#and if anyone has been holding off reading - it's safe to read it now lmao

[karatam]

come back (even as a shadow, even as a dream) [12/12, complete, 113k]

pairing: Ava/Beatrice (Warrior Nun)

rating: M

chapter word count: 2.2k

chapter summary: Epilogue - Bea

Amsterdam is beautiful.

The bells of a nearby clocktower ring out, and the off-kilter melody they produce makes Bea smile. She leans forward, resting her weight on her elbows as she stands on the bridge, the wooden railing probably leaving indents in her forearms. She’s been waiting a while, has heard the bells chime out at least twice while watching boats drift lazily through the canal below.

full fic summary:

Three months after Ava disappears into the portal, Beatrice still can’t let her go. She’ll do anything to bring Ava back. But when she manages to succeed, the question is what else has Ava brought back with her? or Ava comes back wrong

total word count: 113k

IT'S FINALLY COMPLETE!!!

prologue - Bea chapter 1 - Bea chapter 2 - Bea chapter 3 - Bea chapter 4 - Bea chapter 5 - Ava interlude - Ava chapter 6 - Bea chapter 7 - Bea & Ava chapter 8 - Bea & Ava chapter 9 - Bea & Ava epilogue - Bea

(read on AO3)

[hardcore-jones]

I'm allergic to sunlight

Asirel x GN!Listener

I'm not the only one that's sick of summer right? RIGHT?? So I wrote a summer fic in the hopes it will end earlier lmao, and if i have to suffer in the sun so does Pet

TWs: Listener being a little mean?, Death and Suicide Mentioned in Passing

It was beyond you how anyone could enjoy the hot and unbearable thing that was the sun. You sat huddled under an umbrella, your sunglasses just barely kept your eyes from frying, a floppy sun hat keeping the majority of the sun off of you. The lounge chair was starting to dig uncomfortably into your skin and you were only one more minor annoyance from abandoning the sand and retreating back to the beach house behind you. Speaking of annoyances... 

Asirel emerged from the salty water, wet hair sticking to his forehead as he deposited his surfboard in the sand. He sauntered over, using a towel to dry himself off. 

"You look so miserable over here, pet. Is your reward not to your liking?" 

"Oh right, bringing a vampire to the brightest place on earth is definitely the type of reward I had in mind." You rolled your eyes, bunching up the linen swimsuit cover tighter around you. 

He sat at the other end of the chair, a hand resting on your knee as you sat criss-crossed. "You've had some fun, I even saw you smiling earlier when you found that starfish. A little vacation after protecting me seemed like quite the fair deal to me." 

Asirel must have felt he needed to overcompensate with the reward after a few men entered the estate with guns, though they barely made it a foot through the door before you were on them in a flurry of bloodlust and rage. It was as if he was saying 'see, you'll get nice things if you keep me safe'. 

"That reminds me, I got you something." The chair squeaked as he leaned over, digging through the beach bag next to you until he freed a book from the bottles of sunscreen and towels. He wiped excess sand off it before passing it to you. "I found this." 

"I swear if this is another copy of Twilight I'll drain you..." You mumbled and grabbed it with a quizzical expression. The book was warm in your hands, bound in red leather with a somewhat faded cover. 

"You told me the title before, but you never told me much about it." 

You turned it over a few times in your hands, stunned as you remembered it. "I read it before I was even turned. Well- I should say I read most of it. I never got to finish it, and I couldn't ever find a copy of it." You pulled your sunglasses down a few inches, staring into his eyes despite the harsh sunlight. "Where did you find this?" 

Asirel seemed unaware of your compulsion, or just unfazed, as if he was expecting it. "I have my ways." 

Damn it. Not a lie, of course, but not exactly the truth. You decided to abandon getting a straight answer. You put your sunglasses back up. "I'll have to read this later. Thank you." 

He smiled, a smirk you often wished you could wipe off his face. "Of course, only the best for you, pet." 

Asirel stretched out, laying against the lower half of the chair with his legs in the sun. "Lunch should be ready soon, if the sun is getting to you we can head inside now." 

You put the book down into your lap. "We can stay a few more minutes." 

"Good," He rested his hands behind his head as he looked out into the ocean. "It's been so many years since I've been here." 

"Hm, really? You have access to a beach house on your own island 24/7 and you just... don't go?" 

"My sister uses it more than I do." He explained. "She's quite the busy body, and travel has always been something she's enjoyed. We came together many times as children, but I just haven't had much desire to return since." 

"Is that when you got your amazing surfing abilities?" 

Asirel glared at you. He was very much not good at surfing. You stopped counting after the fourth wipe out. Your maniacal giggling made him roll his eyes at you. He stood up instead, holding out a hand and helping you to your feet. 

"Let's head in and have some drinks to cool down," Asirel used a spare towel to wrap around you, bunched up around your shoulders. 

"I told you the sun won't kill me, you don't have to cover me." 

"I know," he said, his voice almost drowned out by the waves flowing in. "but I know it's not pleasant." 

Asirel found out from first hand experience the myths surrounding vampires. He came to your room one day, stunned to see you pulling back the thick curtains and peering out the window to the garden below. He rushed over, pulling you away and covering the sun again, demanding to know why you'd try to kill yourself in the sunlight. You could hardly explain the misconception between your laughs. 

He kept a hand wrapped around your shoulder and began to lead you up the path and to the beach house. 

"Why don't we come back when this jet lag wears off? Swimming under the stars sounds much more enjoyable, doesn't it?" 

You could stop the chuckle when you asked, "Will you teach me how to surf then?" 

Asirel rolled his eyes, escorting you into the beach house.

[jellazticious]

Meet this chucklefuck

His name is Pascal Short for Giuseppe Pascallis Jaleppino Edvard Stefano Dimitri Jaloro Pepperman-Spaghetti

That's right, you read the surnames correctly. He is a Pepperino fankid

ramble and more drawings under the cut if you managed to survive the first part

If I had a nickel for everytime I made fankids, I would have two. Which isn't a lot but it is weird that it happened twice.

And brother? I'm happy about it jsrgksrb

Pascal is a jaloro pepper and since his parents are so shit at naming him, they straight up put his pepper type as a name. but yes, they're a real thing and they're so cute. Jaloros are just yellow jalapenos

I also tried to make him simultaneously look like a pepper and a mango to complement how Pepperman looks like an apple. but also while drawing the sprite mock ups, I realized that at a certain pose he sorta looks like a pizza slice. I win either way bfsjbgksjr

He does not want to be an artist or a chef but he does have the inherited naturality of both which landed him a job as a barista. and of course, he could only work for one place which is the Noisette Cafe. It kinda gave him a little trouble getting hired cuz 1.) Peppino does not like how his son is about to work for his rival's girlfriend and 2.) Noisette is fucking terrified of Pepperman. You think she's gonna let his son who is one foot taller work for her 😭

But still, Noisette is way too kind that Peppino forgets why he has a problem with her and Pascal is way softer than both his dads surprisingly. It's ironic how Peppino and Pepperman are these barbarians of people and their kid ended up being the forestcore aestethic. He is never beating the allegations lmao, he's gonna be THAT softboy

But don't get me wrong, he can be a combination brutal and berserk when pissed off. He still has the same strength as his dads, mind you. Mostly Pepperman's brute and Peppino's street smarts

And their patience too.

People expect him to be as manly lol but like nahh he just wanna chill and be a nerd dork

And if anyone's wondering, it was obviously Pepperman who spawned him. In the human au tho? I have a perfect answer for that lmao. ahem

My Pepperman has and always been intersex lmao. That is it, that is all you need to know how Pascal can theoretically be made

Plants being plants man, they're really weird. Pepper is simultaneously mom, dad, uncle, and aunt lmao. Tho Pas calls him both mom and dad because it would be so fucking funny and he calls Peppino papi

He's very tender mostly cuz he did not inherit Pepperman's narcissism but he did inherit that kindness that Pepperman tries so hard to hide. And of course, Peppino's anxiety and impulses.

As a kid, Peppino is the brooding hen between him and Phil. He'd be the one who double checks triple checks if it's safe to let baby Pascal do his thing.

Pepperman on the other hand, he holds baby Pas like a rubber ball. Peppino tries not to get his kid killed because of how his wife holds it 😭

Oh also in a few of em, you can see little interactions with @beefy-the-stronk's Jude. They're simultaneously cousins and siblings. Also don't question it. Just imagine there's two Peppermans gbsjbgrksj

Also Gustavo is the godfather. I only had Pascal for three days but I would die for him

Anyway, if you made it this far, I thank you but alas. That is all for now bgjsbgjksr

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

Hiii my love,

How are you? I hope you’re doing good. I love it sm that you still give us daily tr content and basically keep the fandom alive!🥹🫶🏼 I hope you don’t get sick of posting cuz we need youuuu

And i’ve got a question… could u pretty pleaseee make hc’s about how most of the boys (including baji and kakucho my faves hihi) would react on this ‘fighting your imaginary friend’ prank if you pull it on them.

Here’s the link to the tiktok for reference: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZIJnX9JDu/

If you have the time for it ofcourse and most importantly only if you want to pookie! I’m curious to know how they would react if you all of the sudden start swinging in the air and keep on continuing making a tiktok with them like nothing happened🤣

I'm good, thanks! Hope you're doing well too! Lmao this is the first time I've seen this prank but it looks like fun! I definitely think most of them would punch first and ask questions later but this is what I've got for everyone!

Takemichi- He is so confused, nervously calls out your name??? Internally panics that this somehow has something to do with time leaping or the other stuff he doesn't understand. He grabs your hand and shakes it like he does with Naoto, thinking this might make it stop? Now you're the confused one. 

Mikey- Quickly swallows the rest of the taiyaki he was eating and jumps into action! But he can't see an enemy??? Figures it could be an impulse type thing and hugs you instead, trying to make you calm down. 

Draken- Shouts "WHERE!? WHERE!?" He has no idea how to fight something he can't see so he just picks you up instead and holds you up in the air, figuring whatever it is can't reach you.

Naoto- Thinks it's a ghost, he's read about this in his occult books. Luckily he has some salt on him, throws it in the direction you're being attacked.

Baji- Doesn't even question it just starts swinging at the air, he even attacks the air for a solid 5 minutes after you've stopped. He just got too into the "fight" to notice it's "over".

Chifuyu- Frowns and whips his head around, looking for the attacker. After he doesn't see anyone, he shrugs and starts punching in the direction you're trying to fight in. Of course he'll protect you! ....even if he can't see the threat.

Mitsuya- Get's in between you and the "enemy" and sternly looks at the air, telling it "that's enough". You're too bewildered at how he told off the imaginary friend to continue. 

Hakkai- Tries to get in between you and the imaginary friend so he can take the hits instead. Swears he actually felt a punch, even after you tell him he wasn't real. 

Pah- Rubs his eyes a lot, thinking he has a problem. Still charges in to try and save you, tells you to step back so he can take care of it.

Peh- Yells a lot and throws all kinds of insults at the imaginary friend while trying to stop them. 

Smiley- "you wanna die!?" He jumps into the fight real quick, he's been wanting an excuse all day. Unfortunately he thinks the closest guy to you is the one who did it, so he ends up chasing after a random guy. 

Angry- "are you ok?" He's so concerned, hates the idea of anyone hurting you. He grabs your hand and runs, trying to get you both away from whatever that was.

Mucho- Raises an eyebrow at you and pulls you away from the direction of the "fight". Instead holding you in his arms to keep you safe.

Sanzu- Grabs his katana and starts slashing at the air while laughing, you have no idea where he got that katana from.

Kazutora- "Huh!?" He gets mad at the imaginary friend and quickly fights back against it, throwing a mixture of punches and kicks. He's so mad that anyone would dare to hurt his lover. 

Hanma- Matches your energy, goes "bang bang" with an imaginary gun before throwing an imaginary grenade at them. Once it's over, he happily walks away with you and says the two of you should do that again next week.

Kisaki- "what the hell are you doing?" He doesn't understand at all, there's clearly nothing there. Grabs your hand and speed walks away, occasionally looking back and adjusting his glasses.

Koko- Hisses a "what the fuck" before kicking in that direction a few times. Buys you cake after because he feels guilty that you got "attacked" on his watch.

Inui- Blinks before ruthlessly punching at the air, he isn't sure what's going on but he isn't going to let anything happen to you.

Taiju- Laughs manically and charges at the imaginary friend. Unfortunately since he doesn't feel anything he just keeps running, assuming it's running away from him. You have to run after him to get him back.

Izana- "who the hell is trying to hurt what's mine?" Wants you to point out the guy out but when you don't he starts attacking in the general direction you're fighting in. Doesn't seem to totally understand it wasn't real after, since he demands to see your wounds so he can treat them. 

Kakucho- Eyes flicker around wildly while trying to find the threat. He's so worried about you, of course he throws a bunch of punches but when he doesn't hit anything he worries that the other guy is "dodging him". He's a little disappointed to find out it was only a prank after. He's glad you're ok but kinda wanted to show off his skills to you. 

Ran- Gets out his baton and whacks the imaginary friend a bunch of times, then grins and declares that it's dead. Insists you come back to his house after so he can keep you "safe".

Rindou- Panics a little since he can't see anyone. Tries to tackle the air and hits the ground pretty hard. Still asks "did I get it!?" Is more concerned about you then his fall. 

Mochi- Angrily yells and starts swinging, yells out to ask if you're ok the whole time while he's doing this.

Shion- "who is it!???" Threatens the air before punching at it, probably somehow manages to punch a lamppost instead then insists you kiss his bruised knuckles better.

South- Happily starts throwing punches for you. When it doesn't seem to work (he can't feel anything) he picks you up and runs away while carrying you. (He plans on coming back later to finish the job after you're safe).

Wakasa- He's pretty confused about this, takes a second to think before shrugging and throwing a kick. Wants you to say thank you after since he "saved you".

Benkei- Yells and swats at the imaginary friend, tries to make them go away. If that fails then he gets more serious with it and attacks the air more ferociously.

Shinichiro- Calls out to you in concern, he's not sure what to do exactly. Tries to bargain with the imaginary friend, "take me instead!" When that doesn't work he tells you to run while he holds them off.

[fiber-optic-alligator]

I SEE THAT CROSSED OUT “AS A SNACK” IN YOUR LAST ASK 👀

Let’s say… hypothetically… Zuko would end up tasting the tiny he takes care of 👀 how would that happen?

MWSHRJENDJRNRJF LISTEN LISTEN ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK

Okay yeah it is.

REMINDER TO ANYONE READING THIS THAT THIS IS STRICTLY SFW. DO NOT MAKE THIS WEIRD (not you Relic I promise lmao this is not aimed at you at all).

Once again, it would really depend on which season Zuko you’re dealing with. Because if you’re thinking of a more malicious fearplay perspective, season 1 Zuko would be the guy for that. I’d like to think the Fire Nation would consider tinies an exotic delicacy because why the fuck not, everything goes to shit when Ozai is in charge. But I’m not a fan of hard vore or digestion, so I’d consider this to be a situation where tinies are treated kinda like gum or legal drugs (sort of like your Tasty Au!). They’re delicious, they’re satisfying, and oh boy do they provide benders with a massive power up. Pretty soon tinies become staples of unlocking firebending capabilities: just gobble one up, tuck it away for a few hours, soak in that strength, and then spit it up for next time.

Maybe in regards to season 1, Zuko is gifted a tiny as a good luck charm by someone for his trip to hunt down the Avatar. Due to the fact that eating tinies is so normalized in the Fire Nation, he’d have no qualms with tasting you, and he’d definitely get addicted pretty quickly. It would be a power trip for him; he’s just been banished from his home, his father has mentally and physically scarred him, he feels completely lost, and besides Uncle Iroh, he has no one to turn to, and he won’t allow himself to turn to anyone. He’d take that anger and frustration out on you. He’d never hurt you-his honor won’t allow it-but he’ll scare you by holding you over his jaws, snapping his teeth at your kicking feet, playing games of cat and mouse by letting you run off only for him to slam his hand over you at the last moment and then toss you into his maw, etc, etc. I don’t see season 1 Zuko being a big licker or one who’d keep you in his mouth for long. He’s impatient and doesn’t have time for it. But he’ll make you fear him and he likes that because it gives him some sort of control in his out-of-control life.

Season 3 Zuko would be more for accidental fearplay and fluff. Protection vore would be up his alley and even then he’d never keep you within him for very long (unless you really beg him to. If you genuinely enjoy being in there, then he will reluctantly give in and admit he likes you being in there too). Much more gentle and focused on how you feel than season 1. More licking and time in his mouth too because being gentle with you gives him more of an opportunity to taste you to the full extent, and he just really likes holding you in his mouth because he likes how protected you are. There’s also huge potential for miscommunication and the classic “I need to protect you so I’m going to eat you but you won’t know it’s safe and I can’t tell you it’s safe right now so please don’t be scared of me I will comfort you when we are both safe�� scenario,” which I love hehehehehee.

As you can see I’ve put a lot of thought into this and I don’t know whether I should be proud or ashamed. Thank you for indulging :D

[fratboychrissgfn]

NEEDY

plot; you & the triplets were close friends but you rarely got along with chris. you guys were going on a road trip, you, matt , nick , chris , madi , & nate. without anyone knowing u & chris fucked on the low a couple times, you avoided sitting next to chris until you had no choice..

everyone packed up with everyone’s bags in the trunk. we all sat down. matt driving, nick surprisingly in the passenger seat, madi in the second row on one side as the other side has extra bags. nate is in the back onto chris’s right. bags towering over making a barrier, not able to see nate.

i hop into the car last, “um” i said in a nervous tone. “ what’s up?” matt says, “i have no where to sit..” matt smirks “find a seat somewhere in the back eh?”, you scoff and groan “ ugh fuck off.”

your eyes scattering wandering around the csr not knowing where to sit. madi already fast asleep, not even being able to see nate as bags fill up the space. you roll your eyes as you stare into chris’s direction. “ mind if i take a seat?”you say staring him up & down with no choice but to sit on his lap. “mm i actually do kind of mind.” chris says, teasing you for only you to hear as the radio goes on. you roll my eyes as you softly and slowly take a seat onto chris’s lap.

matt stares at you through the rear mirror, smirking letting out a soft chuckle. the ride gets a bit.. bumpy?? speed bumps coming every second, chris gets tired of it as it almost gets him hard. he starts wrapping his arms around your waist holding you in place. you feel a feeling you’ve never felt before.. your so called “ enemy “ making you feel safe and in place as he wraps his arms around you. you snap back to reality, remembering that chris “ hates” your guts.

an hour into the ride chris has one arm wrapped around your waist as the other hand is on his phone scrolling on tiktok. for some reason you feel secure with his arm wrapped around you. you continue texting your “ talking stage? “ chris notices but doesn’t say anything.. until he reads your message, “ please get me out of here lmao 😭”

chris seeing your text, getting offended. his grip on your waist tightens. you let out a soft gasp. chris letting a smirk cross his lip as he hears your gasp, pushing you more onto his bulge.

“chris. what are you doing.” you ask, “ they won’t hear us y/n.” chris says with a slight smirk, as he slowly grips ur hips making you grind against up on his bulge. you didn’t wanna do anything intimate w him but fuck, you liked what he was doing. “chris sto—“ chris cuts you off, “ trust me, ma. they won’t hear a sound if you keep it quiet enough for me” chris says, barely loud enough for you to hear with matt putting the radio so loud.

he fixes the way you sat on his lap, you guys are now face to face. “ just one time y/n” chris says as if he’s begging. you try to hold back. but before you know it.. his fingers are teasing the waistband of your shorts looking into your eyes waiting for approval. you pause for a moment, wanting his touch so bad yet scared to risk getting caught with everyone in the car even though anyone can barely see you guys due to all the suitcases and bags. you nod slowly at him.

“ you don’t know how long i been waiting to do this y/n.”

chris says as his hand roams up to your inner thigh, pulling your shorts to the side, revealing your pink laced underwear. “already wet for me huh?” chris says with a smirk on his face as he lets his thumb rub small gentle circles on your sensitive spot where you need him the most, through the fabric of your underwear. you let out a soft whimper, “ please chris.” you say as you hold his wrist.

“please what, ma?” chris says tilting his head. “ please stop teasing me.. i— i need you so bad.”

“such a needy fucking slut for me, aren’t you?” chris says in a low raspy voice, teasing you again, rubbing small circles on your sensitive spot through the fabric of your underwear.

umm i’m 90% no one’s gonna read this lol so ima stop the story here lmk if we want a part twooo 💕😭

[terrifictomholland]

I know everyone thinks I’ve disappeared (I pretty much have, but I actually wrote something! Sliiightly based off of a conversation me and my bf had not too long ago, it’s a complete fluff piece. But with our favourite Tom instead of my bf, or no one would read (maybe you’re not judging by how inactive I am on here lmao 😂✌🏻) anyway, almost 11pm blurbs - here you are 😊

Idk if anyone is even here anymore and not on a hiatus or have completely abandoned ship but some of my mutuals - here you are @spidey-sophie @worldoftom @stuckonspidey @tetralea @duskholland @userholland

—————

You unlocked the door to your shared flat, stepping inside to the sounds of mugs clinking about, an audiobook playing and Tom humming a song to himself. No doubt being in the midst of making some tea.

“Honey, I’m home!” you sing sang only for his face to pop out from the doorway leading from the kitchen to the hallway. “Hi cakes!” He grinned, “you want a cuppa?”

You took off your shoes, placing them neatly beside his. “Yeah sure hun, just going to the bathroom! Give me a moment!” You quickly went inside the bathroom doing your business and coming out after drying your hands.

Sneaking up behind him and wrapping your arms around his waist. You felt his sculpted back and shoulder blades underneath your touch through his cosy-looking hoodie.

“How’s your day been?” You murmured, lips pressing against the back of his neck, sensing the shiver that ran through him.

“It’s been good, haven’t done too much - did some tidying up and took some garbage out.” He said swiftly turning sideways to fully wrap you up in his strong and safe arms.

“Oh, thank you,” you positively beamed hearing that. If there was one thing you absolutely despised it was taking out the garbage. Such a hideously boring task.

“You talked in your sleep again,” you laughed thinking back on early this morning before you left for work. He tightened his hold on you. “Oh yeah? What was it this time then?”

“That your team apparently sucked so hard, they aren’t getting any of the 4 blocks of chocolate. We’ll be keeping them all to ourselves.” You cackled seeing the way Toms cheeks turned pink before he burst out into hysterical laughter. “Well that sucks for them, not for us though,” he grinned.

For a second he let go of you to throw the teabags into the sink. “Oh come on,” you complained seeing where he threw the tea bags. He simply shushed you with a kiss.

“Come join me on the couch, what do you fancy watching?” He was already on his way to the living room and you had no other choice but to follow him.

“I’m not too bothered,” you said tucking your legs under you in the couch. Tom sitting right beside you giving you a sweet smile.

“I’ve missed you,” to hear those words made your heart swell, “I’ve missed you more,” and his eyes softened with a much smaller smile, but the one he always reserved just for you, on these moments where it was just the two of you in your own little world.

“Do you fancy watching Mindhunter?” You asked after you took a sip of your peach and mango black tea. No milk, no sugar - just some honey in it.

“The FBI show?” And you nodded, he shrugged and turned the TV on, going to Netflix to search for the show.

After a good while of watching the second episode, you snuggled up against Tom’s chest, playing with the strings of his hoodie. His steady heartbeat soothing and calming you right down.

“Do you ever think about what our song is, Tom? Like that one song every couple has?” You asked quietly feeling him run a hand through your hair.

“Sometimes, which song do you think is ours?” His voice laced with curiosity now. You took a moment to ponder over his question.

“For me, spontaneously I’d have to say ‘Photograph’ by Ed,” you landed on, “I feel that song has stuck with us through thick and thin,” you added and felt his lips on your forehead. “Yeah I agree, Ed’s been there for us a lot hasn’t he?” He joked and you buried your face in his clothed chest, laughter bubbling out of you.

“He sure has,” you lifted your head up, looking into his eyes, just getting lost in those brown eyes, the longer slightly curly hair at the ends that framed his defined face so well.

“Do you ever think about the day when we get married? Like, our first song to dance too?” You mumbled slightly embarrassed now that you had exposed the thought of being married to Tom.

The tiniest of smiles played at his lips, eyes glittering ever so slightly, “yeah I do,” he said almost nonchalantly and your eyebrow lifted at that. “Oh?”

“How could I not? It’s gonna happen one day, don’t you worry,” he smiled matter-of-factly, stealing a kiss from you. “What song would you choose?” He mumbled pulling away from your lips ever so slightly, still close enough for his breath to land on your face.

“You’re Still the One by Shania Twain,” you said embarrassingly fast and his lips formed a massive smile. “Play it for me, please.” he urged handing you his phone.

Soon enough, the intro to You’re Still the One started up and you revelled at being in his arms, hearing the song you hopefully danced to one way day in the future, wearing a pretty tux and a beautiful dress.

“I’m feeling really vulnerable right now,” you whispered as to not ruin your moment with the song still playing in the background. “Why?” He whispered back, placing two fingers under your chin gently, to meet his gaze.

“Because I’m exposing such a deep and private part of me, to you for you the best my innermost truest feelings for you - and as much as I love you, it’s still scary to put all of this trust and love in your hands although I know you’d never do anything to hurt me or in any way jeopardise my love for you.” You got out, your eyes turning misty as did Toms at your confession.

“Thank you darling for letting me hear your innermost personal song, but I think it describes us perfectly and I’d be more than honoured to dance our first dance to this song.” His smile could have lightened up ten thousands miles, your heart about to burst with love for this man. Knowing how precious you were to him, for him to treat your feelings so respectfully it meant everything to you.

“I love you, those words aren’t even close to describing the way I really feel about you but they’ll have to do - though I’m more of a shower on how I feel, you know that.” a lone tear spilled over your cheek as you poured your heart out to him and all he did was smile that special smile just for you.

“I love you too, more than words could ever mean,”

[charlottesbookclub]

king of all birds – chapter five

king of all birds masterlist

Summary: alistair goes hunting!!

Warnings/Tags: hunting with a falcon, descriptions of animal death, descriptions of blood and butchering an animal, brief mentions of martyrdom and religious ideas

Words: 1423

Helpful Info:

St. Anthony of Padua is the patron saint of finding lost or hidden things

St. George is said to have slain a dragon and is considered the patron saint of England, although this association was not thoroughly established until after the period of Alistair's human life (it was during the reign of Edward III – just after Alistair was changed – that St. George became associated with the English monarchy)

St. Denis is the patron saint of Paris who is said to have been beheaded on a hill in Paris now known as Montmartre ("hill of the martyrs"). His legend claims that he picked up his own severed head and continued to preach after his beheading

Author’s Note: as promised, Alistair goes hunting!! I really wanted to use this chapter to show that the forest is his safe place – somewhere he feels really comfortable and at ease with his surroundings and himself. I also briefly explore his sense of spirituality here, since that's a facet of his character that is completely unexplored in canon, yet has always fascinated me. please do read the warnings – I do describe hunting and the death of an animal. I also listened to 3+ hours worth of podcasts on falconry to write this lmao 😅 I still think I probably don't have everything right, so if anyone out there has falconry experience and would like to gently correct me on anything, please do reach out! ☺️ other than that, I hope y'all enjoy this lighter chapter! 🥰

It was not until he was deep within the woods that Alistair’s heartbeat finally slowed from its heightened state. He tried to match his breathing to the steady steps of the horse beneath him as the thick blanket of leaf litter dulled the sound of its hooves striking the ground. One hand grasping the reins, and the other holding Padua, one of his most beloved falcons, he deftly guided his steed into a clearing. Sunlight fell in dapples through the leaves, catching the stream that gurgled nearby and casting glittering nets of light on the clear water. Alistair closed his eyes, imagining that he was hooded like Padua, and practiced sensing his surroundings without his sight. 

He heard the crystalline chuckling of the stream across the rocks, the choir of birds that chittered and keened in the branches, the soft snuffling and rustling of hidden things in the underbrush. He heard his mount snort and begin ripping at the soft grass, and he came at last to the sound of his own breathing, steady and sure now as he filled his chest with untainted air. The scent of it was both sharp and soft at once: the bite of pine and sap mingled with gentler notes of dirt and decay. More than anything though, he could smell the well-worn leather of his tack and falconry equipment, blending seamlessly with the dusty, warm smell of his steed. He let the reins fall from his grasp, reaching forward instinctively to feel the short, coarse fur of his horse, now damp with sweat where the saddle met its skin. His other hand was cloaked in one of his falconing gloves, but he could barely count that as something he felt, since the worn, supple leather was more like a second skin than a foreign object in his hand. He could feel precisely where Padua’s talons rested, and how the jesses fell and swayed almost imperceptibly in the slight breeze. 

When he opened his eyes again, the sunlight was bright against them, forcing Alistair to blink several times and readjust his sight. He swung off his horse in one practiced motion, landing lightly on the soft grass. After the whirlwind of thoughts that plagued him back at the estate, very little remained in his mind now that it had been cleared by the welcome calm of the forest. 

He let habit and instinct guide his movements; tethering his horse in the small clearing and allowing his feet to carry him along the hidden game trails that crisscrossed the forest like the gossamer threads of a spider’s web. Ever since he was a child, he had always had an innate sense of where to seek quarry. He let the forest speak to him, listening to the way the bird calls changed or how the rustling of tiny creatures shifted as he passed by. Though many had asked for his secret, he could never quite explain the mechanism by which he was able to track animals – in truth, he struggled to even explain it to himself. But whether it was a God-given gift (as his mother believed), a sign of his less-than-sound mental state (as Noll had frequently joked), or simply the natural result of having haunted the woods since he was old enough to walk, it was this sense that he followed as he wound his way through the ferns and logs and moss and trees. 

Coming at last to a place where the edge of the forest bordered a large field, he emerged with Padua from the shelter of the trees and into the sun as it illuminated the swaying grasses like the surface of a great green lake. Had he been with other hunters, or with a more inexperienced falcon, he might have devised some scheme to flush quarry from their hiding places amongst the grassy waves. But he felt Padua stirring where she rested on his arm, itching to hunt. Using the utmost care, he removed Padua’s hood, allowing her to adjust to the new surroundings. With deft hands, he loosed the jesses that bound Padua to him, and watched as the falcon leapt from his raised fist and took to the air.

If there were any moments in Alistair’s life where he was certain that there were greater powers that existed beyond his comprehension, it was when he was watching his falcons fly. The initial burst of powerful wing flaps and the courageous leap out into the nothing of the waiting air that soon transformed into a graceful glide as their outstretched feathers caught the wind and they sailed upward into the open arms of the sky was surely nothing short of a miracle. Through the grace of God, Saint George had slain the dragon and Saint Denis had picked up his own severed head, but who had taught falcons to fly?

Using one hand to shield his eyes from the bright sun, he watched as Padua became a small silhouette against the vast expanse of blue, circling the field below with a sense of sight so precise and focused that Alistair could barely dream of understanding. He shook his head in wonder and lowered his gaze back to a more earthly plane. Snapping a large stick from a fallen tree, he waded out into the grass, brandishing the stick before him to exaggerate the movement and sound he made, hoping to help scare free some prey that Padua could lock onto.

Just as he had hoped, a rabbit suddenly leapt up and made a mad dash away from him. Thoroughly desensitized to what others might have deemed a startling movement, Alistair merely looked to the sky to see Padua already diving for her quarry. In a motion so swift and sure it was almost like a strike of lightning, Padua swooped downward and pinned the rabbit to the soft grass. It wailed in her grasp, the noise coming from its throat sounding more ghoulish than animalistic. But her talons were latched into its flesh, and no matter how it thrashed and screamed, she would not let it go. 

Casting away his stick, Alistair ran to where Padua had the rabbit hooked in her curved talons. In a movement so instinctive he was barely conscious of having performed it, Alistair freed the hunting knife from his belt and quickly dispatched the poor beast. He began butchering it, cutting off small pieces of the bloody flesh to feed to Padua. She waited patiently as he worked, knowing she would soon get her reward. As always, she watched him intently with her night-dark eyes, tilting her head this way and that as Alistair made quick work of her kill. After tucking the extras into his leather pouch, he indicated for Padua to once again take up her roost on his arm. When she was settled again, he began feeding her slices of the rabbit meat. 

Everything about his birds never ceased to fascinate him, and he watched enraptured as she ripped at the bloody flesh before choking down a bite-sized piece. Her movements, like his, were skillful and exact, honed to perfection through years of practice and training. By the time she had eaten her fill, the sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon, its late afternoon light casting a golden glow across the landscape. Alistair hooded Padua once again and secured the jesses before making his way back to where his horse waited. 

The cool breeze that foretold evening’s coming and the gentle trot of his steed eased Alistair’s mind such that he had almost forgotten the worries that awaited him within the great stone walls of the estate. He returned Padua to her roost with a few whispered words of praise and promises to return to the hunt soon. He swung himself from his horse and handed the reins to an attendant just inside the gaping mouth of the gateway that opened to the twisting mass of halls and chambers within the family’s estate. He was busying himself with removing his falconing equipment when Amice appeared suddenly on a walkway above him. She looked almost ghostly in the fading light and tall shadows cast by the high walls, her skirt and veil fluttering around her in the light wind. But for all the ethereal ambience that seemed to surround her, her face was grave and set in stone. With neither one of them exchanging a word, Alistair understood that he was meant to follow her as she vanished back into the stone walls.

[genderlesshades]

okokok so I know I meme on the radiance and the pale king a lot, but I'm also kinda going "god damn what a terrible situation to be in" at all parties. Mb its just cause I haven't read the lore in a hot minute, time span? I'm having 4 am thoughts don't mind me. This may not even make sense in the morning lmao. just enjoy the ramblings if ya want yall

anyways, To have an entire group of people completely abandon one god in favor of another in such a short timespan? well usually that happens cause of stuff like genocide or cultural genocide. And maybe I just happened to miss it, but I don't think that happened in hallownest. But maybe it did and maybe thats why radiance got so fuckin mad. Or maybe the moths just slowly drifted away towards PK, which can happen over generations. But it also sort of seems like. self destructive ig. Radi destroying the people of any neighboring kingdom because she's *furious* man. so upset, and angry, and lonely even. Like, imagine being a very powerful individual with a very loyal fan base only for some weird ass fork looking thing to steal that fan base away from you. Well, more like a kingdom but ig fanbase may be the online equivalent. But here comes some fuckoff weird fork lookin man, steals your look, steals your people, and then fucks off. AND. Also stole folk away from some other nearby local gods? the fucks up with that?? fuck you actually PK. I'm gonna idk, wipe out ur cities. that's pretty reasonable for a god's reaction right?

"hold on hades, she also targeted others who weren't aligned with PK. Why would radi target them? weren't they hurt by the PK's actions?" Yes great question invisible audience. But here's the thing, people don't react reasonably all the time. Radi basically lost everything. Her people started drifting away from her until there was one singular old moth left who still seemed to care about her still. And they were alone. Her and her singular moth follower were oh so painfully alone, with nothing but ghosts to keep them company.

So she lashes out. Ignoring the fact that causing a massive plague is generally extreme cause she's a god, we can still recognize that she is very deeply hurt, upset, and angry. And normal people when hurt, upset, and angry, don't usually think clearly. They tend to say things that hurt people, or sound agressive, or even be agressive. Some people may isolate even, though different people do different things. Radi's reaction was to lash out in a way that hurt anyone around them.

"ok, but what does this have to do with places like Greenpath or Deepnest?" GREAT question invisible audience. Sometimes people react to things that are associated with a certain topic with the same reaction as the certain topic. There are certain songs I disliked until I saw a really cool video go along with it, which made me like the song. The brain is weird like that, and likes to categorize things (even if we don't recognize it as categorizing). Add in a "me vs them" mentality and it only gets worse. That is likely what happened here. Radi gets pissed off at PK, and likely also at the white lady. Well, the white lady has control over greenpath now, unlike Unn, so fuck the greenpath too cause that's technically part of PK's domain. WELL he *also* has an alliance with the mantis tribe, and control over the mushroom tribe. So fuck them too.

Maybe Deepnest would have been safe if Herrah and PK didn't have their deal, but they did, and now Deepnest is terrible too for siding with PK. Maybe the hive or outer edges would have been safe, but the colluseum houses itself in a wyrm's body. And maybe at that point, radi was certain that it was her vs the world, so she *had* to protect herself/defend her honor.

"well didn't the PK deserve all that?" I mean, if you look at it from Radi's perspective sure! but what about PK's perspective? He starts up a pretty cool kingdom, has a lovely wife, is well loved by his subjects, and Radi's followers stsrt deciding to follow him. He can't control that, though he could certainly try to discourage it. He tried being friendly, though perhaps it is in his nature to want to consume all he can. To control as much as possible, to become the bigger enemy. Perhaps he and radi just fuckin. Poofed up at each other like chickens do and instead of anyone going "hey man, whats goin on? maybe we can figure this out with our words" they just keep poofing up at each other, mad at the other for different reasons.

So his people start getting sick with this religious disease caused by what's clearly a rival God. So he tries to figure out the source, and to find solutions with the least drastic measures. But it slowly builds to more and more desperate attempts until he discovers the void, something very opposite of what he and the radiance is. So he casts the children of him and WL into the void, and waits. Because *surely* this will work. a container to hold this fucker in. Trains up this container so they're really good at being a container. Well, the container is leaky and he doesn't realize until it's too late. The infection comes back, and he loses everything he once had, just like Radi did.

I think messing with the void might have led to his death, just like it does with Radi, just maybe less aggressively. Both were so desperate to try and maintain something that was never going to last, only to be consumed by what's nearly a literal definition of an end.

Maybe if they would've just talked, they would still be around with thriving communities. Maybe they would have been friends, or akin to siblings maybe. Perhaps PK and WL would have had children, and deepnest may have slowly crumbled apart from not having an heir of royal blood. Maybe Unn would regain their strength and join the other gods. Who knows what the possibilities could have been.

It's a shame, though, knowing such a connection could never happen.

[having-conniptions]

Love In The Air episode 10 live reaction under the cut (long post)

Listen I know no one reads these but they make the experience more enjoyable for me. It helps me understand what's going on, keeps me from zoning out and usually makes me notice more details that turn into theories and predictions IT'S SO MUCH FUN

What I love most about the PrapaiSky arc is Sky. Just... Sky.

"My boyfriend's sick." HE'S NOT YOUR BF but yeah I get it your dad wouldn't give you time off because your crush is sick lmao

Oh no he had a nightmare while Pai was there 😭

Fuck that hurts. I'm gonna go beat up whoever did this to Sky and I have a feeling P'Pai is coming with me

Prapai do not even joke about that DO NOT ughhh why is he so insensitive sometimes

And then he's so gentle and sweet again aaaaaa

AND SKY STARTS ACCEPTING HIS HELP, BELIEVING THAT HE'S SERIOUS ABOUT IT 😭❤️

And they're holding hands while sleeping so Sky can feel safe and protected 😭❤️😭❤️

But Sky is still a tsundere / not admitting to himself and to Prapai that he's starting to like him

"You know what I want." - "No, I won't have sex with you." - "So you don't know what I want." THIS EXCHANGE >>>>> Sky needs to understand what Pai sees in him 😭❤️

"I won't like you" *proceeds to smile to himself the second Prapai has left* WHO YOU TRYNA FOOL BOY

THE WAY HE WADDLED TO THE DOOR MY CUTE LITTLE PENGUIN

PRAPAI'S SURPRISED LITTLE FACE AAAA

"I don't like owing anyone" yeah right that's why 😉

My baby is so giggly and giddy but I know he's also so so scared that's why he still pretends he's not interested

It's not that he's not interested it's that he's scared of what will happen when he shows genuine interest because showing someone that you're interested in them always gives them some sort of power over you so you need to trust them first - especially if you've gone through whatever happened to Sky

Another race awww yeah lemme see Prapai in his racing suit again please

Ooooo the guy in the beige sweater is really pretty

That fucking chicken song again lmaooo

OH HI P'PAI

So soft 😭 right up until the "you should be spanked" comment brooo 😂

PRAPAI PRESSING HIS LIPS TO SKY'S FOREHEAD BUT NOT KISSING HIM AAAAA 😭❤️❤️

And Sky's little smile as he thanks Prapai, and Pai softly kissing his hair aaaaaaa

So far PrapaiSky has not been what I expected (though I did figure out pretty early on that they hooked up) but the soft cuddles are definitely getting to me

Great to see Sky feeling better in the morning <3

And PhayuRain being cute <3<3

Tsundere time again here we go lol

His face when Pai told him to smile tho

Awww those girls were adorable

SKY'S SMILE!!!! AAAAA I CAN'T HE'S SO CUTE PRAPAI ALMOST DIES INSTANTLY

And Sky actually gets a little worried hahahaha

Pai's like "I can't believe I'm about to do this" HE'S GONNA KISS HIM

Aw shucks

But yeah he's waiting for Sky to kiss him we love to see it

"Why the heck am I watching a sleeping boy?" LOVE, BITCH

PAI ALMOST KISSING SKY BUT KEEPING HIS SELF-CONTROL, SKY REALIZING HE WANTED PRAPAI TO KISS HIM 🤯🤯🤯

He agreed to go on a date with him and he's all smiley and happy and he's playfully teasing him aaaaa Sky deserves the world

Wow Pai really hasn't been with anyone in two months because of Sky huh

Joy I love you but please stop spreading rumors hahaha

The back and forth in this episode is everything

Bro I'd be so mad if I was trying to focus and someone just stared over my shoulder the entire time

The shoulder kiss 🥰🥰

LMAO SKY AND HIS KNIFE I CAN'T

What is he writing? 👀

Drawing on each other's hands aaaawww 😭❤️

He was so focused he didn't even notice Pai got them dinner

Prapai describing his siblings but actually describing himself lmao

Sky: "Don't call me Nong Sky, it sounds fake" Prapai: "Sky." Sky: *ba-dump*

That almost-kiss and "I'll wait until you're ready" I'M ABOUT TO THROW SOMETHING THEY WERE SO CLOSE

Back to tsundere but we know he's just teasing now because even if he trusts Pai now he's too proud to just give in

THE WAY THEY BOTH LOOK AT THEIR HANDS AWWWW

Bro who sleeps with the lights on

Bonus scene: Pai googling how to take care of Sky because he wants to do everything right 😭❤️ and then he called his mom to ask her for advice awwww 😭❤️ and Sky was taking notes on Prapai bc he wanted to get to know him better? HOW CUTE IS THAT

[shubaka]

Trope wombo combo! Neighbours/accidental texting! 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

OOOOHMYGOD. Anyway, because I like to torture myself, I went ahead with challenge mode.

Uhhh, I actually could have gone on longer based on my initial plans with this but you know what? I think 1300 is a good place to stop alskdfjawkejalkw

Anyway, here's hoping this isn't complete and utter garbage (sorry, i'm tired and i haven't gone through to edit this lmao)

-----

Gun is waiting in a poor excuse of a safe house, stretched out casually on the nicest chair in the room.  

It had been a hassle tracking down Lee and even more cumbersome getting here without alerting any of Korn’s men. He would have normally sent Vegas in his place, but this was personal, and he wanted to see the life drain out of the rat’s eyes for himself. 

Fifteen minutes and two cigarettes later, Gun slips out of the building with a curse. Lee must have gotten wind that this location was compromised. 

Gun is tired of these games, but he can’t afford to slip up, not with his brother breathing down his neck. It has been a while since he’s had to do this much leg work, but needs must when the devil drives. 

–

When Yok receives the first text, she leaves it on read. 

It’s from a number she doesn’t recognize, and it simply states, “I know it was you.”

A bit weird for spam texts, but whatever. She has places to be and a bar to run. 

It hasn’t been the same without Porsche around, and her newest bartender needs a little more hand holding, but she believes he’ll catch on after a few more shifts. She can’t wait to let down her hair after she’s done her final check in at the bar tonight. She hasn’t been able to let loose since the last time Porsche brought his work friends to Hum Bar for a night of revelry. 

She deserves her own night of revelry with her friends. 

– 

It’s 7 a.m. when Yok finally comes home after a late night of drinking and dancing. As she climbs out of her taxi, she sees her neighbour step out and lean against his gate. 

They have seen each other a few times and have only nodded to each other in passing. They have never had an actual conversation before – something that she is going to have to change now that she has seen his ascot. 

“Excuse me, sir.” Yok struts up to him and tuts, “I’m sorry, but I can’t in good conscience let you go out in public in that.” 

Her neighbour’s gaze follows her index finger to his neckline. 

“What?” He raises an eyebrow at her. His confidence is entirely too self-assured for Yok’s liking, considering he thought it would be a good idea to pair that particular salmon pink ascot with a russet brown suit.��

“I’m saving your life,” she says, and unties his ascot. She can feel the amusement rolling off of him in waves as she rifles through her purse. “I appreciate your willingness to wear pink, but this teal scarf will look a lot better with your suit.” 

When he makes no move to take the proffered scarf, she takes it upon herself to loop it around his neck, tie it, and tuck the ends into his vest. 

Then with an approving nod, she turns around and walks up to her house. 

She’s exhausted and quite possibly still a little tipsy, but it’s nothing a few hours of sleep won’t fix.

–

Yok wakes up in the middle of the afternoon to several more texts from the mysterious number. 

I didn’t see you at your usual haunt last night.

Don’t think you can hide from me.

Your time is up.

Yok is now feeling a little concerned. She tries to recall if anything particularly strange has happened in the last few weeks, but her mind draws a blank. 

Other than the new hire to replace Porsche, nothing has really changed. 

She hasn’t met anyone new. Sure, there are new people coming to Hum Bar all the time, but she usually doesn’t interact with them unless they are regulars or there’s a good reason to. 

Could it be a stalker? 

How did they even get her number?

Yok wishes Porsche was easier to get in touch with. He was always good in a fight. 

But Yok is resourceful and she can take care of herself. She’ll just have to be extra careful over the next few days. 

–

The next time she sees her neighbour, he’s returning home while she’s on her way out to the bar. 

As soon as they make eye contact, he strolls up to her and pulls out her scarf. It’s been three days since they last met. 

Has he been carrying it around this entire time on the off chance they’d meet?

“Thank you for lending me your scarf, Miss…?”

He’s attractive, and she’s only ever seen him around other men – so there’s a chance he might only be interested in other men – but it’s worth a shot, so she gives him one of her more coy smiles. “You can call me Yok.”  

“And you can call me Gun,” His hands linger on hers for a moment as he places the scarf into her hand. 

A shout of “Khun Gun!” interrupts their moment, and a rough looking fellow runs up to them and bows slightly in apology. “I am sorry to interrupt, but Khun Korn has requested to see you as soon as possible.” 

Gun huffs and tries to hide his scowl behind a smile. “If you’ll excuse me.”

That is certainly an interesting dynamic. Yok thinks of Tankhun and his friends who are clearly bodyguards stuffed into casual wear and wonders. 

–

It’s busier than usual tonight, so Yok finds herself at Hum Bar doing the rounds, making sure everyone looks well taken care of, and making herself available to jump in to help if needed. 

At half past eleven she is surprised to see Gun enter with a small group of men. Among them is a younger well-dressed man she’s seen skulking around a few times, waiting to talk to Porsche on the few occasions he’s visited. 

She overhears him call Gun dad. 

Well, shit. But she doesn’t recall seeing a wedding ring when he returned her scarf.

Her phone buzzes. 

She pulls it out and turns pale. 

She had blocked the previous number, but there’s another text from another number. 

I told you, you can’t hide. 

Her phone indicates that the other person is still typing, but she blocks them and collapses onto a bar stool. 

Gun seems to have finally noticed her, and he’s at her side in seemingly no time at all. 

“What happened? Are you unwell?” He places an arm on her shoulder and waves at someone behind him. A glass of water is placed on the bar counter next to her, and she’s given an encouraging nod to speak.

Yok hesitates for a moment before saying, “I’ve been receiving threatening messages. I don’t know who it is.” Her hands tighten around her phone.  “Even if I block them, they just use another number. I don’t know why this is happening.”

She can see Gun’s jaw clench as his eyebrows furrow. “I can take care of it,” he says slowly, “if you give me your phone.” 

She lifts her phone up between them and unlocks it. 

If she was looking at her phone, she would have missed it. In the few seconds it takes Gun to read the messages she sees flashes of recognition, confusion, and anger swirling in his eyes before they turn calculating. 

“Don’t worry, Ms. Yok, they won’t be bothering you anymore. If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to.” 

Yok watches as Gun walks back to his group and leans in to whisper something into one of the men’s ears. There is a menacing gait to Gun’s walk as he exits the bar, and the rest of the men trail after him. At the end of the line, Gun’s son slings an arm around the shoulders of the man Gun had whispered to, and drags him outside on shaky legs.  

[infintyonhigh]

I am and will continue to be your resident Gaylor follower, popping up at an album release, hi!👋🏻 Here with a scroll as they did in ye olden days lmao

Yeah tons of people are upset at the album prologue, many of them have received hate and threats online, getting doxxed and outed on top of that. Funnily enough they receive those threats from people that only want to see Taylor married off with kids and the whole picket fence spiel. Which is kinda funny. In an ironic way.

Anyway, I just wanted to say, there are shitty fans on both the Swiftie and the Gaylor side. You have one side trying to figure out when she lost her virginity and to whom, and another trying to figure out if one of the dance moves she does on stage is her subconsciously moving her hand in the same way you'd finger someone. So it's obvious that theorizing like that would make her uncomfortable. And those are just surface level, I'm not even gonna try going deeper and explaining every mental gymnastics moves each group makes to come to those conclusions.

You also have infighting inside each of those groups, which is just like, ridiculous? It feels just like the L and G attacking the B in LGBTQ+, like, c'mon?

My point being, this is just a regular release cycle ever since Taylor decided to become the sheriff of Pride Trailer Town back in 2019, with bi flag colored hair and all (it's called You Need to Calm Down lmao), after she liked a +18 wlw gif on this very platform, talked about "dating him or dating her" in an interview, saying "Gay pride makes me, me" and talking about decorating her girlfriend's apartment because she was too busy to do so herself. Just a small collection off the top of my head that's kinda difficult to misinterpret, and there is tons more, without ever going into lyric analysis and the sheer amount of queer flagging, but I digress.

The goal of this long-ass ask isn't really to defend, because I've seen first hand how many shitty people are there on each side. I know it's really fun to make fun of them, I've done it myself, even though I consider myself to be a part of this group of people. I straight up made crack pairings and figured out ways to connect lyrics to those pairings to show how silly some theories sound. But I'll reiterate, only one group has seen its members doxxed and outed which put these kids (yes many of them are kids) in very dangerous situations as it wasn't safe for them to be out. And that's something I'll always hold over the head of regular Swifties, because it's a life threatening act that members of the group have done. Meanwhile their strongest "ammo" is secret Kaylor baby (I strongly don't recommend THAT rabbit hole) which has very socially negative ideas interwoven in the theory, depending on who's your source of info, but has never physically put anyone in harms way.

Sorry for putting this block of text in your ask, it's been a long release day and while it's super easy for me because I'm in a way, a closeted Gaylor and remain anonymous online, some of my friends that received threats and insults today don't have my privilege. Lastly, whoever reads this, please do not fall down the rabbit hole of the monetized Gaylor theories if you ever do decide to look into it. They pretty much take old (and some new) theories people spent time putting together (because it's a really fun time) and put those behind a paywall. Also they don't have "sources", just give it a minute and think, who would provide information to a literal random fan? On tumblr of all places?

Ty for coming to my ted talk, it's now for me to get some shut eye! <3

Einstein was wrong, rpf isnt fine

[swampthingking]

long post incoming (I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT AARON MINYARD)

the aaron hate train has CRASHED AND BURNED

please put the smallest bit of thought into aaron’s characterization, his story, his actions, especially towards and for andrew. he is not a heartless asshole, and the more you study his actions, the more you realize about him.

most of why aaron is such an asshole and is so angry is because him and andrew have fucking horrendous communication skills. action-driven displays of care don’t always resonate with people. some people need shit to be spelled out. (neil has no room to talk about aaron being stupid when both of them need shit spelled out for them lmao)

how is aaron to know these deals and these violent displays from andrew are andrew’s way of having a relationship with him? andrew has never had a relationship with someone, let alone a healthy relationship with a brother. think about andrew’s previous “brotherly” relationships. andrew didn’t tell aaron shit, for which i don’t blame him, but aaron had nothing to go off of. nothing. how can you defend a man you don’t know? how can you find the good in a man who only shows you the bad?

wouldn’t you be spiteful if—from aaron’s point of view—you find out you have a twin, he tells you to fuck off, you meet by accident and start living together, he kills your mother (nuanced, i know, but aaron still loved her. he was angry), and instead of being actual brothers, he starts forming all these weird ass deals with you and won’t give you a real answer as to why he needs to do all this shit, and then you fall in love with a woman you feel safe with and he torments her? andrew did not tell aaron anything about why he felt he needed to do all of these things. you’re telling me, from aaron’s point of view, you wouldn’t be fucking livid and confused? you wouldn’t blame him for complicating and uprooting your life?

as for neil— aaron had every right to be rude to neil. who the fuck is this kid and who does he think he is? why is he meddling in my life and my fucked up not-relationship with my brother? why is he the one who gets to be close with andrew? why do i still want to be close to andrew? (because he does want to be close to andrew, you know he does. why would he have immediately, instinctively killed drake, and stayed in therapy with andrew after they break off their deal if he didn’t want to mend their relationship?)

i saw someone on here say once that neil, the fastest striker in exy history, the rabbit, the “flight” in fight-or-flight, was too slow. neil hadn’t even finished processing the scene before aaron swung the racquet. and after andrew’s first beckon for aaron to come closer, aaron was immediately holding andrew, “like he thought andrew would disappear if he let go.”

just to make this ^^^ more heartbreaking and to further my point, aaron is not a fighter. please correct me if i’m wrong, but i don’t think there’s a single scene in the trilogy where aaron gets violent with anyone, even during a game. aaron is never physically violent. he prefers words.

i believe thanksgiving was the catalyst for aaron and andrew’s brotherhood. this is the first time the twins actually see one another. andrew has seen aaron, but aaron had never seen andrew. he didn’t know how to read andrew; he didn’t know where to look. he would have never thought andrew would have gone through something like this before. after aaron killed drake, he was stared in the face the ‘why’ behind all of his interactions with andrew. like, “oh. oh. this is why andrew is the way he is.”

so wouldn’t it be just convenient that andrew and neil’s relationship started after they all found out andrew had been r*d? neil, this mysterious man with scars and secrets and connections to the yakuza and, oh yeah, his father is a serial killer. they now know everything about neil, but neil didn’t cough up anything about his relationship with andrew or his motives.

so now it’s aaron’s turn to protect his brother. aaron approached neil and said something fucking ugly (“…or you saw drake r* andrew and realized he’s easy prey”) just to see how neil would react. just to test neil the way neil had tested aaron (“drake was an inconvenience andrew was willing to live with” “so now you understand why andrew killed your mother”).

a punch in the mouth. good. expected, judging by aaron’s calm reaction. there we go: it’s been spelled out.

andrew and neil react with physical violence, but never with one another. andrew and neil lash out because of their feelings for one another (andrew choking out kevin, which was profound because of his deal to protect kevin. neil punching aaron at his disgusting insinuation.)

neil and aaron push and push each other regarding the other’s care for andrew but the bottom line is that aaron needed tilda’s death to be spelled out, and aaron needed it to be spelled out that neil genuinely cares for andrew.

we have to remember that these characters were created to be studied. these are multi-facited, layered individuals, with their own traumas that have framed the way they form relationships with themselves and others.

why do we forgive the other foxes so easily? why do we not give aaron that same grace? why do we portray him as this thoughtless, heartless asshole, who gives no fucks about anyone but himself or katelyn? be so fr rn. do not flatten a dimensional character.

I get so mad when people say they hate Aaron and make him look like he was evil.

I'm sorry but there's no way in the world that the things he said to Neil (to protect Andrew in his own weird way and to anger him bcs he himself was angry) were so bad that thry overshadow that HE KILLED A FUCKING CHILD PREDATOR. He bashed Drake's brains for messing with his brother and assured that no more kids were in danger around him. That makes him a hero.

And yeah, he is a grey character contextualized in the early 2000's ofc he said some fucked up shit and wasn't nice to the new (meddeling) kid. But all the Foxes had their moments and don't get even one fraction of his backlash.

[my-melo-reads]

anyone wanna read the shitty short story i wrote for english class

you probably dont but i'm gonna force you to anyway

(btw yes, i know this isnt very good. but there was a word limit and also i rlly just wanna sumbit this and get it over with lmao)

Day 7 of the mission to arrive in the safe haven of Saubeth started with Victor being struck with the realisation that he was halfway through the infection process. He swore under his breath, examining the infected area on his back. Normally it took only 14 days post-bitten for a victim to completely lose their mind and body, and essentially become what was both physically and mentally, a zombie. Which, in the mind of Victor, didn't sound so great. It was policy to avoid the infected so much as was possible, killing them on site if they didn't outnumber you, but somehow Victor had gotten lucky. Despite having been bitten the very morning before departure, he'd managed to hide it well. He knew he was putting lives at risk, but the trip was only set to take 10 days, and if he was going to die, he had to make it to Saubeth first. He'd prefer to see his family there, rather than in whatever afterlife may exist several decades later. Besides, Saubeth was said to have been advanced. Who knows, maybe they'd discovered a cure by now. 'They'd better have,' he thought to himself. 'if not, I might as well be dead already.'. He tried not to think of it too much, but optimism can only take you so far. Victor checked his watch and sighed, before pulling on his shirt to cover the infection once more. It was time for another day of deceiving his teammates.

"Hey! Let me see too!" Jane jumped up and down, trying to see over the shoulders of her teammates. Her high energy levels compensated for her lack of height, but it came at the cost of having the others not take her seriously. 'Hmph,' She thought to herself, 'One day I'll be the only one still up 'n running in a crisis. Then they'll regret not including me in plans more often.' The mission was 3 days from completion, with the town of Saubeth not far off, and the team had decided to look over the plans again to make sure they were still on track. "We appear to be slightly ahead," said one of them. "if all goes well we'll make it there by noon on our last day." Jane let out a sigh of relief. 'Thank the heavens. If I have to eat dinner out of a can for any longer than needed, I'm going to start wishing I'd been infected instead.' She'd initially embarked on the mission to Saubeth for opportunities, but she was definitely not built for long walks. Jane's strengths lay in innovation, in science, and she hoped to possibly even help work on a cure for the virus. ‘Imagine how many lives I could save! No more innocents dead…’ She’d always felt it unfair to have victims of infection instantly killed off, but understood why it needed to be done. She stood for a few minutes daydreaming about her possible future as her teammates discussed their plans until she saw Victor approaching.

“Oi Victor, what took you so long?” One of his teammates yelled out, looking very annoyed. “You could’a helped us. We’re not going over this again just for you y’know.” Victor looked down as he kept walking forward. His teammate continued to berate him. ‘I need to start waking up earlier,’ He thought. ‘And maybe stop spending so much time stressing about the infection.’ The teammate got closer, rolling up his sleeves as though to start a fight. That was, until Jane jumped into his way. ‘What on Earth is she doing?’ “Now hold on,” she began, visible fright on her face, as though she wasn’t quite sure if her attempt to calm him down would work. “This trip has been hard on all of us. Does anyone actually enjoy going this far through so dangerous a path sleeping on a rocky floor and eating nothing but lukewarm canned food?” A two or three nods came from the small crowd. Jane frowned and shook her head. “Ok, fine. Well for many of us this just isn’t something we can put up for very long. And besides, Victor’s only…” She paused and checked her watch. “11 minutes late! And if it was really anything important you would’ve let me hear. Seriously. What on earth is up with that…” The teammate growled and stepped back, rolling his sleeves back down. Victor looked in surprise – he hadn’t actually expected this to work. ‘Hats off to Jane though. That guy was big.’

As they were packing up their tents to start their move once more, Victor decided to approach Jane as she fiddled with the tent pegs. “Thanks,” He crouched down, helping her pull her last peg out of the ground. “For, y’know. Earlier. With Tom.” She looked up. “Oh, that’s his name? I was wondering what it was!” She chuckled, “I should probably know this by now. But anyways, it’s no biggie, you did kinda save my life the other day.” He frowned, trying to remember when this was. ‘Ah, right.’ Jane was evidently not a very physically coordinated individual, and on the previous day’s trek, he’d had to pull her away from a crumbling ledge where she looked like she was about to fall. ‘And I thought I was bad with these trails.’ “No problem, I guess. We’re even now?” She smiled back at him. “Sure, why not.”

For the rest of the day, Jane stuck close to Victor. ‘I don’t think anyone else in the team would’ve been willing to grab me if I was about to fall off of a ledge,’ she’d thought. ‘If I want my best chance at not being either killed or ignored, I should probably stay close to him.’ “So,” she began, “what brings you to Saubeth?” He looked up, but directly ahead. “My husband and children. They left for the place years ago when it was first advertised as a sort of safe haven, but I needed to stay behind for work so I could provide to them. But… I got laid off at work recently, so I figured I may as well join the next expedition there.” She looked down. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she whispered. “I’m guessing you haven’t seen your family in a while then, have you?” “No,” he replied. “But at least I’m going to see them again soon. And it could be worse. I could’ve been infected.” She laughed. “Well, it’s a good thing you’re not. I hope things go well for you when you get there!” He chuckled. “I hope they do too.”

Jane stuck with Victor for the following day too. She hoped she wasn’t bothering him, but at the same time, she might as well be dead if she didn’t stick to someone. Their conversations were nice, and he was easy to talk to. They spoke about their ambitions, their futures, their pasts, the things they loved, and everything else a person could probably find to talk about. On the morning of their last day, she decided to go into his tent to wake him up as soon as she did. While she’d gladly defend him again, she figured it'd be best to try to wake him up a bit earlier so as to avoid needing to in the first place. She stepped into the tent, only to find Victor already awake, with his shirt not yet on, infection covering his entire torso.

He spun around to face her, both of them wide eyed in fear. “What the hell is wrong with you?!?” He whisper-yelled, so as to not allow the others to hear him. “What the hell is wrong with you, putting everyone at risk like that?!?” she replied in an equal tone to his.

“You could’ve knocked first. You really could’ve!”

“Victor. You are living. In a tent. I could not have knocked first if I tried.”

“Oh my god, you have no idea what this means. You have no idea.”

“You think I know what to do? I don’t want you dead. You leave me with no other choice!” She spun around to run out, before Victor suddenly sprang up and planted a knife into her neck. Jane cried out, but he muffled the noise, putting his hand over her mouth.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered, tears streaming down his face as her breathing became irregular. “I didn’t want to. I swear I didn’t want to.” He pulled the knife out, causing her breathing to finally stop. He rolled her over, showing her now lifeless face. Those eyes had once been filled with ambition and excitement, but they were now empty. “I’m sorry,” He repeated, tears falling down and mixing with her blood. “I’m so so sorry. I had to. I have to see my family again. I hope you understand.” Victor got up, pulled his shirt over his head, and splattered some of Jane’s blood on it to make it look as though he had been wearing it the whole time.

He dragged her corpse out into the centre of the campsite before calling out for the others. They came rushing over, gasping as they saw her lifeless body, along with their bloodied teammate. “I found her cleaning herself up in a nearby stream, and her body was infected. I waited until she’d left, and I killed her before she could harm any others. My guess is that she’d been bitten directly before departure, and we didn’t have long left. It pained me to do this, but it had to be done.” The reaction from the other team members was mixed between disgust towards her, relief, and gratitude towards Victor. Later that day, as they lowered Jane’s body into the ground, Victor could only think one thing. ‘They’d better have a cure in Saubeth. If not, this was for nothing.’

[bristark616]

multiversal soulmates - part two

pairing: tasm!peter x stark!avenger!reader

word count: about 1.5k

warnings: mentions of blood. i think that’s it?

summary: Let’s cure some ass! Only problem? Electro’s gotten his hands on some Stark tech. In comes (Y/N) Stark, ready to take back the arc reactor. What she wasn’t ready for, however, was meeting that Peter Parker.

a/n: heeeeyyyy besties!!!! told ya i’d keep you updated if i strayed away from canon any more. basically, i wrote this so that doctor strange had to send everyone back to their universes individually, as opposed to just one spell that sends them all away. not too big of a change, right? oh, and the whole “who’s peter parker” thing is just nonexistent here LMAO. the multiverse gets closed and everything is peachy keen. happy reading!

“I’ve been dangling over the Grand Canyon for twelve. Hours.” Doctor Strange said angrily. “This ends now.”

“Strange, wait!” (Y/N) yelled, placing herself between him and Peter One.

“Oh great; he roped you into this too? This has to stop, Stark; can’t you see that?”

“His plan is working! He’s curing them!”

“I don’t care! It’s too – what the hell is this?”

Peter Two and Peter Three had just swung down to their level, standing on either side of (Y/N), helping her in her attempts to shield Peter One from Doctor Strange.

“Oh, Doctor Strange, these are my friends,” Peter One introduced, stepping out to the front. “Peter Parker, Peter Parker – Spider-Man, Spider-Man. They’re mes from other universes. Guys, this is the wizard I was telling you about.”

“You were in the Grand Canyon?” Peter Two asked angrily.

Peter Three nodded in support. “He could’ve used your help!”

“It’s fine,” Peter One said. “Strange, you can’t send them back yet.”

“And why not?”

“Can the Spider-Man come out to play?”

The sound of Green Goblin’s voice pulled everyone’s attention away from the spell box. Osborn threw a handful of bombs at the group. The three Peters, (Y/N), and Doc Ock moved quickly, shielding the spell box hovering between Strange’s hands. In the midst of the chaos, a pumpkin bomb landed right in the center of the box. Peter One noticed before anyone else.

“Strange, no!”

The box exploded, and the scaffolding beneath their feet began to shake. There was a scramble for security as the metal beams began to tip. Doctor Strange’s cloak was enough to save him. Peter One webbed MJ and Ned, holding them securely as he lowered them all down. Peter Two took to Electro and Doc Ock. Then there was (Y/N), who fell backwards off the platform.

“NO!”

Peter Three launched himself off of the highest point of the scaffolding mere milliseconds after seeing her fall. Tears were already blinding his vision as he expected the worst. He shot a stream of webs from his wrist that landed right at (Y/N)’s stomach. Using all of the strength he could muster with one hand, he pulled her up into his arms – all the while, slowing down their descent with another web. Peter landed safely and gently, with (Y/N) clinging to his chest as he held her in his arms.

“Are you okay?” He asked, his voice trembling as he looked down at her.

She nodded, tears flooding her eyes as well. “A – are you?”

He nodded as well, shutting his eyes tightly as he rested his forehead against hers. Peter could hear (Y/N)’s heart pounding against her chest, thanks to his advanced senses. He bumped his nose against hers gently, his lips lightly brushing against hers as he spoke.

“I got you,” he whispered, lips hovering over hers. “I got you.”

She let out a soft whimper in approval as Peter’s mouth met hers with an urgence that could only come up after a brush with death. The kiss was passionate but tender, and their mouths worked in perfect sync – like a dance that they’ve practiced their entire lives. Peter swiped his tongue along her bottom lips, silently asking permission to enter her mouth. She parted her lips for him, bringing a hand up to hold his face down to hers as he slipped his tongue past her lips. They stayed together, lips locked and tongues ties, for as long as they could. It was Peter Two who eventually got them to pull apart.

“You two done down there?” He called down from where he was swinging by Lady Liberty’s head. “We’d love to have you back!”

“You good?” (Y/N) asked breathlessly, giggling as Peter chased her lips when she pulled apart.

“Mhmm,” he mumbled into her mouth. “Hold on.”

Still holding her tightly in his arms, Peter swung them out of the way of the rubble and over to where the fight against the Green Goblin ensued.

•••

“I gotcha! I gotcha.”

Peter Three caught (Y/N) from under her arms just as she lost her balance. A groan fell from her lips when he helped her onto her feet. Her vision was white from pain, so she shut her eyes tightly. She didn’t open them until she felt Peter’s forehead to fall gently against hers.

“I think some of your ribs are broken,” he observed quietly.

“Yup – they definitely feel broken,” she moaned. “How can you tell? I – is it your Peter tingle?”

“My Peter tingle?” He giggled. “Uh, yeah. If that’s what you wanna call it. You okay? Can you walk?”

She nodded against his forehead, their noses rubbing together at the movement. “I’ll be fine.”

“You’re bleeding.”

Peter held her face in his hands, studying her with a frown. There was a cut at her temple that was barely bleeding, but the sight of any amount of blood was enough to worry him. He wiped a dab of the scarlet fluid away with the pad of his thumb, rubbing it into the fabric of his suit, right at his thigh.

“I’m fine, Peter,” she insisted, looking up at him sweetly. “Promise.”

“Stark.”

(Y/N) whipped around – a little too fast, but Peter was there to steady her. Doctor Strange was standing before them, barring a solemn expression. Orange ruins were glowing around his forearms. He had already sent everyone home – everyone but Peter Three. (Y/N)’s heart sunk and tears quickly flooded her eyes.

“No, no, no. Strange, please.”

Strange studied them carefully. (Y/N) was standing in front of Peter Three with her arms outstretched, attempting to shield his body with her own. The latter was holding her waist at a spot a little too low for strangers. Both her and Peter had tears in their eyes. They had gotten attached alarmingly quick. It was as though they physically could not stay away from one another. Strange felt it, too – that strong, cosmic energy that was pushing them together. How or why this happened, he didn’t know. But it was concerning, nonetheless. Strange had no idea what kind of repercussions a multiversal attachment like that could have. Peter needed to leave, and fast.

“Every second he spends here is dangerous,” Doctor Strange said. “The fabric of reality is too fragile for him to stay.”

“Just give us more time. Please,” she begged, tears now freely falling down her cheeks. “Please.”

He gave in to their tears. “Three minutes. But make it quick.”

Ignoring the fact that Strange, Peter One, MJ, and Ned were all watching them, Peter spun (Y/N) around and pulled her in for a kiss. She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, gripping the spandex of his suit in her hands tightly. Her injuries went forgotten; their attention grasped by the fact that they only had minutes left together.

“Peter,” she mumbled, pulling apart to look up at him. She wanted to look at him as long as she possibly could – she wanted to commit every single detail of his face to memory before he left. “I – I’m – “

“I know, I know,” he whispered, running his spandex-covered thumbs along the height of her cheekbones. His heart was breaking more and more by the second. The thought of leaving her, the desperate look in her beautiful eyes, the way her voice cracked through her tears – it all made Peter feel like he was being stabbed in the chest. “I know.”

“I’ll bring you back,” she insisted. Her voice was determined, despite its trembling from her tears. “I don’t know how, but I will.”

“I know you will.”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”

“I don’t wanna get rid of you,” he said, his voice shaking slightly. He attempted to hide his pain with a smile, wanting to be strong for her, but he failed miserably. “I – I don’t wanna leave you. I don’t wanna go.”

(Y/N) brought a hand up to the back of his neck, running her fingers through his fluffy brown hair at the nape of his neck. He gave her another kiss, the saltiness of their tears coating their lips.

Peter pulled back with a groan when a burning sensation took over his body. He knew he was being sent home – it was the same feeling he experienced when he was brought here earlier. He looked down at (Y/N), who was sobbing in his arms, holding him tightly.

“No, no, no – Peter.”

“It’s okay,” he whispered, smiling at her through his tears. He wanted to make sure that the last thing she saw of him was a smile. “Everything’s okay.”

“I don’t want you to go. Please don’t go.”

“You’re gonna bring me back. You said you would.”

“I will – “

“Then this isn’t gonna be the last time we see each other.” He was in a lot of pain now – he’d be gone in seconds; he could feel it. But he still put on a brave face. “I’ll see you soon, my love.”

She could feel him slipping from her grasp, despite him not making any efforts to step away from her. She held him tighter, but it was no use.

“No, no. Don’t – don’t go. Please don’t leave me. Peter – “

And just like that he was gone.

part three

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ taglist! 

@taina-eny @ssophiebirkas @nickangel13 @sagestuffing @imadamselindistressicanhandelit @hellothereobi @aubreylovesthegames​ @todaywasafairytale07​ @milkiane

[libraryofloveletters]

Hii! 🫶🏻 First and foremost, massive congratulations on reaching 4k followers!! 🥳💗 I truly could not think of anyone who is more deserving of this accomplishment and far beyond it than you. Your blog is exceptional and one that I’m so absolutely in love with — notifications are turned on (for all of your accounts) and I’m also checking daily because your shared posts and especially your very beautifully and masterfully written work never ever fails to bring a smile to my face, brighten my whole day, and just overall really make everything better no matter what. I never want to miss a post and I’ll never stop rereading since every read, whether it be new or old, is blissful for me and holds a special place in my heart.

Anyway, I didn’t mean to rant… lol. I just wanted you to know how deeply loved and appreciated your content is and, above all, how deeply beloved and valued you are. I am so thankful for the way you’ve made this such a safe space for so many of us and sharing your creative stories that allows us to escape from reality and just embrace our mutual passions and feel utterly happy. So, to say that I’m insanely proud of you and happy for you is beyond an understatement. Again, congratulations and I’m so looking forward to the next quickly approaching milestones! 🫶🏻

As for the 4k celebration prompt request, I was hoping you could please write the prompt “Well. well, well. Look who came to their enemy’s door holding presents.” “Oh cut it, I’m here to pick you up for our date” with Lewis and possibly with teammate!Reader if you don’t mind and are feeling inspired (and if not, then of course no worries! Feel free to take this in any direction and follow your own creativity!). Thank you so much!

first of all, thank you so so sooooo much for your sweet words, they always make my day!! 💗 this is so incredibly sweet and this has been sitting in my drafts for a while and yet, I'm not even completely sure how to answer this lmao but thank you so much! I appreciate it and you from the bottom of my heart!! <33 // prompt: “Well. well, well. Look who came to their enemy’s door holding presents.” “Oh cut it, I’m here to pick you up for our date”

The public saw what you wanted them too. 

Mercedes Drivers At War -- Last Week’s Crash The Tipping Point. 

You and Lewis at opposites, at war, rivals until the end of time. 

There was no way the only female/male duo on the grid could be friends. You were either dating or you hated each other. The two of you opted for hating each other - politely disrespecting the other in the media, pushing and shoving on the track, outranking each other week in and week out, constantly photos of you two getting scolding your team dad principal. 

Silverstone held a special place in both yours and Lewis’ heart. His home race, your first GP win. There was no one where either of you wanted to win so badly, willing to go to any length to out shine the other. 

Lewis went too far - pushing you off the track, skidding until you hit the barricade. You were pissed. 

You weren’t injured, thankfully. The car was fucked and you were forced to retire. 

Toto calmly told you not to bite back even though he understood why you’d want too, promising to speak to Lewis about the incident and making you tell him that you would be a team player to the media. 

Now you were back at home, your flat in London. You missed it. 

There’s a knock on the door and you get up, walking over to open it. You come face to face with your teammate. Lewis stood across from you with a bouquet of your favourite flowers.

“Well. well, well. Look who came to their enemy’s door holding presents.”

No one, not even your team principal knew about what was happening between you and Lewis. One night, the hatred went too far, the tension too much to handle and you ended up in bed together. That quickly turned into a pattern, leading to spending the night together, only for you both to realize you liked each other. 

Lewis smiles, handing you the flowers as he walks in.  “Oh cut it, I’m here to pick you up for our date.” 

You groan, walking to the kitchen. “Do we have to go out? Can we order take out and stay in?” You ask, setting the flowers in a vase as you fill it with water. 

“Of course,” he hugs you from behind. “Are you okay? You left the track before I could even check in on you.” 

“I’m fine,” you tell him and he turns you to face him, caging you in between him and the counter. “Then why was I being told that you were shaking after the crash?” 

“Post race adrenaline. You know how it is, Lew.” Your fingers fiddling with the strings on his hoodie. 

“You’re absolutely sure you’re okay? I couldn't forgive myself if I hurt you-” 

“You didn’t hurt me,” you kiss him, a hand on his jaw. 

“Good,” he smiles, he pats your hip. “What are we feeling tonight? Chinese? Indian ? Greek? I saw a new Thai place opened down the street.” He tells you scanning the menus pinned to the side of your fridge. 

“Chinese, in the mood for fried wontons.” You walk to the couch, Lewis following you with the menu in hand. 

“When are you not?” He jokes, his arm around your shoulder.