#I hope we get a story with young Arthur

[gremlin-boah]

>:<

[sainzsiren]

"i happen to love happiness"

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pairing... op81 x norris!reader

now playing... daylight by taylor swift

summary... lando is not happy about the developments between his teammate and his sister

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liked by oscarpiastri, alexandeasaintmluex, lilymhe, and others

yourusername girls love monaco, proud of you lan

view comments:

mclaren our favorite sibling duo!

yourusername also your only sibling duo??

landonorris you're going to make me lose my job

user y/n being an icon as always

lilymhe gf 😍😍

yourusername gf 😍😍

user oh to have norris genes

user ikr every day i wake up mad that i dont look like a norris sibling

landonorris thanks for coming, y/n/n

yourusername 🫶

user them still using their childhood nicknames for each other is my favorite thing ever

alexandrasaintmluex mother

yourusername 💍?

charles_leclerc seriously y/n

alex_albon you get used to it 😊

yourusername you guys are just mad i stole your bitchessss

user the day y/n gets pr trained is the day i die

user i'm new to f1, is it a big deal that oscar is in her likes?

user no, lando and oscar are very close so it makes sense that y/n and oscar follow each other and like each other's posts. especially bc y/n is somewhat of an influencer

liked by carlossainz55, maxverstappen1, landonorris, and others

mclaren a very requested norris siblings dump!

view comments:

landonorris whos that ugly rat next to me in all these photos

yourusername die.

danielricciardo awe look they used to get along

landonorris false, we chased each other with knives

yourusername false, i chased you and you cried

user y/n being the younger sibling and the chaser is my favorite thing ever

oscarpiastri my favorite norris and her annoying older brother

user WOAHHHH OSCAR

user oscar i was not aware of your game

landonorris excuse you?

charles_leclerc scureriaferrari where's mine and arthur's dump 🤨🤨

scureriaferrari our bad, on it

mclaren copycats

user oh how i love admin beef

yourusername's story

view reply from landonorris

landonorris y/n/n

landonorris what the fuck

landonorris where are you

landonorris who is he

yourusername jesus lando no "i hope it goes well"

landonorris i hope it goes terribly you're too young to dare

yourusername IM 21?!?!

view reply from georgerussell63

georgerussell63 i was asked to check in on you

yourusername everything's going great, thank you george

view reply from alex_albon

alex_albon i was also asked to check in on you

yourusername i promise it's all fine tell lando to calm down

view reply from carlossainz55

carlossainz55 he's sitting in your apartment waiting for you to come home btw

yourusername great.

view reply from lilymhe

lilymhe GIRLS DATE TOMORROW I NEED DETAILS

yourusername 🫡

TWITTER:

landonorris this is my formal request for everyone to go on a manhunt for my sister and this boy (i just gagged while typing that) she is on a date with. she is at a nice italian restaurant in monaco. internet do your thing.

user overprotective brother lando has made his public debut

user lando i have some unfortunate news for you.

landonorris WHAT

user oscar was just spotted at a nice italian restaurant in monaco

landonorris no.

f1wagupdates oscar piastri was just seen with who appears to be lando norris's sister, y/n norris. y/n posted a picture of their meal on her instagram story with the caption "first date, kinda nervous" and tagged monaco as a broad location. what do we think?

view attached image

user oh my god they're adorable

landonorris i just vomited

danielricciardo oh this is fun

user i cannot wait to see how this unfolds

landonorris oscarpiastri if what i am is hearing is true, count your fucking days.

user a non-pr trained norris strikes again

INSTAGRAM

liked by oscarpiastri, lilymhe, francisca.cgomez, and others

yourusername i can explain

view comments

landonorris y/n im nauseous

landonorris how could you do this to me

landonorris no point in soft launching i already know you betrayed me

yourusername i will explain if you come to my apartment and KNOCK instead of breaking in

landonorris will HE be there

yourusername no.

yourusername food will be provided

landonorris deal

georgerussell63 ok this is cute

landonorris GEORGE YOU TRAITOR

maxverstappen1 y/n you're going to kill your brother with a heart attack

yourusername good 😊

user THEYRE SO CUTE

user ahhhh y/n in her gf era

user more like wag era!!

fransisca.cgomez im so happy for you 🥹

yourusername ily kiks

lilymhe ❤️

liked by yourusername

charles_leclerc you torturing lando is incredible

yourusername thanks i've had lots of time to train and perfect my abilities

danielricciardo ok but on a real note you deserve this, so glad you're happy

yourusername this is why you're my second favorite driver 🫶

landonorris IVE BEEN DEMOTED TO 3RD?!?

yourusername pls you're 18th

user bye i want to know who y/n has beef with on the grid

oscarpiastri 🫂

liked by yourusername

user THIS IS GETTING REALLL

liked by yourusername, mclaren, logansargeant, and others

oscarpiastri 🧡

tagged yourusername

view comments

user OH MY GOD ITS HAPPENING ITS OFFICIAL

yourusername ❣️

liked by oscarpiastri

lilymhe this is the cutest thing ive ever seen

alex_albon i tell you im in love with you in your comments??

lilymhe shush alex

landonorris hello.

oscarpiastri hello.

yourusername LADIES, LADIES! THERES ENOUGH OF ME TO GO AROUND

user oh how i love yn

logansargeant OSCAR??? WITH A GIRLFRIEND?? THIS IS UNHEARD OF

oscarpiastri 😐

mclaren so... need another paddock pass for canada?

oscarpiastri yes 😅

landonorris no

user my ynoscar heart cant take this

user THE SUNSET DATE??

user THE AQUARIUM DATE??

landonorris bleh.

TWITTER

landonorris oscar jack piastri i am in your walls

yourusername he was actually just in mine this morning 😊

user Y/N 😭

landonorris OH MY GOD Y/N

landonorris YOU'RE LITERALLY A CHILD YOU SHOULD NOT BE DOING THAT

landonorris ARE YOU AT LEAST BEING SAFE???

f1tea make the replies lando's search history

user how to get my little sister's boyfriend to leave her but not hurt her feelings

user are condoms 100% effective

user oscar piastri social security number

user how long until the average couple breaks up

user should i be happy that my sister is in a relationship

user what to do if you don't get along with your teammate anymore

user oscar piastri mclaren contract end date

user oscar piastri dating history

user oscar piastri location

INSTAGRAM

liked by carlossainz55, maxverstappen1, yourusername, and others

landonorris look at what i have to deal with. i hate happiness.

tagged yourusername, oscarpiastri

view comments

yourusername awe lando this is probably the sweetest thing you've ever done in response to my relationship

landonorris stfu i'll delete this

user norris sibling bond has not been broken

user WAR IS OVER (??)

maxverstappen1 i see some of the convincing worked

landonorris don't flatter yourself

maxverstappen1 i actually take full credit for this

georgerussell63 hey it was a group effort

alex_albon ^

charles_leclerc ^

carlossainz55 ^

danielricciardo ^

logansargeant ^

lewishamilton ^

oscarpiastri am i allowed back at your house or no

landonorris you may come if you feel so inclined

zbrownceo see lando supporting your family is good for you

landonorris meh 2/10 experience

liked by oscarpiastri, kellypiquet, alexandrasaintmluex, and others

yourusername i happen to love happiness ❣️

tagged oscarpiastri

view comments

lilymhe AWEEEEEEEE

liked by yourusername

iamrebeccad this is precious

liked by yourusername

logansargeans he's giggling and kicking his feet rn

oscarpiastri am not

georgerussell63 are too

alex_albon are too

alexandeasaintmluex my favorite ❤️

yourusername i love u

user YNOSCAR HAS MY ENTIRE HEART

user how can they be so cute

francesca.cgomez y/n/n and her boy 🥹

liked by yourusername

oscarpiastri you're my favorite person

yourusername and you're mine

landonorris gag

yourusername FUCK OFF LANDO

landonorris i am still nauseous but this is growing on me

yourusername jesus finally

[sebscore]

couple of suggestions for leclerc!reader. 1. leclerc!reader gets hit by a car and it's not looking very good, but they make a full recovery. 2. Her brothers hear that their sister has a boyfriend and later learn that the guys she's seeing is f2 driver oliver bearman (or any one of the f2 boys).

A BOYFRIEND? | CHARLES LECLERC

pairings: charles leclerc x sister!reader / arthur leclerc x sister!reader / ollie bearman x leclerc!reader

warnings: this fic is situated somewhere in 2022 as arthur and ollie are teammates in this story.

author's note: thank you so much for the request, my darling! ollie isn't exactly her boyfriend in this, but they're not exactly friends either so i hope it's okay <3 let me know what you think of it!

• • • • • • •

It had been Arthur's idea to invite his family to his apartment in Italy, wanting to show off his newfound independence. Pascale, Charles and Y/N would spend a few days there before going back home to Monte Carlo. Lorenzo couldn't make it due to work obligations, but he would join them another time.

The youngest Leclerc was having a great time, apart from having to share a room with Charles as Arthur didn't have enough space for everyone to sleep individually.

It was mid day when the doorbell rang, confusing Arthur as he wasn't expecting anyone to come over. Charles and his mum were watching tv and his sister was doing whatever girls do alone in their room.

He opened the door and was surprised when he saw Ollie, his teammate. The pair had gotten along well ever since the young Brit had joined Prema and the Ferrari Driver Academy. Ollie isn't allowed to have a driver's license yet, so Arthur would often bring him to places around Maranello.

''Ollie! Hey, how are you?'' Arthur greeted him, a bit taken aback by the sudden appearance. His teammate nervously smiled. ''I'm good, mate! You?''

''Me too, thanks,'' the Monégasque noticed Ollie wasn't wearing his usual Ferrari shirt and had replaced it with a black hoodie, ''so, uh, is everything alright? I don't think we made plans or anything?'' Arthur hoped he hadn't forgotten anything important.

''Oh, uh, I'm actually here for-''

''Ollie, darling, come on in!'' Pascale interrupted the youngster, appearing from behind Arthur and urging him to enter the apartment. Arthur's confusion grew with each second passing, but he moved to the side to let Ollie in.

Charles stood up from the couch as their new guest walked in, just as puzzled as his little brother. He approached the Brit and shook his hand. ''Hi, I'm Charles. Nice to see you.''

''Nice to meet you, I'm Ollie.'' He quickly responded, hoping his sweaty palms didn't bother the Ferrari driver too much.

''Ollie, you want something to drink?'' Pascale offered him, pointing her finger in the direction of the kitchen. ''Oh, I'm alright, but thank you.'' He politely declined.

''Arthur, go and see if your sister's ready yet.''

''Ready for what?''

''Just go check on her.'' Pascale lightly pushed him to his guest room where his sister resided.

He gave everyone a weird glance, but he listened to his mother's orders nevertheless. Arthur walked quickly as he wanted to get answers as fast as possible since the reason for Ollie's appearance at his house was still a mystery.

He knocked on the door, waiting for his sister to give her consent to let him in. ''Who is it?'' He heard her question.

''Arthur.''

''Go away.''

Just like always, he ignored his sister's words and walked into the room anyway. She was spraying some perfume as she saw her brother enter, making her roll her eyes. ''I said go away.''

''Mum asked me to check if you were ready yet,'' he explained his presence, observing his sister as she paced around the room, ''wait- did you put on makeup?'' Arthur frowned, her face looked a bit different than usual.

''Yeah, so?'' Y/N bit back, not in the mood to be teased.

Arthur shrugged his shoulders. ''You want to look pretty for someone?'' Despite noticing his sister wasn't in a joking mood, he opted to tease her anyway.

''What's wrong with you?'' She groaned.

''What's wrong with you, blabla…'' Arthur repeated her words, copying her tone in an overdramatized way.

''Maman!'' Y/N yelled, receiving a push from her older brother. ''Okay, sorry!'' He didn't want their mother to come all the way down there.

It was as if seeing his sister all dolled up switched a gear in his head, it made everything clear. ''Hold on- Ollie is here… you're wearing makeup… mum asked me to see if you were ready… you're not going on a date with him are you?''

''That single brain cell of yours is doing a lot of work right now, Thur.'' Y/N grabbed her handbag and walked out of the guest room, Arthur closely following her.

Ollie had set himself down on one of the chairs as Pascale kept insisting he made himself comfortable, but as soon as the Leclerc girl walked into the room, he stood up. ''Hey, Y/N.''

''Hi, Ollie.'' She blushed, the Brit having an effect on her that made the young girl all giddy inside.

''Alright, have fun you two,'' Pascale motioned for the pair to get going, ''be smart.'' She kissed Y/N's cheek, bidding her daughter goodbye.

''I know, bye.''

She waited until they were out of the door before returning to the living room, where she found her two sons still standing in the same place as earlier. ''Everything okay?''

''When were you gonna tell us our sister has a boyfriend?'' Charles asked, offended that their mother would keep such information to herself and not share it with them. ''And that it's my teammate?'' Arthur added, pointing at himself.

Pascale chuckled, amused by their cluelessness. ''Ollie is not her boyfriend, but they've been on a few dates with each other and she's been really enjoying it.'' She explained to them, a genuine smile on her face.

''She's only 17 years-old, she can't have a boyfriend.'' Arthur argued, cringing as the words left his mouth. ''Okay, she can have a boyfriend, but why does it have to be him?'' He quickly changed his mind.

''What's wrong with Ollie? He's a nice young man and his parents are very good people.'' Their mother defended the Brit, confused as to why Arthur didn't want him as his sister's boyfriend.

Arthur sighed. ''Cause I race against him! What if they get together and then they break up or something? He might push me off the track! Or what if he hurts her? Then I'll kill him on the track.'' The man clarified his disdain for Ollie dating his younger sister.

''You're not killing anyone on track, okay? They're just going on dates, you're overthinking everything.'' Charles calmed him down. He wasn't too keen on his baby sister dating a driver, but he wasn't thinking like Arthur.

''I'm more offended that she didn't tell me anything, how long has this been going on?'' Charles continued, glancing at his mum.

Pascale thought for a few moments. ''A few months, with his racing and her school they can't meet that often.'' She answered.

''MONTHS?!'' Both of the Leclerc brothers chorused, absolutely shocked this wasn't something recent. ''What do you mean months? You're telling me this guy has been trying to get into my sister's pants for months and I didn't know about it?'' Arthur said, flabbergasted.

Pascale scoldingly hit his arm. ''Keep that language to yourself, Arthur! Y/N asked me to not tell anyone until she knew it was a bit more serious between them,'' she told the two of them, ''I don't want any of that negative energy around her, okay? She's always been supportive of whoever you two are dating and you're gonna do the same for her, understand?'' Pascale held a stern look on her face.

Their mother's scolding brought them back to earth. She was right, whether they liked their sister dating a driver or not, they had to support her, just like she has been supporting them.

''You're right, mum. We're gonna be supportive.'' Charles confirmed to her, giving her a hug. They both glimpsed at Arthur, who sighed but eventually joined their embrace. ''Okay, but if he breaks her heart, I'll just lightly touch him with my car.''

Y/N arrived home hours later, right in time for dinner. Both Arthur and Charles weren't home as they were called in to go to the Scuderia Ferrari home for either some meetings or simulation work. It was late in the night when they arrived home.

She was already falling asleep when Charles came into their shared room, trying not to make too much noise, but failing. ''Charles, be quiet.'' She mumbled, her pillow covering a bit of her mouth.

''Sorry, Chérie,'' he apologized, laying down on his mattress that was spread on the floor, ''how, uh, was your date with Ollie? I saw him working out in the gym.'' He asked, curiously.

Y/N had started to doze off again, but his question woke her up a little. ''We walked around Maranello and we got something to eat, and-''

''Did he pay?'' Charles interrupted.

''Yes, he paid.''

''Good.''

''Anyway- it was really nice and we talked a lot, so, uh, I had a great time.'' She finished her answer, closing her eyes again.

Charles simply hummed, trying to find the right words to say. ''That's good to hear, you think that it's getting serious between you two? That it's going somewhere?''

''Maybe, he's a really great person and I like hanging out with him, so I hope it's going somewhere.'' She truthfully replied, feeling weird about saying all of this to her older brother.

He nodded. ''Do you wa-''

''Perceval, I want to sleep.''

''Oh, okay! Goodnight, I love you.''

''...''

''...''

''I love you too.''

''...''

[moonlightkitties]

You are your father's daughter - Red Dead Redemption reader insert (Part One)

You are Dutch Van der Linde's eighteen year old daughter. Your mother was Annabelle but you don't remember her since she passed away when you were young. Dutch and the others took care of you and taught you to read, ride, fish, write and even hunt. Ever since the Blackwater ferry job you had a feeling like things were only going to get worse.

Part Two

A/N: This is mainly just a platonic story but you will be having a few romantic interactions with Sean and Kieran. But there will be some chapters where you, Arthur and John are bonding because y'all are basically siblings.

Chapter One - Colter

You rode behind one of the wagons on your chestnut blanket appaloosa mare, Whiskey. You longed to be in the wagon in the warmth instead of being out in the cold but your father insisted you ride outside since you were "old enough." You didn't argue, you were about to until Miss Grimshaw gave you one of her famous looks that screamed "Watch your attitude" so you complied.

You could hear Reverend Swanson and some of the others talk about how Davey wasn't doing well and that we should find somewhere to make camp. Your mind went back to the Blackwater job and you shivered when you saw your father and the rest of the men ride back into camp, covered in blood. It was awful, Mac and Sean got taken, Jenny died, and Davey was seriously wounded and about to die any second. The wagons stopped and Reverend Swanson hopped out of the wagon you were riding behind. He gave you a nod of acknowledgement and walked to where Hosea and Dutch were.

You pulled your coat closer to your body as you waited for the wagons to start moving again. You never knew it could get this cold in the middle of May.

You patted Whiskey as she stood, you made a mental note to give her some extra pampering since she carried you all the way since you and the gang left Blackwater. Finally, after a few moments of just standing idle, you heard Dutch yell "Come on!" and the wagons started moving again.

You could hear Arthur's voice as you rode alongside and your eyes caught the sight of a run down town. Once the wagons stopped you sighed in relief, dismounted Whiskey and made your way to the wagon to help everyone out.

The rest of the night went by fast and you were exhausted by the end. You were starting to get one of your "famous" headaches as Dutch called them and you let out a pained groan.

"You okay?" Arthur asked you, a concerned look on his face "Fine" you grumbled, standing in the corner of the cabin "My head's starting to hurt but that's it" you said, rubbing your temples. Arthur gave you a sympathetic look "Is it a migraine?" he asked and you shrugged "Maybe, I guess we'll see in the morning."

You didn't sleep that night, you tossed and turned until your head started pounding and the light from the fireplace was making it worse. You let out a pained groan and covered your head with your blanket. You tried to keep quiet but you couldn't, your head was killing you, like someone was stabbing it with a hunting knife but you couldn't see them to stop them.

You heard shifting and instantly felt bad. You must have woke someone up because you heard them walk over to you. The person gently shook you and you uncovered yourself from the blanket and was staring face to face with Tilly "You alright sweetie?" she asks you.

'Do I look alright?' you threatened to ask.

"No" you groaned instead, covering yourself back with your blanket.

"Is it a migraine?"

"Yeah" you groaned.

Tilly rubbed your back and pulled up a chair beside you "You don't have to sit next to me" you told her, your voice muffled by the blanket still being over your head.

"I know, but you shouldn't be alone when you're in pain" she told you "Just try to get some sleep"

You had no idea how you were going to fall asleep. When your migraines get this bad there's nothing you can do but groan and hope to something that it will go away soon. Nevertheless, you fell asleep, soothed by Tilly rubbing your back and the warmth of the blanket over you.

You awake with the sound of arguing. Either Grimshaw and Karen or Micah and Bill.

You groan and you can't even lift your head up, it felt heavy and every time you would try to get up it was if some other force was pulling you down.

"Well look who's awake" you open your eyes and face, ugh, Micah.

"What do you want?" you grumbled, not in the mood for Micah's teasing.

"You see, while you were sleeping, me and the rest of the gang well, we were working." he tells you "Micah, you know I can't work when I get migraines" you mumble. Sure you felt bad, but the last time you worked with a migraine you passed out in the middle of a shoot out.

Before Micah could reply you heard Charles step in "Leave her alone Micah, you know she doesn't feel good." You felt grateful for Charles, his voice was so quiet and calming, it was the only voice that wasn't making your head throb.

Micah scoffed but left you alone.

"Are you okay?" Charles asked, sitting beside you "Fine" you replied "You don't have to sit with me" you say "You have work to do." Charles gave you a smile "Why? You don't want me to sit next to you?" he asked, a tease in his tone but his face was serious.

"Well kind of, I-I mean, you can if you want" your face turned red, and another wave of pain went over you.

"Ugh, just don't talk" you groaned, clutching your head.

"Alright, I can do that" Charles said, a hint of a smile in his voice.

You fell asleep again and awoke, to the sound of commotion, again. The door swung open and you caught a glimpse of Bill and Lenny helping John inside. You were feeling a little better and you were starting to get thirsty so you sat up and caught yourself when you were about to fall.

"What happened to him?" you asked Arthur, who was standing next to you "Wolves" he simply responded "Wolves?" I ask "Who gets attacked by wolves?" Arthur chuckled "Apparently Marston does." He turned to you "You feeling better?" he asked and you shrugged "A little, can you get me some water?" Arthur nodded and left, leaving you to listen to Abigail fuse over John's state.

You pushed yourself off your cot and made your way to where John was "Wow" you exclaimed "That's one nasty wound" you said in a sarcastic tone "Ha, ha, very funny" John said, rolling his one good eye.

"How's our maiden in distress doin?" Arthur asked, handing me a canteen of water.

"He'll live" you said, not giving John a chance to respond for himself. John scoffed and just ignored you before talking to Abigail. You took small sips of water and groaned when another sharp sting hit your head "Migraine?" John asked and you nodded "I'll be fine, I got work to do anyways."

"Work?" Arthur asked, following you as you left the cabin. Your head was throbbing but you considered that you'll be fine.

"Yes, work" you repeated "What you need to do is rest" Arthur said, grabbing your shoulder and stopping you "I'll be fine" you rolled your eyes "Honestly, I'm not a kid anymore, you don't need to fuss over me." Arthur sighed "I just worry about you, that's all" you felt bad and playfully punched his shoulder "I know, that's why you're going with me" you smiled.

"Great" Arthur sarcastically replied. You walked over to Whiskey and stroked her nose "You love that horse, don't you?" Arthur asked, patting Whiskey's neck "Of course I do, I've had her since she was a foal, remember?"

"Oh yeah, you and Hosea found her" he replied "Yeah, she was all alone, her mother and herd were no where to be seen" you told him "I begged dad to keep her and he gave in of course" you smiled.

"Why'd you name her Whiskey anyways?" Arthur questioned as you grabbed her reins and the three of you walked to the stables. I shrugged "I don't really know, I guess I just liked the name." Arthur opened the stable doors and I led Whiskey inside. The rest of the gangs horses were inside and I gave The Count a pat on his neck.

"Remember when you tried riding him?" I asked, stifling a laugh. Arthur chuckled "Yeah, don't remind me, I was sore for weeks." Before you could say anything else the stable doors opened again and Dutch walked in "Oh, good, you're feeling better" he noticed and I nodded "A little."

"Well, I need you for a job if you're up for it."

A job? He never lets me go on jobs.

"A job?" Arthur asked "Yes, Arthur, a job" Dutch scoffed "She can handle it, she's old enough."

"You up for it kid?" Dutch asked and you nodded "Yeah, of course!"

Wow! My first job, it's either going to go super well or super terrible.

Yay!!! Chapter one is over! Chapter two might come out tomorrow or even tonight lol (I have too much time on my hands). Like I said up top, this is going to be more of a platonic fluffy fic but when a write Chapter Three that's where it will get more...emotional and more angst. Arthur does get TB in this fic (sorry 😔). I LOVEEE comments so please if you want to, comment (I love likes and reblogs too 😼)

[heavenlymorals]

Arthur's Redemption: A Reflection of the Dregs of Idealism

(Warning: Spoilers for RDR2)

Arthur's redemption is the reason why RDR2 is as loved and coveted as it is. It is the reason why it is in the videogame hall of fame and it is the reason why I'll never forgive the game awards for giving GOW 2018 Game of the Year instead of RDR2.

But what I find very interesting is exactly WHERE his redemption is aimed towards, because remember, Arthur never gives up the gang life until the VERY end when he has to confront Micah on being a rat.

One of the first things that the game tries to remind us of is is that Dutch's gang is different. It isn't savage, or heartless, or "as bad" as the other gangs like the O'Driscolls and the Del Lobos. In every single mission that involves robbery, the VDL gang either robs crooks, corporations, robber barons, rich people, slavers, people with fucked up political views, etc. Etc. That is what puts them above other gangs in terms of their reputation, alongside the fact that they, before the Blackwater massacre and before they got so desperate, would give away portions of their proceedings to the poor and destitute.

And the thing is, the VDL gang's philosophy isn't really different from what you see today, especially here on Tumblr. Kill the rich, eat the rich, tax the rich, etc. Etc. Only real difference, honestly, is that the VDL gang carries out those philosophies violently when we don't.

Does intense violence continue to make philosophies and beliefs just? That's ultimately up to you, I don't want to get into that discussion, but this is very important to take note of because Arthur's redemption isn't realizing the gang life and violence is bad, but by going back to the original thought processes and beliefs that guided the VDL gang. He goes from apathetic to passionate.

Notice the "redemption" missions of chapter 6. You forgive debts and kick out Strauss because he represents all the evils of money lending and usuery. Arthur begs Edith Downes to allow her to let him help her, but he doesn't want her forgiveness as he knows he doesn't deserve it. He teaches a grieving woman how to hunt and survive in the wilderness. He befriends a veteran and connects with the great American wilderness. He gives people his blessing to get out of the gang and ultimately sacrifices his final moments to get John, Abigail, and Jack to safety.

Arthur focuses on people and their personal lives. He focuses on their struggles, their dreams, their hopes, their stories, and just all the things that make them human.

Let's look at the debt missions in chapter six. There are three of them. Mrs. Londonderry, J. John Weathers, and Edith Downes. Arthur either comes to face with how morally bankrupt the business of usury is, which then relates back to the more political side of the VDL gang, which is the resistance of the predatory upper class, or he tries to mend the wrongs of being in that system without the expectation of forgiveness.

Those debt missions, though side missions, are super important to Arthur's redemption.

Other than the debt missions, there is also the more personal aspects of missions. Some missions are completely personal, like the Charlotte missions or the Hamish missions, while others are slid in such as Arthur lecturing John after blowing up the bridge.

Arthur cares about the people, the everyday people, and he loses his apathy that makes him violent and mean, which is where his redemption lies.

But the gang life? He doesn't quit that. He doesn't have any qualms, morally, about blowing up bridges, fighting against the government, the army, and anyone who may support the organizations that Dutch taught him to hate from such a young age. There is no guilt there. Arthur only has guilt towards hurting those the gang was originally there to help.

His redemption isn't him realizing what he is doing is wrong, and that the gang life is wrong. His redemption is him going back to the original ideals that Dutch taught him.

I just think that's really interesting. It also opens up a discussion on the philosophical nature of the blurred line between violence and Idealism, and whether or not someone can still be good whilst being on that line.

In any case, yapyapyapyapyap

[simon-roy]

A little press release from Image comics - we're putting out a mass market edition of Griz Grobus! Press release follows:

PORTLAND, Ore. 12/07/2023 — The high fantasy, graphic novel Kickstarter sensation, Griz Grobus, by co-writer/artist Simon Roy (Prophet, Jan's Atomic Heart and Other Stories) and co-writer Jess Pollard, with colors by Sergey Nazarov, will be available in trade paperback format for the first time this June 2024 from Image Comics.

Griz Grobus was originally a popular Webtoon sequential webcomic that leveled up its exposure with the 2021 launch of a Kickstarter campaign for a stunning hardcover edition. The campaign ignited fandom fervor, was fully funded in under a day, and raised nearly $70K—far exceeding the stretch goal. This Summer’s forthcoming paperback edition will bring this roaring success story to an even wider audience of readers.

"Part of what we wanted to make, in Griz Grobus, was a story that felt like a foreign film from a country you haven't heard of," said Roy. "Natural, familiar elements, sitting harmoniously alongside the new and unfamiliar. The proposition of getting to introduce a whole new audience to our little pocket universe, and the worlds within it, is very exciting!"

Set in the same sci-fi universe as Roy's Habitat,Griz Grobus is another tale of life after the collapse of the interstellar empire. But unlike Habitat—where a once utopian orbital community found itself descending into cannibal tyranny—the characters of Griz Grobus inhabit the rural world of Altamira, where post-utopian frontier life has blossomed into something a bit more wholesome.

Pollard added: "I can definitely say it is one of the funniest, most delightful things I've ever been a part of, and I laugh every time I read the story, as if I'm reading it for the first time. I hope readers will feel the same warmth when they read this edition, whether it be for the first time, the second, or third.”

Griz Grobus tells two parallel, intertwined tales from the far-off colony world. High in a sleepy mountain village, the overzealous academic ambitions of a young scribe lead to the resurrection of the town’s ancient colonial-era priest-bot. This long-defunct pastor finds himself in a world that has passed him by, but refuses to simply accept his obsolescence, much to the chagrin of the scribe and the local townsfolk. The second story, a mise-en-abyme, is Altamira’s most famous novel (being avidly read by the characters of the first story). It is a fantasy tale about a war-god who gets trapped in the body of a goose, and the efforts of one pacifist cook to delay the war-god’s bloody return to the battlefield.

This lush, intricately detailed, standalone fable is perfect for fans of Hiyao Miyazaki, Asterix, and Arthur C. Clarke.

The Griz Grobus trade paperback (ISBN: 9781534397866) will be available at local comic book shops on Wednesday, June 5 and independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Indigo on Tuesday, June 4.

Griz Grobus will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

[mediocrecowboyhat]

Set in sand - Chapter 9

We mark the year 1934 and a peculiar journal falls into your hands. It's telling the tale of an outlaw and the downfall of a gang. Some pages are torn and others are downright unreadable, but nevertheless, you are still able to make out some parts of the tragic story.

With the help of a certain time traveler friend of yours, will you be able to safe the author of the journal or will you be the cause for his demise?

Previous chapter

Next chapter

Word count: 4347

TW: end-game spoilers will be mentioned very early on in the story, 18+ MDNI, sexual themes, violence, gore, death, misogynistic themes (anything that happens in the game as well), she/her pronouns

"You good to go?", Arthur asks as he approaches the table you're sitting at.

A smile begins to spread on your face and you stand up from your chair. "Of course."

It's almost noon and the sun is burning into your neck, but you barely feel it. Today you will finally go out with Arthur again and you're convinced that nothing is going to be able to dampen your excitement.

He extends his hand to help you get atop of his horse after he hoists himself onto the saddle himself.

"Got your gun with you?", he asks and even though you know that it never leaves your pocket, your hand still moves to your side to check it.

"Yup."

Arthur nods. "Keep it tucked away. I don't want folk to get the wrong idea."

That sounds reasonable. He's made it clear yesterday that this won't be a job where you'd have to resort to violence. It's a relief, really. Yes, you're starting to feel more comfortable with the thought of firing your revolver, but it doesn't mean you're particularly enjoying it.

"So what's the plan?" You remember him telling you that he would come up with one this morning.

There is a hope in you that he might have possibly changed his mind about playing a bit of dress-up and pretending, but you know that the chances aren't good.

"We'll just say that we're lookin' to learn more about the rich history of this land 'round here.", he answers and you try your best to mask your disappointment.

"Alright.", you answer and he throws you a quick look over his shoulder before focusing on the road again.

"You sound disappointment.", he comments and you bite back a sigh.

Disappointed doesn't even remotely come close to what you're feeling right now. Crushed would be more appropriate (and more dramatic). "No, I'm fine."

Even though you sound anything but fine he still doesn't question you any further. Perhaps it's to respect boundaries or perhaps he doesn't want to get deeper into the whole dress-up topic. It's probably the latter of those two.

That's when you notice that the Gray residency isn't too far away from camp. In fact it doesn't even take 15 minutes until you arrive and Arthur slows down into a trot.

As you come closer to what seems to be the main house, two guards at the front stop you. Both of them are heavily armed with rifles and grip them a tad tighter when their eyes fall on you.

"What do you want?", the one on the right asks and takes a couple steps closer.

He sizes you two up through narrowed eyes and with a suspicious glare. What a warm welcome.

"My wife and I are history enthusiasts and would like to learn more about this land. We've been told-" Before Arthur can even finish his sentence, the guard who had stepped closer raises his hand in an irritated manner.

"I've heard enough. You'd like to talk to Master Beau regardin' that.", he answers and walks back to his post. "He's near the stables on the left."

Arthur thanks the man and together you start going into the direction he has pointed towards.

"My wife and I are history enthusiasts.", you repeat, dropping your voice to sound lower and imitating Arthur's deep southern drawl. "We're so interested in in history."

"Real funny.", he answers, dragging out the first word and with his tone oozing with sarcasm.

Then you spot a young man leaning against the wall, completely engrossed in his book. Arthur and you get off the Tennessee Walker and make your way towards the man.

"I see you at the Sheriff's office?", the outlaw calls out and the young man's head snaps up. You give Arthur a quick puzzled look. Whatever happened to the history enthusiasts you were pretending to be?

"Excuse me, friend.", the young man answers and puts his book down on one of the crates.

Arthur takes his usual stance where he places his hands on his weapon belt and eyes the young man thoroughly. "We friends?"

The energy he's giving off now is a vast contrast to earlier when he talked to the guards. There he was almost trying to appear small, but that facade is off now.

You assume that it would be smart to match his sudden change of mannerism and so you straighten your back and keep your chin high. Does it look convincing and threatening? Ah, it seems as if the young man hasn't quite noticed you just yet so it doesn't really matter.

"Not yet, but here's hoping.", he tells Arthur and curls his lips up into a smile. "We don't get a lot of traveling men here. Then suddenly there's a whole phalanx of mysterious, but strangely helpful Yankees about the place."

His wording makes you raise both eyebrows slightly. It doesn't sound like how the rest of his family talks or how anyone else in this area talks, for that matter.

Arthur scratches his cheek. "Is there?", he responds in a casual way.

"What are you doing here?" The question isn't accompanied by a wary or alerted tone, but more genuine curiosity.

Lately it's been a rare sight to meet someone who doesn't immediately assume the worst about you and you're starting to like the man for that.

Arthur looks back at you for a brief moment before answering. "We're just lookin' for work."

For the first time since you've arrived here the man's eyes fall on you and he gives you a friendly nod. "Well, lookin' for something. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"What secret?", you chime in and thankfully manage to hide the concern in your voice. Does that means he knows who you guys truly are?

But the young man completely ignores your question and his entire face lights up instantly. "I've got a secret of my own."

"Are you secretly normal?", Arthur asks bluntly, earning a snort from you. You catch him attempting to hide his half smirk with his cowboy hat by looking down.

"The thing is, I don't care if you kill the whole lot of us and the Braithwaites."

"We don't want to kill anyone.", you assure the man even though he doesn't look worried at all. It doesn't feel like he needs to be reassured, but you still don't want to leave it unsaid.

"I love her, you know?"

"Love who?", Arthur asks rather aggravated.

Though you do have to agree that it's quite difficult to follow this conversation with the way the young Gray jumps from one topic to another like it's a skipping rope.

"Penelope.", he answers in a dreamy way as if he just told you the meaning of life. "But it's impossible."

Of course. A Romeo and Juliet themed love story was bound to happen with the way these two families hate each other. It's almost mandatory for every blood feud.

"She's a Braithwaite.", he continues on. "I'm Beau Gray, son of Tavish Gray, nephew of Leigh Gray the sheriff, grandson of old Murdo Gray."

It's not anything you were aiming for, but now you know the whole goddamn family tree. Arthur seems to share the same thought by the look he's giving you.

Your eyes follow Beau as he paces around like a caged tiger. Obviously the entire situation is making him more than frustrated and you understand.

"We Grays have been loyal to the state and murderers to the Braithwaites for so long now, no one can even quite explain why! Beyond blind loyalty and stupidity. I'm supposed to be loyal to some nonsense while she-"

The young Gray stops mid sentence and let's out a soft sigh. He tells you more about this Braithwaite, Penelope, calling her a woman of the future and praising her in high tones. It earns a gentle smile from you.

How refreshing it is to see that at least some of the younger generation don't see the point of continuing this senseless hatred and fighting.

"Well, I'm sorry for your predicament.", Arthur says and turns to leave, but Beau extends both hands in his direction.

"Would you help?" His voice is laced with desperation and he watches you two with pleading eyes.

"We don't wanna get involved in gang feuds. It seems unseemly", the outlaw answers on your behalf and you shoot him a rather offended look. You would like to hear what the young man has to say, but you understand that you also have to keep a low profile here.

Beau's response comes shooting out of him like a bullet. "I'll pay! I've got money! We Grays we've always got money. No brains, mind, but money."

Arthur and you change looks for a brief moment.

It's worth hearing him out now.

Judging by the expression on his face he seems to be thinking the exact same thing. Well, you haven't quite been as opposed to helping as the rugged outlaw has.

"In that case..."

The words don't even leave Arthur's mouth completely and Beau already jumps to hand him a letter and a small gift box. He explains how Penelope usually sits in a gazebo at the edge of the Braithwaite property.

Together you make your way back onto the horse and ride towards where the other family resides.

"Now we're caught up in this hillbilly version of Romeo and Juliet.", Arthur mutters under his breath, sounding more than a little frustrated.

It makes you chuckle. "I think it's cute."

"Good for you then. I for one don't like bein' some errand boy."

"Oh, don't think about it like that, Arthur. We're not just running some errands. We're helping a young couple in the name of love.", you respond with an amused smirk on your face and he shakes his head.

"I'd rather do it in the name of money like he promised us."

True. You can't imagine Arthur saying yes to this without the outcome involving a payment of some sort. That's not the case with you though. You're actually kind of excited to see where this goes.

"He said the guards aren't too friendly to strangers so I'll sneak in.", Arthur says as he stops outside the Braithwaite property and jumps off his horse.

"I can come with you.", you answer, but he raises his hand and shakes his head.

"Absolutely not. You'll wait here for me and at the first sign of trouble, I want you to run away."

The fact that he doesn't trust you with these things still frustrates and offends you. After what you've done to these two O'Driscolls you thought he wouldn't doubt you this much still.

It's futile to argue about it though and you know it so you silently watch Arthur jump over the white fence and vanish in the tobacco fields.

Yes, he told you to flee when something happens, but you're convinced that he's got this in the bag. Arthur might not be the sneakiest member in the gang, but he's a good enough hunter to stay undetected by humans.

Besides, if he actually would get into trouble and you'd get wind of it, you're convinced that you couldn't leave him. Knowing you, you'd most likely run head first into the fight.

As you're leaning with your back against a tree and playing with a flower you have picked from the ground, your mind starts to wander.

This is another fantastic opportunities to travel back home, but you're playing around again.

You shake your head in an attempt to get rid of these thoughts. There's no way you can just disappear in the middle of a job. Especially during one where you're with Arthur.

Excuses.

Much to your relief and luck, the rugged outlaw returns again before you could even begin to spiral once more. Quickly you notice that he has an even more annoyed expression on his face than he did after talking to Beau.

"Did it not go well?", you ask, concern thick in your voice.

"No, I met her and we talked, but she gave me another goddamn letter.", he answers through gritted teeth. "Come on. I want this to be over as soon as possible."

As you climb back onto his Tennessee Walker, you bite back a chuckle and overall remain silent during the ride. Yes, you could tease him relentlessly, but you decide to leave the man alone. For now.

You definitely won't show this much mercy once you get back in camp. Just imagining Sadie's face and laughter when you tell her about all this makes you grin to the point where your cheeks hurt.

When you arrive back at Beau's, he's in one of the stables and taking care of the horses. Arthur and you get off his and he leisurely strolls over the gate and leans against it with both arms.

"You got our money?"

Beau's arm shoots forward to place some dollar bills in Arthur's hand and he gives him a yearning look. "Did she send anything back."

"Yes.", the outlaw answers and the young man goes to push open the gate, but Arthur stops him. "But it'll cost ya."

The man's face falls and you give Arthur a stunned look. His eyes flicker towards you, noticing your disapproval and he let's out a defeated sigh before stepping away from the gate.

"Fine.", he grumbles into his beard and hands over Penelope's letter.

Beau's eyes fly over the words and his expression turns more mortified by the second. "This'll get her killed for sure."

This piques your interest and you turn to face him. "What is it?"

"Women's suffrage. 'Round here they don't even like men voting. They'd bring back the monarchy if given the chance. Progress is a dirty word in these parts unlike incest."

The last part now even has Arthur's attention and he furrows his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"I don't wanna marry my cousin, Mathilda! I wanna marry Penelope, but they'll- they'll kill her at one of these rallies they're holdin'! They've done it before!"

Beau paces around, clearly upset at the situation and then he turns around on his heels to give you both another one of his pleading looks. "You gotta help!"

Before you can even open your mouth to answer, Arthur beats you to it. "No, we don't want no part of it."

"I'll pay! My family, we've still got some money!", Beau argues.

This time it's you who doesn't let the other speak up. Whether it's out of offense for being interrupted or because you feel the strong urge to help this man, you can't tell. "We'll do it."

Your gaze is set on Beau, completely avoiding whatever venom Arthur might be shooting at you through his blue eyes. Later when you two get back to camp, you'll probably get an earful for this, but right now you couldn't care less.

"Thank you! I knew you and your wife would understand!", Beau yells out and before any of you could correct him he's already on a horse. "Come on!"

The prospect of possibly joining the rally makes you excited. It dampens the thought that it could end in violence with the way Beau described the people around Rhodes.

In the distance you spot a large wagon and a group of women gathered next to it. They're all wearing a banner in which the vehicle itself is decorated with as well.

Beau practically flies off his horse the moment you all get there and you follow him on foot towards a young blonde woman. Her face both lights up and darkens when her eyes fall on the young Gray.

"Beau, what are you doing here?", she asks in disbelief and grabs both his hands with hers.

"Stopping you! You'll get yourself killed." His voice is laced with fear and desperation and upon hearing his words, she pulls away.

Her chin is set high as she steps back with a determined look on her face. "I'm prepared to die for the cause."

It sends a shiver down your spine and you feel something within you stir. If there was even a little bit of doubt inside you, then it had left for good. Now you're more than certain that you want to, no have to join this rally.

"You have to do something!", you hear Beau plead and Arthur let's out a grunt.

"Do what? Fight this mob? They'd eat me alive."

Without an ounce of hesitation you tap the blonde woman, who you assume is Penelope, on the shoulder and she faces you. "Arthur can drive the wagon. We'll join you."

"Excuse me?", you hear the outlaw call out to you and Penelope hastily walks towards the older woman who's giving a speech at the other end of the group.

Arthur places a firm hand on your shoulder makes you turn around towards him and opens his mouth for what you think is a scolding, but nothing leaves his lips when you two lock eyes.

None of you speak a single word, but at the same time it feels like plenty is being said. The anger in his face slowly fades away and so does his grip on your shoulder.

"You said you'd drive the wagon?" The older woman who was giving a speech up until now steps next to you.

Without his eyes ever leaving yours he answers. "Yes."

"Wonderful! Olive Calhoon.", she says and shakes his hand. "Normally I like to drive the wagon myself, but today I feel like a man joining us sends just the right message."

Your smile grows ever wider as everyone gets onto the wagon and you climb into the saddle of Arthur's Tennessee Walker. The horse knows you well enough by now to not cause any trouble and buck you off and you give him a soft pat.

As the wagon starts moving and the women begin to sing, you shoot Beau, who's riding beside you, a reassuring smile. He returns it, but it's clear that he's still worried.

"We're mothers, wives, housekeepers, and daughters! We cook the food and we fetch the water! Sing songs of freedom and glory be! Fair women on the mind, come join with me!"

Voices of women singing fill the air, making the people of Rhodes step out onto the street. They're all staring down the wagon with discontented faces and some of them even yelling, demanding for the rally to stop.

"You're disrupting the peace!", one of the bystanders calls out angrily, earning loud agreement from the others.

All that protesting doesn't seem to intimidate the women at all or stifle the energy they're putting into this. On the contrary, their voices grow even louder as if they're being cheered on instead.

It feels like electricity is coursing through you at the sight and you begin to join into the song as the wagon drives through the small town.

"They're gonna stop at the bank. Let's leave the horses in the back.", Beau rips you out of your bubble and you blink a few times before nodding. You had totally forgotten about the reason why you're here in the first place.

Without saying another word you follow the young man behind the bank and hastily make your way back to the group. Arthur is standing at the edge and you stop by his side while listening to Miss Calhoon.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! This is a great day for all of us!", she starts and you join in on the cheering.

You feel Arthur's gaze on you, but your eyes and ears are glued to the older woman who is standing at the top of the stairs. The wide smile on your lips never leaving your face.

Unfortunately you spot two nasty looking men in the corner of your eyes, walking straight towards Beau and you carefully watch them like a hawk.

One of them is big with a balding head and a thick mustache. "What the hell you doin' here, boy?"

"Hello, darlin' cousin.", Beau responds with a strained voice while his eyes are fixed on Miss Calhoon. He's doing his best to avoid looking at the men.

"Don't you ever speak to me like that!", mustache man spits as if he's got an insult thrown at him instead of a term of endearment.

The other man is slightly taller than the first one and a vast contrast with his full set of hair on his head. "What are ya doin' here?"

"Listenin', I suppose."

You nudge Arthur's shoulder and motion with your chin towards them. A single look is being exchanged between you, a silent message and together you push through the women to get to the young Gray.

"Weren't we just leavin'?", the outlaw calls out to Beau and you follow closely behind.

"Who are you?", mustache man asks through narrowed eyes.

Arthur gives him a long, stern look, but ignores his question. "Follow me through here.", he tells Beau.

The three of you walk around to the back and the young man tells you about a place where you could go to. It's an old battlefield no one visits anymore and it's apparently a good spot where his cousins won't be following you.

You sincerely hope that he's right with that. After all this you're not particularly in the mood for a fight.

"You know, I ain't voted before, but I'm kinda gettin' hot for votin' rights!", Arthur comments and you can't tell if it's meant as a joke or if he's being serious.

"I don't know if I should take you seriously, Mr. Morgan, but my cousins are my primary concern now. If anyone should know about Penelope and me..."

"Everyone knows about Penelope and you!", the outlaw yells and you nod along. "We know about Penelope and you and we been here all of ten minutes."

He's right. Beau might keep saying how important it is to keep his love a secret, but the signs really don't look too good if he tells every stranger he meets about it. Goddammit, he told Arthur and you about it before you could even grasp the chance to introduce yourselves after all.

Beau continues telling you once again how much his family hates the Braithwaites and that it's not any different the other way around. He even mentions a Catherine Braithwaite and her daughter, but Arthur shuts him down quickly.

"I ain't heard 'bout daughters. Only treasure.", he says and your small group stop by the spot Beau was mentioning earlier.

You get off the horses and the young mean rummages inside the satchels of his saddle.

"You know, you should leave. With Penelope.", you chime in and he let's out a longing sigh.

"I will once I have enough money. You see, my family has a lot of money, but I don't."

Arthur crosses his arms infront of his chest and chews on the inside of his cheek. "Is your family very rich?"

You almost cough at the bluntness of his question, but manage to compose yourself in time. This is the whole reason why you're here after all. To find out if these families really are sitting on a pile of money or if it's all just some horseshit.

"Yes I believe so, but they keep me out of the discussion.", Beau answers. "I have more of an artistic temperament so..."

"Is that what they call it?", the outlaw comments while looking away into the distance. You bite back a laugh.

Beau walks around his horse, handing a bundle of dollar bills to the outlaw. "I really love her. I do."

"Well, stick around and maybe you can die for her as well.", he answers casually while counting the money.

"I thought you were gonna make me feel better."

You place your hand on the young man's shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze. "It will all turn out just fine."

Hearing your words makes him smile even though there is nothing backing them up. None of you know if it actually will turn out alright for the two unfortunate lovers, but you'd like to believe that it will.

Arthur's voice rips you out of your thoughts and you pull your hand away. "We gotta go now."

Beau says his farewells to you two and your gaze follows after him as he disappears into the distance.

"Wasn't this kind of nice?", you ask and a scoff leaves his throat.

"Nice? If you think runnin' around deliverin' some letters is nice then sure." He shakes his head in a disappointed manner. "And we still don't know for sure if this treasure everyone keeps talkin' about exists."

He hoists himself up onto his saddle and extends his hand out to you. As you take it, you give it a short squeeze and smile up at him. "Thank you."

Confusion spreads on his rough features and he pulls you up. "For what?"

"Bringing me with you and doing all this. I know you didn't want to join the rally or drive the wagon. I also wanted to apologize for that, you know? I understand that I put you on the spot back there and I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

The horse starts walking in a leisure and comfortable pace and for the longest time you don't get an answer. You begin to fear that he might be angrier than you have initially expected.

"There's no need to apologize. I guess it was fun...in a way.", he mumbles into his beard.

It feels like a burden has been lifted off your shoulders and you sigh in relief. "So you're not mad at me?"

"'Course not."

Instinctively you wrap your arms a but tighter around his waist in a half-hug and it doesn't go unnoticed by you that he's not attempting to get away from your touch or even tensing up from it.

Sure, you didn't find out too much about the Gray family, but today was still a success in your book.

Taglist: @shackspossum

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 58: It Hurts

Masterlist: https://www.tumblr.com/sl-newsie/739551758747090944/american-woman-thomas-shelby-x-american-oc?source=share

Throughout the never-ending day I anxiously wait to hear the phone ring. When it finally does I snatch it up and prepare for the worst.

“Hello?”

“Verena! It’s Liam. We did it.”

I clutch my chest in relief. “No one was hurt?”

“Well, Mr. Changretta is much less alive than he was an hour ago,” Liam jokes lightly. “But no. No one was hurt. Your boss is fine and Arthur’s back. We’re all meeting for dinner in war-wic-chester.”

I hang my head to quit from laughing. “You mean Warwickshire? At Arrow House?”

“Yeah, that’s it. Your boss said to bring his boy with you.”

“I will do that. Tot ziens.”

“Tot ziens.”

It’s over. The vendetta is over. Charlie and Thomas can go back to Arrow House and no one has to keep looking over their shoulder for assassins. 

“Charlie!” I call down the hall and the schavuit comes running. “Get ready to go! You’re going home!”

He bolts to Thomas’ room and we both put together his bag. It makes me wonder if Thomas will actually try to spend time with him or if the servants will be the ones to entertain Charlie. We pack up my car and begin our journey north. I’ll call Uncle Colon later to ship the Bentley over to Brooklyn. It makes me guilty to think such a thing but I am not going to let Thomas’ gift go to waste.

“Do you really have to go?” Charlie whines from the backseat.

My grip on the wheel tightens. “I’m really sorry, Charlie. One day you might understand why. I will come by and visit sometime, I promise.”

Darkness falls by the time I pull into the driveway. Arrow House’s windows gleam warmly ahead and Charlie stares wide-eyed as we get closer. Outside I see Ada waiting for me.

“Hello, Charlie!” She greets as the young boy hops out and races for the door. “Your daddy’s waiting inside!” 

Ada doesn’t follow him and lingers next to me as I start to gather Charlie’s things from the trunk. Please, Ada. Not now. Let me have this night of relief with everyone and then I am gone. 

“I’m sailing over next week. You’re not waiting until then?”

I clench my jaw. “No, Ada. There’s no use stretching it out. I am not arguing it any further so please drop it.”

Ada groans and gently slaps her forehead. “Tell him! Tell him you love him! I’ll slap it into him if I have to!”

“No, Ada,” I retort firmly with a warning finger. “Just drop it. He goes for any other woman but me. Grace, May, Lizzie. Anyone else. He knocked up Lizzie, so now he will be attentive to her.”

Ada wants to say more but instead bites her lip and helps me carry the bags inside. Everyone’s sitting in the parlor while servants pass around enticing drinks. Charlie and Karl are off to the side playing. 

“Arthur!” I gasp when I see the familiar Shelby broer. “It’s so good to see you!”

He grins and raises a glass. “I’m still alive and kicking, Steenstra!”

Meanwhile my own broer sits next to Uncle Charlie and Johnny Doggs, no doubt hearing some very wild stories. Finn’s chatting with Bonnie and Isiah. Polly and Aberama seem to have grown on each other. Linda looks to have calmed down and Ada sends her own discrete message to me by passing me my own drink. The only one who is still bothered by my presence is Lizzie. Due to the pregnancy I hope she’s not drinking.

I hear footsteps enter the room and I don’t need to turn around to know it’s Thomas. The music is silenced and everyone turns to address him. Instead I choose to stare down at my glass of brandy.

“Oi! Before we eat, I’d like to say a few words,” Thomas addresses. “Last time we were all here, it ended badly. But now we’re in a happier place.” Thomas cuts it off and raises his glass. “That’s it, I’d just like to raise a toast.”

“Hold on.” Arthur holds up a hand and looks around at everyone as he sits up. “There’s a few words I’d like to say from the heart. And this time, you’re gonna let me finish, Tommy.”

His brother obliged, keeping his mouth shut for once. 

“As you all know, Arthur Shelby is dead. Because of that, Tommy’s offered me a way out. A new identity. Start a whole new life.”

Linda will like that very much. If Thomas offered this to his broer then there is no excuse why he should object to my own choice to leave.

“I’ve thought about it. Made a decision.” A smile slowly grows on Arthur’s face. “I ain’t fucking going nowhere.”

Some cheers echo throughout the room and others sit in silence. Thomas included. Alright, Arthur. You can keep yourself in this lifestyle. But don’t say that things will ever stay calm.

Arthur puts a foot on the coffee table and gestures to all of us. “Our enemies are dead, all of ‘em. I’d like to make a proposal that all of you, the Shelby Company Limited, insist that Tommy here takes some time off. Time you took a holiday, Tom. War’s over.” He raises his whiskey. “To peace.”

“To peace,” almost everyone echoes.

Thomas stays quiet and doesn’t make a move to drink. The same sadness from yesterday still paints his face. Oh, yes. Lizzie will adore it if he takes time off. She’s already smiling about it. Congratu-fucking-lations, Thomas.

Liam locks eyes with me across the room and he signals for the door. I give a quick nod and Liam gives the thumbs up. He stands up and we both start to take our leave-

“Verena, wait.”

Polly takes my hand and pulls me away into the kitchen. Not her too! Why can’t anyone just let me leave with peace and dignity?!

“I know I’ve been distant and I’m sorry.” She pulls out two chairs from the table and we both sit down. “Between my blasted headaches, Linda’s complaining, and Lizzie’s new pregnancy, I didn’t stop to think about how you pulled through this. How you stayed put together.”

I take another sip of my drink. “It’s fine. ‘S not the first time I had to travel alone.”

Polly shakes her head. “No, it’s not fine. Here. Let me read your future.”

She reaches for my hand despite my inner voice telling me to go. The kind woman means well and it brings me joy to talk with her again. But it’s too late now.

“Polly, I appreciate the thought, but the only premonition I expect to receive is from God.”

“And He will present it to me to give to you,” Polly insists. “Let’s see… Oh my.”

From the way she says that I can’t tell what whatever she sees is supposed to be. Good or bad? At this point I’ve lost enthusiasm.

“That dull? No surprise.” I push my chair out and start to leave. “Now please excuse me-”

“Verena. This is serious.” Polly keeps a grip on my hand.

I shoot her a look. “I’m not pregnant too, am I?”

She purses her lips at my bold remark. “No. It’s something else.”

I gulp down the rest of the brandy. “Does it mean life or death?”

Polly’s mouth presses into a line. “No.”

“Then I will wait for it.”

I pull away and march back to the hallway. 

“Your stubbornness to avoid challenging news makes you deaf,” Polly calls after me. “You cannot run away from this, Verena.”

Probably not. But I’m not waiting around here to find out. I ignore Polly’s premonition and walk up to Liam, who’s waiting impatiently by the door.

“Ready? If we get to the docks by morning-”

“Oi! Wait just a minute.”

No. No. No! I hear Thomas walk up behind me and he starts leading me into his office. Can’t Thomas take a fucking hint and see that I need to leave?!

“If you’re gonna be a while I’m having another drink!” Liam calls before I enter the office.

I might need one myself after this. Thomas shuts the door behind us and when I look up to face him there’s something in his eyes that makes me even more uneasy. Why does he have to look so good in that suit? I don’t know if I want to punch his lights out or- Damn it, Verena! Stop thinking about when you walked in on him in the bath!

“It’s settled. Michael and Ada will accompany you back to America. There you will help negotiate peace between us Englishmen and the Italians from Chicago.”

I squeeze against the wall as Thomas slowly walks past me to his desk. He pulls out a bottle and pours two whiskeys. Is that it? A quick goodbye and a drink for the road? Maybe I don’t have to worry so much after all. 

“And you? You’re finally going to rest?” I ask with raised eyebrows. “You’ve been carrying the world on your shoulders. Do as Arthur says, take some time off.”

Don’t think so crossly, Verena. Let him have this. Thomas deserves to have a halfway-normal life with his family. You can live out the rest of your life comforted by yours.

“And when I say time off, I mean it. No paperwork, no phone calls. You need to relax without working. Please tell me you’ll try to relax.”

At first Thomas waves it off but then wants to argue. “Verena-”

“Answer me.”

“Yes, love.” He gives in and hands me my drink. “Anything I can do for you, anything, just let me know.”

I take a swig and try to let the alcohol soothe me. “Alright, then. Spend more time with Charlie. He misses you. And remember to care for your new daughter.”

That’s all I can ask for now. If I can’t have Thomas’ love then I will see to it that his children do. Even if I have to order him to.

“We’re calling her Ruby. Ruby Shelby,” Thomas sighs and takes a sip of his own drink.

“That’s a pretty name. She’ll be a lovely girl.” 

Now Lizzie will probably take over and become Charlie's new mum. I’ve never seen her work well with kids but maybe she’ll change? I just hope she doesn’t prize her own child over Charlie.

“That’s all?”

I freeze. Those words. Those Goddamn words. The same ones I forced myself to ignore before Thomas went back to Grace. All of this could have been different if I hadn’t been so fucking quiet. 

“That is all, Mr. Shelby,” I stutter and regain a firm tone. “Enjoy your holiday.”

Get out get out get out! I put down the glass and pace to the door before any tears can form. Get out get out-

“If you have something to say then say it.”

Fuck. He’s not falling for it now. Thomas isn’t thick enough to ignore it again. He knows I’m not saying everything. Can’t he just let me go? Can’t he see I’m doing this to let him be happy? To save myself from any more heartbreak?

Still frozen midstep, I take a deep breath. “Actions speak louder than words. My neglect to object is my way of saying I want you to be happy.”

In the corner of my eye Thomas walks closer. I feel him grab my shoulders, turning me around to face him. His icy blue eyes stare me down and my heart seizes with fear. There’s that look again. Like he knows I’m hiding something. 

“And by that, would you say that you love me?” He whispers softly. “Look at me, love. Look at me. With God as your witness, look at me and tell me you don’t love me.”

His gentle tone paired with the tender yet heartless question leaves my mind crashing.

“Thomas. Please…”

“Say it.”

I shake my head to look away and hide the forming tears. “Don’t do this to me-”

“It’ll be quick and painless.” Thomas cups my shaking face. “Say it.”

“I- I… Oh Thomas!”

My body collapses and I fall back against the wall, turning away so I can hide my shame. Jesus, why is he doing this?!

“You can’t, can you?” I hear him ask. “‘Cause then you’d be lying.”

Snap! Something tugs in my brain and in a split second my jumbled nerves are replaced by ignited anger. I whip my head around to glare at Thomas’ blank, dumbass face with a look moeder would be proud of.

“Stop tormenting me! I can’t keep this up. I am not going to sob here like a pathetic child and listen to you belittle my heart any further!” I storm up to him and back him against the desk. “You might think that pushing me aside will spare my feelings. Well, the honest truth is it hurts, Thomas. It really hurts me to be treated like this. That is why I am no longer going to work from Birmingham.”

Thomas, still gaping at me with shock and fear painted on his face, stays silent as I march to the door. Happy now, Thomas? I’m probably one of the only women to ever walk away from you with this much dignity. How does it feel to be on the other end of shouting?

I tightly grip the door and give him one last glare. “Goodbye, Thomas.”

Thud!

The door slams and I strut down the hall, the clicking of my heels ringing throughout the house. If anyone else tries to stop me from leaving they’re going to be met with a first to their nose.

“Liam! We are leaving!” I bark, letting my voice echo through the house. “Now!”

My broer scrambles out of the parlor and meets me at the door.

“Finally ready? It’s really dark now and- Verena?” He does a double-take when he sees my tense face. “Zus? What’s wrong?”

“If I ever fall in love again, you have my full permission to give me a smack on the head,” I answer sternly as we step into the bitter wind outside.

Though I put aside my heart for you, Thomas Shelby, I am still human. I’m sorry, Grace. I will not be able to keep my promise to take care of them. It’s up to Lizzie now.

@meadows5

[everythingne]

out of the woods — LS2

bahrain goes far better than dhanishka could have ever hoped, but she celebrates a bit too hard. landing herself in troubled waters.

logan sargeant x ferrari!ex!oc / fc: iffat marash/maitreyi ramakrishnan (adult) / hamda al qubaisi (young)

warnings/notes: mentions of past car accidents, drunkeness, a makeout scene,[] used to denote other languages being spoken, the oc is indian/desi, however the author is NOT, pls pls pls correct me on any inaccuracies ♥️

original plot masterlist / rewrite masterlist / b chapter two

Bahrain hasn't even started, Dhanishka's home race hasn't even started, and she already fely like she was about to snap. Dhanishka knew coming into this race there was a lot of pressure on her to do well, not to mention how basically everyone she knew and their fucking mother was here, but from Ferrari alone. This was the season they planned to solidify Charles and Ferrari next to Red Bull. They'd been secretive about their car, their plans, and whatever, just to hopefully psyche out the other teams.

Personally, Dhanishka just wanted to win for herself, but that's a whole other story.

When Dhanishka walk in the race, cameras are on her faster than she can say her name, thousands of eyes watching the only rookie this season as she makes her way into the paddock. Inside the paddock is no better, and the garage can't even be a safe haven as reporters walking the pit lane try to get video of Dhanishka and Charles greeting each other.

He's like a bright red beacon of safety amidst the chaos of this morning. He hands her a coffee, says it's supposed to be some sort of weird chai thing. It tastes... like slightly more bitter and heavily espresso filled chai. But Dhanishka drinks it anyway because lord knows she'll need the energy.

"You look stressed, is it the race?" Charles asks after the first debriefing, when Dhanishka is working on reaction times. She keeps working at whacking the buttons, eyes trained on the center as she also works on periphery.

"I think so." Dhanishka says, uninterested, and Charles purposefully messes up the game so she looks at him with a loud exclamation. He grins, and now understands why Arthur had punched Charles in the arm as a greeting once.

He looks like a cat that knows it's done something wrong, but smugly doesn't care. Like Dhanishka's aunt's big brown cat named Porsche.

They'd bought her a 'Porsche' for her birthday that year. Haha.

"What's it actually?" Charles asks when she catches her breath a little, taking a big gulp of water and then sipping on the coffee-chai-thing.

"I talked to Logan after we left the restaurant and I can't stop thinking about it." Dhanishka set down the cup and go to return to the game before Charles grabs her wrist and pulls her back.

"You talked to him?" Charles pauses, "Dhanishka, you talked--"

"Yes. I talked to him, it didn't go very well. We ended up in a screaming mach in front of the restaurant." And the flush on her face makes Charles hesitate before softly asking,

"Do you wanna talk about it before the race? Maybe get it out of your system so it doesn't affect you while driving?"

"You're talking like you speak from experience."

"Maybe I do." He hums and Dhanishka huffs through her nose, before grabbing both of her drinks when Charles nods his head back to his drivers room. Probably the only place here the two of them could get privacy. He pops Dhanishka down on his couch, shuts the door, and sits next to her, motioning for the girl to talk.

Dhanishka stammers a bit before sighing, “Logan still thinks it’s my fault. He still thinks I had something to do with the accident. And I’m a fucking idiot because I still love him.”

Charles’ eyes widen as Dhanishka leans forward and huffs, rubbing her forehead as she keeps talking, “I still love him after three years. And he doesn’t love me back and that hurts but I can’t do anything about it.”

"You still love him?" Charles asks in a shocked whisper and Dhanishka nods, and then hitches forward with a sharp gasp like she's in pain.

Well, there is a migraine forming behind her eyes. But she pushes it away for now.

Saying the words out loud have thrown every possible emotion in her face. Anger at Logan for breaking up, regret for not chasing him, a deep sorrow for the things Dhanishka had lost. He had been her first love, something so innocent. She didn't know how she was supposed to live without him, not then, not now.

"I do," She whispers through the lump in her throat, "I love him, but I can't even look at him without feeling sick."

For once with all the issues Dhanishka;s come to tell Charles about--past and present, this is one that stumps him. But he wraps an arm around her regardless, pulling the rookie to his side as he rubs his hand along her back. It's a motion she's seen him do to Arthur--especially after he was dropped by the Ferrari Academy, and it makes her want to sob.

But, for favor of a migraine, she bites down the tears. After maybe ten minutes, she's calmed down fully. Or, enough for now.

"No matter what happens, I've got you." Charles says softly when Dhanishka detaches from his side, "just like at dinner, I've got you."

She nod and he hands her a tissue to fix up my makeup. And she stands to wander over to a mirror, Charles watching her body language like a hawk, until Alex knocks and steps in when told to.

"Dani!" She chirps, stepping over to wrap her arms around the rookie, "Ugh, why are you crying?"

"It's just, stupid boy stuff." Dhanishka waves a hand, overing Alexandra a soft smile, "Don't worry about it."

"Well," Alexandra takes Dhanishka' napkin and wipes at her face, "let me know if I need to yell at him."

Charles chuckles, standing, making his way over to press a kiss to her cheek--making Alex yip and complain about him smudging her blush--but the grin on her face shows no anger.

And its the softness of them, in private and public, that makes Dhanishka's mind wander a little bit into the past before she shakes it off at the sound of Joris calling for Charles.

The sun is long set when they start the race, the warm up lap making Dhanishka's nerves spark as my fingers twitch on the steering wheel. She knew Bahrain's track like the backs of her hands, she knew exactly what to expect and what to do and where to go. There had been countless times she'd raced here, but now the stakes were all much much higher. Starting p8 wasn't terrible, anyone would've preferred to be higher but Dhanishka knew to just take what she can get and work with it. She had the ability to do so. In front of her is Yuki, Carlos, Daniel, Charles, Oscar, Lando, and Max. With Logan directly behind her and Alex behind him.

Not super worried about Alex, Dhanishka adjusts her gloves, recounting the driving styles of her contenders. Logan had a pretty similar driving style to her so she should probably worry about him coming up and overtaking. There's a confidence in knowing she can overtake (probably) Yuki, Carlos, and Daniel if she gives herself time and risks going wide when it comes to Carlos. But Lando, Oscar and Max will be her biggest competition. Though she's not sure about Charles, it depends on what team orders are told on the radio.

Within the first five laps, a lucky near miss with Yuki and Carlos allows Dhanishka to cut through them both without a problem, but Daniel's giving her a run for her money. Charles even tries helping, but it's no use, and she takes her place behind Daniel for the foreseeable future as Charles leers ahead.

Holding P6 at the beginning isn't the worst scenario. But there's a tension in waiting until people starting going in to box, hopefully something will allow her to use that to get around.

Eventually, Daniel understeers and it gives her a perfect opportunity to whip around him and she fights a bit before being able to solidify herself in P5. Oscar's ahead of her, Lando ahead of him, Charles in P2 and then Max holds P1. Charles is fighting him for it and with it just being the first race, Dhanishka impressed with how we're doing so far.

At some point Logan comes up behind Dhanishka, maybe in the last five laps? The whole race is an adrenaline blur Dhanishka can't remember. But she knows Logan comes up too hard, forcing him to nearly push her to the edge of the track. On a whim, Dhanishka speeds up, purposefully oversteering the turn to knock Logan off her back.

But, they both are definitely dangerously close to track limits, even if they end up unscathed from the near miss.

Logan swings up on the straight, wheel to wheel with Dhanishka. She knows he plans to force her wide, so she guns it into the turn, skipping her back tires just a tad to keep the turn level. Taking the outside line isn't Dhanishka's forte, but something she's trained for on the off occassion it would happen.

She jams up, and curses, Lando clips the side of Charles in a tight turn, sending debris towards her and Logan. To avoid it, Logan jams on his brakes and dips behind Dhanishka, and she uses Lando's pause as a moment. There's a longer straight here, and she jams the enigne as high as it will go to fly past both drivers. Lando becoming a sort of 'Logan barrier.'

And as she crosses the line, she hears, "Last lap! Hold position!"

And shes honestly just fine defending, letting Max and Charles battle it out for first. Lando holds well with basically 2/3rds of a wing, and Dhanishka's not surprised no safety car gets called for the debris. Which, is still there when she passes the second time.

But as the race is called, Dhanishka's mechanics screaming in her headset, she can't even do anything but let out a loud, "Yes! Yes! Oh, wallahi, wow. Wow. We did it!"

Dhanishka can't really feel anything under the thrum of her excitement, pulling up to the boards in a flurry of thanks to the team as she scrambles to get up and out of the car before she starts shaking from adrenaline. She pops her steering wheel back in, and is tearing off her helmet and balaclava when she hears Charles' laugh.

He scoops her up off the ground, barely giving her time to place her items down, and she bursts into a high laugh--shoving the hat on her head to hide her helmet hair.

"Lets go! 'Ishka!" Charles jumps as he sets her down, and Dhanishka turns to properly give him a hug.

"HOw the hell did I just do that?" Dhanishka asks, looking over her shoulder as Max gives her a solid whack.

"Call it beginners luck," He grins, "Congrats, kid."

Max grabs the brim of her hat and yanks it down, making her yelp in surprise as Charles cackles once more, mixing in a melody with Max's soft rumble of laughter. Lifting up the brim, Dhanishka scowls, playfully whacking Max's chest as a organizer begins ushering them off to their teams. Ferrari is beyond estatic, and Charles lets Dhanishka go first to run and dive into her team. He laughs behind, helping her back down as they pass around to give tight hugs.

"Babli!" Dhanishka's head whips around at her fathers call and she grins, running over faster than she thinks her legs can carry her and crashing into his chest. His arms are solid around her and she hides her face in his shoulder.

"We are so proud of you," He says softly in the rumble of the crowd, her mother agreeing as she dusts back her daughters wild statically tangled hair from the race.

"So so proud," Her mother says, and when she steps back, she makes sure to give her mother and sister two tight hugs before she has to go off to the cool down room with Charles, meetin gup with Max on the way.

Time is blurry when Dhanishka stumbles her way onto the stage. The hometown crowd is roaring, the chanting of various things rattling her bones as she shakes hands with someone and is handed her trophy.

She spots her parents in the crowd, Shivani screaming and clapping, her parents silently cheering her on with proud, beaming smiles.

And Dhanishka throws the trophy up, catching it, and a triumphant shout leaves her throat in time with the roar of the country that's held her in their hearts.

Dipping back into the paddock, Dhanishka sees Logan being ushered away from her by Alex. Even though the sight of him makes her throat close and stomach drop, she tries to keep her head up. Trying to not let it affect me, but she knows it does.

Dhanishka has to remind herself that she told Logan the truth. She let him him go because he wanted to go. Nothing Logan did now would change the way her heart ached for him, but it wouldn't change her decisions either. In F2, she learned quickly to shove her emotions down and never let them escape, and when she wasn't in the safety of Charles' company, Dhanishka felt like she had fallen back into that same routine again.

Cold, sharper than a tack, everything rolled right off. She bit her tongue when necessary, fought back only when provoked.

It was nothing like how she had been before Trident. That much was known. But she wasn't about to be used again. Never again.

A few hours later, Dhanishka is in the hall of the hotel room Charles is staying in, him laying face first on his bed while she fixes up her makeup in a mirror for the upteenth time. He chuckles at something on his phone and Dhanishka glances over, watching as he sits up with a sheepish grin she knows all too well.

"Alex, again?" she inquires and the Monegasque grins like a puppy, making Dhanishka laugh.

"She just was congratulating us," He defends, rubbing the back of his neck before leaning forward.

"Tell her I said thank you," Dhanishka adjusts her outfit once more. Fidgeting while waiting for it to be time to leave, she wasn't sure why she felt so antsy. It was another night out to celebrate the season kickoff, Max inviting most of the grid to one of the clubs Dhanishka had frequented for years with her sister and friends.

Charles stands, adjusting his necklace that lays over the black tee and baggy jeans he's wearing. Nothing too crazy for him, but Dhanishka looks a bit different. With a Ferrari jacket wrapped around her, she hides the little black dress shes wearing underneath, and all the jewelry she's amassed over the years.

"Revenge dress?" He muses to Dhanishka with a smirk, coming behind her, and she rolls her eyes and whacks his arm with a loud laugh.

"It wasn't intended to be, but sure." She grins as she leans over to grab her wine glass off the table in front of the mirror and down the rest of the glass. A loose pregame to the night. She turns back to Charles with a smirk, "Glad to see you've gotten a bit of fashion advice, the polo looks good. If Max is wearing anything Red Bull I'll choke him out."

"I'll help you." Charles laughed and hands Dhanishka his wallet. She pops it in her purse without thinking. She knows it's so she won't run off without him, and while Dhanishka pretends to be annoyed--the action is sweet.

"We have a little private room with some of the other drivers," Charles grabs their phones off the chargers and hands Dhanishka hers as he pockets his, fixes his hair in some sort of habit, and then looks back to her as he grabs the handle of the door, "So, you can leave your stuff there until we leave."

"Sounds good to me." Dhanishka follows him out the door, her heels clicking on the tile on the hallway as they move down to where the carpet starts.

"Logan's gonna be there. That's fine with you?" Charles asks softly, glancing back over his shoulder at Dhanishka and watching as she gives a half hearted shrug.

"I probbaly wont even see him, this club is always packed." Dhanishka reasons. Especially with a private room, where she was sure some of the more introverted drivers would hide in whereas Dhanishka would spend most of her night at the bar. Or the dance floor.

"Are you sure?" Charles holds the elevator door open for Dhanishka, letting her step in before he presses the button down to lobby. As the doors shut, Dhanishka takes a step back to lean against the wall of the elevator and run her fingers along the edges of her hair.

"It's fine. I'm over it." Dhanishka's tone comes out more deflecting than she means for it to, as she looks herself up and down in the mirror of the doors in front of them. She's not afraid to admit that she looks good whether that's the alcohol or the confidence form her P3 talking she can't be sure.

"You cried over Logan this morning," Charles hums, thinking back to his intervention this monring, "but now you're saying you're over it?"

"One," Dhanishka counters, "I look hot."

This makes Charles laugh, shaking his head as she rolls his eyes.

"Two, I just got P3 in my first ever Formula 1 race." I am hot, sexy, breaking the Ferrari curse and beating my ex-boyfriend at the same time. Clearly I am winning in life." Dhanishka playfully does a z-snap at Charles as the doors to the elevator slide open and he has no time to rebute her claim as they make their way into the lobby.

Outside, tucked in the parking garage, was a Ferrari. One sent over by the team for Charles and Dhanishka. They'd only driven it from the airport to the hotel, and now to this club, with a driver from Ferrari too. IT felt like... too much luxury. Dhanishka was well off, sure, but her family had worked their assess off to get where they were. Dhanishka could remember the days of low money and her parents fighitng to get raises..

So now, it just feels like a waste, even when she understands safety is a high prioroity for her now.

But as Charles lets her in the back, she can't deny the new lap of luxury she finds herself in is quite nice. So she leans back with a content sigh, watching as Charles does the same and grins,

"Let's not get too fucked up," He chimes, "early flight tomorrow."

"Speak for yourself, bitch." Dhanishka grins, and Charles bursts into laughter.

dhanishkadubey made a new post!

liked by logansargeant, oscarpiastri, charlesleclerc, and 254k others...

dhanishkadubey: kicking off the start of a wonderful szn. much love to the tifosi 🏎️ ❤️ (📷: @ charlesleclerc)

charlesleclerc: ❤️

danielricciardo: this bitch drinks fireball like water.

-- dhanishkadubey: ur rlly exposing me like this danny :(?

user1: congrats on p3!!!

oscarpiastri: go dhanishka go !!

user2: tensions rising in the loscar fandom tn

maxverstappen: great start to your rookie year, dhanishka :)

anyadubey: YAAA THATS MY SEXY SISTER!!!

user3: actually in love w her.

When the two Ferrari drivers arrive at the club, the place is already going hard. Early 2000s music pulses from various speakers, the lights flashing to the beat of who Dhanishka thinks is Britney Spears mixed with that one song from Saltburn. It's Daniel who greets the two in the upstairs room, showing them where to leave their bags and jackets while Charles is escorted off to the side by Pierre and Max. Dhanishka spots Esteban and Lance chatting idly with Magnussen and some other racers. It's odd combinations tonight, as the grouping strays from the normal clumps of friends, but it means Dhanishka luckily find myself engrossed in a conversation with Alex and George maybe thirty minutes after getting inside.

The most normal pair of the night, other than Lando and Oscar miserably failing at some game in a corner of the club.

"I seriously thought you were gonna be much meaner!" George shouts over the pulsing music and Dhanishka laughs as he hands her a drink from the bartender. Taking a big sip, Dhanishka thanks the bartender, nodding at the sour taste she's expecting from the cocktail.

Catching George's eye, Dhanishka teases, "Do you want me to be?"

"God no," George waves a hand in her direction with a soft laugh, something playful and almost childlike gleaming in his eyes as he tilts his head, "Carmen's plenty mean to me."

"Oh stop!" Alex scoffs, whacking George's arm, "As if Carmen's little jabs equate to Lily's!"

"Didn't you literally call Lily the doll from Squid Game?" Dhanishka pipes up to ask, then pops her straw in her mouth and take a slow sip. Alex freezes as if he's been caught red handed, and George suppresses a giggle.

"Look..." Alex holds up a hand in defense but George and Dhanishka are laughing too hard to really hear whatever excuse he uses to defend his actions. The night is young and free, but across the bar Dhanishka can't help but catch a set of blue eyes.

Beer dribbles across Logans lips, and as if payback for the resturant, Logan lifts a thumb to slowly trace the remnants off his lip before grinning mischievously and turning back into the crowd with a drunken sway.

Even if he's gone, Dhanishka can feel his hands haunting along her skin--memories that refuse to die--even as she chugs the rest of her drink and orders another to calm her nerves.

"Okay, can I ask you a question, Dhanishka?" Alex asks when George leans on the bar next to him. Instinctually, Alex is leaning forward on the bar as Dhanishka settle in her seat. A now stronger version of her previous drink in hand. With a bit of hesitance, Dhanishka nods and Alex takes a pause to roll the question through his head. He takes a sip of his drink, swallows, and turns to ask, "If you wanna answer, what exactly happened with you and Logan? 'Cause he's been moping since you got announced to be racing with Ferrari and I might lose my mind if he doesn't knock it off."

"Oh god," Dhanishka says into her midori sour, taking the bitter drink into her mouth and swallowing it and setting my hand over the cup as she settles it in her lap. George leans over to look, head slightly tilted like a puppy as Alex quickly speaks up.

"If you don't wanna say anything, it's fine, but--"

"--No, no. It's fine Alex," She's quick to wave a hand, "uhm, Logan and I started dating when we were racing in Renault, but we'd been kinda... I guess flirty since the end of our formative years and into like secondary school. We were... I was fifteen, so he was seventeen or sixteen at the time? It was just like... puppy love, y'know? Pure and innocent, nothing too serious.

"And, we were both in love and it was nice. It really was nice. But, when that crash happened with Trident, I think something snapped in him. I... the breakup... it came from nowhere. I don't know if it was because he was mad, thinking I had something to do with it, or if he just... didn't know what to do and needed control after Trident took that P2 position from him? I don't know. We hadn't spoken since that day until last night."

"You talked to him last night?" Alex asks with slightly wide eyes, George's jaw dropping like a teenager, Dhanishka manages a shaky nod, taking another sip of the drink.

"We argued about it last night while waiting to leave." She sighs, rolling her shoulders as she pops the straw between her lips and takes a long slow sip, then she speaks, "He thought I had something to do with the crash, I told him I didn't, he asked me why I let him leave--which, Alex, feel free to tell him I think that's a dumb fucking question. I wasn't gonna force him to stay if he was unhappy, or if he didn't wanna date anymore. I'm not a monster."

"Wait, wait," George waves a hand to grab her attention and she turns to him with a soft hum, "So is he mad at you?"

"I don't know," Dhanishka finishes off the second drink, noticing both George and Alex are not even halfway down their first drinks. Oops. She can't find it in her to care, "I can't tell with him. I would completely understand if he was furious about everything, but none of it was my fault. I didn't even know Trident planned to crash into him!"

"I'm gonna try talking to him," Alex looks over at someone to the right of Dhanishka, towards where Logan had been earlier, and she doesn't even have to look to know he means Logan's there. Slowly, she shrugs. Alex takes that as his permission to slip off the stool, George hesitating to follow. Luckily, he lingers long enough to ask Dhanishka where she's going-- and escorts her up to the VIP room, to make sure she arrives fine, and then leaves Dhanishka to Daniel. There's a pause as he finishes his shot with Max, who grins at Dhanishka and gives her a side hug as she steps closer.

"You've had something to drink, right?" Daniel asks and Dhanishka nods. Max taking a 'chaser' of his gin and tonic shortly after as Lando and Charles come over form where Carlos has been attempting to teach the two darts.

"Join us for a couple drinks, y'know, for the race winner!" Danny drags Dhanishka away from Max giving her a loose side hug as Max tilts back his drink and finishes it off.

"Ay," Carlos whacks Max's back, nearly making the Dutch man choke on the last few drops of his drink, "She's the winner, not you."

The group laughs, moving through the room, and finding themselves in the back corner of one of the bars in the club. Throughout their time crowded there, drivers come and go. Oscar and Lily sit for an hour before leaving for the night, Alex and George staying for a long while before Alex goes off to find where Logan's playing pool with Lando. Eventually, Checo approaches, ordering every driver in the vicinity the strongest tequila he can find, and having them all take various numbers of shots.

As the night gets woozy, Dhanishka finishes up their tabs by ordering everyone soju shots with water glasses as chasers, standing up as she shouts over the music, "Here's to a good season ahead!"

The group cheers whilst tapping their glasses together, and to the nearest surface, before downing the sweet liquid. As the night in the club pulls to an unceremonious close, groups begins to clump together. Dhanishka ending up with Max, Charles, and Daniela round five when the club starts to close up. So much for her early flight.

"Danny!" She calls to the Australian, who turns in a full circle before realizing where she's standing. He nods, smiling as he loosely stumbles closer to Dhanishka doesn't have to shout.

"The bathrooms right there," She points to a hallway and Daniel nods, "Can you grab my stuff and I'll meet you guys by the door?"

"Yeah, just be quick! Text me if you need anything!" He squeezes Dhanishka's arm and turns to the fleeting call of Max. It doesn't take much effort for Dhanishka to control her swaying enough to make her way down the stairs with solid methodical steps.

She's far too drunk for this.

Her knee buckles on the last step, her hand flying out to catch herself before she plummets, and two hands shoot out to grab her by the ribs and yank her forward--crashing her against the strangers chest. The warm palms that cover her ribs are far too familiar, and Dhanishka steps back to profusely apologize and thank the stranger in the same breath. However, the sight of blue eyes draws the air out of her lungs involuntarily, her chest and cheeks burning red.

Dhanishka, somehow, swallows her pride enough to squeak out a small thank you.

Logan's eye twitches in frustration as his hands drop to his sides now that Dhanishka stands steady. He can't hide the bite in his voice as he says,, "Are you going to tell everyone about our break-up?"

"Alex and George asked, asshole." Dhanishka fires back, "And why does it matter? Everything was blasted online! If I said no, they'd probably just look it up, and I'd rather they got the truth."

"Or the lie that you had no part in it." Logan mutters, going to move past him, and Dhanishka cuts him off.

"Are you going to start a fucking fight everytime I see you?"

The hallway is quiet with tension Dhanishka feels suffocating her. She can't breathe, can't think. She definitely can't when Logan yanks her down the hall, pushing her into a darkened corner and boxing her in as some strangers pass by. They probably assume the two are flirting, giggling behind hands, soft compliments whispered between kisses, drunken smiles. If only they knew the look in Logan's eyes. Something dark. Something Dhanishka hasn't seen on his face before. She wants so badly to decipher it, but she'd lose the guide to Logan's emotions years ago, like the beads of her necklace that had fallen down the drain.

"You..." He scrambles to find the words, fists opening and closing in frustration as his eyes flicker up to Dhanishka, "You are some sort of sickness I can't get rid of--a fucking plague in my thoughts--always fucking there."

He's closer, chest blocking the light from the hall, his hand on her jaw forcing her face up as he grits his teeth, "And you look far too pretty when you're smug like this."

"You're quite cute when you're angry too, Sargeant." Dhanishka says, and his lips dip down--but pause. Ever the gentleman, he waits for a moment for Dhanishka. His hands coming to rest on her ribs like he'd just saved her again.

Her bangles clink when her arm lifts to wrap around his shoulders, pulling him down the rest of the way and into her lips. They fit together like a warm blanket on a cold day. Lips intertwined. As if sewn together, the kiss a perfect remedy to a broken heart. Logan's hands are solid, controlled against her body as he brings her closer until he can slide them down to rest across her lower back. Dhanishka arching into him between two, deep, slow, well timed kisses that send her mind tumbling back to nights hidden under the blankets on the couch--praying no one was awake as they tested the waters of simple teenage love. The kiss brings back Dhanishka's warm heart, sending it pounding in each other limbs, making her dizzy and weightless. She knows Logan feels it too, the unmistakable feeling of being right where you were supposed to be.

His lips tumble down her jaw, smearing lipstick against her neck, and the feeling makes Dhanishka gasp, her eyes flying open, "Logan--why are we doing this to ourselves?"

He steps back then, lips red from hers, a slight puff as he mumbles, "What are you talking about?"

"We shouldnt... this is all going to mean nothing tomorrow, you realize that, right?" Dhanishka swallows, "We're drunk and..."

"We're drunk, and I still love you." He whispers and Dhanishka feels tears pool in her eyes. She prays that, somehow, between the tequila and the soju she won't remember this in the morning.

"Don't say that." She whispers, and Logan nods, his words falling out with a warm breath that feels like a fire against her neck, "Can I show you it instead?"

Dhanishka nods. And it's the best, and worst decision she's ever made. His hands pull her back in, pressing her back against the wall with his chest holding her back. Her hands raise to curl into his hair, each kiss feeling like centuries worth of longing. Like falling in love, over and over again. He nips her bottom lip, using a knee to knock Dhanishka's legs apart to step between them. He leans in, presses just right to have a familiar, years long gone heat curling up Dhanishka's stomach.

"Lo, please." Dhanishka isn't even sure what shes asking. More? Less? She can't tell, but Logan isn't slowing down. The pulse of the club's last songs rumbles through the wall in vibrations that make Dhanishka's already spinning world practically buzz. The feeling, mixed with the way Logan's hands teasingly drift just enough lower as he drags her in once more, making sure she feels everything, has Dhanishka breaking the kiss with a whimper.

A few more kisses scatter across their time, and finally when the light headed feeling gets enough, Logan leans back but only enough to rest their foreheads together. He's stained with lipstick. Dhanishk a is sure she is too. 22R being the only thing linking them together. When she swallows, her mouth no longer tastes like tequila and soju, a lingering hint of whiskey and shitty bottled beer stains her tongue. It's everything she knows to run from, and yet, she finds she needs it more now than ever.

When their eyes met, Logan seems to sober. Sheepishly murmuring, "That was an accident."

The words Dhanishka had wanted him to say earlier, the sobering realization she had been hoping he'd have before crashing her lips into his, suddenly feels like a knife piercing her heart. She feels like he's carving her open, taking her heart into his hands like a toy.

"You started this." She whispers harshly, shoving Logan back. He stumbles, now looking up at her like a kicked puppy as she sneers, "You're the one who can't ignore me! I've spent so long blocking you out, why can't you just go away! You keep doing all these things, and they take me back--"

"Don't act like you didn't want that too!" He counters, "And don't pretend its only you suffering, Dhanishka! I'm suffering too! I miss you as much as I did the day you left."

"I didn't leave, you broke up with me!" Dhanishka wipes a hand futilely across her neck, as if scrubbing away the truth imbedded with teeth marks on her skin. She hates the tears that well in her eyes, "How is that my fucking fault?!"

"You knew!"

"Fuck off with that! I would never!" Dhanishka shoves Logan fully out of her way now. He hits the wall, stunned, before his hand darts out tog rab her wrist in a gentle hold--

"Isa, please." He begs, but whatever rebuttal he has is lost over the ringing in her ears over the nickname that used to make her giddy in his accent. She tears herself away with lightning speed as the lights in the club brighten, she turns to look at herself in the hall mirror and fix herself up.

"You don't get to call me that." She hisses, before rubbing at her neck until it's raw as she runs up the stairs away from her mistakes. Logan calls for her again, but she doesn't care, dipping through the crowd until she finds Danny and Max waiting by the doors. She doesn't say anything, just pushes herself out of the club, stumbling to where she sees Charles standing by the side of the building.

She feels so sick she just stumbles up and crashes into his chest in a shaky sob. Charles is quick to ask a million questions, but Dhanishka brushes each one off--she's tired, she's just not in it tonight, she wants to go home. It's almost like Charles' knows its somethign else, though he never says, he just holds Dhanishka to his chest as they wait for their ride with Max and Danny on the corner.

He doesn't say anything when Logan walks past them, calling goodnight with the floral scent of Dhanishka's perfume and the marks of her lips on his neck, clinging to him as he walks by without even a glance back.

f1

liked by logansargeant, mclarenracing, lancestroll, and others...

f1: Due to track limits, @ dhanishkadubey will receive a unique 'grid penalty' of five 'point places.' This penalty will only affect her points, dropping her to +10pts rather than+25pts. She will keep her title and trophy.

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general tag list (open, tagged in all my fics, inbox to be removed for this series)

@d3kstar @justalittlejess @tvdtw4ever @llando4norris @daemyratwst @piastri-fvx @sltwins @armystay89

series specific (open, thank you!)

@awritingtree

[holylulusworld]

Designed by pain (3)

Summary: Broken hearts are hard to put back together. 8 years ago, Dean lost something he didn’t even know he had in the first place. Will he get a second chance?

Pairing: former AU!Dean Winchester x fem!Reader; Arthur Ketch x fem!Reader

Warnings: angst, language, implied break-up, time jumps, strong reader

A/N: This was an alternative idea for the first chapter of my Bucky story: Monster-in-law masterlist. I decided to use it for a story with Dean.

Designed by pain masterlist

Designed by pain (2)

Time is a funny thing. One moment you look at old pictures of the love you lost to reminisce, and the next moment, the life you knew is long gone.

A heartbeat later eight years are gone, and you are sitting in an airplane leading back to your old life.

You take a deep breath, and exhale sharply, feeling Ketch’s eyes on you.

“Y/N, if only you told me about this earlier. I would’ve asked someone else to come with me. I should’ve known better than to ask you to face the man breaking your heart.” Ketch became our closest friend over the amount of eight years. He’s your son’s godfather and the big brother you never had. “Are you sure this is okay?”

“I’ve got this, Arthur,” you glance at your laptop to check on the timetable for the meeting with Winchester & Singer Inc. once again. “I’m not the girl he left.”

Arthur sighs deeply but ignores the anxiety clawing at his chest. The last thing he wanted was to force you to face your past. “If you want to stay at the hotel, I can go to the meeting and tell them you got sick.”

“Your designer didn’t get sick. This is my project and won’t stay away from the meeting only because there is a slight possibility that I will run into that man!”

He gives up but worriedly watches you squirm in your seat. You still hate flying but try to put a brave face on. You’re fierce and strong-headed. Only one of the many things he likes about you.

“If you want me to, I’ll break his face after we sealed the deal,” Ketch casually says. “I’m not scared of getting my hands dirty.”

“No,” you grab his hand and squeeze it. “He’s not worth it, Arthur. After all these years I know Dean never felt anything for me. Even his brother tried to contact me years ago. I wasn’t very nice to Sam, but it had to be done.”

A split second can change your life. Dean never believed in fate or karma. But when you step inside the conference room, another man by your side, he’s suddenly a believer.

You take his breath away. Even if you aged, you did it with grace and grew even more beautiful. You carry yourself like no other woman, and he can barely keep himself from pouncing on you.

“Y/N?” Sam is the one rising from his seat first. He does what Dean wants to do. Sam wraps you in a hug, ignoring the man next to you. “It’s really you, Y/N. How have you been?”

“I’m good,” you pat his back, unsure how to react to Sam’s friendliness. “I hope you have been good too.”

Sam finally releases you. He apologizes for not greeting Ketch and shakes your boss’s hand. “Welcome, Mr. Ketch. We are glad you are willing to meet up with us.”

“My pleasure,” Ketch curtly replies. He shakes Sam’s hand while you look around the room. Dean’s eyes meet yours, but you act like he’s one of the people in the room you do not know. He’s only someone you used to know now.

“Daddy, daddy," you freeze when a little boy storms into the conference room. For a moment you watch Dean's reaction. His eyes are trained on you as his brother picks the boy up.

“And who is this young man,” your features soften for a moment, and you look at the boy in Sam’s arms. You blink and put a straight face on. Showing weakness is not in your plans. If this gets too intense you can cry in your hotel room, but not in front of Dean. Never in front of him.

"Y/N, this is Samuel, my son," you nod, turning your attention back toward Ketch, and the papers on the conference table.

Dean took the chance and stepped toward you and Ketch. He greeted your boss, and now he’s staring at you, eyes sparkling as you try to ignore his existence.

"Don't you want to greet Sam's son," Dean wonders but you remain stoic. "Y/N?” He questions. You loved kids, and always played with the children of your friends. Now you ignore the cute boy right in front of you. “What’s wrong with you?”

"I'm not into kids, Dean. What shall I do? Faint?" you huff and sit down, claiming the next best seat at the conference table. You unlock your phone and try to ignore Dean is standing right next to you.

"This isn't you, Y/N," you whip your head toward Dean, face still stoic. “Where is the quirky and lovely girl? Where is the girl who wanted kids and love?"

"Well," you slowly get back up to glare at Dean, a cold smile on your lips, "this is me after you." He inhales sharply, taken aback by your words. "Designed by pain, betrayal, and broken trust. Don't you like your creation?"

His jaw goes slack, and he flinches at your words. Dean doesn’t find his voice, and he swallows thickly.

You don’t wait for his reply. Instead of waiting for him to tell you that you are in the wrong, you sit back down and focus on your job. You’re here to sign the deal of the century, not to entertain Dean Winchester.

Dean can’t believe you have changed so much. Yes, eight years have passed, and he didn’t see you since he fucked things up. Still, you are so different from the girl he loved.

You’re not quirky and bubbly any longer. Maybe you told him the truth. Your new you got designed by pain. The pain he caused so many years ago.

“Did you listen,” John hisses at his eldest son. He clears his throat and tries to pull Dean’s attention toward business and away from you. “I know she’s still a hot piece of ass but get your shit together. You can dick down some bitch later.”

You wrinkle your nose. John is not very subtle. He whispered his insults, but you heard every word. Some things never change. John Winchester is still disgusting and sleazy.

“Shall we come to an end then,” Bobby Singer raises his voice. “I think we are all tired of talking about details. We should sign the papers and have a drink.”

You smirk. Bobby Singer owns a special place in your heart. Not only because he was the one getting you the job in London, but for having your back for years.

He covered your traces and made sure no one was able to find you. Not even Sam Winchester who tried anything to get in touch with you.

A single phone call was all it took to make him stop. You told him that you were about to marry and that you never loved his brother.

“Y/N, wait,” Dean puts his hand on your shoulder before you get the chance to follow Ketch out of the conference room. Your boss is engrossed in a conversation with Bobby and doesn’t see your face fall. “Can we at least talk? It’s good to see you.”

“Why?” You swat his hand off your shoulder but turn around to face him. “You didn’t want to talk after you embarrassed me in front of your family. I gave you a choice Dean. I left a note, almost begging you to not let me down.” 

“You didn’t leave a note. All I found was the engagement ring!” He gets louder. “After all these years you lie to me?”

“I left a note on the bed and placed the ring on top of the note. You didn’t call or come around. That’s all I needed to know. You wanted your ex, and I had to take care of…whatever.” You shrug and turn back around. “Who cares about the past? You had your reasons for not trying to fix things between us.”

“There was no note,” Dean says, a little confused about your behavior. “I swear there was no note. You must remember wrong.”

“I remember every single word I wrote, with tears in my eyes and trembling fingers,” you bitterly reply. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Don’t you think?”

And just like that, you grab your bag and leave the room. Dean watches you leave, just like that night.

“She didn’t leave a note,” he crosses his arms over his chest. Dean tries to recall that night. He remembers brushing Lisa’s advances off. He walked upstairs to apologize, and for make-up sex, only to find the room empty. “There was no note.” He shakes his head, remembering that the ring was lying on the bed, but no note.

“What’s wrong? Why did you let her go again?” Sam asks. “Dean?” He places his hand on Dean’s shoulder. 

“Y/N said she left a note, but there was none, Sammy. I swear there was no note, only the ring,” Dean shakes his head. “I don’t know why she’s lying.”

“What if she doesn’t lie, Dean,” Sam wonders. “Why should she lie about leaving a note? It’s been eight years, and she won’t get anything out of it if she lies.”

“You’re right.”

“So, who had the chance to sneak inside your shared room? Why would anyone take the note and leave the ring on the bed?” Sam wrinkles his forehead. “Let’s recall that night, Dean. What do you remember? Who went upstairs before you? Did you see anyone?”

Dean huffs. ”Mom went upstairs because Dad spilled his drink over her dress. I can’t remember seeing anyone else walking upstairs. I wasn’t sober that night, though.”

“Mother went upstairs,” Sam frowns deeply. He knows that Mary invited Lisa to the party. “That makes sense.”

“What?” Dean grunts. “Nothing makes sense anymore, Sammy. What was right is wrong and…” He shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s been eight years.”

“I didn’t take you for a quitter,” Sam taunts. “Why did you never marry, or have a relationship lasting longer than a week since Y/N is gone? You have been waiting for her all those years, and now you want to let her slip through your fingers again?”

“No…but…no…” Dean sighs deeply. “Y/N hates me, and I can’t blame her for it, Sammy.”

“Well then, let’s talk to mother. She has a lot to explain...”

Designed by pain (4)

Tags in reblog.

[undertale-fic-librarby]

do you have anything thats ink sans centric mayhaps? 🥺 just nothing with the fgod au please

Howdy, thanks for asking! Here are some fics that might fit what you're looking for!

Arts and Crafts | Errorink / Errink by Yumikokun (General Audiences, Incomplete)

"I can't..." "I can't do it..." "I'm a coward..." "...but...you're not...." ⊱ ──────ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ────── ⊰ A young artist, by the name of Ink, is a student at Universal Collage. His fear keeps him from accomplishing his goals. Would he be able to face it? Could he find the courage to even do it? We shall see... ⊱ ──────ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ────── ⊰ Arthur's note; This story is not related to any of my works. I came up with it this time lol. So in other words, an original story. X) Credits to the original artist of the cover. (I edited it, I hope it's ok). Another note! - Ink has a soul. - There might be sentences in different languages, but I will not translate them. If someone could, please do it in the comments. :) - Humans and monsters are at peace. (Just letting you know.) - There might be swearing. I will not censor it. Be warned. - There might be a slight mention of depression. No more than that. (I will update if there is.) ⊱ ──────ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ────── ⊰ Published: 15th of February 2023 Ended: ?

A bit of help never hurt by Therealcici (Teen And Up, Complete)

Ink is tutored by geno, but events lead to ink becoming more familiar with the middle of the three brothers error. Or just a human high school into collage au no one asked for. -+-++-+-+-++-+-+-++- Oh. I shouldn’t ask, it’s really none of my business but I really wanna know. “Do you wanna talk about it…” I give Geno a small smile as he finally looks me in the eyes ( or in his case eye) as he brings his hands down to cup his knees and swallows before he lets out a breath. “If You don’t mind. I have a small favour to ask.”He replied quietly and averted his gaze to the left as his arms slipped down to his knees. I look at him dumbfounded for a moment.

Where Have You Buried All Your Children? by Estel_dreamer (Mature, Incomplete)

Ink was familiar with creating, it’s what he was created to do after all. It was woven into his very magic and essence. Every universe, every variant derived from him in some way, whether it be from being formed by his own hands or splitting off from his own creation into something new. But even so, they were never truly his own. He gave them tangibility, but they gave themselves form, they took his starting point and rushed headlong into the unknown. He loved them all the same, as fleeting as they were. Ink knew he shouldn’t have done it. He was putting more than just himself and this new universe at stake. But he wanted something that he could call his own, he wanted to be selfish and greedy just this once. He’d seen others have children, have beings tied so closely to themselves that they loved and called their own. He wanted that, he wanted his own child, his own creation. A choice to be selfish may be just what the multiverse needs though to start repairing broken bonds, to form a happy family once more. Or it might break it all apart once and for all. Only time will tell

The Demon from Above and the Angel from Below by App1eS0uce (Teen And Up, Complete)

Ink, an angel. Loved by all. Well, all in the angel realm that is. Ink an angel, and God of creativity, falling for Error. A demon, and God of destruction. While good at his job, and kills without mercy. They both hated each other, until they accidentally met under a small cherry blossom tree. They would talk for hours, putting aside their differences. Well, that was until Dream and Nightmare had a plan to get ride of these secret meetings.

Apples Are Always Sweeter When Cared For by ButterflyWritter (Teen And Up, Incomplete)

Ink stumbles across a new au, with new guardians inside. He's excited to meet them, and excited to tell them of the multiverse. But what he never expected was the horrors he'd see inside, even then he never expected the guardians would be children. So now, he is learning to cope with the strange new emotions he is having, while staying by Reaper's side to heal the wounds the two children bare, even if not all of them are visible. And maybe, they'll get the family they've always wanted.

[miryum]

Okay okay okay I feel like a genius and I know this is a lot and I’m so so sorry I just think it’s make a really compelling story!

Princess!reader is betrothed to Arthur. Neighbouring kingdoms with palaces very close together (this is important I promise). She’s like six months younger than him and it’s been set up since she was born. So she arrives at the palace, looking absolutely stunning, and she’s terrified. To his credit Arthur is very nice, very sweet. He shows her around, introduces her to people, makes sure she’s comfortable, etc..

But how could she possibly be looking at him when the middle brother is the same young boy she would secretly meet over the summer, the first boy she ever liked, kissed, and danced with around the forest before they both grew up? The boy she always thought she’d marry? The boy who is now sneaking into her chambers to kiss her absolutely breathless.

The same boy she still loves…

@bright-shiningstar I am SO SORRY that this didn't come out sooner, but every single time I looked at this request it literally made me squeal out loud, so I had to make sure it was perfect!! I think I rewrote it at least five times, so I hope you like the finished product! Thank you so much for requesting!

Buddies in the F1 world: @hey-kae @vinvantae

Warnings: Some swearing, probably some grammatical errors

Day 0

“Y/n, do you remember the Leclerc’s?” Your parents had sat you down after dinner. 

“Yes, has the agreement gone through?” Your parents had spent most of your life drafting a treaty with the Leclerc’s, offering your hand in marriage as a staple. Prince Lorenzo was married to a young queen of a neighbouring kingdom, joining the two realms. Prince Charles was deemed too old for you. So that left the youngest. Now that you were old enough, the treaty was solidified.

“We got confirmation today,” your mother said, smiling proudly. She was so pleased to see her eldest daughter married off. “Prince Arthur is officially your fiancé!”

Your younger sister leaned into your side, trying to be a rock of comfort. You weren’t completely angry about being forced into marriage (the few times you had visited the Leclerc patriarch and matriarch, they had been kind and enchanting to you. You had no reason to think that their sons would be any different.) but you were petrified. You would be moving away from your family and home. You didn’t know what lay in front of you.

“And you’re leaving tomorrow…” your mother tied the strings of your distress.

“What?” Your sister, Megan, cried out. She latched onto you, pulling you close. “That’s not fair! Why can’t she stay for another week?”

“Because the wedding is in a week,” your father explained. “The Leclerc’s have it all set up. Luckily, they’re kind enough to give you a week to acclimate yourself to their family. Chin up, darling,” he said to you. “This is a joyous occasion.”

“I mean, I would’ve preferred the middle son,” your mother whispered. “More status and closer in line for the throne, but the youngest is acceptable.” Your father rolled his eyes. 

“Why don’t you retire for the night?” your father prompted you. “You need to look your best tomorrow.”

“I can’t believe you’re leaving so soon!” Your sister dragged you away from your parents. “I thought I would get more time with you.” She hummed sadly.

“Megan, it’ll be alright. I’ll make sure you’re invited to the wedding.” You felt odd reassuring her, wondering if it should be the other way around. 

“Oh, that’s right,” Megan groaned. “You’ll be Princess Y/n Leclerc in a week. That doesn’t sound right at all.”

“Why don’t we have a sleepover, hm?” You needed to distract Megan with something else, otherwise her worries would double your anxiety and stress. “Just like old times.”

“Yes!” Megan squealed and ran ahead of you. Her slippers padded down the hall. “I’ll grab my pillow!”

You grasped at this moment of silence to try and calm your racing heart. Unbeknownst to your parents and sister, the marriage to Prince Arthur wasn’t the biggest of your concerns. Your breathing was uneven and you palmed your eyes, getting rid of any semblance of tears. 

Were you ready to see Charles again?

***

You couldn’t breathe. Tears and snot obscured your face and clogged your airways. The rational part of you that would’ve been saying, someone would realise you were missing and come find you, was drowned in your fears of, oh my gosh I’m going to die alone and have to spend my few remaining days eating tree bark! 

You weren’t sure how you had run this far, but you were sure it was to be your doom. If only you had stopped by the stables to grab your pony, Newt. If only you hadn’t strayed from the path. If only you had turned around once the sun started to set. 

Internally chastising yourself, you sat down at the base of a tree. You knew that yelling would be no use and you should probably conserve your energy. You wished that you had paid more attention to those survival lessons the knights had taught you. 

“Um, excuse me?” 

Your head shot up at the sound. “Who’s there?” you called out, jumping to your feet.

“My name is Charles,” the young voice explained. You couldn’t see the owner. “Are you alright? I heard someone crying.”

“Where are you?” you demanded to know.

A boy, a couple years older than you, maybe seven or eight, stepped out from behind a tree. “Hi,” he said, smiling. He wanted to show he wasn’t a threat. “Can I help you? You seem lost.”

“Yes, I am!” You couldn’t help a new onslaught of tears. “I was walking and I guess I took a wrong turn? Are your parents somewhere around here? It’s almost dark and I need to get back.”

“My parents are at home.” Charles prompted, “but I can walk you home?”

“I don’t want you to get lost, too.” You shook your head. “Can I come with you back to your village? I’m sure there’s transportation I could find.”

“Oh, no.” Charles shrugged, causally leaving out the part that he was a prince, and if he wanted, could snap his fingers and order a ride home for you. “It’s alright. I know this forest like the back or my hand. Where do you live?”

“Uh…” You wiped your nose on your dress. “I live at the L/n castle.”

“That’s not far away at all!” Charles smiled and you grinned back, already infected by his charms. “Did you know this forest is actually the border of Enza and Haas? I don’t live that far away, either. Do you know about the Leclerc’s?”

“Yeah, my- the King and Queen,” you corrected yourself quickly. “They’re friends with them.” You weren’t sure why your five-year-old self wasn’t telling this new friend that you were royalty. Maybe you didn’t want to scare him away? 

“My family’s house is right next to their palace,” Charles said.

“We’re practically neighbours!” You stood up and beamed.

“Can I walk you home, neighbour?” Charles giggled at his joke. You nodded and grasped his hand in the trusting way only children can. 

It turned out that the Enza palace and the Haas castle weren’t far away from each other. Once the pair of new friends realised this, they made plans to meet up more often. At the Haas gates, you made sure Charles would be safe and get home quickly. He reassured you that he had explored the forest for hours and would never get lost. He promised to meet you the next day at the clearing where you had met so you knew he wasn’t being mauled to death by a pack of wolves. 

Little did you know that a great friendship and a great love was suddenly born.

Day 1

“Y/n. Y/n.” Megan placed a hand on your bouncing leg. “You're practically shaking the whole carriage. I know you’re nervous, and this is an awful thing to say, but maybe try to hide it?” 

“Sweetheart, what I believe your sister is saying, is ‘calm down’.” Your father held a piece of parchment and peered over it at you. “This is nothing to worry about.”

“Your father and I had the exact same disposition when we were your age,” your mother smiled softly at you. “I know the uncertainty you’re feeling, but trust me, it will get better.”

No it won’t, mom! You wanted to scream at her, how will it get better if the boy I used to love is living in the same palace as me?!

“I’m sure it will,” you said. A minute or so passed with Megan trying to fill the space with meaningless conversation. 

“Wait, wait!” The carriage passed a grove of trees that looked eerily familiar. “Stop! Stop the horses!” Your cries turned frantic and banged on the side of the carriage. Sticking your head out the window, you repeated your demand. The driver yanked on the reins and before it came to a complete stop, you jumped out. 

“Y/n! Where are you going?” Megan shuffled to get out after you, tripping on her dress. 

“Y/n, get back here!” Your mother cursed, yelling towards Megan, “get her back here, Megan! We’ll be late!”

You wanted to rip off your dress. It was scratching at your body and snagged on branches and twigs as you ran. You needed to make sure it was still there. Then you would go back to your family. But you just had to be sure.

“Y/n!” Megan groaned in frustration as her high-heel got caught on a tree root. She tugged on it and cried out, “You cannot simply leave!” 

“Please, just give me a moment!” you called back. The forest easily came back to you. It felt like a force was pulling you towards the clearing. 

“Do you wanna play hide and seek?” You sat on the grass, watching a nine-year-old Charles throw a ball up into the air and catch it. And then throw it back up. And catch it.

“Really?” Charles groaned. “That’s such a baby thing to do.”

“Hey!” You kicked him in the ribs. He yelled out and squirmed away. “First off, I am not a baby! And second, you’re not being very entertaining right now. I’m trying to think of things to do.” Other than having to sneak away from the castle, a hard thing about being friends with Charles was the age gap. He was entering a stage in life where he was determined to be cool and stoic and you sometimes wondered if he regretted his friendship with a little girl.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry,” he mumbled, offering a pitiful apology.

“Well, if you’re not going to talk to me, then I’ll just go back home.” You stood and slowly shuffled over to Newt, who was tied up by Charles’ horse, Scuderia. 

“Y/n, wait.” Charles suddenly appeared behind you and grabbed your arm. “I’m sorry, really. It’s rude of me to ignore you. We can play hide-and-seek.”

“No, you’re right,” you conceded. “It’s a little too childish. Wanna just talk?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m cool with that.” Charles couldn’t help the smile that overcame him. He didn’t know much about Y/n L/n’s personal life, but he definitely knew that you were one of his best friends. 

“Y/n, what the hell are you doing?!” Megan plucked a twig out of her hair. 

“I can’t do this,” you whispered, collapsing to the ground. The tree stood in front of you and the clearing still looked picturesque. It was where you had met with Charles all those times all those years ago. You wondered if you initials were still there or if the tree had scabbed over them. You didn’t want to check.

“What do you mean? Y/n, you can’t back out now. Mother will not allow it. Think of the Enzan royal family. This will ruin our relationship with them.” Megan crouched down next to you, sweeping your hair out of your face. You silently wondered how she matured so quickly.

“Megan, it would be better if this was a faceless prince that I had no connection to.”

“Is it not?”

“No, I-” You sighed. “Nevermind. Let’s go. I’m sorry.” 

After a tense carriage ride that consisted of your mother berating you for running off and you apologising profusely but not giving any explanation of why, the Enza palace came into view.

“Stand tall, good posture, don’t speak unless spoken to, and let your father and I handle the political aspects,” your mother reminded you. She swept your hair back into place and ran her fingers along the creases of your dress. She huffed at the dirt stains courtesy of the forest floor. “It’ll have to do. Now, come along.” A footman sprung open the carriage door and your father stepped down to victorious trumpets. He helped your mother down and the footman offered his hand to Megan who took it graciously. You refused the footman’s hand, jumping down on your own. 

“Y/n, you look dejected,” Megan whispered to you.

“And that’s because I am.” You clutched your dress and Megan huffed, wrestling your hand away. You understood her gestures and held out your arm. Megan took it and led you closer to the Enza royal family. 

“Look up,” your mother whispered. “At least look at your husband.” But it wasn’t your husband that drew your eyes. There, on the steps, was Charles Leclerc, or Charlie.

“Do you like anyone, chérie?” Charles felt odd asking this. Wasn’t it always the girls who had to be obsessed with crushes and who-liked-who? Why was he bringing this up?

“Uh… why do you ask?” You were eleven and it was weird to discuss this with a fourteen-year-old boy.

You weren’t sure how your feelings for Charles started. You guessed that because he was the only boy even remotely close to your age that you saw, it was bound to happen. 

“I don’t know,” Charles mumbled. “My older brother’s seeing someone and my younger one is now obsessed with girls. I wanted to know if you’re also caught up in this lovey-dovey stuff.” 

“Is it bad if I am?” You were afraid that Charles would ridicule and tease you for being swept up in the romance that was apparently ruining the continent. Even your sister gushed about a stable boy that she was infatuated with. 

“No, chérie,” Charles said slowly. “I just need to know if there’s another guy I need to compete with.” 

You laughed and said, “Don’t worry, Charlie. You’ll always be my number one.” 

“Good,” Charles tried to hide his smile. The butterflies in his stomach made it harder. Charlie. You called him Charlie. It was like you were trying to intoxicate him in this new thing called love.

***

When Charles heard your name for the first time in three years, he froze. And to hear it directed at his younger brother, no less. 

But when he saw you, time stopped. 

You hadn’t changed much over the three years, albeit your hair was a styled different and the way you carried yourself had stiffened. He desperately wanted to run up to you and kiss you until you both saw stars. He wanted to fold you in his arms and never let you go. He had lost you once and he wasn’t going to let that happen again. At least with you marrying his brother he would be able to see you. If he couldn’t touch you, seeing you would be enough. It would be torture, having you just within reach but unable to hold you, but it would be worse to not see you at all. 

It had been torture all these years. 

He cursed Arthur for being the youngest. If Charles had been born just after his youngest brother, he could’ve had you for himself. He cursed his heart. It wasn’t fair to fall for someone he could never have. He wondered if his parents would try to marry him off too. He wondered if he could marry someone while you were in his home. For certain, he could never love anyone as much as he loved you. Would he stay single his entire life, watching you and his brother grow old together? Would he marry someone in a loveless marriage? Or could something else happen that changed it all….? 

And then you looked at him.

Sparks ignited in his body. Then you looked at his brother. His heart was cleaved in two. Right. You weren’t there for him. He had to remember that or he would torture himself into oblivion. He already was torturing himself. Charles didn’t know if it would be better to avoid you or indulge himself in your presence. 

His father started talking to your father and Charles noticed Arthur stepping forward to greet you. Your mother pinched your side and Charles’ jaw clenched. From your stories, he didn’t like your mother, but this only solidified his opinion. 

Charles felt Lorenzo’s stare on him- the only person who knew about his rendezvous with you. Charles plastered on a smile and stayed stock-still. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he heard Arthur say to you.

“You as well.” Your voice was just as he remembered, if not more formal. You never spoke that way to him. Your words were always filled with laughter- not diplomacy. 

“May I give you and your sister a tour of our home?” Arthur proposed. 

“That would be lovely, thank you.” Megan detached yourself from your arm so you could walk with Arthur, your sister trailing behind. You brushed past him, holding your gaze forward. It would only pain you more to see him. 

“Charles, you need to talk to her,” Lorenzo whispered harshly to him. “It won’t do anyone good to have you sadly avoiding her. Arthur can’t have his wife and his brother looking lovelorn without knowing the cause.” 

“Arthur can never know,” Charles growled. “It would make things worse.”

“He doesn’t need to know if you and Princess Y/n work things out before the wedding,” Lorenzo persisted. 

Charles took a breath and finally said, “I’ll think about it, alright?”

Day 3

Arthur had spent yesterday showing you around the Leclerc palace and luckily, it was of similar design to the Haas castle. Megan had left with a tearful goodbye, promising to visit a day before the wedding to help you prepare. Your mother left you with a kiss on the cheek and your father had hugged you tightly.

You had spent the third day in your new room, handmaidens helping you unpack and commission new dresses for you. The Steward and Housekeeper had sat you down, giving you an overview of what the wedding would entail and the customs of Enzan marriages and politics. Of course, you already knew most of it as your mother had begun drilling it into you at an early age. 

You had collapsed into bed after they had gone, too tired to join the Leclerc’s for dinner or even change out of your dress. Yet you still couldn’t find purchase in sleep. It just wouldn’t come.

It was late at night when a knock resounded on your door. You slowly peeled yourself off the bed- which didn’t feel at all like your own- and said, “Come in.” 

“Hi,” Charles softly said. 

“Oh. Hi.” You straightened up and bowed your head in a form of a curtsy.

“Don’t- don’t do that.” Charles shook his head. “I was never your superior.”

You stood silently for a while, the awkwardness resounding. It seemed like a chasm was between you two. 

“I’ve missed you,” Charles admitted carefully. 

“I missed you too,” you said. “It’s been a while, huh?” 

“Yeah,” Charles chuckled uncomfortably and you joined him. “And to see you with my brother, no less.” Your laughter stopped immediately and you looked at the ground. “Right,” Charles swallowed harshly. He couldn’t seem to unstick that lump in his throat. “Sorry. I’m sorry. For it all. I should’ve never ended-”

“I forgave you a long time ago, Charlie,” you admitted. A wave of relief passed over his face and it looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. In one sudden movement, you tumbled forward and engulfed the boy in a hug. Charles swept his arms around you, reciprocating immediately. It felt nice to have you in his arms again. It felt like home. He pressed you closer to him, inhaling. Charles placed a soft kiss to your hairline, mumbling about all the times he missed you.

“Charles? Can you promise me something?” you asked. 

“Anything.” 

“Can you promise to never leave me alone again?” Your voice sounded so small and for the third time today, you unintentionally broke his heart.

“I’m sorry, chérie. I never meant to leave you alone in the first place. But yes, I promise to always stay by your side from now on.” 

“Even though I’m betrothed to-”

“Don’t talk about that, please.” Charles shook his head. 

“Okay,” you conceded. “But what will we do? Charlie, I still love-”

Charles cut you off with an Earth-shattering kiss. His hands circled around your lower back, gripping you even closer- if that was possible. You circled your hands around his neck, running them over his shoulders and down his torso. Every dip and curve was like you remembered. His kiss was just like you remembered.

“Charles?” The newly eighteen-year-old hummed in response and you glanced over at his figure. He was laying on a soft pitch of grass that was illuminated by a stream of sunlight that broke through the trees. His eyes were closed and a small smile graced his lips, showcasing one of his dimples. He had obviously been working out, and he had nicely grown into his body. He was wearing a loose tunic that highlighted his arms. The curve of his muscles made your heart jump a little quicker. You loved these moments with him alone, and you would be damned if your title of royalty got in the way. “Have you ever thought about growing up?”

“Sure I have,” Charles said. “What about it?”

Your brows settled into a frown. “My parents have started talking to me about marriage.”

“Already?” Charles opened one eye to find you already looking at him. Your hands were clasped over your stomach and fiddled together with anxiety. “You have a few more years.”

“Yes, but they want to lock down a husband before it’s too late,” you explained. “Apparently, I’m already betrothed. I just don’t know to whom.”

“You’re already married?!” Charles sat up on an elbow, looking incredulously at you.

“No,” you scoffed. “It’s synonymous with being engaged.”

“Geez,” Charles exhaled and laid back down. “I didn’t realise I was pining after a practically married woman.”

“Excuse me?!” 

Charles smirked. “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out sooner, chérie. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one in this relationship.” 

“Charlie.” The nickname made his facade drop and his heart rate rise. Was it all a big mistake? Did he just throw away this coveted friendship that he had worked so hard to cultivate? “Are you serious?” 

“As serious as death,” Charles whispered. 

“Death?” You couldn’t help but let a laugh escape. “Couldn’t you choose another word? Death sounds so cruel.”

“What other word would you like me to use to express my love for you?” Charles joined in your laughter, and once again, you relished in the sound. 

“I don’t care.” You rolled onto your side and Charles copied your actions, taking your hand in his. His fingers tapped over yours as if planning out the wedding dance. “Just so long as I can say it back.” 

It was all you could imagine for a first kiss. 

You gasped, pulling back from the boy you loved. “Charlie, I can’t do this. I- I’m about to marry your brother, for goodness sake! I can’t be kissing you and- and-”

“I know, chérie, I know,” Charles stepped back and he instantly missed your touch. “But I love you too. And I can’t bear seeing you so close, but knowing I can’t feel and love you. It hurts. It hurts being away from you.”

“Charlie… we can’t.” It pained you to say it, but it was true. You weren’t about to be the type of person who cheated on their husband with their brother. Even if it was for love, you still had morals.

“You’re not married yet,” Charles tried to smile. “Let me come to your room at night. Just to talk to you. Just to be around you. We’re still best friends, are we not?”

You chuckled sadly. “You always find a way to bend the rules, huh, Charlie?”

“For you, I’d do anything.”

Day 4

“I wish we could have met under better circumstances,” Arthur admitted. “You’re an incredibly nice girl and I have a feeling we would’ve made good friends. I mean, we’ll still make good friends, but what I’m trying to say-”

You let out a light laugh. “I get it, Arthur. I think we’ll make good friends too.” 

“How are you adjusting?” your fiancé asked. “Are you comfortable? How’s your room? We can repaint it, or redecorate if you wish?” 

“Arthur!” You chuckled at the boy’s concern. “Everything is perfectly fine! Thank you. You’re making this transition much easier.” 

“Well, I want to make sure my future wife enjoys herself,” Arthur shrugs. You stilled at his words. “And I wanted to introduce you to some of my friends. Maybe they could become your friends too?”

“Sure,” you agreed. Arthur proceeded to lead you around the palace, presenting you to a series of guards, dukes and duchess, butlers and maids. You met Earl Carlos, Duke Pierre, Baron Daniel, Knight Max, Lady Carla, and attendees such as Lily, Lewis and his daughter, Lando, Sara, and Esteban. They all seemed extremely accommodating and pleased to meet you. Everyone promised to help you through your time in Enza and to be loyal to their new princess. Arthur hovered a hand over your lower back the entire time, and as much as you appreciated the gesture, it didn’t feel the same as Charles’ touch.

“Arthur?” Like you had summoned him, Charles appeared behind you. “Mother and Father are requesting your presence in the throne room. It’s about finalising the formalities for… your wedding.” 

“Yes, of course,” Arthur nodded. “Can you keep Princess Y/n company, Charles?”

“Anything, brother.” Charles clapped Arthur on the shoulder. “Did I ever congratulate the two of you?” 

Arthur’s brow twitched and you wondered if he could also see the buried sadness in Charles’ eyes. “No, but I’ll gladly take it now.” 

“Well, congratulations. You’re lucky Maman and Papa found you a good one.”

“Yes, I am.” Arthur pressed a sweet, chaste kiss to your cheek before rushing off to his parents. Agonous jealousy was splayed on Charles face the moment Arthur turned away.

“I don’t know how many times I can say this in four days, but I’ve missed you,” Charles said, a sweet, awkward smile on his face as he shoved his hands in his pockets, stepping towards you. “Whenever I’m away from you I miss you.” 

“And I don’t know how I’m going to stay away from you if you keep proclaiming your love for me.” You reached out and touched his forearm.

“Then don’t stay away.” Charles wrapped you in a hug and you felt yourself giving in. “I can talk to my parents and I’m sure if we just explain the situation, they’ll understand. We could get married and be together. Arthur could marry a princess from Wolff or whoever he wanted! Y/n, we could-”

“Charlie, my love, what of my parents?” you asked. “They signed an agreement about me and Arthur. Not me and you. As much as I love the situation you’re describing, as much as I love the possibility of being with you, it’s impossible. Unless you can convince my parents otherwise, which is impossible, it’s not going to happen.”

Charles hummed, slowly separating himself from you in fear of someone seeing your embrace. “Then the least I can do is try.” 

You tied up Newt, silently counting down the minutes until Charles arrived. The seconds ticked by and you sat down at the base of the tree that had your initials carved into it next to Charles’. You traced Charles’ initials with your finger, still in the euphoria of love. It was only a couple weeks ago that you and Charles had confessed your love for each other and he couldn’t seem to stop saying it whenever he had the chance. It became greeting, conversation starter, and goodbye. 

But for some reason, Charles seemed to be late today. As time ticked by, a light mist coated the air. Normally, he was early, even getting to the clearing before you, but you tried not to worry. He probably had some duties to attend to, like you had had a couple weeks ago. You had apologised profusely to Charles, but he had forgiven you with the price of a kiss.

Newt started to get restless after twenty minutes and the mist turned into drizzle. You, now eighteen, fished out an apple to calm him down. It was another fifteen minutes before Scuderia showed up, Charles practically standing in the saddle, rain dripping down his body. “Charles!” You stood up, waving him towards you. Instead of the brilliant grin that usually graced his face whenever he saw you, a frown was burrowed into his brow. “What’s wrong?” 

“Chérie,” Charles didn’t even bother to tie Scuderia up before bundling you in his arms and peppering kisses to your forehead, temples, cheeks, and nose. He twirled you around so his arms were crossed in front of you, cradling you, and started kissing your neck, collarbone, and earlobes. 

“Charlie,” you laughed lightly. “What are you doing?”

“My chérie, mon amour, I’m sorry. I didn’t want it to end like this.” 

“Charles,” you spun around in his arms, taking his face in your hands. You gently caressed his cheek in an attempt to calm him down. “You’re scaring me. Please, tell me what’s wrong.” 

“I love you, you know that, right?” Charles assured you. You nodded along. “Then you have to believe me when I say it pains me that I can’t meet you here anymore.”

“What?” Your heart dropped and your stomach twisted. “Why?” 

“My mom and dad are getting suspicious, chérie. I think they know I’m meeting a girl out in the forest,” Charles tried to explain it to you but you just became more confused with every word. “I’ve already turned down one marriage proposal and they’ll get frustrated if I turn down another.” 

“You’ve done what?” You stepped back from him and Charles’ hands reached out, trying to keep you close to him. You backed up, away from him, until you could feel Newt at your back. “You never told me about that.” 

“I didn’t think it was important,” Charles argued. “But what I’m trying to say is that I think it’s best if we take a pause on the meetings for now. My parents are already breathing down my neck and it doesn’t help that you’re betrothed. Lorenzo found out about you and I’m worried what will happen if someone else does too.” 

“Charlie, you turned down a marriage proposal?” You couldn’t wrap your mind around it. “You could’ve had a wife by now? And who cares if Lorenzo knows about me?! I almost- it feels like you’re embarrassed about me?” It came out like a question. You tangled a hand in Newt’s mane, hoping for some sort of stability. “You never cared about my betrothal before this. Why now?” Charles swallowed and you could see a war debating in his mind. “Answer me, Charles,” you demanded. “What happened that made you bring this up?” 

Charles took a deep breath and said, “you’re the princess of Haas, aren’t you? It all makes sense. Your betrothal, your outfits, your manner of speaking. I thought you were just a duchess or countess, but no. You’re the princess.”

You weren’t sure how to answer. How did you find out? seemed too accusatory. I thought you knew? was too deflective. What does it matter? was too aggressive. You settled on saying, “yes. And you’re Prince Charles Leclerc. I’ve kind of always known.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Charles whispered.

“I’m not sure,” you admitted. “It never really came up. Some part of me thought you knew- thought you had connected the dots and just accepted it. I didn’t intentionally hide it from you. I’m sorry.”

“Y/n,” Charles started. “I can’t hang out with you anymore.” The beginning of tears pricked at the back of your eyes and your face grew hot. You opened your mouth to say something, but Charles beat you to it. “It’s not proper for us to visit each other outside of the court. If people found out they could…” He trailed off and shook his head. “I’m sorry, my chérie.”

You couldn’t meet his eye, instead focusing on a patch of wilted flowers. “Okay,” is all you could say. “Goodbye, Charles.” Newt’s mane was slick with rain as you climbed on. Your horse seemed to sense your urgency and quickly wove through the trees, leaving Charles behind. You wiped at your eyes, letting Newt take full control. You regretted it when a branch snagged on your arm and you cried out, a line of blood starting to appear. When you returned to the Haas castle, Megan didn’t question it when you collapsed on your bed, instead opting to help you change out of your rain-soaked dress before curling up with you under the covers. 

Little did you know, Charles was still sitting in that clearing, silently crying. Scuderia bumped his nose against Charles, but the prince just pushed him away.

Day 6

“So, what’re you going to do about it?” Megan asked.

“Absolutely nothing,” you admitted. “There’s nothing I can do. The treaty has been signed, the preparations are underway, and Arthur…” You sighed before continuing, “he’s really nice. I could envision a future with him.”

“But what about Prince Charles?” Megan sat on your bed, the night before the wedding. You had given in and told her everything. “Can you envision a future with him?”

“I want a future with him.”

A deeper voice whispered, “I want a future with you too.” Charles stood at your door, and peeking out behind him was Arthur.

“Shit,” Megan muttered.

“What are you doing here?” You stood up, eyes flickering to Charles before sheepishly locking eyes with Arthur. “Prince Arthur… I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-”

“No, no,” the boy reassured you, his small, anxious smile seeming almost… hopeful. “You’re a wonderful girl and an even better friend, but you’re not who I would’ve chosen to marry. No offence,” he quickly added. “We just don’t click. We don’t have that same spark that you and Charles do. And, well, I kind of have my sights set on someone else. Charles explained it all to me.”

You laughed. “Guess we really are the perfect pair, huh? Both pining after other people.”

“And you after my brother?” Arthur joked, gasping dramatically. “How unfaithfully devious of you.”

“Oh, shut up.” 

“What does this mean, then?” Megan asked for you. “We can’t just swap Charles out for Arthur at the wedding.”

Arthur grinned and said, “Why not?” He slung an arm around Charles, clapping him on the chest. “Guess you’re getting married, big brother.”

Charles laughed loudly before turning to look at you. “Y/n L/n, will you marry me tomorrow?” 

Your lips separated in half shock and half elation. “I- I… yes! Though I admit, I expected something a bit more extravagant.”

“Chérie, I’m just upholding my promise.” Charles opened his arms cheekily and even though you were confused by his words, you fell into them, happy to be able to hold him in the presence of others.

“Hmm?”

“You don’t remember?” He lifted an eyebrow, throwing you his signature smirk.

You tossed a ball to Charles who threw it back.  “Anything new in your life?” he asked.

“Nope. You?”

“Nope.”

After a minute of silence Charles said, “Let’s make a deal.”

“Alright, what is it?”

“If, in ten years, we still have the same, boring lives,” You scoffed at his words. “then we get married and make our lives un-boring, together.”

After a moment’s deliberation, it didn’t seem like a bad deal to an eight-year-old. “Okay,” you readily agreed. “But I doubt my life will be boring in ten years.”

“Sure…” Charles snickered at you. “I’ll let you believe that.”

“How can you not remember my completely legitimate marriage proposal?” Charles scoffed quietly, leaning down to bump his forehead against yours.

“Well, pardon me for not remembering something you said thirteen years ago,” you tapped him on the chest.

“How could you not remember a proposal?” Charles asked. 

“I would like to know the answer to that as well,” Megan spoke up. 

“Well, does it matter as long as I say ‘yes’?”

“No, I guess not,” Charles beamed as he bent down to kiss you.

Day 7

Charles kissed you again, but this time it was in front of an altar, before a crowd, and with you wearing white. 

Surprisingly, it hadn’t took much convincing for your parents to understand the situation. Apparently, Charles had stayed true to his word and contacted your parents, explaining everything. Your father was just relieved you were still marrying someone and your mother had always preferred Charles anyway. King and Queen Leclerc, after hearing of the years of meetings you and Charles had shared, were more than thrilled. They were eager for you to join their family and a marriage of love always went better than a marriage of politics. 

The wedding was already planned, the chefs already prepping, and the priest already booked. All they needed was to switch out Arthur’s name for Charles’.

“May I present Prince and Princess Leclerc of Enza!” The priest announced to thunderous applause.

“Hello, chérie,” Charles whispered and his nose bumped against yours. “Or should I say, Princess Leclerc?”

“I like that name best,” you grinned.

“I do too,” Charles admitted.

[majoresca]

Hypothesis (Theory) : A proof of virtue.

How Cedric's admiration for the wizard Merlin can explain his fixation on getting the amulet of Avalor, and his real reason for wanting to use it to become king. ( In this case, the reason for wanting to use the amulet in question, not the exactly reason for wanting to govern the kingdom. )

To reach this conclusion we must answer some questions:

Why didn't Cedric use his own magic or other means to take the throne?

Why didn't he resort to more "classic villainy" strategies?

Why would he just want an item that has a security system that prevents it from being used for evil purposes?

If he sees himself as a bad person, what stops him from using less ethical and more unscrupulous means to get what he wants?

The answer may lie in the story of his own idol, Merlin.

Story Context: Merlin is one of the most influential characters in the legend of King Arthur, being his advisor and best friend. In the adaptation of the legend, in the Disney film The Sword in the Stone, we are introduced to a simple boy, Arthur, who works as a stable boy in a castle and dreams of becoming a knight. Despite his simple origin and being ridiculed by his acquaintances, Merlin becomes his mentor ensuring that in the future Arthur will be a king. The prophecy comes true when Arthur pulls the sword from the stone and becomes king.

Similarities between Merlin and Cedric:

Both are magic users, and serve as mentors for young commoners who have become or will become royalty.

They also have animal assistants, who question the abilities of their mentors' apprentices.

And they have a personal feud with other magic users, who seek to humiliate them by demonstrating the superiority of their powers over theirs.

Resolution of the hypothesis: Cedric wants to use the amulet of Avalor to prove himself worthy of ruling, just like in the Arthurian Legend. That's why his idol is the wizard Merlin.

By wearing the amulet, he would be in possession of a symbol of virtue, just like the sword of the stone in King Arthur's possession.

It is possible that Cedric's intentions in using the amulet are similar to the sword of legend, as this would show him as being worthy of the throne, proving his knowledge of magic and signaling his value. That's why he wouldn't have used offensive tactics to take the throne right away, because he wanted to prove himself worthy in the eyes of those who despised him. And only when he saw that he would not be worthy of receiving the amulet and using it, he used a direct offensive attack by allying with The Order of the Wand to take the throne by force.

It could even be said in a headcanon, that Cedric saw himself as Arthur as a child.

With weak physique, and being a burden to his father figures and being mocked by his own friends and siblings.

Perhaps he found comfort in knowing that even someone initially as weak as Ortis became the great King Arthur.

Ironically, one of the powers that Cedric so desires to receive from the amulet is physical strength itself. But in the legend, the sword from the stone is not raised by great strength, but by the humility of a sincere heart in helping those in need. Precisely the virtue that little princess Sofia has.

P.S.

Hello, I'm still new to the fandom and haven't seen much of the original material yet. Everything I know so far has come from other people's video essays and reviews, which I'm so grateful for sharing your knowledge with everyone.

I just wanted to share this thought because as far as I know, I haven't seen anyone commenting yet. Or maybe it was just my lack of knowledge about others who reached the same conclusion before me. I don't want to reinvent the wheel.

It's just an idea, I don't even know if this could be right, or if it makes sense or not. Who knows?

(By the way, English is not my first language. So, I hope I used the translation tool correctly.)

Anyway, thank you very much for paying attention to what I have to say and feel free to comment with your own views and opinions!

[pendragon-of-chaos]

Hi do you still take requests if so I have one in mind.(basically angst with the happy ending)

So what if aruthur and y/n were like meliodas and Elizabeth except it was only y/n that got cursed and once he got his power of chaos he was able to lift the curse the only consequences is that she forgets her romantic feelings with him, until he finds something special in their memories that would help her remember and then they get married (the special thing would be maybe something like a necklace he gave her when they were kids)

Lol I have alot of ideas for aruthur but sometimes I just can't put it out right😅

I did these as headcanons since I thought I wouldn't be able to flesh out the idea well, but I'm now very proud of it! I think these headcanons can be a very good start if I ever want to make a xReader out of this (or anyone). I tried to do them in the most canon way to the series timeline and without altering the characters we know. Hope you like them!

Arthur and his S/O if they were cursed similar to Meliodas and Elizabeth

Since only Y/N is being cursed with Elizabeth's curse, and assuming Arthur is a human (and so he has the lifespan of one and can't resurrect, at least until having Chaos), I'm guessing Y/N had to be cursed after they met while being kids, but without passing too much time in between both events. If not, the timeline would be a little strange. (Arthur gets Chaos canonically very fast if you think about it, just 16 years in comparison to the 3000+ years Meliodas had to endure with both curses)

Also, Y/N should have been cursed by someone who isn't the Demon King or the Supreme Deity, because it wouldn't make sense for them to be the ones. And the best next contender for that has to be Merlin.

Why is she being cursed? Maybe Merlin didn't want Arthur to be distracted from her goal, and so she took advantage of their relationship and forced Arthur to unlock his full potential, knowing well he would do everything to save his S/O from the curse. Neither Arthur nor Y/O knows that Merlin is responsible. Arthur asks Merlin for help, so of course everything goes according to her plan

Y/N has to be very unlucky to die several times, taking into account Arthur is still young and a human (Elizabeth dies at 28 y.o. on average, and Arthur will be able to solve everything in less than 16 years). So maybe she died like 2 or 3 times, max. 4 - 5 (if she was cursed let's say at 6 y.o, that would mean she dies every 2 years)

And if she dies, she can't reencarnate as a baby or Arthur would outlive her easily (and would be very creepy). So I'm guesing she reencarnates in someone close in age to Arthur.

To sum it up until now: Y/N is cursed by Merlin with Elizabeth's curse in an attempt to unlock Arthur's full potential faster. She dies a few times, every 2 years aprox. Like Elizabeth, Y/N always finds Arthur and falls in love with him, only to remember everything and die in 3 days.

This is assuming his canon information. If you wanted to think of it as them being demon/goddess then I don't think the story would be any different since you are just changing the protagonists but keeping the same formula

Back to the present: Arthur gets Chaos and is able to lift the curse, Merlin is also satisfied with the result (at least for now). However Arthur notices something strange, as if her S/O had some kind of amnesia, since she doesn't reciprocate his feelings (which were reciprocated until lifting the curse a few minutes ago)

Arthur worries a lot and explains her the situation, which is useless since Y/N doesn't remember anything of them being in a relationship. He makes his next objective being able to make Y/N fall in love with him, alongside making a country were no one suffers (he is a King after all)

With the passing of time he noticed that nothing he did made Y/N fall in love with him, which made him spiral into darkness and despair for some time, making him closer the 4kota Arthur we know

That was until one day he found in one well stored box a beautifully crafted necklace, which he inmediately recognized as the one he had gifted Y/N years ago when vowing to save her and marry her one day, and that was also discovered in the corpse of that same Y/N after the curse had made its appearence

It was more and more painful to make the same promise to every reencarnation only to end in death, that's why he stored it and put it away.

But now that problem had disappeared. Arthur took the necklace and went back to were Y/N was, just to gift it to her once and for all. To his surprise Y/N's eyes widened after seeing it in her hands - "I remember now..."

Both looked at each other with surprised looks on their faces. After so many years, war was over.

[lee-hakhyun]

Since you have no means of escape, let me tell you about my Merlin AU for ORV :D I haven't watched Merlin past some clips, making it clear, i just leveraged a very fun setting. Merlin spoilers ahead though.

Kim Dokja is the warlock servant who gets unceremoniously tied to Prince Yoo Joonghyuk by the whims of fate, meant to help guide him to become the Once and Future King. KDJ must keep this sunfish safe from perilous situations while hiding his magic, because magic is outlawed in the *flips notes* N'gai Kingdom.

Among this cast is fellow servant Yoo Sangah (Gwen), the king's ward Han Sooyoung (Morgana), a dragon in the basement (either Abyssal Black Flame Dragon or the Fourth Wall) the knights Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon, and on and on it goes.

In my head things would probably run similar enough to the show with the exception that every once in a while KDJ sees some strange cloaked figure that he can just feel the magic brimming off of, helping him in subtle ways when things get really tough. Who is that secretive figure helping him out?

KDJ kind of lets his guard down, able to trust this seemingly friendly (if extremely gruff) man with his magic in a way he can't with YJH. They don't have the same camaraderie, but it's still a comfortable companionship regardless.

And then this mysterious person kidnaps KDJ.

YJH and friends chase the evident sorcerer that kidnapped KDJ all the way to the ends of the Earth, having to combat power unlike any they'd seen before - until at a rift in space, this man finally uncloaks himself to reveal someone sharing YJH's face. It has to be a trick. It has to be.

But the man not a perfect reflection; he looks aged, older and wiser and with an undercurrent of grief that keeps him clutching KDJ to his side. KDJ is a warlock, the man claims. One that would, despite what YJH believes of magic practitioners, would give his heart and his life for over and over an ungrateful spoiled prince until he had nothing left to give.

And then he jumps into the portal. Into a parallel timeline/potential future.

This is where we get into spoiler territory for Merlin; in the series, Morgana betrays Merlin and Arthur, and Arthur kind of dies. In this AU, HSY and YJH were prophesied to experience the same thing, except KDJ gave all of his magic to abort said prophecy because it sucked and died, so now everyone in that particular future is in mourning.

Which is why, when the broken prophecy causes a rip in dimensions and into the past, YJH and HSY teamed up to nab KDJ from that other timeline. The people who MADE that prophecy though (either Olympus or the King Arthur legends from the universe of ORV's Main Story who are unhappy they didn't get the spotlight there, I'm not sure yet) are mad at KDJ for not following the prophecy and want to gank them. The future YJH (who will be referred to as SP for now) and future HSY have apparently become terrifyingly adept at fending off actual gods, but for how long? And how will KDJ get back to his original dimension?

Meanwhile, Prince YJH and friends desperately try to find a way to where SP had taken KDJ, as the rift had closed with their departure. Swallowing his pride and the biases that had started to form, he looks to powers he would never have trusted before...

(And somewhere in the future timeline, with the arrival of a reader to the world once more, a struggling writer finds himself startled to see a half-dead, malnourished young boy at his doorstep. To this boy that now rests in his home, he tells bedtime stories and fairy tales that he has no idea are now set to become another prince's adventure.)

This was very much abbreviated from the original thoughts I had, but I feel like I figured out a bit more of the details that I couldn't before (like what's going on with OD). Sorry for making your submission box my unwilling sandbox, but I hope you found some enjoyment out of it :>

[possideotranslations]

Special Log Story - A Bouquet for Kenja-sama

 This log story appeared after the 5th Anniversary story, and after the 5-City "Bouquet for Wizards" Exhibition.

Snow: Kenja, Thank you for the wonderful gift. We love flowers very much! White: The purple flowers you sent to us Northern Country wizards are noble, beautiful, and they suit the Northern lands perfectly. Snow: Your heartfelt thoughts that accompany us bring a deep sense of affection to our hearts. White: You’ve done well up until this very day. Thank you for walking this path with us. Snow & White: ...So, as a token of our gratitude, here’s a bouquet from us, too! Please accept one flower from each of us! Mithra: Here, this is a white flower I found in the Northern Country. Mithra: The flowers you gave me weren’t bad either. Soft, and slightly sweet. Owen: It would’ve been even better if there were some sweets so sweet they make you tingle. Don’t forget to keep showing us your appreciation from now on. Bradley: Sometimes, a fragile flower can be more valuable than an imperishable jewel. Depends on who’s giving it, though. You’ve got good taste, Kenja-sama. Faust: The blue flower sent to us wizards of the Eastern Country… Its color is serene, clear, and beautiful, like a river flowing through the depths of a forest. Faust: Giving flowers to a curse worker like me—how unusual of you. In return, here’s a white flower we found in the Eastern Country. Shino: Here, take it. Shino: I like flowers too. Getting something from someone feels nice. It makes me feel a little special. Heathcliff: Because it’s a flower you chose for us, I wanted to display it beautifully, so I bought a new vase. The windowsill looks so vibrant now that I can’t help but gaze at it. Nero: It’s a shame they’ll wither. How about skipping the difficult topics for the next lesson and making pressed flowers together instead? Oz: For us Central Country wizards, you sent yellow flowers… A bright and hopeful color, like the courageous and fearless young wizards. Oz: If you wish, I could gather flowers from all over the country and give them to you. But today, I’ll give you this single white flower.

Arthur: Here, please accept this. It’s something we all chose together at a flower shop in the royal capital. Arthur: Though it’s us who should be expressing gratitude to you… Thank you so much for always dedicating yourself to us. Cain: No matter how much I thank you, it’ll never be enough. I’m so glad we met. Please accept our feelings. Riquet: Dear Kenja-sama, whom I love so much, I offer a prayer for you. With this beautiful flower, I send blessings for you and the future we share. Shylock: For us Western wizards, you chose a delicate, sweet, pale pink flower… You truly have the most endearing gestures. Shylock: After receiving such a gift, how can we possibly match it? Let me give you a pure white flower, just like you—so genuine and honest, untouched by any color. Murr: Here you go, Kenja-sama. Cute, isn’t it? I found it at the wizard’s flower shop in the Town of Plenty (City of Affluence)! Murr: This flower must love having fun too! So, as a bonus, let’s have some fireworks! 《Eanul Rambul》! Chloe: The flowers you gave me sparked an idea for a new design! How about using it as the dress code theme for a tea party? Rustica: I’m planning to use the flowers you gave me to decorate the table setting. We’ll match the tea and sweets to the pale pink hues and create a truly delightful atmosphere. Figaro: For us Southern wizards, you gave pale green flowers… A gentle color, like the young leaves sprouting in early spring. Figaro: Flowers are great, aren’t they? They’re always there quietly, keeping you company. Thank you for such a charming and thoughtful gift—it’s so like you. Rutile: Here you go. It’s a white flower I found in a meadow in the Southern Country. Rutile: The flowers you gave us smell amazing! We’ve been talking about making herbal tea from them after displaying them for a while. Lennox: The sheep seem to love the scent too—they were delighted, burying themselves in the flowers. I’ll have to be careful they don’t eat them all before we dry them. Mitile: Once it’s ready, I’ll share some with you, Kenja-sama. I’ll turn the warmth you gave us into a warm herbal tea and return it to you. Oz: Akira, We are your wizards. We follow you and are guided by you. Arthur: That’s why it would make me so happy if we could give back even more than what you’ve given us. All of the Wizards: Kenja-sama, We look forward to continuing this journey with you!