#Isabella just roll her eyes and let him go away with that

[naehja]

Isabella, to her 8 years old son: I know you snuck out of your room last night, Ray, and that you spent hours in the library. You didn't sleep a lot this night, right?

Ray: *thinking* Play dumb.

Ray, very innocently: Who’s Ray?

Ray: *thinking*: Not that dumb!!

[thef1diary]

Little Big Fan | Fifteen

— Little Big Aftermath [aka the end]

Series Masterlist

wc: 3k

we’ve made it to the end guys! I just have to say I never thought I’d complete this story and that too fifteen parts of it but to all those who read it and motivated me to keep writing, thank you. While it is the end of the official story, I will continue to take requests for blurbs on specific scenes you’d like to see. However, there won’t be a set posting date on these blurbs, it’ll be out whenever it’s requested and completed. Once again, thank you so much for those who were here since the first chapter, and here’s to more fic series in the future. P.S lemme know if you want to be tagged in the blurbs.

Your frown grew deeper as you turned in the direction your daughter had pointed, unfortunately spotting Tyler. Luckily, he wasn't looking at you two since he was focusing on the podium celebrations about to happen.

"I didn't know daddy was here, mama." Picking Isabella up, you shook your head, "I didn't know either, angel, but let's focus on Max for now okay?"

She gave a nod of agreement and applauded for the drivers, Oscar and Lando in particular, who finished second and third in the race. She did, however, cheer the loudest when Max, as he has done after almost every race this season, stepped onto the top step of the podium.

He was having trouble finding you and Isabella right away in the crowd, and you could see the slightest frown forming on his face until a smile emerged when he succeeded, connecting his gaze with yours.

Isabella giggled as Max held his hand up to wave at her before blowing a kiss in the air in your direction. His behaviour drew Lando and Oscar's attention to you as well, with the former driver rolling his eyes at Max jokingly and Oscar smiling at the interaction.

However, you didn't realize that someone else was also looking at you because your gaze didn't waver away from Max.

The champagne bottles were popped, and this time Isabella was awake to see it all, watching with fascination as it was the first time she was able to see it in person. "I wanna do that, mama," she pointed at the drivers spraying the alcoholic drink, soaking each other's race suits while laughing. "Maybe when you're older, Bella."

"When I'm 7?" She asked, and you chuckled, "a little more than that, sweetheart."

Once the celebrations were over, a huge part of the crowd dispersed, the teams resuming to their usual scheduled routines, preparing for post-race debriefs and other meetings. "Where's Maxy going?" Isabella asked, watching as he was led away by someone clad in a RedBull uniform.

"He's a little busy with interviews, but he told me that he'd come back as soon as he's done," you explained, knowing that Max had a post-race conference and a few other duties lined up.

Isabella huffed, "but he won the race." She rested her head on your shoulder for a moment while playing with a strand of your hair—the habit formed back when she was a few months old.

"Yeah he did, which means he's very famous right now and so many people want to talk to him," you explained and while she nodded in understanding, she still pouted, "I wanna talk to him too."

"Why don't we wait for him inside his driver's room?" You asked, turning around when she nodded.

You had almost reached Max's driver room—a place he had suggested for you and Isabella to stay to wait for him, but pausing in a secluded area as a familiar voice called out, "Isabella!" then heard your name as well. Isabella squirmed in your lap, wanting to get down after seeing Tyler walk up to you both. You sighed, knowing that you'd have to stop and chat.

"Tyler," you greeted, and awkwardness hung in the air for two seconds before Isabella decided to speak up. "Daddy, you said you were busy, what are you doing here?"

Despite her hesitance to stay at her father's place, which she still hasn't done since the day she was discharged from the hospital, she frequently spoke to him over the phone.

Unfortunately for him, Isabella rarely forgets promises. While he was busy playing the "good father" role after your ultimatum, he had make false promises, agreeing to everything she asked for without hearing her out properly. In that conversation, she asked about the promise he made of taking her to a race before she had met Max.

While you and Max had taken her once, she still wanted to experience the thrill with her father since he was the one who introduced the sport to her.

He glanced at you, silently asking if he did in fact claim that he was busy, and frowned when you nodded. "Oh Bella, sweetheart, I didn't know that I would have the time to be here, it was an unexpected decision or else I would've brought you along, but you're here anyways!" He tried to uplift her mood, but instead of hanging on to every word he spoke like she used to do, she just shrugged.

Deciding to divert the topic of conversation, Tyler asked, "did you enjoy the race?" He stepped forward, kneeling down to be closer to her but on instinct, Isabella moved away, clutching on to your hand tightly.

He frowned, once again glancing up at you after noticing her behaviour, but you didn't let an ounce of emotion show on your face. "I'm so happy Maxy won!" She exclaimed, her mood improving for a moment as she thought about him.

Standing up to his full height, Tyler looked at you, "why don't we sit and chat for a moment?" Pressing your lips together in a tight smile, you replied, "I don't think that's a good idea."

He scoffed, then shrugged, "fine, have it your way like always." You were not in the mood to indulge his stupid comments which would eventually lead to an argument, in fact you were here to enjoy the weekend with your boyfriend who you dearly missed in this moment.

His eyes widened briefly when you didn't respond to his comment, wondering how you changed so much in a matter of a few weeks that you couldn't care less about him anymore.

"Hey Bella, why don't you show daddy the caps that you got?" You prompted another topic, that Isabella quickly agreed to. Tyler's gaze remained on you for a moment, understanding that you truly had no intention on speaking to him longer than necessary. The conversations you did have were only necessary due to your daughter, but even those texts and calls started becoming less and less frequent.

Isabella took off her Red Bull cap, which had autographs from Max and Checo, to expose a Ferrari cap with two more signatures from Charles and Carlos, and then a McLaren cap that undoubtedly featured two signatures from Oscar and Lando. She caught up to Lando and Charles, who had given her their hats earlier, as well as their teammates, to obtain signatures. She then wanted to get autographs on her RedBull cap as well. When she asked Max and Checo, they chuckled with the latter claiming she had them all at her beck and call, but they nevertheless signed the cap.

Isabella ended up stacking all three caps on her head because she couldn't choose which one best matched with her outfit. She began explaining the story behind the signatures, and Tyler intently listened, asking a few questions in between as well.

"And then-" Isabella's gaze wandered off, eyes lighting up in excitement as she spotted, "-Maxy!"

Without any hesitation she ran up to him, colliding with him as she tried to wrap her arms around him, earning a low, "oof" from him.

Picking her up and settling her on his hip, holding her up with one arm, he held up his other hand that had a medal hanging from it. Max placed the medal around Isabella's neck, which he received on the podium earlier along with his trophy. "We won, princess," he commented, smiling as wide as she did.

She held both of her hands up, imitating the action Max did as he held his trophy on the podium, causing him to laugh. You watched the interaction with a smile on your face, and could hear their laughter from a few feet away.

Walking towards you as Max was initially planned on doing, he noticed a man next to you, which based on your descriptions was Tyler. He decided to overlook him for now, instead greeting you with a kiss to your cheek.

Tyler held his hand out, "great race, congratulations on the championship. I'm a huge fan by the way." Max, nodded politely, still holding Isabella in his arms but shaking his hand nonetheless. "Thank you," he prompted, waiting for the man to introduce himself to confirm his suspicions.

"Oh, so you're Tyler." Max glanced at you for a moment, watching as you tried to hide your smile behind your hands because of his antics. "Why do you say it like it's a bad thing?" He questioned, and Max was quick to retort, "well, it's not really the best thing now is it?"

"I don't understand," he trailed off, and your boyfriend shrugged, "I figured you wouldn't understand, it's okay," he patted Tyler's shoulder in faux consolation. You had to take a step back so Tyler wouldn't see your expression, placing a hand over your mouth to muffle your laugh.

Tyler was quick to catch on to the condescending tone Max spoke with, looking at you—after you composed yourself fortunately. "So what, you get invited to one race and you guys are best friends now?" He asked, a hint of jealousy you were familiar with revealed in his tone.

"More like she's my girlfriend and they're here to support me," Max clarified. Tyler looked at Max, then Isabella, finally understanding why she was always so enamoured by him.

He scoffed, "oh great, enjoy my sloppy seconds then mate, I will warn you though, it's not worth it because a few months later she'll show you a positive pregnancy test and force you to be a father."

Your jaw dropped, instantly responding, "in front of my daughter?" You glanced at Isabella who was in fact hearing all the words spoken, only frowning due to yours and Max's expressions as she didn't understand the full context of the words her father had said, just knowing that it wasn't good.

Max wiped his hand over his mouth, jaw clenching while his warm gaze turned cold within seconds. "Apologize, now," he instructed, trying to hold himself back from causing a fight.

"Now why would I do that? It's true." Max placed Isabella back on her feet who quickly shuffled over to you, standing behind your legs. "How dare you stand here claiming to be my fan yet talk shit about the person I love?" The driver placed his hand on Tyler's shoulder again, but this time you could see the fear bubbling up in his eyes as his grip tightened.

Still, Tyler managed to scoff, "love? Bold claims there. Sorry to break it to you but she's probably just with you for your mon-" he couldn't finish his sentence because he was punched square in the jaw by your boyfriend.

"Max!" You shrieked, and watching the interaction, Isabella held on to your hands tightly with tears welling up in her eyes. You picked her up again, noticing that Tyler was fuming in anger. "Gonna fucking sue you for that," he spit out some blood, but Max only shrugged, "try me."

Fortunately, you guys were stood in between the team motorhomes, which meant you were slightly hidden away from public eye due to the buildings covering the scene.

Readying himself for another punch if needed, you shook your head, "it's not worth it, Max."

"Yeah Max, listen to your girlfriend," he taunted, angering you in the process. "Will you ever shut up?" You shot back. Max glanced at Isabella who had hid her face in the crook of your neck, arms wrapped around you. Although he couldn't see her face, he guessed that her eyes were tightly shut.

Nodding as a silent agreement with Max, you decided to walk away from the scene as you didn't want to expose Isabella to any more of this argument than what she has already heard. Glancing at Max once more, you hoped that your expression was indicating something along the lines of, "don't do anything too bad."

However, you could hear Max's words as he began speaking to Tyler, "listen here you little shit..." but you didn't stick around to hear the entire conversation, smiling to yourself knowing that Tyler would finally be put into his place—that too by his favourite driver.

Finally entering his driver's room, you sat down on the couch sighing in relief. Isabella was still in your lap and you ran your hand up and down her back in a soothing motion because you could feel her sniffling against you. "Bella," you murmured, wanting to see her adorable face.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that, sweetheart." You kissed her head before brushing your hand through her hair. You heard her mumble but didn't catch her words, "what was that?"

She lifted her head to look at you, and you frowned seeing the tears staining her cheeks. "Why is daddy so mean? I don't like him."

"Some people are just mean for no reason, and unfortunately, your daddy is one of them," you explained, no longer covering for him knowing that after what Isabella witnessed, she wouldn't want to be near him no matter what you said.

She frowned but didn't respond, leaning her head against your shoulder again. You didn't disturb her peace, knowing that after the eventful day, she needed some quiet time.

Max entered the room a few minutes later, and he smiled to greet you but it fell flat. He pointed at Isabella, then put his thumbs up to silently ask if she was okay, but you shrugged.

"What did you say to him?" You asked, knowing that whatever conversation followed probably wasn't kind. "I told him that I'd ban him from future races if I saw him anywhere near you or Bella, and he left."

You knew that it probably wasn't that easily done, but you didn't ask for more details.

You had thought Isabella fell asleep since she hadn't moved in a while, nor could you see her face, but she lifted her head up to look at Max once she heard some shuffling about in the room.

He paused as soon as his gaze connected with hers, unsure of how to initiate a conversation because he did literally punch her father. Isabella wiggled off your lap, and both you and Max thought that she would walk away further into the room so her next action surprised you both. Running towards Max, she held her arms out, engulfing him in a hug.

"You're better than my dad, Maxy," she muttered, and he audibly sighed, the stress wrinkles on his face disappearing while wrapping his own arms around her smaller frame.

"Thank you, princess," he whispered back, and she pulled back to kiss his cheek. Isabella looked back at you, smiling when she saw you smile as well. "Thank you for taking care of my mama," your daughter told Max, and his heart warmed at her words. "Always."

The ring of your phone interrupted the beautiful sight in front of you, but your eyes widened when you saw that it was your mother calling. As soon as you pick it up, you're greeted by hearing your full name.

"Hi, mum," you stood up and walked further away just in case you were about to get a scolding although you had no idea what you could've possibly done. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked.

"Tell you what?" You answered with a question of your own, knowing that she could be referring to anything at the moment. "That you have a boyfriend."

Your mouth dropped open, "how do you know that?" She chuckled, "because a friend of mine called me and told me that she just watched you kiss someone on live television, some racer guy."

Covering your mouth with your hand, you thought back to the moment Max kissed you in front of the huge crowd after getting out of his car, and of course there had to be cameras capturing the moment. "Max, he's a Formula 1 driver," you explained.

"Wait, the same Max that Bella talks about?" You hummed, "the same one."

"I'm glad you finally moved on from your daughter's father, but I'm also sad that you didn't tell me sooner and I looked foolish because I didn't know until my friend told me about it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think my relationship would be broadcasted live. Plus, I think the chapter with Tyler is finally over, for both me and Isabella."

"That's good to hear, she doesn't deserve a father like him. Is Max good to you?"

"He's the best to both of us, she lights up with joy every time she sees him." Your mother hummed as she heard your response, "then me and your father have to meet him one day."

You heard some laughter in the next room where Max and Isabella were, and you smiled at your mother's words, "I hope we can come by soon, I'd love to introduce him to you and dad."

After saying goodbyes and promises to meet soon, you returned to the room Max and Isabella were in, pausing in the doorway at the sight in front of you. Just like how Isabella was sitting in your lap earlier with her head against your shoulder, she did the same to Max.

You were about to make your presence known when you heard your daughter's question. "Maxy, why do you call me princess?"

Max's gaze found yours, always finding you whether you were standing in the corner of the room or in a crowd. "Because your mama is the queen," he responded casually, as if he was stating a fact.

Isabella lifted her head, "does that make you the king?" He shrugged, "I guess it does."

She giggled, "and does that mean we get a happily ever after like the storybooks?" Max reached his hand out towards you, asking you to join them which you obliged to easily.

"Ours is better than the storybooks," he stated, placing a kiss on Isabella's forehead before pecking your lips briefly.

The End.

Taglist: @xjval @mrsmaybank13 @cherry-piee @urfavnoirette @solphin @burningcupcakefire @nessacarty1 @dreamsarebig @omgsuperstarg @wonnou @fanficweasley @redbullgirly @llando4norris @randomgirlnumber13 @dark-night-sky-99 @chanshintien @leilanixx @gisellesprettylies @peachiicherries @monsieurbacteria6 @67-angelofthelordme-67 @arian-directioner @distancedss @morenofilm @sachaa-ff @lighttsoutlewis @teamnovalak @casperlikej @sadg3 @d3kstar @lewisvinga @lpab @queenofmanydreams @honethatty12 @drunk-teens-doing-drugs @its-avalon-08 @yourbane @oconswrld @noneofyourfbusinessworld @ssrcsm @softtina @hockeyboysarehot @formulaal @namgification @tallrock35 @bloodyymaryyy @formulanni @ellouisa17 @phantomxoxo @samantha-chicago

[lgwifey]

Constant Complications

fem!reader x caius volturi

Summary : a short lil conversation <3

Warning : a few words of Google translated Italian

"Can you believe him !"

Y/n had to force herself to not let out a small laugh as she watched as her husband pace up and down the length of their bedroom, poision lacing his words as he ranted about Aro's decicions of that day's court.

"No darling, i can't."

“I mean, the Cullens have broke our main law, and he just lets them get away with it."

The blonde king paused his pacing, turning to watch Y/n calmly removing her makeup before reapplying it so it would be fresh for the next court opening in a few hours. She sat on her vanity stool, now applying mascara as he waited for her attention to be on him. It did remind her slightly of looking after a toddler.

Y/n placed the wand back in its tube and into the makeup bag before turning to him, waiting for his impacient self to start the questioning.

"Yes ?"

"You agree with me, right ? Even if you were at one time a Cullen, you agree with me ?"

“Of course I do Caius. You do well to remember that my loyalties lie with you and the Volturi, not my brother and his new covern."

His eyes softened as she pulled him closer, leaving a small kiss on his frowning features.

“They broke our laws and they should have been treated accordingly, but if Isabella is Edward's mate then she'll become one of our kind soon. We must maintain power by showing we do not kill irrationally."

"Of course." Caius stood, fixing his suit before moving to the other side of the room, Y/n furrowing her brows at his random leaving before carrying on with her makeup, finalising her look by fixing the ruby necklace which hung between her collarbones.

“Caius ?"

The blonde spun around immediately, placing his rings back into their box and giving his full attention to the woman facing him.

"Carlisle didn't know they were here, i'll be informing him next time we meet, he'll deal with them how he sees fit but i'll make sure it's proper."

"And when will that be ?"

A sour look filled the raging vampires expression, he wasn't a fan of his mate’s brother, after he left the Volteri in pursuit of his own covern, Caius lost what little respect he had for the doctor. If it wasn't for Y/n, the entire Olympic Covern would have been wiped out before it started.

"I'm not sure... but it should be soon, i haven't seen him for just over two decades, twenty three years. "

"That isn't that long."

She just rolled her eyes, pulling her cloak over her dress and giving him a small hug seeing how they needed to leave to the throne room.

"Maybe not for you old man, but i'm only three hundred and fifty eight."

"I'm not old, Cullen."

The use of her maiden name as an insult left them both holding back laughter.

"Scilicet."

A few months had past since the incident with her brother's covern and to say Y/n was shocked when a letter arrive in their post for her would be a lie.

"Oh what a surprise. A letter, from Forks."

The queen threw door between the chamber entry and her bedroom open, closing it just as quickly.

She found her husband to be layed down on their king sized bed, stareing up at the ceiling and probably deep in thought on new ways to hurt court arrivals. Her voice was heavily dosed in sarcasm which only intrigued Caius, popping his head up from the pillow. He was holding back his smile at the upcoming lecture about how ungrateful her older brother could be.

“What are the chances that it’s a thank you for saving his creations lives ?”

“Non Sunt.”

Her words came out like a growl, adding in the dramatic eye roll, the blonde could tell that his wife’s upcoming rant was going to be spectacular.

Y/n gave a roll of her eyes before dragging one of her long stiletto nails through the envolope top, acting like a knife.

Her eyes flicked over the inked words in less than a second, taking them all in before growling at the paper and throwing it at her husband.

“Fantastic (!)"

Caius took more than a second to read the page, pausing for a moment before looking up in a confused fashion. He flicked his eyes over it again, at least three times.

“I've never come across that language before. What does this say? How can you read that? "

"It's English Darling, doctor's handwriting. I've just become accustom to reading Carlisle's letters every so often."

She placed a kiss onto his forehead before laying him down again so she could lean on his chest, her brother tiring her out with just the letter. Oh if she could sleep so would’ve blacked out from exhaustion.

"Apparently someone is creating a newborn army in order to kill the Isabella girl, since their covern killed this woman, Victoria's, mate the other year to protect Edward's mate. A lot of mortals are becoming suspicious of the deaths and Carlisle asks if we can do anything about it."

The king let out a sound of complaint before muttering an annoyed "can't we just let them kill her ?"

She tried her hardest to push back the slime growing on her lips from his conclusion, lightly shoved his shoulder, a grin meeting her in reply. Y/n adjusting her head so she could look him in the eyes. They were turning black, reminding her that they both needed some food soon before they both ended up starving.

Caius slammed his head back into his pillow.

“I know Darling, but we have to maintain the first law."

She moved so she could run her nails through his hair, knowing he didn't want to be the one to have to go to his brothers to explain the current Seattle situation.

“I'll go inform Marcus of the news, should I ask him to send Jane and Alec ?"

Caius’ tired out eyes opened up from a slow blink, leaning closer to the comforting circles being threaded and swirled into his hair. His voice came out soft, a tone reserved for Y/n and Y/n alone.

“Felix and Demetri would be a better pair to go."

Caius mumbled before squashing his face under a pillow, hiding from his responcibilities.

Masterlist

[hopelesslys-world]

50 SHADES OF FUCKED UP | CH. 1

Pairing: Christian Grey x innocent!reader

TRIGGER WARNINGS!: TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, reader is kind of a bimbo, heavily detailed smut, basically porn, loss of virginity, harsh language, anger issues, stalking, obsession, jealousy, controlling behaviour, DOM-SUB themes, BDSM Expand considered to be portrayed with incorrect/poor etiquette, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse/assault, statutory rape.

Tell me if I missed anything...( As you can see most of the warnings will appear in future chapters. )

I apologize for any grammar mistakes...

Y/M/N: Your Middle Name

Y/L/N: Your Last Name

Y/N/N: Your Nickname

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

*𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙋𝙊𝙑*

┅┅

𝐈 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐖𝐋 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐅𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐓 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅 𝐈𝐍 the reflection of the mirror. Damn my hair—it just won’t behave! And also damn Isabella Clark for being ill and subjecting me to this ordeal. I should be studying for my final exams, which are next week, yet here I am trying to brush my hair into submission.

I must not sleep with it wet. I must not sleep with it wet. Reciting this mantra several times, I attempt, once more, to bring it under control with the brush. I roll my eyes in exasperation and gaze at my reflection in the mirror, you blow dry your hair into oblivion and with the help of some hairspray you managed to put your soft curls into place.

Now you finally look somewhat presentable.

Bella is my roommate, and she has chosen today of all days to succumb to the flu. Therefore, she cannot attend the interview she’d arranged to do, with some mega-industrialist tycoon I’ve never heard of, for the student newspaper. So I have been volunteered.

I have final exams to cram for, one essay to finish, and I’m supposed to be working this afternoon, but no–today I have to drive a hundred and sixty-five miles to downtown Seattle in order to meet the enigmatic CEO of Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.

As an exceptional entrepreneur and major benefactor of our University, his time is extraordinarily precious—much more precious than mine–but he has granted Bella an interview. A real coup, she tells me.

Damn her extra-curricular activities.

Bella is huddled on the couch in the living room. “Y/N, I’m sorry. It took me nine months to get this interview. It will take another six to reschedule, and we’ll both have graduated by then. As the editor, I can’t blow this off. Please,” Bella begs me in her rasping, sore throat voice.

How does she do it? Even ill she looks gamine and gorgeous, strawberry blonde hair in place and green eyes bright, although now red-rimmed and runny. I ignore my pang of unwelcome sympathy.

“Of course I’ll go Bella. You should get back to bed. Would you like some Nyquil or Tylenol?”

“Nyquil, please. Here are the questions and my mini-disc recorder. Just press record here. Make notes, I’ll transcribe it all.”

“I know nothing about him,” I murmur, trying and failing to suppress my rising panic.

“The questions will see you through. Go. It’s a long drive. I don’t want you to be late.”

“Okay, I’m going. Get back to bed. I made you some soup to heat up later.” I stare at her fondly. Only for you, Bella, would I do this.

“I will. Good luck. And thanks Y/N/N – as usual, you’re my lifesaver.”

Gathering my things, I smile wryly at her, then head out the door to the car. I cannot believe I have let Bella talk me into this. But then Bella can talk anyone into anything.

She’ll make an exceptional journalist. She’s articulate, strong, persuasive, argumentative, beautiful – and she’s my dearest, dearest friend.

The roads are clear as I set off from Vancouver, WA toward Portland and the I-5. It’s early, and I don’t have to be in Seattle until two this afternoon. Fortunately, Bella’s lent me her sporty Mercedes CLK.

I’m not sure Wanda, my old VW Beetle, would make the journey in time. Oh, the Mercedes is a fun drive, and the miles slip away as I floor the pedal to the metal.

My destination is the headquarters of Mr. Grey’s global enterprise. It’s a huge twenty-story office building, all curved glass and steel, an architect’s utilitarian fantasy, with Grey House written discreetly in steel over the glass front doors.

It’s a quarter to two when I arrive, greatly relieved that I’m not late as I walk into the enormous – and frankly intimidating – glass, steel, and white sandstone lobby.

Behind the solid sandstone desk, a very attractive, groomed, blonde young woman smiles pleasantly at me. She’s wearing the sharpest charcoal suit jacket and white shirt I have ever seen. She looks immaculate.

“I’m here to see Mr. Grey. Y/N Y/L/N for Isabella Clark.”

“Excuse me one moment, Miss Y/L/N.” She arches her eyebrow slightly as I stand self-consciously before her. I am beginning to wish I’d borrowed one of Bella’s formal blazers.

My outfit definitely didn't suit for something like this, but at the same time I've neve done anything like this.

I love my skirts, basically all of my closet is filled with skirts, dresses, sweaters and the occasional jeans and formal pants.

For me, this is smart. I tuck one of the escaped tendrils of my hair behind my ear as I pretend she doesn’t intimidate me.

“Miss Clark is expected. Please sign in here, Miss Y/L/N. You’ll want the last elevator on the right, press for the twentieth floor.” She smiles kindly at me, amused no doubt, as I sign in.

She hands me a security pass that has VISITOR very firmly stamped on the front. I can’t help my smirk. Surely it’s obvious that I’m just visiting. I don’t fit in here at all. Nothing changes, I inwardly sigh. Thanking her, I walk over to the bank of elevators pastthe two security men who are both far more smartly dressed than I am in their well-cut black suits.

The elevator whisks me with terminal velocity to the twentieth floor. The doors slide open, and I’m in another large lobby – again all glass, steel, and white sandstone. I’m confronted by another desk of sandstone and another young blonde woman dressed impeccably in black and white who rises to greet me.

“Miss Y/L/N, could you wait here, please?” She points to a seated area of white leather chairs.

Behind the leather chairs is a spacious glass-walled meeting room with an equally spacious dark wood table and at least twenty matching chairs around it. Beyond that, there is a floor-to-ceiling window with a view of the Seattle skyline that looks out through the city toward the Sound. It’s a stunning vista, and I’m momentarily paralyzed by the view. Wow.

I sit down, fish the questions from my bag, and go through them, inwardly cursing Bella for not providing me with a brief biography. I know nothing about this man I’m about to interview. He could be ninety or he could be thirty.

The uncertainty is galling, and my nerves resurface, making me fidget. I’ve never been comfortable with one-on-one interviews, preferring the anonymity of a group discussion where I can sit inconspicuously at the back of the room. To be honest, I prefer my own company, reading a classic British novel, curled up in a chair in the campus library. Not sitting twitching nervously in a colossal glass and stone edifice.

I roll my eyes at myself. Get a grip, Y/N. Judging from the building, which is too clinical and modern, I guess Grey is in his forties: fit, tanned, and fair-haired to match the rest of the personnel.

Another elegant, flawlessly dressed blonde comes out of a large door to the right. What is it with all the immaculate blondes? It’s like Stepford here.

Taking a deep breath, I stand up.

“Miss Y/L/N?” the latest blonde asks.

“Yes,” I croak, and clear my throat. “Yes.” There, that sounded more confident.

“Mr. Grey will see you in a moment. May I take your coat?”

“Oh please.” I struggle out of the long black coat.

“Have you been offered any refreshment?”

“Um – no.”

Oh dear, is Blonde Number One in trouble?

Blonde Number Two frowns and eyes the young woman at the desk.

“Would you like tea, coffee, water?” she asks, turning her attention back to me.

“A glass of water. Thank you,” I murmur.

“Olivia, please fetch Miss Y/L/N a glass of water.” Her voice is stern. Olivia scoots up immediately and scurries to a door on the other side of the foyer.

“My apologies, Miss Y/L/N, Olivia is our new intern. Please be seated. Mr. Grey will be another five minutes.”

Olivia returns with a glass of iced water.

“Here you go, Miss Y/L/N.”

“Thank you.”

Blonde Number Two marches over to the large desk, her heels clicking and echoing on the sandstone floor. She sits down, and they both continue their work.

Perhaps Mr. Grey insists on all his employees being blonde. I’m wondering idly if that’s legal, when the office door opens and a tall, elegantly dressed, attractive man with short dreads exits. I have definitely worn the wrong clothes.

He turns and says through the door. “Golf, this week, Grey.”

I don’t hear the reply. He turns, sees me, and smiles, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners. Olivia has jumped up and called the elevator. She seems to excel at jumping from her seat. She’s more nervous than me!

“Good afternoon ladies,” he says as he departs through the sliding door.

“Mr. Grey will see you now, Miss Y/L/N. Do go through,” Blonde Number Two says.

I stand rather shakily trying to suppress my nerves. Gathering up my bag, I abandon my glass of water and make my way to the partially open door.

“You don’t need to knock – just go in.” She smiles kindly.

I push open the door and stumble through the impressively giant office. I notice a man his face hidden behind the computer. But in a moment he raises his head and approaches me.

That's when I see his face.

Holy Cow, his young nothing like I'd imagined him.

“Miss Clark” He extends a long-fingered hand to me. “I’m Christian Grey.”

So young – and attractive, very attractive. He’s tall, dressed in a fine gray suit, white shirt, and black tie with unruly dark copper colored hair and intense, bright gray eyes that regard me shrewdly. It takes a moment for me to find my voice.

“Um. Actually–” I mutter. If this guy is over thirty then I’m a monkey’s uncle. In a daze, I place my hand in his and we shake. As our fingers touch, I feel an odd exhilarating shiver run through me. I withdraw my hand hastily, embarrassed. Must be static.

I blink rapidly, my eyelids matching my heart rate. “Miss Clark is indisposed, so she sent me. I hope you don’t mind, Mr. Grey.”

“And you are?” His voice is warm, possibly amused, but it’s difficult to tell from his impassive expression. He looks mildly interested, but above all, polite.

“Y/N Y/L/N. I’m studying English Literature with Bella, um… Isabella… um… Miss Clark at Washington State.”

“I see,” he says simply. I think I see the ghost of a smile in his expression, but I’m not sure.

“Would you like to sit?” He waves me toward a white leather buttoned L-shaped couch.

His office is way too big for just one man. In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, there’s a huge modern dark-wood desk that six people could comfortably eat around. It matches the coffee table by the couch. Everything else is white – ceiling, floors, and walls except, on the wall by the door, where a mosaic of small paintings hang, thirty-six of them arranged in a square. They are exquisite – a series of mundane, forgotten objects painted in such precise detail they look like photographs. Displayed together, they are breathtaking.

“A local artist. Trouton,” says Grey when he catches my gaze.

“They’re lovely. Raising the ordinary to extraordinary,” I murmur, distracted both by him and the paintings. He cocks his head to one side and regards me intently.

“I couldn’t agree more, Miss Y/L/N,” he replies, his voice soft and for some inexplicable reason I find myself blushing.

Apart from the paintings, the rest of the office is cold, clean, and clinical. I wonder if it reflects the personality of the person who sinks gracefully into one of the white leather chairs opposite me. I shake my head, disturbed at the direction of my thoughts, and retrieve Bella’s questions from my bag.

Next, I set up the mini-disc recorder and am all fingers and thumbs, dropping it twice on the coffee table in front of me. Mr. Grey says nothing, waiting patiently – I hope – as I become increasingly embarrassed and flustered. When I pluck up the courage to look at him, he’s watching me, one hand relaxed in his lap and the other cupping his chin and trailing his long index finger across his lips. I think he’s trying to suppress a smile.

“Sorry,” I stutter. “I’m not used to this.”

“Take all the time you need, Miss Y/L/N,” he says.

“Do you mind if I record your answers?”

“After you’ve taken so much trouble to set up the recorder – you ask me now?”

I flush. He’s teasing me? I hope. I smile shyly, unsure what to say, and I think he takes pity on me because he relents. “No, I don’t mind.”

“Did Bella, I mean, Miss Clark, explain what the interview was for?”

“Yes. To appear in the graduation issue of the student newspaper as I shall be conferring the degrees at this year’s graduation ceremony.”

Oh! This is news to me, and I’m temporarily pre-occupied by the thought that someone not much older than me – okay, maybe six years or so, and okay, mega successful, but still – is going to present me with my degree.

I frown, dragging my wayward attention back to the task at hand.

“Good,” I swallow nervously. “I have some questions, Mr. Grey.” I smooth a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

“I thought you might,” he says, deadpan. He’s laughing at me. My cheeks heat at the realization, and I sit up and square my shoulders in an attempt to look taller and more intimidating. Pressing the start button on the recorder, I try to look professional.

“You’re very young to have amassed such an empire. To what do you owe your success?” I glance up at him. His smile is rueful, but he looks vaguely disappointed.

“Business is all about people, Miss Y/L/N, and I’m very good at judging people. I know how they tick, what makes them flourish, what doesn’t, what inspires them, and how to incentivize them. I employ an exceptional team, and I reward them well.” He pauses and fixes me with his gray stare.

“My belief is to achieve success in any scheme one has to make oneself master of that scheme, know it inside and out, know every detail. I work hard, very hard to do that. I make decisions based on logic and facts. I have a natural gut instinct that can spot and nurture a good solid idea and good people. The bottom line is, it’s always down to good people.”

“Maybe you’re just lucky.” This isn’t on Bella’s list – but he’s so arrogant. His eyes flare momentarily in surprise.

“I don’t subscribe to luck or chance, Miss Y/L/N. The harder I work the more luck I seem to have. It really is all about having the right people on your team and directing theirenergies accordingly. I think it was Harvey Firestone who said ‘the growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.’ ”

“You sound like a control freak.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

“Oh, I exercise control in all things, Miss Y/L/N,” he says without a trace of humor in his smile. I look at him, and he holds my gaze steadily, impassive. My heartbeat quickens, and my face flushes again.

Why does he have such an unnerving effect on me? His overwhelming good-looks maybe? The way his eyes blaze at me? The way he strokes his index finger against his lower lip? I wish he’d stop doing that.

“Besides, immense power is acquired by assuring yourself in your secret reveries that you were born to control things,” he continues, his voice soft.

“Do you feel that you have immense power?” Control Freak.

“I employ over forty thousand people Miss Y/L/N. That gives me a certain sense of responsibility – power, if you will. If I were to decide I was no longer interested in the telecommunications business and sell up, twenty thousand people would struggle to make their mortgage payments after a month or so.”

My mouth drops open. I am staggered by his lack of humility. “Don’t you have a board to answer to?” I ask, disgusted.

“I own my company. I don’t have to answer to a board.” He raises an eyebrow at me.

I flush. Of course, I would know this if I had done some research. But holy crap, he’s so arrogant. I change tack.

“And do you have any interests outside your work?”

“I have varied interests, Miss Y/L/N.” A ghost of a smile touches his lips. “Very varied.”

And for some reason, I’m confounded and heated by his steady gaze. His eyes are alight with some wicked thought.

“But if you work so hard, what do you do to chill out?”

“Chill out?” He smiles, revealing perfect white teeth. I stop breathing. He really is beautiful. No one should be this good-looking.

“Well, to ‘chill out’ as you put it – I sail, I fly, I indulge in various physical pursuits.”

He shifts in his chair. “I’m a very wealthy man, Miss Y/L/N, and I have expensive and absorbing hobbies.”

I glance quickly at Bella’s questions, wanting to get off this subject.

“You invest in manufacturing. Why, specifically?” I ask. Why does he make me so uncomfortable?

“I like to build things. I like to know how things work: what makes things tick, how to construct and deconstruct. And I have a love of ships. What can I say?”

“That sounds like your heart talking rather than logic and facts.”

His mouth quirks up, and he stares appraisingly at me. “Possibly. Though there are people who’d say I don’t have a heart.”

“Why would they say that?” I ask, intrigued by that information.

“Because they know me well.” His lip curls in a wry smile.

“Would your friends say you’re easy to get to know?” And I regret the question as soon as I say it. It’s not on Bella’s list.

“I’m a very private person, Miss Y/L/N. I go a long way to protect my privacy. I don’t often give interviews,” he trails off.

“Why did you agree to do this one?”

“Because I’m a benefactor of the University, and for all intents and purposes, I couldn’t get Miss Clark off my back. She badgered and badgered my PR people, and I admire that kind of tenacity.”

I know how tenacious Bella can be. That’s why I’m sitting here squirming uncomfortably under his penetrating gaze, when I should be studying for my exams.

“You also invest in farming technologies. Why are you interested in this area?”

“We can’t eat money, Miss Y/L/N, and there are too many people on this planet who don’t have enough to eat.”

“That sounds very philanthropic. Is it something you feel passionately about? Feeding the world’s poor?”

He shrugs, very non-committal. “It’s shrewd business,” he shrugs, though I think he’s being disingenuous. It doesn’t make sense – feeding the world’s poor? I can’t see the financial benefits of this, only the virtue of the ideal. I glance at the next question, confused by his attitude.

“Do you have a philosophy? If so, what is it?”

“I don’t have a philosophy as such. Maybe a guiding principle. I’m very singular, driven. I like control – of myself and those around me.”

“So you want to possess things?” You are a control freak.

“I want to deserve to possess them, but yes, bottom line, I do.”

“You sound like the ultimate consumer.”

“I am.” He smiles, but the smile doesn’t touch his eyes. Again this is at odds with someone who wants to feed the world, so I can’t help thinking that we’re talking about something else, but I’m absolutely mystified as to what it is. I swallow hard. The temperature in the room is rising or maybe it’s just me. I just want this interview to be over.

Surely Bella has enough material now? I glance at the next question.“You were adopted. How far do you think that’s shaped the way you are?”

Oh, this is personal. I stare at him, hoping he’s not offended. His brow furrows. “I have no way of knowing.”

My interest is piqued.

“How old were you when you were adopted?”

“That’s a matter of public record, Miss Y/L/N.” His tone is stern. I flush, again. Crap.

Yes of course – if I’d known I was doing this interview, I would have done some research. I move on quickly.

“You’ve had to sacrifice a family life for your work.”

“That’s not a question.” He’s terse.

“Sorry.” I squirm, and he’s made me feel like an errant child. I try again. “Have you had to sacrifice a family life for your work?”

“I have a family. I have a brother and a sister and two loving parents. I’m not interested in extending my family beyond that.”

“Are you gay, Mr. Grey?”

He inhales sharply, and I cringe, mortified. Shoot. Why didn’t I employ some kind of filter before I read this straight out? How can I tell him I’m just reading the questions?

Damn Bella and her curiosity!

“No Y/N, I’m not.” He raises his eyebrows, a cool gleam in his eyes. He does

not look pleased.

“I apologize. It’s um… written here.” It’s the first time he’s said my name. My heartbeat has accelerated, and my cheeks are heating up again. Nervously, I tuck my loosened hair behind my ear.

He cocks his head to one side.

“These aren’t your own questions?”

The blood drains from my head. Oh no.

“Err… no. Bella – Miss Clark – she compiled the questions.”

“Are you colleagues on the student paper?”

I have nothing to do with the student paper. It’s her extra-curricular activity, not mine. My face is aflame. “No. She’s my roommate.”

He rubs his chin in quiet deliberation, his gray eyes appraising me. “Did you volunteer to do this interview?” he asks, his voice deadly quiet.

Hang on, who’s supposed to be interviewing whom? His eyes burn into me, and I’m compelled to answer with the truth.

“I was drafted. She’s not well.” My voice is weak and apologetic.

“That explains a great deal.”

There’s a knock at the door, and Blonde Number Two enters. “Mr. Grey, forgive me for interrupting, but your next meeting is in two minutes.”

“We’re not finished here, Andrea. Please cancel my next meeting.”

Andrea hesitates, gaping at him. She’s appears lost. He turns his head slowly to face her and raises his eyebrows. She flushes bright pink. Oh good. It’s not just me.

“Very well, Mr. Grey,” she mutters, then exits. He frowns, and turns his attention back to me.

“Where were we, Miss Y/L/N?”

Oh, we’re back to ‘Miss Y/L/N’ now.

“Please don’t let me keep you from anything.”

“I want to know about you. I think that’s only fair.” His gray eyes are alight with curiosity.

Where’s he going with this? He places his elbows on the arms of the chair and steeples his fingers in front of his mouth. His mouth is very… distracting. I swallow.

“There’s not much to know,” I say, flushing again.

“What are your plans after you graduate?”

I shrug, thrown by his interest. Come to Seattle with Bella, find a place, find a job. I haven’t really thought beyond my finals.

“I haven’t made any plans, Mr. Grey. I just need to get through my final exams.”

Which I should be studying for now rather than sitting in your palatial, swanky, sterile office, feeling uncomfortable under your penetrating gaze. “We run an excellent internship program here,” he says quietly.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. Is he offering me a job? “Oh. I’ll bear that in mind,” I answer, completely confounded. “Though I’m not sure I’d fit in here.”

Oh no. I’m musing out loud again.

“Why do you say that?” He cocks his head to one side, intrigued, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” I’m uncoordinated, scruffy, and I’m not blonde.

“Not to me,” he murmurs. His gaze is intense, all humor gone, and strange muscles deep in my belly clench suddenly. I tear my eyes away from his scrutiny and stare blindly down at my knotted fingers.

What’s going on? I have to go – now. I lean forward to retrieve the recorder.

“Would you like me to show you around?” he asks.

“I’m sure you’re far too busy, Mr. Grey, and I do have a long drive.”

“You’re driving back to WSU in Vancouver?” He sounds surprised, anxious even. He glances out of the window. It’s begun to rain. “Well, you’d better drive carefully.” His tone is stern, authoritative.

Why should he care? “Did you get everything you need?” he adds.

“Yes sir,” I reply, packing the recorder into my bag. His eyes narrow, speculatively.

“Thank you for the interview, Mr. Grey.”

“The pleasure’s been all mine,” he says, polite as ever.

As I rise, he stands and holds out his hand.

“Until we meet again, Miss Y/L/N.” And it sounds like a challenge, or a threat, I’m not sure which. I frown.

When will we ever meet again? I shake his hand once more, astounded that that odd current between us is still there. It must be my nerves.

“Mr. Grey.” I nod at him. Moving with lithe athletic grace to the door, he opens it wide.

“Allow me to escort you outside.” He gives me a small smile.

He's so polite now.

“Sure, Mr. Grey,” I smile, and his smile widens. Together, we walk into the foyer. Andrea and Olivia both look up, equally surprised.

“Did you have a coat?” Grey asks.

“Yes.” Olivia leaps up and retrieves my black, which Grey takes from her before she can hand it to me. He holds it up and, feeling ridiculously self-conscious, I shrug it on.

Grey places his hands for a moment on my shoulders. I gasp at the contact. If he notices my reaction, he gives nothing away. His long index finger presses the button summoning the elevator, and we stand waiting – awkwardly on my part, coolly self-possessed on his.

The doors open, and I hurry in desperate to escape. I really need to get out of here. When I turn to look at him, he’s leaning against the doorway beside the elevator with one hand on the wall. He really is very, very good-looking. It’s distracting. His burning gray eyes gaze at me.

“Y/N,” he says as a farewell.

“Christian,” I reply. And mercifully, the doors close.

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[ series masterlist ]

DON'T BE AFRAID TO SPAM WITH LIKES AND COMMENTS. I WOULD ALSO APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD REBLOG THIS POST <3

[dayumbxxch]

Spoiled Memories

Chapter two

The clicking of shoes on tile fills the halls of Smith's Grove. A young 22 year old with dull eyes follows behind Delores, learning what to do at her new job.

The hushed lunchroom made Y/N heart race; even though she knew none of the patients were paying her any attention she couldn't help but feel self conscious. 

Y/N's eyes glaze over as she mindlessly follows the older woman. Life had become dull and meaningless ever since she'd lost her brother. So she began to let her mind drift throughout the day to happier times. It had cost her a few jobs and almost a car crash once but she left more alive in her mind. 

"-ey!" 

"What were you saying?" 

"We have to go down the hall to deliver the food to the ones that have to stay in their rooms."

Nodding the girl follows behind her mentor, the hallway was pin-drop silent. "These patients are deemed as hazards or themselves..or to others." Delores's voice dropped near the end while glancing towards a door they had passed. 

Her lunch break approached rather quickly, leaving the break room Y/N began ease dropping on a conversation while grabbing a soda. 

"So how's the new girl?"      "Weird she doesn't really say anything. She just stands there silent and shit." 

Hearing enough Y/N turned on her heel and walked back into the break room. Throughout her years of being a recluse she learned not to care about anything really. 

She was here for money to find her brother. That was all she wanted ever since he went to jail and she was moved to a different foster home. 

"So have you met the boogeyman yet?" 

"Um..no I don't think I have"

Y/N's new coworker began a strange story. 

"So there was this boy in a town near here in haddonfield. And one day after the years of bullying and torment he snapped and killed his sister, a kid from his school, and his step dad. So he was brought here when he was just ten years old. His mom came to see him every week. Then he snapped again killing a nurse right after the doctor stepped out of the room. His mom tired of it all shot herself dead. And in the next room was her daughter the boogeyman's little sister Laurie. Now he rots away in his room and he smells terrible. He looks homeless and has really greasy hair."

The boy described rang an unforgotten bell in Y/N head. "What was his name?" The woman spun around a clipboard from beside her. 

Michael Myers

Y/N's heart skipped a little her golden childhood friend had murdered a bunch of people; he's now in the Sanitarium she just started working at. "I'm Isabella by the way!" "Y/N." 

"Elvis I'm home!" A beaten up looking Russian Blue cat jumped at the sound of the front door opening. "Hey honey are you hungry~" Sitting her keys down Y/N picks up her beloved pet and walks him over to the kitchen. 

The move wasn't awful since she didn't have much to unpack it only took a couple of hours. Elvis had gotten used to the new house already and even started exploring outside.

Y/N's life continues as dull as normal even with her late night runs to calm her mind before bed. Everyday seemed to be a repeat of the last. It had only been a week but it felt like a month. The shifts went by slow and her home time with Elvis went by fast.

As usual Y/N begins her day staring off into nothing while sitting in bed. A loud alarm jolts her out of her dazed state, she makes her way to the bathroom.

After doing her usual eyeliner to bring some attention to her e/c eyes instead of the ever darkening circles around her eyes.

The drive to work was the usual forty-five minutes filled with hard rock playing to keep her awake.

"Hey Isabella." Her voice was barely audible but her newly found friend understood her perfectly. "Hey hon how's it going?" The blonde sets an energy drink in front of Y/N as she drinks her own. "Since you're now working the early shift you get to meet the man, the myth, and the legend, Michael Myers and his little pal Dr. Loomis." 

Y/N rolls her eyes while chugging her drink quickly. Tears prick her eyes from the carbonation, blinking them away she stands up and follows her friend. 

"So he's the usual creep. He stares and stands there until you leave. He likes OJ and that's about all we know about him. Don't give him anything remotely sharp he has special silverware that will bend if he tries to stab anyone with it." 

Y/N bites the inner part of her lip and Isabelle picks up on her silence. "You'll be fine. The man has got to eat." She says while handing her a tray. "Him and Dr. Loomis are in there." She uses her head to motion towards two doors. 

"Go" Y/N gets pushed towards the double doors and gulps while  the guards let her inside. Not saying a word she sets Michael's tray on the table. Y/N's eyes flicker towards the huge man and her breath escapes her. She'd briefly met eyes with the man in the mask. 

"Thank you ma'am you may go. Now Michael can you look back at the picture please?" 

A heavy feeling settled in Y/N's stomach, she'd always had a knack for feeling people's stares. 

"Michael?... Michael!"

"Ma'am could you please come back here for a moment?" 

[milaisreading]

Hi author it's me again, hehehe, anyways can I request for a scenario where the manager agreed to a date with Oliver Aiku after he begged her and it was caught by the paparazzi but due to the incidents with itoshi sae the boys didn't react that much to it, until when they asked her about it on a video call and she accidentally said how she enjoyed the date Oliver took her to? thank you so much and I really love your writing

Author: Here it is! It's not really the best thing I came up with, but it was the only thing I could really think of😅 thanks for the request🩷

Warnings ⚠️: Reader uses she/her. Requests are open.

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to: Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

"Don't you look cute for our date today?" Oliver teased, putting a lot of emphasis on the word 'date', grinning as (Y/n) finally arrived at Shibuya's main station. The girl blushed as she looked down at her clothes, which she will admit were a little bit too much for how she usually dresses, but it was Isabella's fault! She didn't let her leave the house till she got dressed up properly. Thankfully none of the dresses Isabella wanted to dress her in were suitable for Tokyo's winter weather. The girl shook her head and looked back at Oliver, who had a smirk on his face and held his hand out for her.

"Shall we?"

"Fine...let's get this done with." (Y/n) sighed and took his hand. Oliver chuckled as he led her through the crowd.

"You act like it's a chore."

"Well, I am on this date because you wouldn't stop asking for a week."

The girl rolled her eyes as Oliver shook his head.

"Technicalities."

What (Y/n) said was true, Oliver was by the end of last week basically on the floor asking her to go to the Christmas market in Roppongi. The scene caused a lot of attention from the staff, so in order to not get more embarrassed she agreed. So this si why she found herself here, in the Shibuya station waiting for their designated ride.

'Why is he insistent on holding my hand? It's not like I will run away.' (Y/n) thought as the boy held her hand tightly, she then looked up at his face, surprised to see how red his cheeks were.

'Maybe he is just cold.' The girl rolled her eyes, remembering how Isabella kept on telling her how red cheeks are always a sign of some sort of affection being present.

'Yeah right... he will probably move on with the next girl he sees as soon as this date is over.' (Y/n) felt a wave of sadness hit her as she thought of that, but she knew she shouldn't feel like that. It's Oliver Aiku after all. Soon the subway arrived and the two walked inside. Oliver sent (Y/n) a few glances here and there, his face heating more up than it already did.

'She is so beautiful... the most beautiful girl I ever saw. I still can't believe she agreed on the date. This is such a great day!' Oliver smiled as (Y/n) looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Everything alright?"

"Perfect, actually."

'Oooh! So pretty! And it smells great too!' (Y/n) thought as she looked at the various food stands, souvenir shops, games, decorations and so much more. Oliver looked down at her and felt his heart stop for a moment, the genuine excitement in her eyes and the smile on her face really made it difficult for him to breath.

'Adorable! I think I fell in love!'

"S-should we go and look at the decorations? There are even designated spots where you can take pictures." Oliver said nervously, gripping tightly on her hand.

"Sure! But, you can let go of my hand."

"Huh? Why?" Oliver asked in panic as they walked through the market.

"You know... you don't have to try hard. I know that tomorrow you will forget about the date and move on. So don't try hard-"

"Wait? Yoh think I am not sincere with my intentions?" Oliver stopped in his tracks, causing (Y/n) to stop too and look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oliver, let's be honest with this. With the type of history you have, you can't expect me to-"

"I know, but... but I am honest with my intentions here. It might sound as a cliché romcom movie, but you are the first girl I have genuine interest in and..." Oliver took a deep breath and pulled (Y/n) to the less bossier part of the road. The girl looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes, noticing some frustration and embarrassment on his face as he spoke next.

"I... I am willing to prove it to you. You don't have to believe me right this instant or even in a year if you don't feel like it, but when I said that I like you, that was sincere." (Y/n)'s eyes widened at the honesty in his words as she kept quiet. Oliver grew more nervous and flustered at the silence and felt like dying at the moment.

'Maybe I should have said something else, but around her I can't form anything more coherent!'

"I... alright." (Y/n) spoke up as Oliver looked up from his feet to face a equally flustered girl.

"What?"

"I... I will believe you this one. If you say you are honest with your feelings, then I will believe you and give you a chance to prove it. Just... please if you change your mind, tell me-"

"Thank you!" Oliver grinned, now holding both his hands gently in his.

"I swear I will make it all worth it." (Y/n) felt her face heat up even more at the look he was giving her and how he was holding her hands.

"So, should we see the decorations now? I know the perfect spot for you to take pictures!" Oliver suggested and (Y/n) nodded her head. They resumed walking with the football player still holding her hand.

'This feels nice.' Oliver thought and for a moment felt at peace, but then he felt her grip back onto his hand. Excitement took over his body and he held back a grin as he looked down at (Y/n), who was avoiding his gaze.

'Blissful!'

The day went on as normally as it could, with the duo enjoying the attractions the market had to offer. All the decorations, games, food and so much more tired them both out and they were now sitting in a nearby café, eating lunch and drinking some hot beverages. (Y/n), much to her surprise enjoyed the day, Oliver was being kind and acting like a real gentleman. She was kind of happy for agreeing on the date.

'This is so embarrassing.' (Y/n) gulped as she remembered a small item in her purse.

"Here." Oliver said as he put a bag filled with candy in front of her.

"Hm? What is this for?"

"You said your nephew likes Christmas candy a lot, so I got these."

"Y-you remembered me say that?" (Y/n) asked in shock, she only mentioned it once to Chigiri... and even that was 2 weeks ago.

'How did he remember it... I didn't even know he heard it with the distance back then.'

"You would be surprised how much I remember when it comes to you." Oliver winked, causing (Y/n) to get even more flustered.

'He is so...' She bit back the inside of her cheek as her heart started to beat faster.

The next day (Y/n) was still in a trance from the date. She had conflicting emotions as Isabella showed her the picture someone took of her and Oliver as they were on their way to the café. (Y/n) had to use up all her mental strength to stop her brother from chasing after Oliver. Thankfully her dad wasn't home that morning so she had one less person to deal with.

'This is unbearable... just like that time when people caught Sae-san and I in Spain... tho that was more embarrassing.' (Y/n) facepalmed as she walked back into her room, ignoring her brother's complains and Isabella's gushing over how Oliver and her look good.

"He is too old for her, Isabella!"

"He is 19!"

"...you sure?"

"Don't be mean!"

Sighing, (Y/n) picked up her phone as she heard it ring.

"Hello, Reo?" (Y/n) asked as her phone showed his and Nagi's faces.

"(Y/n), when is your break over?" Nagi asked as the purple-haired boy shushed him.

"Ha? Next week, actually. How is it going in the building? Are you all listening to the substitute manager?" She asked, raising her eyebrow as the two nodded their heads.

"Yeah, don't worry about the old man. We are under Ego-san's surveillance after all." Nagi said nonchalantly.

"We saw that picture someone took of you and Aiku, must suck to have been caught like that off guard." Reo commented, thinking it was a mistake or the situation was taken out of context.

"What were you even doing in Roppongi to meet him there?"

"Ah that? We were out on a date." (Y/n) shrugged her shoulders asbthe line grew quiet and (Y/n) saw their faces pale.

"You..you went willingly on a date..."

"With Oliver Aiku?!" Reo and Nagi asked and (Y/n) heard something crash on the other side.

"What?!" Bachira's voice was heard.

"Yeah, he kept on asking me out last week so I just agreed. Although, I don't really regret it."

"What?!" Nagi asked as Reo's jaw just kept on opening wider.

"Yeah... it was quite fun. I hope he asks again-"

"(Y/n)! We need to talk about you dating anyone! What's Oliver's address? I just want to talk to him." Her brother said from the other side and the girl blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry you two, see you in a week!" She said quickly and ended the call, ignoring all the protests from the duo.

"What now? (Y/n) can't be falling for Aiku of all people." Nagi cringed as Reo held Bachira back.

"We need to talk with the others. Bachira, can you calm down? Killing him isn't a solution!"

"You are right. It's not a solution, it's the only solution! Let me go!"

Nagi facepalmed, but was tempted to tell Reo to let Bachira go.

'It's just a murder charge, anyways.'

[pablogavisgirl]

Broken Love

read part four ➸ here

this was originally a Gavi fic how did it turn into a Gavi and Pedri fic😭

Another month went by, and instead of just ignoring one midfielder you were now ignoring two.

Once again you let your emotions get the best of you and ruined another friendship.

The very same friendship that was helping you get over Gavi. Now you were lost. Lost in your thoughts not knowing what to do.

Gavi gave up trying to reach you, after the talk he had with Pedri he stopped trying to call you, coming to your apartment or texting you.

On the otherhand it was now Pedri trying to contact you. He didn't go as far to show up at your apartment, but he did blow up your voicemail.

"¿Qué voy a hacer, Isa?" You sighed in frustration, listening to yet another one of Pedri's voicemails. (What am I going to do Isa?)

"Chica, por uno, necesitas otro número de teléfono" Isabella laughed. (Girl, for one, you need a new phone number.)

"Qué graciosa, pero en serio, ¿qué hago?" You asked sounding defeated. (You're so funny, but seriously what do I do?)

"Bueno, lo único que puedes hacer es hablar con ellos, linda." (Well, the only thing you can do is talk to them, love.) Isabella said placing down the textbook on the table.

"No quiero". Y/n replied, pouting her face at Isabella. (I don't wat to.)

Isabella rolled her eyes, "Bueno, tienes que hacerlo, si no lo haces, ¿cómo vas a seguir adelante con tu vida? ¿O hacer que tu buzón de voz deje de estar lleno?" (Well you have to, if you don't how are you going to continue with your life? Or get your voicemail to stop being full.)

Y/n laughed, "Tienes razón, pero me siento culpable por el beso con Pedri, no sé cómo podría ver a Pablo después de eso". (You're right, but I feel guilty for the kiss with Pedri, I don't know how I can face Pablo after it.)

"¿Culpable porque besaste a su mejor amigo y te arrepentiste o culpable porque disfrutaste del beso y ganaste sentimientos por Pedri en el camino?" Isabella raised her eyebrows. (Guilty because you kissed his bestfriend and regretted it or guilty because you kissed his bestfriend and liked it? And fell for him along the way?)

"No me gusta Pedri." Y/n scoffed. (I don't like Pedri.)

"¿Y por eso lo besaste?" Isabella asked. (And thats why you kissed him?)

"Mira, amo a Pablo, no lo he superado". She sighed. (Look I love Pablo, I haven't gotten over him.)

"No estoy diciendo que no lo que estoy diciendo es que no dejaste que Pedri te besara sin ninguna razón, dejaste que él te besara porque sientes algo por él." She pointed out. (I'm not saying you don't what I'm saying is you didn't just let Pedri kiss you for no reason, you let him kiss you because you feel somewhat for him.)

"Dime que estoy equivocado". (Tell me I'm wrong.)

Y/n chewed the inside of her cheek, staring at her friend. Isabella was right, if she was in love with Gavi she wouldn't have let Pedri kiss her.

She shouldn't have enjoyed it like she did. "Tienes razón". (You're right.) she closed her eyes.

"Simplemente no sé cómo voy a hablar con ellos". (I just don't know how i'm going to talk to them.) She sighed, "Tengo miedo" (I'm scared.)

"Ay mi amor." (Oh my love.) Isabella said, scooting closer to you giving you a hug, leaning into her embrace.

"Va a estar bien". (Its going to be ok.) She said, "La peor parte ha pasado". (The worse part is over.)

"Pero no la parte difícil, todavía tengo que enfrentarme a los dos". (But the hard part isn't, I still to face them both.)

"Y tienes que elegir." (And you have to choose.)

"¿Elegir? Como," (Choose? What do you mean?)

"¿Crees que ambos van a dejar que te vayas sin elegir entre ellos?" Elena deadpanned. (You think both of them are going to let you walk away and not make a choice between them?)

"Isa, amo a Pablo." Y/n said. (Isa, I love Pablo.)

"Pero te gusta Pedri". (But you like Pedri.) Isabella said. "Escucha, amor, tal vez tu amor por Gavi no fue tan fuerte como pensabas, y es por eso que terminaste gustando a Pedri". (Listen love, maybe your love for Gavi wasn't as strong as you thought it was, and thats why you ended up like Pedri.)

"Está bien que te gusten los dos, pero por el bien de tu mentalidad y la de ellos, vas a tener que hablar con ellos y elegir". She finished. (Its ok to like them both, but for your sake and theirs, you're going to have to talk to them, and choose.)

"¿Y si no puedo elegir?" (And if I can't choose?) You sighed dropping your head onto your knees, Isabella pulling you closer.

"Entonces elígete a ti misma". She hugged you tighter. (Then you choose yourself.)

The phone rang, you popped your head up, Isabella stood up, checking the Caller ID.

"Pedri." She whispered.

You took a deep breath, extending your arm out, Isabella handed you the phone. You watched the phone ring infront of you, finally pressing the answer button.

"Y/n?" He asked.

"Si. Hola Pedri." She whispered. (Yes. Hi Pedri.)

"Hola, uh, te he estado llamando durante un mes y ahora que has respondido no sé qué decir". Pedri said shyly. (Hey, uh, i've been trying to call you for a month, and now that you answered i don't know what to say.)

"Tenemos que hablar". You broke your silence. (We have to talk.)

"Sí, lo sé, así que tenemos un día libre mañana, puedo recogerte y podríamos ir a algún lugar". Pedri said. (Yes, I know, so we have an off day tomorrow, I'll pick you up, we can go somewhere.)

"Si, esta bien." You replied. (Yes, thats fine.)

"Nos vemos mañana". He said before hanging up the phone. (We'll see eachother tomorrow.)

You threw your head back in frustration on the couch, Isabella coming back to sit down next to you.

"¿Entonces?" (So?)

"Vamos a hablar mañana" (We're going to talk tomorrow.) You sighed leaning your head on her shoulder.

"Y Gavi?" (And Gavi?)

"Pablo... No sé si siquiera quiere hablar conmigo, no hemos hablado en dos meses". (Pablo...I don't even know if he wants to talk to me, we haven't talked in two months.) She played with her fingers anxiously at the mention of having to see him again.

Would he even want to see her again? He gave up trying to reach her, but who wouldn't after so many voicemails and unanswered messages.

But she owed it to both of them for some closure, she owed it to herself. "Hablaré con él después de hablar con Pedri". (I'll talk to him after I talk with Pedri.)

The next morning came, Pedri had send you a message he was on his way, you stood outside your apartment complex, staring down at your feet, fiddling with your fingers.

Anxiety was an understatement, the longer he took the more your stomach began to hurt. The more it seemed like a bad idea, your palms were starting to sweat maybe if you ran back to your apartment it wouldn't be to late.

But he was here, he was pulling up, the green mini coopper that once made you happy when you saw it, now caused you fear.

Your fingers trembled as you opened the door, not making eye contact as you put your seatbelt on, your leg began to bounce from the anxiety, this was causing you.

"¿Cómo has estado?" (How have you been?) He broke the silence, beginning to pull out the parking lot.

"Bien, ¿y tú?" You mummbled staring at the dashboard. (Good and you?)

"Bien." (Good.)

The rest of the drive was silent, your leg never stopped bouncing, it drove Pedri crazy he just wanted to reach over the seat and place his hand on it to calm you down, but he didn't the ride was awkward enough.

He pulled up into the beach, for the first time you looked at him. "¿Por qué estamos aquí?" (Why are we here?)

"Amas la playa." (You love the beach.) He replied exiting out the car, you followed behind him, taking off your sandals the deeper you got into the sand.

The farther you walked into the beach, you saw a blanket and food sat up. Your heart ached. Did he plan all this for you?

You both sat down, on the blanket, "¿Fue demasiado?" He asked chewing the inside of his cheek. (Was it too much?)

"No, está bien." You whispered. (No, its ok.)

"Escucha Y/n, me gustas". Pedri blurts out. (Listen Y/n, I like you.)

"Tú también me gustas". (I like you too.) You paused. "Pero todavía amo a Gavi". (But I still love Gavi.)

Pedri's eyes shot up to look at you, "Lo sè" (I know.) he said staring at the waves. "Pero eso no significa que no pueda hacer que me ames". (But that doesn't mean I can't make you fall in love with me.)

She stared at him, her lips parting as she wanted to speak but nothing came out. She leaned back onto her elbows, listening as the waves crashed on the rocks.

"Pedri, No sé qué decir..." (Pedri, I don't know what to say?)

"No digas nada, solo cierra los ojos". (Don't say anything, just close your eyes.) You don't know why your body obeyed, but it did. You closed your eyes, feeling his lips on yours.

It was a small but passionate kiss, but that kiss set sparks. You couldn't help but think about Gavi how would it feel when he kissed you?

It was wrong to think about Gavi while Pedri was kissing you, but you couldn't help it. You imagined Gavi and you in this setting many times.

His hands cupping your face, yours on his chests. A tender yet passionate kiss shared between lovers, but instead the fantasy wasn't with Gavi it was with Pedri.

He pulled away, your eyes fluttering open, "¿Por que?" (Why?)

"Porque si Gavi no puede apreciarte, entonces lo haré, si no puede amarte, lo haré, si no puede cuidar de ti, lo haré". (Because if Gavi can't appreciate you, then I will, if he can't love you then I will, if he can't take care of you then I will.)

You closed your door, sitting down on your couch, Pedri's words rining through your ears.

You didn't know what to think, or how to reply to him you just stayed silent staring at the ocean.

You stayed silent the whole car ride home, you didn't even say goodbye you closed the car door and didn't look back.

Now you were on your couch waiting for Isabella to show up, she always knew what to say to make things right, but she was in classes so you would have to deal with your problems by yourself till she arrived.

You sat outside your balcony, watching the sunset, you hadn't left your apartment since coming back from the beach.

You haven't checked your phone, so you were oblivious to Pedri's 99 unread messages.

The knocks against your door, suddenly snapped you back into reality, you made your way towards the door.

"Por fin ¿por qué tardaste tanto?" (Finally, what took you so long?) You sighed in relif opening the door, only for that sigh of relif to turn into anxiety.

"¿Qué estás haciendo aquí, Pablo?" You asked, staring at him. (What are you doing here Pablo?)

You wanted to hug him and apologize for that night, because god knows how much you missed your bestfriend. And god knows how much you have dreamt of this moment to see him again.

But now that he was infront of you, you felt numb, you didn't hug him, you didn't apologize, you didn't cry in his arms like you imagined you would.

You just stared, waiting for him to say something.

"Te amo." He blurted out. (I love you.)

[kei-maki]

Carstober Day 21: Crash

Literally only me and @secretly-larry-daley know the oc I’m writing this for, so this isn’t necessarily intended for everyone but please feel free to read anyways. But this is going to be very self indulgent as it’s about a Lightnesco fan child I made so yeah

Warning: humanized cars, near death experiences, kind of panic attack?, Francesco chokes god (/hj), making scenes more dramatic than realistically possible for the sake of writing, this is probably cringe but I’m free and don’t care, swearing, not beta read lol, I think that’s it?

————————————————————————

There had been a collision with another racer on the Circuit of the Americas track.

Whether it was intentional or not, in the brief moment she had before she found her and her car rolling over at beyond rapid speeds after quickly losing control of the wheel, Isabella didn’t know. And she couldn’t really find herself to care as she found herself frozen in the air.

She’d felt her heart seize and drop to the pit of her stomach in an instant- the feeling causing her body to grow numb under the gravity of the situation.

She’d known it would likely happen eventually. A crash. And she’d witnessed many in her time, both before and after she started racing.

She’d even been there when one of her dads had gotten into one of his own back in 2017- McQueen. She was seven at the time.

She was there when they’d rushed him to the hospital, the first to curl up by his side when they began to accept visitors as he lay in bed unconscious for what seemed like ages- waiting as her papà, Francesco, rushed over from wherever he’d been in Europe; attending his own Grand Prix Season.

That was the year he’d retired, his career already having begun to come to a natural close. But the event had triggered his need to be there for his family, only having gone back to win one last time after both her and Lightning had assured him he’d be ok. They both had wanted him to go out with one final triumph at the very end of the season before he came home to them…

Huh.

So this is what it was like. To have your life flash before your eyes, then.

The memories were cascading over her mind as they tried to soothe the one thought still prickling her, causing an even more urgent panic to arise in her. An almost primal fear threatening to engulf her completely.

It had filled her then with her dad as it did now, even if she knew it couldn’t be true.

Miles Axelrod.

She knew he had been killed years ago for his grand orchestration that was the World Grand Prix, but she couldn’t help it. Even if she’d been far too young to remember the exact details of watching each racer blow up, she could still remember the way the Lemons had cheered around her at each one. It was so overbearing, the memory of yelling that rattled her body at the time. She couldn’t seem to scrub away the colors of the tv they watched as each racer was engulfed in a raging red and orange because of that damned camera.

What if he’d finally found her? What if he was his doing as a way to take her away from everything and everyone she’d ever loved?

The panic in her heart increased as she felt herself grow more and more numb in the milliseconds passing. Her lungs seemed to fail her and the piercing fear was unbearable.

She couldn’t be taken away from them.

She loved them.

She loved them so much for all they’d done for her. How they’d made her life worth living despite its ugly start. She couldn’t let go of that. Not now, not ever.

Just then, she heard both their familiar voices begin to call out in a frantic yell in her earpiece, but she could barely process it as she was still stuck in her paralyzing fear. Still stuck midair.

It was strange, the way that even if they too were panicked by the situation, she found herself calming just the slightest bit by their presence in what she assumed to be her final moments.

God, there was so much she wanted to tell them. Just how much they meant to her, how they’d saved her, and how they deserved a proper goodbye.

But even stuck like this, seconds away from darkness she knew she had to say something.

So as she saw the ground grow closer, and she barely found the strength to say it in her state, but she needed them to hear her say it if this turned out to be the end.

She finally felt the tears that had been rolling down as she choked out the words,

“I love you guys.”

Goodbye.

And then the world turned to black as time finally unfroze and her car crashed into the ground.

…

It had been McQueen’s turn to crew chief that day, with Fran right there next to him giving his own input here and there.

Both of them got protective of their girl during her races, regardless if they knew she was one of the best. Especially after McQueen’s own crash, the last thing he ever wanted her to experience was the same thing. Her getting hurt in any way. But it was also because of the way his mind drifted off to that one fateful day in the garage with Doc.

She had such a love for the sport, even if it had kept him and Francesco on other sides of the world for a while, it was truly something that was just in her blood. He couldn’t bear the thought of her getting sidelined from her biggest passion after all that pain just for someone new to step into her spot. The way Doc had been. The way he himself had almost been.

Which is why when Isa and the other racer had been fighting over second position on the course, the closeness of the two vehicles had put McQueen in that familiar spot of full alert as he watched from the pits.

That’s why when he saw the other racer practically slam into her car, causing her to go tumbling across the track, everything stopped.

He felt his throat seize up as time seemed to slow in that moment.

Memories flashed by in an instant of when Finn had first introduced him and the young girl after he’d found her on one of the oil rigs a few months after the World Grand Prix. She’d been so scared, hidden behind the spy’s leg as they stood in the cool air of Doc’s museum. It had ran so long to get her trust him because she was so scared that he’d hurt her, her arms bandaged from being grabbed to hard by Miles.

Memories of how once she got settled in she began to shine like a star in the night sky, how vibrant of a person she became. So colorful and over expressive was her personality. So mischievous, so bold, so sweet, so perfect. And yet one to lock away her fear of it meant not worrying those she loved.

He began to let out an eir piercing yell in that moment, tears already streaming down his face as he heard a similar scream shatter the air right next to him.

He couldn’t imagine how scared she must feel in that moment, knowing better than anyone who she might think was behind this even if it was just a simple collision. She’d been beyond terrified for the same reason when he’d been in his own crash.

Which is why it broke him when he heard one more voice join the fear stricken harmony for just a second, one last fleeting moment-

“I love you guys.”

The world felt truly silent after that as her car came to a stop. And for only a moment longer was McQueen still frozen in place until he felt himself take off running towards her as medics rushed to get in the scene.

He barely felt his own feet take off running as he was still trying to process the whole situation.

He needed to get her. Right now.

But he felt arms pull him back, multiple arms. The arms of his team- his family- trying to get him to act rationally even if they knew what he was feeling in that moment.

Wrong.

They had no idea what kind of pain he was in right now. Not even close.

Their words barely passed through his ears as he let out more incoherent yells of desperation, thrashing harshly in their hold. It was almost animalistic, the way he was reacting right then.

“YOU HAVE TO LET ME SEE HER!” He cried.

“You have to- please you have to let me see my daughter… PLEASE!”

The tears that covered his face were scorching hot, almost enough for it to actually hurt.

This was a nightmare- no, this was hell. Being held back by the people he’d grown to love as they tried to keep him from doing something rash as his kid could be dying in that moment.

It was too bad for them that Francesco had a similar reaction.

He felt some of those hands leave him to go help stop the Italian, only realizing now that Sarge had taken after the man by himself first.

Now only Luigi, Guido, and Mater held him back now. And by using all of his strength, he finally broke free and broke back into that sprint.

He felt them call his name as he passed Francesco and dodged all the cameramen and staff coming to report on the tragedy as well as stop him from going any further.

But he wouldn’t let them.

He had to get to her.

He just had to.

…

Francesco remembered when he’d first been introduced to Isa as well.

How hard it’d been to grapple with the fact he was a father- it had been so sudden, her discovery. Did he want this? He still barely knew McQueen, what were they to do about taking care of her if they lived on other sides of the world? Did he even want to take care of her?

Yet when he found himself looking down at the little girl, taking in the way she looked at him cautiously with those little brown eyes of her, he knew he would do everything in his power to be the best father he could ever be for her. For Isa.

He took off running as well, except for him it was immediate.

The second he’d heard the mic cut out his legs started gunning down the side of the track as fast as physically possible, the adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream giving him the push he needed to get to her.

But he too met resistance, from Sarge and soon all those from Radiator Springs were pulling him back now as McQueen shot past him. Reporters came flooding to the pits as well as body guards trying to stop the blonde American from getting any closer to the scene.

It was no use. He wasn’t going to get through.

He felt his muscles loosen as he slowly stopped trying to resist everyone’s hold on him. Lights and cameras surrounded his clouded vision, loud voices of everyone bombarded his ears.

He was finally frozen. Barely able to take anything in anymore as grief consumed him.

Key word: barely.

The only thing he was able to process was the sheer amount of publicity the event was receiving. The way people fought to get the devastation on Francesco’s face captured perfectly, the way they tracked the quick movements of McQueen as he tried his hardest to dash across the road to get to Isa, and the way they lingered on her totaled car, trying to find ways to make it seem as damaged as possible- this was a story for them. Not reality.

They all saw this as their moments to shine- in the presence of another person’s life in danger they saw it as an opportunity to leach the money off the assholes who found this shit entertaining. The same assholes who used this to define the art that came with racing.

It was beyond sickening. Maddening. And it made Francesco’s blood boil. A dangerous thing for a helpless man with a short fuse.

Francesco’s eyes locked onto one of the many cameramen before him, who was getting dangerously closer than the others dared. He was spouting bunches of questions he couldn’t be bothered to listen to as he grew closer to his breaking point.

A fool he was, to forget exactly how violent Francesco could get.

But soon enough, the man was reminded of that fact as Fran’s rage overtook him full force and he tackled the man, sending them both toppling to the ground as he quickly straddled the cameraman’s hips while he grasped his esophagus. Fuck him. Fuck them all and fuck the scandal he subconsciously knew this would start. It didn’t matter right now and he couldn’t be bothered to care at all.

Gasps then filled the air around him at the sudden attack, but once again, Francesco didn’t register it all nor care.

Hot tears rolled down his face as his fingers tightened around the camera man's throat as all the emotions he’d been feeling finally crashed into him full force- pure anger, terror, and agony. Who gave him- gave ANY of them- the right to watch and record his entire world falling apart for the sake of their own sick entertainment. He'd kill them. He'd kill them all. He'd kill anyone who didn't turn off their screens right now and minded their own fucking business.

He felt a heavy weight slam into him then, knocking him off the cameraman as he was then pinned to the ground by a group of body guards came in to clear the area.

And thus he was helpless once more, and as he was unable to do anything he let out a scratchy scream as the agony settled in place of his anger- a sound that was sure to affect his vocal cords from his strained and rough it was and its volume-

Francesco’s tears pooled around his face on the ground as he saw McQueen had been caught in a similar situation.

Fine.

They may be able to hold them down for now, but once they were free again, they’d rush to Isa with full force and never let her go again. That was, if she was even still-

No. She was fine. She’d be ok. She had to be.

For now, as the two lay pinned on the scratchy surface of the ground, paying the price of their rash decisions driven by pure parental instincts, all they could hope and perhaps even pray for was that their little girl would be ok.

~~~

Ty for reading :)))

Also hehe get it? He chocked god because it’s camera man? Hehe…

[bellysoupset]

Soup! Rn I would looooove to see Luke and sick Vince with Luke being the comforting force this time? Just wanna see those two beans talk and recheck how much they care about each other @writing-whump

Some sickific with heavy brotp, the chef's special.

-------------------

Wendy groaned, pressing her forehead to the cool surface of the chilled water bottle she was holding. She had the start of a headache, from stress, from the lack of rest, from heartbreak...

Vince had just plateau, after almost two whole days shaking with a high fever and throwing up everything he had ever eaten, he was finally sleeping and seemingly able to keep water down. Just when she had considered dragging his ass to the hospital.

Jonah had left early morning and now it was well into the evening, almost night, and Wendy knew she should be getting something to eat for them both... She was just so tired.

Her cellphone startled her and Wendy nearly dropped the water bottle, squealing as she caught it just before the hard plastic could hit her toe and then grabbing her phone before it could wake up Vince sleeping a room away.

Bella's pictured appeared on the screen, her sleeping with her head tilted back and a cowboy hat sitting upon wild curls and blocking most of her face.

Wendy rolled her eyes at the picture the ginger had assigned herself and picked up the call, "hello?"

"Hi Wen," Bella's voice was a touch too soft, but that was expected. Wendy had talked with Luke the day before and learned the ginger had also caught the flu, "how are you?"

"I think I should be asking you that," Wendy chuckled nervously, leaning against the sink of her kitchen and rubbing a hand over her face, "Luke mentioned you got sick as well."

"It'd take a lot more than the flu to knock me out," Bella scoffed, "I'm fine, I'm bored out of my mind and wondering if you wanna come over?"

Now!?

Wendy frowned, "I- what? Come again?" the question was so out of the blue and weird, given the circumstances, that Wendy wasn't sure what to make of it. Girls night while Bella had the rest of a stomach flu and Vince was down for the count in Wendy's bedroom?!

"Yeah, I'm- Luke, I'm telling her, would you wait-"

"Give me the phone-" Luke's voice travelled through the line and Wendy muffled a giggle as she heard them wrestling for the phone. Then it was Luke talking with her, instead of the ginger.

"Can I go over?" straight to the point. Wendy raised her eyebrows and nodded, before she remembered he couldn't see her.

"Yeah, Luke, of course-"

"Let's switch? You can handle my darling wife - stop pinching me, Isabella! - who's bored out of her mind and I can watch Vince?" Lucas' voice was breathless and Wendy's heart squeezed. She felt a weird sense of camaraderie with him, which was entirely misplaced, given Luke knew Vince would be leaving for weeks before Wendy did.

Water under the bridge, she knew it, since Vince was leaving and she was still dating him... But the resentment was still there. Resentment that she couldn't find in her when Lucas' was clearly out of his mind with worry over Vince.

It would be good, to have Luke come over and clear the air with Vince. Make things normal again, so Vince could stop looking like a kicked puppy all hours of the day... Besides, she could use the rest and Bella was already ahead of recovery than Vin was-

"Wendy?"

"Yeah, of course. Can I spend the night?"

"You're gonna end up catching this bug, Wen," Lucas said, sounding relieved, "yeah, we can trade places in the morning, how does that sound?"

"Honestly sounds heavenly..."

"See you in a bit then- Oh my god, Bella, give me the fucking remote and stop messing with my watchlist-"

Wendy chuckled as he hung up and she made her way back to the bedroom to pack an overnight bag. Vince was curled on his side, the empty bucket sitting on the ground next to his head, his black curls sticking out everywhere.

She put everything away inside a backpack, the dropped it by the door and climbed on the bed, combing her fingers through her boyfriend's hair.

He was still overly warm to the touch, a fever that just wouldn't break, and even in his sleep his brows were nearly meeting in a frown. Probably cramps, she thought sympathetically, feeling Vince's tummy growl since she was sitting on his side.

"Vin," she whispered, debating waking him up or not, "Honey...?"

She always forgot he was a light sleeper, because just with that small whisper Vince stirred on the bed and his eyes fluttered open. Drowsy and lost, he struggled to focus on her.

"Hey," Wendy rubbed his arm, "how are you feeling?"

"Gross," Vince groaned, curling up further, "what time is it?"

"Around seven," she stroked his cheek, "Luke and I are exchanging places, okay?"

Vince's dark eyes widened and he suddenly was a lot more alert, "Luke's coming here?"

"He's worried," Wendy shrugged, deciding not to tell Vince just how exhausted she was as well. This could be all pinned on Luke for all she cared, "and he misses you, honey."

"Well, he's the one not talking with me," Vince scoffed, before grimacing as his belly let out a growl. She pressed closer to it, kicking herself mentally for enjoying the sensation and sound when it clearly was making him feel like hell.

"So you'll be an adult and talk with him," she squeezed his bicep, "do you remember anything from the last days?"

"Nearly crushing you to death twice," Vince groaned, closing his eyes, "and barfing everything I ever ate."

She rolled her eyes, "worst is past now," Wendy promised, even if she wasn't so sure. His fever refused to break and he seemed to not be as nauseous, but the way his tummy was churning wasn't promising, "I want you to try some water again."

"It's just gonna come back up," Vince's face scrunched up and Wendy sighed, ignoring the complaint as she reached for the water bottle.

"Just a sip, Vin."

He was pouting as he obeyed, taking a small, tiny gulp, then a larger one when his stomach didn't immediately reject the previous one. He fell back against the pillow, wrapping a hand around her wrist and bringing it to his mouth, pressing a kiss to her pulse point.

"I'm sorry I'm being such a hassle, and right when I'm leaving as well--"

Wendy rolled her eyes, scratching at his scruff, "I don't mind taking care of you, I just wish we didn't spend our last days together with you feeling so wretched."

"I know," Vince pouted, "but I'll see you in five days and-"

There was a knock on the door and Wendy sighed, "hold that thought. I'm going to go, you'll be alright, okay? Text me if you want me to come back, I'll kick Luke out in a heartbeat."

Vince chuckled at that, "I can handle Lucas, he's an idiot, but I sadly love the guy."

She hated how sweet Vince was, it woke up a viciously protective part of her that Wendy didn't know what to do with. She leaned in, pressing a kiss to his brow, "I love you. Don't let Luke be a prick to you."

"I love you as well, have some fun with Bell. Catch some sleep, you look like you need it, honey."

"Uhm, I do," Wendy yawned, kissing his cheek and getting up.

Lucas was waiting in the hallway outside her apartment, with a backpack thrown over his shoulder and grocery bags in his hands. Unlike Wendy, who felt dead on her feet, he looked like he had chugged an energy drink.

"Hi," Lucas said, bouncing on his feet, "thanks for letting me come over-"

"If you make him cry I'm gonna have your liver," Wendy warned him and Lucas couldn't help but open a wide smile at that.

"I know," he nodded, "I swear I'm not here to fight... How is he?"

"Sleepy," Wendy yawned, rubbing her eyes, "watch out for the fever, it still hasn't broken and I'm a little worried about it."

"Yes, ma'am," Luke hit two fingers to his forehead in a salute, "get some rest, Wen."

"Yeah," she yawned again, "thanks for proposing this, I could catch a break... Have fun."

"Sooo much fun," Luke teased her and they crossed the hallway, Wendy leaving and him entering.

The house was fully silent, so Lucas dumped his backpack on the couch and then headed to the kitchen, putting away the multiple bottles of gatorade, the canned soup and all the medicine he had brought, just out of precaution.

There was a noise and he turned around just in time to see Vince slumping against the kitchen's threshold, with a blanket wrapped around his shoulder's like a king's fluffy cape.

"Hi," he said roughly, his voice all raspy, "nice of you to show up in time for my funeral."

Luke rolled his eyes, feeling something horrible settle in his stomach. Guilt, "dying of the flu is just sad."

"Uhm," Vince leaned against the wooden frame that separated Wendy's cramped kitchen from her dining room, pressing his forehead to the surface, "are we gonna talk about it or...?"

"Sure," Luke wrung his hands, quickly regretting even coming over. He wasn't sure how to put into words that he wasn't angry, he was just... Just sad, "I'm sorry. I've been a dick, ignoring you since graduation- Uhm, that wasn't cool."

Vince raised his eyebrows, letting out a bitter huff, his forehead still pressed to the wooden frame, "not cool indeed," he groaned, "why are- Why were you acting like that?"

"Because I don't want you to leave!" Luke blurted out, unable to keep the words in, "because I think you're- You're making a stupid decision and I don't want you to leave and- and I'm afraid you're gonna go and we won't be friends anymore and-"

"Jesus, Lucas," Vince interrupted with a groan, pinching his nose bridge and glaring at his best friend, "I could move to fucking Italy and we wouldn't stop being friends, you're the one who's being stupid. It's four hours, I don't know why you people keep acting as if I'm moving to a different country."

"It fucking sucks to be left behind, sorry," Luke exclaimed, bitterness he wasn't even aware he possessed coating his words, "everyone's got their shit together and big plans and I don't know what I'm doing and- And I thought you'd be here with me, but you won't be and I'm not sure of what to do with myself."

"Luke..." Vince sighed, rubbing his face, "man, you're making a much bigger deal out of this than it is. I'm not going to war, I'm going to teach 4 hours away from here. I'm coming back on the weekends. It's not the end of the world..."

A heavy silence settled over them and Vince turned around, so he could rest the back of his head against the kitchen threshold, instead of his forehead. He was really pale and gulping down...

"Do you want me to go?" Luke asked quietly.

Vince frowned, looking at him, "no, of course not."

More silence.

"I'm really sorry I haven't been there for you," Luke said, his voice even smaller and Vince's knees gave up on holding him up, so he crumpled down and fell on his ass, trying to make it look like he was purposefully lowering himself down.

If Luke noticed the farse, he didn't say much, only watched him intently, looking extremely out of place in Wendy's pink kitchen.

"I forgive you," Vince shrugged, leaning forward and resting his forehead to his knees, breathing through his mouth, "...Do you forgive me?"

"Nothing to forgive," without looking up Vince could hear the relief in his best friend's voice.

"Uhm- I don't feel good, Luke..." he finally voiced it. Part of him meant the past couple of weeks, though mostly he meant the current state of his body and its lack of cooperation.

The water Wendy had forced him to drink was churning in his belly and his head felt heavy.

"Wendy mentioned your fever didn't break," Lucas' voice suddenly was much closer, the other man crouching next to him and planting his cool hand to Vince's forehead. He instinctively leaned on the touch, letting out a breath.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Vince groaned, gulping down nervously when his mouth filled with salty saliva, "...I'm so tired of feeling shitty."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Luke whispered, grabbing his arm, "c'mon, back to bed."

Vince swayed as Luke pulled him up, fully leaning against his best friend and turning his face, burying his nose on Lucas' hoodie. He felt like crap... And better than he had been feeling in a long time.

"You're gonna get sick too," he warned and heard a small scoff, Luke's hand in the middle of his back rubbing in circles as they stumbled through the apartment.

"Definitely," Lucas agreed, but instead of pulling them apart, he pulled Vince closer.

[nymrs]

#2. CAN'T FORGET | Neymar Jr.

SUMMARY: Seeing Neymar for the first time after the break up.

"Another three tequila shots", you ordered at the bar, unable to hold back your laughter while your friend continued on telling her bad jokes that you would probably not laugh at if you weren’t this drunk.

You and your two closest friends, Isabella and Mia, decided to spend Bellas birthday in Paris. Though Neymar and you broke up five months ago, for you, everything still was connected to him - especially Paris of course. Even though you wanted your best friend to have the best day ever, you hated her for choosing Paris for her birthday trip. In order to finally get your thoughts off Neymar and stop looking for him everywhere you would go, you got absolutely smashed.

"I'll be back in a second", you said, heading to the restroom while your friends got onto the dance floor again. You rewatched your instagram story, smiling at your screen, loving how insane and uncontrollable the tree of you were getting every time you got together. Then you noticed three missed calls. Anonymous. "Can’t be too important, everyone knows I'm not taking anonymous calls", you thought to yourself.

Right when you got out of the restroom, Mia, who was already waiting for you, grabbed your arm and started walking towards the exit. "Where are we going? What did I miss?", your eyebrows furrowed the moment you realised she was bloody serious, "Where is Bella?" Receiving no answer, you repeatedly shouted out your friends name, but she didn’t react until the two of you finally got out the club. You freed yourself from her grip, "Can you tell me what the fuck is going on? Where’s Bella?"

"Bella's coming. She’s getting our jackets and we'll go back to the hotel", Mia responded.

"And why are we rushing to leave? It’s not even that late", you asked, realising it wasn’t even 1 am. The door swung open right behind you. You turned around to see Bella heading towards you. A familiar figure followed her, but stopped midway. You froze when you recognised who it was. Then you started laughing, earning some confused looks from your friends. "Y’all are crazy, literally trying everything to avoid me from seeing him."

"And you’re crazy 'cause I know damn well that you’ll go and talk to him", Bella giggled.

Your friends loved Neymar. They adored you two together. But their opinion changed when he left you and made you go through the hardest break up you ever had. Secretly they were hoping for a comeback, on the other side though, they didn’t want to see you that hurt ever again.

"I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t do the things I'm not supposed to", you grinned. Though your blood was boiling, you tried to act all calm, not wanting to show Neymar the effect he still had on you. "You know where we are. Call us if you need anything", Mia said. They shortly hugged you before making their way to the hotel. And there you were, standing a few metres away from your ex boyfriend, who was now slowly walking up to you. Your breathing got heavier as you watched his every step. "Hey", he finally mumbled. You coldly smiled at him, trying to play it cool while it was obvious how uncomfortable he was feeling. "Can we talk please?", Neymar asked.

"Sure", you shrugged. His eyes wandered around. "Not here. Let’s take a walk", he suggested. You nodded. The two of you started walking. Neymar hid his hands in his pockets while you had your arms crossed in front of your chest. "Why didn’t you pick up the phone?", he broke the silence. It was him.

"You know I never pick up anonymous calls."

"Would you pick up if you knew it was me?", he hesitantly asked. You remained silent for a second, "Probably not." Neymar looked at you kind of disappointed, but nodded understanding. "How have you been? How’s life going?", he continued the small talk, which made you roll your eyes. You abruptly stopped walking. "Ney, what do you want to talk about? I know you didn’t call just to see how I'm doing." He sighed, his eyes wandered to the ground. You waited for him to say something, but he kept on looking around, biting the inside of his cheek. "Okay, once you’re not talking, I'll just go back to the hotel. It was good seeing you again", you said and pulled out your phone from the purse in order to call a cab. Neymars face kept on switching between anger and frustration. "Merda [shit]", he mumbled to himself, watching you dial a number, "I missed you." You stopped typing and gulped in shock. It wasn’t anything you did not expect, but thinking of how long you’ve been waiting to hear these words, you really had to do your best to hide your emotions. You locked your phone and looked up at him. "I watched your story, I saw you're in Paris and I would’ve hated myself if I let you leave without at least trying to talk to you", he admit and slowly shook his head from left to right, "I even went into that shit club just to find you there since you didn’t take my calls."

"You could’ve just messaged me", you shortly said, trying to somehow hold back your tears. "And you’d reply?", he scoffed. Looking at him, you realised there were also tears forming in his eyes, making you remember the day you broke up.

The two of you have been together for a year when Neymar suddenly decided to call it quits. You’ve been in a long distance relationship, but still managed to see each other almost every weekend. Due to him training all day and matches mostly being on weekends, you still weren’t able to really spend time with each other. Of course you wished it could be different, but you knew what you were getting yourself into when you got into that relationship and honestly, you couldn’t be happier. Neymar, on the other side, was sick of the distance between you. He wanted you to move in with him. Even though you loved him more than anything, you felt overwhelmed and said no. You were scared of leaving your friends and family behind. Adding to that, you didn’t want to fully depend on Neymar. You loved your job, you couldn’t imagine to stay at home waiting for him to come back all day, every day. But your french skills would make it hard for you to find a good job. Maybe you would’ve even agreed to move in with him if you really thought and talked it through, but Neymar seemed to be in such a rush and jumped into the conclusion that you simply weren’t that serious about your relationship. Weeks after your break up you still tried to explain yourself to him through texts and calls, but all he did was ignoring you and distracting himself by clubbing and going on dates that he was seen on, that you even knew about.

"Y/N", he started, taking a few steps towards you, "I know I hurt you. I know I was going way too fast and I didn’t even let you think about it, I didn’t even really give you a chance. This wasn’t fair, you never deserved any of it. When you said you didn’t want to move in with me, I remembered my past relationships that always ended for the same reasons - them prioritising their careers and not being ready to build a life with me. But I wanted to build a life with you, so I was feeling like I only wasted my time again. But I get it, I get it now." You ironically laughed at his words, tears started streaming down your face. "You get it now? Then why haven’t you answered my texts and calls? Why did you start seeing Bruna again if you were oh so traumatised by your relationship like you say?”

"I didn’t see her in that way. She only tried being there for me after our break up", he explained, but your eyes widened in disbelief. "Your ex was there to support you after our break up? That ex that kept on trying to get to you while we were together? Did it work, was she able to distract you?" Your voice kept on getting louder. Neymar bit his bottom lip, knowing there was no valid excuse. "Y/N, I know it’s difficult to believe but nothing happened. Not with her, not with anyone else." You didn’t know if you could trust his words, a million thoughts and memories going through your mind. "Why did it take you so long?"

"I don’t know. Honestly. I don’t know", Neymar answered, "Guess I had to make up my mind and… probably learn to be patient and more understanding. It wouldn’t make sense going back to you with the same attitude I had before." He walked up to you, making you look at him by softly wiping away your tears. "I really missed you. And yes, I still love you. You don’t have to tell me right now and I know it’ll take some time to get to where we were again, but… but I’d be so happy and grateful if you gave me another chance. To prove I've changed. To prove I'll be patient and waiting for you until you’re ready." Your heart was racing, your knees got weak and you hated yourself for having to admit he got you exactly where he wanted. You couldn’t find the right words to explain what was going through your mind, so you turned off your thoughts for a moment and quickly crashed your lips onto his. God, how you missed these lips. Right after you pulled away, you wanted to slap yourself across the face. "I hate you", you mumbled, Neymars lips forming a wide smile as he pulled you closer again. "You hate how much you love me." You nodded your head and sighed before you noticed his cheeky grin, making you giggle. His eyes sparkled up the moment he heard you laugh. "You don’t know how much I missed this", he whispered before placing a sweet kiss onto your lips.

[foxymoxynoona]

Amended Drabble but it’s just morning snuggles in bed with the kids and them being all domestic and the cutest!!!

Story: Amended Characters: Jungkook & Isabella and kids Words: 1630 Cw: fluff fluff fluff

Jungkook rolled over, half awake, just enough to realize something lumpy was behind him and he shouldn’t crush it. He rolled the other way instead, but something heavy on his feet tangled them up in the blankets. He hated his feet being tangled in blankets and tried to kick them off.

“Stop kicking me,” Ezra complained. Confused, Jungkook lifted his head from the pillow. The middle schooler stretched clean across the foot of the bed, no pillow, but the Switch tucked up in his arms, leading Jungkook to the conclusion he’d come in here to play video games and fallen back asleep. Why in the world he’d come to their bed to do so was beyond his understanding, considering there was an entire house full of beds, couches, chairs, and beanbags.

The lump his instincts had told him not to crush let out a sleepy sigh and shifted, one little foot flopping dangerously close to Jungkook’s crotch. The attention he focused on bending his knees and grabbing her foot to protect himself left his face open to her fists flung out, one of which connected cleanly with his cheek. The other tangled itself in Isabella’s hair, still sound asleep on Lily’s other side. A small pool of drool leaked from Isabella’s mouth to pillow, a testament to how deeply she slept in the windows between Kai’s bottle feedings. Of course Jungkook took half of them, and he was sleeping a whole four hours now in between bottles, but Isabella had never once slept through even a sniffle even when it was Jungkook’s turn to get up. 

As if cued, a little chirp and squeal came from the co-sleeping crib nestled against Isabella’s side of the bed. Jungkook saw Kai’s little feet lift into the air followed by chubby little hands not quite reaching his own toes. He’d been working on that for a few days now, trying to grab hold of those deliciously thick little feeties. Jungkook could understand, he grabbed them and nibbled every chance he got, much to Kai’s delight. He finally understood why people were always doing that. How could you resist?

Before he could even think of reaching for Kai, Isabella sat up –eyes still closed– and pulled Kai from the crib. Kai chirped happily and grabbed at her face. 

Also with her eyes still closed, Lily offered, “I want to hold the baby.”

“Huh?” 

“Stop kicking me,” Ezra said again, even though no one was. He rolled over, only to let out a yell as he nearly fell off the foot of the bed. Gidget sprinted over to lick his face and Ezra rolled further up the bed, sputtering.

“Here, Bella, I’ll take him, you go back to sleep,” Jungkook offered, reaching past Lily’s grabbing hands to take Kai. Isabella handed him over and Jungkook felt himself fully awaken at the bright smile from his son. “Are you going to be a morning person?” he asked the baby, amused at the sharp contrast between Kai’s total alertness and the other three lumps in the bed. 

“I’ll hold him,” Lily said again. She sat up but wasn’t quite awake enough yet and wound up just wrapping her arms around Kai and Jungkook both. Isabella blinked and reached out to rub Lily’s back as Ezra rolled further intentionally.

Suddenly Gidget jumped up onto the bed and pounced right on Ezra’s stomach. He oomph and nudged Gidget away with a, “Down, Gidget.”

“Off, pup,” Jungkook added. Gidget was not supposed to ever be in the bed, now that Kai was here. But Gidget was in the bed, and the realization of this alongside maybe recognition that Jungkook’s hands were full and everyone else was too slow to shove her off yet awakened a fire in Gidget. She began to leap around the bed, landing on arms, legs, stomachs, rolling into everyone as so many bodies twisted beneath the sheets, everyone shouting at her to cut it out.

Isabella managed to grab hold of Gidget and while selfishly Jungkook thought Gidget must be a little jealous not to be in his lap, she actually seemed quite happy to lick the bottom of Isabella’s chin as Bella stifled a yawn. 

“Hi Kai. Morning Kai. Morning baby Kai,” Lily murmured, sliding around Jungkook’s lap so she could wedge in more comfortably. Kai immediately grabbed at her eyes, not the most fun habit he’d developed recently. Lily just twisted her face into Jungkook’s shoulder and Kai turned up to grab at Jungkook’s, settling for flicking his hands against Jungkook’s mouth.

Ezra squirmed up to take Lily’s abandoned space and admitted, “I’m stuck on my level, can you help me? Don’t do it for me but just help me figure out what to do.”

“Oh is that why you’re in here?”

“Yeah but then I was tired and I just went back to sleep,” he said, eyes drifting closed again as he scratched Gidget’s head. “Lily was snoring and everyone was so cozy.”

“I don’t snore,” Lily complained and tried to kick him. Gidget thought it meant time to play and attempted to squirm out of Isabella’s arms and pounce on the moving blankets, but just tripped over Ezra’s legs. Kai giggled and managed to hook his fingers into Jungkook’s mouth and when he rushed to pry them out, he didn’t realize that pulling his arm away from Lily would send her tumbling to the ground.

“AGH!” she cried, laughing as she scrambled back onto the bed. Kai had a fierce grip on Jungkook’s lip, like a little lobster, so Jungkook couldn’t even apologize right away, but Gidget had already rushed to comfort Lily, licking her face and nearly ball-crushing both Jungkook and Ezra in the process. Isabella let out a noisy yawn and rolled onto her side, away from everyone, as if she would just go right back to sleep.

“OK everyone pile on mommy,” Jungkook decided. She started laughing even before anyone moved, despite how quick the kids were to take Jungkook’s suggestion to heart. Ezra threw an arm and leg over her to spoon, Lily slithered across them both like a snake, Gidget plowed her way across the pillows to lick Isabella’s ear, and Jungkook settled Kai in front of Isabella so she could get the full power of his little coos and smiles as he reached for her eyeballs. Isabella caught his hands quickly though, and kissed his knuckles while also grabbing Lily and trying to tickle Ezra with her foot. The volume of giggles and puppy barks shattered the final remnants of morning sleepiness. Kai wasn’t quite audibly laughing yet but his little coos had already changed the soundtrack of the family and maybe it wouldn’t be long before his laughter became a part of these mornings too.

Free of everyone, Jungkook enjoyed a big stretch and a noisy yawn and pushed from the bed, “Ok, guess I’ll go for a run or something since Isabella’s got the kids–”

“No, we need breakfast!” Lily cried, clambering off of her mother. Isabella grunted at the impact. 

“What about my game?” Ezra added, sitting up to dig for the Switch in the blankets. 

Gidget took a flying leap off the bed and danced around Jungkook’s feet as if to say You better be taking me on that run!

Isabella just sat up, pulling Kai to her chest, and arched her eyebrow at Jungkook, not even dignifying his joke with a response. Obviously he wasn’t going to just peace out on his family. He didn’t run much these days and eyed the scale nervously, but there just wasn’t the time to work out as much as he used to and if that meant he put on a few “new baby” pounds in order not to miss a moment in these early days, so be it. 

“All right all right, breakfast and video games. Want me to take Kai too so you can wash up?” Jungkook asked, holding his hands out for his son.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Wash up for what?” Isabella asked, narrowing her eyes.

“You had a little… little bit of drool here while you were sleeping,” he teased, scratching at the side of his own mouth. Isabella kept Kai but did throw a pillow at him as Lily and Ezra laughed about their parents teasing each other. 

“I’ll take eggs with my toast,” Isabella informed him. “Make a pot of coffee too and cut up some fruit?” She gave him a sassy look, as if taunting to see how he’d respond to the bossing around. But she was so soft looking with her messy hair and puffy face and sleepy eyes and their baby boy suddenly fixated on the necklace she’d slept in, probably too tired to remember to take it off. Picture-perfect family.

“As you wish,” he grinned with a low bow.

“I want Nutella on my toast,” Lily announced, while Ezra added, “I want bacon too. But hold the coffee.”

“Ok wait, I’m not actually a line-cook here. You’re both helping me.” He began to walk, leaving Isabella to change Kai. It was only a matter of time before Kai demanded his bottle, so Jungkook needed to get the water heating anyway. Ezra and Lily and Gidget all migrated with him, bickering about breakfast but in a light-hearted, playful way. They would help a little, then get distracted and wander off, pulled into games or books or other trains of thought. Jungkook would forget to start the coffee but Isabella would do it without complaining. They’d all look at the deep snow outside and debate whether it was worth bundling up to play in or if they’d be better off staying inside by the fire. The weeks were busy but on this cozy Sunday, they had no plans until dinner with his family, and so the morning could stretch out as long as they wanted to. It was perfect, even when Jungkook overcooked the eggs.

[omgkatherine01]

A New Sun: Chapter 1 - The First Step

Series Masterlist

Chapter 2

Pairing: Lo'ak x female reader

Please comment, like and share

Bullseye!

The 7 year old Isabella laughed and turned to the camera as it pointed from the target to her.

"Dad, did you get that?!" she asked.

"Of course I did!" her father said, "Can't miss it."

"Can I try another one?" Isabella asked.

"Go for it, can you pull the arrow out?"

"Yes, I can. I'm strong."

The screen turned back.

The 17 years old Isabella let out a soft sigh and darted her eyes to the door of her room when her friend, Daniel came in.

"Hey."

"What is it?" she asked right away.

Daniel let out a sigh, "They want to see if it will work this time."

Isabella didn't need to know what he meant. She knew. There was a project going on for a few years now, Daniel's mother and few other scientists thought of a way to make people breath without masks the gaseous air of Pandora without suffocation.

Isabella thought it was never going to work, because during the past years, the very few volunteers, had suffocated and died. Some in a few seconds, and some after a few minutes, and in her option, that was a record.

Her mother, General Frances Ardmore had sign her daughter up to that project, and made sure that the scientists would do with her better than the rest, to make sure this time it will succeed, but Isabella have no hope for this.

If I'll die, better here on a beautiful place than back at Earth... I guess, Isabella thought as she looked out to the outside at Pandora. Isabella looked at her friend before standing up.

She walked past him and all the way to the labs. Her mother was there, watching the volunteers.

"Mom," Isabella greeted with a small nod.

"Isabella," General Ardmore greeted back.

Daniel's mother, Katy walked closer to Isabella as the girl sat on a chair. She placed her jacket on her lap and let Kate inject something into her arm.

Daniel stood by General Ardmore and watched for a few minutes. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Isabella shrugged, "Normal...?" she muttered.

General Ardmore handed her an oxygen mask, "Take it off after O'Neill, and only when he says it's okay to do so. Understand?"

Isabella nodded lightly, "Yes, ma'am."

Her mother's eyes darted to the others who were a bit away, and lowered her voice a little for only her to listen, "When you step outside, stay near the door, do not move away. If you will feel you can't breath, immediately get back in."

Isabella nodded lightly, "Okay."

"Put this on," General Ardmore said as she placed a covert earpiece in Isabella's ear.

General Ardmore nodded back and stood straight as she looked at her for a moment before moving her eyes to the others, "All right. Continue on."

Here it goes, Isabella thought as she and the other volunteers stepped outside.

Isabella's eyes moved around, not paying attention to the others. "All right, O'Neill, when you ready," she could hear her mother in her ear.

The man, O'Neill, took a deep breath, but before he could take his oxygen mask off, Isabella took hers. "Isabella!" her mother said.

The small group turned to the girl, and she rolled her eyes, "You were too slow," she said to O'Neill. She looked up at the sky before back at the group as her mother spoke.

"Isabella? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Still here," she said. She watched the rest taking off their oxygen mask slowly and she turned back to look at the sky. Isabella frowned as she looked back at the group when she heard their breathing became quicker.

"Shit, shit, shit," she said and quickly started to pull them three people back inside the building.

They cough as they fell to the floor, and took deep breaths. Kate, her co-works, Daniel and General Ardmore ran closer. "Izzy!" Daniel said.

"I'm fine," Isabella said, and let out a sigh as she looked at her mother. "I'll go out there again, this time alone."

"No," General Ardmore said.

"Wha--I was fine, we need to see how long I can hang out there," Isabella said, "Just give me a chance!"

General Ardmore stared at her for a moment, "Stay near the door."

Isabella turned and walked back outside. She closed the door and took a few steps forward.

"How is it?" her mother asked.

"I'm still fine," Isabella said. Her eyes darted around, and she slowly smiled as she took in the outside world of Pandora. She took more steps forward, away from the building.

"Isabella, stay where we can see you!"

Isabella rolled her eyes with annoyance, "I'm fine."

"Turn back around."

Isabella took off her earpiece and continued to wander off. She turned and walked backward when she started to get much farther from the building, still breathing normal.

That made her laugh lightly.

The door opened and she saw her mother and a few soldiers stepping out with their oxygen masks.

Isabella smirked lightly and turned around. She speed her walk.

"Isabella!" Isabella stopped and sighed as she turned to at her mother's call.

"I'm still breathing!" she called and gave them thumbs up before she yelped when she tripped backward. She rolled backward into the entrance of the forest, and groaned as she placed her hand on her head.

"Isabella!"

"Son of a bitch," Isabella muttered as she sat up.

She heard a small gasp and rustling, and looked to the side between the trees. She could see something blue disappearing between the trees.

She slowly stood up, "Hello?" she asked cautiously.

"Isabella!" her mother shouted.

"Yo, Izzy, you okay?!" one of the soldiers called, concern in his voice.

"I'm okay!" Isabella called, keeping her eyes on the trees.

"She's without a mask," she heard a small voice saying quietly.

"Shh."

"How can she breath?"

"Shh!"

"Who's there?" Isabella asked and slowly approached the trees. Nothing. "It's okay... I won't say that I saw you, if that's what you're worried about."

Slowly she saw movements from in front of her, yellow eyes staring at her. She stared back at him. That was a Na'vi. A male one, as Isabella noticed by his face.

She heard movements again, but it was from her side and quickly glanced over to see her mother and the two soldiers running closer. "Isabella."

Isabella glanced back at the Na'vi and quickly moved away from the trees, "I'm fine. I'm okay."

General Ardmore let out a breath of relief. Isabella started to walk past her and the soldiers, "Let's go back. Come on."

When they weren't looking, Isabella glanced back to the tress and saw the Na'vi looked back at her before he quickly moved out of view when she caught him looking.

[andydrysdalerogers]

Yours Submissively ~ Masquerade

Steve Rogers X OFC Isabella Davis

Summary: Five Years after the events of Civil War, Steve Rogers has moved on from avenging and has started his own business, Grant Inc. He has a secret that would turn his world upside down. And he's good at keep that secret. Until he meets the woman with violet eyes that could bring him to his knees. Now his mission is to make her, his. But she is the key that could bring the world into balance... or chaos.

And she has no idea.

Series Warnings: slow burn at the beginning, smut, angst, sexual themes of BDSM, dom/sub dynamics, kidnapping, loss of virginity, (and a bunch of others that will come up)

A/N: the taglist is open!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: Pamper

Series Masterlist ~ Main Masterlist

Bucky drove the SUV through the street of Manhattan with ease.  Steve never let go of Belle’s hand until they reached the main entrance of the venue.  Belle sucked her breath in until Steve squeezed her hand.  “I promised, you don’t have to walk with the cameras.  Bucky is going to take you through the service entrance, and I’ll meet you there.” He lifted her hand to kiss the knuckles.  “I’ll see you inside.” 

She smiled.  “Thank you, Steve.”  She scooted away from the door, and he exited to a lot of flashes.  Bucky quickly closed the door so no one would see her. He climbed back in and drove to the back of the building. 

“Can I ask why you are so scared?”

“My father valued our privacy.  Even if he had a high tense job, he wanted me to be as normal as possible.”

“Why would he be concerned if you were in the spotlight?”

“Dunno.”  She shrugged. “He never explained.  He never let me into the work part of his life.” 

Bucky parked and opened Belle’s door and helped her out.  “Well, if anything, I’ll protect you.”  

“Thanks Bucky.  James… hmmm.” She looked down. 

“Ok, you held back on the ramble.  What?” He said as he pushed the button for the elevator. 

“I don’t know which one I like better.” 

“Bucky, please.  James means I’m in trouble,” he said with a laugh. 

“Ok, noted.  James all the time then,” she said with a smirk. 

“You are perfect for Steve. Smartass,” he said with a grumble. 

Belle giggled as the elevator reached the floor they needed to be on.  Steve was waiting.  “Thanks Buck.” 

“Any time Cap.”  Bucky went back down. 

Steve placed Belle’s hand in the crook of his arm and started to guide her through the venue. A question was bothering Belle and she blurted out, “Why doesn’t Bucky ever join these events if he is a former Avenger as well?”

Steve thought for a moment. “He has the mentality that people still see him as … not the good guy. He would rather remain in the shadows.”   

“But he’s a hero.” 

“Some people don’t see that.” 

“Well, some people are morons.” Belle rolled her eyes as they approached the hosts of the evening.  To which Belle had forgotten to ask who they were before arriving.  Had she, maybe she wouldn’t be completely stunned and awkward in front of her boss. 

“Steve! Good to see you…” Tony trailed off as he noticed Belle on his arm.  Pepper nudged him to bring him back.  “Belle, what a surprise.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Stark, it's nice to see you again.”  Belle could tell she was red all over, unsure of how to act in front of her employers. 

“Belle, please, call me Pepper.”  She stepped in, unsure as to why her husband was reacting the way he was.  “You look gorgeous tonight.  I love this dress.” 

“Thank you Mrs…. I mean Pepper.” Belle fidgeted with her dress.  “I was told not to be formal and…”

“It’s perfect.  Have you ever played in a casino?”  Pepper handed Belle a glass of champagne. 

“An actual one? No. Just among friends.” 

“Well, have fun with the tables.  Blackjack, craps, roulette, Texas hold ‘em.  Let me get you your chips for the evening.”  She handed her and Steve a rack of chips each, $100 dollar chips. “Have fun.” 

“Thank you Pepper,” Steve said. “Tony,” he nodded.  He took the rack from Belle and held her hand.  “What would you like to play first?”

“Blackjack,” she responded. He led her to a table and placed the chips in front of her seat.  “I’m headed to the hold ‘em table. He kissed her forehead, come find me when you’re done.” 

“Ok.” Belle was again reminding herself to breathe. She turned to the table and played. Blackjack is easy, get to 21 and hope the dealer bust. She played a few hands with the table, mostly men who gave her lustful looks. She started to get uncomfortable, so she racked her winnings and headed to find Steve. 

Steve took a seat at a table with Tony following him. “Rogers, what are you playing at?” he said quietly. 

“No idea what you are talking about. Stark.” 

“Isabella. Why is she here?”

“I asked her.  She’s 22, she can be here.” 

“No, I mean, are you dating her?”

“I’m trying to. What is your problem? She is a sweet girl.” 

Tony didn’t know what to say. “Just, take care of her. I like her, don’t want anything to happen to her.” 

“I care about her too Tony. Promise, nothing is going to happen unless she wants it to happen.” Steve glanced at him. “Can we play cards now?”

Belle found Steve, seated at a table with Tony, Sam, and a couple of others she didn’t know.  There was a seat across from Steve open. “Is this seat taken?” she asked sweetly. 

Tony looked at her. “Do you know how to play Belle?”

“A little,” she said with a small smile. 

Tony and Sam laughed. “Then by all means, take a seat. We can teach you.” 

Belle settled and learned the bets. She was dealt in on the next hand. 

Steve watched, not saying a word as he studied her. She lifted her cards on the corner, inspecting them, furrowing her brow. She studied the calls made on the table. She betted the blind and the dealer burned the first card and set down the flop, A of diamonds, 8 of clubs, 3 of hearts. Steve’s own hand was good, two 3, of diamond and spades. Three of a kind. He raised the bet on the table. “$1000,” he said. 

Tony, Sam and the two other men folded their hands. Belle flicked her eyes at him and looked at her cards and chewed the corner of her mouth. She called and they saw the fourth card, the turn. A Q of diamonds.  Her eyes lit up for a fraction of a second before she called, placing no bet. Steve’s hand was still good so raised with the same bet. “$1000,” he said, sliding the chips in. 

“Call,” she said confidently. The final card was placed, the river, a 5 of spades. Steve kept his face still, not giving any tells. He watched Belle chew the side of her mouth again and place a bet. “$2000,” she said, but not sounding confident. Steve knew he had her, she was bluffing her way out of the hand. “Call,” he said, sliding his chips in. She turned over her hand, holding an 8 of heart and a Q of spades. 

“Oof, sweetheart,” as he turned over his tripe 3s. “Maybe next time,” as the dealer slide the chips to Steve. He started to stack them, smirking to himself. He had her tells. And he would win every time. 

They played the table. She was good, taking a few hands when Steve folded out. Soon it was just the two of them playing, with Tony, Sam, Natasha, Pepper, and others watching. Their chip counts were about even. Pepper called out, “we have to make this the last hand so we can close out the evening.”

Belle nodded. The dealer handed out the cards and Steve looked. Pocket 10s. Perfect. He raised the bet. “$10,000,” he said. 

“Call,” she said, confidently. Once again, the dealer burned the top card and put down the flop, 10 of clubs, Q of diamonds, 4 of hearts. Steve watched Belle as she counted out some chips. “$15,000,” she said with conviction. She raised her chin to see if Steve would challenge her. He showed no emotion. He could see that she had a hand but not a strong one. He assumed she hit something with the 4. “Call,” he said. 

The dealer put down the turn card down, another Q, this time of spades. He watched as Belle subtly chewed the side of her mouth again. She hit two pair, he thought to himself. His tripes were still the better hand with the pair of Qs. She called, just tapping the table, not saying a word. “$20,000,” he said counting out the chips. 

Belle furrowed her brow as if she hoped that he had nothing. “Call,” she replied, pushing in half of her chips. The dealer placed the river card, a 9 of diamonds. Steve was elated. His full house stood. As much as he wanted Belle to be happy, it was too easy. He pushed his chips in, “All In.” Belle chewed her lip again and he knew he had her. “Call,” she said. “You first, Mr. Rogers,” indicating to show his hand first. 

“Full house, sweetheart,” showing his tripe 10s and the pair of queens. Belle looked down, defeat starting to show on her face. “I only have two pair,” as she flipped her cards over. Steve opened his mouth to say something until he noticed, two queens in her hand. He looked at the table. The two Q on the table stood out. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Belle said with confidence. “I meant, 4 of a kind. I believe my ladies win,” she said with a twinkle as the group around them started to laugh. 

“Lady wins,” the dealer declares as he pushed the chips towards Belle. Pepper and Natasha swarm her in congratulations as Sam and Tony come over to Steve, who was still in shock. Belle turned her head towards Steve and smirked before speaking with the ladies. 

“She took you,” Sam said, clapping his back. 

“I don’t even know how she did that. I had her tells.” Steve shook his head. He was simmering, turned on by how she played him. 

As the crowd gathers, Steve has Belle in front of him. He leans down and whispered, “you played me.” She nodded. “Do you know how turned on I am right now?” She shook her head. “I’ll show you later,” he whispered with a ghost of his lips on her neck. 

Pepper spoke to the crowd, but Belle was focused on Steve. His hands slipped around her waist and his thumb ran across her dress. She was pretty sure her skin was on fire by now, but she didn’t want to move and break the spell. He whispered into her ear again, “tell me how you did it?”

“You shouldn’t take someone’s poker skills at face value,” she whispered. “I told you I played poker, but you accepted my explanation without so much as a question.” 

“Your students would never be able to lie to you, you know that” he replied with a chuckle. 

“I know. Which is why sociology is a recommended course. You learn to read people.” She clapped as Pepper announced the prizes. 

The night came to an end and Steve escorted Belle to the service elevator. Bucky was waiting at the car, and he took through the night back to the penthouse. When they arrived, Steve took Belle’s hand and never let go until they got upstairs. She went to move to her room when Steve pulled her back. He kissed her hard. She let him in, loving the sensation of his lips on hers. He went to lift her up and wrap her legs around him. He walked them back to her room. 

Once there, he carefully unzipped her dress and let the fabric flow down and pool at her feet. He stepped back to help her from the pile but froze when he saw the corset and garters on her body. “Baby, you look amazing.” 

Belle grew needy the longer he stared. “Steve, please.” 

Steve stepped closer and went around to her back. He kissed her shoulders and collar bone as he unhooked the front of the corset. It fell away with the last clasp undone and she was left in her heels, garters and panties. Steve groaned at the garters, pulling him back to the 40’s. 

He took her hand and led her to sit on the bed. He kneeled in front of her, removed her shoes and unhooked each garter from the thigh highs she had one. Each one snapped, making Belle jump slightly but Steve’s fingers relaxed her. He grasped the lacy top of the left stocking and slowly rolled them down. He kissed her leg as more and more skin was exposed. He repeated the process on the other side before removing the belt entirely. 

“I’m really glad you didn’t show me this, Isabella, we really wouldn’t have made it out the door.” He leaned down to kiss her and then kissed down her body as he pulled her panties down at the same time. He got to the apex of her thighs. “May I?”

Belle wasn’t sure what he wanted but she breathed yes, and he kissed gently before running his tongue through her folds. She moaned, the sensation setting her body on fire. Her moans grew louder and louder the more Steve worked her body. She went to touch his hair and he stopped. He grabbed her hands and placed them above her head. “Move and I stop, got it?” 

Her first lesson in this life. She nodded. “I need words Isabella.” 

“I won’t move them. Please Steve.” 

He smiled and went back to works, flicking his tongue on her clit, using his fingers to open her up. She came with a cry of his name. He licked his fingers clean before pulling her to the edge of the bed. He removed his clothes and rolled on a condom. “This is going to be hard and fast.” All he could hear was her panting before he dove in, thrusting hard in, listening to the cry from her as he bottomed out. He waited a moment before he started to fuck her with every fiber of his being. 

Belle was lost, the amount of pleasure she was receiving overwhelming her. She cried and moaned, relishing in the fullness she felt. Steve could feel her tightening. “Are you almost there, sweetheart?”

She cried out again as the coil tighten more and more. Steve groaned and angled himself to hit a different spot. That’s what did it. He felt her let go with a wail and felt her squeeze his cock, sending him to his edge. He slowed, riding the highs out before gently pulling away. He went to her bathroom to get a towel for her. He cleaned her up and got her under the covers. She was asleep from the amount of pleasure she had received. Steve pulled up his boxers and grabbed the rest of his clothes. He checked her once more before heading to his room. 

NEXT

Taglist:

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@jennmurawski13-writes

@firephotogrl74

@tinkerbelle67

@before-we-get-started

@bunnyforhim

@alexakeyloveloki

@amiquette

[letstrythisout4]

Chapter 11: Blaise and The Distractor

Series Masterlist

The rest of their break flew by, so much so that Blaise began to create study materials for exams.

“While I respect your dedication to school… be serious. It's the last day of the break, shouldn't we be relaxing?” Isabella practically begged, trying to drag him away from his work. Blaise simply rolled his eyes. Isabella was not excited to go back to Hogwarts. At all. In protest for their unavoidable return, she had begun to be incredibly lazy. Still respectful and sickeningly polite to his mother; but behind closed doors she was becoming down right insufferable. Throwing herself on his bed or carpet (she had silently decided for the both of them that they'd spend their time in his room) and doing everything she could to try and convince him to join her in her lounging. “Everything” extended from poking and whining to throwing little spheres of her Glow at him which on impact would burst into sparkles that would fade out. 

“You know, Reyes, not all of us have special magic that makes everything easy for us.” Blaise replied without thinking, wincing at his own tone. He wasn’t jealous - he could see that her Glow stressed her out just as much as it fascinated her- but it was hard sometimes to not feel… offended sometimes at how simply magic came to her. If you would have asked him before break what kind of witch Reyes was, he would say that in academics she was smart but not brilliant, she was better than most but not enough to compete with him, Hermione and Draco for the top three spots. 

That was so damn inaccurate.

He realized this News Years Eve when he first saw her Glow.

He knew realistically that the Glow was something that worried her. In the nights since New Years, in the dark his room, she would share stories of the fears that plagued her her whole life , because of her Glow. He knew that in reality, that as amazing as her Glow was, he wouldn’t want to be in her position, that he couldn’t live with the fear like she did.

But it was just so beautiful. The way she and everything around her would levitate. The way light and magic swirled around her as if she were the center of her own universe. The way that when you looked closely at her while she used her glow - ignoring the light show- you could see the Glow form patterns on her skin, more visible depending on the strength that she used. 

It was so easy. She transfigured the whole training room. Levitated tons of furniture. Created creatures that seemed to be alive and conscious. She was stellar.

And she had been holding back the whole time.

To avoid suspicion she held back in class allowing for other students to be successful so as to not draw attention. Through questioning her - interrogating her- he learned that the glow wasn’t just limited to charms and transfiguration, but also herbology and potions. She once let her Glow weave into the soil of a basic vine plant (he asked for elaboration but was met with a shrug and a “I don’t know the name of plants, I leave that stuff to Neville.”) and it grew, covering the walls of her room, practically instantly. And whenever she made a mistake in potions a quick tap of her finger to her caldron would change the potion into the one she needed- and it would work. And that was just what she knew she was capable of, as of now. 

She broke the laws of magic by just existing and he was…offended.

Quietly offended.

Very different from jealousy.

“Instead of having “special magic”, you are you. You are top in the classes, you ace all of your essays and you spend all your time in the library. Not reading for fun, that I could understand, but purely for research.” Isabella shivered as if she just said something unthinkable.

And that is why he couldn’t be jealous. 

Reyes was too… humble when it came to her magic. She had her moments of fascination but her muggle life clearly forced her into being modest about the Glow. She genuinely believes that her Glow is not nearly as useful or important as his ability to list dates of Goblin wars. Instead of expressing this he settled on shaking his head and ending the conversation, “Go to sleep Reyes.”

“Go to sleep Reyes.” she mocked, slipping off his bed and out the door calling out a goodnight.

Blaise worked for a few more hours before falling into bed and into a restless sleep.

Unlike in September, the journey to the platform was surprisingly easy. Everyone was prompt and he found himself not stalling anywhere nearly as much as he did just months ago. Before he knew it he was back on the train, sitting across from Theo, trying to block out Malfoys rant about Merlin knows what. It all felt so dull after spending so much time with Isabella. With Isabella conversations were long but not in a way that made them feel dragged out. Talking to Isabella was like breathing air, so natural and instinctive you would have thought they had known each other forever. Blaise was not the kind of person to laugh and have meaningful conversations with someone he didn’t now for years. But being with Isabella, made Malfoys influence even more apparent; it was always clear that Malfoy had power over the other Slytherins. Of course he did. His father was a prominent figure on the board of the school and Wizengamot, and more importantly his mother hailed from the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Blaise’s mother always did her best to maintain a balance between teaching him about politics and avoiding him becoming absorbed in politics. His teachings changed with his age, so that by the time he would have to join Wizengamot (years and years in the future) he would be prepared. He knew many things now, including but not limited to, who the Noble and Most Ancient Houses were and what family’s back those houses. The House of Black had “fallen”...technically. That's what most people believe. Blaise’s mother, though, told him many years ago, just before he attended his first “formal event”, that a House only falls when all of its members are dead. So long as even one person is alive from that House, it lives on. Therefore, the House of Black is more than alive and that he should watch his mouth because no matter how far a Noble and Ancient House has fallen their influence will never fully diminish.

And yet as he sits and watches the youngest descendant of the House of Black (at least the most important youngest descendant) preach to his “friends” he can't help but wish to ignore his mothers advice. He always knew that Malfoy abused his status; but after spending so much time around Isabella who - if she really wanted to - could dominate the entire wizarding world (politics, business, social life, magic hierarchy, everything) but actively chooses not to, Blaise just fights the urge to keep his face straight as he watches Malfoy minimize those around him.

But this doesn’t just extend to Malfoy, Blaise ponders as he makes his way to the Slytherin common room. He takes in how blatant the food-chain is as Slytherin friend groups section themselves off into those who ally themselves to one House or another.  One day the world is going to learn about Isabella. And either every single person here is going to try and get in her good graces once they see how powerful she is…or they’re going to try and get rid of her. Blaise thinks as he changes into his pajamas, continuing to tune out Malfoy ( he hasn’t shut up this whole time). Either way, I’m going to stand beside her.

Authors notes: thanks for reading

[lostonehero]

What remains after eternity

Moving forward and backwards

"Jonny, before you leave, I am being hailed." Aurora grabs Jonny with mechanical hands.

"And my brats left before this came through." Jonny sighs. "Alright, I'll answer it." He watches a screen pop up as he is placed down. Tim had followed his brats. "This is Jonny D'ville first mate of the Aurora."

"Captain!" Aurora corrects.

A woman with an eye almost identical to Tim's except for the color of the glow appears. Her normal eye is yellow with scales surrounding it. She had bolts in her neck and tall metal antenna from her head that both seemed to spew electricity. She smiled as she had too many sharp teeth in her mouth. "Aha! This explains the sudden hail. I am Isabella Drezturn. You may refer to me as Izzy. I am the scientist of the Dread Knot. It's quite nice to finally meet the man the others talk about."

"My brats talk about you guys a lot." Jonny crossed his arms. "We do have plans on getting to Xeonia. However, for the moment, we are in Thanos."

"Ah, that is good to know, we were preparing to leave since we've done all we could here, and it's currently thriving. Would you like us to meet you guys or wait here?" Izzy smiles seemingly relaxing. "I didn't think it would have taken this long, and I want to apologize for making them wait so long. We also do have to find Lazarus. He took the wrong ship again."

Jonny smiles softly. "We found him..." The screen glitches, and he gives a soft oof as two people crash into him.

"Lazarus what the fuck?" Mae growls. "I'm allowed time with my husband." She grabs Laz by the neck as they both scramble to their feet. "You know what you've been avoiding him for ages you fuck. What the fuck do you have against him?"

Laz purposely looks away. "I don't have to tell you shit."

Jonny jumped up, grabbing both of them by the ear. "How about you both shut the fuck up."

"Oh hi, dad!" Mae growls. "I'm still mad at you."

Jonny clears his throat, and his voice is strict and sends shivers on the four that hear it. "Lazarus explain to my daughter, and Sallie Mae, you will explain the husband comment."

Laz swallows. "I knew Noel... er Charlie before I was turned into an acolyte."

Mae looks at the ground. "Charlie is my husband. We've got an open marriage, and we always seem to come back to each other, so it makes sense to us. That's why I have the golden ring on my tail."

Jonny sighs. "Fine. Now go say hi to your crewmate." He motions to the screen.

Mae's eyes light up. "Hi Izzy! We found Laz before you."

"You didn't find me, Brian found me." Laz smiles softly.

"So you knew Charlie when he was going by Noel?" Mae smirks.

Laz huffs. "Don't push it."

"I'm glad to see you're not drifting in space." Izzy sighs. "I'll let you three talk. Just let me or Hal know if you want us to come to you guys." She signs off.

Jonny turns back to Laz and Mae. "I'm disappointed you didn't tell me you were married." He turns his gaze directly to Laz. "Face your past for my daughter, or I'm stranding you here to find a way back."

"Understood." Laz rubs his arm.

Mae flinched. "I'm sorry."

"And since I found you first, tell your two brothers and one sibling that they lose and no day trip to the Vegas quadrant." Jonny sighs. "I have to find Tim. Join me if you want, but I'm heading out."

"Motherfucker." Mae groans. "Come on, you sad sack, we're going back, and you're talking to Charlie."

"I want my husband." Laz scowls.

"I want my husband too so fuck off shut up and come on." Mae throws him over her shoulder.

Jonny smiles watching them leave.

"I do not like that tone of voice." Aurora interrupts once the pair left.

"Get used to it. I'm a father, Aurora. You have to figure out a voice to get your kids to listen." Jonny rolls his eyes. "Where the fuck did Carmillia go?"

"She is hiding on your mother's ship, refusing to set foot on the planet." Aurora pauses. "It is quite amusing to tease her."

"Well, have fun. I'm heading out and alert me if she gets out so we can leave her here." Jonny takes out his harmonica to play.

Aurora gives a thumbs up.

......

"You don't belong here." A New Texan growls low and dangerous.

Marius flinched. "I'm just... we're just..."

Janet popped up from his back, cursing in New Texan. She hopped off, confronting the other woman.

Ashes raised a brow. "My New Texan is rusty, but I think this is actually a eugenics argument."

Brian blinks. "You're right."

Marius slowly stepped back. "We can just go another way. I'm sure it will be fine."

Ashes grabbed Lyf and shook their head. "Don't, Marius has dealt with this shit too often, and it's a response we don't try to change in case he gets cornered by himself."

"What Ashes means to say is that when Marius stands up for himself in these situations, he is out numbered and out gunned. As you can see by the others coming out of the sand." Brian stopped. "Fuck it's a ambush."

Ashes pulls out their lighter, gearing for a fight when loud screams were heard and gone as the group was dragged deep into the sand.

Marius blinks. "Um...."

A man comes into focus. "I told you that we didn't find all of them."

A deeper voice from a mouth in his neck huffs. "Maybe next time we check the borders!"

"You insufferable me -" The man stops as Janet rushed him.

"Hiya fledgling long time no see. Thanks for the save. You know how these eugenics fucks are." Janet chuckles.

"Aha, it has been a while." The deep voice seems fond. "Who are you traveling with? I don't recognize them."

Lyf approaches slowly. "You know this guy?"

"Guys, Arthur is the blind one using the normal mouth, and John is his eyes and the mouth on his neck. Yeah, we've run into him a few times, well me and Trevor, less so with everyone." Janet smiles. "Ah, they're the fledgling God together. This is Lyfrassir Edda, Yog Sogoth acolyte. The Xeon is Marius. The dermoid is Brian. Ashes.... I'm not actually familiar with your species."

"Where is your brother?" Arthur raised a brow. "He promised us a game of chess. Uh Trevor not Thomas."

"I knew who you were talking about." Janet shrugs. "He was sleeping when I left, and Mae was already deep into exploring."

"What do you mean by fledgling?" Brian crossed his arms.

"You're the new god." Lyf hums.

"I wouldn't call us new, but compared to the others, that would be correct." Arthur sighs. "It's a bit complicated." He dusts himself off with one hand and turns to march forward. "You would think that the ripple would bring the best or the ones who need help. However, it indiscriminately takes what it plesees and you -" He is cut off as he falls down a hole.

Janet snickers. "Think that's a new record."

"Fuck you." Arthur and John say at the same time.

The four exchange glances.

........

Marius didn't mind Arthur and John. They seemed nice and mostly harmless. His arm hurt, though, just right where he was given the vaccine. He knew he was lagging behind, his limbs just felt like they were filled with lead. His head felt like it was being filled with cotton. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to be sticking around for whatever was happening next. He only shut his eyes for a moment, but he couldn't see the group ahead of him. Someone was speaking, but he couldn't make out what was being said. His vision went black as he fell on the sand.

Byron woke up holding his head. The people who took him on their ship were weird and had very strong drinks. He didn't think they liked him, but he didn't understand what they were saying. He looked down, seeing the metal arm he was still getting used to. That was still there. He suddenly sat up, realizing he wasn't on the ship.

"Whoa, relax. Byron, just breathe, won't ya?" It was a woman with long hair speaking the only language Byron knew. He knew her voice. "Never thought I would see you again."

Byron gladly takes the warm mug of a bright red liquid. "Misery."

"The one and only." Misery laughs. "How'd you even get stuck in the desert?"

"Desert?" Byron furrows his brows. "No, I was on a ship. A doctor made me a new arm and took me aboard. Have they finally let me go home?"

Misery frowns and sits next to Byron. "Byron...." She sighs. "Maybe we can figure this out together. It's been a while since I've seen you, buried Zaza a long time ago and our brother I don't know what happened to him." She held an expression on her features. Byron didn't quite understand, but she looked tired.

"How long has it been?" Byron gripped his mug shaking.

"Breathe. I'll explain everything." Misery smiles. "I've written so much of this down to record, but I'll start at the beginning like all good history lessons."

Byron cracked a small smile staring at his sister. Misery was tall and built like a wall. She was broken, her own heat mate killed in the conflict, causing her to look different than a normal Xeon. She had two large leathery wings covered in eyes that she kept folded on her back. Her ears were longer than Byron's. She had curled horns on the top of her head. She even had a mouth on her stomach. Although he didn't really recognize the outfit she was wearing. He didn't dwell on it as she started to explain everything.

Mister held both of Byron's hands. "That's why I have to ask, how much time has passed for you? Did you get sucked through the ripple? Byron, you have to believe me."

Byron was crying. "I don't... I don't know. The last thing I remember is being on that weird empty ship. I.... what do you mean I went through heat?"

Misery gently guides Byron's hands to his horns, and she listens to the soft gasp. "Come on, I've got a lab on my ship."

"You have a ship too?" Byron wipes his eyes.

"I have a lot of things, comes with age and time. Let's figure this out together. I honestly thought you died when you vanished eons ago. Didn't think you would have been experimented on and kidnapped." Misery smiles, trying to joke.

"I don't actually know if they even wanted anything." Byron hums. "Tell me more about eternity and...." a name extremely distorted from his lips. "Is it alright working for them?"

"Now I don't really work for them. I do my own thing. However I can tell you about my friends." Misery smiles. "Some of them even stuck around."

"So please tell me I've missed you a lot. I wonder who my mate is. Can't be any of the people I was traveling with. None of them are Xeon like us." Byron hums. "I wonder if they're tall."

"If our partner survives the heat, we can bond with other species." Misery chuckles with the soft gasp.

"Have you tried again since it's been so long?" Byron tilted his head.

"I wanted to. I just haven't found the right creature." Misery pats Byron's back. "Come on, let's find this group that took you to get answers."

Byron nods.

Misery's ship wasn't anything fantastical, but her lab was fascinating. "Now this will sting." She takes a large needle syringe and takes blood from Byron.

Byron waits a creeping dread was filling his mind. It felt like worrying that wasn't his own filling his thoughts. "Misery?"

"What is it?" Misery was looking at the results feeding Byron's blood into the computer.

Byron bit his lip, blood threatened to spill. "I... uh...." He hugs himself tight. "I think something is wrong with my mate." He's seen too many of his friends on the battlefield collapse in anguish from losing their mate. Is this how it starts? He remembers that when Misery lost hers, he could never forget those screams.

Misery whipped her head around and gasped in relief. "No, Byron. No, you're, they're ok. Didn't I teach you how the heat bond works? You have a piece of them, and they have a piece of you. They are probably worried they can't find you. I can tell by the levels of hormones in your blood that this bond is quite new and it's not uncommon for memory to be an issue in the beginning, but this also means you didn't bond to a fellow Xeon." She turns back to the results. "But this doesn't make sense."

"W-what?" Byron could feel his own worry mix with his partner's.

"It says you've got the virus, but that would mean you would be nearly as old as I am with how long it's been in your system." Misery frowns. "I think there must be a mistake. You look nearly identical, save for the metal arm from the day you were drafted to fight."

"You -" Byron is cut off by a bright rainbow static he tries to block the brightness with his metal arm.

"Oh thank the fucking gods you're ok!" The blue skinned being runs at Byron pulling him into a hug.

Relief floods Byron's system as he relaxes into this stranger. No, not a stranger, his mate. This was his mate. He didn't know their name or species, but that didn't exactly matter. He returned the embrace with all the force he could muster.

Misery clocked the interaction almost immediately and smiled. "You must be Byron's mate."

The being spun around to see Misery. "I uh... I don't know what you said." They responded in common.

Misery raised a brow but began to speak in a language Byron didn't know.

"My name is Lyfrassir Edda.... he's reverted that far back again?.... er, yes, it's been happening a while." Lyf nodded and sat next to Byron. "I don't know how long exactly..... uh yes actually Yog Sogoth.... no, Byron isn't. He's a Mechanism. Of course, I know who Jonny is he attempted to poison my drink like two days ago and refuses to tell me what he used because it tastes good."

Lyfrassir Edda, that was a very nice name. Byron stared at Lyf, not understanding a lick of the conversation. Lyf was very, very, very nice looking. He wanted to hold his hand. This was his mate. The one who survived against his heat. Would he even like him like this? He had a metal arm, and he wasn't their species. He has a soft looking tail, too. He wanted to study every inch of them so he couldn't just forget who and what his mate was. He makes a small yelp noise, feeling his tail get interwind with Lyf's. His face was lit up with a bright blush. He wasn't some teenager anymore. He wasn't... he had a mate, and he... he was amazing.

Lyf paused, looking over at Byron. "Oh! I'm sorry, do you want me to move my tail back? I don't wish to make you uncomfortable."

Maybe it's a combination of not being able to understand anyone or just his hormones because Lyf is his mate, but Byron leaned forward and locked his lips with Lyf's. He even tasted like a dream. He could feel a twinge in his back and can recall when Misery got her wings and how they lost their fur and grew armor and eyes when her mate was killed. Of course, this mate bond was new he hasn't gotten his wings yet. Oh, Lyf was in his lap now.

Misery cleared her throat. "I will leave you two to get this out of your system. The new information will help." She waves to the two men as Byron was tugging off Lyf's clothes.

......

"I'm not actually mad at you." Mae rubs her arm as she looks out the window of the hyper rail.

"I... I know." Laz sighs. "Your dad is scary."

"When he wants to be." Mae huffs out a short laugh. "Your personal traumas are yours. I don't have to know. Thomas doesn't tell me anything, and I respect it."

"It was a really low part of my life. I was a drunk of a priest who was looking for a purpose. I put my faith into a man who was into something I was in no way to process. There was a light until he cut off my arm, stopping a creature from possessing my body. He dropped me off at the hospital, and I never saw him again. Noel... er Charlie did come back. I already went back to the bottle. I tried to put my hope into my faith, but gods like I thought existed never did." Laz grips his cross. "I never did give up my faith. I still know the prayers. Thomas knows this. He knows all of it. I just... I spent a long time with Scratch getting on my feet again. At the time, he was still Lilith."

Mae reached out, stopping Laz. "That's enough. I don't need to know everything. Things sucked but now you have my brother and whatever future shenanigans we come up with. Tie up your loose ends, and I'm sure my brother will come along to support you."

"I'm not telling him I ruined his bet." Laz cracks a small smile.

"Fuck you." Mae matches the small smile.

.......

Misery picks up the ringing communicator. This was probably Lyf's, and well, they were busy. She hums picking up the call. "Hello, I know this is Lyfrassir Edda communicator. However, I am not them, and they are currently preoccupied with Byron at the moment, so how can I help ya?"

"That explains the missed calls." A hologram appears a woman with scales and gills on her neck. Her ears were fins and held her head, and she was shaved, revealing a mechanical implant. "Janet has informed us that Lyf has vanished to find Marius, which is assuming by how you referred to him he is currently Byron again. Before or after his arm."

"After, and you must be Ivy." Misery hums softly. "I have extensive records of you Mechanisms in my library. I must thank you for keeping dead civilizations stories alive. Anyway I like to consider myself a historian. You may call me Misery because that's as close to common as my name gets. I am Byron's older sister. Well, we aren't related. We were adopted, but unfortunately, I was plucked and became an acolyte, to-." The audio glitches horribly.

"Historian? Do you keep records?" Ivy focuses straight on the communicator.

"I have my journals and recordings and even some video. I've been at this a long while." Misery raised a brow as the woman is replaced with an androgynous looking person.

"Don't get her started. Ashes O'Reilly quartermaster, what is really going on with Mar- Byron?" They scowl looking at the screen.

"I could show you if you want." Misery picks up the communicator. "However, the bond is new, so what they are doing is moving the process along to a more stable line of growth so they can function normally. It is really different when it's not two Xeon." She holds up the communicator and turns the camera.

"Turn it around! Turn it around! For fucks sake. I'm good with a lot of weird shit but fuck..... seriously what the fuck." Ashes gags as the communicator is handed off to another with wings.

"Can I have a recording to study that?" The woman puffs out her mechanical wings.

"....no." Misery shuts the door behind her. "Some things are meant to be private. I only showed you guys to prove that they are both safe and fine because you obviously don't trust me."

"You've been at this a long while." A Russian accent speaks up.

"Yes, and I've been warned about you guys. You're quite an interesting lot. I've met with your first mate ages ago now. Got my information from him back in New Texas. Is he still in his little palace?" Misery clicks her tongue.

"No." Mulitple respond at once.

"Ah well, they both will be back at it for a long while, so I'll call you guys back later." Misery shuts the device and goes back to her lab work. "I'm glad I wasn't there to witness this nightmare. I can cure it at the original state, but this has mutated, and his body is adapting." She sighs and cracks open a new notebook. "It's been a while since I've had a true challenge, and I get to help my brother."

.......

Jonny raised a brow and opened his communicator. "Is someone dying?"

"No, but do you know a Misery?" Nastya sighs.

Jonny chuckles. "She's still doing her thing? Ha, I thought she would have gotten bored of herself proclaimed notion to record history as it laid out before her. She's a acolyte of a god I can't actually speak, or I'll break this damn thing. She claims she is Marius's adopted sister or some shit. Wasn't awful a bit weird about biology but not Raph levels of mad science. Spent a few centuries telling her about Aurora and the crew and didn't accept her offer to leave with her. She's dangerous when crossed, but she's friendly with everyone." He hums. "I guess she mentioned me."

"Huh." Nastya clicks her tongue. "So she's honest?"

"Oh, she can't lie for shit. She's worse than Tim. I didn't think I could meet someone worse than Tim when it came to lying." Jonny snickers. "She's shit with ranged weapons, prefers close combat, don't underestimate her if you pick a fight. So why are you concerned about her?"

"She has Marius and Lyf, and Marius is back to going by Byron, but post arm." Nastya sighs. "So I just didn't want him to get in trouble."

"To think you used to hate the man." Jonny chuckles. "Anyway, the both will be fine. I have to stop Tim from accidently shooting his siblings. Who the f-" The call cuts out.

"Shit, I forgot to ask who called Aurora." Nastya huffs.

"Aurora won't tell you?" Brian raised a brow.

"She says it's a fun surprise." Nastya crossed her arms.

"That could mean anything." Ivy hums.

"Fucking I know!" Nastya groans.

........

"Aha!" Thomas jumps out of the sand.

Arthur screams along with John.

"Oh fuck it's only you." Thomas groans. "I'm looking for my sister, not you."

"Didn't your father teach you decency?" John regretted the words as soon as he watched Thomas smirk.

"Wellnhe taught me to lie, cheat, and steal. He's also an immortal space pirate, so what do you think, John?" Thomas snickers.

Trevor pops out next, causing more screams. "I would have at least liked to see golden boy and not you two."

"No, he's here." Alex waves pointing at Charlie. "Fuck really thought Mae would be over here with him."

"Are you three quite done?" Arthur sighs, smoothing down his shirt. "Charlie, where is that wife of yours?"

"Behind you." Mae chuckles at the frightened scream. "Brought Laz back with me, and dad found me first."

The three say fuck at the same time.

"Mae, are you ok?" Charlie gets up.

"Pffft, I'm fine. Landed on my dad it's all good." Mae hums, pushing Laz forward. "Collect your husband, Thomas. I already have one."

Thomas rolls his eyes. "Oh fuck off you wish he was yours." He approaches Laz and hugs him. "Happy I'm back on my feet."

Laz nods. "Of course I'm happy to see you whenever you're near."

"Your voice is familiar." Charile walks over. "Excusing your little disappearing act, who are you?"

"You knew me before this you three did." Laz sighs, and in a puff of black smoke, he returns to how he looked like for Scratch. "I go by Lazarus these days, but you can just call me Laz to make it easier. Please don't use my old name."

"Os- Lazarus, it fits. It's nice to know you didn't uh well.... that isn't important." Charlie pauses. "How do you do that?"

Laz raised a brow. "Do what?"

"You look normal." Charlie motions to Laz. "I have to hide stuff still."

"Oh! Uh, practice mostly. The arm thing is tougher. My body doesn't excatly like me missing an arm." Laz turns to Arthur. "It's nice to see you looking healthy." He rubs the back of his neck.

Arthur smiles. "I'm glad to know you survived. I didn't... look, we have a lot to say." He takes a breath.

"You got married." John interrupts.

"John!" Arrhur huffs.

Laz chuckles. "I did." He snaps himself back to normal. "He's a bit feral, but he keeps me sane."

"Oh, you flatter me." Thomas snickers jumping on Laz's back. "Now that I'm able to you're fucked."

Laz laughs like a weight is taken off of him. "Come on backpack, I believe Arthur and I have some catching up to do. Charlie and fuck off with Mae."

"Gladly." Mae picks up Charlie from behind. "I've got to show you all the new tricks I learned."

"Gross." Alex stocks their tongue out in mock disgust.

"Slut." Thomas flips his sister off.

Arthur follows Laz and Thomas chuckling at the banter.

.........

Lyf shuffled out of the lab covered in various fluids and bits of flesh of his and Byron's. He was completely naked. "Shower?" His voice was hoarse, and he looked like he was about to collapse.

"It will dry and peal off." Misery waves him off.

Lyf grumbles, and there's a growing sound of static.

Misery sighs and turns around. "Return to my brother and ask again when he's awake. It's not going to kill you."

Lyf narrows his eyes, but he does feel drawn back to Byron. Why did he leave? He wanted his mate back. He slipped back into the lab and snuggled up against Byron using his wings as a blanket. His own back ached, but it was probably nothing. Byron's wings were soft, and he wasn't awake enough to determine if it was feathers or fur.

Byron wrapped himself around Lyf and mumbled something incomprehensible before drifting back off to sleep.

.......

Jonny stepped onto Misery's ship. It's been a few weeks since they landed, and everyone was doing their own thing. However, Marius and Lyf still were MIA. He knew a bit more than he wanted to about heats for Xeon thanks to Misery, so this wasn't unheard of. He managed to get Tim to stay with Bertie and his siblings while he headed over here. It was as he remembered, and he knew Evelyn and Aaron were lurking about.

"Jonny?" Misery spotted Jonny passing the room she was in. She watches him stop and enter. "It is you. It's been awhile."

"It has." Jonny smiles meekly, taking a spot next to her. "You already know why I'm here."

"I do. Unfortunately, both of them are still out of it. Not mentally, they've just been eating and sleeping as they recover. There used to be health centers just for newly formed heat bonds, but that was before everything. Only read about that in books." Misery raised a brow. "So you you found your kids."

"I did." Jonny smiles softly. "I'm assuming you've already met them."

"Oh, I have, but I didn't know they were yours when we met." Misery chuckles. "Heard your palace became a museum."

"I wasn't fucking there to stop it." Jonny rolls his eyes.

Misery smiles. "How is it? I haven't visited. I got sucked through the ripple on my travels. I've been here a while, I was going to check out Xeonia, and I heard it was finally healed up. The Dread Knot crew did a good job that the Xeon here are even moving back."

"My kids like running it when they get sent back there, but it's nothing new." Jonny snickers. "I suppose that is your thing."

"I am a historian, after all." Misery hums, attention turned to Lyf stumbling back out.

Lyf was much skinnier than what he was when Jonny last saw him. He had new discoloration all over his body from Marius various fluids. His lower back was slightly swollen and looked painful. He was completely naked as he rubbed his eyes. "When did you get here, Jonny?"

"Today." Jonny hums. "You weren't lying."

"I was not." Misery sighs.

"And what is today?" Lyf rubs his face more. "Fuck I want a shower."

"It's nice to want things." Misery smirks when Jonny snickers. "What is Byron doing?"

"Hmmm?" Byron was equally disheveled and naked. He had his normal scars and the ingrained metal from his mechanism spreading. His eyes were glowing a soft purple, and the new changes to his body were on full display. He was developing thicker skin, which will eventually become armor on his chest and back. The nice pudge he built up and was proud of was gone, replaced with dense muscle. The spurs on his shoulders have tripled on both sides. He had new ones on his knees and elbows. There was a soft fur slowly growing on his legs as well. That's all Jonny could tell from staring on the surface wearing his goggles.

"Byron, are you alright?" Misery got up switching back to Xeon.

Byron nods. "Mmh, hungry and off balanced."

Misery smiles. "I'll teach you how to keep them folded. They are on your lower back like mine, but they are much wider, so we'll figure it out."

"Can we eat first?" Byron huffs.

"Yeah, yeah, you can eat first." Misery smiles.

Lyf stumbles to the table. "How long?"

"A few weeks, nothing crazy. How are you feeling?" Jonny grimaced seeing Lyf's back up close.

Lyf glares at Jonny. "How do you think? My back feels like it's going to explode, and I am starving."

"No need to be pissy pillow princess." Jonny smiles softly. "I'll feed you."

Lyf nods and follows Jonny, getting back up. "Although I do feel less foggy, and I can think clearly."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Jonnys voice was laced with sarcasm. "You two needed marathon sex, exchanging as many fluids as possible. Unfortunately, I have an uncomfortable level of intimate knowledge of Xeon heats, with the same species and without. If you ask me why or anything about it, I will shoot you."

"Fine, fine." Lyf blinks. "How about a small question, and you can stab me in the back."

Jonny raised his brow. "And why do you want me to stab you?"

"Pressure, way too much pressure like my back will explode." Lyf groans. "I don't.... I can't do it myself."

"Do you want me to count down or just surprise you?" Jonny walked behind Lyf.

"Just- FUCK." Lyf gasps out as the pressure releases. Rainbow static colored feathery wing unfolded out they were wet and covered in gore. "I think.... no, I'm gonna...." Jonny catches him as he passes out.

.......

Jonny watches as Byron groomed Lyf's wings, ignoring his own. The blood and gore didn't bother him, and he knew the reasons why they were left unspoken. To think he used to adore the idea of going to war. Things change when you take pride in something, he guesses. That wasn't right. His kids just disappeared, and a civil war broke out. He quickly flipped open his communicator to see his family group chat filled with various things. He relaxes, they were fine just fucking around.

Misery handed a plate to Jonny. "It's something you can eat, and it won't kill you." She sat next to him. "You alright?"

Jonny nods. "Yeah. Thanks for this." He takes the plate and slowly eats. He watches Lyf eat almost robotically. He wasn't entirely aware, but he seemed stable enough. "So how long will Lyf be out of it?"

Misery sighs. "Hard to tell, you did do him a favor, but his body needs to recover. Thankfully, Byron is fine he just needs to eat some more, but he's in caretaker mode for his mate. Once Lyf is more aware, that will end."

Jonny nods. "I'll try to stay, but I make no promises. I have my own man to look after."

"Oh, congratulations." Misery smiles. "I'm still searching, but eventually, I'll find that again. Keep an eye on my brother, I don't want him to be broken like I am."

"Yeah, I will don't worry about that." Jonny sighs.

.......

Lyf groaned in relief as he sunk into the hot bath. His wings were new but not as sensitive as he would have thought. Byron was with him. It was an enormous tub, and it felt like paradise. The wings are a bit shocking, but he wasn't entirely well versed on Xeon biology or how it would affect himself. Misery promised to translate some heat books for him. Apparently, the new changes on Byron were normal. This explains the panic when it first happened. He will look physically different when it's finally over.

"Lyfrassir, are you alright?" Byron sits back up.

Lyf wasn't one for muscles. He never liked the gym rats on Asguard, but Byron looked very nice. He rubs his face. "I'm fine, just happy to finally get clean. Are you ok? You've changed."

"A-ah, right, you aren't Xeon. This must be confusing to you." Byron moves to sit next to Lyf. "The transformation is normal, and it's a point of pride when it finishes. You get stronger tougher and just better overall. Although...." He sighs. "My sister lost her mate in the civil war. The transformation gets worse after being broken, and she's stronger terrifyingly so. She lost her fur too, and got more armor. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

"Isn't it rude to call Misery broken?" Lyf raised a brow leaning on Byron.

"Huh?" Byron sounded confused. "No, that is the proper term for a Xeon to survive a break in their heat bond."

"Oh right, my apologies." Lyf rubs the back of his neck. "Are you ok? I mean.... would you believe me if we've had this conversation before? I know I'm not Xeon. Are you ok with that?"

Byron frowns. "Why wouldn't I be? You survived, and I didn't kill you." He slowly traces the patches of discolored skin on Lyf. "I have a piece of you in me, and you have a piece of me in you. To be loved is to be changed and we are changing together from our union." He lifts up Lyf's chin to stare him in the eyes. "I couldn't imagine anyone, but you. I can't tell you why, but deep in my own being, we seem to fit perfectly together, and I can't possibly think being a different species would change that. I feel as if I've known you for lifetimes. My body knows you better than my own mind, and I can only trust it to guide me to eternity with you in life and death."

Lyf sucked in a breath he knew he was glowing bright with rainbow static. "It is so unfair that you have such a great way with words." He leans on Marius in the sudsy warm bath. "I love you."

"I love you too, my everything." Byron smiles.

.......

"I do have to ask. How did you get Byron to not freak out about Lyf?" Jonny raised a brow.

"I may have stretched the truth." Misery sips her drink. "I knew it's way longer than our normal lifespan when I first caught him. His blood isn't the right color either. It is common for the initial heat bond to mess with memories, but that would only last a day at most in the post heat puddle of fluids, not.... not as long as it has been." She frowns. "I didn't realize your Marius was also my Byron till I saw him collapse in the sand. He's the only living family I have left."

Jonny nods. "Sometimes we all need a gentle lie now and then. I try not to lie to my children, but it does happen. It's easier to just omit the truth. Don't let them look at your books on me or New Texas. Just do me this favor."

Misery had a knowing look. "As you wish. I look forward to collecting that favor one day. I shall keep them from Ivy as well."

"Thank you." Jonny sags in his seat. "You want to hear about Marius and the truth of what he has been going through?"

"I would like that. However, before, would you like some more tea?" Misery smiles softly.

"That would be lovely it's not a short tale as it is still unraveling as it will for eternity." Jonny gives a sad smile. "It starts with Nastya....."

[bellysoupset]

Halloween Saga - Part 4 - Bella

"Wagner, Atwood," the police officer shouted, causing them to jump to their feet, "get out of here."

"Told you they wouldn't hold us overnight," Leo whispered to Bella and she nodded in agreement, but felt completely disconnected from her body as doing so. There was a blooming bruise on Leo's chin, that would be black in the morning. He had lost his beret and his hair was strikingly white tonight, bouncing off the super bright overhead lights. Bella squinted at it, averting her eyes.

"I need you two to sign some paperwork and not get out of town," the officer at front desk said, sliding two different sheets of paper, one for each of them. Bella struggled with the pen, writing Isabella and then hesitating at the surname.

"Bell?"

"Uhm- Sorry," she blinked, quickly turning the M she had started to write and finishing it off with Atwood. It didn't look right. Was this the signature she had settled on when changing it?

Leo frowned at her, but didn't say anything. He had a killer headache, but mostly he was just worried. Wide awake and worried about his friends and his boyfriend. The haunted look on Jonah's face kept dancing before his eyes.

They grabbed their items and then walked outside the station, Leo letting out a heavy sigh and picking up his phone, "Bell, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she mumbled, rubbing her face and cringing when her palms came back grey. She had forgotten about the make up, "who are you calling?"

"Jon," Leo said, biting the skin around his thumb and waiting until the call connected. It took a minute, but then Jonah's voice rang through.

"Leo? Are you alright? Are you in trouble? Where are-"

"We're fine," Leo said quickly, "I'm fine, they didn't even hold us for all that long. There were a lot of witnesses. How's Wendy?"

"Unconscious, but she's gonna be fine. Just going to have a bad day tomorrow..." Jonah sounded completely defeated. Leo leaned his head as he noticed Bella sliding closer, a puzzled frown on her face.

"Wen's okay?"

"She's fine," he whispered back, raising his thumbs, "Vince is with her?"

"Yeah, he just got here, thirty minutes ago," Jonah's voice turned into a yawn, "is Bella still with you? She's okay?"

"I'm fine," Bella answered, since she had all but glued her temple to Leo's, in order to overhear, "is Luke with Vince?"

"Nope," Jonah answered, "but he did say he left with Lucas, hold on a minute..."

Leo heard some rustling around and whispers, then Jonah's voice came back, "Vince said he left Luke back at your place, a while ago. Asleep."

"Oh," Bella frowned, but didn't say anything else, pulling away from Leo. He noticed she was shivering, so Leo held the phone between his cheek and shoulder, striping down his white jacket and handing it to her, while saying "does Vin need anything? Wendy?"

"A change of clothes," Jonah yawned again, "I'll go get it in her apartment, I think Vince's also got clothes there-"

"I can help," Leo argued, observing Bella from the corner of his eye. She was looking off into the distance, not even attempting to call Luke, which was concerning in its own, "I'm gonna go over to the hospital, okay?"

"You really don't have to, Wendy's fine-"

"I'm going over, Jon. You sound exhausted, I'm wide awake and there's all the party mess to be dealt with too."

"Ah shit," Bella groaned, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes as she was reminded of it, "shit."

"Are you sure?" Jonah sounded relieved, despite the questioning and Leo rolled his eyes. He couldn't sleep even if someone paid him, not after all that wrestling around.

"I am, I'll see you in a bit. Love you," as soon as he hung up, Leo turned to Bella, putting a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, "no offense, Bells, but you look dead."

"Haha," she scoffed, rubbing at her cheek, "it's the fucking paint-"

"No, I meant really," Leo offered her a kind smile, "go home."

"No," she shook her head, stumbling a little on her feet, "there's the fucking band to be dealt with. I hired them, I need to at least-"

"Bell, you're crazy if you think anyone stuck around after the police showed up. There's just a fucking mess in there, no one else. Go home, I'll go help Jonah and then tomorrow we can switch up and you deal with the drama."

She bit down her lip, but Leo could read right through her. In fact, so could anyone, Bella looked downright sick. He racked his brain, trying to recall if she had been drunk or had something else happened, but his memory was pretty much a blur since so much had happened in quick succession.

"Fuck... Yeah, alright," Bella nodded, "thank you, you're the best."

Leo blushed, then glanced down at the ziploc bag she was still holding, with her phone, "uhm... Are you gonna call Luke? I'm gonna get an Uber to the hospital, if you wanna share."

"I don't..." once again Bella seemed completely lost, more than a little dazed, "I don't know if I should call him... He's asleep-"

So?

Leo frowned, not liking this one bit, but he had no context for how Bell was acting and the last thing he wanted was to make her feel like a burden, "we can share the Uber then... Unless you don't wanna go home?"

A flick of something passed over her face, but then she shook her head, "no, I wanna go home."

Bell knew she was worrying Leo, judging by his concerned expression, but she didn't know how to reassure him that everything was fine. Sure, she was a little off her game, but it had been a very long night.

She rested her cheek against the window of the backseat of the car, watching Leo on the passenger seat. He was texting Vince, she could tell by the picture on the corner.

"Wen's gonna be alright, right?" Bella whispered, watching the street lights all blur into one mess and looking away. Her head was throbbing, to the point she could genuinely feel it under her fingertips when she touched her temple.

"Jon said she'll be fine. As soon as I get any news, I'll shoot you a text, alright?" Leo said, just as they turned the corner of Bell's street. She mumbled something in agreement and the car came to a stop, but Bella didn't get out.

"Bell? We're here..."

"Yeah, uhm-" her fingers were barely cooperating. It took her a second, but then she unlocked the backseat door and squeezed Leo's arm in a friendly manner, "thanks, we'll talk in a few hours, alright? And call if anything changes with Wendy, please?"

"Absolutely," Leo squeezed her hand back and she forced herself out of the car, climbing the three steps that separated her front door from the street.

Bella waved goodbye as she noticed Leo still sitting there, "go on, I just have to find my keys-" she couldn't remember where the fuck-

The front door opened and Bella jumped, startled. Luke looked furious, as he moved away from the door to let her in and waved to Leo.

"Bye Leo, thanks for bringing her home-"

"Bye...?" Leo frowned, but no sooner he said that, Bella entered the house and Luke closed the door without any more talking.

She flinched at the noise, since it reverbed through her skull. Lucas let out a sigh, leaning against the door.

"It's... Almost 3 AM," he said slowly, "I was starting to doubt you were gonna come home at all."

Bella frowned, struggling to understand why exactly he was pissed. Her mind was slowly putting together Luke wasn't happy, but the reason why was lost on her.

"Why wouldn't I...?" she stumbled back and Lucas' hand darted out, grabbing her wrist before she could fall on her ass. He frowned even more.

"And you're wasted."

"I'm not," she unhooked her wrist from his grasp easily, sitting on the couch and removing her heels, "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"You didn't wake me up," Lucas sighed, dropping the act and moving with her, as if he was tied to her hip by some invisible line. He sat on the coffee table, "...I'm being a jerk, I'm sorry," he rubbed at his eyes, "I was just worried and in pain and you weren't home, so I... I'm sorry."

Bella frowned, confused and annoyed at the apology, but she couldn't quite formulate it into words, so all that came out was, "it's fine."

Lucas made a face, "it's not fine... Was the party fun?"

"Why were you in pain?" Bella answered instead, removing the stockings and leaning back on the couch. It felt like it was swaying with her and there was a constant ringing in her ear.

"I told you..." Luke said, sounding annoyed, before his face cleared up, "Ah, you didn't hear me... It was a migraine, but it's better now... I thought Vince would've told you, he left while I was-"

"Vince is in the hospital with Wendy," Bella answered, "I didn't see him all ni-"

"What!?" Luke exclaimed, "hospital!? What- Why!? What happened?!"

Bell flinched at his tone, sitting up straight once again, so she could see Lucas' worried face. She rolled her shoulders, forcing the annoyance away, but they continued to be stiff.

"Some idiot in the band drugged Wendy. Jon took her to the hospital."

"What the fuck, Bella?" Lucas said quietly, "is she conscious? Did something-"

"No one touched her. Leo saw the guy trying to drag her out..." Bella frowned, uneasily. She hadn't said it out loud, but she knew it. The cup that had drugged Wendy, had been meant for Bell. It made her feel all sorts of humiliated and violated.

"Fuck," Luke said quietly, getting up from the coffee table to he could retrieve his phone in the bedroom. Their house was so tiny that she could still hear him perfectly as he said, "I have... I have to call Vince. That explains why he left without saying anything, I thought he had gone back to the party while I slept-"

"Vince drove you home?" Bella guessed, grabbing on the couch's back and forcing herself up. Her legs felt like they were made of jell-o. She slowly made her way back to their room.

"Yeah, I was pretty useless," Luke said, pressing the phone to his ear. Vince didn't pick up, neither did Bella expect him to. She turned around, grabbing on their dresser.

"Can you unzip me?"

"He's not answering me," Lucas pouted, unzipping her dress and Bella shrugged, peeling it off. It fell to a puddle on the floor and she couldn't bring herself to pick it up, instead just staring at it.

"Jon and Leo are there with him, he's fine..." she mumbled, lips numb. Her body was on the auto pilot as she moved to their bathroom and tied her hair up, finally washing the horrible grey face paint and makeup. It had all melted together in one big mess a while ago.

"Was it that fucking asshole who did that to Wendy?" Lucas asked, leaning on the bathroom door, arms crossed. Bella glanced at his reflection, the cotton pad soaked in makeup remover pressed to her left eye.

"Who?"

"The idiot who was hitting on you? Lucian? Julian?"

"No," Bella frowned, then wiped away all the mascara, "no, it was some other idiot. Never seen them in my life..." Her stomach churned as she once again thought the roofie had been meant for her. That her friend was unconscious in a hospital bed because she had put the drink in her hand.

"Bell?" Luke called after a minute too long of heavy silence, "are you mad at me?"

Yes. No. Maybe.

Bella shrugged, "I don't know," she said after a moment, "I don't know, Luke. I just... I just wanna go to bed."

"Okay..." he said, sounding and looking every bit like a kicked puppy, "I'm sorry I was such a dick about that guy... And the party. I'm sorry, I just-"

"I don't care, Lucas," Bella interrupted him with a tired sigh, "really, whatever- I really just wanna go to bed."

"Alright..." he said, then moved away from the door. She sat down on the mattress, finally noticing that Luke was wearing just boxers and an oversized shirt, his hair a tousled mess. He looked very spooky, all pale and with dark circles so deep they looked like bruises, "I'm really sorry, baby."

"U-hum," Bella nodded, trying and failing to unclasp her strapless bra. Her hands felt useless, "help me."

Happy to be given something to do, Lucas jumped into action, removing her bra and then maneuvering her inside one of his shirts. Then he didn't pull back, hand cupping her face, thumb stroking her cheek.

"Don't be mad at me, please," he said in a small voice, "I know I was a dick, I'm sorry, just... Don't go to sleep mad at me."

Bella let out a groan, pulling back from his hold. It wasn't fair that he was melting her that easily, when she was having a hard time even thinking. She wanted to be mad at him.

The bathroom light was still on, so was the hallway's. Despite that, she could see a big black splotch covering half of Luke's face. Bella frowned, reaching in to touch it and her fingers met his cheek.

He completely misread her touch, turning his head and pressing a kiss to her fingertips, "I'm so sorry, Bella," Lucas sighed and Bella continued to vaguely glare at one side of his face.

"You look really weird right now," she said, causing Luke to frown.

"What?"

"Your face... There's a hole in it," she tried to explain, words slow and Lucas' frown deepened even more.

"Baby, I don't understand you."

"Here," she poked his cheek again, "there's a hole."

"Why are you- Bella, I don't understand you. You're not speaking in English," he said, sitting up straight, suddenly a lot more alarmed, "Bell, did you drink anything-"

"I'm not roofied," Bella said and Lucas' hands were suddenly on her face, fingers touching her all over. It was annoying, to put it mildly, downright violating after such a night. Bella whined, attempting to pull back, but he didn't allow her, his fingers touching her neck, then the back of her head, combing through her hair-

"Ah fuck," he said softly and then pulled back his hand. Although the hole was still very present in the middle of his face, she could clearly see horror start to form behind his eyes.

"Luke-"

"Baby, you hit your head. Why didn't you say you hit your head...?" he said softly, "did anyone see-" he cut himself short as the pressure in her head escalated another notch and suddenly there was running down her face, Luke's giant hand coming to hold her nose.

"What are you doing- lemme go-" she attempted to fight him off, tasting the blood that was gushing out of her nose, "Lucas!"

The light of the bathroom turned off. Or rather, vanished, as yet another inky blotch appeared before her eyes. Bella swallowed in, starting to get terrified.

"Luke..." she grabbed at his shirt, squeezing it, "Luke, something's wrong-"

"You're alright, you're alright, you're gonna be alright," Lucas was chanting, as if he wasn't hearing her at all, which Bella guessed he wasn't. She was speaking in gibberish.

He stretched on the bed, grabbing his phone and holding it to his ear. His next words got drowned out by the ringing in her ears and Bella let out a sob, scared out of her mind.

More black blotches appeared as she hyperventilated and suddenly Luke's face all but vanished and she felt her body go limp, metallic liquid coating her mouth...

And then darkness.

TBC