#Deer!nico

[underworldxkisses]

Finally caved in and drew deer!nico. @haiseiscute333, this au has GOT to my all time favourite. 💕

I did my best, but drawing hybrids or animal features is so foreign to me 🙈

(Had to give him his pale skin and bags for this au, just seemed to fit. He's like a albino(??????) Deer to me ig 🙈🫶)

[summerfire13]

Deer boi ready to throw hands.

Another Deer!Nico from the lovely @haiseiscute333's AU.

Definitely not one of my best sketches (even with references) I'll probably redraw it with a different pose.

[bwoahtastic]

Lil cub seb 100% had chew toys! Toto knows that the cub seems like any regular kiddo most of the time but sometimes it shines through that Seb has become a little feral, very gorlwy and defensive at times and liking to use his teeth or claws to break things! The biting is a fond thing too sometimes or a way to deal with anxiety, always papa is his chew toy for a while but Toto gets him some actual toys eventually which seb likes too!

[animunerdery]

Happy Valentine’s Day kiddos!

[m-for-now]

I love it so so so so much when a character is like the Smart One in the group, who is always the one who remembers the details, analyzes every piece of informationen, makes the plans and is always the first one to understand or notice something. And then I love it when that same character is so incredibly oblivious to one thing. (Especially people being nice in any way.)

[the-boy-who-drank-the-stars]

hmmmmm Nico and Percy parallels

OH WELL I SAW THIS THING RIGHT

it was like Saying how after Nico had to go on a quest and lost people himself he now understood why percy "always tried so hard"

and how after Percy went to Tartarus he understood why Nico felt the way he did (I can't find the post)

but like at first, that their initial fallout, they didn't understand each other

they don't know how the other felt

but eventually they both went thru what the other did

and an understanding began

Percy probably never understood why Nico was so pessimistic or standoffish so to speak at times, and that's cause Percy hadnt been thru what Nico had

especially with Tartarus

and same with Nico yk

Nico began to realize why Percy always tried to save everyone that mattered to him and why he tried so hard because he went through one of those quests and saw it wasn't so black and white

this is a really bad explanation sorry

but Nico is to me, what Percy possibly could've turned out like had he been told about his heritage when he was younger

and if he had lost people at that age too

Percy already is at odds with most of the gods, but imagine if he had lost someone at that age?

it would've been worse I feel like

and Nico is Percy if Nico had a support system

but he didn't

Nico, had he have had someone to rely on besides his sister at camp, besides Percy, I think things would've gone different

this is rlly bad sorry

OH MY GOD IK THAT POSTI SAW IT ONE OF MY FAVORITE BLOGGERS BLOGGED IT WJQLKHEJKWR

THIS IS SO TRUE

because they absically had the same fates didn't they? son of a big three, fated for a prophecy that might make or break the world

and itslike

what wouldve happened if percy had lost sally when he was 12?

what wouldve happened if nico hadn't lost bianca when he was 12?

they're mirror images

parallel universes

lkjwdhjkfgjf

[nicothedingus]

the fawn (oc) stimboard for myself! no center image yet i have yet to draw him in full colour. you get a cute deer gif instead :) i might end up posting about him at some point x | x | x x | x | x x | x | x

[rrover]

did the deer look like this?

okay okay in middle school after the Flood i had to do an online school program for a bit and i hated every bit of it except for the science subjects parts because it was formatted like a shitty little game thing and it looked like this

like the background was like the Crispiest image you were a little guy that zipped around the weird meat tracks doing multiple choice science questions. i dont know what was up with that. it had the crunchiest zap sound effects and. the little guy looked sort of like this??

every day i wish i took a screenshot of it or something. it was the only thing i looked forward to in the 7th grade godbless.

[coco-loco-nut]

Book Club - Part 6

pairing: Lance Stroll x Reader, Grid x Reader

summary: you and lance have a talent for traumating the grid *insert emotional damage meme here*

requests open masterlist

———————————

It was safe to say that that you and Lance were still very much in your honeymoon phase when you got to testing. Both of you very tan from your weeks spent on the beach.

“Y/n! You surprised the world when you announced your marriage and name change, Anything you want to say about it?” One of your favorite interviewers asks you as you walk hand in hand to the paddock with Lance.

“Sure, yeah. Lance and I have been together for a long time, so getting married was just the natural next step. It was a small wedding with close friends and family. Regarding my new name, alittle over a year ago, Kimi offered to mentor me and we forged a very close bond. He is basically my father and his kids are my siblings, so with the blessing of the family I wanted to honor the relationship the best way I knew how. Racing under the Räikkönen name is such a huge honor and I can’t thank my dad and family enough for the honor,” you beam, more than happy to talk about your family.

“How did Kimi react when you told him you were taking his name both legally and when racing,” she asks, your joy infectious.

“He was so happy, I told him at the wedding, yeah. We are such a tight family, I can’t thank them enough for bringing me into their family and allowing me to take their last name. And Lance has been wonderful about it, he actually suggested hyphenating the names,” you tell her. Usually you are pretty tight lipped, but you with happily talk with her.

“Alright, onto what actually matters. How are you feeling going into testing with Red Bull?” she asks and you take a step back into your normal interview style.

“Good. I certainly miss Checo here, but the car feels good. We will see how testing goes and work from there,” Lance gives you a look that says you will be late and the journalist notices.

“Thanks for chatting, and congratulations,” she says and you nod in thanks before walking away.

“You look very hot today, Mrs Räikkönen-Stroll,” Lance says kissing the side of your head.

“Maybe so, but nothing compares to you post race,” your cheeks flame a little. Lance pulls you into a small alley between motorhomes. You are pressed against the wall as Lance kisses you, hands tangled in each other’s hair.

“OH MY GOD!” you hear Daniel shriek.

“MY EYES!” Valtteri screams. Lance quickly pulls away from you as the four of you look at each like deer in the headlights. Daniel and Valtteri quickly walk away, leaving you and Lance giggling like school kids.

The club atmosphere was off when you walked in, taking a seat beside Logan. Valtteri can’t look you in the eyes while Daniel isn’t sure whether his is proud or scarred for life.

“Fernando, I was not aware of your taste in books,” Nico says, a little flushed thinking about what they had to read.

“Yeah, a smut book? We do have innocent eyes here,” Kevin looks at you and Logan.

“Innocent?” Logan asks, a breathy laugh behind it.

“The beach scene?” Lewis suggests you all start on.

“The writing was phenomenal, the author really captured the emotions and sensations. It read so raw, so lifelike. It was one of the few times that art imitated life. She captured every intimate thought and feeling that a woman gets when she is having sex. I remember during the honeymoon when Lance and I did something similar on the private beach and wow, the author really nailed it,” you say, not quite realizing what you had just revealed to the group.

“Damn, Y/n, I didn’t realize you and Lance were freaks like that. Respect,” Daniel says, never being one to shy away from sex. Your face twists in mortification at what you unintentionally revealed. The guys look at eachother mortified as well.

You were an adult, they knew that, but in their subconscious mind you haven’t done anything more than kiss a boy. That’s how you end up following them as they storm across the paddock.

“Logan! Help me stop them,” you look at him with panic in your eyes as the group nears the Aston Martin garage.

“Hell no, this is so funny,” he says and you huff. You see the guys cornering Lance.

“YOU RUINED OUR DAUGHTER?!” Fernando yells at his teammate. You just want to sink into a corner and die, similar to how Lance appears.

“Our precious, innocent, child. What’s next? Logan has slept with a girl?” Valtteri says.

“HEY!” Logan yells in offense. The guys’ faces drain of more color.

“You too? This isn’t ok,” Kevin says and you spot Max and Lando trying not to laugh, the two of them having seen the commotion and wanted to check it out.

“I think you guys are forgetting that the three of us are consenting adults, we aren’t kids anymore,” you say softly, Logan and Lance standing by you, the latter still scared.

“Tell that to Kimi,” Nico chuckles and you groan at the mention of your dad.

“Alright, stop harassing my teammate, we have meetings,” Max breaks everyone up, leading you away.

“Thanks, Maxie,” you let out a breath of relief.

“Do I want to know?” he laughs.

“No, I don’t think so,” you return his laugh. You just hope that your book club meeting will be smoother tomorrow morning.

The next morning, you walk into the room happy and perky as usual.

“You okay, Fernando?” Logan asks when he notices Fernando on his third cup of coffee and the tiredness in his eyes.

“The hotel has thin walls. My hotel room shares a wall with Lance’s,” Fernando says, giving you a look that makes you blush in embarrassment, wishing the earth would open up and eat you whole.

“It is natural. They are young and in love, maybe we will have a baby Stroll soon,” Lewis says and your eyes light up.

“We will!” you say, quickly pulling out your phone. The older drivers hearts sink, all slightly panicking. “Oh my god, I’m not pregnant guys, we are just getting a puppy,” you laugh at their faces.

“I would like to make a motion to kick Y/n out of the book club due to the amount of emotional distress she has given the members this weekend,” Valtteri says, and your jaw drop.

“Alright alright, but you don’t understand the almost of trauma I went through having rooms that neighbored all of you during my first year here,” you point your finger at all of them.

“Motion denied,” Daniel sighs, knowing he was probably one of the main culprits.

“So, this dog?” Nico says, changing the subject.

instagram

y/username EVERYONE MEET MY BABY!

since I’m too young to have a baby (according to the club) here is my baby holding our baby, Milo Stroll ❤️🐾🐶

logansargeant look at how big his paws are! he’s gonna be a big boy 😍

y/username his favorite uncle 🥰

danielricciardo @y/username I take offense to that

user1 y/n really had me in the first half

nicohulkenberg she had us too the first time she brought up Milo in conversation

lancestroll what a hot mama 😮‍💨

y/username nothing compared to the absolute DILF holding my sweet puppy in the picture

georgerussel MY EYES! MY INNOCENT EYES

[summerfire13]

deer!Nico SKETCH FROM @haiseiscute333 's AU!!!

WAGHRGAHGHADGHWA-

(I have zero knowledge of deer anatomy)

[bwoahtastic]

My foster cat comes to sit on top of me if I'm sleeping now, but the moment I open my eyes she gets grumpy and leaves.

So that with cub sebby who snhffles up to papa but ONLY when Toto pretends to be asleep ksks (and same with steomom nico in the verse)

[sunnysaystuff]

puns :3

sirius: prongs would you be a deer and get me a glass of water please<3

james: fuck you so, so much !

sirius: oh, please don't, my brother will get jealous :(

james: fuck off pads <3

sirius: but you're doe funny, prongs :( i couldn't deerl with leaving...

james: are you shitting me😭

sirius: nooo...james you know i'm always sirius, DOEn't you?

james: HOW do you have so MANY of them for fuck's sake...

sirius:

sirius: no i-deer

james: pads i'm gonna kill you

sirius: come on prongs, deernertime!! james: james, calling: REGULUS!!!!! i want dinner!!

regulus: *manifesting from the shadows (descending the stairs) like the spooky wizard (edgy nico di angelo ass bottom) he is* dinner has arrived, potter ;)

sirius: oh, FUCK no! prongs keep your paws OFF my brother!!!

james: last time i checked, YOU had the paws, pads...

sirius:

james, turning: reg, you look so- *glances at sirius* so FETCHING!!!!!!!!

sirius: sirius.exe has stopped working

[cheriladycl01]

Hey could you do Kimi Raikkonen x fem!reader where she is someone that run the events for the F1 and they just fall in love at first sight? MAJOR CUTENESS OVERLOD PLEASE!! Tag me later! Thanks :)

Please, just listen to me! - Kimi Räikkönen x F1EventOrganiser! Reader

Plot: You organise all of the events for the FIA and normally are in the fan zone, but with the FIA being short they need you organising the drivers events.

Credit to kimimraikkonen7 for the GIF

“Erm Seb, if you can stand over here please!” You ask politely, looking the older driver and directing him to his partner.

“Sure cupcake” he grins winking at you making you blush.

“Okay, Lewis Nico you guys can go next to Seb if that’s okay!” You say, you weren’t one to raise your voice so you individually went up to the drivers asking them where you needed them for the event.

Normally you organised the fan side of things when it came to events, so you didn’t have too many interactions with the drivers.

Up until now.

Currently you were organising for them to all line up for the start of season promo shot of them on a track all together in their teams.

You group had decided how you wanted to shoot it and it was down to you to co-ordinate the drivers on where they would be standing.

“Has anyone seen Kimi?” You ask looking around seeing that one driver was currently missing. Everyone proceeded to look around for the Finnish driver who seemed to not be present.

“Your gonna have to go look for him” one of your Co-workers advises, making you grunt. You didn’t want to be on the run around looking for this mystery driver.

Eventually you did leave the other drivers in the hands on your capable team, who started to do other things with them that didn’t necessarily require Kimi or you could do with him later on and individually.

You walk through the paddock, looking like you are on a mission, which you kind of are. You can’t take all day to do this, that would be ridiculous. You ask anyone you saw if they had seen Kimi lately. Most people shook there heads, others said they saw him in hospitality but that was a good few hours ago.

You eventually made your way back to the group, where you’d been rushing around looking high and low and it was extremely warm. Your hair had come partially loose from its low bun and now looked messy with some flyaways in your face and sticking on your forehead. Your face had a redness too it and a natural sheen of sweat.

“I couldn’t find him” you say loud enough that all the drivers could here, a chuckle from your left made you look over seeing Lewis and Nico pointing to the driver next to them.

He had a sort of deer caught in headlights look about him right now.

If he was being honest, he was in complete awe of your state right now. As flustered and worn down as you were, right now you looked radiant and there was something about the way you spoke that raw softness in your voice made his world temporarily stop.

It was like his brain stopped working, or was working overtime, he couldn’t actually tell. That’s how much of an impact one look of you had on him. He had no thoughts in his head but all the thoughts when looking at you.

Completely blank, but the redness of you cheeks, completely blank, but the way your hair fell around your face, completely blank but the way your eyes looked a little glassy from the strain of the day, completely blank but the way your shirt hugged around your body like a tailor had made it just for you.

“Oh you are here! Amazing!” You sigh, wiping across your head, thankful you could move on despite the effort being wasted.

“Sorry people came up to me saying I was needed here. I wasn’t aware such a beautiful search party was sent out to find me. I would have stayed tucked away if I’d know it was you coming for me” he says softly, even though he thought he was at a lose for words, every piece of literature he has read came out his mouth at that moment.

Now it was your turn to look like a deer in headlights, you hadn’t expected him to be so … bold?

“Oh erm, we’ll you are here now, so we can move forward” you awkwardly admit, trying to fix some of the hair that was in your face.

“You want me to fix that for you?” He asks and your head bolts up to him in shock. Did he just … offer to re tie your hair.

“Sorry?” You ask in shock, not believing the Kimi Räikkönen just offered to tie back your hair.

“Your holding lots of stuff and I can tell it’s getting in the way, would you like me to retie it for you?” He asks again, and you slowly nod while your team tries to busy the rest of the drivers who are also as gobsmacked as you are.

“Oh erm yes please that would be really helpful!” You smile, your gums showing and it just makes him fall for you even harder than he had before.

Kimi Räikkönen was never one to believe in love at first sight. It was so stupid, how on earth could you fall for someone by only looking at them once, having no depth and detail to that person.

But having seen you, he knew it was real. He knew what it felt like to feel like his head was spinning and his eyes could only be locked onto you. Because he feared if he were to look away, that would be it and you’d be gone.

He reached forward, his hand taking the bobble out of your hair softly making sure not to rip out any hair or get anything caught up. He then fists your hair into a ponytail before sectioning it off into 3 pieces. What surprises you is when he begins braiding it, you assumed he’d do a basic pony tail, something you’d like to think any man could do.

When you feel the light tugging sensation of him getting it tighter so it won’t fall out, you let your head roll back. Because of the high difference when you open your eyes your met with his blue hues staring almost icily back at you!

“Thank you!” You offer, nodding your head a little bit before you get back to work. However organising 20 men to do what you want them to do when they all get easily distracted by anything and everything around them proves to be more difficult.

From an outward eye it would seem Kimi is the only one paying attention to you while everyone else is having their own conversations, checking their phones or just staring off into space, HES watching you with keen eyes. However it’s actually the opposite way round. While Seb and Alonso tease one another they are actually chipping in to help you get them into the right places ever now and then.

And even though Lewis is scrolling through his feed aimlessly, he still has his ear listening out for you.

It’s actually Kimi, who is the one not paying any attention. He’s just watching everything you do almost like a puppy, holding those sweet doe eyes.

“Please just listen to me!” You beg and he snaps out of the daze you’ve got him in.

“Sorry sweetheart where do you want me?” He asks now a little red feeling rude that you’d only been doing your job.

“Erm just here please” you direct him. Finally everyone was where you wanted them and you could get the shot that you wanted too!

Later on, Kimi silently pulled you to one side, he smiled at you as you both stood there in silence. He watched and observed the way you awkwardly shuffled your weight from one foot to another as you watched him and his eyes.

“Dinner, with me tonight” he offers and you remain silent. That didn’t seem like a question, that was an order … or what the word order to harsh. A statement maybe?

“Yes” you smile, before ushering him out the office with a hotness to your cheeks as you leant against the door, forgetting completely about planning the nexts events that were on your table and thinking of the Finnish man who had just bluntly forced you out!

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @kapsylia @laneyspaulding19 @lazybot @malynn @cassielikereading @viennakarma @teamnovalak @landosgirlxoxo @marie0v @jlb20416 @pear-1206

[zyonsay]

hellooo, can i requ some headcannons of max verstappen having a bf that is rly pretty (i'm talking rbr seb vettel or nico rosberg 2000s pretty)

Pretty Boy MV1

Fem aligned people may read but not f3tishize my work!!

Summary: One scenario of Max talking about his boyfriend in an interview and then three headcanons with scenarios

Reader: Male

Warnings: Max Emilian Verstappen

Now playing: 'Me Gustas Tu' by Manu Chao

AN: Hey anon! I combined your request with another one, which asked for a scenario of Max talking about reader in an Interview. Hope that's alright! ALSO Seb/Nico in their teenage dirtbag era was SOMETHING. (something great, im foaming at the mouth)

“So, Max, you’ve been very active online recently. Especially your partner has made many appearances in your posts. What are you two up to?”, the Interviewer glanced at his silver watch before looking back up into Max’s blue eyes. He had anticipated this question for the whole weekend. The press liked to stick their noses into his private life, especially because he was not in a straight relationship. All eyes were on him, as per usual. “My gorgeous boyfriend?”, a sly grin tugged at his lips. “We’ve been spending loads of quality time together. Over the break we planned a little trip. I love him with all my heart and am excited to spend time with that amazing person”, his mouth pulled into a slight smile before the Interviewer crossed another question from his mental list.

Yes, Max likes to keep part of his private life to himself, but he can’t resist posting candid pictures of you all the time. Maybe he’ll even create a separate account besides his main one just for pictures of you and you guys’ daily life. Your phone buzzed and you quickly held it up to your face while laying on your bed. It was a notification from Instagram, Max had posted something. The phone unlocked and led you to the new post your dearest made. It was from this morning when the two of you went out on a hike and spotted a few cute deer. The picture showed your back while you were crouching and watching the animals. With a giggle you turned to Max, who was laying behind you. "That's a cute pic!"

Even though he appreciates your looks, he makes sure you know that you are the first reason why he’s in love with you. Your beautiful face and soft hair is the cherry on top! With gentle hands he held your face, while leaving kisses on your nose. His sweet upside-down smile adorned his face while he whispered, “My beautiful schatje.” Max gently pushed a strand of your hair behind you ear before leaning in for another peck.

That said, he’ll still compliment you at any given chance. Something he likes to do is leave little post it notes on the fridge when he has to leave early. ‘Good morning beautiful! I saw that you used the last bag of your favorite tea, go check in the cabinet above the dishwasher!’, Max had left a little yellow note on the door of your fridge, he even scribbled a wonky heart on it. You opened the cabinet only to find way too many packs of your favorite tea stacked up. God, how you loved that idiot.

[theemporium]

can i please request a 🩵blues lagoon; "I'm not going to hurt you." with luke hughes please? :)

thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

14. "I'm not going to hurt you."

.

He was running. 

He hadn’t stopped running. 

He wasn’t sure if he had been running for minutes or hours. He wasn’t sure if the night was dragging out or if the forest canopy had blocked the daylight, if it was actually the next day altogether. He wasn’t sure where Quinn or Jack were, or if the others had made it to safety. He didn’t know anything except he couldn’t stop running. 

Werewolves were an endangered species these days. They were hunted and chased and killed. They were the number one threat to whatever stupid myths the humans followed and believed. Most of the wolves Luke knew stayed in hiding, away from big cities or towns. Some hid in plain sight, living amongst the humans that were none the wiser. 

And some lived a life mixed in between. 

Some being Luke and his brothers and the makeshift pack they had formed over the years. 

It was a risky lifestyle, one they had been pushing the line on for months. They had been safe, cautious, wary of. And all of it had come crumbling down in less than twenty-four hours and now, Luke was running for his life with no knowledge on whether his brothers were safe or if the others escaped or if he would even make it to the hideout alive. 

Funny how life worked out. 

He had lost count on how many hunters were chasing him. When he escaped the dungeon they had been locking him up in, it had been around the fifteen mark but he swore he lost a handful of them a few hours back. But he couldn’t stop to check. He couldn’t stop to rest. 

He just had to keep running and running and running—

Luke let out a pained whimper when he felt a jab on his side. The momentum was enough to knock him off his feet, for his body to hit the ground and slide across the dirt as he tried to get ahold of his senses once again. His body shifted before he could stop himself, before he could even think about the consequences of his actions as the arrow in his side twisted around his transforming body. 

“Luke?” 

He blinked, letting out a shaky breath as he found you standing a few feet away, crossbow still lifted and pointed at him. But your face—he had never seen such a mix of emotions. Confusion. Betrayal. Shock. Maybe even something quite like concern.

“Hi,” he rasped out, letting out a heavy sigh as a twinge of pain rushed through his body. 

“You’re—” And even though you cut yourself off, he could fill in the rest. 

You’re a werewolf and you never told me. You’re a werewolf and you have been my friend for the last few months like nothing was wrong. You’re a werewolf and the exact creature my family hunt, have been hunting for decades. You’re a werewolf and I never knew.

“Yeah,” he murmured, something quite like bitter acceptance settling in his stomach. He didn’t want this to be the end. He didn’t want you to be the one to kill him. But you were a hunter and he was a werewolf with an arrow in his side and he knew his chances of escaping this were slim. 

He knew his chances of ever seeing Jack and Quinn again were slim. He knew his chances of making it to the hideout and seeing the rest of the pack were slim. He knew his chances of making it out alive were slim. 

“Did you catch one?” 

Luke stiffened as the familiar voice of your father—the same ruthless hunter that almost nabbed Nico a few months ago—sounded from somewhere in the forest. His heart thumped in his chest, the urge to close his eyes and try to cling onto some happy memories before his demise growing stronger. He waited for you to—

“No!” You yelled back, your eyes glued on Luke as he stared back with wide eyes. “False alarm. It was just a deer. I think he headed north!” 

Luke’s lips parted in surprise as you began moving closer, your words still ringing in his ears as you crouched beside him and reached your hands out. Instinctively, he tried to scamper back. The pain pulsed through his body but he bit back the cry he wanted to let out.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” you assured the boy, your hands stretched out to show you meant no harm. “I want to help.” 

Luke shot you a suspicious look. “You expect me to believe you?” 

“No,” you replied honestly. “But I’m hoping my actions will speak louder than my words. Now, let me get that arrow out of you so we can hide before my father finds you.”

.

[mediumgayitalian]

Blue, blue, blue eyes, wet and red-rimmed. White knuckles clenched around worn canvas. Salty cheeks and bitten-bruised lips.

“I’m running away.”

Echoes in a too-large room, quiet breathing in stale air. Freezing toes on marble floor. Struggling lamplight, gaunt shadows.

“Gimme a minute to pack a bag.”

———

“Shh,” Nico hisses, clamping a hand over Will’s mouth to muffle a shriek. A too-warm hand clutches his hip, scrambling for balance. The rickety wooden lattice creaks under their weight.

The freeze, for one, two, three seconds. Nico strains to hear, watching the crystal-clear, freshly-polished Jalousie window.

No light.

They let out their breath at the same time, Will’s exhale making Nico’s cold hands tingle. At Will’s glare, he removes his hand, wrapping it back around the rung.

“Be more careful, you clumsy fuck.”

“I’m trying!”

To his credit, he really is. He checks and double checks before putting his full weight on the lopsided strips of wood only meant to hold up vines. He doesn’t let go of the rung above him until his feet are firmly planted, and he doesn’t stray far enough from Nico that he couldn’t catch him. He knows the drill.

And, yet.

(Truly, Nico has no idea how he climbed up by himself.)

Thankfully, they make it to the soft lawn in one piece. Will stumbles into a hydrangea bush the second he lets go of the lattice. Nico lands with much more grace, snickering.

“This house hates me,” he whispers, pouting. There are several blue flower petals tangled in his hair; Nico decides not to tell him. “Like, actively.”

“You and me both.”

They sneak quickly across the lawn once Will’s upright again, booking it to Nico’s Jeep. Will takes their bags, tossing them in the back, then slides behind the massive, creepy gargoyle-thing that sits between the garage doors as Nico opens the driver’s door as quietly as physically possible. Once he’s seated, he glances over at Will, waiting for his signal — hand held up in wait, four seconds, five, six — then a rapid shooing motion, eyes trained at the security camera. Fast as he can, Nico shifts into neutral without starting the car, craning his neck to watch out the back window as he peels out of the driveway and onto the street. Once safely behind the massive pine tree that marks the edge of the property, he parks, turning the car on and wincing at the noise.

Two minutes later, Will comes barrelling down the driveway, nearly tripping over untied shoelaces.

“I fucked up, they totally saw me, go go go go go!”

Nico doesn’t need to be told twice. He’s in drive and racing down the empty street before Will has the door closed.

After long enough down the narrow roads he is sure nothing has followed them, Nico exhales. Will echoes him, slumping into the creaking leather, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes. Nico drives, headlights dim, no streetlights to make anything brighter, until their pounding hearts no longer outroar the wind, until sweat cools to as cold as it can be this far south.

Nico squints into the empty road. If a deer jumps out, they're fucked.

“So,” he says, forgoing his blinker as they turn onto familiarly torn-up roads. There is no one else at this hour. And the woods on either side of the road are a farce, hardly more than a copse of trees — nothing but farmland for hundreds of acres. No risk of death by Cervidae, thank God. Not that they know what blinkers are. “Running away?”

“There’s a rest stop an hour or so east,” Will says, face buried in a map. “We can sleep there and keep going in the morning.”

Go where, Nico wants to ask. He taps his finger on the steering wheel, chewing on his lip.

“Okay,” he relents. Will sighs, quick and quiet. “You gotta direct me, though. And, I swear to God, if you get us lost again, Solace —”

And Will laughs, finally, and it’s small and stilted and there are still tears drying on his cheeks, but it’s real, and stars shine brighter, brighter, brighter.

The two hours to the rest stop pass quickly. Nico is used to long drives, and thankfully he’d filled up a couple days ago, so all he worries about is staying awake and watching for cops. There shouldn’t be any, really, because he’s been the only car on this road the entire time, but Nico isn’t going to chance it. Not again. (He doesn’t have Piper to talk them out of trouble, this time, although Will could possibly manage the task.) 

(Maybe.) 

(Well, it didn't work last time, but never say never.)

“How prepared are we to run away?”

Will is quiet for several long, telling moments.

“Well,” he says finally, and Nico sighs. “I think there’s still blankets and pillows in the trunk from last time.”

“Christ alive, William.”

“It’s June! We’re – sheltered! We’ll be fine.”

“Christ alive, William.”

“Oh, can it.”

He bites his tongue, grinning. He doesn’t actually mind – it is June, and they have blankets, and they're certainly not going to succumb to the elements in the Jeep. Will, too, is like a goddamn space heater; if anything, they’ll wake up in the morning with the windows fogged. 

“I suppose I’ll manage,” he says, watching with interest as a flash of bare skin as Will leans over the seat, sweatshirt riding up his arched back as he digs around for the blankets. He turns back right before Will does, huffing dramatically. “Since there are no other options.”

He fully expects the pillow to the face.

“You’re a dickhead.”

“Dickhead with a license and a vehicle, Sunny Boy, so maybe count your blessings.”

“...Lou Ellen has a car. So there.”

Nico snorts, thinking of the piece of shit Bug that broke down for the twelfth time this year in her driveway, earlier this week. Likely story.

“And, yet.”

“And, yet,” Will agrees, voice significantly softer. He’s fully burrowed in his blanket when Nico looks over; seat reclined as far as it’ll go so he can curl up, knees to chest, all six two of him compressed to something small, delicate. The pillow smushes half his face, and the blanket is pulled up to his nose, and Nico swallows, roughly, because his eyes are bright in the moonlight, and his hair fans, frizzy and damp, slightly, out onto the pillow, and Nico doesn’t need to be a poet to compare his freckled forehead to the starry sky. There is a fragility in him, one he keeps firmly locked inside the deepest parts of him, and as Nico watches it he can see it spilling, pouring, bleeding out of him. In the car, in the dark, in front of Nico. “Goodnight, Nico.”

“Goodnight,” Nico says hoarsely. 

By the time he gets the courage to look at Will again, his eyes are already closed, breaths slow and even.

———

“Neeks. Neeks. Nico. Hey, Thanatos. Anubis. Gerard Way. Eddie Cullen."

Jab. Jab. Jab.

God, Nico is going to end up in prison.

“I got more, man, I made a list –”

“Will you stop fucking poking me,” Nico hisses, peeking out from his blankets to glare at his aggressor. He regrets it immediately, hissing harder as the sun burns his retinae.

He can feel Will smiling. “Up and at ‘em, Sunshine. It’s road trip time.” He pauses. “And, also, I’m starving. I packed granola bars for us but I ate them all already. Sorry.”

“Fucker.” Reluctantly, he tugs the blanket fully off, sitting upright and stretching his arms above his head. His back cracks satisfyingly. “Don’t suppose you know where the nearest Dunkin’ is, then.”

“Uh, no.” He looks back to find Will’s eyes snapping back to his, face flushed. “We’re just outside of Arcadia, though? So. I’m. Sure there’s one –”

“Are you good?” Nico asks, squinting. “It’s too early for you to be a weirdo, Will, it’s only –” He checks his watch. “Oh, you motherfucker, it’s like six thirty in the morning! Why the hell are we awake?”

“Road trip!” he says. His face, no longer all screwed up and blotchy, returns to its usual blinding beam. 

Great. Now there are two things trying to blind him.

“C’mon, you dork,” Will says again, laughing. He tugs the blanket from Nico’s grip, tossing it haphazardly in the back and pestering him until he scowls, biting out a “Fine, you prick, Jesus,” and rubs the sleep out of his eyes.

He’s still not all the way awake, but he dutifully sits up, buckling his seat belt and starting the car. “Nav,” he mutters, tuning out Will’s chatter.

He loves the guy, but, fuck. It’s six thirty in the goddamned morning. He hasn’t seen six thirty in the morning in a long ass fucking time – even before he graduated at the end of May, he was late to homeroom every single day, without fail. Six thirty is an absurd time to be awake. 

“Left here, straight for a bit, and it’ll be on the corner.”

“You’re pointing to the right,” Nico says, patiently, not bothering to fight the smirk cropping up on his face. "Am I turning right or left?"

This, he’s used to.

“I meant right,” Will sulks. “...I said right in my brain.”

“Sure,” says Nico generously, grin widening.

“Fuck off.”

“What? You try very hard, Will. I’m very proud of you.”

“Choke.”

“Few more years, and you’ll be caught up to the kindergarteners.”

“That’s it, di Angelo –”

He laughs, batting away Will’s smacking hands. “Hey! Hey! No hitting the driver, do you want me to crash –”

By the time Will is done trying to beat him up, Nico has long spotted the sad-looking Dunkin’ Donuts, pulling into the empty parking lot and peering inside.

“Is it even open?” he asks, frowning. The lights are on, but it looks…more soulless than usual, somehow.

“Yep,” Will chirps, clicking off his seatbelt. “The chain opens at five. There's a location in Omaha that's open at 4:30, but as far as their policy goes, five is go time.”

“Nerd.”

“It’s okay, Nico. I’ll stay friends with you even if you get dumber than you already are.”

He grins wickedly. “Least I know my lefts and rights.”

He cackles when Will slams the door, stomping to the Dunkin’s entrance. He’s not really mad – he gets quiet when he gets mad – but it’s good to know that he’s won. (Not that it’s hard. Will is witty, sure, and wicked smart, but his buttons are just a smidge too easy to press. Great fun for Nico, who has raging ADHD and could not resist the allure of a shiny red button if it was going to blow up the Earth with him on it.)

Will is nowhere to be found when Nico gets inside, so he assumes he’s in the washroom and walks up to the counter to make their order. A bored girl a couple years younger than him flips a magazine behind the register, nodding as he comes up.

“I’ll have a black coffee and a…” He squints. “God. A butter pecan swirl signature iced latte.”

“With whipped cream and caramel drizzle?”

Nico sighs, resisting the urge to physically wince. “Yes.”

“Anything else?” says the girl, smile pulling at her lips. “I can put sugar in a cup to go, if you want.”

“He’d probably take that, too,” he agrees, snorting. “But nah. Just a couple breakfast sandwiches, if you don’t mind.”

“‘Course.”

She rings him up, letting him know it’s gonna take a minute as the machines boot up. He wanders while he waits, curiously observing a wall of what appears to be scrawled pencil graffiti. Nothing talented, but he has to fight the urge to walk out to the payphone he saw outside and call a few of the numbers, just to see what would happen. 

“Hey,” Will says, startling him. He’s changed his shirt and tied his hair back, looking a million times better than last night. Nico vaguely notices a sudden ease in his own shoulders.

“Hey.”

“D’you order for us?”

“Got you your morning milkshake monstrosity, don’t worry.”

Will grins. “Drinking black coffee doesn’t make you cool.”

“It does, actually. At any given time I am forty-seven percent cooler than you. More, if you’re wearing cargo shorts.” He glances down. “It’s a forty-nine percent day, apparently.”

“Go wash your face,” Will laughs, shoving him. “I’ll get the food, then we can look at the map.”

He doesn’t take nearly as long as Will did. He brushes his teeth, splashes water on his face, decides his hair looks awesome the way it is (of course he didn’t forget a brush, why would he be a big enough dumbass to forget a brush and also more than one pair of socks) and walks back out. He finds Will tucked in a booth in a corner, chewing on a pink straw, eyeing the ridiculously thick atlas he forced Nico to buy and keep in his car the day he got his license intently.

“So,” he says as Nico approaches, handing him his coffee, “I did some math.”

Nico notices a napkin scrawled with ink that he could not read even if he wasn’t dyslexic.

“Geek.”

Will chucks his balled up straw wrapper at him. “We can go five hours-ish on a full tank of gas, and you’re a bit above a half tank, so we got maybe three hours before we need to stop.” He circles a little dot about a quarter way into the state, letters too small for Nico to read. “And since going anywhere near Orlando in the summer is asking to stick us in bumper-to-bumper traffic, that puts us in Anthony.”

“I did not know there was a town named Anthony,” Nico says sagely. “That’s a shit name for a town, if I’m being honest.”

WIll shrugs. “Welcome to Florida. Anyways. Want me to drive? You drove last night.”

“Barely,” Nico dismisses, waving his hand. He likes driving – it’s just scattered enough that he doesn’t get antsy. It’s being a passenger that kills him, although he’s sure they’ll switch on the way back so he can rest. “I’ll drive.”

“‘Kay.”

Will turns his attention back to the map, tapping his pen against the table in between bites of his breakfast sandwich. Every so often he returns to the napkin, scribbling something down and making little hums of concentration. 

Nico begins to notice the route he’s drawing extends a ways past state lines.

“So,” he says carefully, eyes trained on his best friend. “Running away.”

Will tenses, again, at the mention of it, although this time there is a set to his jaw, a stubborn spark in his eye. Good.

“Road trip,” he corrects. “It’s our last summer, Nico. I turn eighteen in a couple months, and then…” He taps his pencil against the edge of the table. Nico waits out the silence, seven seconds, eight, nine. “Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? One last huzzah, road trip around the nation, or whatever?”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“Did you happen to tell your mother about this road trip?”

Will shrugs. “I left a note.”

Nico hums. “Sounds an awful lot like running away. I would know. I’ve been picked up by social services in three separate states.”

“Road trip,” Will corrects again, chin lifted. 

Nico decides to let it go for now.

“Road trip,” he agrees. Will looks at him gratefully. “Where to?”

“That defeats the point of a road trip.” He closes up the atlas, looking at Nico like it’s obvious. “Duh. Journey, not the destination, et cetera, et cetera.”

Privately, Nico bets that by tomorrow, Will be be restless and guilty and they will be on their way home. Outwardly, he says, “You have seen a truly disgusting amount of movies,” and Will laughs, and Nico follows him to the Jeep, and knows, as he always does, that he will follow him regardless; across the world, across the country, even back to Shit Fuck, Florida.

———

next chapter