retires after the events of the first Black Ops)

Status: Active

Rank: Senior Lieutenant (1942), Lieutenant Colonel (1945)

Affiliation: Red Army, CIA (briefly)

Universe: Call of Duty: World at War, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Black Ops: Cold War (alternative AU)

Faceclaim: Anna Chipovskaya

Song: "Katyusha" by Boris Alexandrov

Biography: Yekaterina, commonly known as Katya joins the Red Army for the service of the Soviet Union to avenge her parents death under the hands of German forces. While defending her country amidst the raging Second World War, she faces tremendous amounts of obstacles and barriers in her life which often try to make them as her weakness, but the woman was sworn to take her last breath in achieving one goal with her comrades — and that was liberating Berlin.

AFFILIATIONS:

3rd Shock Army (Red Army)

Sergeant Viktor Reznov [K.I.A]

Private Dimitri Petrenko [K.I.A]

Private Chernov [K.I.A]

Commissar Markhov [fate unknown]

Major General Nikita Dragovich [K.I.A]

Colonel Lev Kravchenko [fate unknown]

CIA (Call of Duty: Black Ops)

Alex Mason

Frank Woods

Jason Hudson

Grigori Weaver

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Weapon induced: Scoped Mosin-Nagant, Tokarev (TT-33), PPSh-41, Molotov Cocktail, RGD-33

Fighting style: Hand-to-hand combat, but rarely, since she's more used to being a sniper giving covering fire

Special skills: Is a very experienced sniper, that gave her the infamous name of "Lady of Death", but Katya didn't want to coin such a name for herself when she was only serving her people as a soldier of the frontlines.

Talents: Knows natural remedies, holds a lot of empathy for others, can speak fluent German even if she knows a little bit of it

Shortcomings: Due to the incident, she lost her face partially along with the half-vision of her eye throughout the accident, faces survivors guilt, is a bit mentally depressed but she's able to push those negative thoughts down

PERSONALITY:

Myers-Briggs Type: ISFJ (The Defender)

Is very protective towards her comrades: Ever since she lost her parents, Katya had always been searching for a way to cope up with her loss by taking care of the people she loves and believes in the most. Even if she never married, or birthed a child, she automatically unlocked her motherly instincts by calling her comrades as her "sons and daughters", considering them as her one, found family.

Ruthless, but at times merciful: Katya has shown immense strength and courage in the battlefield as a sniper and a squad leader, haunting the Germans in their own sleep thinking Katya wouldn't kill them and make the mattress they're sleeping on as their deathbed. But also, when Katya wants to show mercy, she'll show it. She thinks there's no use to wasting her own bullets on someone who already decided to surrender to the Red Army.

Emotional: Let it be a soldier dying, or a civilian, she'll ask forgiveness from God that she wasn't able to save an innocent despite having the duty to protect her own people. The incident that killed all of her soldiers left her deeply scarred, and believed she committed a bigger sin for being too naive and careless, and she deserved the impact on her face. It was even worse when Nikita Dragovich killed her teammates again by putting them as test subjects for the Nova 6 experiment that made her grow deranged and bloodthirsty to hunt Dragovich and his lapdog, Kravchenko in a fit of vengeance, until the CIA caught her presence.

Intelligent and observant: Katya is more aware of her surroundings ever since the incident impacted her, which caused her to be very vigilant, and grew her intelligence in the battlefield which made her useful for the Red Army as a sniper and as a squad leader in the infantry.

BACKGROUND STORY

Katya was born around 1916 with her mother Elizaveta Kovalevskaya (neé Petrova) and father, Viktor Kovalevsky. Spending her childhood in the Ural Mountains, she learnt how to snipe at a young age from her father, who was a hunter, the reason why she took her father's skill in the field of sniping.

In 1939, she recruited herself in the Red Army as a sniper, in which her talent gave a huge role and reputation among the soldiers as a source of bravery, courage and inspiration, that gave her the name "Lady of Death". But, Katya on the other hand didn't want to coin such a name for herself when she believes she's only doing it for the protection of her own people.

But, in 1941, when Germany attacked Soviet Russia under "Operation Barbarossa", her village became a victim of the attacks, which ended up killing her family in the process. Broken and enraged, Katya wanted to avenge her parents death by going through missions and eliminating every single enemy who tried to cross the Soviet borders. Her life completely changed when one day she encountered General Heinrich Amsel, who was responsible for the death of her family along with many others, wanted to kill him by her own hands but never succeeded because he evaded before she could get to him.

Furious, the General wanted to eliminate Katya in her path, by luring her into a trap that he was staying at a hotel and could grab her an opportunity to end his life there. But little to her knowledge, it was all a set up, when he used that entire building as a decoy with the explosives attached. His soldiers locked away his teammates, including Katya but she was able to break through it. In a desperate attempt to find her comrades who were still locked inside, it was too late before the explosion could take effect, and blew her out of the building, leaving her drastically injured.

The explosion was the turning point of her life, where it emotionally scarred her and made her regret being a soldier, when she couldn't even protect her own soldiers, who basked into the flames of Amsel's planned explosion. She was taken for medical assistance, which took her a month to recover physically, and mentally. But, that didn't stop Katya from retiring, as her mind still revolved around that one goal — to eliminate General Amsel, and push all the German forces back from invading Russia.

Somewhere around 1942, she was promoted to Senior Lieutenant, and became the squad leader for the 3rd Shock Army, and participated in the Battle of Stalingrad alongside Pvt. Dimitri Petrenko and Sgt. Viktor Reznov. As the General's whereabouts were found, she led her team throughout the warzone and successfully countered Amsel, which led to his untimely death under the hands of Dimitri's sniper rifle. Katya, who held immense pride for the Private for doing something she couldn't, made him along with Reznov and Chernov as her closest comrades.

After the entire battle, in 1945, they finally achieved victory by liberating Berlin by hoisting the Soviet flag on the Reichstag, Katya was now at peace, hoping for a better future after the war's end.

But, somehow.. her life was going to go into a bigger turmoil, when she gets sent to the mission around the Arctic Circle, leading the events of the first Black Ops.

[liver-f4ilure]

Criminals Still alive PT 1

Including only murderers

(OLD POST REDONE!)

Adnan Colak

(AKA. The Beast of Artvin)

Age: 71 (September 5th, 1952, Türkiye)

Crime: killing 11 people via axe ages 68-95, 6 of which were women whom he raped before killing. The span of his crimes were 1992-1995 in the Turkish district of Artvin.

Convictions/Sentence: 6 death sentences + 40yrs imprisonment however it was commuted to life imprisonment when Türkiye abolished the death penalty in 2004.

Where are they now?: released in 2005 under a conditional release arrangement.

Fact: I really can’t find a single thing on how he killed them but he was named the ‘axe murderer’

Artyom Anoufriev

(AKA. Academy Maniacs)

Age: 29 (October 4th 1992, Irkutsk, Russia)

Crime: Artyom and the other member of the academy maniacs, Nikita Lytkin, killed 6 people via hammer, mallet, baseball bat or knife. Artyom said he administered the first blows while Nikita mocked the victims. The two would hit the victim 15-20 times before they passed. In total they had 15 victims with 9 of them surviving.

Conviction/sentence: 6 counts murder, robbery, abuse of victims bodies and organizing extremist activities. Artyom was sentenced to life imprisonment while Nikita was sentenced to 24 years which was then reduced to 20years. However on December 1st 2021 he was found dead via su!cide. He had 9 more years left in his sentence.

Where are they now?: still incarcerated

Fact: the case was the first one involving violent extremism in the Irkutsk Oblast that was solved using forensic science.

Beverly Allitt

(AKA. Angel of Death)

Age: 55 (October 4th 1968, Grantham, England)

Crime: killing 4 children via injecting large doses of insulin and attempted to kill 9 other children during her time as a nurse (aka angel of death)

Conviction/Sentance: 4 counts murder, 5 counts attempted murder. Sentenced to 13 consecutive life sentences.

Where are they now?: still incarcerated

Fact:During early childhood and adolescence she would do ‘attention-seeking’ behaviours including going to multiple doctors and getting her prefectly healthy appendix removed. her motive for her crimes was FDIA ( factitious disorder imposed by another) aka Münchhausen by proxy.

Catherine Brinie

(AKA.The Moorhouse Murders)

Age: 73 (May 23rd 1951, Australia?)

Crime: murdering and abducting 4 women (attempting to kill 1) all ranging in ages from 15-31 with her husband, David Birnie (1951-2005) almost all their victims were rapd. The couple gained the name ‘the moorhouse murders’ since they committed the crimes in their house at 3 Moorhouse Street.

Conviction/Sentence: She was sentenced to 4 terms life imprisonment with possibility of parole after 20 years. Her husband pleaded guilty to 4 counts murder, 5 counts abduction and 4 counts rape.

Where are they now?: still incarcerated

Fact: the couple only had 1 survivor, Kate Moir who was 17 at the time of her escape and wasn’t believed by police when she made the report.

Charles Cullen

(AKA. The Angel of death)

Age: 64 (February 22nd 1960, West Orange, New Jersey USA)

Crime: Cullen, a nurse, killed 29 with a suspected 400 more people by injecting lethal doses of insulin and Digoxin. His crimes lasted from 1988-2003 and through several medical centres in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Conviction/sentence: convicted of 29 counts murder and sentenced to 18 consecutive life sentences and will be eligible for parole June 10th 2403.

Where are they now?: still incarcerated

Fact: in 2006 during a sentencing hearing in a Pennsylvanian courtroom Cullen, for 30 minutes kept repeating”Your Honour, you need to step down” until Judge William H. platt had him gagged with cloth and duct tape. Yet through the cloth he still kept repeating his words.

David Berkowitz

(AKA. Son of Sam)

Age: 71 (June 1st 1953, Brooklyn New York USA)

Crime: killing 6 people (mainly couples) via .44 calibre gun, leaving 11 wounded and 2 via stabbing in ‘75. He also reported being apart of multiple unsolved arsons

Convictions/Sentance: 6 counts murder in the second degree, 7 counts attempted second degree murder. Sentenced to life imprisonment with possibility of parole after 25yrs

Where are they now?: Still incarcerated

Fact: Stacy Moskowitz was the only blonde victim of Berkowitz and didn’t survive. At the police station Stacy’s mother reported a detective called her ‘ms. Berkowitz’ instead of Moskowitz. He gained his name because of his motive saying his neighbours dog ‘Sam’ was the devil and told him to do it which he later claimed was fake. He also was apart of a satanic cult named ‘The sons of Sam’ but not any members have been found. He is the reason for a set of laws called ‘The son of Sam laws’ which prohibit criminals from profiting off media.

(I COULD DO A WHOLE INFO POST ON THIS CASE ITS SO INTERESTING!)

Dennis Rader

(AKA. BTK Killer)

Age: 79 (March 9th 1945, Pittsburg, Kansas USA)

Crime: killed 10-12+ victims all ranging in age (9-62) by suffocation or strangulation. First he would break into his victims houses (usually families) tie them up, torture them then kill them. He sometimes masturbated over his female victims.

Convictions/Sentance: 10 counts murder in the first degree (suspected more victims). Sentance to life imprisonment with possibility of parole after 175yrs.

Where are they now?: still incarcerated

Fact: Rader got so caught up in sending letters to taunt police that he sent a floppy disc which was traced back to him, leading to his arrest

Gary Ridgway

(AKA.the green river killer)

Age: 75 (Febuary 18th 1949 Salt Lake City Utah USA)

Crime: Ridgeway killed 49 woman minority of them prostitutes or underage runaways and would pick them up off the highway and strangle them to death via his own hands then would dump their bodies in the green river(coining the name ‘Green river killer’ or other forested areas and often returned to the scene to commit acts of necrophilia. His victims were found in both Washington and Oregon. His crimes spanned from 1982 to 1988 but it’s possible he was still attacking people up to 2001 when he was finally apprehended the same year.

Convictions/sentence: 49 counts aggravated first degree murder, 48 counts tampering with evidence and solicitation. Ridgeway was sentenced to 49 life sentences without possibility of parole.

Where are they now?: still incarcerated

Fact: Ridgeway would wet the bed up until he was 13. At 16 he led a 6yr old boy into the woods and stabbed him through the ribs into the liver, he thankfully survived.

Part 2 coming soon…

—

I DO NOT CONDONE!

-Vivi

[doc-pickles]

sent to save me | sidney crosby (ch. 5)

series masterlist

summary: sid and vivie get to know each other

warnings: none :)

author’s note: hi friends! so sorry this took FOREVER to write. i had a huge case of writers block but I'm back at it. hope y'all enjoy!

xoxo

nina

“Uncle Sid, Uncle Sid! Vivie is coming over today,” Sidney has barely stepped through the door of the Malkin household before Nikita is excitedly bouncing in front of him. “And her mommy is coming too!”

Geno appears behind Nikita, looking not the least bit ashamed that his son had accosted his best friend, “Niki, too loud. Eva is sleeping and mama won’t be happy if she wake up again.”

Nikita mumbles out an apology as he drags Sid into the kitchen. His coloring book and markers are set up on the island and Anna is puttering around getting things ready for lunch. She stops to press a kiss to Sid’s cheek and say hello before she goes back to cooking. 

“How you feeling,” Geno asks as Sid takes the seat next to Nikita. “About Annie?”

“Good, fine,” Sid swallows thickly and keeps his eyes locked on his hands. “We, uh, talked last week. And we’ve texted a bit. She sends me pictures of Vivie. So it’s going… It’s going good.”

We also had sex four times in one night and I think I died, Sid adds silently.

“Look Sid, I know it hard after what Annie did, but you have new chance with Vivie,” Geno squeezes Sid’s shoulder just as the doorbell rings. “Your girls are here.”

Your girls. 

Sidney scoffs at the idea that Annie could be his again but Vivie… Vivie was kind of his wasn’t she? 

“Niki!”

“Vivie!”

Vivie and Nikita appear in the living room, a mess of giggles and stomping feet. Sid can feel his heart skip a beat as he takes in his godson and daughter, both enamored with each other. 

When he tears his eyes away from the duo Sidney locks eyes with Annie who’s chatting with Anna. She stutters her words for a moment before waving at him and turning back to her conversation. 

“Still got it even though you’re old man,” Geno chuckles and nudges Sid in the side. “Niki, Vivie! Come help Sid and me with grill. I give you candy before dinner.”

Vivie and Nikita’s excitement drowned out both Annie and Anna’s protests, leaving Geno to flash his wife a smirk as he leads the kids out to the backyard. 

Sid has just gone to grab the burgers on the counter when Annie approaches him. Anna is nowhere to be found as Annie stares up at Sid with those wide green eyes he fell in love with. 

“Hi,” Annie breathes out, Sid returning the greeting. “Listen… I want you to get to know Vivie but what happened between us last week was…”

“A mistake?” Sidney provides. 

“No,” Annie smiles up at Sid, pausing before she’s reaching up and cupping his cheek tenderly. “Nothing with you could ever be a mistake. Maybe just… A lapse in judgment? Anyways, I think for right now we both just need to keep our focus on Vivie and take things slowly with her.” 

Sid nods, but Annie’s hand pressed to his cheek is fogging his brain as he stares at her, “Yeah I… Yes you’re right. Vivie comes first.”

Annie nods and takes a step back and suddenly Sid’s cheek feels cold, like Annie’s hand had sparked something beneath his skin. He shakes the feeling off quickly and gestures towards the slider to the backyard. 

“Gotta go help G,” Sid nods towards his friend who’s trying to start up the grill. “I, uh, yeah… Yeah…”

Sidney quickly escapes out the door, avoiding what had turned into an awkward conversation with Annie. He almost runs straight into Geno, who’s grinning broadly at him. 

“You talking up Annie? Convince her you Prince Charming?” Geno teases, causing Sid to roll his eyes. “Gimme burgers, you useless. Go entertain kids.”

With a quick burger handoff Sidney is headed towards the play structure where Nikita and Vivie are chattering excitedly about everything and nothing. When they spot Sid both kids grin excitedly, as if they were waiting for him. 

“Uncle Sid can you tell us the story about when you broke a window,” Nikita smiles at Sidney with a look he’s clearly learned from his father. “It’s my favorite.”

Sid rolls his eyes as he approaches the play structure where the kids are perched at the top, legs swinging as they sit side by side. 

“I should’ve never told you that story, your dad is gonna have my head when you break one of his windows one day,” Sid ruffles Nikita’s hair before continuing. “I was probably about 10 and I was trying to teach my sister Taylor the best way to hit a puck.” 

Vivie gasps and turns to Sidney, “Taylor is my middle name! I have an Auntie Taylor but I never met her before.”

The air around Sidney feels thin as he stares at Vivienne, his daughter, who shares his big eyes and his chin and looks so much like Taylor he doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the moment. Instead he steels himself and takes a deep breath before nodding and continuing on with his story. 

“So I showed her how I hit the puck and mine landed right in the goal. And then she swung it so wildly that it flew over the goal and smashed a window,” Vivie and Nikita burst into fits of giggles as Sidney retells the story. “My mom was not happy with me.”

“But you weren’t the one that hit the puck,” Vivie’s brows furrow as she looks at Sid. “Why’d you get in trouble?”

“Because I knew I wasn’t supposed to practice slap shots facing the house,” Sid grins. “But I did it anyway.”

Vivie laughs and rolls her eyes, “You’re so silly Sid.”

His name rolling off Vivie’s lips has Sidney holding back the urge to rush forward and pull her into his chest. But Annie had asked that they take things slow and he wasn’t about to get on her bad side. 

“Annie what do you like to do for fun,” Sid asks as he watches the kids color the wooden play structure with colorful chalk. “Nikita told me you went to science camp with him.”

Vivie thinks for a moment, tongue sticking out slightly in a way that reminded him of Annie, “I like to color and read lots of books and play with my Barbies and sometimes my mommy takes me ice skating. I asked if I could do the dancing skating class like Mia in my class at school but mommy said it was too expensive. So we just go to the rink and watch the skaters in the pretty outfits instead.”

Sid nods but his mind is already working, his gut twisting with a mix of guilt and sadness. Was Annie struggling financially? Didn’t she know she could come to him? 

She would’ve had to tell you about Vivie first. 

The thought leaves his mind as quickly as it had appeared. While he doesn’t understand it fully Sid’s already decided that being angry with Annie about keeping Vivie from him would do more harm than good in the long run. 

“That sounds like a lot of fun, maybe I’ll take you and Nikita to the rink sometime,” Vivie’s eyes light up at Sidney’s words, a beaming smile on her face. “Sound good?”

“Yes yes yes! That would be so cool,” Vivie nearly shrieks and Sid has to hold back his laughter. “Nikita you have the coolest uncle ever!”

The praise warms Sidney’s heart and he thinks he’ll never forget this moment. 

+

“Hey.”

Annie is washing off plates in the kitchen when Sid gets her alone. They’ve been surrounded by the kids and Geno and Anna all afternoon, but now he has the chance to speak with her openly. 

“Hi,” Annie gives him a small smile as she places the last plate in the dishwasher. “What’s wrong?”

“Why would something be wrong?”

Annie brings her fingers up to Sid’s forehead, softly brushing against his eyebrows, “You’ve had your eyebrows scrunched for the past 30 minutes, that’s your giveaway when something is worrying you.” 

Sid sighs at the way Annie still knows him so well even after all their time apart, “Vivie was saying she wanted to take figure skating lessons.”

Annie’s face immediately falls, her hand leaving Sid’s face as she turns back to the sink, “Sidney-“

“You could’ve come to me at any time,” his voice has taken on an exasperated tone. “Annie, I would’ve helped you if you told me.”

There’s a pause as Annie braces her hands on the counter and takes a slow breath, “I can take care of Vivie just fine.”

“I never said you couldn’t,” Sid insists. “You’ve done an amazing job on your own. But I’m here now and I want to help you anyway that I can.”

“You want to help Vivie.”

“And you too Annie,” Sid’s voice is soft as he cups Annie’s chin to get her to look at him. “I want to help both of you. I’m not leaving or backing out of this, I’m all in.”

Annie blinks a few times before she nods and lets out a shaky breath, “I trust you Sid.”

“Thank you,” without thinking Sidney leans down and presses a gentle kiss to Annie’s forehead. “I need to get Vivie on the ice so I can send pictures to my mom.”

[scuderia-hamilton]

i’ve seen some shit online and please tell me none of you actually believe that the drivers would’ve lost their seats if they had spoken out when asked about the current situation. please tell me none of you believe that. let’s not find excuses for men and their misogynistic behavior. this is the sport that let Nikita Mazepin race when there was video proof of him sexually assaulting a woman. this is the sport that found nothing wrong with Max Verstappen calling fellow drivers ableist and other offensive slurs. nothing, i repeat, nothing would’ve happened to any of them if they would’ve given an answer, like Lewis did for example. stop enabling this kind of behavior and protecting them, they’re all grown ass man and their current behavior is repulsive and shameful. hold them accountable.

[ktkellart]

Puttin' on the ritz - Good Omens version

When I saw Layton and Nikita dancing the quickstep to 'Puttin' on the Ritz' on Strictly come dancing in their beige and black trousers, my mind wandered to Good Omens, (naturally). So by the time the dance finished, all I could see was Aziraphale and Crowley dancing and having the time of their lives. Which gave me an idea. 

So, with nearly 400 individually drawn and coloured frames later using the rotoscoping technique, edited using free programs and an embarrassing amount of hours of work. (I have a new found respect for animators now!) here is my silly little animation! I hope you enjoy and it puts a smile on your face!

I may tidy it up in the future, or I might leave it as it is... I’m working on 4 or 5 animatics at the moment so we’ll see. Haha! Too many ideas, not enough time!

- Music by George Porter 

- Background from Good Omens Season 2 ‘Before the beginning’ scene 

- Rotoscoped from Layton and Nikita’s dance on Strictly

[weepinwriter]

“Within this intricate web of Tartarus’s hierarchy, I will be your guide, leading you safely through its tangled threads.”

Name : Victor (m.) | Vanessa (f.)

Age : They're in their mid twenties

Height : 5’8

Appearance : V. stands at 5’8”. Befitting their warm nature and words, V. has a naturally soothing appearance as well, with silky straight chocolate-brown hair and golden-brown eyes. Male V. has his hair cut neatly short, although his bangs fall slightly into his eyes, while female V.’s hair falls down to the middle of her back and can appear slightly wind-tousled at times. They are often seen dressing neatly and simply, in a black blazer, white shirt, black slacks, and black shoes to top it all off.

Personality : V. is an enthusiastic and positive individual who lights up the room with their cheery smile. They spread tranquility wherever they goe and believe in brightening up any tense atmosphere. Their seemingly infinite patience and love for childlike activities make them a certified mood maker, though some find them troublesome to deal with. V. is bold and adventurous, always ready to take on exciting challenges and overcome hardships. They have a confident and ambitious personality, never fearing anything and always finding a solution. Despite their big ego, self-importance and little to no sense of self preservation, they are driven by a desire to be seen as courageous and worthy of others admiration. On the flip side, they can be quite disrespectful (unintentionally) with no fault of their own owing to their bluntness, disliking boring work and indulging in creative pursuits like origami and listening to the recent rumors spreading around. V. is self-willed and stubborn, persistently pursuing their goals but resistant to tasks they're not interested in. However, they can be persuaded with bribery. Overall, V.'s personality is a mix of enthusiasm, energy, boldness, ego, childishness, and self-will.

Background : Case File No. ████▉ pertains to the Subject originating from a renowned aristocratic lineage, known for their long-standing prominence in governing the majority of the 5th District's lower sectors. Regrettably, unforeseen circumstances unfolded, leading to allegations and subsequent confirmation of colluding with anti-government factions within the 5th District. As a direct consequence of these findings, a significant portion of the family was subjected to public execution. The surviving heirs, including the subject under scrutiny (designated as 1339), were forcibly separated and confined within separate penitentiaries. Presently, the subject is serving a 100-year imprisonment term for their involvement in the rebel activities, having been found culpable of withholding information from the appropriate authorities. It is worth noting that, based on the peculiar circumstances surrounding this case, the subject could potentially be eligible for release on bail. The specific conditions permitting such action have been redacted from this report for reasons of confidentiality and security.

Likes : origami, physical touches, jellyfish, listening to the recent gossips and rumors, dancing

Dislikes : the season of winter (or just the cold in general), the darkness, any authority figures, complete silence, boiled tomatoes

Pet peeves : not being appreciated for his positive efforts and hardwork, inflexible rules, unmatched and wet socks

Trivia :

has an unusual fascination with flowers, and can correctly identify any flower and also point out their respective symbolisms

can perfectly copy anyone's handwriting and signature with a single glance at it

has a rather terrible streak of bad luck with sharp objects. Regardless of how harmless the circumstances may be, V. will somehow find a way to effectively end up getting impaled by a pencil

has dirt on literally everyone in Tartarus, excluding Twenty, MC and Nikita (who they seem to be especially wary of)

[multifandomgirl08]

Nikita's First Christmas [Mini Verstappen Series]

Dad!Max Verstappen x Mother!Reader (Established Relationship)

Summary: Nico's first Christmas with his baby brother

Warning(s): Google Translated Dutch

A/N: This was supposed to be something a little short for the Holidays but I got a little carried away.

Max's gift idea to the reader is taken from @xhopelesslyromanticx's Lando imagine; A Birkin Bag for Y/N. I mean the idea of Max buying the reader a Birkin, I kind of couldn't help myself. This isn't beta read.

Words: 1.8k

Previous Part → Next Part Mini Verstappen Masterlist

Max was happy to be home in Belgium for the holidays. After a long season, and Nikita coming into the world a few weeks before Christmas and the New Year, he was happy that his second son would experience the holidays with them even if he didn't remember it.

In the fog after Nikita's birth, neither you nor Max had the time to wrap Nico's presents. Sophie had come over to "help" with Nikita, while Max and Nico went to pick out a tree for the house so all of you could decorate it together. Sophie had helped wrap presents and even fed Nikita while you took a nap. Sylvie (the nanny) would be spending her holidays back in Monaco with her family.

Max didn't have the best memories of Christmas as he grew up. It was mostly spent with his dad, and the few times it was with his mom, it seemed like the time had passed too fast for him to be able to savor the feeling of being with her and Victoria.

You had all spent Christmas Eve together having dinner before Victoria and Tom took Luka and Lio home to get some rest. They would be back for lunch after opening gifts in the morning.

Sophie had stayed a little longer helping Max with the dishes while you put Nikita to bed. You had come back downstairs holding the baby monitor to Max lying back on the couch with Nico in his arms. Sophie was still in the kitchen insisting that you stay off your feet. She took her bag ready to head home.

"I want to stay up to see De Kerstman," Nico whined from Max's arms.

"De Kerstman won't come unless you are asleep Nico," Max said. Nico reached over giving Sophie a hug and then gave him back to Max so Nico could get ready for bed.

You always found it cute when Nico would slip into Dutch without knowing it. It didn't happen as often as when he was really little, but when Max and Sophie heard it you could tell how fond they were of Nico still talking in Dutch even though he mostly spoke English now.

"You know you can stay here." You offered to Sophie. You assumed that she would refuse, wanting to go home.

Sophie already had her purse packed, but you could turn down the sheets in the guest room and give her something to sleep in for the night. She was supposed to be back here at 10 am and you saw no real reason as to why she should drive home in the snow.

"Are you sure?" She asked. You nodded before Max offered to walk her to the guest room after Nico had brushed his teeth and was in bed.

You had woken up the next morning with Nico jumping on your and Max's bed still in his pajamas. Max had no doubt woken up before you and had gone to check on Nikita after you had woken up to feed him around 5 in the morning.

"Mama," He said out of breath sitting on Max's side of the bed. "When can I open presents?"

"After breakfast." You kissed Nico on his forehead before he ran down the hallway. You were able to get dressed without any interruptions, slipping on a pair of shorts and one of Max's shirts. Just as you came out of the bathroom, you saw Max standing in the doorway holding Nikita.

"Merry Christmas Max." You said packing him in the lips.

"Merry Christmas mijn leeuwin," Max leaned down and kissed your cheek before you opened your arms to take Nikita from him. Max made a slight move as if he didn't want to give Nikita to you before you both started laughing.

You lightly brush past Max just enough for him to move but not enough to move Nikita from his place in Max's arms. Max gave you Nikita after making it downstairs into the kitchen to see Sophie standing in front of the stove making breakfast.

You offered to take over but she shooed you away from the stove. Max placed a cup of decaf coffee in front of you and you placed a kiss on the back of his hand in thanks.

"Mama, De Kerstman came!" Nico yelled looking at all of the boxes of presents for everyone.

"Yes, he did." You drank from your cup while Nico bounced in his seat. After you eat, you went to sit on the couch and fed Nikita before Max took him from you to burp him before Victoria and Tom showed up.

You had all finished eating breakfast just before Victoria had shown up. Everyone was quick to pile into the living room. You had let Nico, Luka, and Lio open their presents first. Nico had gotten a new Charizard plush, he was quick to hug it to his chest before giving it to Max.

"Safekeeping." He muttered placing a finger over his lips as if it was a secret. Max gave him a small nod back.

Luka and Lio had opened their presents from you and Max, all approved by Victoria and Tom beforehand. They were smaller things, building blocks, and a few Lego sets that were for ages 3-5.

As Nico opened his next present from you and Max, he got distracted ripping the paper around the box instead of focusing on the present underneath. Eventually, Nico got to the box taking out a few coloring books and a 150 set of colored pencils. Nico's big present was waiting for him back in Monaco, it was a new bike that he had asked Max for after his birthday had come and gone.

After another hour all of the presents had been exchanged, except for the ones from Max to you and you to him. You would exchange those after everyone left, per the tradition that started after you had moved in with him and Nico.

Nikita had gotten baby clothes that he would grow out of just after he could wear them. Sophie, Victoria, and Tom had collectively bought you the stroller that you had been looking at getting just after everyone had found out about Nikita. You hugged all of them, thanking them for the gift.

Everyone had stayed until three. Sophie had dinner plans with friends, and Tom and Victoria were supposed to head out to a Christmas party.

Max had put on a Christmas movie off Disney+ while the three of you camped out on the couch, and Nikita lay in his swing. After finishing the second movie, Nico fell asleep at Max's side, and you fed Nikita again. Max carefully moved Nico to lie against one of the throw pillows before disappearing to get you a burp rag to clean Nikita up a little.

You could hear Max walking close to the garage but thought nothing of it while you cradled Nikita in your arms. You thought it was a pretty successful Christmas, no tears or tantrums, and Nikita didn't seem fussy while he was being past around today.

"Max did you-" You turned to ask him if he found the rag in the laundry room when he came into the room holding a big orange box with a black bow on it.

Max placed the box on the coffee table before sliding the white rag out from the back of his jeans. He laid it over his shoulder before opening his arms to take Nikita.

"Open it," Max stroked your cheek with his thumb. You looked at Max, and him holding Nikita.

You slowly reached for the box undoing the bow and pulled the orange lid off. Taking all of the paper off before reaching the dust bag inside. You already knew that when it came to Max he didn't shy away from going all out on gifts. You just never thought he would do this.

You pulled open the dust bag before putting your hand in to pull out a black bag with red stripes on the side. It was a Birkin 25, in black Epsom leather with two red stripes of leather and with palladium hardware. Max must have seen you looking at pictures on your computer late one night. He knew you so well.

You pulled the dust bag closed after hearing a little burp come out, Max's navy blue shirt now had a white spit-up stain on it. You quickly covered your mouth to stifle a laugh.

"You find it funny that I have baby vomit on me?" Max asked. You shook your head no but couldn't help but smile.

“Liar,” He said, moving Nikita on his shoulder. You let out a laugh before Max smiled back at you. Max cleared the spit up off Nikita’s chin before giving him to you.

You watched as Max pulled his shirt off, folding it over on itself so none of Nikita’s spit-up would get onto the fabric of the couch. You gave Nikita back, watching as Nikita curled into Max, getting skin-to-skin contact with him, before quickly disappearing into the house's entryway, to collect the white cardboard Rolex box out of your purse.

You had splurged a little on Max's Christmas gift this year. It had been a good year for you at work even though you were technically on maternity leave the last two months.

You were back on the couch quickly, giving Max the box before he placed Nikita in your arms. He undid the packaging before getting to the green box, opening it to see a Yacht-Master 42 Falcon’s Eye Oyster Rolex in white gold. Max didn't own one like it.

He slowly pulled it out from the box before taking off the Tag-Hauer he wore during the day. You held Max's watch, seeing him hold the new one in his hands.

"Check the underside." You told him. Max turned it around to see the engraving on the back.

**-**-**** 10-17-2020 12-03-2025

Three dates, your, Nico's, and Nikita's birthdays on the back, with room if you and Max had more kids. You were lucky that the watch was still being made when Nikita was born. They added the last engraving the week after Nikita was born.

"So we're always with you."

Max moved his hand up to cover his eyes. You moved Nikita into his swing so you could focus on Max.

"I love it," He said before laying his head against your shoulder a few tears escaping down his cheeks. "Thank you, Y/N."

“You’re welcome, Maxy.” You said back watching as he slid the watch onto his wrist. Adjusting the face so it would sit right on his wrist.

You had ended up putting both of your and Max's Christmas gifts into the master closet. Everything could be properly put away after the boys went to bed.

Max woke Nico up from his nap while you started a late dinner, for all of you. Nikita was by you while you were cooking, you saw Max playing with the dials of his watch, Nico looking over at it a bit before asking Max to open up his new box of colored pencils.

Translation(s):

de kerstman - Santa Clause

Mini Verstappen taglist: @karmabyfernando, @barcagirly, @sachaa-ff, @iamahallucinationnn, @musingsbyshreya, @glow-ish, @nonsensical-nonsence, @fanboyluvr, @champomiel, @gothicwidowsworld, @lighttsoutlewis, @itsalwaysgay, @minkyungseokie, @mynameisangeloflife, @ursforever129, @aundercover, @bborra, @mindless-rock, @cixrosie, @barcelonaloverf1life, @taylorslovesswifties13, @konsti081, @mellowarcadefun

[mariacallous]

In the summer of 2022, when Liz Truss was about to become prime minister, I noticed that she was an admirer of Rick Perlstein, one of the great historians of modern America. 

Aspiring politicians like to tell the media about their favourite writers, even if they barely look at a book from one year to the next. It gives them a touch of class.

But there was no doubt in this case that Truss was sincere, and knew Perlstein’s work intimately.

She told journalists from the Times that she read “anything” Perlstein wrote. An interviewer from the Atlantic magazine saw a copy of Perlstein’s The Invisible Bridge on her shelf, the third of his four-volume series on the rise of the radical right in the United States between 1960 and 1980, and said it was just the kind of book you’d expect her to read.

Then there was a weird moment in an interview with the Spectator when  an anonymous spokeswoman for the Truss campaign, who sounded very like Truss herself, explained that her rival Rishi Sunak was failing to win over Tory members because he refused to pander to their prejudices. 

“If people think there is an imaginary river,” the source said, “you don’t tell them there isn’t, you build them an imaginary bridge.”

You can find that quote at the beginning of the Perlstein history of the US right in the mid-1970s that was on Liz Truss’s bookcase.  And it is highly revealing. Perlstein picked it from a meeting between Nikita Khrushchev and Richard Nixon in the late 1950s. The Soviet leader told the then US vice-president that politicians must create their own reality by pandering to the fear in their supporters’ minds. 

“If the people believe there is an imaginary river out there,” Khrushchev said, “you don’t tell them there’s no river out there. You build an imaginary bridge over the imaginary river.”

Truss, or someone close to her was saying that Tories did not want to face facts. They wanted their fantasies confirmed, which is exactly what she did — at enormous cost to the country.

I contacted Perlstein and asked what he thought of having the UK’s next prime minister as a fan.

Let me put it like this: he may have been her favourite historian, but she was not his favourite politician. Not even close. Not even in the top 1,000. He found her astonishingly stupid.

”Liz. Can’t. Read,” he replied, and began a long – and for British readers frightening – account of how and why our new government of wannabe Reaganites would crash the economy.

As they went on to do.

Truss’s notion that tax cuts for the rich pay for themselves had been developed in the 1970s. The new wealth of the already wealthy was meant to boost the economy and tax base and trickle down to the rest of society.

In the fourth volume of his series, Perlstein covered the grifters who sold the idea of self-funding tax cuts and explained how dubious they were.

And yet here, 50-years on, was his devoted reader Liz Truss reading his history as a guidebook rather than a warning.

Why do terrible ideas refuse to die?

You could say in this case that Truss was so stupid she did not understand the past. This was Perlstein’s point.

Then there’s greed. If you want to proselytise for tax cuts for the rich, you will never be short of a paying audience, as the Tufton Street think tanks well know.

Finally, there’s deceit. Conservatives don’t necessarily believe that they will raise money for public services. The enterprise of pretending tax cuts are self-financing is a con designed to weaken state provision.

All three played their part in the voodoo economics of US conservatism and the disastrous reign of Liz Truss.

Here’s how…

Neo-liberalism was forged in the 1970s as the post-war Keynesian or New Deal consensus fell apart.

One of the new ideas that emerged was trickle-down economics.  Until then, the traditional conservative argument was that you needed to reduce spending or increase growth if you wanted to reduce taxes.

This was the case that Rishi Sunak put in his failed attempt to defeat Truss in the 2022 leadership contest.

But in the mid-1970s hucksters and ideologues maintained that there was no need to cut spending. The growth tax cuts inspired would more than cover the cost.

The Laffer curve suggested that there was a point where tax rises were counterproductive. People would turn down work if the state took too much of their income, although where that point was is always disputed.

Getting into these practical arguments misses the point, however. There was an exuberant eruption of voodoo economics in the mid-1970s, which had no concern for technical accuracy.

Perlstein put it to me like this

“[With] conventional Keynesian – ‘liberal’ – solutions failing, all sorts of intellectual entrepreneurs on the right came forth with their solutions to the problem, as I narrate in Reaganland, a volume Liz claims to have read. [Of the] many solutions on the table, the one that prevailed was the one that all the actually half-way qualified experts on the right knew was nothing but a fairy tale on a par with Jack in the Beanstalk. [It was] devised by a dude whose only economic training, in his own description, came from learning to count cards at the blackjack tables in Las Vegas. I wish I were making this up, but I am not.”

Perlstein was referring to Jude Wanniski, a journalist who did indeed coin the term “supply-side economics” in the 1970s after a spell working in Las Vegas. He attracted the attention of Reagan, Jack Kemp and Steve Forbes with his promise that the Laffer curve guaranteed that, if conservative politicians cut taxes, the economy would boom.

As Perlstein notes, Wanniski’s first piece promoting the idea in a 1975 issue of the Conservative journal Public Interest “lacked almost everything that made economic arguments convincing to other economists”. There were only four footnotes. No data. No formal models. Economists thought supply-side economics was a joke. It would take decades to recoup the money lost in tax cuts to wealthy people, they argued.

Milton Friedman, who was hardly a socialist, said the inflation that unfunded tax cuts would produce meant that supply-side economics was merely a “proposal to change the form of taxes” rather than lower them.  They would generate price and interest rates rises as indeed happened during the Truss debacle.

Alan Greenspan, who once again was a man of the right, who hung out with Ayn Rand no less, nevertheless said he knew of no one who believed that Arthur Laffer’s curve would magically turn tax cuts into increased government revenues.

And so it has proved again and again. Ronald Reagan’s administration provided the classic example. It cut taxes but the promised surge in tax revenues did not happen. All that happened was the national debt increased.

David Stockman, Reagan’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget admitted that "none of us really understands what's going on with all these numbers," as the experiment played out. He rapidly came to the conclusion that the administration needed to cut spending to balance the books. But as he said in his The Triumph of Politics: Why the Reagan Revolution Failed Conservative politicians preferred large deficits and an increasing national debt to cutting programmes their constituents liked.

Under Reagan, Bush and Trump they were happy to keep cutting. One of the features of US politics is that the national debt is as likely to rise under right-wing as left-wing governments,

Obviously, arguing that cutting the wealthy’s taxes was virtuous in itself pleased the wealthy.  It pleased Republican party donors in the 1970s, and it pleased the Tory donors who poured money into Liz Truss’s campaign in 2022.

But there is more to it than that.

In an article for the Wall Street Journal in 1976, Wanniski said the problem with the old right with its insistence on saving money was that it wanted to be Scrooge when it should be Santa Claus. 

It should deliver tax cuts, forget about the national debt, and sit back as a grateful citizenry showed their gratitude at polling stations. Left-wingers wanted to give taxpayer-funded goodies to their supporters. Very well, right-wingers should want to give tax cuts to theirs.

In the 1970s, Irving Kristol, the editor of Public Interest, was explicit that politics must trump economics. The political advantage tax cuts would provide to the Republicans was so historically imperative they should be blasted through whatever the effect on the budget.

“The neo-Conservative is willing to leave those problems to be coped with by liberal interregnums,’ he wrote in the Wall Street Journal. “He wants to shape the future and will leave it to his opponents to tidy up afterwards.”

We are now in a moment like the 1970s. Taxes keep rising and Conservatives and indeed the rest of us have yet to come to terms with the cost of an ageing society. As anger grows, I doubt that Truss will be the last Tory to try to magic away reality and build an invisible bridge to a fantastical future.