#AHHH SO EXCITED TO FINALLY POST THESE

[lesbicosmos]

day 1 of @painlandweek !!

day 1 prompt: language of love / sickfic

summary: charles gets hit by a witch's spell that was originally intended for edwin. edwin takes care of him in the aftermath.

notes: title from unknown/nth by hozier <33

also on ao3!!

i could break beneath the weight of the goodness, love, i still carry for you

Ghosts couldn’t get ill – at least, not in the traditional sense. They had no immune system to be affected, so they never had anything to worry about in terms of typical human diseases. It was possible, however, for a ghost’s physical form to be altered by supernatural intervention: curses, enchantments, hexes, and the like; and the side effects of these could resemble what a ghost would recognise as sickness or injury.

Running a detective agency for troubled ghosts meant Charles and Edwin had dealt with their fair share of paranormal maladies. Luckily for them, Edwin’s extensive collection of medical tomes and the many spells he had learned over the years were usually just the thing they required to help the soul in need. It was usually a client; it was very rare that the soul in need was either of the two of them – and it never happened on any of their ‘typical’ cases.

Their current case was not a typical one.

They had thought they were done with witches after the pandemonium with Esther Finch back in Port Townsend, but they could not have been more wrong. They were currently fighting another one, who was ironically also trying to trap ghosts – not to hook them up to her spectral energy super-battery, but to use them as test subjects for the potions and spells she invented. They were ‘free guinea pigs’, she had claimed. ‘An abundant supply.’ Of course, the Dead Boy Detectives Agency couldn’t have that. When they had a young woman who had died sometime in the 1960s come by the office to tell them about her 18th century girlfriend who had been kidnapped, they immediately took the case.

So, several days of researching and keeping watch on the witch later, the four detectives had arrived at her house, prepared for anything. They had distracted her for long enough for Charles to sneak down into her cellar and rescue the ghosts trapped down there in iron cages, including their client’s partner. Now all they had to do was get rid of this witch once and for all, or at least come to an agreement. They didn’t enjoy having to take drastic measures against those who wronged their clients, but sometimes they were necessary.

The four of them were outside in the garden facing the witch, who didn’t look alarmed in the slightest. She wasn’t amused, though. She hadn’t got that manic grin on her face that Esther had when she was torturing souls. No, this witch clearly just wanted the four of them out of her way. And evidently she was more than willing to use force. As Crystal gripped her arm, slipping into her mind, Edwin prepared a spell. He was focusing intently, desperately trying to ensure it was ready for when Crystal let the witch go. Unfortunately for him, the witch also had psychic abilities, and was much more efficient at fighting back against Crystal than they had anticipated. She broke free of her grasp, Crystal falling backwards into Niko, and the witch turned to Edwin.

He was still crouched on the floor, swirling a blue liquid in a vial and muttering something in Latin, and hadn’t had the chance to move or attack before the witch made her move, muttering something in an ancient tongue and throwing her hand forwards in front of her.

Edwin shut his eyes tightly out of instinct, preparing for whatever this witch had cooked up for him in her mind.

“Edwin!” he heard Charles scream.

He heard footsteps quickly approaching, presumably the witch drawing closer to increase the strength of her attack. A green light shot forwards, so bright Edwin could almost see it through his eyelids. A strangled gasp echoed around the walls of the garden as ghostly body collided with concrete patio.

Edwin’s eyes burst open at the gasp that was most pointedly not his own.

Directly in front of him, Charles lay on the ground unmoving, his cricket bat thrown aside. A green glow gently faded from his chest, where the spell had clearly hit him square-on.

“Charles!” Crystal shouted, moving to run to him, then retreating when the witch turned instead to her, her hand still pulsing with the magical light.

The witch simply laughed. Edwin fell to his knees beside Charles, who still hadn’t moved a muscle since he collapsed.

“Charles!” Edwin gasped, out of breath and panicked. “Charles, can you hear me?”

Edwin gently shook Charles’s shoulders, and his eyes slowly opened, looking up. Then, his eyes moved downward, and Edwin followed his line of sight until he reached his hand, where Charles was weakly giving a thumbs up.

Fundamentally, Charles was fine. He couldn’t feel any pain, aside from the dull ache of where the spell had hit him directly. It wasn’t that he couldn’t move, only that it suddenly felt as though he weighed several dozen times more than he did before. Even lifting his hand to signal to Edwin had made him feel as though he was trying to deadlift an elephant. It was strange, feeling this sensation of exhaustion, something he had not physically felt in so long. He’d felt it mentally, emotionally; there had been many times he’d gone to sleep – or, at least, the closest a ghost could get to a state of rest – but he’d never felt the tiredness so viscerally, never ached all over just to move.

“Can you talk?”

He tried. It didn’t work. Not only was it too much to open his mouth, but he came to realise he couldn’t even breathe. When he tried, it was even worse than lifting his hand, this time as though he had the weight of a building sitting on top of his chest. It wasn’t that he needed to breathe. He hadn’t actually absorbed oxygen into his lungs since that cold night in the attic, but it was their strange ghostly equivalent to breathing that allowed him to speak, and right now he couldn’t.

Charles’s head moved ever so slightly from side to side. That was just manageable.

“Not full paralysis, okay…” Edwin muttered under his breath, looking Charles up and down. “You’re going to be okay,” he said, this time looking him in the eyes.

Edwin didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t leave Charles in this state, but there was still a ghost-napping witch to deal with. But if he didn’t know the specifics of the spell Charles was hit with, he couldn’t know what the full effects would be. He could be off trying to deal with the witch while Charles ‘s spectral form faded away for all he knew, unnoticed in the silence. He began to panic. He needed books, but all the volumes he could think of that would help were back at the office. He looked up to Crystal and Niko, who were still facing the witch.

All of a sudden she dashed off, through a gap in the hedges at the edge of the garden.

“Get him back to the office,” Crystal told Edwin. “We’ll deal with her.”

“Are you sure?”

“We’ve got this, you go and help him!"

Edwin hurled the vial he had finished concocting to Niko, who caught it in one hand.

“Throw that at her. Make sure it smashes, and make sure you do it on the property. It should trap her here for now, we’ll figure out what to do with her another time.”

The girls nodded, turning and following the path the witch took out of the garden and out of sight. Edwin turned back to Charles.

“I’m going to lift you up now,” he said.

Charles didn’t do anything to argue – not that he physically could – so Edwin got his footing before sliding one arm under Charles’s shoulders and the other under his knees, lifting him up.

Something in Charles’s mind had expected that Edwin wouldn’t be able to lift him. He was far too heavy, too weighed down; Edwin was strong, but he wasn’t that strong. He had been wrong, of course. The spell hadn’t actually turned Charles to lead; it only felt like it had. His limbs fell straight downwards as Edwin carried him through the witch’s house to the huge mirror on the wall in the entranceway.

He stepped through it, and they were in their office within a second. Edwin hurriedly but gently lowered Charles down onto the small sofa.

Charles really didn’t like that he couldn’t breathe. He knew he didn’t need to, knew he hadn’t really breathed in years, but that didn’t stop the habit. He was panicking, and that only made him feel the need more. Soon, he was gasping, desperately trying to inhale but being unable to as his chest wouldn’t rise an inch.

Edwin had been carefully arranging his limbs on the sofa, desperate to make him as comfortable as possible. That helped calm him down, but it didn’t stop the attempts. He had to breathe. He needed to breathe. Not being able to reminded him of being under that lake, hiding beneath the surface for as long as he physically could to shield himself from the oncoming attacks from the boys he had once considered his closest friends. He so desperately wanted to reach out, to grab onto Edwin’s arm, but the most he could do was wriggle his fingers around.

Clearly noticing his distress, Edwin grabbed his hand and squeezed.

“Charles, you don’t need to breathe my dear. You’re okay. Just try and relax, I know it’s uncomfortable.”

Edwin’s voice grounded Charles, and he closed his eyes, focusing on the sound and the feeling of Edwin’s hand in his. He wished he could squeeze back, thank him for being there as always.

“Are you alright?” he asked once Charles was no longer trying to gasp for air.

Charles barely managed a nod. Edwin placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head before standing up, letting go of Charles’s hand and pacing over to his shelves. He thought for a moment before reaching out and grabbing a book, an old one with yellowing pages and a dark purple cover. He flicked through, his eyes darting back and forth across the pages until he found what he was looking for.

“I think it was a paralysis hex gone somewhat wrong,” he explained, moving back over to Charles and sitting on the sofa beside him, the book open on his lap. “It’s a specific type of witchcraft, a spell which the caster has to specifically cater it to the intended victim. Since she forged the spell for me, it’s having a milder effect on you.”

This is mild? Charles thought. He would have groaned in annoyance if he physically could.

“It should wear off on its own, but I’m afraid it’s going to be several hours.”

Charles closed his eyes once more, rolling them as he did so. Edwin turned to place the book on the arm of the sofa, giving him another free hand to comfort Charles with. He placed it gently on his chest.

“Can I do anything to help?” he asked.

Charles’s hand twitched next to Edwin’s thigh, moving ever so slowly towards him. Edwin looked at Charles’s eyes, and could tell by the soft pleading look he found there what he was reaching for. Edwin took his gloves off, reaching out to take Charles’s hand back into his own. He knew he would need the direct contact, the softness of skin-on-skin, the only true feeling he could have in his afterlife. Edwin gently stroked circles on the back of his hand in the repeating pattern he knew always calmed him down.

Edwin hated seeing Charles like this. He was always so energetic, constantly moving around wherever he was, barely ever stopping to relax. It felt wrong seeing him stuck so still, unable to move and unable to talk. It should have been me on the other end of that spell, Edwin thought. Charles’s endearing yet frustrating need to protect him had ended in suffering for him once again.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he felt Charles squeeze his hand, just weakly. He turned to look at him at once, worried.

“What’s wrong?”

Charles managed to shake his head. Nothing was wrong, he was just trying to tell Edwin something. Holding his hand was perfect, just what he needed to ground him and ensure him he was still there, this ailment was temporary. But there was one other thing that would help even more; one thing that had helped Charles calm down and relax so many times since they had met, even if it had taken quite a few years for him to ask for it. He moved his eyes back and forth, hoping Edwin would notice, looking at him and then at the desk behind him, over and over until Edwin got the message.

Edwin turned his head to the desk. The only things on it were a stack of books, the ones Edwin was currently part-way through reading.

“The books?”

Charles nodded. Moving his head and face was becoming more bearable by now, so he managed to open his mouth just slightly - even though he still couldn’t talk, he managed to mouth something, and Edwing could easily make out what he was saying.

“Read to me,” he said soundlessly.

“Of course,” Edwin smiled.

It was strange, how much Edwin reading to him comforted Charles. It wasn’t even the book itself, not usually. What really meant so much to him was simply hearing Edwin’s voice, so gentle and only for him. He’d always thought he shouldn’t like it. It should remind him of the night he died, the night his life slipped away from him as this strange ghost boy read his favourite detective comic aloud. And it did remind him of that night, but that night wasn’t a bad memory for Charles, not really. The hours before the attic, the months of abuse from his father that led up to it…they were the bad memories, the ones Charles wishes he could forget. But the trauma of his death itself had been diminished by the presence of that kind boy, the boy who had become Charles’s everything. So yes, Edwin reading to him did remind him of his death, but it reminded him of the kindness of a stranger, of just why he had chosen this boy over heaven itself in the first place, of why he loved him. Edwin’s voice made him feel at home, more than the house he grew up in ever did.

Edwin stood up to pick up the book from the desk, but as he turned around he found Charles seemingly trying to shuffle around on the sofa.

“Charles, what are you doing?” he asked worriedly. “You’ll exhaust yourself.”

Charles’s eyes flicked to the space on the sofa beside him, his deep brown eyes looking into Edwin’s, asking a question.

“Ah,” Edwin realised. “Let me help.”

He placed the book on the floor in front of the sofa, kneeling down.

“Are you alright with me moving you?”

Charles nodded. Edwin repeated the movements he’d done at the witch’s house before: one arm under Charles’s knees; the other under his shoulders, and he lifted him just enough to move him further towards the back of the sofa, leaving space for Edwin to climb next to him.

That was just what Edwin did, sitting beside him and manoeuvring them so that Charles’s head rested on his chest, the way he would have been if he could have moved himself. His movement did seem to be improving gradually, and he shifted his own legs to tangle with Edwin’s. Edwin supposed it was because his legs were furthest from his chest, so didn’t suffer the effects of the hex as drastically.

Edwin intertwined his fingers with Charles’s, picking up the book with the other hand. He pressed another gentle kiss to the top of his head before beginning to read.

In addition to not suffering from normal illnesses, another thing ghosts didn’t do was sleep. Similar to the supernatural intervention however, they had their own complicated equivalent to restore their energy when required.

Neither of the two of them required it, though. And ghosts didn’t get sore throats from reading aloud for too long either, so Edwin read Charles the entire book. By the time they finished, the sun had already half-risen, a pinkish orange glow illuminating the office.

“How are you doing?” Edwin asked, after the first few minutes of silence in several hours.

“Brills,” Charles replied, his voice back, and as confident as always.

He snuggled impossibly closer to Edwin, burying his face in his chest.

“Wait,” Edwin said, pausing the gentle strokes of his hand up and down Charles’s arm. “When did the hex wear off?”

“About an hour ago,” Charles admitted, his voice slightly muffled against Edwin.

“Why did you not say something?” Edwin chuckled. “Or start breathing again?”

“Didn’t wanna interrupt you. I like your voice.”

Charles lifted his head slightly, rolling further onto his front to look up at Edwin, smiling.

Edwin laughed softly, smiling back.

“Thank you,” Charles said. “For doing that.”

“Of course, Charles,” Edwin held him somehow even closer. “You know I am always here for whatever you need.”

“I’m always here for you too,” Charles assured.

“Yes, well…it was very reckless of you to jump in front of that hex for me.”

“What was I supposed to do? You said it yourself, it had a weakened effect on me. It would’ve been worse on you.”

“Well, yes I suppose, but my point still stands.”

“Sorry love but there’s nothing you can do to stop me. I’ll always jump in front of witches’ curses for you,” Charles kissed the tip of Edwin’s nose softly.

Edwin sighed. He knew there was no arguing with Charles, ever-protective as he was.

“Well, did you enjoy the book?” he asked, changing the subject before he thought too much about the extent of Charles’s devotion to him and started to feel like crying over how much he loved the charming impulsive boy he got to call his boyfriend.

“Oh. Uhh…” Charles trailed off.

“Did you pay attention to the plot at all?” Edwin laughed.

“Your voice is very relaxing.”

Charles didn’t know how else to answer. It was the truth – what was being read wasn’t important, only that it was Edwin reading it. Edwin shook his head slightly, the smile never leaving his face.

“I suppose I’ll just have to read it to you again, then,” Edwin faked disappointment.

“Oh no,” said Charles, dramatically leaning backwards to put his hand over his heart in faux shock before leaning in to kiss Edwin.

Just as their lips brushed, the front door to the office burst open. Both of them sat up on the sofa to see Crystal and Niko running in.

“Oh, thank god you’re okay,” Crystal sighed, rushing forward to hug him.

Charles hugged back with his free arm, the other still wrapped around Edwin’s waist, and Crystal squeezed next to them on the sofa. Niko knelt on the floor in front of them.

“’Course I am,” he said proudly. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, and I had Edwin to look after me.”

Charles turned to face Edwin, his signature smile plastered across his face. Edwin could only grin back.

“The hex faded on its own, Charles,” he said. “I did nothing.”

“You read to me! That helped.”

“Aww,” Niko smiled.

“How did you two get on last night then?” Charles asked the girls.

“We were done in like an hour,” Niko explained.

“Yeah, that potion you made worked its magic and she couldn’t leave.”

“I’m glad.”

“We went back to Crystal’s after. We figured Charles would want some time to get better before we came barging in here.”

“Thanks Niko,” said Charles.

“We’re just glad you’re alright,” Crystal squeezed his arm.

“I’m aces, don’t worry.”

Charles leaned his head on Edwin’s shoulder, holding both him and Crystal close. The case wasn’t fully closed yet – they still had a witch trapped in her own house with all her equipment she could easily use to figure out a way to escape to deal with – but for now…yeah, for now they were aces.

[theworkerofkeay]

Let me guide you in your dreams 🌙

[apparently-artless]

Youkai Gakkou no Sensei Hajimemashita! PV [broadcast starts on Oct. 8, 2024, at 23:00 JST]

[lesbicosmos-writes]

day 5 of @deadboyween !!

day 5 prompt: family

summary: no one is coping after niko's death, especially edwin. the group are trying to get back to work as a distraction, but it's not really working. then, it gets even worse for edwin when he begins hearing niko's voice inside his head, his own subconscious filling the gap he knows is there, and it hurts.

notes: okay i've been thinking about and working on this fic for SO LONG!! i think it's gonna be 8 chapters but we'll see, i have the first 5 or so written rn, two are posted now!!

also on ao3!!

heard the voices and caught my breath, so close and yet so far from death

Chapter 1

Grief was a strange old thing.

Edwin had only known Niko for a few weeks and now, a month after her death, he still felt the pain of losing her weighing him down as though they had been friends for years. In reality, he’d been grieving her longer than they had known each other, and that was a difficult thing to come to terms with. Theoretically, ghosts could have eternity, so time and emotions didn’t quite correlate in the same way they would have if he were alive. If he were alive, of course he would still be grieving, just as Crystal was, but a few weeks were barely anything compared to how long he had existed. Niko had merely been a blip in time for him, and yet here he was, sitting at his desk preparing for a new client as a way of distracting himself from how much it hurt, from how often he saw a girl lying on the ground, eyes glazed over, blood gushing from her chest, whenever he closed his eyes.

He supposed, when you spent 16 years living in a society full of such strict expectations, where affection was so abnormal that even your own parents never hugged you; and when you spent 73 years in the worst place in existence, entirely alone aside from the creature that continuously hunted you down and tore you apart; and when you spent 34 years with the best person you’d ever met, who you would never give up for anything since you loved him far too much for that and believed there would never be anyone else who would care even half as much about you as he did…meeting someone else who also cared, who also listened, who also helped you and understood you in a way no one else ever had…of course it would hurt for a long time to lose them – no matter how fleeting your time together was.

He'd grown closer to Crystal during the time since Port Townsend. She was as close to Niko as he was, and she’d had a similarly profound effect on her and how she viewed herself and the world. He supposed it must be harder for her, in a way. Being a ghost, Edwin had become rather detached from the idea of death as an ending. Crystal may have been a psychic with full knowledge and access to the spectral realm, but he supposed it must hurt in a different way, being alive and watching someone else die to save you, and someone as kind and loving as Niko Sasaki at that.

At first, he and Crystal had yelled at each other a lot. Both of them had been on edge, their usually stiff-built emotional walls having deteriorated through the overwhelming sadness. They’d been at each other’s throats more than ever, Charles caught in the crossfire, until he eventually convinced the two of them to sit down and talk.

They had talked, and it helped. They weren’t as snappy with one another, since they knew and understood that they were going through the same thing. They bonded over their grief, Edwin even offering Crystal a hug she so clearly needed, which Edwin hadn’t realised he needed too. They had realised they’d become so emotionally vulnerable because both of them felt some sort of blame for what happened. Crystal blamed herself because the slashing spell had been directed at her before Niko jumped in front of it – she felt she should have been the one who died. Edwin felt responsible since it was him they were both trying to rescue. They talked about it, both reassuring each other it was not their fault, but that feeling, that pang of guilt at the mere thought of their friend, never really disappeared. It felt a little lighter though, a little easier.

Charles had also been suffering – of course he had. He’d begun to view Niko as the younger sister he never had and losing her had felt quite like dying all over again. But Charles being Charles put the others’ needs above his own, trying to help them through their grief while pushing his own deep down into himself until it exploded out one night and he burst into tears one night, gripping onto Edwin like he would slip away if he let go.

All three of them were broken. But they had each other. They had people who understood, and they had the Agency – because as much as Edwin hated to admit it, sometimes a distraction helped. Getting his head stuck into casework and research gave him something to focus on, which was why they continued to take on new cases despite everything.

“I’m Edwin Payne,” he introduced himself to their latest client – a middle-aged woman in a 19th century maid’s uniform. “This is Charles Rowland, and Crystal Palace. Welcome to the Dead Boy Detective Agency. How can we help you?”

“My name’s Susan Grantham. In life, I were the maid at one of the bigger houses over in Uxbridge. I did my work willingly, for the Andersons that lived there. The wife Em was a good friend o’ mine, we grew up together and had always been close. She made me the godmother of her children, so when I died in that house three months after she and her husband were killed when their train derailed, I knew I had to stick around and help however I could. But when they grew up, and all of ‘em but the oldest married off and got land of their own, I never went anywhere. Always thought someone would come for me once my job was done but they still ain’t come. So it’s just been me in that house. It’s a hotel now. Em’s great-great grandson was the last to live there, he died in the war in ’43. House was empty for years ‘til someone bought it in the ‘90s and turned it into a hotel. It’s constantly full of people now, but I’m convinced I ain’t the only thing haunting it anymore. There’s been loads of weird accidents in there, and that’s why I’ve come to you.”

“Weird accidents?” Charles repeated. “Sounds like a poltergeist, we’ve dealt with them before.”

“What kind of weird accidents is the establishment succumbing to, Ms Grantham?”

“Oh, all sorts. Knives moving on their own in the kitchens, doors knocking with no one there, and too many guests have come screaming to the front desk about floating furniture.”

“Definitely sounds like a poltergeist, right Edwin?”

“Oh my god, Edwin, this is just like that Scooby Doo episode we watched!” said Niko.

Edwin smiled for a split second, then paused. His face fell. Wait…what?

Edwin didn’t reply to Charles’s question, instead looking around desperate and confused, as if there was any possible way she could be there in the room. She wasn’t, of course. How could she be?

“Edwin, you okay?” Charles asked quietly, clearly worried.

“I thought I…never mind,” Edwin shook his head slightly, turning back to the client. “We’d be more than happy to take your case, it sounds simple enough. Now, onto payment.”

Five minutes later, the payment deal was agreed upon and Susan left them the address to Anderson House before leaving the office.

“Well, this should be a straight-forward one,” Edwin said, looking up with a small smile.

The other two weren’t smiling back. They both looked like they were trying to figure something out, as though they could read Edwin’s thoughts if they stared hard enough.

“What’s the matter with you two?” he asked, already making notes in his little book.

“What’s the matter with us? What’s the matter with you?” Crystal asked.

“Yeah, mate, what was that about?”

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Edwin claimed.

“You went all quiet and weird for a sec looking around like there was something there.”

“I can assure you, I am quite alright, Charles. The window merely created an interesting light pattern on the rug,” he lied.

Charles didn’t seem convinced, but he and Crystal stopped prying.

Edwin cursed himself. He’d thought about Niko non-stop since everything happened, but that was the first time he had imagined her there with them. Her voice sounded so real, like she was really there. Edwin hoped this wouldn’t become a repeating thing, he didn’t know if he’d be able to bear it if Niko’s voice was supplied by his mind but she wasn’t, couldn’t be, physically there. He already missed her enough.

He cleared his throat, shaking the thought from his mind, and got back to the case notes. This one was going to be easy.

Chapter 2

The Case of the Haunted Hotel was easy. It was the running commentary in Edwin’s mind that was not. Hearing Niko’s voice had apparently not been a one-time thing. Throughout the entire case, part of Edwin’s mental commentary had been through her. She’d provided more comparisons between the case and one of the Scooby Doo episodes they’d watched together, given several niche comments that would have sounded incredibly strange in any other voice, and had helped with the case itself, reminding Edwin that Charles had put the one item they really needed in the bag of tricks a few hours beforehand. And it didn’t even stop after that case; it continued for a few weeks, and as Edwin grew somewhat more accustomed to the apparent second consciousness in his mind, he started to enjoy it – it was a comfort that he could still feel her helping them, like it was all four of them on a case together instead of three of them and a painful space.

He only enjoyed it as it was happening, though. When the cases were closed and they returned to the office, he sat down and thought back on the idea, and then it was much more of another hurt than a comfort. When he had most of his focus directed onto a case, it was nice to have her back in a strange subconscious way, but when he was alone with his thoughts once more, the little voice in his head gave him little more than overwhelming grief. Because no matter how hard he tried to pretend that voice was real, he knew it could never be. Niko was dead, and despite the fact Edwin himself was too, he knew this one was forever. They’d left her lying on the floor of Esther Finch’s living room for Death to collect, not even waiting to see her rise as a ghost before they fled, as they had so many times since 1989. By now she’d be settled into her afterlife, no doubt in the paradise she deserved, perhaps reunited with her father, while Edwin was still on Earth. Even if he’d wanted to go with Death in the hopes of joining her, he knew he wouldn’t. He may have filled in the forms that meant Hell was no longer looking for him, but that was still his afterlife – that damn demon had made sure of that. His choices were eternal damnation in Hell or potential eternal grief on Earth, and the answer to that didn’t even beg questioning. He’d just have to learn to exist in her absence, even if he did have her sweet happy voice echoing in his mind now.

Several cases later – some of these ones much more complex than the poltergeist of Anderson House – the group needed a break. Even before they had any living members of the agency, Edwin and Charles used to have a rest day every once in a while, just to do something other than work for once, whether it be binge-playing Cluedo, Edwin teaching Charles fencing, or the two doing separate things, Edwin visiting the many museums around London and Charles exercising his ghostly privileges by going to all the concerts he wants. These rest days had become more common with Crystal around, since she actually got tired, and they’d found a whole host of things they enjoy doing as a group.

Tonight, they’d been to the theatre. There’d been a musical on in the West End that Crystal had desperately wanted to see, and while Charles and Edwin had never really had an interest in musicals, they’d agreed to go along with her. Edwin found he rather enjoyed it actually, and had been mentally replying to everything Mind-Niko was saying as they watched.

It was growing dark when they left the theatre, so Charles and Edwin walked Crystal back to her new flat on their way home. Charles and Crystal were walking slightly ahead of Edwin, whose gaze flicked between the two of them. He didn’t know if anything else had happened between them since their goodbye kiss in Port Townsend – Charles certainly hadn’t mentioned anything, but Edwin worried he wouldn’t tell him if anything had, likely out of fear of hurting his feelings since his own confession. Charles had a knack for leaving out information that might cause Edwin distress. Part of Edwin wanted to see their lack of anything official as a sign of hope that maybe, just maybe Charles could start to feel the same way he did. The larger part of Edwin, however, only wanted Charles to be happy, and if that came from him being with Crystal, then Edwin would be wholeheartedly supportive – he’d even tried to convince him to talk to her about it before she intended to leave Port Townsend. And it was clear there was still something there between them, whether they were acting on it or not. They walked down the street together, not quite touching or holding hands, but as close as seemed physically possible without either of those things happening. Charles was wearing his usual long black jacket and slacks, whereas Crystal had dressed up a bit, wearing a loose-fitting lavender trouser suit with one of her many floral designed mesh tops underneath, the pinkish-purple matching her eyeliner.

“She looks so pretty,” the Niko in Edwin’s mind supplied, and he supposed she was right.

He may not have been interested in girls that way, but he could still admit that Crystal was beautiful. He could hardly blame Charles for developing feelings almost immediately, she was exactly the kind of girl who usually caught his best friend’s eye. Only Crystal wasn’t one of those girls Charles would see in the street gossiping with their friends, having never seen a ghost in her life and likely never believing in them if you asked. Crystal was psychic, and brilliant and messy and beautiful. Edwin may have spent a lot of time in petty arguments with her, but beneath that he truly cared for her, and she’d become a close friend. He admired her strength after everything she’d been through. Once David was dealt with and Edwin could stop stressing so much about having a hellish being so close to the agency, so close to him, he really started to see how much he had affected her. Having your memories stolen from you only to get them back and discover you did horrible things in the past…that must have been horrible. Yet here she was, a fully-fledged part of the Dead Boy Detective Agency despite being neither dead nor a boy, and she was one of the best people Edwin knew. His thoughts about Crystal were soon interrupted by a different thought, this one taking on a different, more feminine voice than his own inner monologue.

“You know, I never told you, but I have such a crush on her.”

That stopped Edwin in his tracks. What? What was wrong with him? Had his mind really invented a story about Niko liking Crystal in some sick attempt to quell the jealousy he couldn’t help but feel towards her and Charles? Was he really that petty? He thought he’d been handling Charles’s rejection well, he’d never felt more than a slight twinge in his chest whenever he saw the two of them together. He was perfectly fine with the fact Charles didn’t feel the same way – he had never quite expected him to in the first place – wasn’t he? Evidently, his subconscious disagreed. He felt horrible, as though he’d done something so wrong, not only disrespecting Charles and Crystal but Niko too.

“Mate, what’s wrong?” Charles asked, having noticed Edwin had stopped and gone back for him.

“Nothing,” Edwin replied sharply.

“Are you sure-”

“I said I’m fine, Charles.”

He hadn’t intended to sound quite so cold and snappy, and immediately regretted it. Before Charles could say anything else, he marched ahead, passing Crystal without even looking at her. He knew Charles was just worried. He had been giving him a look for a few weeks whenever he thought his back was turned, and Edwin felt terrible for making him so concerned. But he couldn’t tell him. What was he supposed to say? Oh, my apologies Charles, it’s just that my mind has somehow been conjuring up the voice of our dead friend for nearly a month, and I’m not handling it too well. Charles told him he could tell him anything, but he had already burdened him with the knowledge of his feelings, he didn’t want to give him something else to deal with. Edwin had survived Hell for seventy years, surely he could handle his own mind by now.

“Edwin, calm down,” he heard the imaginary voice of Niko say, and she was doing nothing to help the situation.

“Stop,” Edwin replied aloud.

He tried to keep the tears at bay as he walked on, unable to quite make out exactly what Charles and Crystal were muttering about behind him.

[stabbyfoxandrew]

you know what's fucking insane though???

it's only been 3 days in the mafia front fic. THREE DAYS= ~34k. (so far, we're still on day three rn)

wow i'm truly insane. three days... mein gott

(potential spoilers for this fic in tags???)

[tiamathh]

SNEAK PEEK FULL THING TOMORROW

[solar-synapse]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Five Nights at Freddy's Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Daycare Attendant (Five Nights at Freddy's)/Reader, Moon (Five Nights at Freddy's)/Reader, Sun (Five Nights at Freddy's)/Reader Characters: Sun (Five Nights at Freddy's), Moon (Five Nights at Freddy's) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fae, afab nonbinary reader, Sun and Moon are Not Animatronics, Sidhe seer reader, Reader doesn’t use y/n, Childhood Trauma, Implied/Referenced Parental Abuse, Manipulation, Mental Coercion, Threats of Violence, Healing and personal growth, Slow Romance, Fae Court Politics, Unreliable Narrator, Minor Original Character(s), Everyone is misrepresenting their motivations, Additional tags and characters to be added later

  Summary:

Your mother raised you to observe a certain set of rules:

Ignore that which others do not see. Barter not with the good neighbors, trust not their words, and offer not the truth of your name. Brandish wit before iron, but always carry it with you.

Good advice, meant to keep a young sidhe seer safe from their ensnarement, and you have followed it dutifully all your life. Until now.

Now, you take matters into your own hands.

[celticwoman]

ok i finished theodora's update and ran out of tea cups so now i'm like this

waiting until i can play the other books' updates

[loveofmylouis]

.

[rafesangelita]

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ kook!sweetheart!reader walks her first runway for her own lingerie brand, and of course rafe has a front row seat.

warnings: rafe being a supportive bf, suggestive ending

a/n: trying a new fic layout, i hope you all like it as much as i do <3 lol i had the hardest time trying to decide on the song i wanted to use for this fic

you couldn’t believe the day was finally here. ever since you started your lingerie line, you wanted to have a runway show to showcase the beautiful pieces, and all thanks to rafe, he was able to make that possible. while your boyfriend insisted on being backstage with you, you told him to wait until you walked out for the finale, wanting to surprise him in full glam and a set you have yet to release. to say you were excited would be an understatement— you were literally having your very own victoria secret show.

with fashion bloggers, magazine editors, and most importantly; rafe, the man who believed in you more than yourself, being in attendance, you just wanted everything to take place smoothly. “oh my god, you look amazing!” you glanced up from the small vanity mirror, meeting kelce’s girlfriend’s gaze. “me?!” your eyes widened as you shot up from your seat. “look at you! kelce is going to lose his mind.” you laughed, admiring the way her makeup sparkled under the studio lights.

“you think so?” she smiled, both of you swallowing nervously when you heard a ‘okay, we’re on in five!’ over one of the staff’s walkie talkie’s. “oh, god, just what i needed to hear.” you joked. she hugged you before joining the rest of the girls in line. outside in the crowd, rafe was already taking pictures like a proud facebook mom, shushing kelce and topper once the lights dimmed and the music started. the intro to britney spear’s ‘gimme more’ began playing, the crowd letting out a series of ‘oooh’s’ and ‘ahhh’s’ when the first model walked out.

rafe was only recording for your sake, his eyes strictly set on his hands as he patiently waited for your entrance. everything that the models were wearing was something he had already seen on you behind closed doors. rafe couldn’t help but feel his chest bloom with pride as he looked around the beautiful venue. despite him paying for everything, you were the one who worked with the planner and coordinator to bring your vision to life.

and what a vision it was.

you had spotlights lining the runway, glitter littering the glossy flooring. various props were also placed on the sidelines. “look, here comes y/n!” rafe arched a brow at his friend, kelce clearing his throat awkwardly. “don’t get too excited, now..” rafe grumbled, eyes locked on your silhouette. the music reached it’s final bridge, your lingerie clad body illuminating the stage. rafe had no words. you were wearing wings like the angel you truly were, the rhinestones and embellishments on your set reflecting under the now multicolored lighting.

“you’re beautiful, babygirl!” rafe shouted, his eyes widening as you got closer. you looked ethereal. not one hair was out of place, your makeup done flawlessly to enhance your natural features. you caught sight of him, sending a wink his way before blowing him a kiss. “she’s getting it tonight.” he held a hand over his heart, watching the way your hips swayed as cameras flashed from every direction. rafe stayed standing up until you disappeared behind the stage, his smile reaching from ear to ear.

“now that’s a show..” he adjusted himself in his pants, posting you on his instagram with the caption; ‘she’s perfect.’

eventually, the event came to a star strucking end, your boyfriend meeting you soon after with a huge bouquet of pink roses. you couldn’t help the sudden wave of emotions from washing over you at the sight of him. “oh, rafe!” you threw yourself into his arms, being careful not to ruin your makeup. “you were so amazing out there, baby.” he rubbed your back. “yeah?” you pulled away, pecking his lips. “fuck yeah.” his voice dropped a few octaves, his hand finding the curve of your ass. “can you take those angel wings home?” he whispered.

“yes.. why?” you smiled mischievously. “cause i need you to walk for me again. naked this time.”

[lesbicosmos]

day 1 of @palasakiweek !!!

day 1 prompt: hurt/comfort / sickfic

summary: crystal's on her period and suffering with it. niko helps with movies, noodles and cuddles.

notes: wrote this for my girlfriend :3 ( @giolovesyousm ilysm <33 )

also on ao3!!

found the place to rest my head (never let me go)

Niko awoke to the loud repetitive beeping of her alarm. She reached over to turn it off, but stayed lying down for a few minutes, just looking around her room. It was strange seeing all her things organised so differently – she may not have been living in Port Townsend for very long in the grand scheme of things, but she’d gotten used to where everything was there; everything had its place in the one huge room that was her apartment. Now, it was all different. The bedroom itself was smaller, so her bookshelves had all been pushed together and there was less wall space for her many posters. It was a welcome change, but a month after moving in, she was still getting used to it. Although, anything was worth it when there were other things mixed in with hers. She wasn’t alone anymore - she had Crystal. Crystal’s clothes were hung amongst hers in the surprisingly large wardrobe in their room, Crystal’s music posters joined her anime ones on the wall, Crystal’s long purple jacket hung right next to her thick green one on the back of the bedroom door. Having a roommate was brilliant, but even better that she was her girlfriend.

Niko rolled over, intending to gently wake the girl in question up – she always managed to sleep through the alarm somehow – only to find the other side of the bed completely bare, the space where Crystal should have been lying so cold, as though not having been slept on in hours.

Worried, she got out of bed, slid on her bright pink dressing gown and left the room. It really wasn’t like Crystal to go anywhere without telling Niko first, especially this early in the morning on a day they were supposed to be meeting Charles and Edwin at the office.

“Crystal?” she asked into the quiet of the apartment.

“’M’in the kitchen,” came a quiet response.

Niko entered the kitchen to find Crystal sitting at their small two-seater table with a cup of coffee in her hands. Her hair was strewn everywhere and she had bags under her eyes as she smiled weakly.

“You’re up early,” Niko said, walking over and dropping a kiss to the top of her girlfriend’s head on her way to the fridge.

“Does it count as being up early if you didn’t sleep in the first place?” Crystal replied as Niko poured herself a glass of orange juice.

“Oh. You okay?”

“Y’know how I started my period yesterday?”

Niko nodded.

“Yeah well, cramps decided to hit just as I was trying to get to sleep last night,” Crystal groaned, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Oh no. They’re bad?” Niko put her glass down on the table across from Crystal, instead running her hand through her girlfriend’s hair. Crystal relaxed slightly. “Day 2 always hits you hard, doesn’t it?”

“Yep. Took painkillers at like 6, they’re barely doing anything. What time is it now?”

“Just after 8."

Crystal’s eye’s widened in panic.

“Shit. We said we’d be at the office for 9.”

She made to move but Niko gently pushed her back into her chair, shaking her head.

“Nuh uh. You need to rest,” she insisted.

“But we’ve got new clients coming in, Charles and Edwin-”

“Charles and Edwin have been doing this a long time, I think they can manage this one without us.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, apparently unhappy with the idea; but Niko knew Crystal too well by now, could tell she was secretly relieved at not having to leave the flat. “Wait, without us? You don’t have to stay, you know. I’ll be fine.”

“But I want to.” Niko leaned down again, this time pressing a kiss to her forehead. Crystal’s eyes closed and she smiled. “I’ll go tell the boys.”

Niko headed into the living room and picked something up from the coffee table. At first glance, the object looked like a simple rock, like something a child would bring home from a day at the beach. However, it was actually one of two communication devices they had received as payment for a recent case. They were similar to the Spirit Finder stones the boys already had, only these ones were connected to each other, and worked like an audio texting device between any two locations. There was a phone in the office, but Edwin had insisted they use these stones – the phone was for clients only.

She tapped the rock three times, waiting for it to glow white to indicate the connection. She thought it was wild how easily her mind had adapted to the existence of such magical objects. But, she supposed, a lot of things become much more believable after you have two troublesome sprites try to rip you open from the inside, and then get killed by an evil witch’s spell but survive because of a magical bear stone and live in an alternate dimension for a few months until you find a way out. Yeah, that makes a lot of things easier to take in.

“Hey guys!” she spoke into the rock. She didn’t feel the need to check they were there; they always were, especially when the girls were due to go over. “Really sorry but me and Crystal aren’t gonna be there today! Crystal barely slept last night, she’s on her period and she’s not feeling too great so we’re gonna stay home and chill. Hope everything goes well with the new clients!”

She tapped the rock once again to end the message, and waited for a few seconds. Sure enough, the white glow returned and Charles’s voice sounded from the device. None of them had any idea how the sound came from the stone – there were no speakers – but who were they to question magic?

“Hey Niko! That’s fine, we’ll manage without you guys. Hope Crystal’s feeling better soon and we’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

Three taps.

“Yeah, hopefully!”

Niko went to return to the kitchen, but suddenly remembered something, and turned back into the living room, making a beeline for the bookshelf. She pulled a handmade square of quilted fabric off a large mason jar, and was met with groans of disapproval from its residents.

“Too fucking bright!”

“Seriously, are you trying to blind us?”

Kingham and Litty had also returned to the plane of the living when Niko did, and the others continued trying to convince her to get rid of them. Niko had refused. They had, after all, helped her come back, so it was the least she could do to not, you know, drown them or anything. She’d mentioned wanting to free them but changed her mind when she was met with looks of horror from Edwin and Charles.

“We really don’t need a dandelion epidemic in the middle of London, Niko.”

“Yeah I think keeping them in the jar is for the best.”

They’d complained, but didn’t seem too upset with the outcome when they’d been bought a bigger jar. And in the end, Crystal agreed to living in the same apartment as them, as long as they weren’t in their bedroom. So, the bookshelf it was.

“Look, I’m sorry for waking you but I need to talk to you.”

“What is it?”

“Seriously what’s so important you need to wake us up at the fucking ass-crack of dawn.”

“First, it’s like 8am! That’s a normal time to wake up. Second, you guys really need to be less you today.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Crystal’s on her period,” Niko explained. “She’s not feeling great and I really don’t want her having to deal with your…you-ness.”

“Oh boo-hoo!”

“Hey! She’s in pain! Wait- do sprites get periods?”

“Why do you care?” Litty asked, seemingly offended.

“She does,” Kingham nodded, and Litty groaned.

Niko really wanted to ask what exactly a sprite period consisted of given they were trapped in a jar, but she couldn’t get a word in because within thirty seconds, they were yelling at one another.

“Guys! This is exactly what we don’t want. Can you just like…be quiet for one day please?”

“Ugh, fine!”

“Can you at least put the cover back on? If we can’t talk I at least wanna get some fucking sleep.”

“Gladly,” Niko replied. “Now be good.”

With that, Niko placed the quilt back over the jar, blocking out most of the light. She took a deep breath before returning to the kitchen. She’d grown attached to the sprites, especially since they spent so long together in that weird inter-dimensional igloo, but god they could be assholes sometimes.

“Were you just talking to the sprites?” Crystal asked as she walked in.

Niko didn’t know if she’d heard them or if she could tell based on her tense expression. Probably both.

“Yep. They’ve promised they’ll be quiet today,” Niko picked up her glass of orange juice and took a sip, stepping over to stand right next to Crystal.

“Really? You sure they didn’t have their bitchy little fingers crossed behind their backs?” Crystal looked up at her, raising her eyebrows knowingly.

“Okay they probably did. But don’t worry, they won’t disturb us.”

“Thanks.” Crystal leaned into Niko. “What did the boys say by the way?”

“Charles says he hopes you’re feeling better soon.”

“That’s sweet. They’re sure they’ll be fine without us? I feel bad.”

“Crystal, they’ll be fine. They were fine for thirty years before us, right?”

“Debatable,” Crystal snorted.

She had a point.

“Still. You need to rest.”

“Fine.”

“Come on, wanna cuddle on the couch?” Niko stepped back, offering her hand to Crystal.

“God, yes,” Crystal replied, taking it.

“You go get comfy, I’ll be there in a minute.”

Niko pressed a quick kiss to Crystal’s lips before Crystal headed into the living room.

Nothing felt comfortable. Crystal tried to find a position on the sofa that didn’t feel like something was trying to claw its way out of her abdomen chestburster-style, but to no avail. She groaned, having given up trying after five minutes, when Niko walked in. She had two blankets over one arm and was holding a hot water bottle in the other.

“I didn’t know which blanket you’d want so I got the fluffy one and the thin one. I don’t want you getting too hot.”

“Thanks Niko,” Crystal smiled at how sweet her girlfriend was. “I think I’ll be alright with the thin one, especially with the hot water bottle as well.”

“Okay.”

Niko handed her the hot water bottle and the thinner blanket, folding the fluffy one up and placing it on the floor in front of the sofa just in case.

“And…” Niko started, reaching into the pocket of her dressing gown and pulling out a chocolate bar.

“It’s like 8am,” Crystal laughed, taking it from her and putting it on the side table next to the sofa.

“So? You’re allowed chocolate at 8am when you’re on your period. It’s like…the law or something.”

“Thank you.”

“Sorry that it’s just what we had in the cupboard, I can get dressed and go out and get you your favourite if you want-”

“Niko,” Crystal stopped her. “It’s great. You’re already doing more than enough for me, now come and sit down I need you.”

“Oh? What do you need?”

Niko sat down beside her on the sofa. Crystal immediately snuggled up next to her, her head on Niko’s chest and the hand not holding the hot water bottle resting on Niko’s knee.

“Just this,” she sighed.

“Ah. I can do this,” Niko replied, wrapping one arm around her and placing the other hand on top of Crystal’s, intertwining their fingers. “You comfy?”

“Yeah.”

It was nice, just sitting there in silence wrapped up in one another. It was quite the change to their usual day-to-day activities of running around London chasing after spirits and demons. Niko loved moments like these with Crystal, where she was calm and relaxed rather than her usual fiery, snarky, occasionally short-tempered self. Of course, Niko loved that Crystal too. She loved all of her, even the parts she was still trying to accept. Because no matter how mean she’d been in the past, no matter how often she lost her temper or started an argument with Edwin, she was still the person who offered her life for Niko’s after barely knowing her for two days, the person who became her friend when it felt like she was entirely alone, the person who tried her best to help her deal with her grief from her dad and convince her to get back into contact with her mom, the person who held her and cried for her as she died and was the first to pull her into a hug when she returned. She was gorgeous and messy and imperfect, and Niko loved her. She held her closer on the sofa, her hand running through her dark curls.

“I’m kinda glad we’re not working,” Crystal said after a few minutes. “I don’t know if I could handle Edwin’s…Edwin-ness today.”

“He’s not that bad.”

“I know, I know. He’s my friend and I love him like a brother at this point but…God, he can be frustrating at times. I feel like I’d just end up yelling at him when I’m this tired and like…hormonal.”

“It’s not your fault,” Niko comforted.

“I know that too, it’s just, since I got my memories back…like, I was so mean before. I really don’t wanna be that person anymore.”

“Hey.” Niko squeezed the hand she was still holding and kissed Crystal’s head. “You’re not. Who you were in the past…I know she’s technically still part of you but you’re not that girl anymore. You’re kind, and compassionate, and beautiful and sure, sometimes you and Edwin end up at each other’s throats a little but that doesn’t make you a bad person. Like you said, you’re like siblings. Most people are like that with their siblings, I think.”

Crystal looked up at her. In their position, it was difficult but neither really wanted to move.

“Thanks Niko, that really…it means a lot.”

“Well, it’s true.”

Niko leaned down the few centimetres necessary to press a kiss to the tip of Crystal’s nose, making her giggle softly.

“Wanna watch a movie?” Niko asked.

“Sure."

“What do you wanna watch?”

“I dunno,” Crystal shrugged. “You pick.”

“You sure?”

Crystal nodded as Niko reached for the remote.

♡ ⚢ ♡

Four hours went by in a comfortable domestic quiet, the two of them cuddled up together on the sofa watching the movies Niko picked, until the credits began rolling at the end of Princess Mononoke and Niko heard Crystal’s stomach rumble.

“You hungry?” she asked.

“Yeah, I didn’t exactly eat breakfast this morning. The only thing I’ve eaten is that chocolate we shared halfway through the first movie.”

“I’ll go and make lunch, what do you want?”

“I dunno,” Crystal shrugged again.

“You’re really not up for making decisions today, huh?” Niko giggled.

“No,” she laughed.

“Wanna try some of my noodles? They’re always good when I’ve got cramps.”

“Sure, what kind are they?”

“Well, my favourite ones are the chilli ones but you might not want those. Spicy and cramps don’t tend to mix. I think we’ve got some chicken ones in the cabinet too, they’re the ones I usually find helps with the pain.”

“Sure.”

“I mean they’re nowhere near as good as the chicken udon my mom used to make, but they’re still good.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Crystal chuckled.

“I’ll go make them, you choose the next movie while I’m gone,” Niko said, untangling her limbs from where they had become indistinguishable from Crystal’s and standing up. “This is supposed to be your day and so far, we’ve watched two Studio Ghibli movies.”

“Hey, I like Ghibli too!” Crystal argued.

“I know but I was the one who chose them so it’s your turn.”

Niko leaned down to press yet another kiss to the top of Crystal’s head before heading into the kitchen. Crystal smiled to herself – that was the fourth head kiss today and it was barely the afternoon. It had become their thing over the last couple months, and had begun when they’d only just got together, back when they were living out of the rarely used spare room of Charles and Edwin’s office. (After the girls finally got a place of their own, with funds from both Crystal’s parents and the Agency’s steady stream of clients helping to pay their rent, the boys redecorated the bedroom for themselves. Crystal didn’t ask why two people who physically couldn’t sleep needed a bedroom. She didn’t want to know.) Whenever Niko left a room, or entered it, or whenever she liked, really, she would kiss the top of Crystal’s head. At first, it was Niko playing on their height difference, the fact her lips were at Crystal’s head-height unless Crystal was wearing her platform boots, but it had become such a routine for them there were no signs of it stopping. Even Edwin found it sweet, though he seemed to feel that way about almost everything Niko did. That was one of the many things the two of them had in common: their overwhelming love for one Niko Sasaki.

♡ ⚢ ♡

Niko returned several minutes later, a pot of noodles in each hand. She handed one to Crystal.

“Hope you like them. Oh, and don’t forget to take some more meds, you could’ve had some like two hours ago.”

“Shit, yeah,” Crystal swore, moving to get up.

Before she could, Niko pulled the box of tablets out of her pocket.

“Thank you,” Crystal sighed.

Soon, the two of them were resettled on the sofa to start the next movie, both with a pot of noodles in their hands, still leaning as far into each other’s space as they could without causing a food-related accident.

“Jeez, I can smell the spice from here,” Crystal laughed.

“Yup,” Niko replied.

“Can I try some?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Niko twisted some of the noodles around the fork, as Crystal leaned forwards to eat them off it. She swallowed, then immediately started coughing.

“Holy shit!”

“You okay?” Niko asked, worried and reaching for the glasses of juice she’d poured them while the noodles were cooking.

“Yep. Just…wasn’t expecting them to be that spicy.”

“Too hot?”

“No, they were good. I like them, I just… yeah I don’t think they’d pair well with the current state of feeling as though my uterus is trying to claw its way out of my body.”

“Oh no…”

“The noodles are helping, though. Thank you.” Crystal smiled, returning her attention to her own non-spicy pot.

“You like them then?”

“Yeah, they’re so good.”

“Good. Did you pick a movie?”

“Yep.”

Crystal picked up the remote, and pressed play. Niko recognised the film immediately.

“Scooby Doo: The Movie? I said pick something you like.”

“Hey I do like this! I was obsessed with this movie when I was like 9. It kickstarted my obsession with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Then I made my dad buy all the Buffy DVDs when I was 12, then that was my favourite show for like two years,” Crystal said proudly.

“Woah."

“Yeah, imagine the shock on my face when I found out demons and supernatural beings and shit were real, and I was kind of one of them.”

“You’re my favourite supernatural being,” Niko said proudly and leaned across to kiss Crystal’s cheek.

“Shut up.”

“Nope,” Niko grinned.

♡ ⚢ ♡

“Hey,” Niko said quietly, around 20 minutes into the movie. “Do you wanna pause the movie a sec? I’ll go put the pots in the trash.”

“Sure.”

Niko stood up and went back into the kitchen, and when she returned less than a minute later, Crystal looked at her and laughed.

“What?” Niko asked.

“I just noticed, your lips are like, bright red.”

“That’ll be the noodles,” Niko giggled.

“You look somehow even more kissable than normal.” Crystal’s head was tilted to the side slightly in the way it always was when she flirted.

“Oh. Really?”

“Mhm.”

Niko barely had chance to sit back down on the sofa before Crystal pulled her in, quickly connecting their lips. Niko kissed back gently at first, not wanting to cause Crystal any more pain than she was already in, but Crystal’s eagerness spurred her on and soon she was pulling her as close as physically possible, both of them seemingly attempting to devour each other’s mouths. Niko tried her hardest to bite back the sounds threatening to escape her throat as Crystal took her bottom lip into her mouth and sucked.

Eventually, they broke apart, for no reason other than the need to breathe.

“Feeling better then?” Niko whispered.

“A little. Still feels like there’s some kind of rave happening in my uterus, but it’s not as bad as it was earlier.”

“Yay, the meds are helping.”

“I think it’s mostly you to be honest. And the noodles. But mostly you. Thank you for this.”

“Of course.”

As much as she wanted to pull Crystal’s lips back to hers, she knew they had all the time in the world for that. So, with one more kiss to the forehead, Niko gently pulled Crystal back into their cuddling on the sofa and pressed play on the movie once again.

♡ ⚢ ♡

“You up for another?” Niko asked after the end credits of Scooby Doo 2 finished rolling a few hours later. “We could watch the 2009 movie, too. You might have had a thing for Sarah Michelle Gellar but I was obsessed with Hayley Kiyoko. Her as Velma was an awakening.”

“Hmm…” Crystal hummed into Niko’s shoulder.

“Are you falling asleep?” Niko giggled.

“No.”

Liar.

“Yes, you are.”

“S’not my fault you’re comfy.”

“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Niko shifted to move but Crystal held her still.

“It’s like 5pm. You’re not tired.”

“I don’t care. You need to sleep in a proper bed.”

Crystal gave in, allowing Niko to lead her into the bedroom and under the covers. Niko left the room, only to come back a few minutes later.

“I refilled your hot water bottle and brought you more meds,” she said, placing them down on the bed.

“Thanks babe,” Crystal muttered, yawning.

After Crystal had taken more painkillers, Niko climbed into bed next to her. Crystal immediately resumed their cuddling from the sofa. Niko never would have expected Crystal to be the clingy type, but she is not complaining.

“You know, I’m genuinely shocked the sprites were actually quiet.”

“Well…when I made them their little quilt I may have asked Edwin to put a silencing charm on it. They were probably yelling at one another all day.”

“Genius,” Crystal laughed, burying her head into Niko’s chest.

She seemed to have made a home on Niko’s chest over the last few months. Even before they got together, they would cuddle up together on the sofa in the office while the boys were out, or in the spare room while they were there, and Crystal would lay her head on her chest, listening intently to her heartbeat as though making sure she was still there. Every time Niko would hum softly, ensuring Crystal felt the vibrations of the sound. It was her wordless way of replying, of reassuring her she was really there, she was back, and she wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

“Thank you for today,” she said, her voice more of a mumble against Niko’s pyjamas.

“You don’t need to thank me, it’s what I’m here for.”

“It’s not though, you’re my girlfriend.”

“Well as your girlfriend, it’s my job to be here for you when your period’s kicking your ass.”

“I really don’t deserve you.”

“Hey,” Niko gently took Crystal’s jaw and tipped her head up to look at her. “Yes you do. We both deserve this. Well, you don’t deserve to be in pain, but us lying here together, just…in each other’s space…we deserve this.”

Crystal still didn’t fully believe her. Niko absolutely deserved it, but she still had doubts about herself. She still carried so much guilt for the horrible person she was before she met David, the even worse person she was once he’d really gotten to her. But, she supposed, if someone as intrinsically good yet painfully damaged as Charles could want to be her best friend; if someone as hurt and austere as Edwin could value her friendship and want her around despite their bickering; if someone as sweet and kind and loving as Niko could want her like this, could feel comfortable and safe with her in her arms and want to do everything to help her when she was feeling down, well…maybe she could believe it a little. Maybe she could accept that after everything, despite what she had done in her past, she did deserve something as good as the life she had now, wrapped in the arms of the girl she loved, who loved her so much in return.

“I love you,” she said, squeezing her arms around Niko’s waist even tighter.

“I love you too.”

With one final kiss dropped into her curls, Crystal finally drifted into sleep.

-----

It was around 8pm when Charles picked up the communication stone that sat on one of the many shelves in the office and tapped it three times.

“Hey guys,” he said into the rock. “Just letting you know today went great! It was just a run-of-the-mill haunting in the end, so it’s all sorted now, hope you two are doing okay!”

A minute passes with no reply.

“Guys?” he says again.

Still no reply. Charles put the rock back in its place and walked over to the mirror.

“Charles, you know they said we could only use their bedroom mirror in absolute emergencies,” Edwin said from the desk.

“They’re not replying! This could be an emergency, mate, what if some poltergeist or something got into their flat?”

Without thinking for a second, Charles reached out and tapped the mirror. Ripples appeared centred on the point he touched, and the image changed from a reflection of the office to the view of Crystal and Niko’s bedroom from their dresser. Charles couldn’t help but smile at the sight before him.

“They’re probably just asleep, Niko did mention Crystal barely slept last night.”

Edwin was right. The girls were both lying there, only their heads and shoulders visible poking out of the duvet, Crystal’s head on Niko’s shoulder as they slept soundly.

“Yeah, they are. They’re fine.”

“Good. Now, are you going to help me finish up this case file?”

“’Course love.”

Charles took one last glance through the mirror at the two of them – curled up in each other’s space, holding one another close, the very image of domestic bliss – before tapping the mirror once again, leaving the two of them to their peace.

[maplesyrupsainz]

˖⁺｡˚⋆˙espresso | CL16˖⁺｡˚⋆˙

pairing: charles leclerc x singer!reader y/n (she/her) x alexandra saint mleux

genre: social media au, polyamory

warnings: polyamory, just v fluffy

summary: in which both of your partners always show up to support you no matter what <3

a/n: i have been inundated with charles related requests LOL pray for me to come out the other side alive

request!!!: Omg, we need more Charles x reader x Alexandra 😫, idk if you are still taking requests but could you please write a smau where they go to Coachella to support their singer girlfriend

my masterlist

fc: sabrina carpenter

instagram ->

yourusername

liked by alexandrasaintmleux, taylorswift, and others

yourusername see you all at coachella next week 😉

view all comments

user1 i cant wait to see her set

user2 new era much

user3 omg alex in the second pic??

user4 my fav part abt y/n's performances is seeing her outfits tbh she's such a style icon

alexandrasaintmleux 💘 so proud of you

yourusername 🥹🥹🥹

user5 god i love them

gracieabrams so beyond excited for this!!!!

yourusername ahhhh miss you!!!

user6 who doesnt love y/n omg

user7 literally she's so perfect

charles_leclerc so beautiful

yourusername oh stop it you

user8 omg charles is hereeee

user9 whipped much

user10 yup he's so down bad for the girls 😂

twitter ->

instagram ->

ynupdates

liked by user9, user11, alexandrasaintmleux, and others

ynupdates y/n spotted after arriving in california today with her best friend, y/bff/n!

view all comments

user17 she's soo cute

user18 luv y/n & y/bff/n's friendship

user19 no charles & alex?

user20 alex in the likes as always 🥹

user21 where is charles and alexxxx

user22 i bet they'll come later coz they're probably busy and coachella isnt for another few days

user23 crossing my fingers for this

user24 lol the side eye

user25 cant wait for her set omgggg

alexandrasaintmleux 📍 monaco

liked by charles_leclerc, francisca.cgomes, and others

alexandrasaintmleux 🍒🎀 🧸💐

view all comments

user26 omg cutie

user27 still in monaco?

user28 pls tell me u guys r going to coachella😭

user29 the flowers ahhh

charles_leclerc mon cœur ❤️

alexandrasaintmleux 🥹 je t'aime

yourusername such a beauty

alexandrasaintmleux imy

yourusername miss u too my sweet

user30 OKAYYY GO TO COACHELLA THENNN

user31 leave monaco immediately!

yourbff pretty girl!!

liked by alexandrasaintmleux

charles_leclerc posted a story

liked by yourusername, yourbff, and others

user32 IT'S HAPPENING

user33 YESSSSSS

user34 where are u pair going 👀

user35 FINALLY charlesalexyn is coming 🙏

pierregasly whipped 🤣

charles_leclerc no comment, weirdo

yourusername see you guys soon🥰🥰🥰🥰

liked by charles_leclerc

twitter ->

instagram ->

ynupdates

liked by yourusername, user4, user37, and others

ynupdates y/n's partners charles leclerc & alexandra saint mleux seen arriving at y/n's hotel this morning!!!

view all comments

user40 OMG

user41 YES I KNEW IT

user42 they are so gorgeous

user43 they always look so expensive

user44 never been so excited

user45 y/n in the likes too omg world's best throuple fr fr

user46 aww im so happy they came to support her

user47 SAME especially coz y/n has said in the past her exes could never rly be bothered to travel to support her performances 🥹

user48 ugh she got such a glow up with these two beauties

alexandrasaintmleux posted a story

liked by charles_leclerc, yourbff, and others

yourbff omg bark bark much?

alexandrasaintmleux you're telling me 🙈

user49 omg she's insanely beautiful

user50 AHHHHHHH

user51 u guys r so cute tgthr omgg

user52 supportive gf 🫶🫶

charles_leclerc woweeeee that's our girl

alexandrasaintmleux pinching myself !!!

charles_leclerc no don't you'll bruise your beautiful skin >:(

alexandrasaintmleux oh my bad

user53 i cant wait to see her set omgg

twitter ->

instagram ->

charles_leclerc 📍 california

liked by alexandrasaintmleux, pierregasly, and others

charles_leclerc that's that me espresso!!! or whatever

tagged: yourusername, alexandrasaintmleux

view all comments

user54 AWWWW TBIS IS SO CUTE

user55 alex looks so cool

user56 oh to be in this throuple

yourusername i love u soso much thank u for my coming my beautiful gorgeous angel

alexandrasaintmleux are you still drunk? 🥰

charles_leclerc no she just loves me.

yourusername yes to both

user57 THISIS SO CUTE LOL

user58 "beautiful gorgeous angel" well true

user59 y/n is getting so successful🥹🥹🥹

user60 ijbol at the caption

user61 "or whatever" 💀

carlossainz55 where the hell was my invite

pierregasly same bro

landonorris mine too. im devastated

charles_leclerc it's a public event.

yourusername 😂😂

landonorris WE WANTED TO COME

alexandrasaintmleux welp. that's that me espresso i guess!!! 😋

user62 everyone is whipped for y/n tbh as they should be coz me too fr

user63 IM WORKING LATEEEE COZ IM A SINGERRR

liked by charles_leclerc

twitter ->

instagram ->

alexandrasaintmleux 📍 california

liked by francisca.cgomes, carlossainz55, and others

alexandrasaintmleux my ... are on vacation

tagged: yourusername, charles_leclerc

view all comments

landonorris rubbing it in much

alexandrasaintmleux read the caption again

user67 ate him up

user68 not the ferrari hat at coachella LOL

user69 she's so real for this

user70 loyal & supportive queen always

user71 la ❤️ u back

liked by alexandrasaintmleux

yourusername I LOVE YOU

alexandrasaintmleux I LOVE YOU MORE

user72 me when 😭

user73 I WISH I WAS THEREEE

user74 i love how supportive she is of both of them 🥹

user75 fr and u can tell she's gen having fun not jus doing it coz she "has" to

user76 oh charles leclerc y/n y/l/n alexandra saint mleux u will always be famous

liked by alexandrasaintmleux, yourusername, charles_leclerc

charles_leclerc les femmes de mon cœur ❤️

THE END ❤️

[fqlling4it]

teenager in love | lando norris x popstar! reader

yourusername

liked by landonorris, pietra.pilao and others

yourusername me and the boyfie

view all 23,267 comments

user36 hello????

↳ yourusername hey girl 😁

user31 since when ????

↳ user19 nah that’s what i’m saying because she dropped a breakup song and dipped and comes back with a boyfriend ????

lilymhe why am i just finding out about this ???

↳ yourusername sorry babes, i’ll text you! 💗

user81 mother leaves for a year and a half and comes back with a boyfriend ???

user4 who cares? let me be your boyfie instead

↳ user373 get UP bro

sabrinacarpenter pretty pretty girl

↳ yourusername ahhh love you 💗

landonorris

liked by oscarpiastri, maxfewtrell, and others

landonorris aug 24. sun and things ☀️

view all 23,171 comments

user63 woah woah woah

↳ user84 he really though he could just sneak in that second photo and we wouldn’t notice

maxfewtrell great girl you’ve got mate

↳ landonorris she says it was nice to meet you

oscarpiastri seems like you’ve had a great summer

↳ landonorris wonderful break with some time away from you 😂

user71 thirst trapping like it’ll make us ignore that second pic

user4 he has a girlfriend????

alex_albon finally! no more fifth wheeling george and i (lily says hi)

↳ landonorris years in the making! (she says hi back!)

yourusername added to their story!

[story 1: ootd 💗]

[story 2: picnic turned into lego building!]

view story replies

landonorris you didn’t post my finished product ☹️

↳ yourusername it would’ve ruined the softlaunch i fear 💔

landonorris just hardlaunch, problem solved 😁

↳ yourusername after the song releases

landonorris song???

carmenmmundt you two are so cute, it was great having a double date the other day! 💗

↳ yourusername no third wheeling you and george anymore ☺️

carmenmmundt my baby’s all grown up now ☹️💔

user73 is that a mclaren lego set girlie? 🤔

user4 nooooooooooo please just one chance i beg 🙏

lilymhe this is still insane to me

↳ yourusername you literally knew i had a crush on him 😞

lilymhe i thought it was a joke, i would’ve done some matchmaking baby

↳ yourusername god bless your boyfriend (🤮) for getting us together ☺️

sabrinacarpenter girl get your ass in the studio and leave the man

↳ yourusername what if i tell you i wrote a song about him ☺️

sabrinacarpenter hmmm cute, send it my way baby 🥰

yourusername

liked by landonorris, sabrinacarpenter and others

yourusername teenager in love out at midnight! (no official photoshoot this time, enjoy the photos my man took 😁)

view all 18,372 comments

lilymhe hello????

↳ yourusername hi lily!!! 😁

user821 mother may have a boyfriend but at least we get a new song

landonorris so excited to hear it!!

↳ yourusername hope you like it 💗

user832 mother just one lyric please please 🙏

↳ yourusername and you make me feel like i’ll be forever young 😁

user4 gonna pretend this songs about me instead of her man ☺️

↳ user81 bro get UP

landonorris

liked by oscarpiastri, yourusername and others

landonorris girlfie’s new song is out, enjoy! (yes, it’s about me 😁) yourusername

view all 19,382 comments

yourusername my boyfie 💗

↳ landonorris my girlfie 💗

sabrinacarpenter that’s my girlfie btw

↳ yourusername love love love you pretty girl 😘

user4 him of all people ???? him????

↳ yourusername pls refrain from being mean to my boyfie, he’s cute and i love him 😁💗

alex_albon next double date when ?

↳ georgerussell63 make that a triple date

↳ landonorris soon soon, asking the girlfie now!

user832 ok they’re kinda cute though

↳ user93 no fr, the way he made a whole post about her new song ???

user81 mama y papa

oscarpiastri no more moping around the garage that she can’t be there 🙏

↳ landonorris i do NOT mope, false allegations

user12 ok but have yall even listened to the lyrics ????

↳ user89 like they’re so cute together ☹️

lilymhe hard launched finally?

↳ landonorris indeed! made me wait until she released MY song 😁

yourusername added to their story!

[story 1: passenger princess life 🙌🙌]

[story 2: little dinner celebration 💗]

[afterglowsainz]

we used to have more pt. 4 | oscar piastri, pato o’ward

part 1 part 2 part 3

pairing: oscar piastri x reader, pato o’ward x reader

summary: where a talk in a hotel room and a work trip to mexico make things clear for you

fc: different girls from pinterest

warnings: mentions of toxic relationships

a/n: ahhh sorry it took me a while to post this! but finally here it is the last part of this mini series that i loved creating <3 thank you so so much for supporting it the way you did, all the comments, reblogs and likes meant the world to me while writing it💗

—

liked by oscarpiastri, landonorris and others

yourusername home sweet home

tagged lissiemackintosh

view all comments

username dry ass caption

username girlie is NOT happy to be back

username y/n i know you wanted to stay in america but you can at least act a little bit more excited to be back 😭

username the fact it was sunny all weekend and she posted a pic of the only HOUR of rain is diabolical

declanmurray you can at least pretend

yourusername i’m not contractually obligated to

username pls 😭

username idc she’s down MOTHER IS BACK

oscarpiastri happy you’re back! ❤️

username chat when the guy you’re off and on for years says he’s happy you’re back how to do you react?

username ohhh but we’re having THE fashion icon that is y/n again at the paddock i cannot complain

patriciooward have fun!

yourusername <3333

username pls the way she ignored oscar so severely 😭

liked by yourusername, milesbaldwin and others

patriciooward can never say no to a side quest

view all comments

username NORBIIII 🥰

username every photo was whiplash after whiplash

username incredibly cute and incredibly hot

username don’t push girls

username i am that cookie actually

username i need him in a way that’s concerning for feminism

yourusername boys 🥹

patriciooward miss you!

username no they are my parents

username oscar i was rooting for you but now … i’m not so sure

liked by patriciooward, maxverstappen1 and others

yourusername the prodigal son returns home 🇲🇽

view all comments

username omg is this a hard launch??? what is this !!!

username patoooo 💖

username the way you can see everything about her posting changed since she arrived in mexico

username is it wrong to assume it’s because she’s with pato again? 😩

username pato and y/n in mexico is everything

username ohhhh oscar reaaaally fumbled this time

username nahhh im being delusional thinking oscar still has an opportunity (pls y/n give him a chance 😩)

username well, at least she’s posting again 🥳

patriciooward ☀️

yourusername ☀️✨✨💫

liked by indygossip, f1wags and others

f1gossip indycar and mclaren’s reserve driver patricio o’ward was seen last night having dinner and sharing a kiss with f1 community manager y/n y/l/n

it has been rumored for a few years that she was on a relationship on and off with mclaren’s oscar piastri, but it was never confirmed as the driver kept going back to his exgirlfriend

view all comments

username not oscar catching strays 😭😭

f1gossip 🤷🏽‍♀️

username honestly i can’t be mad about this. she deserves someone who makes her happy and pato obviously likes her. they look good together 💗

username THAT SHOULD BE MEEEE

username someone check on oscar 😩

username watch him go back to his exgirlfriend after hearing the news 🙄

username genuinely hoping he doesn’t do that otherwise he’s just reinforcing y/n’s decision of moving on

username anddd that relationship CANNOT be healthy, for either of them

username i knew they were together from day one, y’all were just blinded by oscar

username because they’re meant to be 😭😭

username in another life perhaps!

liked by yourusername, lissiemackintosh and others

patriciooward favorite place with the greatest company ❤️

view all comments

username ahhh the masters of hard launching i’m so here for this

username THE DRESS

username i don’t know if i wanna be pato or y/n in this situation

username okay don’t rub it in 😭

miguelsossa where’s my photo creds for the second one? 🤨

patriciooward 📷: miguelsossa

miguelsossa thanks it means a lot make sure to pin that comment so everyone can see

username pls why did i thought y/n and pato went out without the whole gang 😭

declanmurray HAH don’t make me laugh

milesbaldwin we do leave them alone sometimes

patriciooward …

lissiemackintosh 😮

username speechless at this

username i’m sure pato is a saint because dealing with y/n’s friends must be a handful 🙏🏽

yourusername beautiful 🤍

patriciooward how’s the weather now? :)

yourusername warm enough, you?

patriciooward clear skies

username STOP THEYRE SO CUTE 🥰

liked by georgerussel63, exgirlfriend and others

oscarpiastri happy place ❤️

tagged exgirlfriend

comments for this post have been disabled

—

taglist; @heavy-vettel @a-beaverhausen @astroniii @chunkpiboli @theonottsbxtch @eclecticcreatorweaselsalad @charli123456789 @stopeatread @coriyaps @nina-or-anna-or-nora @ninasw0rld @loveelylani @marauders-wife @dramallama9 @mxdi0 @piastrigate @ladyoflynx @prudyhoo @idkwtdwml123 @southernbaguette @ellelabelle @emryb @fastfactory @comicalivy @seasonswinter @no-144444 @lunamelona @saachiep81 @nataliambc @patis643 @softtina @chemiru @obxstiles @eiaaasamantha @youre-on-your-ownkid @wcnorris @hwalllllllelujah @soleilgrec

[mclqren]

BIRTHDAY WISHES ★ F1 GRID

PAIRING ✦ f1 grid x platonic fem!wolff!reader, max verstappen x fem!wolff!reader

SUMMARY ✦ it's your birthday, and some of the drivers of the f1 grid take to instagram to post you on the day. [ SMAU ]

WARNINGS ✦ none, i think!

REQUESTED ✦ here!

NOTES ✦ i didn't include all of the f1 drivers but i included as many as i felt were suitable! reader isn't susie's biological daughter, but they're still very close!! the fc i've used is blanca soler, but feel free to picture whoever you want! my requests are open so feel free to leave a request :)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

liked by maxverstappen1, susie_wolff, and 1,581,099 others

yourusername finally 22, might get a tattoo idk💜

view all comments

user1 AHHH HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y/N

user2 PEOPLE'S PRINCESSS HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

susie_wolff happy birthday y/n!! love you ❤️

yourusername love you mama 💜

user3 THEY'RE SO CUTE WTH

user4 i literally can't wait to see all of the f1 drivers post her.

user5 NO FR so excited

sabrinacarpenter MY GIRL FOREVER HAPPY BIRTHDAYY 🥳💗

yourusername LOVE YOU SAB THANK YOU SM💜💜

user6 this friendshippp omg

lewishamilton HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS TO YOU Y/N love you lots kiddo ❤️

yourusername love you lewis!! 😘

liked by yourusername, susie_wolff, and 1,433,214 others

tagged yourusername

mercedesamgf1 It's a very very special day today...happy birthday Y/n! From all of the team at Mercedes ❤️

view all comments

user7 happy birthday y/n!!

user8 she is glowingggg

yourusername 💜💜

liked by mercedesamgf1

user9 i just know toto went to admin and said 'WISH MY DAUGHTER A HAPPY BIRTHDAY'

user10 their father daughter dynamic is everything to me

liked by yourusername, alex_albon, and 1,257,789 others

tagged yourusername

georgerussell63 throwback to 2022 where me and y/n went on a day trip around paris and she changed outfits THREE TIMES in accordance with where we were. anyways happy birthday y/n have the best day!! 🥳

view all comments

yourusername CALLING ME OUT IN THE CAPTION HELLOOO?

yourusername I SWEAR IT WAS IMPORTANT I HAD TO CHANGE

georgerussell63 WHAT WERE THE REASONS.

yourusername 1) we had gone into that dusty vent thingy and i had to change my top 2) someone (naming no names) spilt WATER DOWN MY NEW TOP so i had to change 3) we were going out at night i was not about to wear that green shirt.

yourusername *y/n and i, not me and y/n

alex_albon oh dear the grammar police is back

yourusername year older but still not shedding the role 🤷‍♀️

yourusername thank you curious george very much appreciated 😘

landonorris how many nicknames do you have for him??

yourusername g-man, curious george, georgie porgie

georgrussell63 you can tell she truly values our friendship!

user11 i actually haven't stopped laughing why are they so siblings

liked by yourusername, oscarpiastri, and 1,411,517 others

tagged yourusername

landonorris happy birthday to the girl who introduced herself to me by spilling her pepsi max over my fire suit. never change y/n 🔥

view all comments

yourusername AW LANDOOO THAT'S KINDA SWEET

georgerussell63 and mine wasn't??

yourusername lando's my fav 🤷‍♀️

charles_lerclerc @/landonorris thoughts on this??

landonorris y/n is a woman with taste what can i say?

yourusername wait when did you take the first pic...

landonorris at that bar in london

yourusername LOVE YOU NORRIS 😍

landonorris LOVE YOU WOLFF 😁

georgerussell63 the bias is actually crazy i'm in tears right now

yourusername awww georgie i love you too!! 💜

maxverstappen1 no one can separate y/n from her popcorn

yourusername he speaks the truth 🤷‍♀️

liked by yourusername, landonorris, and 984,777 others

tagged yourusername

alex_albon happiest of birthdays to the best third wheel money can buy ( please let me out of your basement 🙏 )

view all comments

alex_albon ALL JOKES ASIDE love you y/n have the best day!! 😁❤️

yourusername AW ALBONOOOO

yourusername you and lily are my parents😘

lilymhe i prefer you to alex ❤️

alex_albon HUH??

yourusername i will always take my mother's side 💜

yourusername best third wheel money can buy is CRAZYYY YOU KNOW FULL WELL.

alex_albon well you did third wheel at one point, not now you're with him 🤷‍♀️

user12 WITH HIM? MY WIFE IS TAKEN?

user13 NOT ALEX BEING CRYPTIC W IT.

logansargeant the american flag in the last pic RAH 🦅

yourusername relax logan babe it's a brandy melville sweater 💜

liked by yourusername, georgerussell63, and 103,422 others

tagged yourusername

carmenmmundt MY Y/NNNN!! meeting you in the mercedes paddock back in 2022 was truly the best thing that could've ever happened because now you're stuck with me!! my little sister forever, hope you have the best birthday ever ❤️❤️

view all comments

yourusername CARMMM IM CRYING WTH

yourusername MY SISTERRR I LOVE YOUUU

carmenmmundt I LOVE YOU MORE ❤️

user14 the way they get on so well acc warms my hearttt

yourusername you're the only reason i can tolerate george 😊

georgerussell63 i beg your pardon??

yourusername oh dear the british dialect came out

charles_leclerc understandable 🤷‍♂️

georgerussell63 NOT YOU TOO??

user15 y/n honorary wag confirmed

alex_albon or real wag 🤷‍♂️

this comment has been deleted

user16 SO NO ONE SAW ALEX'S COMMENT?? WAG ALERT HELLO??

liked by yourusername, charles_leclerc, and 441 others

tagged yourusername

alexandrasaintmleux the only girl i trust to go to galleries with me ❤️ happy birthday y/n love you sm!

view all comments

yourusername ALEXXXX I LOVE YOU SM

yourusername MY ANGELLL

alexandrasaintmleux ❤️❤️

yourusername forget charles run away w me 🙏

alexandrasaintmleux @/charles_leclerc sorry baby i'm leaving you for y/n!!

charles_leclerc how have i been replaced...

yourusername with ease 😘

liked by yourusername, maxverstappen1, and 1,822,901 others

tagged yourusername

charles_leclerc she might prefer my girlfriend to me, but she will forever be my baby sister 😘 happy birthday y/n!!

view all comments

yourusername MI HERMANOOOO!!

charles_leclerc that's not french??

yourusername i know carlos was teaching me spanish so have that instead

carlossainz55 viva la españaaa! 🇪🇸

yourusername i definitely do prefer alex but this post is very much appreciated!!

charles_leclerc why must you replace me.

user16 WHO DOESNT PREFER ALEX?? SHES STUNNING

yourusername LOVE YOU ECLAIR

user17 HELPP SHES A REAL ONE

liked by yourusername, charles_leclerc, and 267,411 others

tagged yourusername

lance_stroll "if you post any ugly pictures of me lance i'll kill you" - y/n today when i wished her a happy birthday. have a good day loser 👌

view all comments

yourusername WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME OUT AS WELLL IT'S MEANT TO BE MY SPECIAL DAY

georgerussell63 y/n when something doesn't go her way:

yourusername GO AWAY PISS FACE ☹️

yourusername my favorite canadian 😊

yourusername also the only canadian i know but wtv

lance_stroll i appreciate the sentiment y/n??

yourusername THANKS LANCELOT LOVE YOU BBG

lance_stroll maybe it's time to retire the nickname now??

yourusername noooo i don't want to! and it's my birthday sooo :)

liked by yourusername, landonorris, and 199,588 others

tagged yourusername

oscarpiastri happy birthday y/n!! have the best day ❤️ ( last slide is from when you took my phone and sent lando pictures of yourself saying you were under his bed. good times as always )

view all comments

yourusername OSCAHHH THE FIRST NICE-ISH CAPTION!!

charles_leclerc mine was nice as well???

yourusername yes but oscar's just nicer in general so it sort of evens itself out

user18 HELPP

yourusername i KNOW lando appreciated the pics of my flared nostrils😘😘

landonorris yes thanks y/n ❤️

alex_albon bet your boyfriend didn't appreciate that one 🤷‍♂️

yourusername DO YOU EVER SHUT UP ALBON. and for ur information i forwarded them to him as well so.

user19 okay but WHOOO IS THIS BOYFRIEND WHEN'S THE REVEAL

user20 NO REAL IM GNAWING AT THE BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE

liked by yourusername, maxverstappen1, and 1,008,290 others

tagged yourusername

carlossainz55 y/n in her natural habitat: on a farm 👩‍🌾 happy birthday mi hermana!! ❤️

view all comments

yourusername VIVA LA ESPAÑAAAAA

carlossainz55 SIII SIEMPRE

yourusername THANK YOU CARLOSSS 💜💜

carlossainz55 ❤️

georgerussell63 she's one with nature ❤️

landonorris HAHA

yourusername I KNOWWW YOU ARE BOTH NOT TALKING WHEN I HAVE KILLED SPIDERS FOR BOTH OF YOU.

user21 THE RECEIPTS

maxverstappen1 picture credits for half of these??

carlossainz55 i took the first one though?

maxverstappen1 but i took the others??

yourusername guys stop fighting this isn't you ☹️☹️☹️

maxverstappen1 yeah yeah whatever

liked by yourusername, charles_leclerc, and 2,001,980 others

tagged yourusername

maxverstappen1 forever thankful for the day you accidentally ran into the red bull paddock and i fell head over heels in love 🙏 happy birthday to the girl who makes it all worth it, love you always ❤️

view all comments

user22 THE HARD LAUNCH????

user23 WAS NOT EXPECTING THISSSS

user24 SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP

user25 MERCEDES GIRL X RED BULL GUY

yourusername MAXIE AW

user26 MAXIE MY HEARTTT

yourusername LOVE YOU FOREVER 💜💜

alex_albon ew get a room

yourusername as third wheel of you and lily for basically the past two years, LET ME HAVE THIS ONE.

landonorris so like is it just me who's single now??...

yourusername keep enjoying the bachelor lifestyle norris 💜

liked by maxverstappen1, georgerussell63, and 1,872,001 others

tagged maxverstappen1

yourusername thank you all so much for the birthday wishes!! decided to get me a tattoo, and woke up to my boyfriend hard launching us on social media! love you max, but please stop winning races so my dad doesn't get angry 💜

view all comments

maxverstappen1 unfortunately, i have to keep winning the races to win your respect. thanks for the request, though! 🙏

yourusername papa wolff will NOT be happy.

maxverstappen1 ❤️❤️

user27 THE LITTLE WOMEN TATTOO??

user28 I HAD NO IDEA SHE WATCHED LITTLE WOMEN

user29 she mentioned on live once that it's her favorite movie!!

mercedesamgf1 If he hurts you Y/n, we'll be at his door 🦅

yourusername you'll be the first ones i contact x

user30 Y/N DEFENCE LEAGUE HAS ARRIVED

georgerussell63 *get a tattoo, not get me a tattoo

landonorris shhh let her have this one it's her birthday weekend

yourusername damn right it is mr russell remember ur place here. which of the two of us is the boss' daughter??

georgerussell63 🤐🤐

yourusername exactly what i thought!

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[scudslut]

ahhh yes yes, I haven’t written him too subby on here yet so I was super excited to write this❤️ I hope you like it @darylsgirl23 <3

Heartsease

Daryl x f!reader

Setting: Bridge Camp/Post Savior War

Wordcount: 2.6k

Warnings: 18+, softdom reader, unestablished relationship (but both know there’s a little somethin somethin iykwim), aka your his and everyone knows it, oral (m - receiving), unprotected piv, premature finish

Daryl was never one to keep still.

It made him anxious to be in one place for too long, always going on runs and patrols ensuring his people were as safe and provided for as they could be. He felt at ease outside the walls, out of people's prying gazes, and left alone to do his part for the community in peace. These days though, he was a flurry of activity. Hardly ever in the same spot long enough to see the sun rise and set again.

You knew he felt guilty - that he was angry and didn't know how to release it. You'd watch him work on the bridge for hours, frustration seeping out of his bones and into the atmosphere around him. It hung off him like a phantom.

The vast majority of the community was intimidated by it. They would walk on eggshells in his presence as if they could predict an oncoming outburst. But you knew better, you knew him.

He was angry at the world, yes. But he was distraught with himself... his own mind. It ran a mile a minute and gave absolutely zero reprieve. Anyone could see that if they dug just a bit deeper, looked at him a little closer.

Sure he was strong and burly; a true beast of a man, but he was also quiet and thoughtful. He cared so deeply about others that it frightened him to his core. All he wanted was to protect his family and do right by them.

And you saw all of that.

You had for years now and it only made your desire for him stronger. You wanted to thank him. Drop down to your knees and worship every freckle and scar that made him, him. He deserved it, deserved an escape.

Initially, you thought maybe he wasn't into that and preferred to keep his relationships asexual, to which you were perfectly happy to abide by. Any time spent with him was cherished time in your eyes. But during a sleep-deprived chat with Carol one night on patrol, long ago, you had found out he did have a few sexual encounters before the apocalypse. Just none that had truly meant much to him, or that he was entirely sober for.

That small bit of insight helped you understand the man so much more and you carefully dropped your hints from that point on. However, with your luck, every time you thought something might happen between you two, the moment would slip right through your aching fingers, dusted away by whatever imminent danger lurked behind each corner.

To be quite honest, you were getting fed up with the world's continuous cruel jokes, and from the looks of things, Daryl could use a healthy distraction right about now.

Ears perking at the familiar rumble you'd grown to love, you watched as he pulled up on his trusty, beaten-up Nighthawk, finally returning from a longer visit at Hilltop. You could see the sheen layer of sweat built up above his furrowed brows, his teeth nibbling away at his lower lip - an anxious habit you had picked up on mere days after meeting him.

His mind was bothering him. That much was clear.

He shuffled quickly to his tent, gaze transfixed on the muddy shoes he wore, avoiding any onlookers who wanted to ask their silly questions, throwing the flaps open, and disappearing in a fluster.

You knew better than to bother him now, give him some time to gather his thoughts and decompress. You whittled away at your spears, biding the time as you devised a plan on how you would approach him. After all, the last thing you wanted was to scare him off or embarrass him in any way. He was reserved when it came to these situations, unsure of himself. The few times you had brushed lips or touched him a bit heatedly, he was jumpy and almost insecure, as if he needed instructions on how he should behave. It was extremely endearing to you; like a stray pup who just needed a little reassurance and affection to calm his fierce walls of doubt.

It was almost dusk when you finished with your spears, gathering them up and placing them near some of the other weapons the community used when needed. You scanned the grounds, noticing everyone collected by the fire, dishing up for a late dinner. You quickly made your way over, grabbing two portions and slipping away before you were noticed and stopped for conversation. You knew Daryl wouldn't get one for himself, spew some excuse that 'he wasn't hungry' or was 'too tired' when really, he just didn't want to take away from another. Even if that meant he didn't eat or drink anything for days at a time. It made your heart blister for more reasons than one.

You balance both plates on your left arm, reaching to pull the flaps open slowly, not wanting to startle him with your arrival, "Dar? You asleep?" you whisper into the dim den.

You hear a grunt, some shuffling, and in a moment a soft glow fills the area as he lights a nearby lamp, perching up on his small cot, "I was."

Flicking off your boots, you zip the entrance closed behind you, "I brought you some dinner, figured you'd be hungry after your trip," You smile and he mutters a quiet thanks, opting to accept your kind offer rather than argue with you, he knew you wouldn't take no for answer anyway. He scoots to the side, creating a spot for you to sit while you two eat in comfortable silence. He liked that you didn't feel the need to fill the air, that you could simply enjoy each other's company without all the small talk. You were one of the few people he'd met in his life, who just inherently understood him, down to the most basic level. He hated leaving you all the time like he had been, just another thing to nag at his over-exhausted mind.

Hearing him sigh quietly, you cast your eyes over, watching as he scrapes up the remaining crumbs off his plate, placing it outside the tent along with yours for you both to deal with in the morning.

"I imagine your pretty tired, huh?" You ask, following his movements as he plops down again beside you.

"Nah, not really. Got a few hours 'fore ya came bustin' in here," he grumbles with a small smirk and you lean into him nudging his shoulder playfully. "Why ya wanna chat or somethin'?"

You consider him for a minute, trying to find the proper words to initiate what was truly on your mind. You knew you had no reason to be nervous. That even though you'd never labeled anything between you guys, you both felt it. Knew it was there. You just needed the right moment. Now was as good a time as any, you figured.

"No, I just- I wanna try something."

He nods his head for you to continue, so you scoot closer, placing your hand delicately on his shoulder and bringing your face centimeters from his. You stop just before you close the gap, gauging his reaction. His breath hitches slightly and you feel his pulse rapid under your fingertips, but he doesn't pull away. Taking that as the only confirmation you'll get, you press your lips to his softly, brushing your thumb against his stubbly, pink cheek. He takes a good minute to respond, carefully moving his lips back against yours and placing his hands on your hips. You feel him squeeze, eliciting a quiet moan of encouragement from you and he all but sinks into your touch, falling into a comfortable rhythm with your lips. You stay like that for a while, breathing in his piney scent and relishing in his gentle kneads at your waist. It wasn’t much to the untrained eye, but you knew that was his way of pouring his affection into you without so many words. His way of telling you he was yours.

You drag your kisses down his neck, nibbling and sucking at the salty flesh between his collarbones. His breaths grow uneven and you can feel him begin to tense again, unused to such personal attention, "Is this okay?" You ask, not wanting to push him past his boundaries. He only nods in response, his throat feeling like the Sahara.

He has to admit, he's thought about this many times, relieved himself to thoughts of you too many times to count over the years. He's just never known how to approach you about it, scared you'd reject him or he'd do something wrong.

He watches as you slip to your knees before him, your eyes glued to his. "You'll let me know if you want me to stop, yeah?" As he tries to nod in response again, you stop him, "I need you to say it to me," You press.

"Y-yea, I'll say somethin'," he whispers timidly and you grin, beginning to unbuckle his belt and slip his raged jeans down. You kiss down his strong thighs, feeling them tremble slightly beneath you. His hard-on is poking through his boxers and you drag your lips across it, placing soft pecks down the length of him, listening to his breathy pants. You didn't realize how turned on you'd be, having him all flushed and needy for you, but god were you enjoying it. Slipping your fingers into the waistband, you tug them down and his cock springs free, precum leaking from the pretty, pink tip.

"You dun have'ta," he mutters, anxiety sweeping over him fast, even though he really, really does want to. You catch his gaze, noticing how dark his stormy eyes have gotten.

"Let me take care of you, sweetheart," you reply, pressing soft kisses from the base to tip, feeling him pulse under your touch. You enclose your mouth around him, taking almost his entire length at once and you hear a guttural groan from above you, his knuckles white from the clutch they had on the bedsheets.

You wondered if he had ever had a woman go down on him before. Judging by the gasps and twitches he was emitting, if he had, it hadn't been for a very long time.

He bucks into you, searching in a daze for more friction, and you pin his hips down, earning a deep whine from him. You knew if he wanted to, he could easily overpower you, use your mouth to his heart's content, but he wouldn't. He wanted you to take charge. Needed it.

Raking your eyes over his heaving figure, you slide your tongue along his shaft, moving in slow, sensual circles as you bob up and down. Daryl's head is tossed back, eyes screwed shut and you can tell he won't last much longer. The sensitivity of not being touched in so long, sprinting towards him at full speed. You pull back, slowing your movements. He lifts his head off the wall, pale blue eyes blown to darkness as he watches you take him so sweetly, "Please," He whispers.

When you shake your head, humming a soft, "Not yet," as best you can around him, his eyes roll back into his skull, entirely overwhelmed by the overstimulation, but loving it nonetheless. "I-I can't," He gasps, his accent muddled even stronger in his lustful state. You have to squeeze your legs tighter, clenching around nothing hearing your man so utterly wrecked beneath you. You want to draw it out for hours. Have him begging you to let him cum down your awaiting throat. However, you decide you both have waited damn long enough to prolong your union even more.

Releasing him with a soft kiss to his leaking tip, you stand in front of him, shimmying out of your clothes as quickly as you can. "Lay down for me, baby,' You direct, moving the straddle him as he eagerly follows your orders, turning lengthwise on the makeshift bed. His eyes never leave yours as you sit down on him, groaning when he feels how wet you are pressed against his cock. "Have you thought about this before, pretty boy?" His cheeks flush crimson at your sultry compliments, nodding curtly whilst avoiding your stare.

"Dar." You press.

You were being so gentle yet stern with him it was making it brain fuzzy, all stressors from the day long washed away to be replaced by only you.

"Have, yeah," He huffs in embarrassment, trying with great difficulty not to portray how truly turned on your words were making him. But you saw right through him... or rather felt him. You lean forward, kissing and nipping up his neck to the shell of his pink ears, "Do you want me to stop?"

A full-body shiver jolts through him when he feels your warm breath against his ear, involuntarily rolling his hips into yours and you chuckle at his obvious sensitivity. He knows he needs to use his words. You won't be letting him off that easy. "Please don't," Is all he manages and it seems to do the trick. You grip his length, tracing it along your soaked folds, and slowly sink down. Your careful as you take in his reaction, scanning his expression for any signs of discomfort. He bites his lip, his eyes squeezed shut and lets out a muffled groan.

"Fuck," He mumbles, and you're surprised to hear him say anything you didn't need to pry out of him. A positive sign, you determined and start to bounce your hips slowly, creating a synchronized dance between your bodies. Your body is buzzing as you ride him, finally feeling the dull ache you’ve had for the man below you begin to dissipate as he whimpers oh so softly for only you to hear. His hands grip your waist hard enough to leave bruises to find in the morning, but you hardly give it a second thought. All you can think about is Daryl. His closeness, his warmth and strength, and-

He tenses beneath you, broken gasps leaving his chewed lips and suddenly he’s lifting you off of him, soaking your thighs and abdomen completely. You gawk as you watch him come down, sworn you haven’t ever seen something so fucking sexy in your life. His head tossed back, jumbled curses leaving his mouth, and dark auburn hair dripping with sweat. You don’t care that he finished before you, this was about him. But you see his eyes snap to yours when he fully comes back down to reality, cheeks blazing for a different reason than before.

Leaning towards him, you capture his lips with your own, tenderly pouring your affection into him, needing him to know you weren’t upset, “It’s okay, relax,” you whisper against him with a soft smile, leaning your forehead onto his. His eyes are filled with guilt, “I mean it, Dar,” And he’s back to his nods of response.

He didn’t need any more words of sympathy. He knew you were happy as a kid on Christmas, he just needed to accept it for himself. So with one last peck to his cherry lips, you slide off him, grab a rag to clean yourself up with, and scoot right in beside him, craving his warmth. He turns to you quickly, grabbing your waist and pulling you impossibly closer to him, burying his head into the crook of your neck. You feel a few soft pecks from him along your jaw and you sigh contentedly, wrapping your limbs around his, reeling in your post-coital glow.

You were safe, snuggled with your love, and that was all you needed.