#Fire Doors London | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sunnypopoki · 2 months ago

Text

━ 𝐌𝐔𝐙𝐙𝐋𝐄 : P.1

(𝘠𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘢 𝘏𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘹 𝘍𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳)

𝗦𝗬𝗡𝗢𝗣𝗦𝗜𝗦: 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺. 𝘎𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯… 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨.

ᴛᴡ: ɪɴꜱᴇᴄᴜʀᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟɪꜱᴛɪᴄ ꜰᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, ꜰᴏᴜʟ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ, ᴍᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘ, ʏᴀɴᴅᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ, ᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇꜱ, ᴏᴠᴇʀᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, ᴀꜰᴀʙ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, ᴇᴛ��.

ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ʜᴀꜱ ʏᴀɴᴅᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴇᴀɴꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ɪɴ ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴀ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴍᴇᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴛɪᴄɪᴢᴇ ʏᴀɴᴅᴇʀᴇꜱ, ꜱᴏ ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴏ ꜱᴏ ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ. ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ. ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ʀᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴏᴘᴏᴋɪ ᴏɴ ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ, Qᴜᴏᴛᴇᴠ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ.

P.2 / P.3

When you first saw him, you were left breathless.

That was years ago though, back when you were a teenager in high school who was only worried about the acne on your forehead and the 'F' you got in your math class. Now, you were preparing to head into college to become a psychiatrist.

You met Kieran as a freshman and started dating him months after. You weren't sure why you started dating him at first, you couldn't remember what he said that left your cheeks on fire, but the feeling next stopped.

Kieran grumbled curses under his breath as he heaved the last of the groceries through the door. His long black hair was messier than normal, tied into a low bun that curled strands around the nape of his neck. His tanned cheeks were red from the cold outside and a button on his shirt was popped open. Did he tousle a bear to get inside? He put the items on the counter and turned to face you.

"The groceries didn't want to come inside," he mumbled.

"You didn't give me a chance to help you carry them in."

His dark green eyes softened. He didn't look at anyone else the same way he did you. There was a time after you got married that you were afraid that he'd leave you because the two of you were yet to be intimate... but he didn't seem to care. You were glad he didn't care. His arms wrapped around your waist and he pressed a chaste kiss against your forehead.

There it was again. Breathless.

"But you've been working all day, Котик," he cooed, his Russian accent thick whenever he muttered the pet name he always used for you. "You deserve to rest."

All you wanted to do was melt into his arms. You couldn't deny that some part of you already was, sinking further into his embrace, eyes closed—but something was amiss.

Ever since high school, Kieran has been odd. He was a transfer student from London but he was born and raised in Russia, so he was always the popular kid in any class he was placed in. Even after he got in trouble multiple times for delinquent behavior. Sure, his behavior was better than what he was in high school and he was mature, but he was a lot more secretive now. So secretive that he refused to tell you where he went whenever he disappeared for "business trips" for days on end.

Now, you were a trusting wife, but you weren't naive. He worked as an editor for authors and yet he disappeared for days on end because of work? Even a baby could realize that was odd!

That wasn't the only thing though.

You've only been married to Kieran for six months but you were already starting to see signs that he wasn't entirely focused on the marriage anymore. Whenever his phone rang, he scrambled to pick it up before you had a chance to answer it for him. On the days you scheduled to go on dates together, he always arrived late with his clothes tousled about and his hair was undone. Late, late, late! He always seemed to be late for every activity the two of you scheduled together. Of course, he'd apologize over and over again, but the behavior never changed.

So maybe he did look at someone else the same way he did you. The thought left a bitter taste on your tongue.

Is he cheating on me?

It was a thought you never thought you'd have with Kieran. Whenever the two of you were dating in high school, he was loyal to a fault. You couldn't erase the memory of whenever a girl started smack-talking you and he yanked her hard so hard that a chunk of hair came from the roots. Even now, looking at him and being held by him, the thought felt distant. But it was there. That gnawing worry got worse and worse each time he got a call, text message, or left the house.

Well, who'd he be cheating on you with? He refused to have female friends in school because he always claimed that you were the only "woman" he wanted in his life. Of course, you didn't care if he had female friends or not, but you doubted it was someone the two of you knew from high school.

Your jaw clenched. Maybe he's bothered I haven't been intimate with him and he's been going to see someone?

The bitter taste worsened. Making out and slight touches wasn't the same as sex, you knew that, which is why you were so nervous to do it, even if it was with him. He never rushed you and he hadn't ever made comments about it. You listened to the thudding of his heart against his chest and pursed your lips.

You couldn't bring yourself to ask him if he was cheating on you. What if he said yes? What if he wasn't and left you because he thought you were a psycho? What if he lied and continued to cheat? Your hands scrunched up the fabric of his shirt as you hugged him tighter. You didn't want your first love to cause you heartbreak by something as revolting as cheating.

A cold hand pressed against your cheek. Kieran tilted your head back and his eyes flickered across your face. His brow creased in worry.

"Are you okay?"

No, not really. I'm worried you might be cheating on me.

But you couldn't say that.

"Yeah! I'm fine," you beamed and pulled him closer to you. "I just missed you, that's all. It was your day off but you've been out doing errands since this morning. You first went to the pharmacy to get our medicine, then the bank, then to get groceries... aren't you tired?"

He didn't look convinced. Then again, he'd known you since you were fourteen years old, so he knew how to read you like a book. His green eyes darkened momentarily and his teeth nipped at his bottom lip. His fingers traced lines above your cheekbone, jaw, and the shell of your ear.

"I'm sorry. I should have spent more time with you today."

"No, Kieran, what are you even saying? Errands need to be run so I'm appreciative that you did them," your hands fiddled at the button that came undone on his shirt. "That can't stop me from missing you though. I just feel as if you've been..."

His fingers stopped. "What?"

You regretted saying anything at all. You should have just said you missed him after a long day and went on with it, dragged him to the couch, and asked him to watch a movie with you. Your hands pulled away from his shirt and you saw the way his body tensed up like a spring. It wasn't too late to change the conversation. Maybe lie to him and say it was just a joke, that you weren't really worried. No, no, that'd be an asshole thing to do to your spouse, to make them worry you for nothing.

"(Y/N)?"

He never says your name unless he's serious or mad. Your eyes dragged back up to meet his and his jaw was clenched. He didn't look mad, he looked worried. Almost like you just punched him in the gut and he was doing his best to stay upright.

Why did he look like that? Based on all your rushing thoughts, worried about the possibility of him cheating on you, you were the one who was struggling.

"...I just feel as if you have been distant lately," you confessed with a tight smile, "but it's okay. I know you've been busy with work and I've been busy with getting ready for my upcoming lectures next week. I'm probably just being clingy again."

He didn't say anything. You weren't sure if you were supposed to feel hurt that he said nothing or relieved, but you knew that he didn't buy a single thing you just said by the way he was looking at you. He wasn't moving from the position he had on you; hand on your cheek, tense jaw, stiff muscles, darkened gaze. He breathed slowly out through his nose and opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it.

You saw a flicker of something else in his eyes whenever he closed his mouth. Guilt.

Why does he feel guilty? you thought, dread creeping up your spine. Am I right? Is he cheating on me?

You blinked in surprise whenever he pulled you into him again. His nose nuzzled into your neck and you almost suffocated with how tight his arms wrapped around you. His lips pressed little kisses against your neck and he breathed in deeply. For a split second, you almost forgot what you were so nervous about, you almost let the worry of him cheating on you slip from your mind.

"Котик, I'm sorry you've felt so lonely. I'll be able to spend more time with you soon. It's just... work, it gets in the way of so much. But I swear, I'll be able to hang out with you tomorrow without doing anything. I promise, okay?" he let go and cupped your cheeks, "me and you can do whatever you want to do for tonight. A date? I'll do it. Go to bed early? As long as you're in my arms. Anything."

Lies were best told with a sweet tongue. You weren't even sure if he meant well by telling you that, not whenever this wasn't the first time he'd promised something like this. In the end, he always got a call which caused him to leave the house for a couple hours (or sometimes a couple of days). You were used to it by now, so you only forced a smile and nodded. His face lit up.

"We can go ahead and watch a movie now if you want?"

You blinked. Now? He usually put things off whenever it came down to sitting down and watching something. You refrained from glancing at the clock. You wanted to spend time with him but you were already fearful of how much time you could before he was called away or got distracted with something. You couldn't remember the last time you sat down and watched something with him. Though, you supposed it was better than him not being there.

"And what movie do you want to watch?"

He grinned. "I believe I said whatever you want. Maybe we can watch a horror movie? So I can..." he twirled you around and hugged you from behind, "wrap my arms around you like this and protect you from evil. Hm?"

You felt your cheeks warm. "That sounds just like an excuse to hold me."

"I'm your husband, I don't need an excuse for something like that," he kissed your cheek. "truthfully, I adore it whenever you depend on me. That includes each time there's a jumpscare and you almost shit your pants each time."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny. I don't get that scared."

"You cried when we watched The Haunting of Hill House together."

"Okay, there's a difference between a demon that you can't fight and some serial killer breaking into your house! I'd rather take the serial killer. Plus, that was years ago when it first came out and it was a sad show."

You didn't miss the way his jaw clenched ever so slightly. Maybe the term 'odd' wasn't the best way to describe him with the way he has been acting recently. After the two of you graduated high school, he started to get touchy about certain topics about crime. He always had a fascination with crime back when he was a teenager in high school, but the topic suddenly became grim for him whenever he got older.

You weren't sure why. Honestly, you've never asked. The topic wasn't something you'd be able to bring up with ease, especially when he tried to change the topic each time someone wanted to talk about true crime or the news with him. You remembered that he was worried when he found out you were going to school to become a therapist... worried that you'd get stuck with a patient who did bad things.

You didn't even want to get into how paranoid he was about the police. That was a different topic entirely.

"I find something real to be much more terrifying than a fictional ghost," he murmured.

"But demons could be real!"

There was a long pause. You felt his muscles churn around you, squeezing you tighter, refusing to let you go and he mumbled seriously. "Promise me that if anyone broke into our house and you had to pick between going with them or a demon, you'd go with the demon."

"What are you on about?" you deadpanned, "I thought were talking about movies, and Kieran, I doubt a scenario like that would ever happen."

"Promise me, (Y/N). Demon or not, you won't go with anyone who breaks into our house."

Your eyes narrowed. "Keiran, I don't have to promise you something that is common sense. I obviously won't be going with anyone who breaks into our house. You act like you think someone will."

He huffed and let go. The warmth of his embrace leaving left goosebumps all over your body. You didn't get a chance to say anything before he flashed a blinding smile, chuckling.

"I was just making sure. You've always been a daredevil, so I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't try and challenge anyone who barged into our house. I doubt anyone would break in anyway."

It was only natural that you didn't believe him. There were a lot of stories where people said that their partners changed after marriage, sometimes for the better or the worse, and you weren't sure if Kieran's change was good or bad. His paranoid nature only made it hard to believe that he wasn't cheating on you. He was clingy before he married you, but he was overly clingy and sweet now. Which was odd because he was often out of the house or on phone calls...

It was just, well, odd.

"Oh... okay then. Do you need help putting up the groceries before we watch a movie?"

"No need, Котик. You can prepare the movie for us to watch. Choose anything you want."

There was a game you played. Each time you noticed Kieran avoid looking you in the eye, you took three gulps of breath. It was mostly a game you played to calm yourself down from the rush of anxiety you felt each time he did. It left you wondering if you did something wrong, if you made him pissed and he didn't want to look at you anymore. Your lips curled into a frown.

He could just be watching a movie so I wouldn't complain about missing him.

You nodded silently and turned on your heel. It would be best to ignore that entire conversation happened. Worrying over his suspicious and paranoid behavior wouldn't change the fact that he was acting that way. You glanced at him one more time as he placed the milk into the fridge. Yeah. Don't worry about it. Just don't worry.

The living room was down the hallway to the left. The floorboards squealed at the weight and you sighed whenever you walked to the couch, picking up the remote and turning it on. The two of you didn't have a lot of streaming services so almost everything you watched was on Netflix. Your fingers tapped around and you absentmindedly scrolled through the list of movies.

You were tempted to throw on a movie that you already watched. However, it was supposed to be time spent together and you knew he'd get bored if you clicked something that he had already watched. You clicked a random scary movie. The name was confusing and it looked like a found-footage aesthetic, something about the catacombs under Paris and the philosopher's stone.

"I'm sure he hasn't watched this..."

"Watched what?"

You jumped whenever he clamped a hand on your shoulder. Whipping around on the sofa, Kieran was leaning over the back with a sly smirk on his face.

"Already scared?" he chuckled, "I have a gut feeling you're going to be clinging to me throughout this entire movie."

You pursed your lips. He already got all the groceries done that fast? You knew that he didn't like to waste time but he was insanely fast doing that. He massaged your shoulders whenever he noticed the frown you had, his smile growing wider by the second. He jumped over the back of the couch effortlessly and plopped down right beside you.

"Why are you frowning, my sweet Котик?"

"You got done way too fast with putting the groceries away" you squinted. "It's not normal."

He inhaled. There was a rasp in the back of his throat whenever he leaned forward, his breath tickling your skin. The air was knocked from your lungs whenever his gaze flickered to your lips and back up to yours. "Would you believe me if I told you that I have been craving to be close to you? Especially to kiss you..."

Heat crept up the back of your neck. All the worries you had melted away whenever he pulled you closer to him and wrapped his arm around your shoulders. He wasn't avoiding your eyes, now he was staring so intently that you were afraid that you were going to become a puddle of goo in his arms. His teeth nipped at your bottom lip.

"Mm, can I kiss you?"

"...do you have to ask?"

He chuckled breathlessly, "Yes. It's polite."

"But you're my husband."

"Yes, I am."

His lips smashed against yours. Anything you wanted to say was thrown out the window whenever his hands gripped your waist and yanked your body against his. His hand brushed up your spine, up your neck, brushing over your hair and going to cup your face. His lips were cold and his nose was too, breath smelling like the mint gum he always seemed to chew. The hint of his cologne tickled your nose.

Your hands ran up his arms and you tugged at the collar of his shirt. He was still a ruffled mess from when he came in from outside. His hair was a knotted mess that needed to be brushed out, but that didn't stop your hands from tangling in the strands and tugging at them. A groan tore through his lips.

"God, you're so fucking perfect," he whispered against your lips. "I don't want to stop kissing you now. Mmm, do we have to watch the movie? I want to give you more kisses."

You almost agreed. "...But the movie is already waiting to be played."

He licked his teeth and his hands ran up and down your back. He swallowed and you noticed the dip of his adam's apple, his eyes staring at your lips again. "Of course, we should watch the movie, but..."

"But what?"

"Can I kiss you even more after the movie?"

The fire in your cheeks felt like your skin was melting off. There were times when it felt like you were in high school again, getting all flustered because of his needy nature. Ever since you have known him he has always been the type to enjoy kisses. Even something as chaste as a peck on the forehead, he was a sucker for it. Whenever the two of you first started dating, he'd get so red each time you kissed his cheek, stammering over nothing and quickly kissing your cheek back and scurrying away.

Now look at him. He was pulling you in, begging for more, kissing you like you were his only source of oxygen. He even kissed you like that on your wedding day. His entire family was whooping and cheering after that, and your few family members who attended frowned. You remembered being embarrassed at the time... but you were glad that something like that didn't change.

"Very well. You can kiss me all you want after the movie. Don't try and sneak some in while we are watching, because then you won't focus on the movie at all," you mumbled.

"You're flustered so easily, Котик," he grinned. He leaned into the couch and placed his arm around the back, fiddling with your sleeve as he rested his cheek against your head. "But fineeee. I guess I'll obey your orders for now."

You chuckled and rolled your eyes. It only took you a couple of seconds for you to get comfortable and curl into his side, shuffling to find the remote as he tugged a blanket over you both. You never got an answer on if he watched it before or not but by the way his eyes were glued to the screen whenever you clicked play, you assumed not.

Time became a blur. Now and again he'd comment on the movie or just something toward you, but his arm never moved from its spot behind you. He curled his legs up on the couch and mumbled complaints under his breath whenever he saw the characters do something stupid.

You started to forget your anxieties. Even just for a short while, it was nice to relax with him and to feel him close without having to worry about him leaving to go on some 'business trip'. You were focusing on him too much to even care about the movie. The way his lips formed a thin line whenever he was annoyed, his rapid blinking each time something shocking happened, bouncing his leg up and down.

It was impossible to not love him.

He noticed you staring. His cheeks turned a little pink. "What?"

"Nothing."

His ego would explode if you told him you were staring at him just because he was fun to watch. Hearing his endless teasing wasn't something you were in the mood to hear, so you just feigned looking back at the movie to watch it. His eyes burned into the side of your head for a second long before he looked back to the screen.

You glanced back at him. He was sucked into the TV again. He chewed on the edge of his knuckle and you let your eyes wander. You stared at the tattoos that peeked out from under his collar and sleeve. All those colorful tattoos were hidden away. He had some of them before you met him, which you always found surprising that he had tattoos at such a young age, but he just said "It ran in the family".

It was addicting to trace your fingers over them. Kieran liked laying around shirtless whenever it was summer. You always used to visit his old apartment to sit with him and let him read his books while you doodled on his arms and called them 'new tattoos' while you colored in his blank tattoos. Butterflies fluttered whenever you remembered the way he smiled at you each time you drew on him.

He had so many tattoos that you weren't sure how many he had. Some were in Russian, but a lot of them were creatures from folklore and mythology. Like Baba Yaga, who came from Slavic Folklore, which was tattooed on his right hip. You always used to doodle accessories onto her face.

"Котик, are you going to continue staring at me or are you going to watch the movie?"

You quickly avoided his gaze and looked at the TV. "I am watching the movie."

"Surreee."

Everything was fine for a while. A while, you said, because it didn't take long for all that built-up hope and affection to come back down from its high. Soon enough you'd be feeling the withdrawal. You were in the middle of watching the characters climb through a tunnel of bones whenever a phone started to ring loudly. It bounced off the walls and jarred Kieran out of his trance.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Your smile fell. Kieran cursed.

The arm slung around your shoulder tensed, his hand curling into a fist that turned his knuckles white. His jaw flexed, and the phone rang for a couple more seconds before he moved from the couch and grabbed his phone from the cushion.

It was bad luck. You were convinced that you were cursed with bad luck. A sour taste bubbled in your chest and coated your tongue. Biting at the inside of your cheek, you shut the TV off completely as that swell of expectation came back. The remote was tossed to the side and the blanket slipped to the floor.

You caught a glimpse of the phone screen before he answered it. UNKNOWN. Of course, it was another random number that he didn't have saved to his contacts. You clutched the blanket in your lap and a lump formed in your throat. Seriously? Why were you going to cry? You knew that he wouldn't be focused on you forever. It also wasn't like you knew he was cheating on you, you had no proof, it was just a suspicion. But that didn't stop the familiar sting of tears welling up behind your eyes.

You knew it was a lie whenever he promised to spend the rest of the day with you, you weren't sure why you let your hopes get up. But it still hurt.

He pressed the device to his ear and snapped.

"What?"

Just who was it that made him sound like that? You've never heard him sound so hateful, so nasty, to just some random caller on the phone. That meant he knew who was calling him even when the number popped up. The random person he didn't have saved in his phone. Someone he possibly didn't want to be linked to.

Thousands of questions tumbled through your mind. Kieran wasn't interested in men, so if he was cheating, it wasn't a man... unless he was interested in men and hasn't told you? He has a lot of male friends. No, no, having friends of any gender doesn't just mean that you'll sleep with them or have a second life with them behind your partner. So if it was a woman... where would he have met her? Maybe it was a client and he was editing her book?

He did read a lot of articles. There was always the possibility that it was a writer of those, right? Wait—

I'm not being a good wife right now, you thought. Your nails picked at your cuticles. I'm just assuming things without any proof. Am I being like one of those psychotic, obsessive wives? Is there something wrong with me? What if I'm the issue?

Your bottom lip wobbled. You clamped your teeth on it to keep Kieran from noticing.

He started to pace and ramble around the room in Russian. He didn't seem to be talking to anyone, mostly to himself in frustration, as his hand was placed on his hip and he cursed under his breath. There were many times in your life when you wished you knew Russian; when you first met him, to impress him, to have conversations with him, to learn his culture and language... now you were more concerned if he was frustrated about a girl or not.

The only Russian word you knew that he actively said around you was 'Котик', a Russian term of endearment meant for a lover which meant "kitten" or "kitty". You didn't need to jump leaps to guess what it meant even if it was a somewhat cheesy term to use (at least in your opinion), but you never argued, since he has called you it since the two of you were teenagers.

"I thought I told you to—"

Kieran cut himself off quickly whenever he realized you were still in the room with him. He dragged the phone away from his ear and his eyes snapped to you, his face falling into despair whenever he noticed the TV was off and you were staring up at him. Another broken promise. Another lie. Another phone call he just had to pick up, that he couldn't ignore for one night. Just how many more broken promises were you going to take before you finally asked him why he couldn't keep them?

Damn it. You really wanted to cry.

Even if it wasn't him cheating on you, even if it was work, some part of you wished that he included you in it as well. You were aware that you weren't supposed to be in every single part of his life. The two of you were supposed to be comfortable in the relationship, not joined at the hip breathing down each other's necks.

You just didn't get it. It wasn't like 'work' was going to straight up kill him if he didn't answer the phone for one night!

Kieran didn't know what to do. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at you with so many open emotions on his face that you couldn't read all of them. But he knew what he had done. He picked up the phone and that alone was enough to break a promise, even if he hadn't left the house. Yet. You knew how it worked—he always left the house after late phone calls like this. You were slowly starting to get used to the feeling of falling asleep without him there. And some mornings, he wasn't in bed either, only a note left on the counter with breakfast he made.

His shoulders sank. "Котик, I... uhm, I need to take this phone call real quick so I'm going to step into the other room, okay? I'll be right back though and me and you can finish the movie—"

Liar.

"Uhm... I think I'm just going to go to bed. I'm starting to feel tired anyway. Uh, make sure to lock the door behind you whenever you go out."

He always did. You weren't sure why you were reminding him.

Deep down, some part of you wanted him to feel guilty. It was that small whisper of hope that if he felt guilty then maybe he'd start changing things for the better, to start telling you why he was so secretive, and to start sleeping in your bed again. You missed the feeling of his arms wrapped around you. Sure, some nights he did fall asleep in your bed. But some nights weren't most nights, and most nights weren't every night.

I miss a man who's right in front of me.

His entire expression crumpled. He opened his mouth to say something but faltered, watching as you got up and threw the blanket the two of you were sharing back on the couch. Oh how badly he looked like he wanted to say something. And how badly you felt about yourself whenever you saw his expression, because seeing him feel guilty didn't bring satisfaction, it only made your heart hurt more.

"(Y/N), I—"

"It's okay," you flashed a smile, "I'll talk to you tomorrow morning."

If he'd be there tomorrow morning.

You didn't give him a chance to respond before you turned on your heel and scurried to the bedroom. The house which you picked with him seven months ago now felt cold and lonely compared to the warm idea you had when you first saw it. Tears sprung forth whenever you closed the door behind you, choking into your elbow as you did your best to muffle the small sobs that let your lips. You couldn't hear him anymore or the muffled rambling over the phone.

The room was dark. The floorboards were ice cold and you didn't bother to brush your teeth, wash your face, or change into pajamas before you crawled under the covers and hid.

Emotions were a complicated thing. You hated how they felt and how it was so hard to understand them. All you wanted was for Kieran to come to you and have a conversation about what was going on, but now you were dreading that he would because you didn't want him to see that you were crying. He always got so panicked whenever you cried. Always brushing away your tears, cooing sweet things in your ear, kissing your face and neck anywhere he could.

Which made you wish he did see you cry.

See? Emotions were complicated.

You don't know how long you laid in bed. You only heard the whir and popping of heat rushing through the vents, warming up the room until you were toasty under the thick blankets. There were times when you swore you heard a shout from the other room, muffled and something you couldn't understand, but then it was gone. Possibly a figment of your imagination, maybe it was Kieran shouting over the phone.

Your day started with a good start. Then everything deescalated in a whirlwind of emotions that you didn't know how to control. All the suspicions you had about Kieran were becoming worse and worse.

If he is cheating on me, you thought. What would I do?

The idea of divorcing him left your heart aching. Ever since you started dating him, you've never wanted to leave him, but cheating would mean you'd have to. While you loved him, you didn't love him enough to stay if he was living some second life with another woman. You gnawed on the edge of your thumb and curled your legs up to your chest.

If you divorced him, you'd have to find somewhere cheap to stay where you could still go to college and not sleep in the streets. No way your parents would let you stay with them until you got back onto your feet, they didn't like you marrying Kieran in the first place because of his delinquent behavior in school and the fact he wasn't going to college. They'd probably tell you 'I told you so' and let you rot.

The part-time job you had now wasn't enough to live in a decent apartment. The two of you lived on the outskirts of the city, you wouldn't be able to afford a good apartment in the city closest to campus so you would have to settle in one of the apartment complexes near the beat-down part of the city, where a lot of reports of trafficking and crime were made.

A shiver shot down your spine. While the apartments there weren't the cleanest or nicest, the issue of rampant crime was the most concerning. You'd have to buy a taser or pepper spray, something like that. Or learn martial arts? You'd have to find a teacher that wasn't expensive.

Why am I even thinking about this?

Guilt crashed into you like a barreling stampede of horses. Tears blurred your vision as you nuzzled into the pillow and whimpered, muttering soft apologies under your breath. You hated how your mind worked. One thought and you'd take it and run, not giving the chance for hope and optimism to spark. You had to remind yourself for the umpteenth time that you didn't have any proof that Kieran was cheating.

You were the bad one for treating him like he was whenever you didn't know. At least, that was what you believed. Other wives acted better than you. They trusted their partners, but here you were, already daydreaming about your life if Kieran was cheating on you. Just a was.

Soft footsteps broke you from your thoughts.

The door creaked open and light poured into the dark. You stayed still under the blankets, face hidden away in the pillows to keep the sight of your tear-streaked face away from him. The floorboards creaked a little bit the bed shifted whenever you felt him sit down and lean across. His familiar touch grazed your cheek and traced the contours of your face. He sighed.

"Котик, are you awake?"

You didn't respond. Not this time.

He tugged the blankets down and there was another sigh. His fingers trailed farther downward and rubbed circles on your back and patterns that only he understood. He mumbled under his breath to himself. "She didn't change into something comfortable... not even the belt."

It took everything in your power to not move whenever his fingers fiddled with the metal clasp of your belt and he slipped them from the loops. He put the belt on the other side of the bed and the mattress shifted whenever he got closed, strands of his hair tickling your cheek whenever he leaned over. He pressed a kiss on your jaw.

"Ah fuck," he grumbled.

What is that supposed to mean?

Then there were more kisses; jaw, cheek, forehead, lips. He attacked you in kisses and every now and again he'd sigh and stop to trail his hands across your head or over your back. You could tell he refreshed his cologne. It was subtle but it was there, tickling your nose each time he moved to kiss another part of your face.

"Котик, if you're awake, I'll be back tomorrow evening and we can watch all the movies you want. I'm sorry I'm heading out again, but some people at work are being really stupid right now," he whispered against your ear. He kissed it tenderly. "I'll buy you your favorite ice cream on the way back home too. I know you'll be happy with that..."

There was a long pause. He didn't move.

"I love you."

Maybe he waited for you to respond, to say 'I love you' back, but you didn't. It wasn't that you didn't love him... god, the one reason why everything hurt so much was that you did, but you didn't dare to confess that you were pretending to sleep just to avoid talking to him. You didn't want Kieran to hear your voice cracking from crying. Especially since now, you knew he was leaving the house again.

You didn't believe him when he said it was work and you felt guilty that you didn't. He was an editor, he worked from home or his rented-out office, and it wasn't like he had people who worked underneath him.

"Котик, I'll make it up to you, I promise," he whispered.

He didn't say anything else except for a lingering kiss on your temple before he got off the bed. The weight of his body leaving felt more familiar than him being there. Kieran blew a breath and muttered something in Russian before he left the room. The door clicked shut behind him and you were left in the dark alone once more.

The emotions you felt earlier surged back up to the surface. Your nails bit into your palms and tears trickled down your cheeks and dropped onto the pillow. All you wanted was for him to get in bed with you, hold you, fall asleep, and still be there whenever you woke up the next morning.

So instead of facing them and bawling, you swallowed the lump in your throat and closed your eyes. Sleeping it off was better than facing it. Soon enough, you'd find out what he was hiding and what this "work" meant. Your small cries were muffled as you did your best to fall asleep before you got too heavy into your thoughts and cried even harder.

Luckily for you, sadness was exhausting, and you crashed before the clock hit midnight.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A/N ;

So you might have noticed the reader isn’t a Mary Sue or know it all. I tried to make her realistic, someone who’s insecure in her relationship, etc. So I hope that came across well. If you don’t like her, remember she’s human, she can change and develop in the story. She isn’t going to be perfect.

But anyway, did you enjoy this first chapter? You can also find it on my Wattpad and Quotev, which is listed on the top of my account. My discord server is also listed there! Remember to comment and heart if you enjoyed it.

[ Read P.2 ]

2K notes · View notes

unitedshopfronts11 · 1 year ago

Text

0 notes

naturalsafety · 2 years ago

Text

We protect you so you’re fire doors protect them

Www.naturalsafety.co.uk

0 notes

lanf1an · 1 month ago

Text

SEASONS lando norris x fewtrell sister pt.1 - january 5 2025 The annual family ski trip was finally here, and you could barely contain your excitement. There was something about this trip that always felt like coming home—the crisp mountain air, the cozy lodge that hadn’t changed a bit since you were kids, and the chaotic mix of your two families under one roof.

hope people will find this, made a sideblog for this, havent used tumblr in a while, feel free to send any suggestions to improve the lay-out/blog etc. Also let me know if you think this chapter is too long. I've already written many parts so will update regularly if people like it.

pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 pt.6 pt.7 pt.8 pt.9 pt.10

wordcount: 2322

The annual family ski trip was finally here, and you could barely contain your excitement. There was something about this trip that always felt like coming home—the crisp mountain air, the cozy lodge that hadn’t changed a bit since you were kids, and the chaotic mix of your two families under one roof.

You hadn’t seen your twin brother and Pietra in weeks, since they had decided to spent the holidays in Brazil, and you were itching to catch up. You also hadn’t seen the whole Norris family since Abu Dhabi, which had been an absolute blast. You’d meet up with Flo and Cisca regularly in London, having spent Christmas and New Years together, but the whole family being together was a rarity. This year felt extra special, though—it was the first time Dylan was coming along.

Your boyfriend of nearly a year had fit seamlessly into your life back home, and now he was finally meeting the entire crew. Max already got along with him like a house on fire, and you couldn’t wait for him to meet everyone else.

“Stil the same old place. Can’t wait to hit the slopes” Max said looking around with a grin. “You better teach me some sick board tricks this trip Dyl” he continued. “Only if you’re ready to fall on your ass,” Dylan shot back with a laugh. “Careful, Max is competitive,” you teased, they all laughed, Dylan was actually a professional snowboarder, making it that much funnier.

The Fewtrells had arrived at the lodge first, giving you a chance to show Dylan around before everyone else got there. The house was as you remembered—wood-paneled walls, mismatched furniture, and warm fires crackling in every hearth.

“This is where you grew up skiing?” Dylan asked as you led him upstairs, his snowboard bag slung casually over his shoulder.

“Pretty much. Max and I used to share this room—” you pushed open a door, looking at him slyly, excited to share the room with him this time. The room smelled faintly of cedar, its twin beds still adorned with the same plaid comforters you’d had as kids.

“It’s nice,” Dylan said, setting his bag down and pulling you into his arms. “Cozy. Definitely feels like you.”

Before you could reply, his lips brushed yours, a warm and familiar kiss that made your heart flutter as his hands brushed through your hair, leading you towards the bed. Before things could go further, a loud voice broke the moment. “Fewtrell!” Cisca called from downstairs, followed by Flo’s laughter.

You turned, rolling your eyes affectionately. “Let’s go. You’ll love this chaos.”

Downstairs, the Norris family was filing in, luggage and snow-dusted boots piling up in the entryway. Lando appeared last, hauling a duffel bag with one hand and ski equipment in the other.

“Landooo!” you and Max called out in unison, both running to greet him.“Can’t even drop my stuff first?” Lando teased, dropping the bag with an exaggerated groan as you pulled him into a hug.“Ah, our world champion has arrived,” your dad said, stepping forward with a warm smile. “Welcome back, Lando. Well-deserved break, eh?” “Something like that,” Lando said, grinning as he accepted the handshake. “Nothing beats this place, though.”

“Lando, this is Dylan,” you said, gesturing between them. Dylan extended a hand. “Good to finally meet you. She’s told me a lot about you.” “All good things, I hope,” Lando replied with a polite smile, shaking his hand.“Mostly,” Dylan teased, earning a laugh from everyone. Max threw an arm around Dylan’s shoulders. “You’re in for it now, Lando. Dylan’s a beast on the slopes. Red Bull-sponsored and everything.” “Oh, so I’m not the only sponsored athlete here?” Lando said, his tone light but with a playful edge. It was a miracle Max and Lando hadn’t killed each other yet, being as competitive as they are. Dylan grinned. “Guess not. Maybe we should race to see who’s faster.” “Careful what you wish for, even beat Red Bull this year” Lando shot back.

That night, as wine flowed and the parents went to bed early, the kids stayed up playing cards, laughing over inside jokes, and planning the next day’s ski routes.

—

The next morning, you woke to the sound of muffled voices drifting up from the kitchen and the faint smell of coffee brewing. Dylan was still sound asleep, his arm draped over your waist. Careful not to wake him, you slid out of bed, threw on a sweater, and made your way downstairs.

Max and Lando were already up, bundled in their ski gear, arguing over who would get to claim the fastest run of the day.

"Morning," Lando said, looking up from lacing his boots. His grin was warm and easy, the kind of smile that had been the same since he was a kid.

"Morning," you replied, grabbing a mug of coffee and leaning against the counter. "You two sound like you're gearing up for a war, not a ski day."

"It is a war," Max declared dramatically, waving a spatula he’d been using to flip pancakes. "Do you remember the incident of 2016?"

"How could I forget?" you said, laughing. "Lando sulking for hours after you beat his time."

"Exactly. Redemption arc starts today," Lando shot back, a playful glint in his eye.

You rolled your eyes but couldn't help smiling. It was moments like these—carefree and full of banter—that reminded you why these trips meant so much.

After breakfast, you, Dylan, and the rest of the group gathered outside, ready to hit the slopes. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, the snow pristine under the morning sun. The energy was contagious, with everyone laughing and joking as they strapped into their skis or boards.

You and Lando split from the main group, both opting for skis while the others took their boards, eager to get tips from Dylan.

“Still as bad at snowboarding as you were at 12?” you teased as the two of you rode the lift up the mountain.

“Not everyone can be a prodigy like you,” Lando quipped, pretending to be offended. “Besides, I’d rather stick to what I’m good at—like beating you down this run.”

“You wish,” you shot back, nudging his arm as the lift slowed.

When you reached the top, it was as if no time had passed at all. Skiing with Lando had always been your thing, a tradition as old as the ski trips themselves. You raced down the slope, weaving between trees and laughing like kids again. At the bottom, you both collapsed into the snow, breathless and grinning.

“Still got it,” Lando said, brushing snow off his jacket.

“I let you win,” you replied, but your smile gave you away.

“I’ve missed this,” you said, lying back in the snow.

“What, losing to me?” Lando teased, throwing a handful of snow in your direction.

You took a break at a skilodge for drinks, glad it wasn’t crowded, texting the rest of the group to join them if they were close.

“It’s so weird how we haven’t actually caught up properly since Abu Dhabi,” you said, getting comfortable and sipping your drink.

— Abu Dhabi december 8 2024

The club was electric—music pulsing through the air, bodies packed tight, and the sharp tang of spilled drinks mingling with the faint scent of expensive cologne. It was the kind of night where everything felt larger than life, McLaren world championship, even as it blurred at the edges.

Lando wasn’t entirely sure how many drinks he’d had. Enough that the world tilted slightly, enough that his usual sharp instincts were dulled to a pleasant fuzziness. He wasn’t really thinking about anything in particular, just letting himself float with the energy of the room.

That’s when he saw her.

She was by the bar, her hair catching the lights in a way that felt achingly familiar. Without even realizing it, his feet carried him toward her. The closer he got, the more the resemblance struck him.

“Hey” he called softly as he approached.

The girl turned, and for a moment, he was convinced it was her. But then she smiled—wide, flirtatious, not the kind of smile she would have given him—and he blinked, the illusion shattering.

It wasn't her. Not exactly. But the resemblance was uncanny enough to send a strange shiver through him.

Still, they started talking. She was funny in a way that felt effortless, her voice cutting through the pounding bass of the music. It wasn’t long before they moved to the dance floor, their movements fluid, fueled by alcohol and the frenetic energy of the night.

Somewhere in the haze of music and lights, Lando leaned in and kissed her.

The kiss was brief but intoxicating, her lips soft and eager. For a moment, Lando let himself sink into it, into the rush of the night, the distraction she provided. But something far away tugged at the edge of his drunken consciousness.

“Lando!”

He pulled back sharply, turning to see Max weaving through the crowd toward him. His expression was one of mild exasperation but mostly confusion.

“Mate,” Max said, his voice slightly slurred, though his amusement was clear. He looked from Lando to the girl, then back again, his eyebrows shooting up. “What the hell are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” Lando asked, putting his hands up in the air, suddenly self-defensive.

Max gestured at the girl, a bemused grin tugging at his lips. “I thought you were kissing my sister! She looks like my sister. Like, exactly like my sister. But—” He looked at her again, his grin faltering. “Also not. It’s weird, mate.”

The girl frowned, her arms crossing over her chest. “Okay, rude.”

“No offense,” Max said quickly, raising his hands in mock surrender. “You’re gorgeous, but I mean, come on.” He turned to Lando, shaking his head. “How drunk are you right now?”

Lando blinked, his mind scrambling to catch up. He looked at the girl again, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. Now that Max had pointed it out, the similarities felt too stark, too deliberate, explaining why it had felt weird.

“I wasn’t—” he started, but Max cut him off.

“Relax, mate,” Max said with a laugh, clapping him on the shoulder. “I get it. Long season, wild night. Just...you know, maybe cool it before you confuse yourself more.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’m getting a drink.” She disappeared into the crowd, leaving the two of them standing there.

Max watched her go, then turned back to Lando, his grin softening into something more understanding. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Lando said quickly, still in a confused haze.

Max tilted his head, studying him for a moment before shrugging. “Let’s go find my real sister,” he said, steering Lando toward the other side of the club. “She’s way better company than, uh...that.”

Lando didn’t argue, but as they walked, his thoughts remained tangled. Max was right—the resemblance had been unsettling, bothering him for a moment until Max handed him another tequila shot.

—

Lando smirked. “Well, whose fault is that? You disappeared halfway through the after-party. Left me stranded with Max and his endless tequila shots.”

You laughed, holding your drink in both hands. “I didn’t disappear! I was there—you just didn’t see me because you were busy being... you know, Lando.”

“Excuse me,” he said, mock-offended. “What does that mean?”

“It means you were too busy making rounds like the social butterfly you are. Max told me you didn’t even remember half the night.”

Lando groaned, tipping his head back. “That’s fair. I think I blanked out the moment Christian Horner started karaoke.”

You grinned. “See? That’s why I disappeared. I had better things to do, like chatting with some of the Red Bull team.”

“Ah, fraternizing with the enemy,” Lando teased. “You’re lucky Max didn’t disown you.”

“Oh, Max was fine. But you know what?” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “There was this moment… when I was talking to a certain very famous actor.”

“Who?” Lando asked, curious.

Your lips curved into a sly smile. “Not telling. But for just a second, I thought, Wow, if I weren’t with Dylan, this would be my chance.”

Lando froze mid-sip, raising a brow. “Wait, seriously?”

“Totally kidding,” you said quickly, though the grin didn’t falter. “Kind of. I mean, it’s not every day you get hit on by a Hollywood A-lister.”

Lando set his glass down, leaning forward. “Okay, now you have to tell me who it was.”

“Never,” you said, laughing. “I’ll take that secret to my grave. But don’t worry, Dylan has nothing to worry about. Besides, you were the one getting up to trouble that night.”

“Trouble?” he asked innocently.

You gave him a knowing look. “You know, with that girl who looked like me.”

Lando’s grin faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “Oh, come on. Max won’t let me live that down. And for the record, I wasn’t the one who said she looked like you. He did.”

“Still, Lando,” you said, shaking your head with a teasing smile. “That’s a bit weird, even for you.”

“Hey, I was drunk,” he defended, running a hand through his hair. “And she didn’t look that much like you.”

“She could’ve been my long-lost triplet!”

“Okay, maybe a little,” he admitted sheepishly. “But I wasn’t exactly seeing straight. You can blame Max and his tequila shots for the whole situation.”

You laughed again, shaking your head. “Fine, fine. But if Max thinks you’re weird, you know it’s bad.”

Lando sighed dramatically. “Remind me why I put up with you again?”

“Because you love me,” you quipped, raising your glass in a mock toast.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, clinking his glass with yours. You settled back into your seats, the laughter fading into a comfortable silence, both of you enjoyed, relaxed, content and tired after skiing.

—

Let me know what you think!!

568 notes · View notes

moonlightwritingf1 · 1 month ago

Text

More Than a Ride Home | LN4

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ⋅ᡣ𐭩 ་༘࿐summary ━━━━━━━ Y/N and Lando share a close New Year's Eve, leading to a deeper connection and the realization of their feelings.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ⋅ᡣ𐭩 ་༘࿐pairing ━━━━━━━ Lando Norris x she!reader

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ⋅ᡣ𐭩 ་༘࿐ word count ━━━━━━━ 3.1k

The low hum of music played in the background as laughter echoed throughout Max and Pietra's apartment. The New Year’s Eve party was in full swing, champagne bottles popping and conversations flowing freely. Y/N stood near the edge of the room, a glass of red wine in her hand and a soft smile on her lips as she listened to Pietra animatedly retelling a story.

Lando’s eyes had been on her all night. He was sitting on the couch with Max, seemingly engaged in conversation, but his gaze drifted to Y/N every chance he got. She looked stunning tonight, her figure hugged by a sleek black dress that fell just above her knees. Her cheeks were flushed—either from the wine or the warmth of the room—and she seemed relaxed, a contrast to the guarded demeanor she often carried.

Max, noticing his friend’s distraction, chuckled and nudged Lando’s arm. “You know, if you stare any harder, you might just set her on fire.”

Lando smirked, not even bothering to deny it. “I can’t help it. She’s…different tonight. Happy. She deserves to always look that happy.”

Max rolled his eyes. “You’ve got it bad, mate.''

“Don’t I know it,” Lando muttered, taking another sip of his soda. He didn’t drink, not even on celebratory occasions like tonight, but he didn’t mind. Y/N was on her second—no, third—glass of wine, and the sight of her relaxed and giggling was worth staying sober for.

As the night wore on, guests began to trickle out, offering hugs and cheers of “Happy New Year!” before disappearing into the cold London night. By the time the clock struck three, only a handful of people remained, including Y/N, who was now leaning against the kitchen counter with Pietra, laughing uncontrollably at something Max had said.

“She’s drunk,” Max observed with a grin, leaning closer to Lando. “Might want to keep an eye on her before she starts dancing on the furniture.”

Lando chuckled. “Drunk Y/N is harmless. A little giggly, maybe, but harmless.”

“She’s also single,” Max teased. “Perfect opportunity for you to make your move.”

“Not like that,” Lando said firmly. “I’m not taking advantage of her being drunk.”

Max raised his hands in mock surrender. “Relax. I was kidding. But seriously, she’s staying here late, and she’ll need a ride home. Pietra’s already giving me that ‘we need to clean up’ look, so…”

Lando nodded. “I’ve got her. Don’t worry.”

The laughter and hum of conversation were starting to fade in the background as the party began to wind down. Lando couldn’t help but notice Y/N standing by the balcony door, her silhouette framed by the soft glow of the city lights outside. She held a nearly empty glass of red wine in her hand, and her cheeks were flushed—either from the alcohol or the warmth of the crowded apartment. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Y/N,” he called softly as he approached her, his voice low enough to ensure it wouldn’t startle her.

She turned to him, her movements slightly slower than usual. Her face lit up when she saw him, her eyes sparkling under the dim lights. “Lando! Hi!” she said, her voice higher-pitched than usual, her excitement exaggerated by the alcohol coursing through her veins.

He chuckled, the corners of his mouth pulling into a soft smile. “Hi,” he replied, reaching out to gently take the glass from her hand. “I think you’ve had enough of this.”

Her lips formed a pout, exaggerated and playful. “Oh, come on, I was just starting to have fun.”

“You’re plenty fun without another glass of wine,” he teased, his tone warm and teasing but firm enough to convey that he wasn’t going to let her argue. “But it’s late, and I think you need to get home.”

She blinked at him, her brows furrowing slightly as if she were processing his words through a fog. “Oh. Yeah, I guess.” Then, almost immediately, her expression shifted, and a cheeky grin spread across her face as she stepped closer to him. “Are you my knight in shining armor? Here to rescue me from…uh…Pietra’s couch?”

Lando laughed, the sound deep and genuine. His heart skipped a beat at how unfiltered and carefree she was when tipsy, a side of her he rarely got to see. “If you want to put it that way, sure. Come on, I’ll drive you.”

“Okay!” she said, practically chirping the word as she turned to grab her purse from the counter. In her eagerness, she stumbled slightly, and Lando was quick to catch her, his hands steadying her by the waist.

“You alright?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern.

“Yup!” she replied, looking up at him with a bright smile. She didn’t seem fazed by the stumble or his hands on her, though Lando was acutely aware of the warmth of her skin under his palms.

He shook his head with a small laugh, more at himself than her. “Let’s get you home, princess.”

Getting her down to his car was an adventure in itself. She insisted on saying goodbye to everyone—twice—and even tried to convince Pietra to give her another glass of wine, which Lando quickly intercepted.

“You are absolutely done for the night,” he said, guiding her gently toward the door.

“I’m not even that drunk!” she argued, though her giggles and slightly wobbly steps betrayed her.

Lando raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. “Right. Not drunk at all.”

When they finally made it outside, the crisp London air hit her, and she let out a dramatic gasp. “It’s so cold!”

“You should’ve brought a jacket,” Lando said, slipping off his own and draping it over her shoulders before she could protest.

She looked up at him, her expression momentarily soft and almost shy. “Thank you,” she murmured, pulling the jacket tighter around her.

“Anytime,” he replied, his voice quiet but sincere.

He opened the car door for her, and she slid in with a content sigh, the warmth of his jacket and the cozy car contrasting with the chill outside.

The city lights passed by in a blur as Lando drove through the quiet streets, his focus split between the road and the woman in his passenger seat. Y/N had her head tilted back against the headrest, a dreamy smile on her lips.

“Why don’t you drink?” she asked suddenly, her voice breaking the comfortable silence.

Lando glanced at her briefly before returning his eyes to the road. “Just never liked the idea of it,” he said with a shrug. “I like being in control, especially when I’m out with people I care about.”

Her smile widened, and she turned to face him fully, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “So you’re a control freak?”

He laughed, the sound warm and genuine. “Not exactly. I just like knowing I can take care of people if something happens. Like tonight, for example.”

She tilted her head, her expression softening. “That’s…nice. You’re nice.”

“Don’t let that get around,” he teased, trying to lighten the mood despite the warmth spreading through his chest at her words.

“Why not?” she asked, her voice tinged with genuine confusion.

He grinned. “Because then everyone will want me to drive them home after parties.”

She burst out laughing, the sound uninhibited and infectious. “Fair point. But still, you’re nice.”

As they reached a red light, Y/N suddenly leaned over, her face closer to his than it had been all night. Lando froze, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice caught between amusement and panic.

“Your hair,” she said, her voice soft with fascination. She reached out to touch the curls at the nape of his neck, her fingers light as a feather. “It’s so soft.”

Lando’s breath caught, his heart racing as her fingers brushed against his skin. “Y/N,” he said, his voice strained.

“What?” she asked, her tone innocent, though there was a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“You’re going to make me crash the car,” he said, his voice half-joking but entirely serious.

She pulled back with a giggle, leaning against the window instead. “Sorry. Your hair’s just really nice.”

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, shaking his head with a small smile. “You’re going to be the death of me, you know that?”

When they finally pulled up in front of her apartment building, Lando parked the car and turned to her. She was staring out the window, her expression suddenly contemplative.

“Hey,” he said softly, drawing her attention back to him. “We’re here.”

“Oh,” she said, blinking as if coming out of a trance. Then she smiled, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Thanks for the ride, knight in shining armor.”

“Anytime, princess,” he replied, his tone light but his heart heavy with the thought of leaving her.

He got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door for her. She stepped out, her legs a little unsteady, and he reached out instinctively to steady her.

“You really don’t have to do all this, you know,” she said, her voice quieter than it had been all night.

“Yes, I do,” he replied simply.

She looked up at him, her eyes searching his face for something she couldn’t quite name. After a moment, she nodded, letting him guide her to the building’s entrance.

At the door, she fumbled with her keys at the door, her fingers clumsy and uncoordinated. Lando watched with a mix of amusement and concern, eventually taking the keys from her gently.

“Here, let me,” he said, unlocking the door with ease.

“Show-off,” she muttered, though there was no malice in her tone.

He chuckled, holding the door open for her. “After you.”

She stepped inside, kicking off her heels and sighing in relief. “Finally. My feet are killing me.”

“That’s what you get for wearing shoes that are more for show than comfort,” Lando teased, following her into the apartment.

“Don’t mock my fashion choices,” she shot back, her tone playful as she dropped her purse onto the couch.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, his eyes sparkling with humor.

For a moment, they just stood there, the weight of the night settling over them. Y/N looked at him, her expression soft and unguarded in a way that made his chest ache.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“For what?” he asked, his voice just as soft.

“For taking care of me. For always taking care of me.”

He smiled, his heart swelling at her words. “You don’t have to thank me for that. I want to take care of you, Y/N.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away, suddenly shy. “You’re really good at it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He stepped closer, his hand brushing against hers as he spoke. “And I’d do it every day if you let me.”

She looked up at him then, her eyes wide and searching. For a moment, it felt like the world had shrunk to just the two of them, the unspoken tension hanging thick in the air.

But then she yawned, breaking the moment.

“Alright,” Lando said with a small laugh, his voice tinged with both relief and disappointment. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Lando guided Y/N through her apartment toward the bedroom, her feet dragging slightly with each step. She swayed unsteadily, and he kept a firm hand on her lower back, steering her gently.

“I’m fine, you know,” she mumbled, her words slurring slightly. “Perfectly fine. Could’ve done this…all by myself.”

He glanced down at her with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Sure you could, but you didn’t have to. That’s what I’m here for.”

She made a soft sound of protest but didn’t pull away, leaning into him as they reached her bedroom door.

The room was cozy, with soft, warm lighting and a bed adorned with mismatched pillows and a plush duvet. Lando couldn’t help but notice little details that felt so uniquely her: a stack of books on the nightstand, an open notebook with scrawled handwriting, and a candle flickering faintly on the dresser.

She plopped down on the edge of the bed with a dramatic sigh, her head tilted up to look at him. A lazy, lopsided smile spread across her face.

“You’re nice,” she said suddenly, her voice soft and full of sincerity.

He froze mid-step, her words catching him off guard. “What?”

“You’re nice,” she repeated, her tone quieter this time but no less heartfelt. “You take care of me. You don’t have to, but you do.”

His chest tightened at the way she looked at him, her gaze unguarded and vulnerable in a way he rarely saw. “Of course I do,” he said, crouching in front of her so their eyes were level. “Because I care about you, Y/N.”

Her lips parted slightly, and for a moment, she looked like she was going to say something. Her hand lifted faintly, as if to reach for him, but then she blinked, her expression growing hazy. A wide yawn escaped her, breaking the tension in the air.

Lando let out a quiet laugh, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. “Alright, bedtime,” he said softly.

He gently nudged her backward until she was lying on the bed, her head sinking into the pillows. She grumbled under her breath but didn’t resist as he pulled the blanket over her, tucking it snugly around her shoulders.

“There,” he said, his voice low and soothing. “All set.”

As he straightened up, preparing to leave, her voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Stay.”

He turned back, surprised by the quiet plea. “What?”

“Stay with me,” she murmured, her voice drowsy but insistent. Her eyes, though half-closed, held a glimmer of vulnerability that he couldn’t ignore.

“Y/N, I don’t think—”

“Please,” she whispered, the word barely audible but enough to make his heart ache.

For a moment, he hesitated. Every rational part of him told him he should leave, that staying might blur lines he’d been carefully respecting. But then he looked at her, her face soft and unguarded, and he couldn’t bring himself to deny her.

He sighed, giving in. “Alright,” he said quietly, kicking off his shoes and shrugging out of his jacket.

As he climbed into the bed beside her, the mattress dipped under his weight. She immediately shifted closer, curling into him like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her head rested on his chest, her arm draping across his torso as if she’d done it a hundred times before.

Lando lay stiffly for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest. He was hyper-aware of every place they touched, the warmth of her body against his sending sparks through him. Slowly, cautiously, he wrapped an arm around her, holding her close.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of her steady breathing.

“Goodnight, Lando,” she mumbled, already half-asleep.

As the minutes passed, her breathing grew deeper and more even, signaling that she’d fallen asleep. Lando remained awake, his mind racing with thoughts he couldn’t quite contain.

He couldn’t help but marvel at the quiet intimacy of the moment. Holding her like this felt both thrilling and terrifying, as if he were standing on the edge of something he couldn’t quite define.

Her small movements as she slept—shifting closer, her fingers curling slightly against his chest—made his heart ache with a tenderness he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt before.

“Y/N,” he murmured, his voice so quiet it was more to himself than her. “You have no idea, do you? No idea how much I care about you.”

She stirred slightly, her face burrowing into the fabric of his shirt. He froze, thinking he might have woken her, but she merely sighed contentedly before settling again.

The soft glow of early morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a golden hue over the room. Y/N stirred first, her eyes fluttering open as the remnants of sleep clung to her.

She blinked a few times, her mind sluggish as she took in her surroundings. It wasn’t until she felt the steady rise and fall of Lando’s chest beneath her cheek that realization hit her like a jolt.

Her eyes widened, and she froze, her heart hammering in her chest. Memories of the night before came rushing back in fragments—the party, the wine, Lando tucking her into bed. And then…oh god.

She slowly tilted her head back, her gaze landing on Lando’s face. His eyes were still closed, his features relaxed in peaceful slumber. She took a moment to study him, her heart squeezing at how soft he looked in the morning light.

But then he stirred, his brows furrowing slightly as he woke. His eyes opened slowly, meeting hers almost instantly.

“Morning,” he said, his voice husky with sleep and a teasing smile already forming on his lips.

She scrambled back, her cheeks burning as she realized just how close they’d been. “Lando! What—why—”

He propped himself up on one elbow, looking entirely too smug for her liking. “Good to see you too.”

She groaned, covering her face with her hands. “Oh my god. I can’t believe I—”

“Invited me to stay?” he finished for her, his tone light and playful. “Yeah, you did. Practically begged me, actually.”

“I did not beg!” she protested, her voice muffled by her hands.

“Oh, but you did,” he teased, his grin widening. “It was adorable.”

She peeked at him through her fingers, shooting him a playful glare. “So insufferable.”

“And yet, here I am,” he said, gesturing to the bed with a wink. “Right where you want me.”

Despite her embarrassment, a small smile tugged at her lips. She dropped her hands with a sigh, shaking her head. “Thank you for…staying,” she said softly, her eyes meeting his.

“Anytime,” he replied, his voice quieter now, the teasing replaced with something more genuine.

For a moment, the air between them was thick with unspoken words, the weight of the night’s intimacy lingering. Y/N felt her heart skip a beat as Lando’s gaze softened, his hand reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair from her face.

“Y/N,” he began, his voice low and steady, “you mean more to me than you realize.”

Her breath caught, her chest tightening as the sincerity in his words hit her like a wave. She opened her mouth to respond, but the vulnerability in his eyes made her hesitate.

Instead, she reached out, her fingers lightly brushing against his hand. “I think I’m starting to realize,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

530 notes · View notes

mmelectrical · 5 months ago

Text

Ensuring Electrical Safety in London: The Role of Professional Electricians and Fire Safety Measures

When it comes to electrical safety and fire prevention in London, it is essential to engage professionals who are well-versed in modern safety standards. From fixing electrical faults to carrying out fire risk assessments and installing fire doors, hiring the right services can make all the difference in safeguarding your property. Below, we explore the vital roles that electricians play, particularly in emergency situations, and the importance of fire safety measures in both residential and commercial properties.

1. The Importance of Hiring a Certified Electrician in London

Hiring a certified electrician in London ensures that your property’s electrical systems are installed and maintained to the highest safety standards. A licensed electrician is equipped to handle tasks such as part rewiring, electrical installations, and repairs, minimizing the risk of electrical hazards. Regular maintenance and periodic inspections are key to preventing any potential electrical issues that could escalate into emergencies.

2. Why You Need an Emergency Electrician in London

Electrical emergencies can occur unexpectedly, putting lives and property at risk. Having access to a qualified emergency electrician in London is crucial for immediate response to power outages, faulty wiring, or electrical fires. These professionals are available 24/7, offering prompt solutions to ensure that your electrical systems are back up and running as quickly as possible. Their ability to diagnose and fix urgent problems can help avoid costly repairs and prevent further damage.

3. Conducting Fire Risk Assessments in London Properties

In addition to electrical safety, fire risk assessment in London properties is a legal requirement for businesses and residential buildings. Fire risk assessments identify potential hazards, assess the effectiveness of existing fire prevention measures, and recommend improvements. By conducting thorough assessments, qualified professionals can evaluate the fire safety protocols in place and provide necessary updates to ensure compliance with local regulations.

4. Fire Doors: A Key Component of Fire Safety in London

Fire doors in London properties are a critical component of a building's fire protection system. These doors are designed to prevent the spread of fire and smoke, allowing occupants more time to evacuate safely. Proper installation of fire doors, in accordance with local building codes, is essential for ensuring their effectiveness. Electricians often collaborate with fire safety specialists to ensure that fire doors and electrical systems work seamlessly together to protect both life and property.

5. The Integration of Electrical Systems and Fire Safety

Professional electricians play an important role in enhancing fire safety through the installation and maintenance of fire alarm systems, emergency lighting, and electrical circuits that are designed to shut down in the event of a fire. A well-maintained electrical system can help prevent fires caused by faulty wiring, overloaded circuits, or other electrical issues. Pairing emergency electrician services in London with a comprehensive fire safety plan that includes Fire Doors London and regular fire risk assessments can significantly reduce fire-related risks.

6. The Benefits of Proactive Electrical and Fire Safety Management

Proactive management of electrical systems and fire safety measures is crucial for reducing risks in London properties. Regular inspections, testing, and updates by licensed professionals ensure that your electrical systems are in top condition and that your fire safety protocols are up to date. By engaging a professional electrician in London for regular maintenance, and conducting fire risk assessments, you not only comply with legal requirements but also protect your home or business from potential disasters.

#Electrician London #Electrician In London #Emergency Electrician London #Fire Risk Assessment London #Fire Doors London

0 notes

monzamash · 9 months ago

Text

valentine — lando norris

lando norris x you femreader | 1k rating – 18+ (sex, coarse language) inspired by this anon – you took me places and i'm so grateful.

lando screams messy to me, in everything he does – cooking, cleaning, kissing, fucking; he’s just one big mess of a man and although some of those things drove you up the wall, the positives easily compensated for the negatives. the way he had you riled up, purring and cursing under your breath within seconds of having his mouth attached to yours was unmatched; incomparable to anyone who came before him.

he shamelessly indulged in you – eyes glued to the way your delicious hips swayed to the music while the raw desire settled in the pit of his stomach. he had learned how to control it, how to redirect his attention but he was 4 shots of patron deep, mind filled with wicked thoughts, every last one rushing to his dick. so he held strong, until he couldn’t – nothing could stop him in his pursuit to have a taste of you once he let the devil in.

“stop it are you being serious right now?”

your pathetic protest was mumbled through tangled tongues, both desperate for more than a hasty kiss. god, he loved swallowing your whispered moans, each one whinier than the last as he licked into your mouth and across your warm cheek. you were the mess when he found that sweet spot just below your ear, tethering the first knot in your stomach to the blood rushing to your core, fingers needy for something to hold.

“why not?”

you could hear the smirk in lando’s retort as you tugged his head from your neck – pulling a guttural, almost pleasurable sound from the smiling assassin attached to the fistful of curls.

“because you can’t control yourself”

“who said anything about me?”

lando punctuated his question with a heavy hand gliding across the soddened silk shielding your cunt, his fingertips teasing every last nerve ending as he pressed his forehead to yours. he was a vision of sin when you dared to open your eyes, the sight stoking the perilous fire that burned for him. a roguish smile and a satisfied hum rumbled in his chest when he felt the reaction he’d caused.

“hmm, isn't that interesting. maybe i’m not the only one with self-control issues…”

“not nearly as bad as you.”

"but i know you love it when i'm bad."

you were foolish to think he believed a word you were droning, so pliantly at his mercy when he plunged out of sight, admiring his handy work. lando hiked up the hem of your short skirt and carelessly tugged down the cotton soaked thread that had him salivating like a feral dog. he left them loosely hanging around your knees, down just enough to let the brisk, london breeze blow over your exposed cunt and far enough for him to nestle his face between your thighs.

it was muscle memory the way your back arched off the brick wall and hips rotated towards lando’s warm mouth – legs spread, hands trying to leverage some ounce of control as he licked into you folds, sucking the sensitive bud of nerves nestled between into his soft lips. the sensation of his affection and your pleasure sliding down his throat and on inside of your thighs inspired a chorus of moans that echoed into the silent night – the only thing keeping the public from baring witness to your sinful act was the emergency exit door lando had lured you through only moments before.

the fear that anyone could find you like this vanished the moment lando spat messily into your cunt; the only thing connecting him to you were strings of spit dangling from his filthy mouth.

“fuuuu- yeah just like that,” your breathing was ragged and drawn from burning lungs as his middle finger teased your slick hole, edging your high with an evil grin.

“ride my fucking face, pretty girl… i need a taste.”

you were fucking losing it.

lando dove back in; raucous spluttering and choking groans coming from the man devouring you like a melting popsicle on a sweltering summers day, paired with how fucking good it felt having his tongue circling your clit, had you whining and writhing on his tongue like a woman possessed – flat, firm and served up on a silver platter. he had to watch as the knots he’d tangled in the pit of your stomach unravelled, showering you with muffled praise while the soft baby curls tickling the nape of his neck were savaged by your grabby hands.

the incoherent pleads of mercy sounded like a foreign prayer to lando as he held you firmly in his grasp, tongue lapping unrelentingly. cruelly – any longer you thought you may never reach it, unfairly denied until the restless pants and murmurs of blasphemy ascended into temporary bliss, blinded by the numbing pleasure as you dragged your languid hips over his taste buds, one, two three times – wringing out every last drop and then some.

lando was a mess of moans as he finished you off, curls and eyes wild beyond recognition when he finally rose from between your aching thighs – his dribble and your sweetness coated his stubbled chin, thick neck; even the blushed tip of his nose glowed under the streetlight above, lips raw and curved in a fucked out grin.

“you’re so baaaad baby” he teased, earning a soft smack to the chest before he brushed his warm hand over your cheek and leaned down for a kiss. tasting yourself on his lips and inhaling the smell of sex fused with his spiced aftershave was love personified. he was boyish and sloppy; fun and goofy and the only man who could make you come just by using his mouth. he was also unequivocally, heartbreakingly, head over heels in love with you.

“that’s why you love me.”

the sound of your laughter echoing through the otherwise abandoned laneway, wrapped up in one another, only reiterated that this was his best-worst idea ever.

#monzamusings ✨#lando norris #lando norris x reader #lando norris smut #lando norris imagine #monzamashmasterlist #f1 x reader #f1 smut

1K notes · View notes

kittyit · 5 months ago

Text

"The suffragettes are instructive. Their tactic of choice was property destruction. Decades of patient pressure on the Parliament to give women the vote had yielded nothing, and so in 1903, under the slogan 'Deeds not words, the Women's Social and Political Union was founded. Five years later, two WSPU members undertook the first militant action: breaking windowpanes in the prime minister's residence. One of them told the police she would bring a bomb the next time. Fed up with their own fruitless deputations to Parliament, the suffragettes soon specialised in 'the argument of the broken pane', sending hundreds of well-dressed women down streets to smash every window they passed. In the most concentrated volley, in March 1912, Emmeline Pankhurst and her crews brought much of central London to a standstill by shattering the fronts of jewellers, silversmiths, Hamleys toy shop and dozens of other businesses. They also torched letterboxes around the capital. Shocked Londoners saw pillars filled with paperthrowing up flames, the work of some activist having thrown in a parcel soaked in kerosene and a lit match.

Militancy was at the core of suffragette identity: 'To be militant in some form, or other, is a moral obligation, Pankhurst lectured. 'It is a duty which every woman will owe her own conscience and self-respect, to women who are less fortunate than she is herself, and to all who are to come after her.' The latest full-body portrait of the movement, Diane Atkinson's Rise Up, Women!, gives an encyclopedic listing of militant actions: suffragettes forcing the prime minister out of his car and dousing him with pepper, hurling a stone at the fanlight above Winston Churchill's door, setting upon statues and paintings with hammers and axes, planting bombs on sites along the routes of royal visits, fighting policemen with staves, charging against hostile politicians with dogwhips, breaking the windows in prison cells. Such deeds went hand in hand with mass mobilisation. The suffragettes put up mammoth rallies, ran their own presses, went on hunger strikes: deploying the gamut of non-violent and militant action.

After the hope of attaining the vote by constitutional means was dashed once more in early 1913, the movement switched gears. In a systematic campaign of arson, the suffragettes set fire to or blew up villas, tea pavilions, boathouses, hotels, haystacks, churches, post offices, aque-ducts, theatres and a liberal range of other targets aroundthe country. Over the course of a year and a half, the WSPU claimed responsibility for 337 such attacks. Few culprits were apprehended. Not a single life was lost; only empty buildings were set ablaze. The suffragettes took great pains to avoid injuring people. But they considered the situation urgent enough to justify incendiarism - votes for women, Pankhurst explained, were of such pressing importance that we had to discredit the Government and Parliament in the eyes of the world; we had to spoil English sports, hurt businesses, destroy valuable property, demor-alise the world of society, shame the churches, upset the whole orderly conduct of life. Some attacks probably went unclaimed. One historian suspects that the suffragettes were behind one of the most spectacular blazes of the period: a fire in a Tyneside coal wharf, in which the facilities for loading coal were completely gutted. They did, however, claim responsibility for the burning of motor cars and a steam yacht."

- How to Blow Up a Pipeline, pg 40-42

#reading list #feminism #women's suffrage #suffragette

699 notes · View notes

fairytaleendingss · 2 months ago

Text

Room For One More?

Chapter 3

Summary: You have an unsuspected guest join you on your walk home from work.

CW: None.

Pairing: Poly!Marauders x fem!reader

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

“So Remus hates me.”

You were leaning against the water cooler in your office, chatting with Mary as she took a longer than necessary break from her desk.

Her head shot upwards.

“What?”

You sighed. “Remus. He doesn’t like me. I don’t know what I did to him but ever since I’ve moved in he’s been super standoffish.”

“I’m sure that’s not true!” The girl attempted to sooth. “Remus doesn’t hate anyone. Sure he can be grumpy and a bit off-putting at times. But deep down he’s a sweetheart.”

You scoffed. “Yeah well I’ll believe it when I see it.”

You looked out the window at the snow-covered trees that surrounded your office building. It had begun to snow for the first time this year over-night, something you’d been very excited to discover this morning when you’d woken up.

You loved winter. The snow covered buildings, Christmas decorations, carols playing in the living room as you drank eggnog by the fire. It was your absolute favourite time of year.

“Oh look at the time! I’d better head off soon,” Mary exclaimed. “I have that date to get ready for!”

You smirked and nudged her shoulder gently. “I still can’t believe you won’t tell me who you’re going out with!”

She shrugged playfully. “It’s early days yet. I don’t want to jinx things.”

“Well, let me know how it goes, anyway.”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! I’ve got to run but see you tomorrow.”

You bid her goodbye before making your way back to your desk to grab your coat. You weren’t looking forward to the walk home today. Despite your apartment being only a few blocks away from where you worked, the temperature had dropped drastically over the last few days and a 20 minute walk home in the winter air was bound to be unpleasant.

You loved winter time, but only when you didn’t have to be outside, in the heart of it.

You made sure you were huddled up in your coat as you exited the building, however, you still weren’t prepared for the blast of cold air that hit you as you stepped outside onto the street. You shivered, wishing you’d brought a thicker jacket for the journey.

You glanced around the frost bitten streets and an icy gust of wind rustled through you. Then you stopped, eyes narrowing as you observed a figure leaning against the side of the building.

“James?” You managed to call over the noise of the traffic.

He looked up from where he’d been scrolling on his phone, smiling widely as he met your eyes.

“Hey!”

“What are you doing here?” You questioned, making your way over to him.

“I finished early with my trainer,” he explained. “And your building is on my way, so I figured I’d walk you home.”

You couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips as you imagined him getting off the tube a stop early just to walk you home in the cold.

“You didn’t have to do that,” you sighed.

He shook his head, a few stray curls falling in front of his eyes. “I wanted to.”

He held out an arm and you linked your own through his as the two of you began to make your way down the bustling London streets.

“So how was your session today?” You asked, subconsciously pressing yourself closer to him. The man was like a walking radiator.

“It was great!” He exclaimed. “How was work?”

You shrugged. “Same old, same old I guess. Mary has another mystery date tonight though.”

James’ brows raised. “I can’t believe she still hasn’t told anyone who she’s seeing. I wonder if there’s something off with this mysterious suitor or hers. Maybe she’s embarrassed by them.”

You chuckled lightly. “Maybe. That’s definitely one explanation.”

You walked along in silence for a while, taking in the scenery around you. London was beautiful in the winter time. All festive, snow layered streets and colourful wreaths hanging on front doors. It looked like something out a Christmas movie.

Then, after a moment, James stopped suddenly, dragging you to a halt alongside him.

“I just remembered,” he exclaimed. “There’s this amazing little cafe around the corner. It does the world’s best hot chocolate! You have to try it. Fancy stopping in?”

You looked up at him for a moment and couldn’t help but smile at the way his eyes lit up when he was excited. He had a particularly boyish charm about him, one you found awfully hard to say no to.

“Sure, that sounds lovely.”

“Great,” he said enthusiastically. “Let’s go.”

When you stepped into the cafe, you were hit with a burst of warmth, stark in contrast to the biting chill outside. The cafe was a small hole in the wall but immensely cosy. It was decorated in festive Christmas decorations and a deliciously chocolatey aroma hung in the air.

“James! So good to see you darling!” There was an older woman standing behind the counter, dressed in a red dress with a green apron tied around her waist. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled back into a low bun and she had motherly energy about her as she rounded the counter to pull James into a warm hug.

“Hey Margo,” he responded fondly. “It’s good to see you.”

“And who’s this lovely thing?” She directed a warm smile at you as she pulled away.

“This here is y/n. My new roommate and friend.” You smiled at the introduction. “We were walking home and I told her that we couldn’t carry on until we stopped for a famous hot chocolate here.”

“Well it’s wonderful to meet you, dear,” she pulled you into a hug as well. “Any friend of James, is a friend of mine. Now, go and take the table by the window. I’ll bring you over the usual in just a moment.”

She hurried back into the kitchens and James gestured for you to follow him. You sat down in a cozy little booth in a bay window, that looked out over the crowded streets.

“This is beautiful,” you exclaimed, watching people passing by, going on with their day to day amidst the snowy London winter.

“It’s good isn’t it.”

“How did you find out about this place?” You pried. It wasn’t really a Main Street attraction.

“Peter actually introduced us to it,” James explained, pushing his glasses further up his nose. “Back in school. His Mum is friends with Margo. The four of us used to come here all the time after class in winter.”

You nodded gently. “That’s really nice.”

James chuckled. “Yeah, Sirius claims this place is why our friendship has lasted so long. A lot of arguments were settled over this table.”

You bit your lip thoughtfully. There was a question playing on your mind. It had been sitting there for a while but you never quite knew how to ask it.

You took a deep breath, eyes settling on the sweet boy across the table. He gave you a lopsided grin and you figured now was as good a time as any.

“James, I was just wondering. Is there something… going on between Remus and Sirius?”

You thought back to the way they looked at each other that night at the bar a few weeks back. Like there was some unspoken language between them that you couldn’t quite understand.

James huffed good-naturedly. “You picked up on that, did you?”

You nodded in return.

“Yeah, they went out for a while in high school but it didn’t really last very long. To be honest I’m not 100% sure why they ended things. I they were good together, truth be told.”

“That’s good to know,” you muttered, smiling softly. But there was a twinge of something else burying itself within your gut at the thought and you didn’t fully understand why.

At that moment, Margo returned, two steaming hot chocolates in hand.

“Here you go, loves. Enjoy.”

She placed the cups on the table, sending you a wink before heading off to deal with some other customers.

“Cheers,” James jested, raising his mug to clink against yours.

You took a sip and your eyes widened.

“James, you were so right. This is incredible!”

—

With bellies full of warm chocolatey goodness, you ventured back out onto the cold streets.

You’d been so comfortable inside Margo’s cafe that you almost forgot how freezing the temperature was. It jumped out and bit you like a venomous snake as you exited the threshold.

A harsh shiver ran down your spine and you wrapped your arms around yourself in hopes to fend off the cold wind. It was then that you realised it had started snowing.

“You look freezing!” James stated as you began the rest of your walk home. “Here take this.”

In a swift movement, the man had shedded his winter coat and wrapped it around you, leaving only his hoodie to stand between him and the brisk air.

“James, no! You’ll freeze,” you protested, attempting to rid yourself of the garment with frozen fingers.

“I’ll be fine,” he responded earnestly, that warm, charming smile of his overtaking him as he rubbed his hands up and down your arms.

“We’re only a few minutes away from home. Besides I run hot anyway. You need it more than I do.”

You felt something flutter inside of you at his sincerity. He looked down at you, a twinkle in his hazel eyes as his hands still sat on your forearms, holding you as if you were made of glass.

There were snowflakes settling in his dark curls, his nose and cheeks slightly flushed from the bitter chill.

“Thank you, really. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“You can make it up to me by getting out of this cold wind before you get sick. Come on.”

Mindlessly, he clasped your hand in his and began to guide you down the street towards your home. A smile tugged at the corner of your lips and for the first time that afternoon, a warmth began to fill you. Only this time, you knew that it had more to do with the boy beside you than anything else.

—

Taglist:

@hisparentsgallerryy

@navs-bhat

@shushbruv

@magicwithaknife

@eeviee4

#marauders #james potter x reader #remus lupin x reader #sirius black x reader #poly!marauders x reader #james potter #sirius black #remus lupin #marauders au

454 notes · View notes