#One of these days I will get one of these properly looked over

[isaadore]

AS SURE AS THE SKY IS BLUE LUKE HUGHES

‎‎‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎ pairing luke hughes x reader

SUMMARY luke has never been more certain about anything in his life. he wants to marry you, and he wants to do it now. never mind that he’s only 21 or that everyone around him keeps asking if he’s sure. he’s sure. he’s never been more sure about anything in his life. word count 0.8k

warnings fluff, mentions of marriage

note requested 🤍

LH43 MASTERLIST MAIN MASTERLIST

LUKE HAD ALWAYS been impatient when it came to things he wanted. His NHL debut? He had been counting down the days since he was a kid. Living on his own? He was practically throwing his bags into his new apartment before his mom could make him a goodbye breakfast. But this was different. This wasn’t just something he wanted. It was something he knew.

“I’m gonna marry you,” he had said one night, voice muffled against your shoulder as he lay on top of you on the couch. It was the off-season, and he had spent nearly every day like this, clinging to you like you were his lifeline, soaking up every second before he had to go back to New Jersey.

You had laughed, fingers softly threading through his hair. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” He lifted his head, resting his chin on your chest so he could look at you properly. His eyes were unwavering. “I’m serious.”

Your heart had stuttered at the way he said it. Not like a question, not like a possibility. He had said it like a fact.

“Luke,” you had started. He was 21, and you were barely older. People your age didn’t just get married.

He shut you up with a kiss. “I know what you’re gonna say,” he mumbled, lips brushing against yours. “And I don’t care. I love you. I want to marry you. Why should we wait?”

You hadn’t had an answer for that. You still didn’t.

The engagement wasn’t a huge, elaborate ordeal. No viral-worthy flash mobs or expensive candlelit dinners. Just the two of you, standing in the kitchen of your shared apartment, his hands slightly clammy as he pulled out a ring and said, “Marry me?” like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

And because it was Luke, and because you loved him, and because why should we wait? you had said yes.

Which led to now. Sitting in a booth at a restaurant, a dinner meant to celebrate the engagement turned into an intervention.

“You’re sure about this?” Jack asked, arms crossed over his chest. It was the third time he had asked.

“Yes.” Luke shot him a glare before looking around the table. His parents, his brothers, his teammates. All of them were looking at him like he had just announced he was dropping hockey to become a circus performer.

“It’s just…” Quinn paused, clearly choosing his words carefully. “You’re young, Luke.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “So?”

“So most people don’t get married at 21,” Jack cut in, throwing his hands up.

“Well, I’m not most people,” Luke shot back.

Beside him, you squeezed his hand under the table. You had expected this. Luke had, too. His family was supportive, but they were also realists. And realists didn’t get engaged at 21.

Ellen sighed. “Sweetheart, we’re not saying you shouldn’t marry her.” She gave you a warm, reassuring smile before turning back to her son. “We just want to make sure you’re thinking this through.”

“I have thought this through,” Luke said, exasperated. “For months.”

“Months,” Jack repeated like it was a ridiculous amount of time.

Luke groaned, running a hand down his face. “Guys. Look at me.” He gestured to himself. “Do I look like someone who doesn’t know what he’s doing?”

Jack opened his mouth. “Do not answer that,” Luke warned before he could say anything.

A chuckle passed around the table, but the concern was still there, lingering in the air.

“Luke,” Jim finally spoke, calm and measured, like he was trying to keep the peace. “Marriage isn’t something you rush into.”

Luke softened, taking a breath before responding. “I know that,” he said. “But I also know that I love her. And I don’t want to wait years just because people think that’s what we’re supposed to do.”

He turned to you then, eyes searching yours, needing you to back him up.

You squeezed his hand again and smiled. “I know it seems fast. But we love each other, and we’re happy. That’s what matters, right?”

Ellen exhaled, smiling softly. “It is what matters.”

Jack still looked skeptical, but he leaned back in his seat, conceding. “Alright. Fine. But if you ever need an out, just say the word.”

Luke rolled his eyes but grinned. “Not happening.”

And just like that, the tension eased. His parents let it go, Jack stopped grilling him, and the dinner turned into what it was supposed to be: a celebration.

Later, as you walked hand in hand toward the car, Luke tugged you closer. “You still sure about this?” he teased, bumping his nose against yours.

You grinned. “As sure as the sky is blue.”

Luke beamed, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Good. Because I can’t wait to marry you.”

Neither could you.

‎‎‎‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎ LH43 MASTERLIST ✷ MAIN MASTERLIST

[bewaryofpity]

can i request fluff #12 for luke hughes???

thank you for requesting ! 🩵

12. “If you asked me to marry you tomorrow, I’d say yes.“ “What about today?”

.

The weather wasn’t on your side on the one day Luke was finally resting. The rain drummed loudly outside, canceling all your long-awaited picnic plans, leaving you both to rot at home instead. Luke didn’t really complain, he still got to spend the day with you on the couch while the entire Harry Potter series played in the background. 

Your head rested on his chest as you nuzzled closer, your neck growing stiff from the previous position, his fingers tracing absentminded circles on your arm, other hand stroking your head. The scent of his cologne mixed with the faint vanilla from the candle burning on the coffee table, making the space feel even warmer and cozier. You sighed, shifting slightly to get more comfortable, blanket falling from your shoulders.

"You know," Luke murmured, voice thick and slightly raspy, tiredness starting to creep on him. "This might be even better than the picnic."

You scoffed. "You just like the fact that you didn’t have to move all day."

"Maybe," he admitted, grinning and planting a kiss on your head. "But I like that it’s just us."

The rain kept falling, the patter against the windows rhythmic, soothing, the sound blending nicely with whatever Harry was up to on the screen. You weren’t really paying attention anymore, lulled by the warmth of Luke’s body against yours, the steady rise and fall of his chest.

This was nice, the domesticity of it all, how you could see this being a recurrent event. And before you could even stop it, your mouth moved on its own accord. "If you asked me to marry you tomorrow, I’d say yes."

The words hung between you for a moment, suspended in the space of quiet intimacy. You felt Luke’s breath hitch, his hand stilling against your skin.

Then, softly, almost hesitantly, he asked, "What about today?"

Your heart flipped. You lifted your head to meet his gaze, expecting to find amusement, some kind of teasing smirk. But there was none of that. Just Luke, looking at you like you were the best thing that had ever happened to him, his green eyes boring into yours.

"Luke —" You let out a breathless laugh, words caught in your throat, suddenly shy under the weight of his stare. "I, Wha —"

He sat up a little, shifting so you could sit in his lap and face each other properly. "I’m not actually proposing," he said. His hand found yours, his thumb brushing lightly over your ring finger. "But I don’t need tomorrow, or a big plan, or some grand gesture. I already know it’s going to be you. It’s always been you." 

Your chest tightened and you could feel the tears starting to form behind your eyes. He had been meaning to tell you how much you meant to him, how he couldn't wait for the day he officially gets to call you his. And it had only been three years, yet he was so certain you were the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

[gold-onthe-inside]

flu season

who? aaron hotchner (s7) x fem!reader summary: when you catch the same bug that's been going round at jack's school, your favourite person returns the favour to take care of you. content warnings: sickness obv, lots of praise (smart/best girl) word count: 0.8k a/n: wrote this for my best girl @minswriting to help her feel better <3 love you bby ; listened to flu season by koffer

You don’t fall sick that often — your record had been 6 sick days last year — but flu season gets to everyone, especially when you spent the better half of a week taking care of a 10 year old with your boyfriend while he was working on a case. You’d felt the odd tickle of a sneeze but nothing more, and Aaron had shown his gratitude in more ways than one. You didn’t mind, you never minded. Just like Aaron, Jack had made a home for himself in your heart, complete with a pillow fort and all.

Except come Tuesday, you’ve got the same bug he did, waking up much later than you normally did, your whole body aching and sore and your head woozy. There’s no choice, you have to call in sick - for fear you might pass out behind the wheel. You wouldn’t have called him if there was another choice either, but it’s just your luck that you’re out of any medication that might help — no painkillers, no cold syrup, nothing.

He can hear it in your voice, the frail hoarseness to it, the stuffy nose that means your voice is a little more nasally than usual. It’s a no-brainer; he tells Rossi to hold down the fort for a day, to which he receives a knowing smirk, and then he’s out of the office, stopping only at a general store in your neighbourhood to pick up everything you need. He splurges on the hypoallergenic eucalyptus tissues, the softest ones he can find, and strawberry cold syrup because he’d be a lousy profiler to not remember your favourite flavour. The next stop is groceries — chicken, eggs, and vegetables, seeing as you wouldn’t go shopping until Thursday — and then he’s at your apartment, sliding the key you’d given him for emergencies into the door.

You look, and feel, like death warmed up, all laid up on the couch with your red-tinged nose and pale skin, tissues scattered around you. “Hey, honey, how are you feeling?” he asked, instantly making a beeline to kneel at your side. He doesn’t even take off his dress shoes first.

“M sorry,” you managed, reaching out for his handsome face, which he covers with his own large palm, kissing the inside of your wrist.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” he murmured, closing his hand over your hand and frowning with concern. “You do seem a little warm, though. You check your temperature?”

“Mhm, was 100 degrees this morning. Figured I should stay warm.”

“Smart girl,” he praised, pressing his lips to your temple. “Food?”

“Toast and orange juice,” you said, looking at him as he stroked your hair. “Were you very busy?”

“Never too busy to take care of my best girl,” he replied. “Let’s get some medication in you and then you need to rest, okay?”

You nodded, uncaring of how childish you felt yourself being. Not when he was so caring. He measured out the exact dose of cold syrup for you, had you follow it with a painkiller to help with the body ache, praising you the whole time. “Stay with me?” you asked in your sleepy voice, and he can’t say no. You shift to make space for him on the couch, laying your head on his lap, drifting off to his hand stroking your hair.

You stirred a couple hours later, rubbing your eyes groggily as you try to make sense of everything. Aaron’s suit jacket hung on the back of a chair, and the curtains had been drawn to help you sleep better, and you feel too hot in your hoodie and blanket. You pulled off the hoodie, leaving it beside you just as Aaron walked over, carefully holding a tray with bowl of chicken soup.

“This is officially too much,” you said, your voice a little stronger than it had been when he’d come through the door.

“It’s not nearly enough,” he said firmly. “Go on, sit properly.” He waits until you oblige, his look firm, but a fondness in his eyes as you crossed your legs, leaving him plenty of space to sit beside you. He pressed the back of his hand to your forehead, drifting down to check your neck. “Not as warm as before, but you can do better,” he said and you pursed your lips at him.

“You may be a boss at work, but you don’t boss me around here, understood?” you told him, threatening him with your spoon and he tried not to laugh.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, sinking back into the couch while you return your attention to the soup, his hand rubbing your back. “Anything else I can do for you?” he asked, and you know he’s being genuine, because there’s nothing he loves more than being of service.

“You’re here,” you said softly. “That’s enough.” And you mean it, of course. You also make him watch Moulin Rouge, even though he hates watching movies that make you cry, and he doesn’t leave your side, spending the day in his slightly unbuttoned dress shirt and slacks, letting you use him like a large body pillow for the rest of the day.

[certifiedcodbabygirl]

Simon taking care of a child with medical issues when her bio dad is a deadbeat (✿◡‿◡)

I can just imagine Simon would be so good with a little girl who has type 1 diabetes. (There's a little bit of explaining of different medical terms so you're not left hanging) BUT TRUST ME HE WOULD BE SO GOOD FOR THE BOTH OF YOU

You had gotten pregnant with your little girl, Annabeth (Beth for short), a year after being married to Ethan. He seemed ready to be a dad, but once he found out Beth has diabetes, he cares for her less and less. He went to classes with you two, learned how to calculate her bolus (amount of insulin needed at meals) and basal (baseline amount of insulin for the day), but never did them properly. She'd end up with high blood sugars all day, sometimes getting ketones (breakdown of muscle in an attempt to breakdown sugar when there's no insulin) because he wouldn't give her the right amount of insulin. She'd puke and cry from how bad she felt, and he still wouldn't take care of her properly.

It would cause you to have to come home in the middle of work to give her the insulin he wouldn't, or if she got ketones, take her to the ER. You'd constantly get into arguments that would end with him going to the pub, and you crying. He wouldn't change, no matter how many times you explained that she could die from improper inulin dosage.

Other times, he'd give her too much, and her blood sugar would drop so low she could barely drink her juice. He'd call you, saying she's barely able to move, she's sweaty and the color from her face is drained, that she's crying, and he doesn't fucking know what to do.

The divorce ended with you having full custody, you allowing small visitations that are supervised. You can't trust he will take care of her how she needs.

NOW

When you start dating Simon, you explain to him why you got divorced, and how important your baby's health is. Even more so that she's so fragile. He assures you he's nothing like your ex-husband and would go strictly by your instruction if you allow him to be a part of her life.

The first few times he was around Beth, he payed close attention to how you took care of her. One time, at the park, Beth played a bit too hard, and her blood sugar dropped. You had 2 juices with you, but she went through those so fast. Once her blood sugar went back up, she played too hard again. Without telling you, he had already brought a few juices in his car. That was the first time he took care of her.

The second time was then you had asked him to pick up her prescriptions from the pharmacy. He waited for her insulin, but they only gave one vial. He explained to them that she uses two a month and that she needs the other one. They said that was all that was ready, so he waited 2 hours until the other one was ready.

What made up your mind was when you were called into work under an emergency, and you had no one to take care of Beth. You hadn't slept well the night before so when Simon offered to watch her, you hadn't thought to explain her dosage formula to him. It wasn't until the end of your shift that you realized and sped home (definitely going over the speed limit). Rushing through the door, you were greeted with the sight of Beth laying on Simon's chest, sound asleep. How was she not sick from no insulin?

"You told me her basal, so I gave her tha'"

oh

"What about the food she ate? Did she eat? What insulin did you give her?" You asked, extremely confused.

"I looked up no carb to low carb foods so I wouldn't have to worry about tha'. She had a cheese stick with some almonds and a lil bit of mashed blueberries with cinnamon mixed in, wasn't very hungry though so she didn't really finish it" he says softly, petting her hair, "told you I'd take care of her, mama"

oh

He really wasn't like her dad.

So, it wasn't really unreasonable when after she was put to bed, you pushed him to your bedroom and took care of him too.

(All of the information in this is coming from me, a type 1 diabetic. Everyone's diabetes is a little different, so this is based off of how mine affects me)

[multi-fandom-imagine]

could I request one where reader tells Fred that she's pregnant and he gets a bit overprotective of her?

A/n: DAD!FRED

You’d been trying to find the right moment to tell Fred all day, but as usual, the Weasley twins had been busy causing mayhem in the shop. Every time you thought you had a second alone with him, someone would burst in needing something.

Finally, after the last customer left and George conveniently decided to “check inventory” in the back (which you highly suspected was his way of giving you privacy), you took a deep breath and turned to Fred.

“Fred,” you started, trying to steady your nerves.

He grinned, draping an arm around you. “Yes, love? What can I do for you? Want me to prank Percy again? Because I’d be delighted.”

You laughed but shook your head. “No, it’s… something else.”

Something about your tone made him sober up instantly. His playful smirk faded into concern, his eyes scanning your face. “You alright?”

You reached for his hand, squeezing it. “Yeah, I’m fine. Actually… I’m better than fine.” You took a deep breath and finally said the words. “I’m pregnant.”

For a moment, Fred just stared at you. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. It was like watching a broken puppet try to function.

“You’re… what?” he asked, voice higher than usual, your once confidant husband looked like he was hit with a Bludger. The man who survived the Battle of Hogwarts looked like he was two seconds away from keeling over.

You laughed softly, nodding. “Pregnant, Freddie.”

A slow, disbelieving grin spread across his face, but then—just as quickly—it shifted into something else. His hands suddenly hovered near you like he wasn’t sure if he should touch you.

“Merlin’s beard—okay, okay, sit down. You should be sitting.”

“Fred—”

“No, no, no, I mean it,” he said, ushering you toward the nearest chair. “You should be resting. Are you tired? You must be tired. You’re making a baby, that’s got to be exhausting....I... oh god." Fred gripped his hair now realizing how tired he must have made you.

You rolled your eyes as he kneeled in front of you, looking you over like you might break at any second.

“Fred, I’m fine.”

“Well, you won’t be if you keep standing around like that!” he insisted. “We need to get you something to eat. You’re eating properly, right? Oh, I need to tell Mum. She’ll know what to do. And Healer appointments—do we need to make one? When do we make one? You need to sit! Why are you standing! You shouldn't be standing."

You burst out laughing. “Fred, breathe!”

He sucked in a deep breath, exhaling slowly, but his eyes were still filled with excitement and overwhelming concern. “Okay. Right. I’m breathing. I’m calm.” He took another breath and then suddenly turned toward the back of the shop.

“OI GEORGE! SHE’S PREGNANT!”

You groaned, covering your face as George came running in, eyes wide. “Blimey, really?” He grinned at you before turning to Fred. “And you didn’t pass out? Proud of you, mate.”

Fred glared at his twin before turning back to you. “I swear, love, I’m going to take the best care of you. No heavy lifting, no stress, no....no nothing..but pure relaxation."

You sighed, already knowing that Fred was about to become the most overprotective man in existence. But as he kissed your forehead and pressed a hand gently against your stomach, his wide-eyed awe and love made your heart melt. A nervous smile on his lips as his he held you close, the man now guiding you to the back of the store to sit down.

Overprotective? Yes. But the love of your life was also about to be the best dad in the world.

[navyiera]

TERRAPIN;

pairing: caitlyn kiramman x fem!reader

synopsis: what's a better day than cuddling up to your girlfriend and playing games while she reads?

VERY short. sorry. I have many completed drafts for cait and even ellie so ill be posting them very fast. But PLEASE feel free to share your ideas in my reqs. I'm more than happy to comply. smut might take a while bec I'm not very efficient when it comes to that. Still it's open for reqs!!

The evening settles around you like a soft blanket, the kind Caitlyn always drapes over your shoulders when she thinks you’re too cold. The warm glow of the bedside lamp paints the room in amber hues, contrasting with the cooler, bluish light of your phone screen. Caitlyn’s beside you, sitting up against the headboard, one hand holding a book open while the other absentmindedly strokes your hair.

You’re curled up against her side, legs tangled with hers, head resting against her shoulder as you tap away at your game. The soft rustle of pages turning blends with the faint, rhythmic sounds of your gameplay. It’s a comfortable quiet, the kind you’ve come to cherish with her.

"You're frowning," Caitlyn murmurs, her voice gentle, her lips barely brushing your forehead as she speaks.

You huff, still focused on the screen. "This boss is annoying."

She chuckles, low and affectionate. "Is it one of those fights where you’re being stubborn instead of playing smart?"

You lift your head to give her an exaggerated glare, and she meets it with an amused, knowing smile. "You don’t know that," you grumble.

"I do," she teases, shifting slightly so she can kiss the top of your head. "You get that look when you're too deep in your pride to back down."

You sigh dramatically but don’t argue. She’s right, after all. Instead, you let your phone drop onto your stomach and lean further into her warmth. "What’re you reading?"

Caitlyn tilts the book slightly so you can see. "It’s a reread," she says. "One of my comfort books."

You don’t recognize the title, but it doesn’t matter. You like the way she talks about books, the way she gets this quiet reverence when she loves a story. You press your cheek against her shoulder, letting your eyes drift over the words even if you aren’t really following.

"Read to me?" you ask softly.

She hesitates, just for a second. Then, with a slight smile, she shifts the book, her voice slipping into a low, soothing cadence as she begins. You close your eyes, letting her words wash over you, warm and familiar like waves against the shore.

Minutes pass, or maybe longer—you lose track of time in the steady rhythm of her voice and the steady rise and fall of her chest beneath you. When she pauses to turn the page, you take the opportunity to press a kiss against her collarbone.

She hums in approval, the sound vibrating against your lips. "Distracted already?"

"Mm, not my fault," you murmur, pressing another kiss, this time against her jaw. She tilts her head slightly, giving you more room, and you take full advantage, trailing kisses up to the corner of her mouth.

Caitlyn catches your chin between her fingers, tilting your face up to look at her. Her expression is soft, eyes half-lidded with quiet amusement and something deeper, something warm. "You're beautiful."

You grin. "So are you."

Caitlyn sighs, but it's a fond one, her thumb brushing over your lower lip before she finally leans down to kiss you properly. Her lips are soft, slow, unhurried—like she has all the time in the world to savor this. And maybe she does. Maybe you both do.

When she pulls away, she lets her forehead rest against yours for a moment before nudging you lightly. "I thought you were fighting an annoying boss."

You groan, flopping back against her side dramatically. "Ugh, don’t remind me."

She laughs, and you feel it in the way her chest moves against you, the way her fingers tighten slightly in your hair. "Come on," she says, reaching for your phone and placing it back in your hands. "I’ll hold you while you finish. No rage-quitting, though."

You grumble but settle back in, her arms wrapping around you as you refocus on the game. The warmth of her, the steady thrum of her heartbeat, the occasional soft kiss she presses against your temple—it all makes the fight a little easier, the loss a little less frustrating.

And when you finally win, she praises you like you’ve just conquered something monumental, her voice full of pride, her hands cupping your face as she kisses you again.

"See?" she murmurs against your lips. "Told you you’d get it."

You sigh contentedly, letting your phone slip from your fingers as you curl into her once more. "You’re so smug."

"I’m always right," Caitlyn corrects playfully, pulling the blanket tighter around both of you.

You roll your eyes but don't argue. Instead, you nestle closer, pressing your face against the crook of her neck. "Read to me again?"

Caitlyn smiles against your hair, her voice softer this time, carrying you both into the kind of quiet that lingers, warm and safe and full of love.

[hwaslayer]

the space between us three (jyh) | six.

⇢series masterlist | series playlist

⇢summary: while juggling the demands of life, yunho continues to do his best to raise his independent 11 yr old daughter, seora. throughout the years, they've built a strong foundation, an unbreakable bond— one that consists of late night talks and food runs, father/daughter dates, and sideline cheerleading at her basketball games. so when you unexpectedly come into their world, things shift. despite the uncertainty and the fear of stepping outside of their comfort zone, yunho and seora eventually learn how to open their hearts and learn how to rebuild a home where three can thrive together.

⇢pairing: single dad!yunho x f. reader

⇢genre: (18+ - minors dni) strangers to lovers, single dad au | fluff, angst, eventual smut

⇢word count: 6.6k

⇢chapter content/warnings: cussing, mature language, seora spends time with her uncle mingi, first date <33, yunho opens up about his parents to oc, holding hands, good conversations & just a bunch of cute simp shit, goodnight kisses 🥰, i swear things will get a lil spicier next chap lmao

yunho: goodmorning. 😊

This morning had been one of those mornings. You had gotten up a little later than usual, feeling tired from the exhausting week. On top of that, you turned down Yunho's offer to bring you to work so that you wouldn't have to take the bus over; afraid you'd be asking for too much since he was gonna be driving around later tonight. Had you known the bus would be running late, you might've taken him up on it. But, with it being Friday, you were just excited to get your day over with so that you could hang out with Yunho one-on-one.

It was a blessing and a curse that it was busy as soon as you walked in this morning. A blessing because the day would breeze on by. A curse because you didn't even get a chance to respond to Yunho's cute lil text before jumping right into your task list. Until, your desktop computer decided to be stubborn and stop working properly— setting you behind even more than you already were due to the commute.

you: hi, goodmorning ☺️

you: i'm sorry for the late response! i'm having quite the morning. i have so much to do, but my desktop isn't working now. i feel so incomplet and useless. 😭

yunho: it's okay! not like i thought you forgot about me or anything .. 🥲

you: lol sorry, never!

yunho: wdym it's not working?

you: it won't stay on. keeps going on power save mode even though my settings are adjusted to never go on power save mode.

yunho: interesting. where do you sit in the peds hospital again?

you: 4th floor, M103.

yunho: i'll be over in a sec.

you: yunho?? you don't even support our unit 😭

yunho: and? lol. i have time. brb!

"What?" You mutter to yourself as you set your phone down, a little worried about Yunho getting in trouble or pushing off his work to help you. You shrug it off, scribbling in your planner and working through emails on your laptop until Yunho swings by.

Which, didn't take him long post-reply. He was at your cubicle about 15 minutes later.

"Hey." Yunho says softly.

"Hi." You shyly laugh. "How did you even get in here?"

"IT has access everywhere, believe it or not." He smiles before pointing at your desktop. "Mind if I take a look?"

"Go for it." He pulls up an empty office chair nearby and drags it over to your desk, sitting comfortably as he presses the power button. He presses it a few times and clicks away at your mouse until the screen pops up. 

"Hm." He hums. "Took awhile."

"It's gonna shut down on you."

"Is that what's been happening?"

"Mhm. Just now actually. When I get it back up and running, it'll let me work for a few minutes before it shuts off and goes into power mode randomly." He's click-clacking away on the keyboard, forehead tightly knit as he eventually rests his elbow on the desk— hand hovering over his mouth, with the other on the mouse.

"How old is your computer?"

"I don't know, maybe 8-10 years old? It was passed down from the previous project manager when I stepped into her role."

"Yikes." He laughs. "I'll try a few things, but might also be a good time to consider getting a new one." He starts pulling up the terminal and plugging in some code— language you definitely don't understand.

"Yeah, I know."

"You actively push data or other work to the cloud, right? So you have a backup and can pull it up anywhere?"

"Mhm."

"Good." He gives you a small smirk. "Then, getting a replacement wouldn't be so bad. You deserve it." You laugh.

"Hope the department thinks so."

"I mean, you do need a working computer to get your things done." He sits back in the chair and crosses his arms, slightly slumped in his position. "I just plugged in a code to mimic the movement of your mouse so the computer thinks something is always happening. If you look closely at the pointer, you can see it twitching a bit." You look up close on the screen and manage to see what he's talking about.

"Woah. Okay, genius."

"Not even." He laughs. "If you don't mind me being in your space for a little longer, I wanna see if this keeps your computer awake."

"As long as it isn't taking up unnecessary time and making you behind."

"Never." He smiles at you. "So."

"So." You mimic him. "Where are you taking me later?"

"For me to know and you to find out." You snort.

"Clever. Am I dressed enough for the occasion?" Yunho eyes your outfit, running a finger across his bottom lip while he smirks at you. 

"Yeah, you look good. You always do." You playfully push him on the bicep, making him laugh. "What? I can't be honest?"

"Hey— oh? Oops. Hi Yunho." Noeul gives you a look before slowly walking away. 

"Hey Noeul." 

"I'll come back later." She mouths out as Yunho gives off a small chuckle. Suddenly, he shifts his attention back to your computer when he notices the screen go black, and he's back to sitting up again. 

"Damn." He tries fiddling with the mouse and keyboard again. "Guess that didn't work. I think this is a hardware issue now, but .." He turns to you with the same smirk he was sporting earlier when he was spitting out those compliments. "Since your computer is pretty old, I can't say it won't act up again if you get this serviced."

"So, you're saying a new computer is definitely the way to go." He nods.

"You deserve it." He stands as he reminds you. "You should think about getting a 38" monitor instead of having two. It's basically the equivalent and helps with productivity."

"What are some good ones?"

"I can send you some recs in a bit. I'm sorry you'll have to work from your laptop for now. But, whatever you order, I can help make sure it gets to you ASAP and I'll help set it up."

"Yunho." You slightly pout as he's slowly walking out of your cubicle.

"No but's. I got you." He looks down at his watch. "Anyway, gotta head back."

"See, don't tell me you have tons of stuff to catch up on now because of me?"

"I doooon't." He almost whines with a small laugh. He totally does. He's actually kinda swamped, but he made it over anyway because seeing you is nice. "See you later?" You nod and giggle. "I'll text you when I'm all wrapped up on my end."

"Okay. Thank you again."

"No worries." He playfully sends you a wink before walking off and out of the office area. Noeul finally comes creeping up to your cubicle, squealing at a low tone.

"Stop, he's so into you."

"Don't start." You bite onto your bottom lip as you continue to keep your eyes glued onto the tiny laptop screen.

"Where is he taking you? Did he say anything?"

"Nope. I am completely in the dark."

"Those are the best kinda dates. He's gonna take good care of you."

"I just wanna get out of here." You whine as your place your head down on your desk for a few minutes.

"You will! And the wait will be worth it!" You look up at her and let out a small sigh, nodding your head.

"You're right. Let me tackle all of this so I can get outta here sooner than later."

"And hang out with your man, yes!" She leans against your desk. "By the way, what'd he say about your computer?"

"Oh, this thing is done with. I need a new one. I'm just waiting for Yunho to send me some recs."

"Been telling you that."

"Well, it kept me going for some time." You pat the top of the monitor screen. "It was nice while it lasted."

"I love this for you, you know that? Upgrading your computer, your love life. This era is cute." You chuckle and shake your head.

"Go. I gotta get back to work." You push her along, making her giggle at how obviously flustered you are over the topic.

yunho: some recs for the boss lady!

You see Yunho's Slack message come in, along with links from the IT catalog. 

yunho: this CPU should do you good, along with the 38". 😮‍💨

you: haha, thank you. 😊 i'll place my order right now!

yunho: can you send me your ticket number so i can keep an eye on it?

you: maybe....

yunho: ☹️☹️☹️☹️

you: you have too much other work to worry about!

yunho: including your ticket, yes!

you: you're unbelievable. 😂

yunho: you can always opt out for tonight (ouch) ..... 😖

you: never! lol. i'm excited actually. ☺️

yunho: i am, too. 

You smile to yourself during the brief pause in between messages, unsure how to respond to Yunho without sounding like you're doing too much or saying something crazy. But, the Slack notification goes off again—

yunho: okay, i actually gtg and help jihoon with something.

yunho: seriously send me your ticket number after you're done, pls!

Pause.

yunho: can't wait to spend time with you, y/n.

And all that overthinking goes straight out the window.

you: same. 😌

Seora had a long day at school— her day filled with a bunch of tests and pop quizzes, damn near dragging herself out of the classroom and into the gym afterward. She happily talks with her friends as they change into their practice gear, joking around and being the typical girls they are as they get out onto the floor with their water bottles. After equal wins and losses, the coach decides to continue running and improving plays to push the team forward to the playoffs and hopefully, a championship win. 

When practice wraps up, Seora grabs her things and finds her other favorite uncle talking to some of the parents outside of the gym; sweat still on her face, hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. When his eyes finally land on hers, he gives Seora's hair a good ruffle before taking her bags from her.

"Ace!"

"Uncle Mangi!" She copies his tone and laughs.

"How was practice?"

"Tiring. I'm pooped. I can barely feel my legs today."

"Working hard, atta girl. On our way to the WNBA." He tosses her bags in the backseat before hopping in. "Hope you don't mind, I gotta stop at the grocery store really quickly for our dinner."

"Only if I can grab some snacks."

"Course you can. Don't spoil your appetite for dinner, though. I'm gonna make some galbijjim."

"Yum! One of my faves."

"Exactly." He laughs. "How was school today?"

"The usual. Nothing too special."

"Nothing too special? Nothing happened at all?"

"Nope. Too many tests and pop-quizzes. I did get an A on my math test, though."

"That's something." She nods as she looks out the window.

"So, my dad's got another team dinner?"

"Mhm." He hums.

"Impossible." 

"They've been working really hard on a lot of different things across the hospital lately. Helps relieve stress, I guess." One thing about Mingi is that he will never out Yunho the way Seonghwa unintentionally does. If Yunho's got a team dinner, Mingi will stick to the story down to the T. Maybe even throw in his own details and dramatics to make it more believable.

"He barely used to have team dinners."

"Well, maybe their goal was to have more!"

"Are you hiding something, Uncle Mangi? Cause Uncle Hwa accidentally spilled the beans last time and said dad was on a date."

"Why would your Uncle Hwa do that? Should I fight him?" Seora laughs and shakes her head. "He wasn't on a date."

"Uncle Mangi." He looks at her.

"Mhm?"

"Lying is bad."

"I'm not lying!" She continues to squint her eyes at him before finally giving up her case and settling back into the seat. 

"Fine. What about you then, Uncle Mangi? What's new? How was your trip to Japan?"

"Nothing much. But, it was good. Nice to be in different sceneries from time to time."

"Dad keeps saying we'll tag along one day, but we haven't yet. I wanna go soon."

"I'll let him know, don't worry."

"They must have soooo much cute stuff. Don't they?"

"Lots." Mingi pulls up to the grocery store, driving into a spot near the entrance. "You'd definitely love it there."

"Where else have you been, Uncle Mangi?" She follows alongside of her towering uncle while he grabs a cart and heads into the store.

"Everywhere and nowhere all at the same time." She laughs.

"Seriously."

"One place I'll always remember is Switzerland. It's beautiful there. Probably one of my top places I've been to."

"I'm sure. I've only seen it in books, but it looks really pretty."

"It is. Those textbook pics definitely don't do it enough justice." Mingi sorts through the meat packages while Seora quickly wanders off into an aisle to grab her favorite chips and cookies. She drops it into the cart, with Mingi barely noticing.

"I have a random question for you."

"Try me."

"Do you think it's better to lock yourself up in a grocery store like this during a zombie apocalypse or keep it moving?"

"Well." Mingi continues to slowly walk down the aisles, making sure he doesn't miss any ingredients on his mental grocery list needed for tonight's dinner. "I'd say keep it moving."

"Why? You'd have everything in here."

"That's if no one raids the store, which would be impossible at that time. Plus, it can only keep you safe for so long before zombies find their way in or another group comes around. You could quite literally die before you even have a chance to try and survive."

"You'd have to take a break at some point though, right?"

"You could, but always best to keep it moving, ace. Never leave a trail for people."

"Okay, touché."

"Cereal first or milk first?" Mingi suddenly asks as they go through the cereal section.

"Cereal."

"What? No. Did your dad teach you that?"

"What kind of planet are you living on? Isn't that how it normally is?" Mingi stops the cart and looks at her. 

"Warm or cold milk then?"

"For cereal?" Mingi nods. "Cold?!"

"You and your weird ass dad." Seora laughs loudly. "Did anybody want a child? Cause this one is not mine—" Seora pinches her uncle's bicep, causing him to yelp as they push through the remaining aisles.

"You soggy cereal lover." Seora points out.

"That's literally the best way to have it."

"Ew, you're like eating mushed up cardboard." Mingi sighs.

"You're very lucky I love you and that your dad is my bestfriend or else I would've blocked him."

"You're so dramatic." She throws more snacks into the cart just as they're about to head to the registers.

"Any more snacks or you're good?"

"I'm good! I'm excited for dinner." Mingi laughs.

"I am, too. Too bad I gotta cook it first."

"You're a great cook, Uncle Mangi. I always enjoy the food you make." She tugs on his sleeve.

"I do try my best." She helps her uncle load the groceries onto the belt, pulling the cart towards the end to help bag up their things and throw it back in. Mingi taps his card to the reader before helping Seora with the heavier bags. Once they've gathered all their things, Mingi pushes the cart over to the car, loading it up in his trunk while Seora plops into the front seat. "Ready to head home?"

"Yeah, dying to shake a shower." Mingi starts up the car and begins the journey home.

"Yeah, you need it." He teases, causing Seora to lightly punch him on the arm.

"You're mean!"

"Kidding!" He laughs. "So, what's on the agenda tonight? We eat, you do homework. Watch some shows? Talk a walk around the neighborhood?"

"Sure, whatever floats your boat. I kinda have a bit of homework so I dunno about that walk. Plus, I'm pretty sore already."

"Okay, we'll play it by ear then." On the way home, Seora continues to tell Mingi about the staycation her father took her on and the new dog café they visited. She talks to him about her friends and how one of her friends started having a crush on one of the boys in their class. Mingi playfully gasps before lecturing her about boys and how icky they can be [coming from an honest heart]. But Seora laughs it off and tells her uncle that she's not really worried about that stuff.

All Mingi can say in response is 'you better not be.'

When the two finally get home, Mingi immediately sets himself up in the kitchen to get dinner going, while Seora throws her backpack down in the living room and heads straight to the shower. She takes a good, long shower before throwing on her pajamas and brushing through her wet hair. She sits on the living room floor and gets going with her homework while waiting for her uncle to finish cooking dinner.

Meanwhile, Yunho makes his way over to the peds hospital— happily stepping into the elevator to make his way back up to your office. When he gets there, he realizes most people have already clocked out and left for the day, only leaving you and a select few heads working away in the cubicles.

"Hey. Ready?" You smile as you look up at Yunho, sending one last meeting invite for next week before closing down your apps and shutting off your laptop.

"Yeah! I thought you were gonna text me so I could meet you halfway."

"Um, no." Yunho laughs. "I would much rather come get you so we can walk to the car together." 

"That's sweet." You throw on your coat and slide the bag strap over your shoulder. "So, how was the rest of your day?"

"Good. Not too crazy, at least."

"Did the offers go out to the candidates you were planning on hiring?"

"Oh, yeah! They actually signed earlier this week and they'll be starting next week. They were able to get the background checks cleared out in time."

"Aw, that's awesome! You guys will finally get help." 

"Yeah. It'll be busy for awhile getting them onboarded and trained."

"Yunho's gonna go MIA."

"Yunho is not gonna go MIA." He laughs. 

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah, of course." He chuckles. "I'll always make time."

"You say that now."

"And I'll say it tomorrow, and the next day, and so on." He pinches your cheeks. "Don't trip." You smile feeling his warm touch against your skin. "Well, I didn't think it'd be so cold this evening. Are you okay with your coat and all? Is it enough?"

"It is."

"Okay, well just let me know. We'll be inside for the most part, but I want you to be comfortable."

"Thank you." You continue to walk alongside of Yunho until you get to his car. You give him the ins and outs of your day besides the whole computer issue that he tried to rescue you from while he grabs your bags and gently sets it in the trunk of his BMW and pops the door open for you. When you slide in and get comfortable, you notice how spotless his car is and how it smells like a hint of his cologne, along with laundry detergent and the fresh car smell. There are a few colorful hair ties lining the bottom of one of the cupholders, along with a hoodie in the backseat and a basketball. Yunho laughs and apologizes for Seora's mess— he also hasn't gotten a chance to bring in her things simply because he doesn't think much of it.

It almost feels like Seora is with him one way or another and he finds comfort in that.

On the drive over to dinner, he asks a bit about what other days look like for you and if you anticipate other big projects to come your way. You talk about a new project that was already mentioned to you by your manager, which involves remodeling one of the levels to a study/meeting area. You also tell Yunho it isn't a high priority, but you've already started the conversation with some of the facilities coordinators that can help rope in the appropriate vendors for certain tasks.

He transitions by telling you a few of the little projects he's been working on with his team, along with figuring out how to upgrade systems and all that jazz. You find that Yunho and his team are constantly working to support so many different departments, and it amazes you how well Yunho is able to delegate and keep himself afloat. You ask if he's ever had to work late because of really urgent issues and he says he's only had to do it once or twice— most can typically wait until the morning.

"Okay." He says, pulling into a tight, narrow street to start looking for parking. "We're here."

"I have no idea where we're at."

"Oh." Yunho laughs. "That's good then. More of a surprise for you. But, please keep your expectations down cause I didn't do much."

"Stop. Don't say things like that. I'll love it either way." Yunho smiles as he turns another corner and finds a spot right away. He parks flawlessly next to the curb, shutting off his car before turning back to you. 

"Ready?" You nod quietly, watching as Yunho hops out and does a light jog over to open the door for you. You give him a smile and tug on your coat while Yunho locks his door and leads the way next to you, hand on the small of your back. The walk isn't too far, the restaurant being down on the opposite end of the street, across the block. To your surprise, Yunho brings you to one of the new conveyor belt sushi restaurants. He greets the host and he immediately takes you back to a little booth near the belt. It's snug enough to fit two people. 

"I'm excited." You look at Yunho and he laughs.

"Same, I could eat. You like sushi, right? Please tell me I didn't fuck up." He looks concerned for a moment.

"No, no. I love sushi. I actually haven't had it in so long." You rearrange your set up so you can eat comfortably, the waiter taking your order for drinks. You both ask for water, but before the waiter can walk off, Yunho suddenly asks for two glasses of hot sake. 

"Thank you." He says, giving the waiter a curt nod.

"Sake?"

"Our little celebration for getting through the week."

"Wow, okay. Touché. I can get behind that." You look at him. "My birthday's coming up. You should come out with Mingi and Seonghwa. We're heading out to the club." You pause before shaking your head. "Or, actually, I'm being forced to go to the club to celebrate."

"Forced, hm?" He laughs. "That sounds fun, though. Send me the details. We'll definitely try to celebrate with you."

"Might be fun. We can be a fun group of people."

"Yeah?" Yunho likes that, you're down for things and he can tell you go with the flow. He likes someone who can just have fun with him. Someone who can just be with him; it wouldn't matter where they go or where their relationship takes them.

"Mhm. And I can tell you guys are fun." You laugh. "Seora must love having you as her dad."

"I hope so." Yunho laughs along. "By the way, feel free to start digging in." He gestures towards the moving conveyor belt and you happily start exploring your options as they come— taking a fresh plate of salmon nigiri to start off. The waiter quickly comes back with two glasses of hot sake, making Yunho smirk at you. He sets his chopsticks down and slides your glass over, raising his while you take yours. "Cheers? For getting through the week."

"Cheers!" You say cheerfully, tapping your glass against his before taking some of the hot sake down your throat. It burns, but the heat brings more warmth to your body on this cold evening. "Speaking of Seora, where is she right now now?" You drink a bit more before taking another plate off the belt.

"Spending time with her Uncle Mingi."

"That's cute." Yunho grabs a few plates and sets them aside while he decides which one he'll tackle first.

"She had practice and I had him go pick her up. I think they were heading to the grocery store to buy some ingredients for dinner before heading home last time he texted me."

"What did you tell her?"

"Mm." He hums. "I hope you don't take it personally or anything, but I told her it was a team dinner."

"No, of course not."

"I just, yeah." He chuckles a bit. "It's just easier to go with that."

"I believe it." The both of you continue to eat away at the sushi, small, empty plates piling up on the side of the table. Small conversations continue about day-to-day life; you and your friends, what you've been doing for yourself lately. Suddenly, you dwell on the fact that you don't know much about Yunho besides his day-to-day life with Seora and work. You know about his friends, his coworkers. But, you don't know anything deeper about his personal life.

His parents.

You didn't wanna be nosy and pry, but you wondered why his parents weren't the ones watching Seora. 

Was it too much of you to ask?

Was this considered a real date if you two weren't trying to get to know each other? What were the boundaries?

"Yunho?"

"What's up?"

"Can I ask you something more personal?"

"Anything."

"I hope I'm not crossing boundaries here, but what about your parents? How come they don't watch Seora?"

"You're not crossing any boundaries." Yunho reassures you, but shakes his head before dipping into his next plate of sushi. "Uh, it's complicated. Things kinda just fell apart when Eunha passed." You slowly nod. "When my parents found out Eunha was pregnant, they didn't want us to continue with the pregnancy cause we were, what? 20 years old when we found out? Still in the midst of college. But, that's not what we wanted. They almost got to Eunha but we pushed through in the end and we had Seora. It was really hard for a long, long time, but Seora was worth every bit of it. My parents obviously didn't like the fact that we went against their wishes, so they kept their distance. It's been that way ever since, even when Eunha passed. I think it got worst, actually. Plus, I never had the best relationship with them from the get-go. They only see Seora once in a blue moon. They're the grandparents that just send the occasional bouts of money, birthday and holidays cards. Seora always wonders about them, but I can never give her an answer as to why her grandparents aren't around." 

"I'm sorry, Yunho."

"Don't be sorry." Yunho smiles a bit.

"W-what about Eunha's parents?" You wanna ask about Eunha too, but you know this isn't the time.

"Uh, they're the same. They—" He pauses. "They cut off ties when she passed because it was too hard for them."

"Oh. Yunho." You say sympathetically, feeling incredibly bad for having brought it up in the first place. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean to be such a debbie downer during dinner."

"No, it's okay. I promise. I've.. gotten used to it at this point. It used to be hard for me, but I've accepted everything."

"Still doesn't mean it doesn't get hard for you."

"I've learned to manage." He gives you a tiny, toothless smile.

"I hope you know you're doing an amazing job balancing everything and for being a great father to Seora."

"Thanks." 

"I'm also glad you have Seonghwa and Mingi."

"Me too." He laughs. "They're a pain in my ass, but they're my bestfriends. I don't think I would have been able to get through a lot without them. And they're good to Seora."

"That's good, I'm glad." You eat a bit more before you feel yourself getting content and full.

"Full?"

"Damn near. I think I ate too fast." You chuckle. "I'm almost done with my sake."

"Bottoms up?" You nod, tapping your glass against his before the both of you take it to the neck. Yunho finishes up a few more plates before he sits back and gulps his water down, causing you to giggle to yourself. "Fuck, I'm full. Overdid it, for sure."

"Was worth every bit of it, though. Maybe we should walk it off?"

"Yeah. Let's head to the next stop. I think you'll like it. And we'll get our steps in." He pulls his wallet out of his pocket, calling the waiter over.

"Can I split with you?"

"Absolutely not." Yunho says, handing over his card directly to him.

"You're already driving me everywhere and taking me to another location after this. The least I can do is chip in."

"Nope. The least you can do is just enjoy yourself with me tonight." He smiles sweetly just as he grabs the receipt handed to him by the waiter, signing off and tucking his own copy swiftly into his pocket before looking at you. 

"Couldn't even let me see the receipt."

"Nope." He repeats and stands. "Ready to go, pretty girl?" You feel the heat rise to your cheeks as you stand and nod, leading the way out of the restaurant with Yunho in tow. He answers your questions on the way to the car, giving you hints about the next location. It still leaves you stumped in the end, deciding to let Yunho continue taking matters into his own hands with you. He opens the door like the gentleman he is, slipping into the driver's seat as he rubs his hands together and immediately turns the heat on when he starts the car. "All good? Too hot?"

"Just perfect."

"Good." You sit back comfortably as Yunho sets off for the next destination for tonight. "So, how was the sushi? Be honest."

"It was so good!" He looks at you when he comes to a red light, almost as if he's trying to read you, really read you, and you giggle. "What?"

"Just making sure."

"That I'm not lying?"

"Maybe." You laugh even more.

"I would never. If I didn't enjoy it, I would've given an honest review."

"Mmkay, I believe you." He laughs. "I want you to have a good night with me."

"I am already." You look at him with a soft expression. "And I'm sure the next part to this will be just as fun. If not, more. I trust you."

"Do you?"

"I do." Yunho smiles, wanting to hold your hand so badly while he drives. But, he doesn't. He holds back. He feels like there could be a better opportunity.

One that'll feel right and set the mood for the remainder of the night.

For this entirely.

After a good 20 minutes of driving down south, Yunho exits off the freeway and takes an immediate right down towards a large-sized building with all modern exterior designs. He parks in the lot next to it, doing his gentleman deed of helping you out of the car and leading you towards the beautiful building.

It's one of the city's biggest museums, and the event they're hosting for a couple of weeks is called Spirit House. It focuses on Asian American and Asian diasporic artists that are showcasing art pertaining to horror, spirits, haunted houses, reincarnation, different dimensions and other themes along those lines. You continue to read the pamphlet before Yunho looks at you with a small smile on his face.

"Wanna walk around?" You nod.

"How'd you know I'd be into this stuff?"

"It sounded cool, so why not?"

"You're good, Jeong Yunho." You giggle and continue into the first part of the exhibit. The atmosphere is dark and dim, the artwork on the walls screaming afterlife. Death. Souls. Horror, fear. You're so intrigued that you find yourself slowly moving from work to work; trying to take in all the details of the images in front of you. You didn't even realize Yunho had been watching you from behind, snapping photos every chance he could before moving onto the next room to get a preview of what's to come.

"Hey." Yunho says from behind you. "Wanna show you something in the next room." 

"Okay." You look down at the hand he puts out, waiting for you to take it. You gently slide your hand in his, fingers intertwining before he guides you to the next exhibit and it feels incredibly natural. It's a room full of mini fixtures— almost like miniature set-ups of old fashioned homes and other buildings. He shows you one that has the artist's own adaptation of Junji Ito characters spread across levels of an old, haunted house.

"Oh my god, I love it." You peek down to get a closer look, hand still laced with Yunho's. "I love Junji Ito. And the work in the other room reminded me of Takato Yamamoto. It's amazing."

"Made for you." You chuckle, tugging him along as you both look at the next miniature setups alongside of it. Yunho doesn't even mind one bit. He's enjoying the exhibit, but he's enjoying it even more with you here— holding his hand every step of the way. You snap a few photos of the art before Yunho directs you to stand near one of the exhibits where the lighting falls on you perfectly. He takes a few more photos— more candid ones from behind you especially— just so you have photos to look back at when you wanna reminisce on your first date with him.

The next room of the exhibit is an interactive light show; the  room is completely dark, with different lights projecting things around the room. The background music is mysterious, creepy; fitting the vibe all together. You continue to walk with Yunho while snapping photos of your silhouettes in the mirrors. Yunho gets silly and makes a bunch of poses, making you laugh loudly in the process. At one point, you've found yourself standing near the corner of the room, watching all the lights come together to project a beautiful show onto the walls. Yunho comes next to you, admiring the same view— but you, mainly. You look up at him to tell him how amazing the event is, but he's already looking down at you with fondness and endearment sprinkled in his big brown orbs.

You almost.. wanna kiss him.

But, you shake off the thought quickly by dragging him to the next exhibits— loosely holding his hand throughout the rest of the event.

Too bad he would've kissed you back, had you known.

No, he needs to be a gentleman and he needs to do right by you, Yunho thinks. He can't just kiss you on the first date or else he runs the risk of you thinking he only wants you for one thing.

Like Ara; but, that situation is a little different.

"Yunho! That was so fun." You smile at him the way you do, and it melts his heart. "Thank you for taking me to this."

"Of course. I think it ends after the weekend, so perfect timing." You quickly scroll through some of the pictures you took. "I'll send you the pictures I have later."

"Okay." You look at the buskers on the opposite end of the street, along with a food cart nearby. "Yunho, let's go check it out really quickly!"

"I'm down." He nods, noticing it's only about to hit 10pm. Seora must be waiting for him, but he knows she'll sleep until he gets there and Mingi hasn't made a peep. He feels like he's in the clear.

He holds your hand tightly as you both cross the street safely, stopping near the food cart first while lightly bouncing to the live music nearby.

"Want a snack?" You nod and cling onto his arm.

"I could use one. Museum took up my energy." He laughs. Yunho buys some custard-filled bungeoppang for you two to snack on while observing the buskers. You bounce along next to him and he starts to dance in his own way, making you laugh at how cute he's being with you. You snap a few photos of him that you'll share later, not knowing Yunho had a bunch of your photos to share as well.

You and Yunho sing along to some familiar songs before the buskers end the first half of their performance for a tiny break.

"That was cool. They did really well!"

"They were so good!" You toss in some cash into the guitar case. "And I didn't know you could sing!"

"I— no." Yunho laughs.

"I wanna hear more of your singing." You pout as you tug on his arm on the way back to the car.

"Maybe."

"Yunho." You whine and he laughs.

"I promise you it's nothing that great."

"Very much the opposite of what I think, just so you know." He stands by the passenger door, allowing you to hop in but he doesn't close the door right away. He stands and looks at you and there's something in his eyes that you can't really read.

"I hope you enjoyed it."

"I did. A lot." He licks his lips, and you can tell he's having the same internal battle you had not too long ago in the light exhibit. But, he brushes it off by tapping the door frame before shutting your door gently and hopping into his seat. 

The drive home is as expected; with you and Yunho talking about your similar music tastes this time and Yunho being a bit more open about his vocals. You look at him as he sings a tune or two, explaining that his dad is the one with the vocals in the family. You tease that next time, you two should go to a karaoke bar to end the night and he smirks.

At least you're thinking about next time's just like he is, too.

When he pulls up to your apartment, you find yourself not wanting to part from him. You know he has to go home to Seora though, and it breaks your heart knowing she's been waiting for her dad to come home. You step out of the car and tug on your coat, the night colder than it was a few hours ago.

"Welp, this is me." You both look at the apartment building, with Yunho tucking his hands into his pockets.

"Let me walk you up."

"No, it's okay. I promise it's right there." You point at your apartment before chuckling and turning to him completely. "Goodnight, Yunho. Thank you for tonight. I had a lot of fun."

"You're welcome, Y/N." He watches as you lean in to give him a kiss on the cheek. He blushes, and he loves the initiation, but he freezes. Completely. 

"I'll see you next week, hm? Get home safely." You smile toothlessly at him before turning on your heel to walk up to your unit. Just as you're about to make it up the steps, Yunho is chasing after you with long strides, causing you to turn and raise a brow. "Did I leave something?"

"Mm, maybe." He says with a tiny smirk on his face. Suddenly, his large, warm hands come up to cup your cheeks— lips capturing yours in a sweet goodnight kiss. "Goodnight." You smile up at him as his thumb caresses the surface of your right cheek.

"Night." He steps back, biting his bottom lip to prevent himself from smiling too big. He lingers around until he sees you successfully slip into your unit and hears the door shut close.

What he doesn't see is the way you squeal and dig your face into your hands, incredibly giddy and happy from the turn of events.

You really liked Yunho.

And he does, too.

So much that the smile doesn't even fade when he pulls up to the house, Mingi's car leaving enough room for him to park in his usual spot. Yunho can see the faint flickering of the TV lights through the kitchen window, and he knows Seora is probably on the couch waiting for his arrival.

When he steps through the door, Mingi is placing some food into the fridge before returning his attention to the remaining dishes in the sink. He quietly greets his bestfriend before nodding towards the couch— signaling that Seora had fallen asleep while waiting.

"Has it been long?" Yunho asks lowly.

"A bit, yeah. She said practice was exhausting today." Yunho chuckles before crouching down in front of the couch and brushing her hair back.

"Ace." Her eyes slowly flicker open.

"Oh, finally. You're back." He laughs.

"Let's get to bed, hm?" She sleepily nods, sitting up before walking to her bedroom. "Say bye to uncle Mingi."

"Love you, ace!" Mingi calls out as he watches her sleepily walk across the living room.

"Love you too. Goodnight." She mutters and lazily waves before dragging herself into her room and shutting the door. It isn't long before Yunho sees her shut off the lights, causing him to turn the volume down on the TV before helping Mingi clean up.

"So, how was it?" Yunho smiles.

"Good." He avoids eye contact as he blushes, setting the dry dishes into the cabinet.

"Good?"

"Yeah."

"Meaning?" Mingi rests against the corner before smirking at him. " I have time."

"I really, really like her."

⇢taglist: @asjkdk @interweab @woojirang @svintsandghosts @cheolliehugs @persphonesorchid @mxnsxngie @jycas @cowboydk @nopension @curse-of-art @thechaotictheoryy @likexaxdaydream @dalsuwaha @enha-stars @yasuraokaa @professormingisglasses @yunyunrin @pommelex @astral-trashcan @laura1399 @domfikeluva @tournesol155 @hwaskookies @yusalterego @hwa-stars @hyukssunflower @chngbnwf @jaytheatiny @lucid-galaxys-world @chaotic-floral @sofkloster @honeyrecommends @hwashua-luv @luvv4bby @spicxbnny @pandyandy71 @sanniesaurus @angel-hyuckie @wolviejex @purpleyou7x

[capquinn]

Does Buggy ever experience injuries being a typical kid or while playing hockey? Dad!Quinn would be such a cutie being a stressed mess worrying about his little buggy

So the thing about Quinn is that he’s not a helicopter parent (anymore). But when Bug was small… yeah, he hovered.

The first time she got properly hurt, she wasn’t even walking yet, just crawling, still figuring out how to pull herself up. She reached for the coffee table, one tiny hand missing the edge, and boom — forehead straight into the corner. Big bruise, big wails, and Quinn? Quinn was devastated. Held her so tight, murmured “I got you, baby, daddy’s got you” over and over while you pressed an ice pack to her head, his own eyes wet, looking personally offended at the coffee table.

Now? Now she’s almost four, and she trips over air. She's always moving, always chattering, always distracted, and then — bam! Face-first into the ground. Quinn’s learned to wait, to gauge the reaction before he reacts. Sometimes she pops back up like nothing happened, other times she milks it, giving him those big, watery eyes that have him scooping her up immediately, pressing kisses to her curls, murmuring, “I got you, baby. You’re okay.”

And with hockey? That’s where it gets tough. Because Bug wants to be a goalie, which means she’s constantly in the way of flying pucks. She’s not old enough for a team yet, but she insists on tagging along to the rink, throwing on mismatched gear and making Quinn take shots on her. And he does — soft ones, gentle ones, controlled.

But the other day, she came with him to practice, sitting on the bench, watching everything with that same serious, locked-in expression she always has at the rink. And when warm-down rolled around? She skated right out onto the ice like she belonged there.

The guys knew the drill. They kept it light, sent her easy passes, made her feel part of it. But then, one of them sent a soft, harmless shot toward the net — harmless, because they all knew Bug was back there, always watching, always involved. It wasn’t even going in.

But instead of letting it pass, Bug threw herself in front of it.

Quinn heard it before he saw it. The sharp thwack of rubber against her arm. The way her little body staggered from the impact.

And just like that, every instinct in Quinn’s body kicked in.

The whole 'wait and see' rule? Yeah, that went out the window. There was no pausing to gauge her reaction this time, no hanging back to see if she’d shake it off or get back up on her own. He was already moving, skates cutting across the ice as his stomach clenched, hands itching to fix whatever had just happened.

But Bug? Bug paused.

She looked down at her arm, then up at Quinn, then back at her arm again, like she was trying to decide if this was something worth making a fuss over.

Quinn was already there.

“Bug, baby, you alright?”

She blinked up at him, wide-eyed, and without a word, held up both arms, bottom lip trembling.

And yeah. Quinn’s heart dropped.

Quinn scooped her up instantly, tucking her against his chest, already peeling off his glove to check her arm. His brain told him it wasn’t serious — just a red mark, nothing more — but his heart still clenched at the sight of it. His jaw tightened, his grip shifting to cradle her closer, like if he held her tight enough, he could absorb the pain himself.

Bug, to her credit, tried to hold it together. But then she saw it — her little arm, blotchy and pink, already bruising — and that was it. A sharp inhale, the beginnings of a sniffle, her bottom lip wobbling and then... full tears.

Quinn felt his stomach twist, already smoothing a hand over her back, rocking her slightly.

“Bug, baby,” he murmured, voice low and warm, meant just for her. “You’re okay. Just a little bump.”

She sniffled again, blinking up at him, eyes glassy.

“It hurts,” she whimpered, tiny fingers curling into the fabric of his jersey.

Quinn pressed a firm kiss to the top of her helmet, the way he always did when she was hurt.

“I know, baby,” he soothed, tucking his chin over her head. “I got you.”

Because that was the thing — he always did. From the moment she took her first steps, to the times she tripped over nothing, to now, throwing herself in front of a flying puck like she was made of steel. She was fine — he knew she was fine — but that didn’t mean he wasn’t wired to react. To scoop her up at the first sign of distress, to comfort, to fix.

Quinn exhaled, rubbing slow, steady circles into her back as she buried herself against his chest. Behind them, his teammates hovered — watching, waiting, like they weren't sure if they should step in or stay out of dad-mode's way.

Bug let out a deep, dramatic sigh after a moment, exhaling into his shirt. “I almost saved it.”

Quinn huffed out a quiet laugh. “Yeah, baby,” he murmured. “Almost.”

Behind them, the guy who took the shot still looked horrified, rattling off a string of apologies. Quinn glanced over, shaking his head.

“She threw herself in front of it,” he muttered, waving him off, adjusting Bug in his arms. “Like, it was going wide, and she just—” He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, still cradling Bug against him like she was fragile. Like she wasn’t the same kid who ran full speed into walls without blinking. “That’s my kid for you.”

Bug perked up, pulling back just enough to look at him. “I am your kid!” she chirped, like it was the best news she’d ever heard.

And just like that, she was fine.

The tears? Gone. The dramatics? Over.

Quinn just shook his head, exhaling through his nose, “yeah, Bugs. You sure are.”

[thatguyjam]

Highschool Sweethearts - Max Verstappen

Valentines event Masterlist <3

Max Verstappen x Male!ChildhoodFriend!Reader

You and Max Verstappen grew up in the same town, and went to school together, and quickly grew close. Although you didn't cart, you would always play with max's toy cars, leading to you being his best friend pretty quickly. His dad didn't like you very much, only ever seeing you as a distraction from Max's racing, but his mom always welcomed you with open arms, just happy that you could make her son happy.

As both of you got older, Max was away for racing more and more often, and the two of you couldn't help but separate a touch. Quite a bit actually, to the point where the once inseparable friends hadn't talked in years. That was, at least just until one day when you where towards the end of high school, he showed up at your door.

"Hoi- Max???"

"Y/N!!! Y/N guess what!!!"

Max came into the house like he lived there despite not having been there for years, buzzing with energy, only stopping to politely take off his shoes and look as you expectantly

"Huh?"

"Guess what"

"What?"

"Well, guess"

"Max, I haven't seen you in ages, how would I know? You've just randomly shown up at my house in the middle of the day."

"Oh yeah, it- I'm sorry it's just with carting and single seaters getting to a high level I'm hardly even in town, and whenever I am, dad is working me to the bone, I just- I'm sorry I haven't come by as much. I've missed you a lot. If it's any consolation you're the first person I've told? Even before my dad."

"Told what exactly? We didn't really get there"

"Oh! I'm gonna be a f1 driver next year!" Jaw dropping, your eyes widen as you stare at your childhood friend. Max takes your hand and pulls you to the couch as he rambles on, "Yeah, youngest ever, even younger than Vettel was. I'll be driving with Alpha Tauri, which isn't the best of course, but it is still very good, and they said if I perform well I'll definitely have a seat at Redbull."

Your brain finally catches up with the situation as Max continues on about things you never really understood, you think you hear the name Damiel a lot and mentions of F2, but your thoughts are going too fast to be sure. Looking up, you're finally able to really look at the blue eyes that have been absent from your life for too long. A feeling in your chest that you remember from when you where a kid bubbles up again, and there is nothing you can do as you surge forward and plant a kiss on Max's rapidly moving lips. His eyes go wide, and lips silent as he processes the situation, before he clumsily kisses back.

When you pull away, those big blue bambi eyes look up at you, cheeks tinted pink as he struggles to catch his breath

"That was- That was incredible. I've never kissed anyone before"

"Never? Awww, I was future formula one driver Max Verstappen's first kiss? Cute"

An even darker red forms over his cheeks as he buries his face into your chest.

"I'm glad you're the first person I told" he mumbles into your chest, pushing you further down onto the couch so that he can properly lie atop of you.

"Me too pretty boy, me too."

banner credit to @enchanthings-a

Taglist: (comment or dm to be added)

@koalapastries @justaf1girl

[yandere-sins]

Hi there long time lurker here for you blog and all your works! I'm not kidding its been a long time and I love your writings. May I request a Jiaoqiu x vidyadhara reader who is a sassy noble person with a sweet and kind heart but she somehow got severely injured?

Thanks for requesting, I'm so glad that you enjoy my blog enough to ascend from the lurking stage! :D Hope to hear more from you in the future!!

»»———————— ♡ ————————««

♡ It's unlikely that Jiaoqiu is the first person to hear about your injury; however, he's the first one you see by your side once you open your eyes again. He sits there, stern-faced, ears twitching. His hand is holding yours almost a bit too tight, with some of his fingers resting on top of your pulse as if he's afraid you'll slip from his grasp. But you don't get the time to ask him why he looks so sullen because he jumps up and calls out to you the second he notices you waking up. Although he hovers over you when it becomes clear that you have regained your conscience, there is a certain distance between you two, and you can't really understand why. Even if you ask if something is the matter, he won't tell you, brushing you off and leaving if you insist on speaking about it. Not for long, just to cool off. After all, he still has to make sure you're fed and taken care of. Jiaoqiu won't allow anyone else to make your food, and he has to be in the room to review any medicine you receive.

♡ The reason why it feels that he's distant is because he is so angry. Angry at you, angry at the circumstances that put you in danger, and the most angry at anyone who hurt or allowed you to get hurt. Jiaoqiu is trying to keep his feelings in check in front of you, but he always knew things would play out like this. Countless times, he told you how reckless you were. That, no matter how good your heart was, you never thought twice before putting your life on the line. You find him flexing his fingers at the murderous thoughts in his mind or have him touch you just a tad too harshly when the feelings interfere with your treatment. He wants to throw all these accusations and emotions at you but refrains. You are a patient, and your recovery is more important to him than anything else.

♡ Especially when your recovery forms you into an adorable little mess for him to figure out. Vidyadhara are tricky organisms, and Jiaoqiu does everything he has to learn from Bailu how to treat you properly and then use the knowledge to the best of his abilities. He spends almost more time on research than actually treating you, but he won't allow a single mistake. Nobody is allowed to treat you except him, so you are also counting on him, only adding more pressure. It's all worth it, though, when he can observe you slowly regain your strength and liveliness, the bruises turning back into your skin color and your wounds closing up. No matter how much sleep he loses over it, he wouldn't miss the nights he spends with you for anything; protecting your sleep, slipping into your bed and cuddling with you when the nightmares act up, and getting to be with you when you wake up in the morning, feeling a little better every day.

♡ For a while, your conditions are a blessing as he gets to take care of you properly. Even just the mundane things, like brushing your hair or helping you wash up and dress yourself, thrill Jiaoqiu. It's almost a little sad that it has to end. He wants you to be healthy again, he really does! But won't you get yourself in trouble again once you don't need to be on bed rest? Won't you fight again, argue again? Are you going to keep coming back more beat-up than the last time for him to fix? Of course, someone as observant as he is notices your growing restlessness and desire to be up and of help. But this is not just about your self-preservation anymore, it is also about him. What will Jiaoqiu do if, one day, you just don't return at all?

♡ He can push these thoughts aside for a while since it takes time for you to be up and running again. But you begin slipping out of his grasp too quickly for his liking. And when you refuse to even be fed any more, telling him you are ready to go back to "normal" food, Jiaoqiu has to make a decision. "One last meal together," he tells you. One more, and he won't complain about you taking control of your own life again. He insists you take another spoon and another—enough so that the sleeping pill can really take effect.

♡ A patient who's still barely able to wake up can't be released from his care, right? You'll probably not feel so great the next few days, and he can't have you collapse in the street. Jiaoqiu has to at least find out the cause! He tells himself it's only for a few more days. Just one more week. He is merely prolonging the bedrest until you are fully healed—many would beg for a chance to get some good rest, and surely you will appreciate it, too. It's all in your best interest, but he certainly doesn't mind spending some extra cuddle time with you, doting on his favorite person.

♡ And while you are asleep, and he knows you are in a stable condition, he can finally take care of the actual problems that caused you so much harm. Because he still can't and refuses to forgive anyone who put their marks on you and made you suffer. They don't deserve his mercy, and he has feelings that he still needs to flush out of his system so he can give you the love and affection you deserve. Jiaoqiu will make things right, so they won't come to bite you in the butt once you are keeping yourself busy again. Even if it'll take a while longer for you to be back on your feet—that gives him enough time to prolong these wretched people's torture as long as they deserve.

[33max]

if you have the energy can you write about maxy going back to the factory and playing with all his engineer and mechanic friends?? i think he would be wild on the plane ride over with daddy, he's so excited!!! happy flappies running through the factory looking for his friends 🥰

I accidently wrote 3250 words and I'm not even sure it is what you asked for… and it is so far from perfect and not really edited 🤭 but I hope you like it anyway!

“Ready, Max?” Daniel says as he hauls both his and Max’s bags from the bedroom and into the living room.

Max is sitting on the sofa playing a game on his iPad, he’s been obsessed with it recently and can sit for nearly an hour making burgers for the tiny little customers on the screen. It’s a great distraction for when Daniel really needs to get some things done, like today, when he had to pack their bags to spend a week at the factory in Milton Keynes.

“Yesh,” Max says around his binkie, he’s feeling extra small today and hasn’t taken the binkie out for anything other than the snack that Daniel gave him earlier.

Max serves one last customer before handing the iPad to Daniel to pack in Max’s backpack. It has all of the things Max might need on the plane to make the journey a little smoother, like his noise-cancelling headphones and his fidget squishy.

“Let’s go then!” Daniel says, holding his hand out for Max to take. It does mean he has to carry two backpacks on his back and two suitcases in his right hand. Better that than Max trip down the stairs. He’s not as dexterous when he’s like this.

Max has Mr Roar’s paw in one hand and Daniel’s hand in the other, and as they walk carefully down the stairs Max chatters away about seeing a big pirate ship from the balcony that morning, apparently it had a monkey on the flag and a huge crate of bananas spilling out over the deck.

The parking garage is in the basement of their building, and it’s usually very quiet as it is only for residents of their building, but as they open the door to the garage somebody revs the engine of their stupidly loud sports car making Max whine and bury his face into Daniel’s shoulder. His hands come up to cover his ears and he starts sucking on his binkie at a much faster pace than before.

“It’s okay, Maxy,” Daniel says, putting their bags on the floor to properly comfort Max. His boy doesn’t like loud noises and needs Daniel’s hands covering his ears as well as his own. “They’re leaving now, look, there they go. Say bye to the loud McLaren!”

“Bye,” Max says as the car drives out of the parking garage. His face is in a little pout and he is not happy. “Naughty car.”

Daniel tries not to laugh. Big Max would be appreciative of that noise, he would probably moan directly in Daniel’s ear about the sound of the engine, but not Little Max. Little Max’s ears are more sensitive.

The car is parked close by. Daniel has decided to take the Audi. It’s bigger, comfier for Max, and more inconspicuous with the fully tinted windows.

They got the windows blacked out a few months ago because Daniel could not stand the idea of the paparazzi getting their hands on photos of Max like this. It made him feel sick to the stomach. His anxiety even reached a point where he did not want to take Max out when he was little, he didn’t want Max’s sweet face all over social media for the world to see.

It was actually GP who had suggested they do this, and it has made a world of difference. Daniel doesn’t worry about taking Max out in the car anymore.

“Can you get in while Daddy puts the bags in the boot, Bud?” Daniel asks, trying to get Max to help him out a bit, but Max shakes his head and stays attached to Daniel’s side while he loads their gear.

Max is not feeling very independent today. It’s fine, they sometimes have days like this when Max won’t want to leave Daniel’s side. Daniel suspects that will change once he realises where they are going, anyway. Max knows they are going to the factory for the first time this year, but he hasn’t quite realised what that means yet.

He hasn’t realised who else will be at the factory with them and Daniel can’t wait to see Max’s reaction. His boy has really missed the team over the winter break, perhaps even more than he did last year.

There have been a few times this winter when Max has woken up from a nap and waddled over to Daniel in tears because he misses his friends. Especially Uncle Jeep.

“Let’s get you strapped in, Baby,” Daniel says, opening the passenger door to the RS6 and encouraging Max to climb in. Max does, but he climbs in knees first and then has to awkwardly twist until he’s sat properly on the seat.

“Good boy,” Daniel praises, grabbing the straps of the seatbelt to buckle Max in. They have a six-point harness-style seatbelt in the passenger seat for Max.

It’s perhaps overkill, Daniel knows. But there was one time before they had the harness fitted that Maxy had very inconspicuously taken the normal seatbelt off of his shoulder without Daniel realising. The moment Daniel had to brake at a red light Max’s head had almost bonked the dashboard. Daniel had yelled out of fright. Max had cried because of the yelling. It was a whole thing, and so within a week, Daniel had the harness fitted.

“All done,” Daniel says, kissing Max’s soft tummy where the buckle sits.

“Thank you,” Max says politely. It sounds like tank yoo around his binkie and Daniel can’t help but smile at how adorable that is.

The drive to the airport is fairly uneventful. It’s only half an hour but the car lulls Max to sleep before they are even out of Monaco and Daniel ends up listening to an audiobook of Roald Dhal’s The BFG all by himself.

“Baby,” Daniel whispers when they arrive, stroking Max’s cheek to try and wake him up.

Max whines. Turning his head away. His cheeks are flushed with sleep and he’s clearly not wanting to wake up.

“Baby,” Daniel tries again, stroking a hand through Max’s hair this time. “It’s time to get on the plane.”

Max doesn’t even whine this time, he’s fast asleep.

Daniel subscribes to the idea that if a little does not wake up naturally with careful rousing, then they must need the sleep, and there is absolutely no way Daniel is going to pull Max out of a deep sleep just to get him onto the plane.

The perk of owning a private jet is that they can often drive straight up to the hangar where the plane is, with no reason to even enter the airport. So, Daniel can carry his boy all of twenty metres.

He climbs out of the car and signals one of the crew to grab their bags. The jet has three regular crew members, a pilot, a copilot, and a steward.

“Sorry to ask you to do that,” Daniel says to one of the crew members, his name is Adam and he is the copilot, Maxy loves Adam because he keeps the fridge stocked full of strawberry Frubes.

Adam waves him off as he grabs the bags from the boot. “It’s fine. Is the little man sleeping?”

“I’m pretty sure a hurricane could hit and he wouldn’t wake up..”

“We’re expecting some minor turbulence just after take off,” Adam tells him. “Sorry, Danny, but you’re going to need to get him into one of the seats. We need everyone buckled in today.”

Shit. Daniel was hoping to transfer Max directly onto the bed. Max has an entire room at the back of the plane for his little self, filled with plushies and toys and slightly more soundproofed than the rest of the plane. It is where they usually go when Max is small.

“Damn,” Daniel says as he unbuckles Max and lifts him out of the car, making sure that Mr Roar is tucked between them. He rests Max’s head on his shoulder and then encourages Max to wrap his legs around Daniel’s waist. It comes second nature to them both after all these years. They’ve done this more times than they could count.

Max stirs a little as Daniel climbs the stairs to the jet, but doesn’t wake up, even when Daniel gently places him in one of the chairs. Daniel reclines the chair and grabs some blankets, trying his best to make it as comfortable as Max’s bed would be. Luckily, Max still doesn’t wake up.

“Morning,” Suzanna whispers as she makes her way through the plane. She’s their steward and she absolutely dotes on Max. “Can I get you anything? Do you want me to make a bottle for when he wakes up?”

“That would be great actually, yeah.”

“I’ll make it now so you have it ready for take off. Did Adam let you know we are expecting some turbulence?”

“He did. Hopefully, Max will sleep through it, you know how he gets when it gets a bit bumpy.”

Max is terrified of turbulence when he’s small. He sobs and screams as the plane bounces around. Daniel suspects that this is something Big Max is afraid of too but just will not admit.

It’s not long before Suzanna brings Daniel a bottle for Max, and then they’re taxi-ing down the runway.

Daniel keeps an eye on Max during take-off, looking out for any signs that Max might wake up, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t even wake up when the plane starts to bounce around in the turbulence that Adam and Suzanna warned them about, which Daniel is very grateful for.

In fact, Max sleeps through most of the flight, only waking up when there are around twenty minutes until they land at the private airfield outside of Milton Keynes.

“Hello,” Daniel says gently, unbuckling his seatbelt and sliding out of his seat to knee in front of Max’s. “Did you have a nice sleep, baby?”

Max nods, finding Mr Roar in his lap and cuddling him tight. His cheeks are so pink and his hair is sticking up at all angles. It’s adorable.

“Do you want a bottle?” Daniel asks, grabbing the one that Suzanna made from the warmer.

Max nods again, yawning so wide that his binkie falls into his lap.

“Here you go,” Daniel takes the lid off of the bottle and hands it to Max. Sometimes when he’s sleepy Max will insist that Daniel holds the bottle, but today he takes it himself, holding it up to his own mouth to drink.

“Good boy,” Daniel tells him, stroking a hand through Max’s hair. “You’ve been such a good boy, Maxy.”

Max smiles around the nipple of his bottle. He loves being called a good boy.

“Yes, yes you are,” Daniel says, reaching a hand out to tickle Max’s tummy.

The final descent into Cranfield is uneventful. Max finishes his bottle and Daniel texts GP to let him know they’ve nearly arrived.

Daniel cannot wait to see Max’s face when he realises who is coming to pick them up from the airport.

“Have a good day, Maxy!” Susanna says as she waves them off of the plane. “See you soon!”

“Bye-bye, Suzieanna,” Max says, giving her a quick snuggle before following Daniel down the stairs and off of the plane.

“Careful, Max,” Daniel says, as he tries to guide Max down the steps. “Gentle feet and safe body, remember?”

Max nods, carefully watching where he steps. Putting one foot in front of the other and making sure he doesn’t slip on the wet metal stairs. He’s too busy watching his feet to notice who is standing about twenty metres away, leaning up against the side of a black BMW SUV.

Daniel flashes GP a smile. Any second now…

Only when Max’s feet are firmly back on solid ground does he look up and spot Gianpiero. Then the next thing they know Max has let go of Daniel’s hand and is running full pelt towards the man, Mr Roar swinging in the wind as they run.

“Jeep! Jeep!” Max shouts excitedly.

“Hello,” GP says, holding his arms out for Max to leap into before hoisting the little onto his hip. He holds Max close, spinning him around, and kissing the top of his head. “Missed you.”

“Missed you too, Jeepy! Every day! I missed you big!”

“You missed me big?” GP laughs, “How big?”

As Daniel is walking towards the pair he sees Max start to wriggle on GP’s hip and yell, “Oh no! Jeepy put down, put down!”

GP puts the boy down immediately. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Daddy! Help!” Max says, panicked, looking back towards Daniel. Max has dropped Mr Roar to the ground and is pulling at the front of his sweatpants frantically. “Excited wee!”

Oh shit. Max is dropped younger than usual and Daniel let him sleep for a few hours, gave him a bottle, and then let him sprint full pelt at GP in excitement. Of course, he’s nearing an accident.

Daniel starts to run towards them, but before he makes it even a few metres, GP has stepped in for him.

The older man quickly turns Max to face the car, stands behind him, and shimmies his sweatpants down – enough for Max to let go up against the rear tyre of his car.

“There you go,” GP says, “Nothing to worry about.”

GP quickly picks up Mr Roar and cradles him under one arm before Max realises his plushie fell.

This is why Daniel trusts GP with Max, he springs into action when Max needs it. He doesn’t automatically look to Daniel to sort Max out when there is no time. He trusts his instincts and acts, Daniel wonders if it’s something to do with how well he knows Max from all the years of being his race engineer, or if it is just a GP thing. Always ready to prevent the next disaster.

“Sorry, Jeepy.” Max sniffles as he pees.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” GP tells Max firmly as Daniel finally reaches the pair. There is no room for disagreement in GP’s voice, he will defend Max even when Max is being hard on himself.

“Is that better, Max?” Daniel asks, placing a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Daddy’s so sorry that he didn’t check if you needed the bathroom before we got off the plane.”

“Yeah,” Max says as he finishes, looking up at Daniel sheepishly. “Feels better now.”

Daniel inspects the damage, only a tiny leak on Max’s underwear, GP had stepped in just in time. The underwear will dry and Daniel can get Max changed as soon as they reach the factory, so he pulls both Max’s underwear and sweatpants back up.

“Let’s get you in the car,” Daniel says, opening the back door and helping Max climb into the back seat. There’s a six-point harness belt in the backseat. GP had it installed over the summer break when he took Max on a couple of days out while Daniel was in the US for work.

Daniel is once again thankful for the race engineer’s presence in Max’s life and how much he cares. Not just when he’s big, but when Max is like this too.

Daniel kisses Max on the tummy, where the harness is buckled, and then he closes the door. Leaning up against it for a couple of seconds before turning around to face GP.

“Thanks for that,” He tells GP, as they shake hands in greeting. “He’s dropped pretty small today, I probably should have seen that one coming to be honest…”

GP waves his hand in the air, brushing it off. “It happens.”

“Jeepy is driving us to the park!” Max announces as they climb into the car, he’s flapping his hands excitedly. A sure sign that he’s happy. It makes Daniel chuckle, Max has a habit of saying things that he wants to do, rather than what they are actually doing.

“Jeepy is driving us to the factory, Max,” Daniel corrects, looking in the rearview mirror at the boy.

“Yeah. And the park.” Max nods, “Jeepy always takes me to the park, Daddy.”

“We like the park, don’t we, Max?” GP says and Max hmm’s in agreement. “Maybe tomorrow we can go.”

Max is looking around the back seat, patting himself down, and Daniel knows what he’s looking for. Mr Roar and a binkie.

But he’s not the only one who notices what Max needs.

“Here,” GP hands the boy his plushie, at the exact same time that Daniel says “Here,” and hands Max his binkie.

“Tanks,” Max giggles, taking both items.

It is not lost on Daniel how in tune with Max’s needs GP is.

When they arrive at the factory, the first thing that Daniel does is usher Max into the bathroom to change his clothes. He wrestles the excited little into some soft navy blue sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt, his usual factory attire.

And then it’s chaos.

As soon as Max is dressed he is darting for the bathroom door to make an escape into the factory.

“Maxy, safe body!” Daniel shouts after him, trying to remind the little to slow down a little.

It’s no use. Max is running straight at Calum, who must have been going out for a cigarette, arms flapping in excitement as he squeals in happiness at the mechanic.

“Look who it is!” Calum laughs, catching Max before throwing him a foot into the air and catching him again. It never ceases to amaze Daniel how strong the mechanics are, lifting Max up like he weighs nothing.

“Missed you, Cal!” Max tells him through giggles, “Throw me again! Throw me again!”

Calum does. Again. And again. Until Max is out of breath from giggling so hard and Calum places him back down on his feet.

“Take me!” Max demands a cheeky smile on his face.

“Max…” Daniel interjects, trying to remind Maxy that manners are important.

“Take you where?” Calum asks, confused.

“Hannah! Pedals! Jon! Paul!” Max says, taking Calum’s hand and tugging him towards the offices. “Jeep!!!”

“Jeep is parking the car, baby,” Daniel reminds him. The older man had dropped them at the entrance, the best place for an excited boy, before heading over to the parking lot.

“I can take him to see everyone,” Calum says to Daniel. “If that’s ok with you? I’ll take him to see everyone while you go and see the big man.”

Daniel does have a meeting with Christian to get to, and it is important for the team that everyone gets time with Max like this. When he’s small and innocent and so happy to see everyone.

“That would be great,” Daniel smiles. It’s easy to watch Max interacting with the guys, and Daniel knows that they are safe here. From judgment, but also from prying eyes.

As he watches Calum walk Max towards the back offices, he hears Max ask “Where’s Jonathon?” and his heart clenches a little bit. He has tried explaining to Max that Adrian and Jonathon will not be around as much this year, but that they will be there during the race weekends, and they still love him very much. But it’s hard to know how much of it Max actually understands when he is like this.

“Jonathon is coming in this afternoon just to see you, Buddy,” Calum says, voice getting quieter the further away the duo get. “He wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

[rose24207]

Lando taps your car, sending you into a devastating crash that leaves you in critical condition, shocking the F1 world.

"And here we go, ladies and gentlemen! It’s an intense fight for P3 between McLaren’s Lando Norris and Aston Martin’s Y/N L/N! With just six laps to go, neither driver is willing to give an inch!"

"Y/N has been absolutely stellar today. She’s held off both Ferraris, she’s fought wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton, and now she’s desperately defending against Norris, who has the pace advantage on those fresher tires."

"Lando’s got the DRS down the straight—he’s closing in rapidly! Y/N moves to the inside to cover it off, but Norris feints left, then right—trying to force an error. She doesn’t budge! This is masterclass defending!"

"This is nail-biting stuff! Lando looks to the outside into Turn 9, but Y/N holds firm! Oh, she’s squeezing him wide, making sure he has no space to switch back! That’s absolutely brilliant racecraft!"

"You can hear the tension in the crowd, Ted. Every single fan is on their feet! They know how much this podium means to Y/N—she’s been fighting all season for this moment!"

"But Lando is relentless, Crofty! He’s going to try again—this battle isn’t over!"

"And here they come into Turn 10—Norris is going for it! He’s sending it up the inside—"

"OH NO! CONTACT! CONTACT! Y/N IS AROUND! SHE’S GONE STRAIGHT INTO THE WALL!"

"THAT IS A MASSIVE CRASH! RED FLAG! RED FLAG IMMEDIATELY!"

"Oh my god—Y/N’s car is destroyed! The impact—she’s hit that barrier head-on at full speed! This is a horrifying accident!"

"There’s debris everywhere, Crofty! The car snapped around instantly when Lando tapped her rear tire—she was a complete passenger! There was nothing she could do!"

"The medical teams are already sprinting to the scene. This does not look good."

"We have radio from Lando Norris—"

"‘No, no, no, no—oh my god—NO! Is she okay?! Please tell me she’s okay! I—oh my god—I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to!’"

"Lando Norris is in absolute distress. You can hear it in his voice—he’s completely shattered."

"‘I touched her tire—I didn’t mean to! Oh god, please—tell me she’s moving! I—fuck, I’m so sorry!’"

"Lando is crying over the radio. He can barely breathe between his words."

"This is utterly heartbreaking, Crofty. He knows this is serious. He knows how bad this looks."

"‘I can’t—oh god, please, please let her be okay—’"

"His engineer is trying to calm him down, but Lando isn’t responding properly—he’s in complete shock."

"McLaren is calling him into the pits, but I don’t even think he’s hearing them right now, Ted. He sounds absolutely broken."

"You can hear a pin drop in the grandstands. No one is speaking. The entire pit lane is frozen, staring at the screens in horror."

"The medical teams have arrived, but we still have no word on Y/N’s condition. They’ve pulled a privacy screen up around the wreckage—"

"That’s never a good sign. We’ve seen it before, and it never gets easier. This is the worst-case scenario."

"Drivers are being told to return to the pit lane. Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton… none of them are speaking. Even over the radios, there’s nothing but stunned silence."

"This is the darkest moment we’ve seen in Formula 1 for years."

"We’re receiving an update now—Y/N is being transported to the medical center. Reports indicate that she is in critical condition. The impact was catastrophic."

"This is an absolute nightmare. Lando Norris, McLaren, Aston Martin—no one wanted this. No one."

"For now, all we can do is wait… and hope."

"All thoughts are with Y/N, her family, and the entire F1 community."

A/N: a little drabble because I had a shitty day :(

Taglist: @ipushhimback, @ladyoflynx, @lewishamiltonismybf, @cmleitora, @hmma3 , @same1995, @amatswimming, @llando4norris, @dr3wstarkey, @hurtblossom, @ernegren, @esposamultifandom

[masterj]

Watching SLOTLT:

....Okay... we need to talk about Sodor's Legend Of The Lost Treasure. Many TTTE fans love it and call it "the best special" and "the peak of CGI Thomas." But we need to face facts. It's far from everyone's favorite and actually the Most Controversial of CGI Thomas.

My stance? I say people who don't like SLOTLT are right- just for not for the valid reasons. Prepare to be roasted.

The movie heavily flanderizes Thomas and ruins his character development throughout the series. It practically takes everything that made him unlikable in the Miller era and turned him back into a complete, 100% irresponsible idiot. Take The Great Discovery, a special VERY similar in plot for example. After his trick on Stanley that demolishes the tower, he actually shows full remorse and tries to make up for his mistake.

In Lost Treasure, that is not the case. Here at the start of the movie he's just like, "I'm number one so I can do what I want!"

And it's not until THE DAY AFTER the Dynamite Incident that it finally sinks in and he's like "Aw it was my fault..."

Plus, he would've been mature enough by now not to let Gordon's teasing get to him. In Season 5, he literally tells Percy to just ignore George's insults and simply does just that.

Why are insults such a big deal to him NOW that he has to run of with Gordon's coaches and derail them??? This doesn't make sense! Yes, he is meant to be cheeky, but how the hell do we go from how he's written in Tale Of The Brave to this?!

So much dumb shit happens that could've and should have been easily avoided. The accidents Thomas cause would've have been stopped in a heartbeat if they ACTUALLY REMEMBERED drivers and firemen exist. When Thomas falls into the cavern? HOW THE HELL are they so unaware of the workmen shouting trying to stop them?! How do they not once look where he is going and see the signs?!

They're not even trying! Look at them in the cab! Up until the accident happens they're practically just chillin'! You're not fooling anybody! Are they high on crack in there??? Are they paying rent in there??? Do they just spontaneously go blind and deaf??? Hello?!?! Wake up and control your fucking train!!!

Let's cut back to the coaches. WHY is Thomas shunting Gordon's coaches when that is NOT his job anymore now that he has his branchline?! That's the whole reason the big engines went on strike and Percy was brought to the railway! Topham has HOW many shunters now? And you're SERIOUSLY gonna tell me not a single one could've done it instead? Look how empty Knapford is!

What about the Diesel Boxcab introduced this season? Why isn't he in this movie to do that instead? Did he die?

Overall, SLOTLT is just a pointless Great Discovery rehash sprinkled with stale RWS references, (which help set up this movie's god awful plot in the first place) returned characters, and cinematic visuals and music pretending it's actually a good movie with a likeable plot. Not only does it take the three-strike formula and fail miserably at making it good, (The three accidents Thomas causes) it can't even remember the show's continuity properly for God's sake! For a what's supposed to be a tribute to the RWS, this is not a good look at all, Andrew Brenner. You did not cook.

What's even worse is that for all these years everyone in this fandom just blindly glazes over everything this movie does wrong and then act like it's illegal for someone not to like it and it's disgusting. This movie single-handedly damaged the entire TTTE fandom for 10 years. 10. FUCKING. YEARS.

We already had a special that did this kind of plot so much better in every way. WHY are we doing it AGAIN??? Why wasn't The Adventure Begins enough for this year???

We did not need this. We did not need any of this shit. Just skip to Season 20 and you are not missing too much, I promise you. Peak CGI Thomas my ass. HALF the CGI specials are the least bit more deserving than this shitshow.

This movie sucks. We do not speak of it, I'm done talking about it, it's not canon, it doesn't deserve to be, it never existed. It's dead to me.

All it's got going for it are the visuals, voice acting and music, Donald, Douglas, Alfie and Oliver returning, and the Miniature Engines introduced. That's it.

Just because a movie looks 'cinematic' does not automatically make it good.

[etclouie]

day nine — prettiest bouquet

ᯓ ꨄ︎ — summary; getting flowers delivered to your desk, you know who they’re from without reading the card (Luke Alvez x fem!reader)

ᯓ ꨄ︎ — warnings; bau!reader, established relationship (but no one else knows), they're secretly dating, flower pictures are just for show, reader calls luke ‘lukie’ — not outright but it’ll make sense towards the end, that’s it though i think

ᯓ ꨄ︎ — word count; 1,044

ᯓ ꨄ︎ — a/n; he’s mr. lover man

prev day | next day louie’s 14 days of love | main masterlist

you and Luke had been dating for the past couple months, and hadn’t told anyone yet.

both of you agreed that you wanted to tell people eventually, but for now you enjoyed keeping it between you both.

today though, that was all changing.

or at least, the secret that you were seeing someone was coming to light.

you were making your way back to your desk, but had stopped halfway when you noticed a boquet of flowers sat on your desk.

you knew exactly who they were from, and you knew exactly where he was. Luke sat at his desk, trying to mask his smile as you inspected the flowers — a bouqet of your favourites.

as you reached for the small card planted between the petals, a click of heels grew closer and was quickly followed by an excited squeal you knew all too well.

“who are these from?!”

turning, you were met with Penelope. an excited look across her face as her eyes flicked between you and the flowers, before falling to the card in your hands.

quickly pulling it away before she could read it, only for Emily and JJ to join in too.

“you’ve been keeping secrets from us?”

Emily chastised, though you all knew she was joking. but it was the truth, you were keeping your relationship a secret.

as the three of them continued barrelling questions your way, your eyes flicked over to Luke again. silently pleading for help, only for him to shrug and go back to what he was pretending to work on.

sighing you turned your attention back to the three of them, still clutching the card in your hand as you answered.

“yes i’ve been seeing someone”

you told, eyes barely catching the way Luke’s lips curled into a smirk.

“and you never told us?”

JJ chimed in this time, Emily and Penelope both trying to reach for the card as you continued to keep it from them. or at least attempted too.

Emily was successful in taking the card just as Luke made his way over to the four of you, smirk still across his face until everyones eyes were on him.

“what’s going on over here?”

you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at his attempt to act clueless, especially because he was the cause of all of the questions coming your way.

“her boyfriend got flowers delivered”

Emily told, holding up the still closed and unread card. your eyes flicked over to Luke’s again in another plea for help, which he granted this time.

before Emily could open the card properly he took it from her, clearing his throat as he prepared to speak again.

all three women’s attention on him, as you wanted to sink into the ground.

was he really about to out that you were dating him?

“oh, it doesn’t say a name”

Luke announced, and a sigh of relief quickly following as you sank down into your chair.

it wasn’t as if you didn’t want the rest of the team knowing, you just didn’t want all of the questions that would follow with them knowing it was Luke you’re dating.

“so.. who’s the lucky guy?”

JJ asked, sitting on the edge of your desk as she admired the flowers on your desk. Emily stood by her side with her arms crossed over her chest and Penelope pulled over another chair.

you couldn’t help but let your eyes flick briefly to Luke, casting a second glance to the card in his hands as he reread the messgae he had written.

“just this guy”

you shrugged, the room feeling warmer than it had a couple minutes ago.

“just some guy?”

Luke chimed in, his curiosity making clues fly through JJ’s mind. a smile working its way onto her face as she slowly started to piece it together, you and Luke had been spending more time together around the office, even choosing to sit next to each other on the jet while away on cases.

the look across JJ’s face was telling that she knew, which Penelope quickly picked up on.

“what, what?!”

she asked, making JJ laugh before shaking her head.

“i know who it is”

part of you knew it would be her first, but you didn’t expect her to get it this quickly.

Penelope’s lips parted in disbelief, mostly at the fact that she wasn’t first to know, which made you laugh.

you could feel Luke’s eyes on you again, looking up at him and nodding.

“i mean i could tell you, but i think that’s his decision to make”

you shrugged, your words confusing Emily more than she already was and making Penelope try to recall every little detail of the previous couple minutes.

“wait—“

she had started, but cut herself off. you however, had met Luke’s gaze again, earning a nod from him as he handed over the card.

quickly reader the card as a smile made it’s way across your face, looking back up at him.

‘just because i love you — your Lukie’

the fact he used the nickname you called him made your smile wider, and the just becauseness of the flowers making your heart thrum.

“you all know the guy i’ve been seeing”

you told, which only added to their confusion. JJ however, stayed sitting on the edge of your desk with a smirk.

it wasn’t until you stood from the chair and took Luke’s hands into yours did all the pieces click into place, as did you in his arms.

turning to face the three of them, your back to Luke’s chest as you laughed.

“surprise”

you murmued, which made Luke chuckle before he pressed a kiss to the top of your head as Penelope exclaimed in disbelief.

“no way—you secret keepers!”

Penelope exclaimed before she hugged you, letting go to poke a finger at Luke’s chest while Emily hugged you and then JJ.

you laughed as you heard Penelope chastising Luke for not telling her, while JJ and Emily congradulated you.

“you’re good together”

JJ told, though your eyes weren’t on either her or Emily, they were on Luke. who was enduring all of Penelope’s questions as his eyes flicked over to you again, smiling softly.

“yeah we are”

reblogs are highly appreciated !

[soukokuforthesoul]

dazai and atsushi working late because they got caught up in something earlier, and dazai slumps back on his chair, tired. atsushi turns to him, resisting the urge to laugh because he completely understands.

"we're almost done, dazai-san. we can leave in a bit," he assures him, and dazai grumbles under his breath but goes back to his laptop.

amidst the typing, and the sound of something being printed in the room over, a thought occurs to atsushi, and he looks up, towards the man beside him. he wonders where he would be if dazai hadn't picked him up that day. after a moment, dazai notices his gaze and, resting his chin in his palm, smiles inquiringly at him.

"something wrong, atsushi-kun?" he asks, likely hoping it'll get him out of work. (even if, looking at his screen, he only really has a little left to do).

"ah, no," atsushi says quickly, embarrassed. "i just wanted— well, i was thinking. uhm, i wanted to say thank you, dazai-san."

"eh?" dazai arches and eyebrow, leaning back on his chair to study atsushi. "for what? i'm not going to do your work."

"no, no—i already finished!" atsushi shakes his head, his smile shy as he angles his expression from dazai's point of view. "i meant—thank you for everything you've done for me. for taking me in. and for, well, just... letting me live. i realize i never properly thanked you. i hope i can repay you one day."

it's almost like he walked into this—atsushi realizes—because the perfect opportunity stands for dazai to make him finish work up for him. but instead of taking the unintended bait, dazai pauses. he stares at atsushi long enough for him to turn back around, catching dazai's gaze.

dazai's face is unreadable, and though that's not unusual, it feels different. as if even dazai can't interpret his own emotions. but then dazai smiles—a wide smile, that holds something bittersweet in it—and he dips his head down, chuckling. "atsushi-kun, i believe you're too kind for this world," he murmurs, and then adds, "or, for me, really. i should thank you for existing."

before atsushi can ask what that means, dazai returns to his laptop, satisfied to see the files have been uploaded, then closes it and stands, stretching. he offers a hand to atsushi, who takes it, pushing his chair in and closing his own laptop.

"we're done here, right? let's go get something to eat before heading home," dazai offers. he grins, pulling out a wad of money from his coat pocket. "kunikida-kun's treat."

atsushi eyes him, although he's smiling too—he can't help it. "did you steal that?"

dazai winks, and leads atsushi out the building, turning off the light behind them. the money is spent, but atsushi insists they keep some food for kunikida, to which dazai reluctantly gives in to. the night is lost in conversation, but dazai is lost in his mind—stuck on the way atsushi's gratitude had been so genuine. atsushi keeps him busy, his smiles and laughter chasing away dazai's doubts that he doesn't deserve it.

thank you ... for letting me live

how strange of an appreciation, because dazai has always found freedom in death. and even stranger that dazai wonders if that is how atsushi makes him feel. atsushi lets him live.

[nonagesimus]

OC Kiss Week Day 1 - Desperate

another ficlet for day one with my Shadow Dragon Rose Mercar, and @willofthewolf's Rowan Mercar.

-

“So, things could be going worse.”

Rose glanced over to where Rowan had pressed themself up against the same wall as her for cover. It surrounded a garden at the edge of the plaza that was usually bordering on idyllic, somewhere Rose liked to sit if she needed to think something through, or eat lunch when she just wanted nice afternoon. Somewhere the pair of them met sometimes. Rose liked associating it with that, with good things, but right at that moment it felt like the entire city was screaming on the other side.

“How d’you reckon?” she asked, trying not to sound completely exhausted.

“Well,” Rowan’s fingers were plucking absently at their bowstring, familiar little sparks dancing off it with each movement, “The dragon could be completely immune to fire.”

Rose muffled a snort, flipped her spellblade back and forth in her hand. The Shadow Dragons were doing their best, but it felt like the ground was about to crumble out from beneath her. She did her best work up close, but even if they managed to force the dragon to the ground; it was a still a dragon.

Not even counting those boils on its front legs. Whatever it had been spewing out of its mouth—A few darkspawn in the catacombs weren’t going to be the last of their problems, Rose thought.

If they survived to see any more.

There was an echoing screech as the beast swooped overhead, the wind from its wings buffeting down, but it was swooping to the east. Not good for the east side of the city, but it gave the two of them some time to catch their breath properly. Rose looked over at Rowan, who’d also slumped down a little against the wall. She shifted closer to them, enough to press their shoulders together.

“Well,” Rowan said. “A blaze of glory isn’t a bad way to go out.” They wrapped their arm around Rose’s shoulder to pull her even further into them.

“How about this,” Rose countered, twisting to face them, “If we make it out of this, we take an actual vacation?”

“You’ll never follow through,” Rowan teased, but there was a vicious edge to their grin that Rose loved.

She reached up her free hand, traced the tattoo down the side of Rowan’s face, and said, “So, you’ll just have to stay alive and make me.”

Rowan’s arm tightened around her shoulders, pulled her into a firm kiss. Rose cupped her cheek, and kissed back, half of her screaming that if it was their final kiss she’d better make it count, half that there was no way in all the hells she was letting it be their last. Wind rushed over them again and they broke apart, looking up to see the dragon swooping back over them.

“Alright,” Rowan said, meeting her eyes again, “So, that’s a deal?”

“I don’t break my word,” Rose said.

“Then let’s go figure out how to get that fucker to land.”