#and now that they're in a sisters role again!!! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

girlgenius1111 · 9 months ago

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hallmarks of sisterhood

putellas!reader. r mediates a fight between her sisters. they don't realize they're tearing her apart in the process. at least, not until they ruin an important night for her. can they make it up to her? fluff & angst.

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Being significantly younger than your sisters, you were the true baby of the family, and were treated as such. You were already a pretty sensitive person, and the overprotective tendencies of the entire family only increased this. You were quite different from both your sisters. Alba was an extrovert, always talking, always laughing, never thinking too hard about anything. Alexia was quieter in public, but always loud at home in an attempt to match Alba’s energy. The competitive gene only seemed to skip you, and you hated conflict. Any type of it. You didn’t like yelling, you didn’t like arguments, and you couldn’t stand when people were mad at you.

It made sense then, that you’d always been the mitigator between your sisters. They were always fighting growing up, and it took a very small you to break up the fights that the teenage versions of them would get into, often shoving your small body in between theirs and singing a song so loudly they had no choice but to stop arguing. If the singing didn’t work, then you’d cry, and that always worked.

As you got older, your role changed slightly. You were still the mitigator, but more because you were logical and smart and both of them could normally trust you to be objective. You didn’t really enjoy it, but you hated it more when they weren’t speaking to each other, so you did what you could to resolve their fights easily.

All of this considered, you were not surprised to catch yourself in an argument between them yet again. This one wasn’t super similar to the others, though, in that it was much more emotionally charged. Both Alexia and Alba seemed angrier at each other than normal, and you didn’t know why. Still, you tried to fix it, as best you could.

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“I cannot believe you, Alba.” Alexia sighed, shaking her head at her other sister.

“Don’t try to guilt trip me, Ale, this isn’t my fault. I told you before there was a chance I’d have to go to this conference.” Alba shot back.

“You don’t have to go, you are choosing to go. So you can hook up with that coworker you're seeing.”

Alba flushed red with anger.

“Let’s calm down, guys,” you began, shifting uncomfortably in your seat in the corner of the sectional. Neither girl paid you any mind.

“I am going for work, Alexia, I wouldn’t sleep with anyone at a work conference.”

“Oh, yes of course, you’re so above that. You are notorious for not hooking up with people in inappropriate situations Alba, how could I forget. It was only 4 of my teammates you slept with? And how many of my other friends?”

“You are such a-”

“Stop.” You cut in. “Alexia, that was mean. Alba, she’s just disappointed because she was looking forward to spending time with everyone.” You cut in, trying to cool the rising temperature of the room.

“No, I am disappointed because we made a commitment to do this for Mami and now she’s backing out. Like always.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Alba scoffed.

“The last trip to Ibiza. Mother’s day last year. My 25th birthday,” Alexia began to list, counting the events off on her fingers rather condescending.

“Guys, please calm down.” You attempted.

“Will you ever get over me missing your 25th birthday? Or are you going to have it engraved on your tombstone? ‘My sister missed my birthday once and I never shut up about it.’” Alba yelled, getting to her feet and walking closer to where Alexia was sitting at the kitchen counter.

When Alexia rose to meet her, you stood nervously, too, moving a bit closer. “Why don’t we all stay seated?” You tried.

Both of them continued to ignore you, as if you weren’t even there. “That is not the point, Alba.”

“No, Ale, the point is that only your career is important. Everyone has to drop everything for football, but what I do doesn’t matter, and I have to bend over backwards to make things work with your insane schedule. The world doesn’t revolve around you, Alexia.”

“Oh my god, Alba. You are such a bitch.” Alexia sighed, rolling her eyes in a way she knew would make the younger girl furious.

“You are the bitch, Alexia. A selfish, bossy, mean bitch,” Alba yelled, crossing her arms and taking a step closer to the older girl.

“Alba, I swear to god,” Alexia threw back, the volume of her voice making you flinch. You stepped in between them, forcing them to both back up a bit.

“Please stop shouting.” You pleaded, looking between them. Both of them turned to you, annoyed.

“Go somewhere else if it’s bothering you, pequeña! Adults argue. Grow up.” Alexia yelled, sending a glare your way. You stopped back, blinking away tears, looking incredibly hurt. Alexia sighed. “Sorry, nena, I didn’t mean-”

It was too late, though, you were pushing past her towards the door of her house. “No, whatever. I’ll go. Solve your argument by yourselves for once.” You snapped.

“Nice job, Ale, you made the el bebe cry.” Alba said mockingly.

“Shut your mouth, Alba. Pequeña, come back,” Alexia called, but the door was already slamming shut behind you.

You wiped at your eyes furiously, getting into your car. You’d always hated how sensitive you were, how anyone raising their voice at you made you cry. You couldn’t argue, couldn’t disagree without dissolving into tears. Normally, angry tears. You’d always been like this, and your sisters often made fun of it, but were aware of the fact that you hated yelling, and tried to avoid doing so. Even when they were fighting with each other. Today got too out of control, though, both of them taking this specific issue very seriously.

They’d have to figure it out themselves, this time. You were done with this. They knew how you felt about conflict, and yet they always put you in the middle. It was exhausting and hurtful being caught in between them. They were adults, they could solve this argument.

You and Eli didn’t live far from Alexia, and you reached home before you were really ready to. You needed to erase all evidence of your tears from your face before heading inside, because Eli could not know about this. You and your sisters did not tell on each other, for one thing. For another, there was a possibility the trip in question could be rescheduled and you didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

You checked your face in the mirror, took a deep breath, denied Alexia’s phone call, and headed inside, prepared to pretend that nothing was wrong.

------

You got past your mother with very few questions asked, as she was distracted reading over Alexia’s new Nike contracts. Your sister still had Eli read all her contracts, a habit you and Alba teased her about often.

Eli did come knocking, though, only a few hours later, while you were in your room getting some homework done. “Nena?” She called from the hallway, not hearing a response to her knock.

Still, you didn’t say anything, so she pushed the door open, only to find you asleep at your desk, your head resting on a pile of photographs, your computer opened up to photoshop. A black and white photo of your sister at training was pulled up, and Eli quickly averted her eyes, knowing very well she wasn’t supposed to see this particular assignment until you were done.

“Mija,” Eli said, covering her eyes as she heard you stir. “Go to bed, it’s late, and you are exhausted.”

“Do not look, Mami!” You cried, sitting up completely and quickly flipping everything over and shutting your computer.

“I’m not!” Eli replied, laughing at how secretive you were about these photos.

“Okay, everything is away.” You said, standing to give your mother a hug before getting into bed. She squeezed you tight, as she always did, kissing your cheek before letting go.

“Goodnight,” she said, giving you a kind smile.

“Goodnight mami,” you replied, knowing she was smiling because she knew you were about to get back on your computer as soon as she left the room.

“Oh, do you know why your sister’s are fighting? I texted the groupchat with them, and they both replied to me separately.” Eli asked with an eye roll, quite used to your sisters’ antics.

“Something dumb, probably.” You said with an unconvincing laugh. Your mother gave you a weird look, like she didn't believe you, but didn’t push it.

As soon as she was out of the room, you were, in fact, back on your computer, finishing up the final touches on a photo of Alexia. You were really too excited to be preoccupied with your sisters at the moment. You were in school studying photography, and after a recent exhibition at your school, a gallery in Barcelona had reached out and asked you to shoot a series for them to display. They’d given you full creative control, which was an insane amount of trust to put into a 20 year old, and you were determined not to mess it up.

If that meant staying up late making sure every photo was perfect in the next couple days, so be it. You were proud of this work, and that wasn’t really a common feeling for you. You’d grown up in the shadow of your two sisters. Alexia was the best female footballer in the world, and Alba was… Alba. Everyone loved her. Nothing you ever did seemed to really make anyone pay attention, except for your Mami. Eli had always been careful to celebrate your and Alba’s accomplishments, like she celebrated Alexia’s, even if they weren’t of the same magnitude. Your sisters were a bit better than the rest of your family and friends, paying attention to what you did, but it always felt a bit like your mother was making them do so.

This was your chance to do something impressive of your own. Something that everyone could understand, everyone could be impressed by. It was an opportunity you were not about to waste. You didn’t realize the potential that other people had, though, to ruin it for you.

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The next few days were busy. When you weren’t working on your photos, making sure they were perfectly edited and printed properly, you were worrying about what people would think about them. Or you were trying to pick the perfect outfit for Saturday evening, the opening of the gallery. There wasn’t a ton of time for you to respond to Alexia’s repetitive apologies, or to Alba’s pleading for you to be on her side. It was annoying, really, that during such an important and stressful week, they couldn’t leave you out of their argument.

You finally had enough on Friday, pulling up the groupchat with both of them in it, and sending a rather harsh message. It wasn’t like you to be harsh and snap at them, and you were hoping they would get the message that they’d upset you, and you wanted to be left out of this.

If one of you texts me one more time about this idiotic fight, I am going to tell Mami that it was you two who dented her car, not the neighbor backing into it. I am so tired of being pulled into the middle of this. Both of you apologize to each other for being mean, and get over it.

You hoped that would be the end of it. When your phone buzzed a few minutes later, though, you knew that had been a naive hope.

Alexia had responded first.

It should not be hard to pick a side when I am right, nena.

Alba responded after that.

You always let Alexia get away with things you’d yell at me about. You can both apologize to me when you are ready.

You weren’t really sure how Alba had decided that you’d sided with Alexia, but you certainly were not going to be apologizing to her anytime soon. You left them both on read, figuring they’d make up before the gallery opening tomorrow night.

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You were up pretty much the entire night before the gallery. This time, not because anything needed to get done, but because you were nervous. You were thinking about everything that could possibly go wrong. By the time morning rolled around, you slept for maybe a couple hours, and created a decisive list of every bad thing that could happen today.

You actually hadn’t thought of everything, but you wouldn’t know that until later.

You’d passed out just as the sun had started to rise, and Eli came in to wake you up only a few hours later.

“Nena, despierta,” she said softly, setting down a mug of coffee on your nightstand and shaking your shoulder.

You bolted upright in bed, and looked around frantically, startling your mother. “Am I late?!” You gasped, moving to get out of your bed as fast as possible.

“No, no, you aren’t late. It is only 11. Relax, mija, everything is okay.” Eli soothed, gently pushing you back down onto the bed.

You let out a relieved sigh, rubbing at your face with your hands. “Sorry.”

“Did you sleep at all?” Eli asked with a disapproving look.

“Not much. I tried, I swear, I just couldn’t turn my brain off.”

Your mother patted your cheek reassuringly. “You’re almost done, nena. It’s all going to go perfectly.”

You nodded, trying to believe her words. You just had this weird, nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong. There wasn’t time to focus on this feeling, though, no matter how much you wanted to. There was simply too much to be done. Accepting the hug your mother offered, you got up, ready to prepare yourself for the long day ahead.

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You didn’t really think anything of it when you didn’t see either of your sisters right away. You were busy greeting other people, family and friends. Some of Alexia’s teammates had made it, and you spent some time taking in the awestruck expression on Mapi’s face when she saw the singular photo of her included.

That was the best part of the whole thing, you decided. Getting to see everyone’s reactions to seeing themselves up on the wall.

The theme was people you loved, in their happy place. The project was joyful and fun, radiating happiness. Looking at the photos made you smile, and you were glad to see that everyone seemed to have the same reaction as they took their time looking at each image.

You had Mapi giggling at something Ingrid had said, a candid taken after a Barça game. Ingrid was smiling back at her, like making her girlfriend laugh was the only thing she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

You had your Mami, sitting in the stands of one of Alexia’s games, looking on with pride all over her face. You had her pinching Alba’s cheek, a fond smile on her face as your sister said something that was, no doubt, ridiculous.

You had your aunts and your uncles around the dinner table, all laughing hysterically.

You had your friends at the beach, all lounging and staring out into the ocean, looking peaceful.

You had your best friend sitting in the driver's seat of her car, singing along passionately to her favorite song.

More than anyone else, though, you had your sisters.

Alexia preparing to take a penalty, determined. Celebrating with her teammates after a goal. Cheekily blowing a kiss to Olga in the stands. Smiling proudly at Vicki after an impressive goal. Proudly wearing the captain’s armband in front of a completely sold out stadium. Leaned against Olga on the couch after a movie night, out cold. She was completely peaceful, with Olga looking down at her adoringly.

You had Alba at the school where she taught. Candids of her face, when one of her students got the answer right, or made her laugh. With her dog, holding him up at the aquarium, eye level with one of the dolphins. You had her watching Alexia play, too, a grin on her face that you were sure she was unaware of. Your favorite of Alba was a photo you’d taken in your Mami’s kitchen, while she’d been baking. Alba was sneaking a taste of the cake batter, and you’d captured her mid-wink, giving the camera a smile while Eli’s back was turned to her.

They hadn’t seen any of these photos; you’d almost gone crazy not showing them, and not giving in to them when they begged to see.

You’d finally managed to break away from a crowd of your friends, having a moment to yourself, when you realized that you still hadn’t seen your sisters yet. Ale’s teammates were here. Some of Alba’s friends were here. The whole family was here. You checked your watch, a frown on your face, seeing that they were both already over a half hour late, which was unlike both of them. It was only when you saw Olga looking up at one of the photos she was pictured in, all by herself, that you really got a sinking feeling in your stomach. She was talking to Irene when you walked over and interrupted, gently pulling Olga away from the conversation.

“Where is Ale? Is she coming late?” You asked, confused by the sad look on Olga’s face.

“No, nena, I’m sorry. She didn’t want to see Alba, so she decided not to come. I tried to convince her to, but she didn’t listen.” Olga said delicately. You looked like you’d been hit across the face, honestly, and Olga wanted nothing more than to march home and drag Alexia over here, but she knew better to try to convince the blonde to do something she had decided she wouldn’t. “She said she texted you?”

You pulled your phone out, taking a deep breath when you saw almost identical texts from both of your sisters.

Can’t make it tonight. I’ll come see it another time. Good luck!

Sorry, hermanita, I can’t come tonight. Love you.

You had been so excited for them to see their pictures. There was a little note up on the wall, too, a statement thanking everyone for coming. In it, you mentioned being excited to allow your sisters to finally see the photos, as they’d been begging to for a while now. And they hadn’t come.

A wave of embarrassment washed over you, your cheeks flushing red. You were angry, too, but you blinked your tears back, looking up at Olga and trying to look more put together than you felt.

“No Alba either.” You said, your voice cracking slightly.

“Oh, nena, I am so sorry.” Olga whispered, pulling you into a tight hug. It was too soft, and too comforting. You pulled away rapidly, shaking your head.

“It’s fine. I don’t care.” You said, cutting the brunette off before she could say anything else. “I have to go talk to someone, thank you for coming, Olga.”

You rushed away from your sister’s girlfriend, focusing on taking deep breaths. You couldn’t be sad, not right now. So many people had come here to celebrate you and your work, and you weren’t going to ruin it. You could be upset later. It was almost excruciating, pretending that you weren’t upset that your sisters hadn't come, but you managed it. You kept up a pretty good façade for the rest of the evening, even when you saw Olga speaking in hushed voices to Irene and Mapi, even when everyone kept asking where Ale and Alba were. You held it together. Because you, unlike them, could pretend that nothing was wrong for the sake of others.

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Your mother knew you better than anyone. You should have been thrilled, ecstatic. Everything had gone so well. Your photos had been a hit, the owners of the gallery had been thrilled. She realized neither of her other daughters had shown up, but she assumed they had talked that through with you. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with you, but when you declined going out with some of your friends as the night came to an end, Eli knew something wasn’t right.

She had every intention of letting you come to her, but you weren’t talking. As everyone began to file out of the gallery, saying their final goodbyes, Eli overheard you tell your friends you were going to go home because you were tired. You didn't say a single word to her aside from telling her that you’d see her at home, before you practically fled the building, heading for your car. She didn’t couldn’t imagine what was wrong, never expecting her daughters to have done what they did. Eli didn’t even think of them being a possible reason as to why you were upset. Mapi pulled her aside, though, before she could go after you, an infuriated look on her face.

“Do you know what your daughters have done?” She asked quietly.

Eli frowned. “No. What have they done?”

Mapi shook her head. “They both bailed on tonight over text to pequeña. They are in some stupid fight that they’ve put her in the middle of, and they didn’t want to see each other, so they didn’t come.”

Suddenly, Eli was quite furious at her eldest daughters. There would be hell to pay, she’d make sure of it. How could they be so selfish, and ruin your night like this? You’d been almost beside yourself for weeks about this night, and she knew the people you wanted to impress most were your sisters. And they hadn’t come. Before she yelled at them, though, she needed to go home to you, because she was very sure that you weren’t okay. Your odd behavior made sense, now, and Eli’s heart ached at the thought of you driving all by yourself while you were so upset.

“I will deal with them.” Eli said quietly. “Thank you for telling me, María, and for coming. It meant a lot to her.”

Mapi smiled sympathetically. “Of course. Let me know if you need help kicking some Putellas ass.”

Eli chuckled. “I will.”

She set off to her car after that, ignoring Alexia’s numerous phone calls. Likely, Olga had arrived home and laid into her for not coming, and Alexia was looking to be let off the hook from her Mami that she hadn’t messed up that badly. Eli wouldn’t be doing that.

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You didn’t make it far into the house. In your new dress, one that was reminiscent of the dress Alexia had worn to win her first balon d’or, you’d collapsed onto the couch, harsh sobs ripping their way out of your chest. You cried until your makeup ran and your chest hurt. Until your Mami arrived home, rushing through the door, her heart breaking when she saw the state you were in. Eli was by your side instantly, pulling you into her arms. It was rare that a hug from your mother didn’t make you feel better, but this was the case today. You weren’t really sure that anything would help, but you still buried yourself into your Mami’s arms, wishing more than anything that she could fix this for you.

“They didn’t come, Mami,” you sobbed.

“I know, mija, I am so sorry.”

“Am I not more important than their stupid fight?” You asked, looking up at your mother with a devastated expression on your face. “I was so excited for them to see, I just wanted them to be proud of me.”

Eli felt anger fill her at a level she’d never quite felt before. “I am proud of you, cariño, so proud of you. It’s all going to be okay, I promise. Everything is going to be fine.” She soothed, running her hand through your hair, shushing you softly. Her fury would have to wait, until you stopped crying. Eli would always put you first when you needed it, even if your sisters didn’t.

-------

It was late by the time you’d stopped crying and headed up to bed. With a soft goodnight to your Mami, you’d slumped upstairs, barely changing into your pajamas before you collapsed into your bed, absolutely exhausted. Being disappointed was tiring, apparently. And you were more disappointed than you’d ever been in your life.

Downstairs, Eli waited until she heard your door shut before she pulled her phone out, returning one of the 15 missed calls from her eldest daughter. Alexia picked up quickly, her voice dripping with guilt.

“Mami, I-”

“No. Do not try to explain yourself. You and Alba have done a terrible thing, Alexia. I am not sure how you will make it up to your sister, but you will. You will figure out how to fix it, you will apologize, you will mean it.”

“Sí, Mami.” Alexia said, her voice small like when she used to get scolded for kicking the football in the house or holding the tv remote high out of her sisters’ reach.

“I am so disappointed, Alexia. In you and Alba both.”

“I know, Mami.” Alexia replied, blinking hard to fight off her tears. “I’ll fix it, Al and I will fix it.”

“You will. Goodnight, Alexia. I love you.” Eli was furious, but she’d always say it, always make sure her daughters knew how loved they were.

“I love you too Mami,” the blonde choked out, feeling worse about this than she’d ever felt about anything in her entire life.

Eli called Alba next, who was significantly more clueless about the situation. Neither had known the other wasn’t going, but it was beyond your mother how either of her daughters could have underestimated how important to you this night was. Alba was in tears, like Alexia, by the end of the call, also promising her mother she’d fix it.

Eli knew the level of guilt Alexia and Alba must have been feeling at the moment, considering how protective they were of you. They never wanted you to be hurt, but you were. And they were the reason why. As she checked on you, ensuring you were asleep, she knew that her older daughters would go to the ends of the earth to make this up to you.

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Alba was sitting on her couch, willing herself to be the bigger person and pick up the phone to call Alexia, when she heard a knock at the door. The brunette knew who was there before she pulled it open, not flinching when her older sister was standing on her front porch.

Alexia had a drink carrier in one hand, and two bags in the other, giving Alba an unreadable look. “Can I come in?”

Alba nodded, stepping aside to let her sister in. The blonde headed for the living room, setting the coffees down, and grabbing hers out of the holder. Alba grabbed the other, noting that it was her favorite coffee, and her favorite breakfast pastry, from her favorite bakery. A bakery Alexia didn’t particularly like, but had clearly stopped at just for Alba.

It was a peace offering. One that Alba took, grabbing the coffee and the pastry, sitting on the couch next to her sister in a much less tense silence. They made up in the way only sister’s could, with no words necessary for either of them to know that the other was sorry for what had been said.

“We fucked up.” Alexia said after a minute, glancing at her sister.

“We really did.” Alba replied.

“We have to fix it.” Alexia declared.

“We really do.” Alba agreed.

“Are you going to keep agreeing with me, or are you going to come up with a solution here?”

“As the one who started the fight that led to us letting our sister down, I think it should be you who solves the problem, Alexia.” Alba retorted, a smirk on her face.

Her sister shook her head, shoving the brunette’s shoulder lightly. “You are supposed to be the smart one, hermana. Get thinking.”

“New car?”

“New house?”

“Can we buy her a country?”

They broke into laughter, the tension completely gone from the room, before they really got brainstorming. They were a good team when they weren’t fighting, and it wasn’t long before they’d come up with something that they hoped would make up for their horrible behavior.

-------

The minute you saw Alexia’s car pull into the driveway from your spot on the couch, you were standing up, prepared to flee the room. You’d known this would happen at some point today, but you weren’t ready to see them. You felt so humiliated and so neglected, you were sure that seeing them would have you in tears, and you didn’t really want to show that emotion in front of them. Not now, not when they were the reason you were so upset.

You knew how important family was to your mother, though, and you knew that if she told you to stay and talk to them, you would. Looking at her cautiously, you took in the wary expression on her face.

“Do you want to hear them out, mija?” Eli asked gently.

“No. I don’t want to see them right now. Please don’t make me.” You begged.

“I won’t make you do anything. Go upstairs, I’ll tell you when they’re gone.” Eli sighed, and with her permission, you practically sprinted up the stairs to your room, closing and locking the door behind you.

Your older sisters walked through the doors to the house like they were afraid of what awaited them inside, and it seems that they should have been. Eli stood from her chair, walking over to them, looking unimpressed at the large present in Alexia’s hands.

“Hola Mami,” Alba greeted softly. They both wanted to make this up to you, of course, but they also hated when their mother was mad at them.

“I do not think that buying her a present is going to fix this.” Eli said pointedly. Alexia and Alba exchanged nervous glances, relaxing slightly when Eli allowed them further into the house. “What is it?”

“It’s the new camera. The brand new canon model that she wanted, with all the extra lenses and storage and stuff.” Alexia said, feeling less and less confident about how she and Alba had chosen to go about this.

“And you think that is enough?” Eli asked bluntly.

“It’s a start.” Alba said, a bit defensively. “We know we messed up, Mami, and we missed the opening night but we can go see it today. Are you not being a little dramatic about this?”

Alexia shot her younger sister a look, knowing exactly how hurt you were, because Olga had returned home from the gallery and told her.

“You did not see her last night. When she realized you weren’t coming? She completely shut down. She talked to everyone she needed to, but I did not see her smile the rest of the night. She rushed out of the building just as the evening ended, and by the time I got home, she was sitting on the couch, sobbing. It was supposed to be her night, and you ruined it.” Eli snapped.

Alexia and Alba both looked appropriately ashamed, their heads dropping, gazes pointed at the floor in an almost identical fashion. They felt guilty, obviously, but Eli wasn’t quite sure they understood that it wasn’t just about them missing your event. It was so much more than that.

“She asked me why she is not more important to both of you than an argument. I do not want to spoil the gallery, but I do not think you understand how embarrassing it was for her to have countless photos of you two up on the wall, when you did not even come.”

Both her daughters’ heads snapped up at this. “Of us?” Alba asked. “The project was of us?”

“It was about her loved ones. You two were featured more than anyone else. She was so excited to see your reactions to the photos.” Eli continued, only making them feel worse.

“Please, Mami, I cannot hear anymore.” Alexia said softly, her heart aching at the thought of how upset you must be at the moment. Every detail that her mother added made it worse. She wasn’t sure she’d ever done anything like this to you before, and the thought that you might not forgive her was filling her with anxiety.

“No, you will hear all of it.” Eli said, shaking her head. “She said to me, ‘I was so excited for them to see, I just wanted them to be proud of me.’”

“We are proud of her, she has to know that.” Alba cut in desperately. Her mother just shook her head.

“She does not. Nothing she ever does feels very important to either of you, because it is always something you have done before. This was something that was her own, and she just wanted to share it with you. Everything your sister does is so that you two will be proud of her, and pay attention to her.”

At this, Alexia stood up from the couch, walking over to the window and putting her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook with silent cries, and neither her mother or her sister were very surprised at the emotional outburst. Alexia was always emotional when it came to you; she remembered the day you’d been born, every milestone in your life. You were your very tough sister’s soft spot.

“Do you think we can fix it?” Alba asked quietly, terrified of her mother’s answer.

With a deep sigh, Eli nodded her head. Alexia turned around hopefully, hanging on to Eli’s every word. “Your baby sister has always been more forgiving than both of you. She is hurt, but she will forgive you. She loves you both too much not to.”

Every word Eli said felt like a bullet to the chest to both of your sisters, something your mother was well aware of. She wasn’t going to sugar coat this. It was silent in the room for several minutes, every member of the family lost in thought. Alexia looked furious with herself, Alba looked like she was close to tears, and Eli just looked disappointed. She’d always trusted your sisters to take care of you when she couldn’t, but she wasn’t so sure she had that confidence in them anymore.

“I have an idea.” Alexia said finally, looking between her mother and her sister hesitantly. They both agreed to what she proposed, though, and it wasn’t long before Eli had pulled out some paper and pens for her daughters. They both sat on the floor around the coffee table and got writing. It was reminiscent of when they’d do their homework in the same spot years ago, sitting on the floor so they could play with you while they finished their assignments.

Now, though, you were painfully absent from the scene in front of your mother, and Eli could only hope that this would work.

-------

Alexia and Alba agreed that only one of them would go upstairs, give you the two pieces of paper, and let you be for the evening. Alexia was desperate to see you, while Alba wasn’t sure she could do so without crying, and she didn’t particularly want to put that on you at the moment. You hated seeing your sisters upset, and she didn’t want to inadvertently guilt you into forgiving her before you were ready. So, Alexia made her way upstairs, agreeing to Eli’s warnings to leave you alone if you wouldn’t let her in.

Her knock on your door was uncharacteristically gentle, and her voice was almost shaky as she announced herself.

“Nena? Can I come in for a minute?”

Taking a deep breath, you opened the door, feeling rather satisfied to see the guilt all over her face.

Alexia stepped into the room, looking so nervous and so unlike herself. She was fidgeting with two pieces of paper in her hands, barely able to bring herself to look you in the eye. “I am so sorry, hermanita. More sorry than I can put into words.” She didn't seem to know what else to say, and you rolled your eyes.

“Do you think that is enough?” You asked.

Alexia shook her head rapidly. “No, I know it isn’t. Alba and I are going to fix this, nena, I promise. Whatever we have to do, whatever it takes. We will make this up to you. There is nothing more important to us than you.”

Your eldest sister could tell you didn’t believe her, the way you looked away from her was a dead giveaway.

“I know you are upset, and that is okay. I just… can I give you a hug, nena? You can still be mad at me and everything. I’d just really like an hermanita hug.” Alexia said vulnerably, tears clouding her vision. She had underestimated how painful it would be to see you so upset with her, but her chest truly ached as she took in the betrayal and disappointment on your face. A few tears fell from her eyes, and it was this bit of emotion that had you nodding your head, stepping forward as Alexia wrapped her arms around you almost painfully tight.

It made you feel better, even though it probably shouldn’t have. Your sister’s hugs always felt warm and safe, and today was no exception. Even though she’d hurt you. It was still Alexia, and she was a hard person to stay mad at. Still, you pulled away before you wanted to, and the blonde cleared her throat, holding out the pieces of paper for you.

“From me and Alba. We will be downstairs, if you want to talk.” Your sister opened and closed her mouth a few times, before shaking her head, mustering a weak smile, and leaving the room. She shut the door behind her, something she never did, always insisting on leaving it open just to bother you.

You opened your sisters’ letters, not quite sure what you would be reading. You weren’t quite angry anymore, just sad. You were never one to hold a grudge, but you weren’t sure how they were going to be able to make this stop hurting.

You underestimate, however, how well your sisters knew you, and combined with the information they had from Eli, they knew just what to say. You read both the letters a few times, tears streaming down your face for what felt like the 12th time that day. This time, though, they were good tears.

Both letters were similar, but very… specific to each of your sisters.

Alexia’s was practically a bullet pointed list, in her messy, big handwriting. There was a mark on the page that looked suspiciously like a teardrop, and Alexia talked about her emotions in the letter the way she always did in real life; saying as little as possible, while still somehow saying a whole lot.

Alba’s was a real letter, paragraph after paragraph of neat writing, beautifully articulating what she wanted to say to you. It was always a bit surprising to remember how perceptive Alba was. She was a forgetful person, but not when it came to the things that mattered. This was clear in the letter, as she listed small details out that you hadn’t thought she’d noticed.

Both of the letters were an apology. An apology, and a deep dive into how proud of you Alexia and Alba were. They apologized for not making it clear, before going back to when you were a baby, and they watched you walk for the first time. Through the years, they had overlapping and different memories of things you’d done that made them swell with pride. There were things you remembered, and things you didn’t, but they made you feel special all the same. Alexia and Alba did pay attention, that much was clear. Even if they weren’t always the best at showing it, they paid attention to you.

It did more than a verbal apology could have ever done. It was something tangible, kind, warm and loving. It made you feel loved, and seen. It made you feel like you mattered. You weren’t Alexia, and you weren’t Alba, but you were you, and they felt that to be something much more special.

You tried to hold out a bit longer, you really did, but you were putting the letters down and rushing downstairs before you could really stop yourself.

You passed the kitchen on the way to the living room, where your Mami was preparing dinner, a small, relieved smile on her face. Wishing you had something funny and unbothered to say, you walked into the room, seeing your sisters sitting on the couch, looking pathetically distraught.

“Hola.” You said softly, feeling indescribably happy when both of their faces lit up at the sight of you, and you quickly crossed the room, wedging yourself in between them. They made room for you, as they always did, allowing you to fit easily into your spot squished with Alexia on one side, and Alba on the other.

They each wrapped an arm around you, and both tried to pull you in opposite directions. It was ironic, the way they used you to play a silly game of tug of war. This time, however, they stopped pulling when they realized neither of them would win. Instead, they both wrapped you into a very awkward and suffocating hug, arms wrapped around you from seemingly every direction.

“I love you, nena.” Alexia whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of your head.

Alba did the same to your cheek. “I am so sorry, hermanita, and I love you so much,” she whispered.

“I know.” You said softly. “I forgive you.”

And if it had been either of them in your position, it would have taken a lot more. You were the forgiving sister, though, and you’d really just needed proof that your sisters thought that you were as important as you felt them to be.

When Eli came in the room a few minutes later, it was to see the three of you in a rather familiar position; you in the middle, each of your sisters holding on to as much of you as they could, completely content. They’d always like to hold you like that, starting when you were a baby. Alexia would carefully put you on the couch in between them, and put a movie on. They would take turns telling you all the important details your brain was far too small to comprehend, but you didn’t squirm, and you didn’t fuss. You would stay plopped right in between them, one of each of their fingers gripped tight in your hands.

It was a lot different now, because you were all bigger. It looked like an uncomfortable pile of limbs on the couch, but Eli knew you were all as comfortable as you’d ever get.

-------

Neither of your sisters seemed very willing to let you out of their sight anytime soon, which you were sure would grow annoying very fast. For now, though, you enjoyed the attention, especially when Alexia pushed the wrapped box that had been sitting on the table into your hands.

And, you’d already forgiven them before you’d seen the camera they’d bought you, one that you’d been desperately wanting for a while. If you hadn’t forgiven them, though, you would have now. You could be bought, and your sisters were well aware of it. As was your Mami. She rolled her eyes as you stared in awe at the camera, as Alexia and Alba looked on proudly, sharing a discreet fist bump. Personally, Eli thought you’d let them off kind of easy, but she shouldn’t have underestimated you. You were a youngest child, and you knew how to get what you wanted.

“Can we go see your photos after dinner?” Alba asked, not even getting a glance from you, your attention completely zeroed in on the camera in your hands.

“Nope.” You replied. Alexia and Alba looked uneasily at each other, and then at their Mami for guidance, before you spoke again. “Alexia, you are going to clean my room. And Alba, you are going to make me those cookies I like. We can go see the gallery tomorrow.”

Your face was smug, and your mother stifled a laugh as your sisters looked disgruntled at each other. Begrudgingly, though, they both nodded.

“Anything for the princess.” Alexia mumbled, and Alba snickered quietly.

“What was that?” You asked, turning your attention to your sisters. They looked at you in defiance, smirks on both of their faces, not willing to let you completely walk all over them, even if they deserved it.

“You heard me.” Alexia teased. “The baby princess always gets her way.”

“Really, Ale?” You asked calmly, before turning to Eli, your new camera briefly forgotten on the table in front of you. “Mami, do you have any plans in two weekends? I was thinking we could take a trip just the two of-”

Alexia cut you off by rather aggressively throwing herself at you, covering your mouth with her hand. “NO HERMANITA!” The blonde shouted. “Oh, gross, nena, really?” She groaned, pulling her hand away when you licked it. You smiled triumphantly, managing to push away from her a bit.

“You are not a princess, nena. Just a little baby.” Alba chimed in, reaching over from her chair to pinch your cheek in one hand. “Now keep quiet before you ruin the surprise and give Ale a stroke.”

Your mother shook her head, taking pity on her eldest daughter, who looked prepared to explode at the thought of the surprise being ruined. “Do you think I do not know you were planning a trip for the four of us, Alexia? Honey, you asked me several times if I was free that weekend, and reminded me not to make any plans then either. You also asked me for hotel recommendations, and pretended it was for you and Olga. You are a bad liar, mija. I have known for weeks.” Eli laughed.

Alexia frowned, shoving you and Alba both away from her as you both collapsed into giggles, despite the fact that this was entirely her fault, and you and Alba were blameless. She knew there was teasing coming her way, but the smile on your face was well worth it. Order had been restored, and both of your sisters had made promises to themselves, and to each other, to not let their arguments hurt you anymore. You were just happy to have them both there, at home. All four of you together, how it was supposed to be.

-------

it will really always be funny to me that my sister and i do not say the words "i'm sorry" to each other. like we'd both rather die than apologize. she could hit me with her car and i wouldn't want her to apologize because... ew. anyway sometimes having a sister is cool and sometimes its not but i love mine.

everyone applaud me for not splitting this into two parts. seriously i am astounded at myself right now.

hope you all like it :) give me all your thoughts.

#woso imagine #woso x reader #woso one shot #woso fanfics #alexia putellas x reader #putellas!reader #platonic reader

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harrysfolklore · 11 months ago

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Harry Styles Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED

this was posted on my patreon a few months ago, enjoy ! MASTERLIST | MY PATREON

"Hi I'm Harry Styles and this is the Wired Autocomplete Interview."

Harry introduced himself to the camera and you smiled, you were currently at WIRED Studios for Harry's long awaited autocomplete interview that he finally agreed to do thanks to yours and his fans persistence.

You were sitting behind the camera with the rest of the crew, watching him with a small smile.

A crew member passed the first board to him, he looked at it confusedly for a minute before speaking.

"Okay so. I'm answering what I think or what?"

Everyone in the studio laughed and the director quickly explained to him how the game worked once again, you rolled your eyes with affection and he sent a wink your way.

"Alright, how is Harry Styles?" he said after taking the little piece of paper off the board, "I'm good, I'm really enjoying being home in London, I was away for a while on tour and I'm going to stay here for a bit so that's exciting."

"How did Harry Styles," he paused to rip the next paper and reveal the rest of the question, "Become famous? Well, when I was sixteen years old I auditioned for a singing show called The X Factor, I got put in a band with four lads and we didn't win but we put out a song called What Makes You Beautiful," he smiled for a second, "that one put us on the map, we released a bunch of albums and now I'm here."

"How did Harry Styles meet his wife?" at this, he turned his gaze to you to give you a big smile, you immediately mirrored his and nodded your head, signaling that you were okay with him talking about it.

"We could say that it was basically a blind date, we had a friend in common who thought we would be a good match and set us up, we had an amazing first date but then I had to travel to Los Angeles for work so we couldn't really see each other after that but once I was back in London we hung out all the time, and now we're married."

He smiled at you again and you couldn't help but feel your heart melt, you had been married for 6 months now but the married life was still new for the both of you, and everything he called you his wife butterflies made its way to your stomach.

"How is Harry Styles still alive?" his eyes widened in surprise and he looked around the room, making a few present laugh, "Um, that's a weird thing to search on the internet, but I guess, I don't know if I can answer that, I don't think anyone can answer that we're just lucky to still be around and enjoy life."

He gave the camera one of his infamous "frog smiles" and handed the board to a crew member who was ready with the next one.

"Does Harry Styles have tattoos?" he revealed the first question of the new board, "Yes, he does. I have a lot of tattoos actually, they're basically all over my body. The most recent one is right here," he pointed at the back of his right arm, "It's my wedding date, actually, everyone might call me a sap but I was reserving this arm for tattoos about my wife a and future kids, so I guess it's finally time to fill it."

It was safe to say that fans watching at home and everyone in the studio absolutely melted, especially you.

"Does Harry Styles have siblings? I do I have a sister, she's older than me and her name is Gemma. A lot of people claim she's cooler than me for some reason but I don't thing that's true," he shrugged and revealed the next question, "Does Harry Styles speak Italian? I would like to think that I do, I spend a lot of time there and I've learned how to communicate pretty decently."

"Is Harry Styles an actor?" he said after peeling the first sticker of the new board, "He tries to be an actor that's for sure," he laughed and everyone in the room did as well, "I mean, I've been in a couple of movies, I've auditioned for a bunch of roles and my agent has sent me scripts to go through," he shrugged "So I can say that makes me an actor."

"Is Harry Styles american?" he shook his head at that one, "He is not! He's Britain, born and raised okay? He's very proud of it."

"What's Harry Styles BeReal? I don't have a BeReal, but if I did I wouldn't tell you," he pointed to the camera jokingly, "What are Harry Styles fans called? I think they are referred to as Harries, but I don't like to speak on behalf of them, you should ask them."

"What was Harry Styles first song? My first song was Sign Of The Times, I wrote it with friends that I love, and that is my wife's favorite song I've ever written, right love?"

"That's correct." you said from your spot, pretty audible so you know it would make it to the final cut of the interview.

"What are Harry Styles songs about?" he peeled the last sticker of the board, "They're about a lot of things, life, friends, love, my wife," he shrugged, "I even have one about the female orgasm."

You quietly giggled, knowing that his fans would go crazy over that last sentence.

"Did Harry Styles go to college? He did not, he became a singer."

"Did Harry Styles win a Grammy? He somehow won Album Of The Year last year, which is absolutely insane if you ask him."

"Did Harry Styles finish high school? Oh I'm glad the internet asks," he laughed, "Contrary to popular belief I did finish high school, I completed my GCES and I graduated, I don't know why there's a rumor there that I didn't finish high school tho."

"Anyway, last one!" he comically threw the board to the floor and grabbed the final board a crew member was handling him, "Who is Harry Styles best friend? Um, I have a ton of best friends. Jeff who's also my manager, Mitch who plays in my band, my childhood best friend's name is Johnny, so yeah, I'm very lucky in the friends department, I love my friends."

"Who does Harry Styles look like? My mom, I would say. A lot of people point out that we have the same smile," he shrugged, "My mom is a beautiful woman so I'm flattered."

"Who did Harry Styles write Love Of My Life about? My wife and London."

"And final question," he slowly peeled off the sticker for dramatic effect, "Who does Harry Styles love? Okay, that's cute that people search for that on the internet, um, I love my family and friends, I love my wife that's for sure, I love making music and performing," he listed with his fingers, "And love love, yeah, love is great."

He smiled to the camera and put the board aside to say his goodbyes.

"I thought my Google searches were much more appropriate that I expected. I was fun to see what people wonder about me, so yeah thank you WIRED for having me."

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trashno0dle · 2 years ago

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so there's a lot of speculation whether or not they're gonna have mike be michael or not in the fnaf movie. and so far even i thought it was pretty unlikely considering the little things we've been shown. but now that the full trailers been revealed there's something that caught my eye. and maybe i'm puling a matpat here and over analyzing one little frame but. just hear me out alright. so in the little snippet we see of a phone call between mike and william, it's pretty normal and well, there's nothing to show that they know each other. clearly mike doesn't know who he's talking to, he just wants a job.

and honestly for me i was losing hope that they were gonna have mike be revealed to be michael. since initially i thought this was just them confirming that he's not since, surely if he was michael then he'd recognize his fathers voice? but. that might not be the case.

my theory/speculation for the route they're going (again, emphasis on the theory i'm not saying this is 100% canon) is that it's heavily implied there's going to be SOME kind of flashback with mike as a young teenager, since a boy was cast and listed as "young mike" too. and this information about his character given back when casting for the roles were announced.

"riddled with guilt over a tragedy in his past" which only further strengthens the possibility of a flashback to the bite of 83 where michael pranked his brother and inadvertently caused his death. it's the aftermath of this event with determines how this theory could work. either, william and his wife divorced shortly after, and his wife got custody of mike - they married into another family, the schmidt's. this could lead to abby either being his step-sister or his half-sister.

OR. mike was taken away from william either because of the bite or because the police were heavily suspicious that william was responsible for the missing children. he was put into the system and adopted by - again - the schmidt's. and the reason he doesn't remember anything is because the trauma and the guilt from the bite of 83 and the death of his little brother caused him to heavily repress those memories and in turn, a lot of others (william) without realizing.

so mike doesn't recognize william's voice here. but william?

this is the frame that caught me here. his expression, the subtle smile on his face. the gears are turning in his head, something clicked.

what if william was keeping tabs on mike this whole time? and he carefully plotted to ensure he got the job at freddy's. for reasons unknown. maybe he just wanted to mess with him, make him remember everything he repressed from his childhood - he's trying to get him to remember by bringing him back to the place where it all started. he remembers his son, but mike doesn't remember his father.

BUT that's just me i'm a little insane. anyway i needed to make this post and write down my thoughts or i'd explode.

#i think theyre making us think mike isnt michael #theyre misleading us on purpose #so that when it is revealed. it hits a little harder #thats just me anyway #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #fnaf movie #william afton #michael afton #mike schmidt #fnaf theory #sorry guys idk what happened here i think i got possessed by matpat #pre fnaf movie #pre fnaf movie theory

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munsonhoneybaby · 2 years ago

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Too Much in Common | Eddie Munson X F!Henderson!Reader

Summary: After Dustin brings Eddie home for a D&D campaign, you find yourself enjoying his company more frequently than expected.

Word Count: 5.2k

Warnings: 18+ mdni, drug use (marijuana), smut, kinda automatic dubcon since they're both fried?, fingering, a lil praise, eddie’s just a lil obsessed

A/N: it hasn’t been explicitly stated yet but reader is adopted. hopefully i actually post a part two in a timely manner.

part two | finale | tmic masterlist

The rumbling of Eddie’s van ceased in the Hendersons’ driveway as he turned the key back in the ignition. He was surprised, however, when the metal thrum of a guitar continued despite his radio now being off. Opening his door, he recognized “N.I.B.” by Black Sabbath and realized it was coming from inside, making his eyebrows furrow in confusion.

He made his way to the front door, not bothering to knock beforehand since Dustin was expecting him and the kid’s mom wasn’t home. “Since when did you get a taste in music, Henderson?” He called over the music blaring from the sound system in the living room. A door around the corner slammed open much more forcefully than necessary and the aforementioned freshman barreled out of his bedroom.

“It’s my sister!” He shouted back. “She said I could have you guys over while Mom is gone if I didn’t bitch while she was in charge, but APPARENTLY THAT MEANS MAKING ME GO DEAF!”

Eddie could just barely make out your muttered “oh please” as you entered from the kitchen. You turned down the volume until the sound could be considered background noise. “If anyone here is gonna go deaf, it’s me from your constant shrieking.” Distressed jeans hugged the curve of your waist perfectly and the Poison t-shirt you had on looked soft from numerous wears. He tried not to stare, but he was sure he looked like a cartoon character– bugging, heart-shaped eyes and jaw hitting the floor. He almost missed it when you acknowledged him. “Munson. I heard you were still running Hellfire. Didn’t realize you’d be coming today.”

Oh fuck. You knew him. You knew him? How did you know him? Of course, you had gone to the same school, everybody in Hawkins did, but he would remember meeting a girl like you. Would you be upset with him for not knowing who you are? God, already embarrassing himself and he hasn’t even started talk–

“Relax,” You snorted. “I was a grade under you at Hawkins and I was homeschooled my senior year. We never talked, I wouldn’t expect you to remember me. I’m pretty sure everybody knows about you, though.” And this is when you tell him to get out of your house and stay away from your kid brother because he’s a drug-dealing, Satan-worshipping freak. “It’s nice you’re still running the D&D club, sounds like everything else there gets worse every year.”

Some of the tension in his muscles slipped away and he realized he’d been subtly bracing himself. “Oh–” The doorbell rang and Dustin ran to get it, welcoming in Mike and Lucas who were already amicably bickering louder than necessary. Behind them trailed the two others they had ridden with, Jeff and Gareth if you remembered correctly. They seemed a little uncomfortable holding a session in a new house, but relaxed drastically when they set eyes on Eddie. “Uh– you guys can go ahead down to the basement with the freshmeat. I’ll be down in a sec, alright?” They nodded, waving politely to you before following the boys.

When they were gone, you and Eddie locked eyes again. “Seriously, I’m glad Dusty has someone watching out for him. He takes more shit than he deserves. Just try to be a good role model, alright? If I find out you give that kid Special K or some shit, it’s fucking over for you. Got it?”

“I would never let anything bad happen to those kids when they’re with me,” He spoke earnestly. “I’m gonna look out for them. If I’m ever gonna do anything right, it’s that.”

“I believe you, Munson.” You gave him a small smile and nodded towards the basement door. “You should probably get going. They can’t start the game without their dungeon master, right?”

An embarrassed flush fought its way up his neck to his cheeks as you turned towards the hall where your bedroom was. Before you could get more than a couple of steps though, he gently grasped your wrist. “Hey uh, by the way– I just wanted you to know that I don’t really– I don’t do any hard stuff anymore. Haven’t in a while. I hardly even sell it anymore and I stopped selling to first-timers.”

“I’m sorry, Eddie, I didn’t mean to–”

“No, don’t worry about it. I totally get it, I just wanted to let you know; for your peace of mind, I guess. You deserve to know who your baby brother’s hanging around with, I don’t want you to think I’m too bad an influence.”

“I don’t think you’re too bad, Munson. Just a healthy amount.” You gave his own wrist a small squeeze as you slipped your hand from his and finally went back to your own room. He gazed after you momentarily, even after your door had closed. If the guys were still present, they would definitely be giving him shit.

As if on cue, he heard Dustin’s muffled shout from the basement. “Eddie, hurry the hell up!”

You were sitting on the front porch swing lighting a joint when his beat-up van pulled up two nights later. “Seek & Destroy” poured from his cracked-open windows until his door opened and he set foot on your driveway once again. “He’s not here, y’know,” You called to him.

“That’s alright, I actually just needed to–” Eddie was halfway between you and his van when he caught a whiff of a particularly familiar scent. A shocked, teasing grin slowly spread across his face. “Henderson, are you smoking marijuana right now?”

In spite of yourself, you let out a laugh, coughing around a lungful of smoke in the process. “Say it a little louder, Munson, I don’t think the deafening Metallica got the neighbors’ attention.”

Laughing, he dropped into the space next to you on the swing. “I didn’t peg you for the smoking type.”

“Oh, you mean from the three minutes we interacted?” You squinted playfully but held the joint out to him. “Just weed, I don’t fuck with anything else personally.”

He took you up on the offer, calloused fingertips brushing your skin as he took the joint from you. Examining it for a moment, he smirked as he took a hit. “Fuckin’ with it pretty hard, apparently,” He breathed out. “You roll almost as good as I do.”

“Good, then you can roll the next one.” It passes between you as you speak, though Eddie tries to keep his turns short out of courtesy. “Which brings us back to the topic of why you’re here mooching my shit. You said you needed to do something?”

“Right, I uh- I forgot my lucky dice here the other night. I figured I’d pick ‘em up on my way home from The Hideout.”

“Oh yeah, you’re in a band or something, right?”

“Since middle school,” He nodded, “Just me and a few guys from school, s’called Corroded Coffin.”

“Sounds metal.”

“We try to,” He chuckled.

“You like Black Sabbath and Metallica, you’d better,” You teased. You didn’t notice the way his eyes followed your every move as you smoked. The way your cheeks hollowed ever so slightly as you sucked in a hit, how your breath hitched and your eyes fell closed as you held it in. The corners of his lips curled up in amusement watching you blow Os while conversation lulled for a moment. Offering him one last hit first, you stub out the roach on the ground and stand from your seat. “C’mon in, you can go get your dice.”

“Thanks,” He hummed, grabbing the door as soon as it was open to hold it for you.

“Have you eaten?” You ask, heading into the kitchen as he made his way toward the basement door. “I haven’t, I was gonna make a sandwich or something. You want one?”

“That’d be great, actually, thank you.” The dice weren’t hard to find seeing as he’d left them there on purpose. So maybe it was a little weird, definitely a little desperate, but he wanted to make sure he had another opportunity to see you– get his foot in the door, so to speak– and he really hadn’t expected all this. He’d hoped you’d be the one to answer the door and he’d get to make small talk for a few minutes, point out your shared taste in music maybe, but this? Catching you alone, sharing a joint, getting invited in for something to eat? This was going better than he could’ve possibly expected.

“Find ‘em?” You called down.

“Yup!” He jogged back up the stairs, waving the small velvet bag as he joined you in the kitchen. “All good.”

“What a relief. Can’t have the dungeon master thrown off his game, that would be a travesty.” You glanced up at him mischievously as you finished making the first sandwich, scooting the plate across the counter to him.

Eddie suppressed a smile, shaking his head as he picked up the sandwich. “You just love teasin’ me with that, don’t you?” He asked before he took what was probably an unattractively large bite.

“Depends on what kind of teasing we’re talking about, Munson.” You drawled casually in return, turning to continue making your own. Meanwhile, it was an effort just for him to keep his food in his mouth without choking on it. You were flirting with him.

Weren’t you? Maybe you weren’t. Maybe you’d meant it the other way around– that you’d only tease him in a joking way and that you’d never want to–

“Eddie, I can see the smoke coming out of your ears,” You snorted. “Stop thinking so hard, you’re gonna hurt yourself.” You took a big bite before grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. “Want one?” His answer was going to be yes, but you were grabbing him one before he had responded anyway. There was a brief and fairly comfortable silence as you cleaned up the rest of your small mess and he took a few long swigs of his water. “Wanna finish these in my room? We could smoke another joint maybe…just chill out, I don’t know…”

“Yeah, totally,” He agreed, maybe a little too eagerly.

“You’re rolling though,” You remind him over your shoulder as he begins to follow you to your bedroom.

The door creaked as you opened it, waiting for him to enter after you so you could close it. As you opened the window wide and lit a stick of incense, he took in his surroundings. Your room wasn’t like the average teenage girl’s– not that Eddie had seen very many of those– not pastel-colored, or frilly, or covered in heartthrob posters, though a few stuffed animals were perched tenderly on your bed. Actually, it was almost more like his, albeit much more organized. There were posters of horror movies and rock bands filling a decent amount of the empty space on your walls, the Dio flag pinned to the ceiling drawing his attention. “Oh, that is so sick!”

“I thought you might like some ‘a this stuff,” You laughed softly. Nodding towards the stereo in the corner, you continued, “You can put something on if you want.” He squatted down to look through your cassettes, hearing your voice move through the room as you got out your bud, tray, and paper. “Try to keep it understated though, alright? Nothing too hard or fast right now.”

“Really tryin’ to mellow out tonight, huh?” He began playfully, but looked back at you as his tone softened a little. “Everything okay?”

“Oh, I’m alright,” You reassure. With the cassette in place, he made sure the volume was low before it began playing softly as you spoke. “I just get a little too pent up sometimes, you know? Everything’s just been kind of a lot lately, ‘s why I was already smoking when you showed up.”

“Hey, I can beat it if you want. I didn’t mean to show up outta the blue at a bad time and I definitely don’t have to stick around if you don’t want me here. I can totally get it if you want the time to yourself–”

“Please stay,” You quietly interrupted, then seemed a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I didn’t– I’d appreciate the company if you wanna stay a little while.”

Eddie gave you a comforting smile before taking a seat at your vanity to roll the joint, trying to lighten the mood. “Careful what you wish for, Henderson. I mean, you’ve got good music, good weed, made me dinner; I might be hangin’ around here more often with this kinda treatment. You’ve got me livin’ the life, babe.”

Laying down on your bed to watch him, your voice was more serious than he expected when you replied. “You’re welcome any time, you know. Mom likes when the house is busy and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Dustin practically worships the ground you walk on.” His rings glinted in the lamplight as he carefully sprinkled the bud onto the paper.

“Yeah? And what’s your review, hm?” You didn’t mean to stare at the way his lips wrapped around the joint or how his tongue traced the seam of the paper to seal it.

You hummed vaguely as he finished up, gently plucking it from between his fingers when he was done. Dramatically inspecting it much longer than he had yours, you finally say, “You roll clean joints.”

He shakes his head and laughs. Your lips close around the paper, feeling the seam still damp with his spit, and you jut your chin toward his lighter on the vanity. Grabbing it without a word, he leans forward to give you a light. Your gaze catches on his rings once more before lifting to his face again. A reflection of the flame makes the brown of his eyes warmer as they lock with yours, looking up from where you still lay on the bed on your stomach. You take a long pull as he draws the lighter away again and the spell is broken.

Sitting up to breathe the smoke in deeper, you tuck your knees under you. Eddie joins you on your bed, but not before he kicks off his shoes by the bedroom door. He sits cross-legged just in front of your pillows so you shuffle around to face him. “So, how was your concert?”

He snorted, “Concert might be a bit heavy. Gig is a little more accurate. Show maybe.”

You roll your eyes, but keep your tone light and pass the joint. “You’re a loser, you know that? You knew exactly what I was talking about, answer the question.”

“It was pretty good I guess,” He shrugged and took a long hit. “I think there may have been a whole seven people this time. And one of them was even sober!”

You smiled sympathetically, “You’re just in the wrong town. Don’t worry, I’ll come watch you play. I don’t know if that’d be a good atmosphere for the boys, but I could probably force Steve, Nancy, and Robin to come.

He twisted one of his rings around his finger for a moment. “That’s really nice, sweetheart.”

With each toke you both took, the joint burned slightly shorter until it was almost completely gone. “You want the last hit?” you asked. “I finished the last one. And you rolled this one anyway.”

“No, that’s alright. It’s your weed; I’m literally a drug dealer, I’ve got plenty at home.”

“Here,” You took one last long drag and he raised an eyebrow in confusion, but he understood when you sat up further on your knees and leaned toward him. A sense of giddy excitement overtook him for a second, nerves probably heightened from the weed, but he kept his composure. When your lips slotted over his, he took a deep breath in. His hand slid into your hair to keep your head steady as you sighed the smoke into his mouth. Your lips grazed over his afterward, very obviously lingering long after it was necessary. You giggled as you slumped down into a laying position, letting your head fall back into his lap.

“Seems like someone’s a lot more relaxed now,” He cooed playfully.

“Sorry, I can get off ‘f you–” He notices how your voice is slightly rougher after smoking so much.

“Hey, no–” His hands settle warmly over your shoulders, not holding you down so much as they were encouraging you to stay put. “It’s alright, baby. You can get comfy, you’re not bothering me.”

His hands soothed up and down your arms as you settled back in. “That feels really nice.” You hummed quietly and it drew out into another giggle, “Everything feels really nice.”

He laughs a little airily himself, “It does, doesn’t it?” Your skin felt so soft and warm beneath his fingertips, tracing imaginary shapes along the bare flesh of your arms. “‘M feelin’ pretty good, myself.” Your eyes couldn’t help but wander to his pretty pink lips again. They’d felt so soft against yours and you wanted more– to really feel him this time. His thumb brushes your chin, dragging down in a way that had your mouth opening slightly. “What’re you thinkin’ so hard about, sweet thing?”

Blinking up at him with glassy eyes, you raised an arm to brush your fingers over his flushed cheek. “Eddie, c’n you kiss me? Please?”

“Yeah?” He moved his thumb a bit higher to tug your lower lip down a bit, face dipping down a bit closer to yours. “That what you want?” You were nodding before he even finished his sentence, making him chuckle quietly.

He allowed his lips to graze teasingly over yours, just barely touching, before finally kissing you. His nose brushed your chin and you could feel the small smile adorning his face before your lower lip was sucked softly between his. Fingers winding into his mess of frizzy curls, you moaned quietly into his mouth and pulled him closer. After another moment though, he slowly drew back, lips separating from yours with a soft smack that made you unreasonably desperate for more.

An ache had sparked in his lower back while loading the amps into the van after their show earlier that evening, deepening as he proceeded to help load the rest of the equipment afterward. Now the deep curve he had molded it to in order to keep his mouth on yours had the pain radiating up his entire back. “As much as I’m enjoying this– and believe me, babe, I’m seriously enjoying it– my back is kinda killin’ me and hunching over you like this…” 95% of his brain was screaming at him to shut the fuck up, to ignore it and just keep kissing you breathless anyway, but the other 5% was crying out to lay down and he had to listen.

“Oh, sorry,” There was a slight pant in your voice as you released your grasp on his hair. He sat up slowly as if a movement too fast would shatter the calm in the air. You sat up yourself, watching as he eased himself back onto your pillows. “S’that better?”

“Way better,” He confirmed. “We can uh- we could keep kissing if you want.”

Openly cringing at how awkward that sounded, he opened his mouth to say something else before you interrupted him with a still-sluggish giggle. “I’d like that, Eddie.”

“Okay,” He nodded rapidly.

Leaning forward onto your hands and knees, you crawled into his lap. His hands instantly settled on your thighs, running up and down the material of your pajama pants. His eyes flickered wildly over your body a few times before gazing up at you in awe. You didn’t waste any time in kissing him again, which was much easier now that he wasn’t upside down. As you moaned into his mouth, his hands molded to your hips, squeezing and pulling you as tight to him as he could get you. His tongue slipped between your lips, making them open further as your hands found his hair once again.

He didn’t mean to start moving, slowly grinding into you in an attempt to relieve the tightness in his jeans that definitely wasn’t a problem before he came over— but then you were rocking down on him yourself, clothed cunt rubbing against him in a desperate search for friction. Hips rutting up into yours, he braced a palm against your lower back. You could feel his hardness pressing into you through the layers of clothing between you. Pulling back for air, you panted into his mouth, still subtly grinding against him. “Fuck,” He grunted quietly. The soft whimper of his name that you gave him in return made his head fall back against the wall with a thud. “Got me so fuckin’ hard, sweet thing. Please, don’t stop.”

“Don’t wanna stop,” You whined back quietly. “Feels so good.”

“Good,” He cooed. “Don’t worry, ‘m gonna keep makin’ you feel good.” Hot, open-mouthed kisses moved down your neck and you let out a moan. His fingers wormed their way past the hem of your shirt, tracing the cup of your bra. “This okay?” He mumbled against your skin. Nodding, you cupped his hand and guided it higher until he pushed your bra out of the way. The pad of his thumb brushed firmly over your nipple, making your hips jerk against his. “Mmm, so sensitive. Is that jus’ the weed or are you always like this?”

“Both,” You breathed out. “‘N you’re good at all this.”

“Aw you don’t have to butter me up, baby,” He grinned. “I’m gonna make you cum either way.” Free hand dipping past the waistband of your pajama pants, Eddie continued playfully, “But, go on. Keep tellin’ me how much I turn you on.”

“Eddie,” You pleaded, “C’mon.”

Fingers stroking the damp fabric of your underwear, he asked, “This okay? Really want me to touch you?” Your desperate nods made his lips curl, pressing more firmly against you and drawing out a moan that you tried to stifle. “No, no, no, you gotta tell me how it feels, sweet thing. We’re all alone, you can make those pretty noises, it’s okay.”

Your head slumped into the crook of his neck, mouthing lazily at his skin. Nudging your underwear to the side, he sank his middle finger knuckle-deep into you. Grasping tightly at the worn material of his t-shirt, your breath hitched. “Mmm, fuck– yes, Eddie, thank you.”

“Look at you, usin’ your manners ‘n everything. Of course, you would. Such a good girl.” Your moans only grew louder, making his hips jerk in search of friction. “So warm and wet, bet you’d feel so good around my cock.” Lifting your head to kiss him again, your hand found the shape of his length in his jeans. He rolled his thumb over your clit in circles as his hips rocked against your palm. Mouths open against each other’s, you exchanged panting breaths and muffled moans. Confined by your pants, his hand didn’t have much room for movement, leaving your hips stuttering frustratedly. “Lemme get these off’a you, babe. Can make you feel so much better than this.”

Suddenly, his hand was curled under your thigh and you let out a small squeal as you were flipped onto your back beneath him. Your pants and underwear were yanked down your legs feverishly, Eddie parting them to slip two fingers into you this time. “Shit, Eds!”

“Fuck, I’m sorry, was that too much?” Immediately, he tried to withdraw his hand, but you gripped his wrist to stop him.

“Don’t stop, Eddie. Please, don’t stop,” You rushed.

“Alright, sweetheart, ‘m right here. Don’t worry.” Your hands laced into his hair for stability as his fingers crooked into a spot that almost made your eyes cross. Already dripping onto your bedspread, you pulled him even closer to you. Smirk spreading across his face, he said, “Oh yeah. That’s the spot, huh, baby?”

“Fuck, Eddie, you’re gonna make me come,” You whined.

“Good, want you to soak my fingers.” His hips rocked forward, clothed cock grinding into the back of your thigh. “Wanna feel you come for me.” The way his thumb rubbed so firmly against your clit had heat shooting all the way to your toes. Desperately tugging him down for another kiss, your thighs trembled as they squeezed closed around his hand. “There it is,” He murmured lowly against your lips. “Mmm, you’d feel so fuckin’ good coming around my cock, sweet thing.” The deep cadence of his voice had you shaking.

Grasping at the back of his shirt, you buried your face in the crook of his neck. He held you in silence for a long moment until your head eventually dropped back against the bed. A smile slowly grew on your face as you looked up at him and you let out a small giggle, making him grin down at you. He laughed softly too as he pressed his forehead against yours.

Eyes darting shortly to the alarm clock on your nightstand, you did a double-take when you noticed how late it was. “Son of a bitch, my mom’s gonna be home any minute!” You grabbed your discarded underwear and pajama pants from the foot of the bed as soon as Eddie had peeled himself off of you. “Uh– fuck, I’m really sorry. I promise I didn’t mean to invite you in just for this, I just didn’t realize how late it got. I didn’t mean to leave you hanging, but–”

“Are you kidding?” He was already leaning against the wall by your door, slipping on his beat-up air forces. “I had a blast, babe. We should do this again sometime,” He winked teasingly.

You rolled your eyes half-heartedly, feeling your body warm. When the two of you reached the front door, you rubbed your arm and met his eyes only a bit awkwardly. “I’m sorry again about not…returning the favor.”

He chuckled, giving you a small smirk. “Don’t worry about me, sweet thing. After tonight, I’ll have no trouble taking care of it myself.” Taking a step closer to you, he leaned down for a kiss that was much slower and softer than the last few you’d shared. “I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

“Night, Eddie. Thanks for keeping me company tonight.”

“Anytime.”

You waited at the door until he’d gotten in his van and driven away before finally heading back to your room. As soon as you closed your bedroom door and flopped down on your bed, you heard your mom’s car pull into the driveway. Meanwhile, Eddie drove home, foot a little heavy on the gas pedal as he itched to get back to his own room.

He didn’t see you again for two weeks. He knew the Hendersons’ phone number, but there was no way he could ask for you if Dustin or your mom picked up. So he waited, very impatiently mind you, and hoped he hadn’t ruined things by going so far with you so fast.

When he did finally see you, it was at Hawkins High School. You’d come to pick Dustin up from that week’s Hellfire club meeting. You knocked on the door before entering, knowing that– despite the session being scheduled to end ten minutes ago– they often ran over their allotted time. Sure enough, you heard Eddie’s booming voice as you cracked open the door and slipped inside.

“And as the chimera flew closer–” When he noticed you he immediately straightened from his position looming over the table, clearing his throat and clasping his hands together behind his back. He didn’t want to scare you off with all this yet. “Okay gentlemen, that’s all for today.” The collective groan they let out had you feeling a bit guilty, they’d obviously been enjoying themselves, and now you were being the annoying big sister; you should’ve just waited in the car. But Eddie was quick to speak again. “Oh, cut the moaning. We’re almost fifteen minutes over and you all need more time to prepare for battle anyway. Amateurs.”

As the others all packed up their things, he approached you and you greeted him with a smile. “Sorry for interrupting, seemed pretty intense, I hope it wasn’t too important.”

“No, no, it’s good you came in. We would’ve been all caught up until someone else came in to stop us in a much less forgiving manner.” You both laughed and it went quiet for a moment before he cleared his throat again. “So uh, I’ve been hoping I’d see you around.”

“Yeah, me too… Smoking alone isn’t as fun anymore.”

His lips quirked up into a smirk and he nodded playfully. “Yeah, ‘ve been thinking the same. You should start buying from me, you know. I’ll give you a discount.”

“Oh, so I have to pay you to smoke with you again? You know, we used my shit last time,” You teased.

“You’ll never pay for anything you smoke when you’re with me, sweetheart. I’m a gentleman after all. Here, hang on.” He dashed back to the table, hunching over to write something down before tearing off the small scrap of paper and coming back to you. “Now you can get a hold ‘a me, come smoke all my weed anytime.”

“Oh, I’ll be taking you up on that.”

Your comfortable conversation was interrupted when Dustin shouted your name. “What’re you doing? Let’s go!”

“I’ll see you around, Munson.”

“Sure thing, Henderson.”

As you drove Dustin home, you couldn’t help but wonder if it was a bad idea to get involved with Eddie. He was one of Dustin’s best friends now, a mentor for him, one of the only male role models he’s had aside from Steve since he lost his father. The last thing you wanted was to make Dustin feel like you were taking that away from him. God forbid something should happen between you and Eddie and he doesn’t feel comfortable coming around anymore. You couldn’t do that to him.

Still, you found yourself hunkered over the phone in the living room that night. You tried to hold out, you really did, but you only managed to hold yourself back until almost midnight after your family had gone to bed. Coiling the cord around your finger, you waited impatiently as the phone rang three times.

When he finally picked up, you could hear the smirk in his tone. “Hi, sweet thing. Just couldn’t stay away, could you?”

“Well, I figured I was running low on bud anyway,” You drawled quietly.

“You’re awful quiet,” He teased. “Don’t want Mommy to catch you up on the phone so late?”

“Fuck off,” You scoffed playfully. “If you’re having so much trouble hearing me over the phone, why don’t you come over?”

“Oh, so she minds a phone call, but it’s okay if we have a sleepover?” He snorted.

“No, but if you’re quiet you can sneak in and back out before she wakes up to get ready for work. I’ve got twenty bucks calling your name,” You cooed enticingly.

“Seriously?”

"Come on, Munson, you've never climbed through a girl's window before? I'm disappointed."

He simply replied, "I'll be there in fifteen, make sure it's unlocked."

part two | finale | tmic masterlist

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#too much in common #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x reader smut #eddie munson x henderson!reader #eddie munson x henderson!reader smut #18+ mdni #eddie munson x f!reader smut #eddie munson x f!reader #stoner!reader #eddie munson x stoner!reader

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hai7ani · 3 months ago

Text

Stay / Haitani Rindou

Power Trip / Cry Me a River

cw canon-typical violence, suggestive, ran plays a huge role, abandonment, grief, death / Sequel

Things haven't been the same since South died.

He doesn't tell you much, so you don't really know things, but you're not an idiot.

You know of the late nights he's been spending out with his brother lately. When you ask, they simply tell you they've got a party going on at the usual place with the usual group of people, down the street.

When you ask.

Before leaving for the night he'd double check the locks and make Ran tell the lady next door to call him if she sees anything suspicious happening around the block or outside the unit.

"Stay home, be safe, alright?" Ran would tell you after giving you and his brother some space 一 for him to give you a kiss on the cheek as per his own habit, and for you to cling onto him a few minutes before they go as per your own 一 as always. And he'd ruffle your hair if they're down, or fix your braids a little if he'd tied it earlier for you, and then they'd leave. Together.

The extra precautions the brothers take on their home and you recently has been getting a little bit overwhelming. It's not that you don't understand why they do this 一 things aren't exactly safe for you as the girlfriend of a Haitani and is seen as a younger sister to the elder, who are both now heavily involved with dangerous people dubbed as a safety hazard to the general public.

Rindou has spent years outside of the gang curating ways with Ran to keep you safe and hidden away from the lingering, hungry eyes of their rivals and enemies who are constantly looking for ways to tear him and his brother down from their reputations 一 he is not going to risk putting you in danger, being used as a target as a means to get to the brothers, or being ambushed simply because you are yourself, a woman.

But as more time passes, with more and more late nights spent wandering alone in the Haitani household waiting for them to come home to you 一 or if they'd even come home at all 一 you've been starting to think there is something else going on.

You don't like that he's been making you feel this way.

Abandoned, left alone.

If he is cheating on you, even if it hurts 一 even if it might rip you apart into a million pieces 一 you think you want to know. Seeing for yourself who the other woman is, or who the other man is 一 you think it might give you some closure.

But he isn't cheating on you. You know he is not. He still comes home to you with that same, stupid smile on his face when he catches you on the PC fooling with some games or messing around with his unfinished mixes. He still brings home your favourite Chinese takeout with extra spring onions from the family-owned restaurant down the street.

He is still your Rindou when he comes home. He hugs you to sleep and he hugs you when you wake up. He kisses you in front of Ran despite the embarrassment you know he hates facing because Ran is a huge tease 一 he is relentless with the jokes 一 but he still does it anyway simply because he doesn't think loving you is something to hide in front of him, his brother, and a person you have both always looked up to in life 一 a boy who have always been protecting the two of you, pushing you both forward in life with arms behind your backs and a smile on his face.

You think he has been abandoning you lately 一 yeah, that's what it is. He makes you feel like he is going to leave sometime soon, again, and you don't fancy it at all.

You don't ever want him to leave again.

...

The year 2000 was the very first time.

Eight years ago, just downstairs of your own apartment a few blocks away from theirs, you had to watch with a broken heart filled with so much guilt and shame pouring out of the cracks, as the brothers get arrested for something that wasn't even their fault.

Eight years ago you had bumped into a man. A very tall man donning a very intimidating uniform, with equally intimidating men standing behind him as they stared you down and one of them had flipped away the ice cream cone in your hands down to the concrete floor. You remember staring at the vanilla slowly dripping down and staining his grey uniform with so much fear settling in your bones, and they'd spent the evening picking at your hair, your skirt, your backpack.

You and Rindou had gotten into a fight that afternoon. He'd refused to walk you home despite his brother's disagreement, and watched you stomp away in near tears because you didn't like that he kept boasting about his Math paper which scored a little higher than yours. The boy had been waiting for you downstairs at your apartment, eager to say sorry with a bowl of soba in his hands that he'd bought and carried all the way from the stall just right around the corner, and when he noticed he has been waiting for almost 2 hours and you still weren't home despite school having ended hours ago, he panicked.

And then everything after happened in a flash. One minute ago the man was saying something along the lines of, "While we're at it, shall we have some more fun as well?" And at the next, your childhood best friend was right on top of him, bashing his skull in, again and again and again. "Say it again, you bastard!" He yelled. Ran was trying to hold him back, but Rindou was far stronger than Ran at that time despite being a year younger and shorter than him.

You remember it being the day the Haitani Brothers had been the new group to take over Roppongi, your home, and chose to cover the entire story up as a way to keep you hidden 一 as a way to protect you, so that you won't have anything to do with the death, and you won't have to deal with the cops (they have experience watching their parents, who were once corrupted millionaires).

They were arrested the next day. During their court ruling, Ran had received a longer sentence than Rindou for being the one to beat the victim to death, with Rindou named as an accomplice for holding the victim down as the incident occurred. No witnesses were quoted, and all CCTV footages of the scene were destroyed.

And then they left for 2 years, spending their time in a juvenile centre in a city far away from Roppongi. You'd travel hours a week just to see them, and you'd cry and tell them how sorry you are and how you should've been the one to talk to the cops 一 that way, it might've at least been considered as self-defence. It had been your fault anyway, if you were actually using your eyes for once and watched where you were going, you never would've bumped into him. None of this would've ever happened then.

You had spent two years alone, sometimes staying the night at their home with their family maid and their grandmother accompanying you while you sleep in his bed and cry. You have spent two years blaming yourself for what had happened. You have spent two years of your early teenage life resenting them for leaving you, for doing all of this without even considering your feelings the entire process.

The year 2005 was the second time, when Yokohama Bay had become your new spot to avoid.

The news came to you late, as you were supposed to stay home and wait for their return to Tokyo 一 as per Ran's demand. "Stay home, be safe." The same memo as he'd always say, but no longer a request this time.

Three hours after they had left a friend of theirs came knocking on your door. He was one of the very few people Rindou allowed to know who you were, simply because he still needed his own extra pair of eyes whenever he and Ran are out doing business with Izana.

And then it happened again 一 police at the scene, a pair of unconscious bodies lying on the floor covered with a huge, white cloth, and your childhood best friends tied in handcuffs with blood and bruises all over their face.

You remember having the rest of the Tenjiku members who were also arrested at the scene (the ones who chose to stay back, for Izana) watch a girl around their age slowly approach the yellow tape, crying, as she struggled against the police. "Nii-chan? What is going on?"

Ran had never felt so guilty before.

And you remember staring at your boyfriend who you have just started being intimate with a few months ago with so much pain and trauma in your eyes. Last night he'd promised in your ear he'll come home to you safe and sound.

He'll get this one done and then he'll come home. He said it himself 一 there's a Coldplay concert happening this weekend, he'd be a dead man if he were to miss it.

...

He doesn't come home for six months. You ripped and threw your tickets into the bin. You trashed Ran's room out of anger and quickly fixed things back when you realised what you've done.

Their original sentence was to be eight, but with good behaviour and great contributions to the rehabilitation centre, it was then reduced to six.

Your relationship had been in a standstill then. You don't visit the entire time they were held in the centre. He wrote to you on the second month and sent you origami flowers (which were approved by the guards) and a long ruler with a black Sharpie mark on 6 that only you would understand, with Ran adding his own note at the bottom of the letter, telling you to look for Aoyagi if you are ever in danger, or simply needed some form of help.

"Stay home, be safe." He added.

What a hypocrite.

Rindou abandoned you for the second time. Nii-chan broke his promise again.

Six months later, after their release, they come home to their apartment decorated in things they never would've bought. Crocheted pillow cases on their couch, a new IKEA makeup table randomly sitting in Rindou's room (next to his PC table), wet bras and panties hanging on a line in his own bath, and your laundry either neatly folded on the couch or simply thrown all over the house.

You appear from the pantry in just a bra and lounging shorts with a mouth full of popcorn and rollers still in your hair when you hear the commotion.

They swiftly realised then that you have fully moved yourself in here while they were away. "Made yourself real comfortable, huh?" Ran had joked, and you threw him a pillow landed right at his face. (He had a nosebleed that didn't stop for a good fifteen minutes.)

"I can't trust you guys not to leave anymore." You had said to them sternly, back faced as you were putting on one of Rindou's old band tees fresh from the wash, with Ran facing the wall out of respect (it was one of the very few times you had caught him off-guard, yet you truly do not give a fuck) and Rindou kneeling behind you on the floor, in seiza, with his head hung low.

"So, I'll keep watch on you two myself. You're not going out without telling me where, when, with who, doing what."

Your method worked pretty well for two stubborn people who you see as family, coming from a girl they never really take seriously just because you are so close to each other. It lasted about a few months, with Rindou always updating you on where he went (he did it all willingly, really), like the DJ gigs at the club or going to the gym for the Judo and Muay Thai classes he'd signed up for, and Ran never going out ever since, all to sleep like a dead person in his room.

And then there came a man named South.

He had pretty great plans for a man new to the gangster scene in Japan. Rindou had told you all about it 一 he'd swore (willingly) not to hide anything from you after that. You remember how he'd boast about surely winning the upcoming fight against Kantou Manji and Brahman because he's been real pumped lately 一 the Judo and Muay Thai classes he's been attending consistently came in real handy this time 一 and you'd smack his cheek as a warning to not fool around with these people any further because they mean serious business now.

...

South had died in the battle, as a result of his loss from the Battle of the Three Deities. Naturally, this also means that the brothers are now under the control of another man again.

Mikey is his name. You saw him once, 3 years ago in Yokohama when you were riding on the bike of Aoyagi on the way to see Ran and Rindou at the scene. Mikey had been taking the initiative and signalling for his injured men and Tenjiku's on where to go and what to do.

He has always been a leader in your eyes since then, despite the small resentment you held for him for whatever that happened. So to hear from Ran about the current Mikey and his plans for the future as soon as Rokuhara Tandai and Brahman had been absorbed into Kantou Manji, you didn't think you would be able to digest it so soon.

And of course, Rindou went away again. But this time, he told you about it before he left.

"Baby, thank you for telling me." You remember feeling so relieved to hear when he kissed and informed you of the news, choosing to let him go on his own and helping him pack for a few days and nights away from home.

He sent you a picture of the sea two days later. Then, a white car with wings and huge exhaust pipes you don't know the name of, followed by a photo of himself with the beautiful sun setting behind him.

"I got a grandmother to take it for me. She reminded me of Baa-chan (as in his own grandmother who raised all three of you together). I think I want to name my new song after her. Her name is Minori, from Zushi. Like me, she came to Kamakura for the sea. It's still beautiful here like before. I'll bring you one day, Mom and Dad would love to see you again." He wrote, before going offline soon after.

You knew then that Rindou had gone back to Kamakura 一 the place that his parents were born in, and the place that they were buried in.

"Did you have fun?" You remember kissing him welcome-home a week later. He's a little tanned from the sun of July, probably spending most of his time back there catching the waves with the new friends he's told you about, and you think you love him even more when he grabs your nape and pulls you close, closer.

You like that he is smiley now. More talkative, more responsive.

"Yeah. I got you these." And he helps you put on a pair of pearl earrings he'd gotten as a gift from an elderly couple who were on the last days of their lives, spending their time at home watching the sea in Kamakura.

You've not once taken off the earrings since that day, and he, too, hasn't spoken much to you about what happened. Whatever that has happened. You don't know what's going on in his head 一 how he's dealing with the recent death of a friend and how he is handling the new changes to his life, or if there's a specific reason he'd gone back to visit his parents' graves.

(Rindou is now a member of Kantou Manji and he truly thinks that Mikey is insane 一 Sanzu even more. He doesn't know how the others are able to stand being in the same room with him for more than a second. He genuinely hates Hanma as well. Somehow the guy had caught wind on his little girlfriend (you showing up to the scene 3 years ago and was caught by local blabber mouth Shion) and wouldn't stop annoying him about it. He has thought of killing that man right then and there with a stick up his ass to stop the news from spreading, but that would mean he'd have to go to jail again, and he doesn't want to do that again.

Ran has gotten himself a new girlfriend too 一 the fourth one over the course of the three months he'd finally started dating girls 一 that he frequently brings over to the house and fucks like it's their last day living. He thinks this is his least favourite one. He doesn't really like her as she enjoys talking down to especially you simply because she is five years and four older than the three of you.

"Who the fuck does this hag think she is? Watch me kick her out, babe. And if Ran tells me off I'll kick him first and then I'll kick him out.")

...

You fear he is falling in despair.

He's constantly staring into space. Sometimes he'd stare out the window at night overlooking Roppongi with the Tokyo Tower in the back while munching on some yoghurt mix you'd made for him as a snack, and you'd watch together with him in silence 一 behind him so he doesn't know you're there. You don't want him to be alone like you have all those years ago.

The first time, he left for two years. Then, he left for six months. He'd only came back from Kamakura just three weeks ago, on a week away from the city (the violence).

Is Mikey going to take him away from you too?

Would he leave forever now that he is involved with the man and his gang?

...

You think he is going to again.

He's been not-so-discreetly packing his clothes while he thinks you're asleep and hiding the duffle bag in the storage room.

"Rindou, don't go." You finally say it to him tonight. He is busy wiping you down so he didn't really hear you that well. He hums, "what's that?"

"Don't go. Don't leave me." You start crying out of the blue. "You always leave me. When will you stop doing that? Don't you love me? You wouldn't keep leaving if you did."

"Babe-"

"We were kids when you left. You promised to take me to the theatre and watch theatre Barbie for Christmas and then you go away with the police. We were teenagers when you left the second time. You wanted to bring me to see Coldplay sing that weekend but you went away and I had to spend all of our birthdays alone in this room. Are you going to leave again when we're adults? Aren't you gonna marry me, huh? Are you going to leave me for Mikey or are you going to make me a widow this time? Which one is it, Rindou? Tell me so I can prepare myself. You don't tell me things anymore. I don't know what's going on in your mind."

You go on like that for quite some time. You slap him once and hit him on the chest twice. You cuss him out three times 一 one for being such an asshole, two for fucking breaking your heart like it's all his and not your own anymore, three for he's such a jerk for making you wait all this while 一 and finally, finally, when you're about to cuss him out again the fourth time, he kisses you.

He kisses you and kisses you and kisses you.

"I'm sorry for wanting to leave. Again. Just thought you might be safer if I'm not around."

He realises all of your true feelings then 一 all the things you've kept bottled up in your little heart, all of it resting in your chest kept all to yourself, as you put up a strong front in front of them just to make him feel at peace again, because you don't want him to leave anymore. He tends to leave whenever he feels the urge to protect you, as if he is the biggest danger itself.

"I'm a strong girl, you know? Baa-chan always told me so. I don't need any protecting, so you don't have to leave anymore. Stay with me, Rin. Stay, don't go away again. I can't do this anymore. I don't want you to go." You beg.

"Okay. I won't go. I promise." He swipes your tears away with both palms and kisses your eyelids.

He thinks of Mikey's offer the entire time while he hushes you to sleep, pinky's interlocked just like when you were younger and was very afraid of the dark, and would make little Rindou hold your hand until you saw light again.

"Guess I'll die..." He turns to you then 一 naked, but so beautiful. Your neck is covered, littered with hickeys and his back stings from the scratches you'd left on his skin earlier, but he doesn't mind. He never minds. He loves it, actually. "I've talked it out with death. Mom, Dad, Izana, and South... This'll surely be the last one I'll go through. My own, and yours."

"We'll see the light soon, hopefully." He whispers in your ear. "We'll be free."

"Okay." You mumble sleepily, a tired smile stretching across your kiss-swollen lips. You don't really get what he's saying, but whatever. Your pinky's are intertwined, there's no way he'd ever leave again, right? He'd be breaking your code if he did.

...

Ran has been waiting for him for the past hour.

Despite his patience slowly running out, he doesn't find it in him to rush his brother, or to yell at him through the door 一 to hurry it up and get it moving like he usually would.

He gives him time. He understands that it is a big decision. He knows it's going to break your heart if Rindou had truly said yes to the offer.

He wonders what your reaction would be like if he did.

A honk from downstairs catches his attention and he realises it is time.

His eyes glances at the clock hanging off the wall 一 9am sharp on the clock. And then they move down to the photo frame hanging just below 一 the three of you at school in uniforms, a picture taken by a teacher Ran had absolutely hated, but you loved.

A black limousine, as mentioned before in the meeting, parked on the curb with double signals turned on.

A man exits the car and tucks something into the back pocket of his Levi's. He opens the door for another man. Mikey exits, stands, and stares at Ran through the window 一 a 20-something-floor distance between the two, but he knows right exactly where they live, and where exactly Ran is at.

It fears him.

And it fears him even more that Rindou is not awake.

That was a gun he was holding.

So he enters your room, watch the two of you get tangled under the sheets with drool all over your pillows, hair messy, and the alarm clock clearly 一 deliberately 一 not ringing.

He smiles. Ran thinks all the fear in him is gone.

"You've been brave, Stupid Rin." He says. "You don't have to be anymore."

"Nii-chan'll go alone this time." He fixes your blanket and squeezes Rindou's oily nose shut, watching as he struggled to breathe a little, but slept it off anyway. A quiet laugh escapes his lips and he sits by the bed.

"Be safe."

And he prepares to stand.

"What about 'stay home'?" You ask when he is halfway up from the bed.

He knew you had been awake the whole time anyway.

"Will you come home?"

Ran pinches your cheek.

"Nah." He braids a thin strand of your hair with quick work. "I won't call either."

"Be safe, bunny. Take care of Rindou."

You have always liked hopping around when you were younger. You think you'll go do it more often now. At the park, maybe 一 you'll go terrorise some 8 year-olds and steal their skipping ropes, and some chalk perhaps.

"Bye-bye, Nii-chan."

...

"I see you've made your choice. Great one, Ran."

"...You have me for life, Mikey. I'll kill for you. I'll die for you. My life is now yours," he pauses.

"In exchange for that..."

Mikey thinks he is afraid to say it.

I shall scare him further then.

"I did say I'll kill him and her both if he said no, didn't I? That I'd shoot them in the head and feed them to Shiba Taiju's sharks. They've been really hungry lately."

"Yes."

And?

"Mikey, I'm good. I can fight, I can stay loyal. I'm good with the business groove, I can work with Kokonoi and bring in the money. In exchange for that, for having me for life, you will leave my brother alone. You will leave his girlfriend, my sister, alone. I am coming to you as a man who has a family. Please, leave them alone."

"That's interesting." Mikey grins, maniacally.

He pulls the trigger, shoots the other man.

Mikey tells Ran to drive the car. There is blood all over the steering wheel, but he grabs onto it as if it is merely just water.

Now his hands are really, really, tainted with blood. Tainted with the blood of his own soul 一 Haitani Ran 一 as he sells it to the devil. The Pompompurin keychain you had gifted him a few years back because you thought it'd resembled him a lot, now covered in the same blood as he hides it deep in his pocket.

He feels his hands tremble as he puts the gear to D and steps on the accelerator.

To our memory.

"You're wise, Ran."

No witnesses. Only between us both. I will leave Haitani Rindou and your sister alone.

"You have my word."

Sequel

in another life, where rindou said no to joining what would soon become bonten, and ran exchanged his life for both rindou and yours.

#writing #rindou x reader #rindou haitani x reader #haitani rindou x reader #rindou haitani #haitani rindou #ran x reader #haitani ran x reader #ran haitani x reader #ran haitani #haitani ran #tokyo revengers x reader #tokrev x reader #tr x reader #tokyo revengers #tokrev #tr #bonten x reader #bonten

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jessjad · 1 month ago

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Rightfully deceived

Chapter 7

Summary: When a marriage promise forces Y/N to step up for her younger sister, she gets something she always wanted. But when the truth comes out, her new husband Dean is not so happy about the mix-up. Will she loose it all? Or will she be surprised in the end?

Pairing: AU!Dean Winchester x Reader

Word Count: 3260

Warnings: I think... we all know what's gonna happen...

A/N: The second to last chapter, guys! All mistakes are mine! Enjoy!

Series Masterlist My Masterlist

Something had changed. Within a few hours, Dean became more distant again. At first Y/N thought it was just because of the letter. They had both lost sight of the fact that they would definitely see Y/N's family again at some point. But when Y/N's shock wore off, she wanted to see if Dean felt the same way. However, he had withdrawn from her again. When she asked if everything was okay, he only answered briefly and then left their bedroom. That had left Y/N with an uneasy feeling.

It was late at night when Dean returned. Without a word, he got into bed with her, but turned his back to her. This brought tears to Y/N’s eyes. They had only just found each other. The affection they had built was still fragile. They were just beginning. Their relationship, if you could call it that, wasn't yet solid. Yes, Y/N loved Dean. But did he now feel the same way? She didn't know.

Still, the next morning came quicker than Y/N had hoped. With each passing hour she became more afraid. What would happen if Dean saw Helena again? Would his feelings for her flare up again? His anger about the wrong wedding too? Would he realize that he was just passing his time with Y/N? Made the best of an unchangeable situation? Would he reject her again?

Y/N stood at the window and looked out at the street. At some point Ellen joined her. The women didn't speak to each other, but Y/N knew that Ellen understood what was going on with her. At some point they heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs and both turned around. When Dean saw the two women, his pace slowed.

"Can you... see them yet?"

"No. Everything is still quiet." Ellen answered him.

Dean just nodded and then wanted to go outside, but Y/N couldn't just let him go.

"Dean!"

The man stopped, his eyes a little wide, but when he saw Y/N approaching him, his gaze seemed to soften a little. Or Y/N was just imagining it. She stopped a few steps in front of him, unsure if he would even allow physical contact. But since Dean's hand didn't reach out to her, she preferred to play it safe. She smiled timidly at him, but all the words that had been on the tip of her tongue were gone. After a moment, Dean cleared his throat slightly and folded his arms behind him.

"I..." Y/N began, but again she faltered in her words. "You... you came to bed late." That wasn't what she wanted to say.

"Yes, I... Benny needed my help with Rika. She had her foal."

"What? Really?" Now Y/N was really surprised, because this pregnancy had not been an easy one.

"She had a healthy daughter."

Y/N was really happy about that and her face seemed to show it, because Dean was now grinning warmly. And somehow this news managed to make both of them take a step towards each other.

"Why didn't you tell me that when you came up?"

"I didn't want to wake you. You slept so peacefully."

He couldn't see through the darkness that that wasn't true. And yet it touched Y/N's heart and they exchanged an intense look. Then Dean lifted his hand, almost as if he wanted to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, but he didn't get around to it.

"They're here!" Ellen announced, still standing at the window and letting the ominous news sink in.

Three hours later, Y/N wanted nothing more than to be somewhere else. It was unbelievable how quickly you could slip back into old roles.

As soon as Helena stepped out of the carriage, she attracted everyone's attention. She was friendly to everyone, greeted everyone warmly and her laughter could be heard almost everywhere. She was an apparition, as always. And Y/N disappeared into the background again. As always. She had now forgotten what it was like to be invisible and remembering it again brought back her insecurities and made her afraid to stand by Dean's side.

But even if she had taken her place next to her husband, she was no longer sure whether he would have even noticed. Helena had Dean completely occupied and he seemed to enjoy the attention she was giving him. In the meantime he had shown her his property and finished the tour at the stable. There they stood at the fence and talked. Y/N stood nearby and tried to look over at the two of them inconspicuously.

"So this is your sister Helena." Benny suddenly stood next to her and looked suspiciously at Dean and the blonde woman.

Y/N was slightly startled. "Yes. Yes, she is."

"The woman Dean actually wanted to marry."

"Exactly..."

"How many years younger than you?"

"Four."

"Hmm..."

Silence fell between the two friends as they continued to look at the fence. But Y/N had to avert her gaze at some point. Her uneasy feeling hadn't gone away and it hurt a little to see the two of them together.

"As good a businessman as he is..." Benny said after a few minutes. "...he sometimes has so little idea about women."

"What do you mean?" Y/N asked in surprise.

"She's too obvious." Now Benny also turned away and looked at Y/N. "The exuberant way. That exuberant laugh. And if Dean doesn't pay attention to her for a moment, her mask falls a little. But only until Dean looks at her again."

Now Y/N looked at Benny in surprise and he grinned. "Your sister isn't quite as inconspicuous as she thinks." he winked.

"Benny? I really like you." and suddenly she didn't feel quite so invisible next to her sister.

The blonde man laughed and crossed his arms infront of his chest. "Well, thank you."

"How is the foal doing?" Y/N now wanted to know.

"She's doing really great. We only need a name for her.

"Y/N?" called Millie as she was coming over to her and Benny. "Y/N!"

She looked a little worried as she came to a stop in front of Y/N and Benny. "Your father is looking for you. He wants to talk to you."

She felt uneasy and wanted to look over at Dean, but she didn't. At the moment he only had eyes for Helena again and probably wouldn't even notice what was happening and how Y/N was doing. Of course that didn't make it any better.

So she simply went back into the castle and immediately found her father standing next to the stairs. She wasn't exactly looking forward to a conversation, but she wouldn't be able to change it. As soon as he saw her, he reached out to lightly grab Y/N by the upper arm and pull her closer to him.

"So? How's it going?" he also asked directly.

"What...what do you mean?"

"Well, with Dean! Are you keeping him happy? You're not embarrassing me, are you?"

Y/N couldn’t answer that straight away. That he even had the nerve to ask that? Had he forgotten that they were all in this situation because of Helena?

"I mean, of course he won't be happy. After all, you're not the woman he actually wanted. But that doesn't mean you have to make things worse."

"I'm sorry, what?" she blurted out.

The door opened and Helena came in. Speaking of the devil. She had a big smile on her face and looked around with her arms outstretched.

"It's really so beautiful here. I never imagined it would be like that."

"It is, isn't it?" Her father chimed in. "Where did you leave Dean?"

"Oh, he's still outside with... with..." Helena thought about it, but quickly gave up. "...with whoever is in charge of the stable. Something with one of the horses."

Benny. She meant Benny. Her sister could be so ignorant sometimes. And then Y/N remembered Benny’s words.

"Helena?" she jumped right in. "Can we talk? Alone?"

Then Helena just nodded and Y/N led her into one of the unused side rooms that were usually only used for celebrations. She closed the door behind her and took a deep breath. Helena seemed to have no idea what was going on or what her sister might want from her.

"What are you doing?" Y/N asked after a couple of seconds.

"What?" Helena looked at her rather confused.

"Well, let me rephrase. Why are you even here?" Y/N asked again, a little more upset.

"What's the point of this question? I'm your sister!"

Helena said it like it was the most logical thing in the world. As if it explains her behavior. But Y/N knew she was trying to distract. However, she wouldn't succeed.

"And where is Peter?" Now Helena's face hardened a little. "Shouldn't you be with him? Or shouldn't he at least be here with you?"

"The thing with Peter and me... didn't work out." Helena answered briefly, but Y/N could see the emotions in her eyes.

"What do you mean, it didn't work out? You ran away! He was obliged to marry you!"

After all, Helena had already been promised. So Peter had to answer for this act. Regardless of whether it was Helena's idea or not. She had been on her way to another man. Not only did her reputation suffer, but also that of her family. Her feelings had determined her fate and now she had to come to terms with them.

"But he couldn't do that because he was already married!" the younger woman blurted out.

This was news that even Y/N hadn't expected. Helena had fallen for a fraud.

"He's been married for almost six years. He also has a child..." Helena looked down and played with her fingers a little nervously. "...But they probably didn't get along anymore. So...he left her. And then he sought refuge with us."

Y/N could still remember that. He had joined the clan four years ago and had arrived desperately asking for work.

"You can't imagine what happened when she suddenly burst through the door into the pastor's house with the little boy on her hand..."

"Helena!" Y/N interrupted her sister a little harshly. "Did you even know him?"

"He really loved me!" she replied just as harshly. "And I loved him too!"

Y/N was at a loss for words. For once she believed her sister. Even if her actions were pretty stupid. The heart was easily deceived, but that didn't make the feelings any less real. Y/N in particular understood this all too well. Still, it wasn't entirely clear to her why Helena was here now.

"Okay, but... at the risk of repeating myself... why are you here now?"

"Father didn't want to leave me alone and thought it would be better if I came here too."

Which in turn meant that he was afraid she would do something stupid or run away again. Y/N could understand that too, but it still didn't explain her behavior.

"I understand that... but it doesn't explain your behavior towards Dean. In case you've forgotten... I'm married to him now."

Now Helena grinned. "Oh, sis. Are you jealous?"

"What? No, I..."

"You don't have to be. He's just... showing me everything here."

Something about the way she said it didn’t sit well with Y/N. "If it's really just that, then why don't you leave his side anymore?"

Helena didn't answer immediately, as if she were struggling with herself. But then she sighed briefly and took a few steps towards Y/N. As if she wanted to tell her a secret.

"You know, I'm really grateful to you for helping me and stepping in for me. You not only helped me, but also our father. But... well... after things with Peter ended so unexpectedly... I've been thinking about a lot of things."

Y/N frowned. A foreboding feeling rose within her and she knew she wouldn't like what came next.

"Maybe I was too blind, too narrow-minded. I never gave Dean a real chance, you know? Because I was always focused on Peter. But now... I just think that maybe it's for the best to take this burden off of your shoulders again."

"What?" Shock spread through the older woman.

"After all, Dean only wanted me from the start. And you said it yourself: YOU are not the right bride! So maybe it would make sense for everything to finally take its right course."

"You... you can't be serious!" Y/N felt a chill run down her spine and fear spread through her.

"Yes, of course! And as you can see, Dean still doesn't mind me either. I think that would be best for all of us."

The next three days passed almost like a blur. Every day was almost the same and Y/N felt with every passing hour that Dean was moving further and further away from her. He hardly looked at her anymore because Helena continued to demand attention from him and didn't seem to want to let up. When they were in the same room or in the shared bedroom in the evening, Dean hardly spoke to her anymore. He rejected every attempt on her part to get closer. He didn't seem to notice that he was hurting her again with his behavior, which reminded her so much of their early days.

So Y/N also withdrew more and more. She tried to avoid her family as much as possible. She couldn't stand her father's lectures or Helena's attempt to win Dean back. Millie had said that she should fight for Dean and she had tried. But Dean had put up the wall between them again and behaved almost as if Y/N didn't exist. At least that's how it seemed to her.

On top of all that, the feeling that she was being followed had become stronger again. She had to suppress the urge to constantly look over her shoulder, even though she always got goosebumps when she was alone somewhere. The climax was not long in coming.

Y/N had watched Dean and Helena disappear on a ride when she had walked a few steps along the castle wall so as not to lose sight of them. A torture that she had consciously inflicted on herself, but she had not been able to help it.

She did not know how long she had watched the two of them, but suddenly she heard Ellen calling her name loudly. She looked over at the older woman, who was gesticulating wildly and running towards her. So Y/N looked up and saw that one of the large stone figures that were attached to the edge of the tower above her had fallen directly on her. Y/N was only just able to jump to the side and remained unharmed.

After that, she couldn't take it anymore. It was just too much. She started to cry and her whole body was shaking. Someone really had it in for her and Dean didn't care. Ellen tried to calm her down, helped Y/N up and took her inside to the kitchen. There she sat the young woman down at the table and filled her a cup of wine.

But Y/N could hardly calm down for a long time. She didn't want to be alone again. Not after Dean had let her get so close to him. And then there was the attempt on her life. All of this couldn't be true.

"Take a sip, Y/N. It calms your nerves." Ellen tried again.

"But I don't want to drink anything," Y/N blurted out. "I want this to all end. I want Dean to finally open his eyes and come back to me."

An understanding look graced Ellen's face and she hugged Y/N lightly. It wasn't easy for her to watch all of this either. And she would have to talk to Sam and Benny as soon as possible if they hadn't heard about the incident already.

"I miss my mum so much," Y/N whispered, but Ellen had understood her. "She would have known exactly what to do now."

And that was true. Y/N hadn't had it easy from the start after Helena was born. She had shed a lot of tears in her whole life and even though her mother had loved them both equally, she had always taken a little more care of Y/N.

"And what would she have done to cheer you up?" Ellen wanted to know.

Y/N laughed quietly. "She would have made me some warm milk and told me that everything would be fine. Before she told me some funny story from her childhood."

"Well, I can also help you with some warm milk." Ellen winked and went over to the stove. "She sounds very nice."

"She was wonderful." Y/N answered and her tears began to dry up. "Everyone liked her."

"May I ask how she died?" Ellen asked carefully as she filled a pot with milk, put it on the stove and lit the fire.

Y/N did not answer immediately. "She was ill. No one could say exactly what was wrong with her, but within a year she lost a lot of weight. She became weaker and weaker until at some point she could no longer even stand up." Sadness overcame her again and she looked down. "The morning she died, the first snow of the year fell..."

So it wasn't long until the anniversary of her mother's death. Ellen didn't know what to say. Silence spread between the two women as they waited for the milk to warm up. After it had reached the right temperature, Ellen added a little cinnamon and handed Y/N a cup, for which she thanked her.

"I know I'm not your mother and I don't want to replace her. But I definitely know one thing." Now Y/N looked at the woman across from her. "You have to talk to Dean. And you can't let him fob you off. Make him listen to you. For both of your sakes."

And Y/N knew that Ellen was right. She had to at least try it again. After all, something had changed between them. He had also felt attracted to her. She was sure of that. So she made her way upstairs shortly afterwards. When Dean came back from riding, he always went to their bedroom first to change. So she would wait for him there and confront him.

But when she got upstairs and walked straight to the door, she saw Alex who had already opened it and was carefully looking inside. That was strange, because he would normally never just open the door like that. Especially not when neither of them was inside.

"Alex?" asked Y/N and saw the young man slightly startled. "What are you doing?"

"Oh! Y/N!" he quickly closed the door again and scratched the back of his head slightly nervously. "I... I'm looking for Dean. But when I knocked, no one answered. So I just wanted to see if he was sleeping. I couldn't find him anywhere."

That made more sense. Especially since they had a situation like that just a few weeks ago. Dean hadn't been very happy about being rudely roused from a nap.

"He's not here. He went horseback riding with Helena."

"Oh. Okay. Then I'll just wait for him outside. Sorry again."

"It's fine, Alex." Y/N assured him and watched the young man go down the stairs.

After he disappeared from Y/N's sight, the young woman took another deep breath. She had a plan and this time Dean wouldn't get away from her so easily.

A/N: Our girl is going to fight for Dean again. Let's just hope he'll realize that it will be his second chance to her heart. 🫣

@chriszgirl92 @elenasalvatore1 @laurensfangirlingsideblog @moonxlightsworld @muhahaha303

@stoneyggirl2 @ladysparkles78 @allthosepeopleilovetofangirlover @ninii-winchester @itsdesiree86

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@formulas-bitch

#rightfully deceived #spn #midevial!au #jensen ackles #dean winchester x reader #dean x reader #supernatural #scotish men #scotland

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endearing-dalliance · 1 month ago

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Arcane Team's Bias Bastardized Piltover and Zaun

I am not an LoL player, but I read up on the lore because I was that fucking disappointed in season 2. Some key points of original Piltover and Zaun lore, which the team kept parts of. Emphasis on parts.

Geography and Symbiotic Economy:

Zaun was established first. A geographic disaster literally split the earth and sunk part of the city, splitting it into what we know today. Many of the wealthier citizens and those involved in the profitable sea trade ended up on a cliffside and industrial parts of Zaun were now across a river and below. They then became separate city-states in a symbiotic relationship.

"Zaun thrives, its people vibrant and its culture rich."

Zaun has multiple levels of "good" areas like the college and Bridgewaltz market where both citizens shopped for music, food, technology in addition to progressively more polluted and dangerous lower levels.

Piltover’s wealth has allowed Zaun to develop in tandem

Zaun's issues like the Gray were attributed to their own factories and labs that benefitted their own people

Culture and Relationship:

Zaunities collectively take great pride in themselves and their thriving city. Many choose to live there, especially scientists and inventors who find Piltover too restricted, because "their right to do as they please is what makes Zaun the freest city-state on Runeterra"

"A citizen of Piltover is typically self-reliant, does not expect handouts, and always aspires to do better."

Piltover has an elected "very empathic and progressive" government and is "one of the least militarized city-states"

Zaun's technological progress and academic institutions are described as being Piltover's only technological and academic rival.

Both cities' citizens augment their bodies. Piltover's are more flamboyant and display their wealth, even if they are originally necessary; Zaun's are more practical and "necessity is the mother of invention" very much applies.

So this was what they had to work with. I can understand why many people would prefer to live in Piltover, but Zaun is treated as an equal place to be, with its own distinct and proud culture, complex structure, and thriving economy.

Moving on to Arcane (finally lol) and the now infamous original Arcane pitch. Either Christian posted that while every sane person was asleep, or none of them realized how profoundly terrible it makes them look.

There's a lot in here that's problematic. Piltover is a gleaming wonder, a pure and magical place while conveniently leaving out why its this flourishing utopia. The next bit frames the entire conflict as Piltover's decision. It screams "Mommy and Daddy need to punish the naughty kids or they'll wreck the house." Except the starving kids are locked in the moldy basement and trying to break the door down to escape.

Now about Zaun...here its called the underground district. This becomes more important later, when you realize how many different and contradictory labels they give Zaun. Its an undercity, sister city, part of Piltover, wannabe Nation of Zaun. It establishes again the underlying superiority of Piltover. And of course it is, because Zaun's people are boiled down to dangerous, manipulative criminals (bonus points for an antisemetic reference!) with no morality.

I firmly believe this team has a fundamental deliberate misinterpretation of what LoL Piltover and Zaun are, and it is due to their own biases and privileges of a team that is primarily white, middle/upper class, able-bodied, and mostly male. It is abundantly clear that they see as Zaun is objectively lesser and that its their own fault. They're just a foil for Piltover and source of enemies. Three quotes from Arnaud-Lois Baudry:

"My role as a Production Designer was to make sure we don't negatively impact other teams at Riot Games and contribute to adding value and enriching the worldbuilding of those cities."

"Once we figured out the shape language of the wealthy city of Piltover, Zaun needed to be its dark mirror. We started by combining Victorian architectural pieces and some old industrial elements and added some asymmetrical flourish ornaments made from handcrafted upcycled pieces."

"Canonically Zaun is supposed to be super-dark, oily, and dirty with green smoke everywhere." Dude it is literally called The Gray. Zaun's marketplace, college, and an example of their architectural style from the LoL website:

Zaun is literally an afterthought. And I think its very telling that once again, Piltover was the priority. Magical, pure Piltover with its moral code...and Zaun was literally just designed to be its opposite. They claim that the show was designed to show the good and bad parts of both, but they failed to include any direct evidence that the problems in Zaun are entirely due to Piltover's treatment of them. They literally just took LoL Zaun, scooped the top (more prosperous) levels off, and buried it under Piltover. Piltover was enriched, and even benefited by inspiration from Eastern European culture like Nikola Tesla and Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. And then gave Viktor the only "foreign" accent in the show to further emphasize his disadvantaged upbringing and displacement in Piltover society. As someone with an Eastern European/Slavic background, I cannot emphasize this enough: fuck. every. last. one. of. you.

*sigh* Moving on to the "value and enrichment" given to Zaun:

cities described as "dissonant halves of the a greater whole" rather than symbiotic

Piltover came first, and the undercity later develops into Zaun. No mention of historical or present-day Zaun having anything to do with Piltover's success. Literally nothing is explicitly connected, though we do get Cait committing war crimes using tech her Mom installed to help the Zaunites from suffering the effects of pollution.

Speaking of pollution, AoA explictly states neither city has "big industry, there are no factories". Uhh then where is the pollution coming from?

It is portrayed unflatteringly with two notable exceptions (the Last Drop and Firelight tree), specifically in the ways that are in real life associated with racism, classism, body shaming, and cultural shaming. Its subtle at times, but a constant theme in their book, interviews, and the show itself.

In AoA, the Piltie extras are "understudies" and the Zaunites are "a motely crew".

Piltover has “normal” food like tea and sandwiches, while Zaun has what appears to be slugs in a muddy sauce from an unsanitary food stall that also displays drooling animal heads and tentacles.

All the Pilties are thin; the only overweight people (who are also usually morbidly obese) are from Zaun.

In Art of Arcane (AoA) they talk about how they specifically chose to design the Chem-Barons "more cartoony than grotesque" and that they made sure to have "a few landmarks, like the bridge, so it doesn't feel too cartoony" when designing Piltover.

Only the Zaunites use augmentation. Its a defining characteristic and objectively "bad". AoA explicitly correlates Viktor fixing his leg and spine with losing parts of his humanity. Lord know what they think of the multitude of augmented-out-of-necessity Zaunites. Coincidentally, the other character most associated with augments is Smeech, the cartoony drowned-rat-looking antagonistic Yordle, whose fight serves as a humorous scene endearing Jinx to the viewers.

They created the Piltover Council and then decided to make the Chem-Barons their direct counterparts, because DUALITY! Seriously, is anyone in Zaun NOT somehow just a "worse" version of a Piltie?

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tinylilacbun · 2 months ago

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hii first i wanna say i love love love your writings and could read them for days!! im wondering if you could write a fic where rafe upsets toddler!reader so she turns to ward or rose for comfort, please?

You giggle as you toddle your way to Rafe's room, holding two drawings in your hand that you just can't wait to show him, you spent all morning to make them perfect.

As you reach his bedroom door you can hear his muffled voice through it and strain your arm for the handle, almost stumbling when it opens.

Rafe is pacing in front of his bed, phone held up to his ear and nibbling on the nail of his thumb. "I swear, I'll get you your money, you just-"

Not realizing that he's stressed you rush over to him, tugging on his shirt. "Rafey! Rafey, look!"

"I- hold on..." He sighs into the phone, holding it away from his ear for a moment. "Not now, kid."

You pout, determined to show him what you made for him, not taking no as an answer and hold the drawings up. "But look! I mades this!"

He ignores you, continuing his conversation with the person on the other line.

The frown on your face grows and you whine, stomping your foot on the ground you tug once more on his shirt, wanting your brother's attention. "Rafey-"

Suddenly he grabs your wrist and detangles your hand from the fabric. "I said not now!" He snaps at you, glaring at you momentarily until his eyes widen in realization at what he just did, his mouth opening and closing again.

Without thinking twice he ends the call, letting go of you he crouches down to console you but before he could say anything you dash out of his room again with tears tears welling up in your eyes.

Rafe curses at himself, he promised that he would never let his frustrations out on you, doesn't matter in what situation, you're his baby sister and the only person in this house to love him unconditionally and to see him as a role model.

After quickly gathering his thoughts he goes after you. As he goes down the stairs he stops in his tracks when he finds the two drawings you made specifically for him, picking them up his heart aches at the sight.

Descending the stairs he can hear your sobs coming from the living room, peering inside he sees you in his father's arms who's sitting on an arm chair and rubbing a hand up and down your back while shushing you.

Rafe's face falls at that, usually you go to him anytime you're upset but now he's the reason you are and is mad at himself for letting his temper get the better of him, again.

Since you were born he wanted and tried to do better, to make up for everything he did wrong in the past and taking you as his last chance to be a better person and he failed.

Ward locks eyes with him and Rafe gulps when he beckons him closer, not being able to read his expression.

As you hear his footsteps approach you open your eyes but turn your head away, not wanting to look at him right now and Rafe feels even worse than he already does.

He sits down on the sofa near you both, the drawings still held in his hands as he looks at them with a small yet sad smile he speaks up. "I'm- um...those drawings you made, they are really good."

You don't answer, still sniffling and fidgeting with one loose seam of your father's shirt.

Rafe sighs but continues talking, not giving up on getting on your good side again. "They're gonna look amazing next to all the others I have on my wall."

Finally you turn your head back to face him, still upset but giving him a glimpse of hope. "You keepin' 'em?"

"What, of course I am. I keep everything you make for me." He says honestly, glancing at you before back down at the paper sheets. "I think those are the best ones yet."

You lift your head a little and let Ward wipe away the remaining tears from your face, handing you over to Rafe when you reach your arms out for him.

The boy doesn't even hesitate to envelope you in his embrace, rocking you in his arms as you wrap your short arms around his neck.

Ward watches the scenes unfold before deciding to get up to leave you both alone, exiting the room with one last nod at Rafe.

When he's sure that his father is gone he kisses your head, whispering softly. "I'm sorry, for snapping at you...I really am."

You tighten your arms around him slightly. "Lub you Rafey."

He smiles at that, his hold on you not relenting. "I love you more, kid."

Taglist

For everything:

@my-river-lilly @pauntedblacknails @fanfictioniseverything @devilslilbabysblog @buckymydarlingangel @hallecarey1 @daybreakwinter @loveshineslikethesky @wandaslittlewhore @vase-of-lilies @white-wolf1940 @simpingbutch @mischiefsemimanaged @alina02 @teddybearsgrr @doozywoozy @angelbabydoll28 @glxwingrxse @lilymurphy03 @veryvaughnny @lokigirlszendaya @youngstarfishdinosaur @little--baby--bear @minideathgoddess @rach2602 @gh0stgurl @flourishandblotts-inc @lovelyy-moonlight @yoruse

@mythixmagic @iris-xoxo-juhu

For Rafe:

@chiaraanatra @chimindity @erikasurfer

#sister!reader #sister reader #rafe cameron x sister!reader #rafe cameron x sister reader #brother!rafe cameron

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cosmerelists · 7 months ago

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If Other Stormlight Characters Served as the King's Wit

As requested by anon. :)

"The King's Wit" is there to insult people in the king's stead. In this role, Hoid basically gets to stand at the entrance to feasts and make fun of people. It's a good gig for him. But what if other characters had this job?

1. The Stormfather

Stormfather (rumbling with displeasure): You have broken an oath today. Stormfather: You promised your son that you would play "Shattered Plains" with him this afternoon, but you did not. Stormfather: Though you feast for today, my storm winds shall one day scatter your dishonored bones. Elhokar (visibly sweating): Ha ha my new Wit sure is, ah, intense!

2. Kaladin

Kaladin: Ew. Another Lighteyes... Kaladin: Sniff, sniff! Smells like the exploitation of the powerless in here! Kaladin: I can name a dozen men better than you and guess what--they're ALL darkeyed. Kaladin: Nice outfit--did it come free with your ancestral privilege? Elhokar (muttering to himself): I will not put him in jail again, I will not put him in jail again, I will not...

3. Shallan

Shallan: [sketching] Hapless Lighteyed guest: Is that...me? Shallan: It is! [shows Ideal Self portrait--it's the same person, only their sadness and distrust is gone and they shine with an earnest and honest light, looking out toward their future] Hapless Lighteyed Guest (visibly tearing up): I...It's beautiful. Shallan: Please, go ahead & take it! Elhokar: Shallan-Wit, why is everyone at my feast introspective and crying? Shallan: I'm really good at art.

4. Adolin

Adolin: Wow! You are so brave to put those colors together, and in a style from two years ago ago! Adolin: You are almost pulling it off.

5. Dalinar

Dalinar: Hello. I could not help but overhear your heated argument, my friends. Dalinar: It reminds me of a tale from the Way of Kings, which I will now quote from memory... Dalinar: ... Dalinar: Aaaaand, they fled. Dalinar: That's the third time that's happened this evening.

6. Ialai

Ialai: [hands hapless lighteyed guest a folded-up sheet of paper] Hapless Lighteyed Guest: W-Where did you get this information about me? And my husband? And my...former boyfriend's sister's cousin? Ialai: [merely smiles] Hapless Lighteyed Guest: W-What do you want? Please! I'll do anything! Ialai: Why...nothing at all. Yet. Please enjoy the feast.

7. Lift

Lift: Mmmm....4. Lift: A solid 6! Lift: Perhaps a 5, but ONLY because of those pants. Lift: Wow! An 8! Wyndle: P-Please mistress, I don't think the job of the King's Wit is to rank the butts of all attendees! Lift: They need to know.

8. Jasnah

Hapless Lighteyed Guest: Ugh, I don't think it's right for the king to employ a heretic as his Wit! Jasnah: It's strange--one might think that your faith in the Almighty would inspire you to strive to be a good man, yet in reality your mother weeps each and every night to have produced a son who loves drinking and gambling more than he loves his children, his wife, or indeed the Almighty. Jasnah: Should you wish to inspire faith in others, perhaps you should try to demonstrate even the smallest reason why yours has produced an iota of good for anyone in this world aside from yourself. Elhokar (across the room, watching): I...am afraid.

9. Lopen

Lopen: Hey, I know you! I got a cousin in your army! Lopen: He always laughs 'bout how weird it is that your officers make the men pay for their own boots 'n' stuff 'cause it's an army not a charity, right? But then your officer son gets an allowance which is funny 'cause that kinda seems like the 'charity' thing that an army isn't! Lopen: We Herdazians tend to use a word to mean a thing, yeah? But you Alethi sure like to make a word mean whatever it is you want!

10. Szeth & Nightblood

Nightblood: Evil. Evil. Evil. Definitely evil. Big evil! Little evil, but still evil. Szeth: You've identified every guest so far as evil, sword-nimi. Nightbood: Yeah, I'm so good at detecting evil! So when does the slaying start? Szeth: I told you. I don't murder entire parties anymore. That is my past, but it does not have to be my future. Nightblood: But you're the King's Wit! You got wit-tle down the evil, right? Szeth: That is not what that means, sword-nimi. Nightblood: ... Szeth: ... Nightblood: People sure do speed up when they have to walk past us, huh? Szeth: I am pretty sure that means we're doing a good job.

#cosmere #cosmerelists #Stormfather #Kaladin #Shallan #Adolin #Jasnah #Lopen #Nightblood #Szeth #Lift #Ialai #Dalinar

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occasionalsnippets · 28 days ago

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Okay I'm so very curious on what would happen in case fd!mc died. I've not caught up on all the lore but the idea that they'd focus on everyone elses tragedies, only to forget they're now a character too with their own problems and enemies and that (or something else) being their end. Like the angst potential just calls to me.

Taglist: @dragondevinity, @lonely-star2044, @sheep-from-rad, @ilxandra, @thethingwiththefeathers, @star-wars-lycanwing-bat, @sackofsadstuff, @zonked-times, @paastaboi, @venfia, @fantasy-angelo, @linaisadream

Asdlaskjdh I would love to kill them off, maybe like a bit after Jason comes to the manor. I just know that everyone is going to be trapped in the shadow of the pedestal they built for you!!!

Like, Bruce’s perpetual longing to make things right by you. He forever catches himself thinking “what would you do” and “what would you tell him to do”, but never able to rely on your guidance to fix things again. Even though you acted essentially as his emotional crutch and translator and the initial impression of you basically being a (not) adult in his life, he’s eternally going to wish he could’ve done better for you. He isn’t your father and you weren’t his daughter. But, maybe you could’ve been something. It’s too late now, regardless.

Even though you’re six feet under, you’re no farther than you were in life. Dick remembers the distance between you and him more than anything else. Be it the distance he placed between himself and the manor or the ravine you dug yourself. He had always been more focussed on Tim than you and in many ways, you had orchestrated things so that it would be that way. You didn’t need him. Not like everyone else. And that leaves him with nothing of you but distant text messages and memories of you, dancing just out of his reach.

Jason remembers you amidst fluttering fabrics and blurry faces, shutters of a past he can barely recall. Your face in childhood is smeared in washes of green, blending with the images of the you of now that blares with every headline of your death. He’s never gotten to know who you are now when you aren’t hidden behind velvet curtains, in dresses covered in rhinestones worth more than an apartment complex. It haunts him. Just a bit. The same way he knows the memory of who he was before his death haunts Bruce.

Tim mourns in the Drake manor that has always been filled with more you than either of his parents. You’re gone now, just like them. It hits him harder than anyone he’s ever lost. Unlike everyone else, he almost had a surplus of memories of you, the good, the bad, the annoying and kind. It casts a daunting shadow of a role he’ll never be able to fulfil. A role that you, his perfect, unfailing, older sister, have left behind. The lingering warmth will kill him someday he thinks as he traces your path and follows in your footsteps.

Damian only knows you from stories and photographs and the half-aborted actions that the rest of the family takes. They are all trying to be something good for him and in the depths of the records his father keeps, he knows that it is your doing. You have always been larger than life to him. An idol-like figure he can never reach or know. There are millions of photos of you, thousands of angles, all of which he has learned to draw. He can imagine the gentle curve of your smile, mimic the posture when you stood, count the number of lashes on each of your eyes. But, he can only grasp at the ghost you left behind, unable to reach who you truly were.

The family will grieve. They will mourn. But, they will collect themselves eventually. You did not spend the last years of your life forcing them to communicate only for them to fall apart after you’re gone, after all.

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anythingforstories · 2 months ago

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Currently reading Lord of the Rings for the first time. Never seen the movies (I want to read the book first) and the majority of my LOTR knowledge comes through memes and spoilers on Tumblr analysis posts. I've made it through Fellowship of the Ring and am now in The Two Towers, specifically the chapter where Merry and Pippin meet Treebeard.

Thoughts and predictions at this point (contains spoilers, but it's been out since 1954, so deal with it):

-So I guess "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard" was Merry and Pippin? In which case, they did not end up taking the hobbits to Isengard. Pity.

-(No but really, I had thought that referred to Frodo and Sam because I think they're slaves at some point? IDK. Maybe they're slaves in Mordor. I shall have to wait and see.)

-I am happy that Merry and Pippin have had more page time and got to have a clever escape. I was beginning to wonder why they were there in the story. I do like them, though.

-I wonder if Treebeard is important?

-During the entire second half of Fellowship of the Ring, I was thinking, "Surely Legolas has a bigger role, based upon the number of fangirls?" I now see that he does have more page time, though still at this point, I feel his fangirls may have overinflated his role within the story. Perhaps he shall do more later, though. Still a cool dude, in any case, sleeping while walking and all that.

-Gandalf's defeat was less dramatic than I'd always imagined. Pretty sure he's not gone forever, based mostly upon memes and fanart. And also the fact that he seems to be rather too important to be gone this soon.

-I'd honestly anticipated a long redemption arc for Boromir. Based upon all the analysis I've seen about him, I had vaguely known he sacrificed himself for the hobbits, but didn't expect it to be this soon. Not sure how I feel about this. (I did cry, and then I cried again when Aragorn didn't reveal what he'd been up to to Legolas and Gimli. I didn't actually expect to cry while reading LOTR. But the tragedy hit hard.)

-I know there's gonna be a romance between an elf-lady and a man, but I'm not sure who with whom. I don't think there's been a single hint of that yet. Maybe I'm wrong.

-Pretty sure they're going to see the ocean?

-"I am no man!" (Or something along those lines. I hope that wasn't movie-original; I think I've seen pictures of that text in the books? But it sounds very epic.)

-Gollum is a persistent chap. I rather like him. I do, unfortunately, know his fate. My sisters watched the movies when they were little and that's one of the only things they can remember.

-It's definitely picked up compared to the first book! Unlike many people, though, I did read through all those pages of pure worldbuilding lore at the beginning. It was boring and yet delightful.

-I need a map. I'm borrowing a friend's version where there's all the books in one cover with lots of illustrations and such. There was a map of the Shire but not of everything. I could easily look it up online, but I'm stubborn and want to see if the book will have one at some point.

-Can't wait for Aragorn to come back as king. I assume this shall happen in Return of the King. It would make sense. He seems a good fit for the job.

-I would DEVOUR an anime of this series. Specifically, a book-accurate one.

-Sam is excellent.

-Lots of fantasy seems so much less original after reading LOTR :P

#lord of the rings #lotr

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mswyrr · 5 months ago

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They spent the entire season showing the collapse of everything Alicent had invested meaning in and earning her final choice.

Things that came apart over the season:

-her father's role in all this; his approval (and fear of his disapproval) has driven her for her entire life! (bad move on multiple fronts, Aegon)

-her belief that she could do what this patriarchy promises and "influence" her sons toward a good direction (Aegon dismisses her but Aemond really drove the nail in with flagrantly slaughtering smallfolk and making his intent to force his sister to do it too clear)

-her belief that she had any allies and her skills in leadership and her track record of hard work actually meant anything to *anyone* (this was a cooperative effort by Aemond, Larys, and Criston - good work, fellas!)

-her belief that she could, if nothing else, at least protect her daughter (huge emotional pillar for her)

And if we look at her prior actions putting Aegon on the throne and protecting him with her life - both fit within those structures she had mentally and emotionally which this season ripped down.

I think the final one was the thing that took it over the edge, though -- the prospect of Helaena being used and hurt and destroyed as a person -- kind of like how degrading Aemond and his connection to his long-term sex worker was his final straw that made him want to kill and supplant his brother Aegon.

People keep pushing each other too far this season. Taking out the last thing that stands between them and a radical change. Pushing people until they're willing to lose things just to break the current dynamic.

Dae/mon pushes Rhaenyra too far, then the entire war does and she "breaks bad" in 2x07 (see my meta linked below for more on my pov on that); Aegon pushes Aemond too far; and the entire group of "green men" systematically pushes Alicent too far.

All the while, she had that offer from earlier in the season, when Rhaenyra risked everything to come speak to Alicent in her mind. She was mulling over it and thinking of what she could have said, should have said. At the same time, however, Rhaenyra was moving away from being that person [my meta argument on that here]. So the person she finally comes to make peace with isn't the same as she was in the Sept. And once again they tragically can't get on the same page. It does all fit together, even with issues in the writing.

And writing on Alicent's arc simply isn't as uneven as people are saying - the theme of people pushing each other too far and how they showed the pillars of Alicent's support crumbling were both clearly done.

And, yes - Alicent still has feelings for Rhaenyra and as all of this has been happening she's been having a midlife crisis and wishing she had just run away with her first love when they were girls. But that isn't her sole motivation!! It's just what comes spilling out of her because of the state she's in. It creates an appealing alternative to the hell she's living in at the Red Keep. But it wasn't THE single motivating factor.

On a show where fathers have behaved truly monstrously--up to and including their selfishness setting this civil war in motion to begin with--it's fascinating that people refuse to believe a mother can be pushed too far. That kinslaying and slaughtering whole cities and rejecting and humiliating her and threatening to mentally torture her daughter until she breaks wouldn't change her mind about her priorities.

The "green" side becomes owned by Aemond, a wilful (as far as she knows; I'm speaking of her pov here) kinslayer moral reprobate who is violent to his sister and wants to force her to do things that will break her mind. Alicent cannot expect that Aegon will be able to stop him. That's what the side is now, as far as she knows. And she thinks he's a monster who must be stopped, at any cost. That's why she told Rhaenyra "we both know what he is" about Aemond in the Sept. WHAT not who. Things like kinslaying and slaughtering smallfolk mean something to her. And her daughter is everything to her.

Team Green overall took her for granted and thought she'd always be their doormat, and Helaena too. And Alicent finally had enough. Again, given how monstrously the fathers on this show behave, I think they "showed their work" on her radical change of heart well. It's just some people believe nothing can ever justify a mother betraying her sons and I think that makes total sense, given everything.

Honestly, once Helaena was on the chopping block, it would have been out of character for Alicent *not* to do everything--destroy anything--to protect her daughter. She feels like protecting Helaena is the only good thing she's ever done in her life.

People can dislike the ending. It's always valid to dislike something in a story, it's fine. But disliking it doesn't mean it wasn't built up solidly, narratively speaking. The writers put a lot of work and narrative space into it, actually--this was one of the most developed parts of s2!--and weaving it into the season's larger theme of characters pushing each other to the breaking point.

#alicent hightower #hotd meta #house of the dragon #rhaenicent

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maretinelli · 1 month ago

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BORTOLETO-HAMILTON

Lewis Hamilton X Bortoleto!fem!reader

Summary: With her younger brother and husband racing together in Formula 1, Y/n's nerves are doubled when they're both on the track.

Words: 8K+

Warnings: Mentions of many Brazilian things, Lewis in the Ferrari, cigarettes, drinks, partying and Brazilian music, maybe some swearing and suggestive lines between Y/n and Lewis.

Author: English is not my first language, so apologies if there are any spelling or typing errors. Well, I'm addicted to Lewis and as a Brazilian I'm loving watching Bortoleto. I had to put these two together.🇧🇷❤️ I will mention Brazilian songs, but I will put them at the end of the story!!

MASTERLIST

Y/n Bortoleto didn't remember exactly when her life ended up TOTALLY on the grid, tracks, races and podiums. Being a sports agent, older sister of the most promising rookie in the category Gabriel Bortoleto and wife of Lewis Hamilton, she definitely had no escape. Y/n's world was taken over by Formula 1. She was in the eye of the storm.

Y/n and Lewis met years ago at a charity gala for young motorsport talent. Lewis was already a multiple champion and charismatic spokesperson for the sport, while Yin was just starting his career at the athlete agency. The conversation between the two began simply, about strategy, sponsorships and, inevitably, Ayrton Senna. "If you don't have Senna as a role model, then you're in the wrong sport" he joked that night.

The conversation turned into laughter and, at the end of the night, an exchanged business card and the promise of a coffee that, eventually, never happened.

At least not right away.

A year later, chance brought them together again. Y/n was hired to take on a project at the agency as a representative for a renowned athlete. When she opened the folder, there he was: Lewis Hamilton. "So, are we finally going to have that coffee?" he teased, and the rest was history. Now married for a few years, they formed one of the most iconic couples in the world of Formula 1: a brilliant sports agent and the greatest driver of his generation.

During this time, Gabriel Bortoleto, the woman's younger brother, was making his mark on the go-karts and Formula 3...2 tracks. When Gabriel was still a child, the eldest would take him to the go-kart tracks, racing to get the best seats in the stands and cheering him on every lap. She could see his talent manifest itself from the first moment he put his hands on the steering wheel.

She was always with the boy, acting as his manager, sister, best friend and representative at the time, when they both grew together in their respective careers.

Inspired by his idol Ayrton Senna and his brother-in-law Lewis Hamilton, the 20-year-old Brazilian finally reached F1.

Y/n couldn't be more fulfilled with her two boys and her career.

Lewis and Gabriel.

Hamilton had known the youngest Bortoleto since the boy was 12 years old. When he and Y/n started dating. They had an incredible connection, a friendship that went from family Sundays to the GPs they had raced together. Lewis always. teaching and learning from the youngest.

And in the first GP of the season that Lewis got on the podium, he couldn't help but raise the Brazilian flag high, next to his home country. The Brazilian flag was a tribute to his wife and brother-in-law who was new to the category.

This weekend would be the first GP in Interlagos that Gabriel Bortoleto would participate in Formula 1. Fans, family and friends could not be more excited. With the euphoria of being able to see a Brazilian on the podium, after years without seeing Brazil in Formula 1.

Lewis and his wife had gotten off the plane a few minutes earlier. With their disguises, no one seemed to recognize the couple as they walked to the parking lot so they could pick up their rental car.

Hamilton adjusted his cap as he whispered something in his wife's ear. She laughed as she had Roscoe tied to the leash she was leading.

"Hey, is anyone here faking it or is too tired to walk!" She said, and Hamilton looks at the dog next to her.

"Pretending, definitely," Lewis replied, chuckling softly. "He knows if he makes a fuss, I'll carry him in my arms."

"That's your problem, love," Y/n scoffed. "You're the one who spoiled him like that."

Lewis paused for a second, feigning indignation.

"Are you suggesting that I'm the problem? Because honestly, Roscoe is the perfect son."

"Perfect son who snores and drools on your shirt," she replied, smiling.

Lewis chuckles, pulling her closer to his side.

Walking to the parking lot, to be able to pick up the car they had rented to spend the days in Brazil, they saw a journalist outside, who probably knew what time the couple would arrive in the country.

But the good thing is that he was alone. There was no one else in the parking lot other than people who probably didn't know the couple.

The young journalist approaches. "Hello, Lewis Hamilton and Y/n Bortoleto Hamilton? Do you have a minute?" He asks, a little shyly.

Y/n and Lewis looked at each other smiling. The young journalist was probably still in college and was nervous.

"Yes. Ourselves," Lewis says, as he stops to give the young man his attention.

"Sure, no problem"

"I promise not to be too intrusive. Just a few questions," he says, and points his phone's microphone in front of the couple. "How do you feel about this weekend's GP?"

Lewis smiles. "Honestly. I feel confident, Brazil has always been a country that I feel at home in. So, I'm definitely in a good place. It's like racing in England." Hamilton smiles.

Meanwhile, Y/n watched Roscoe lay on the parking lot floor.

"What about you, Y/n? How do you feel about seeing your little brother running around the house?"

"It's exciting in a way I can't even describe." Y/n smiled, taking off her sunglasses. "Seeing Gabriel race in Brazil, in Interlagos, where he grew up watching Senna and Lewis... It's surreal. He's worked his whole life for this moment, and I couldn't be more proud. Not only as a sister, but as a former agent and number one fan."

"And you, Hamilton? How do you feel about your wife's brother being on your tail in every race? Is there a rivalry between the two of you?"

"Definitely not! I've known Gab since I started dating Y/n. I can say that I've seen the younger one grow, as a person and professionally," he smiles. "So no, there's no rivalry or anything like that when we're at the races. It's like when he stands on the podium, the victory is for both of us. I've seen how hard he's worked to get here. And I know he feels the same way about me." Lewis smiles politely, while his hand is clasped in his wife's.

"Okay. Now one last question. You might be tired from the flight." The young journalist says, and turns a page of his small notebook. "Y/n! There are some rumors going around the internet. And we want to know, when are the mini Hamilton-Bortoleto coming?" He asks smiling.

Y'n laughs, lowering her head and Lewis squeezes her hand, smiling too.

"I think next week. Our little cat Poppe is pregnant at home. There should be at least 7 mini Poppe Hamilton-Bortoletos!" She jokes, not really wanting to talk about babies in front of the cameras.

Lewis laughs at his wife's comment and the journalist smiles sympathetically.

"Okay. We'll never get that answer, until there's finally a baby here"

"Sure thing" Hamilton says smiling.

"Thank you very much for the interview. And good luck racing.

Lewis and Yin thank the young man and say goodbye, heading to the car that the woman managed to rent before arriving in Brazil.

"I found him to be friendly and respectful with questions," Lewis praises the young man.

"Yes. Sweet boy," she said, as she tried to get Roscoe to walk. "Come on son, the car is right there!!"

Roscoe let out a short bark, turned sideways, and collapsed to the ground as if all his energy had gone.

"All this drama, Roscoe?" Lewis asked, laughing, as he bent down and picked the dog up in his arms.

Y/n puts her hands on her hips, indignant at the upbringing Lewis was giving her four-legged son.

"Hey, that way you don't let him be independent!!" Y/n jokes, walking a little behind Lewis, who had Roscoe in his arms. "And when he's a baby?"

"I'll be the same. I'll carry it in my arms until I'm 20," Lewis says, unlocking the car with the key.

"You're impossible," Y/n chuckles, walking to the passenger door as Lewis clips Roscoe's leash to the backseat.

Lewis chuckled, settling into the driver's seat. "And that's why you love me."

The drive to the condominium where Y/n's parents lived was peaceful. Lewis drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on his wife's leg. Roscoe, more energetic after his nap at the airport, watched out the window, attentive to the new smells and movements of Brazil.

"What do you think about stopping by the bakery near your parents' house?" Lewis asked, quickly looking away at Y/n.

She smiled, remembering the fresh cheese bread her mother always praised from that place. "I was waiting for you to suggest that. You're already more Brazilian than most Brazilians."

As soon as they arrived at the condominium entrance, the doorman allowed the couple to pass, where Lewis drove to the end, where the Bortoleto house was. A large house to fit the whole family, with a deck that gave a view of the lake behind the house.

The front gate was the same as always, painted dark gray with slight signs of age. The garden was impeccable, with colorful flowers. Certainly Clara's idea, Y/n and Gabriel's mother. Y/n felt her heart warm that house had always been the perfect refuge, no matter how many years had passed.

When they parked in front of the house, Y/n and Lewis could see that they were already waiting for the couple, with a warm smile on their faces. Hamilton turned off the car and took Roscoe out of the back seat. While Y/n ran out to hug her parents.

She was 30 years old, but with her parents there, in front of her waiting for her to get home, it was as if she were back when she was 15.

"They're finally here!!" Y/n's mother, Clara, says, with her daughter in her arms, "I missed you guys so much!

"Sorry I'm late," Lewis said, setting Roscoe down. "Roscoe decided to be dramatic at the airport.

"Worse than a spoiled child" Y/n says, hugging her father.

Lewis walks up the front steps to greet his in-laws. Meanwhile, Roscoe runs excitedly across the front lawn.

"I think he was saving it for the barbecue later." Lewis hugs Y/n's mother.

They laugh.

Y/n's father, Mr. Lincoln, approached with that calm air of a patriarch. "Lewis! Welcome back, son," he said, giving his son-in-law a firm handshake and a pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Mr. Lincoln. You can be sure I missed it here!"

Y/n's father smiles: "Great! Gab and I prepared a great picanha for the barbecue."

"Lew and I brought cheese bread from the bakery nearby. For afternoon coffee, Y/n runs to the car and grabs the things they bought and gives them to her mother.

"Then we'll have cheese bread for the whole weekend," Clara says. "Your father came by earlier to buy some for Lewis."

Y/n coos looking at her father.

"Look how cute you are! Spoiling your son-in-law more than me and Gab" Y/n nudges her father's shoulder and he rolls his eyes.

Lewis smiles.

"Let's go inside! We were there on the deck before you arrived" Clara opens the large front door of the house.

Y/n calls Roscoe to come inside, but he was so excited running around the house without a leash that he didn't even hear his owners calling.

"ROSCOE!! COME ON MAN!" Lewis yells, nothing from him came. He just ran.

"This dog has more energy than Lewis in GP" Y/n comments and smiles.

Lewis laughs amusedly

"That's because he doesn't even need training. Roscoe just needs love and cookies." Clara says, making her son-in-law smile.

After much struggle, Roscoe comes to Lewis and enters the house. Exploring everything inside.

As they walked to the porch, Y/n looked at Lewis and for a moment felt a surge of gratitude. It felt good to be back, surrounded by family, with the man she had chosen by her side. Everything felt exactly as it should be.

"So, how was the trip? Was the flight very crowded?" Y/n's mother asked as she walked through the room,

Lewis was watching Roscoe walk around the house, while he had one hand holding his wife's shoulder.

"It went well, we had no turbulence. Lewis slept the whole flight"

"Hey!!" He turns his head towards her and smiles. "You don't have to expose me like that."

They laugh.

Once settled on the deck, Clara brought a tray with coffee, juices and some snacks. Roscoe was sitting on the porch rug, watching the birds flying through the trees around him.

"Roscoe already jumps on one!" Lewis speaks, referring to the birds.

Y/n laughs and sits down on a chair, petting the dog.

"Where's Gab-?"

Before he could finish, his brother's voice echoed down the stairs of the house, followed by the hurried sound of his footsteps. He appeared in the doorway, an amused smile on his face.

"Finally! I thought you guys had given up on coming,"

They turn and see Gabriel standing at the large door that led to the deck. Y/n smiles and stands up to hug him.

"Give up on beating you in the GP on Sunday? No way!!" Lewis greeted his brother-in-law with a brief hug and a touch of complicity. "How are you?"

"Keep dreaming, Hamilton. I'm going to leave you behind here in Brazil." Gabriel laughs. "I'm fine!"

Lewis responds in Portuguese: "Vou deixar você para trása!"

Y/n lets out a loud laugh, before correcting her husband's Portuguese, "Dear, it's: Para trás ,"

"Hey, poor thing. Don't laugh," Clara says, and Yin laughs more.

When Hamilton started dating the Brazilian woman, he made a big effort to learn to speak Portuguese, so that it would be easier to live with her family. She thought it was the cutest thing. And to this day, he took a few classes before coming to Brazil. And he is making progress, his communication is much better.

Y/n's parents also made an effort to learn English. To welcome Lewis.

Gabriel approaches his sister: "I missed you, old lady" he hugs his sister.

She slaps him on the shoulder. "Hey!!" Y/n can't help but laugh. "Okay, I'm in my 30s, but let's tone it down."

Gab laughs.

Lewis watched the interaction, laughing along. "You're brave to call her that."

Gabriel shrugged, blinking. "It's the only advantage of being the youngest. I'm untouchable."

The family smiles.

"Roscoe, hi champ!" Gabriel calls the dog and he gets up excitedly heading towards the man.

Gabriel gives him a caress and soon Roscoe leaves. "I'm going to pick up Isabella at her parents' house. Does anyone want to come with me?"

Y/n stands up: "Me!! I miss Isabella!" She says smiling as she touches her sister-in-law's name.

Before leaving with his brother, Y/n approached Lewis and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Behave yourself, okay? Don't eat all the cheese bread without me."

Lewis held her hand, smiling. "I promise not to end it all. Enjoy and send a kiss to Isabella."

"Okay. Come on, old lady." Gabriel puts an arm around his sister's shoulder and Yin pats his shoulder again.

"Shut up!"

The family laughs.

Lewis stayed at home, talking to his in-laws and taking the opportunity to rest from the trip. Tomorrow he would start training and it would be tough.

Lincoln, Y/n and Gabriel's father, stood up, saying he was going to start the barbecue. Lewis stayed with Dona Clara on the deck talking.

"So Lewis... When are the grandchildren coming?" She says, nudging her son-in-law's tattooed arm.

Lewis lowers his head shyly and laughs.

"We're, um, trying..." He stops and rethinks what he said. "Wait, let me try again..." He makes Clara laugh. "That's not quite it." He looks at Clara, more nervous now. "We're preparing, I guess. And, that's the right word."

"Preparing?"

"Yeah. Yin's started weekly appointments with her gynecologist and is trying to be healthier before she actually decides it's time to have a baby," he says, watching Roscoe run off. "She's also trying to quit smoking. You know how she is when she's nervous. She takes it all out on nicotine." Clara nods, knowing about the daughter she has. "We're taking it slow so that everything will go smoothly when we finally get pregnant." He smiles and Clara gives him a beautiful mother-in-law smile.

"You're right." She smiles and rests her hand on her son-in-law's arm. "You're a great husband. And I know you'll be a great father too. Both of you." She smiles.

"I hope I live up to it," he smiles at the compliment.

"Yes, it is." Clara gets up to get another cup of coffee. "I just hope it doesn't take too long. I want to see this house full of children during the holidays."

Lewis laughs.

"We promise!" He smiles.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Next day - Friday, Interlagos.

The day dawned cloudy, the overcast sky reflecting the typical weather in São Paulo at that time of year. Lewis left early for the paddock, as usual, leaving Y/n to rest a little longer in the apartment. It was a busy morning at the circuit, with fans crowded outside and teams racing against time to adjust the cars before free practice.

Y/n arrived about two hours after Lewis. As she walked around, dressed in comfortable clothes, she politely greeted fans who called her name and took a photo with some who asked.

She stopped to take a selfie with a young fan who held a sign that read: 'Bortoleto-Hamilton is our champion!'

Y/n smiled genuinely and said, "Thank you, you made my day!"

The sounds of engines warming up echoed through the paddock corridors, mixed with the excited voices of fans and the constant clicking of photographers' cameras.

As they approached the garages, journalists behind the iron fences began to bombard her with questions about her brother, her husband and her career. Photographers took pictures of every move Bortoleto-Hamilton made.

With so many asking questions, she stopped in front of a young journalist, who was holding a microphone with the logo of a local sports channel.

"How do you balance your career with traveling to keep up with Lewis?"

"I think because I'm his sports agent, the balance between our careers and travel is flexible. What really causes a headache is deciding which sponsorship to choose for Lewis," she replies smiling.

"Do you often give your opinions on strategies or do you prefer to just be supportive as a wife? Does he usually listen to you?"

Y/n smiles: "I even joke with him sometimes about strategy, but honestly, I prefer to leave that to the engineers. He's the one who understands the subject, so I just support him from outside the track. But I think he even listens when I give an opinion!"

Upon hearing the answer, the journalist smiled, nodding, while in the background the clicks of the cameras seemed to have increased, Y/n knew that any word from her was a full plate for the headlines.

"Good morning. It's great to see you here in the Paddock. But what the fans want to know... is... Are you team Bortoleto or Hamilton this weekend?" He asks amusedly, and Y/n can't help but laugh.

"Now you've got me," she smiles. "But since I'm both a Bortoleto and a Hamilton, I have to say I'm torn. I want them both to do great.

"Who knows, maybe a double podium? Then no one will complain!" She laughs. "A podium is always our goal!"

With a farewell wave, Y/n continued through the paddock, her firm steps taking her towards the Ferrari garage, where she knew that Lewis was already fully focused on training.

As she got closer to the Ferrari garage, she could already hear the loud engine noises and engineers talking loudly. Yin politely greeted those she passed along the way.

"Hey Charles!" She greets Lewis's teammate.

"Hey, Y/n! Here to watch the boss?" he teased, winking slightly before heading to the driver's room.

She laughed in agreement, "Always, isn't it?"

As soon as Lewis saw her, his face lit up. He walked towards her with a warm smile, gently pulling her in for a kiss.

"It's finally here"

"I was late because I was dealing with reporters," she said, laughing. "They always ask me who I'm rooting for. Can you believe it? After all this time."

Lewis chuckles, his hands on her waist.

"I've also been asked a lot about Gabriel. You're becoming a secondary subject," she jokes, poking her husband's chest, covered by his red uniform.

"I'll take second place. But only if it's for him," Lewis joked. "He deserves it. I remember when I raced at home for the first time in Formula 1. It's an inexplicable feeling."

She nodded, crossing her arms and walking slowly with Lewis into the garage. "Did you sleep well? You look like you woke up thinking about the car."

Lewis smirks. "I slept very well and you know why."

She rolls her eyes smiling, we make her cheeks swell.

"But yeah, I slept well. And yeah, I've been thinking about the car a bit. But overall it's been fine," he says, grabbing his helmet.

Before she could respond, Lewis's engineer approached with a clipboard in hand. "Sorry to interrupt, but we need you to test the car now, before we adjust anything else."

"Sure," Lewis replied, exchanging a knowing look with Y/n.

"Go on, honey!! I'll be watching you," she says, leaving a kiss on his cheek and another on his helmet.

Lewis returned the kiss with a quick peck before getting into the car. Soon, the roar of the engine echoed through the garage as he pulled out onto the track.

Y/n took the headphones given to her by one of the engineers and sat down next to the monitors, watching each lap on the TV. Her eyes followed each curve, attentive to Lewis's precision as he communicated details about the car over the radio.

Hamilton must have been on lap five, while Y/n was looking at the monitors, until she saw Gabriel drive the Sauber car past the Ferrari garage. This caught the woman's attention.

With one last look at the monitor, she excused herself from the Ferrari engineers and handed over her headphones to go after her brother.

She walked a few garages until she reached her brother's garage. Gabriel got out of the car and took off his helmet when he saw his sister standing at the door, with a smile on her face and her arms crossed.

"Hey, sis!" He pulls the balaclava off his face. "Come to spy on the competition?" Gabriel jokes, as he hands the helmet to one of his mechanics and walks over to his sister, pulling her into a loving brotherly hug.

"I am the eyes that see everything" she smiles, leaving the hug, and Gabriel asks her to go further into the garage.

She excused herself and smiled politely. They knew that the woman was Bortoleto's sister. They knew her from other races and genetics did not deny it.

"How was training?" She asks, as she leans against a wall and crosses her arms, watching her brother take a big swig of water from his bottle.

"It was good. The car is better than last time. Just a few tweaks to the aerodynamics." He replies, closing the bottle.

Y/n smiles in agreement. "So? How does it feel to race on the Interlagos track for the first time, with the stands full of Brazilians?" She smiles more.

Gabriel's shy smile widened even more, and Y/n saw, for an instant, the 5-year-old boy, with a helmet bigger than his head, dreaming of racing a go-kart.

"It feels amazing," he said, finally sitting down on a nearby stool. "I'm not going to lie, it made a lump in my throat. I remembered all the years of dedication and effort. It was like... I don't know, it all made sense. And it's only Friday! I know Sunday will be even better more intense." He paused for a moment, looking down at his feet, before adding, "But that comforts me too. I'm home."

Y/n smiles from ear to ear.

"I'm so proud of you, little one." She lightly pushes the brunette's shoulder. "I know all the years were worth it."

"Of course, I had my sister by my side the whole time," he smiles, thanking her. "I know that without your support I would have nothing. Our parents were there. But you are an extra boost to our family. We would be nothing without you. Both me, mom and dad. And especially Lewis!" He says softly, making Y/n gather a few tears in her eyes.

She turned her face quickly, wiping away a stubborn tear. "Oh, stop. You're going to make me cry in the middle of the paddock."

Gabriel smiles, before teasing his older sister. "Sentimental old lady."

Y/n rolls her eyes laughing.

Gabriel thinks for a moment about a more relaxed subject, because if he kept talking, his sister wouldn't stop crying anymore, and he definitely doesn't know what to do when someone starts crying. And he knows what a sister he has.

"And Lewis? Are you already thinking about how to not let Sauber pass?" He jokes.

Y/n laughed. "He said he'll accept second place, but only for you and only here in Brazil!"

Gabriel laughed

"It's okay. I respect my brother-in-law."

"Well, just don't be too respectful," she teased. "I still want you on the podium, got it?"

Y/n and Gabriel were still laughing when a movement in front of the garage caught their attention. She turned her head and saw Lewis approaching the garage, with his jumpsuit half open and headphones around his neck.

After so many years, he still took her breath away.

"Lewis. Come in!" Gabriel says, as if the garage were his home and Lewis a regular visitor.

Y/n laughs, his Brazilian accent sounding good.

Lewis laughed, stopping to greet a few of the mechanics politely as he approached. The atmosphere already seemed more relaxed with his arrival.

Y/n automatically smiled when she saw her husband. The way he carried himself, with that natural confidence and usual charm, made her heart warm every time.

"Well, apparently, the boss is here passing information to her rival, right?" Lewis joked, casting an amused glance at Yin and then at Gabriel. "Or is she taking information for me, youngest?"

Y/n rolls her eyes laughing.

She loved the friendship they had as brother-in-law and fellow athlete.

"I'm neutral, okay?" Yin threw up her hands, laughing. "Family is family. There's no spying here."

"That's what you want me to believe," Lewis retorted, feigning suspicion and nudging his wife's shoulder.

Gabriel just laughed, shaking his head. "You know she's impartial, Lewis. But if you want, you can try to bribe me with some tips on the Ferrari car."

"No way," Lewis replied, pointing at him with a smirk.

Y/n laughs at the exchange of provocations between the brothers-in-law.

"Are morning trainings over?"

"Yes!" They both answer together.

"I was thinking. We could have lunch together before we come back here in the afternoon again!" Y/n says, uncrossing her arms and looking at her brother and husband, "Like family!"

"Sure, let's go!" Lewis looks at his brother-in-law.

"I'll go, only if you're paying." He points to his older sister.

"Of course. It's the role of older brothers." She rolls her eyes and they both laugh.

Leaving the garage, the woman waits for her brother and husband to change, so they can leave the Paddock and go to lunch.

"You know, I was just thinking..." Gabriel arrives after Lewis, and sees his brother-in-law hugging his older sister sideways.

"I'm scared when the sentence starts like that Y/n laughs, as they start walking away from the garages.

"Where are my nephews?" Gabriel asks and Lewis laughs.

"Huh, I don't know. You don't have any nephews." Y/n teases.

"That's right!! Where are they?" Gab says, and looks at his brother-in-law. "Lewis, please. Do your part!" He provokes the older man.

Y/n lowers her head and laughs.

"I'm trying. She's the one who's complicated," Lewis pretended to whisper to his brother-in-law, and they laughed. "You know what your sister is like..."

"HEYY!" She complains. "I'm here!! And in the middle of the two she says smiling.

The two men just laugh.

Finally leaving the garages, they arrive at the beginning of the Paddock, where it is full of fans, journalists and photographers.

When they saw the trio, they started asking questions and taking pictures. There were flashes coming from every possible direction. And it was also impossible not to hear the euphoric screams of the fans coming from the stands nearby.

"Let's stop at the headlines" Lewis comments and the Bortoleto brothers laugh.

"Ferrari driver is seen leaving hand in hand with Bortoleto's sister, Sauber driver. Who was with them." Yin creates a headline and they laugh. "And I bet some won't even know we're married" she looks at Lewis.

Lewis smiles.

"Or else...Ferrari couple decides to adopt Sauber driver as a son, since they won't budge to have one of their own." Gabriel provokes the couple again, about them not having children yet.

"Aaaah shut up" Y/n says between laughs.

Lewis and Gabriel exchange a laugh.

As they headed out of the paddock, Y/n couldn't help but smile. As intense and chaotic as the world of Formula 1 was, moments like this, alongside the people I loved, were the ones that really mattered.

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Race day Sunday, Interlagos.

The day in São Paulo dawned hot and cloudy, typical of the city, but the energy at the Interlagos Race Track was electrifying.

Gabriel and Lewis arrived much earlier than they usually arrived at the racetracks.

Perhaps because it was the rookie's first time on the Brazilian track.

Y/n only heard Lewis whisper something like 'I'm going to the racetrack early, and I'll stop by your parents' to pick up Gab'. The woman just gave a thumbs up with her finger, and turned to the other side of the bed.

Lewis laughed and left their city apartment.

Now, Y/N walked through the paddock alongside her parents, greeting the fans who approached. Even though she was nervous, she maintained the polite and charismatic posture that won everyone over, while taking some photos with fans.

Y/n was always nervous for races, this increased even more when Gabriel arrived in Formula 1. But today, today the nervousness was coming out of Y/n's eyes, ears and mouth.

"Good luck to Lewis today! And Gabriel too!" said a fan, as soon as she took a picture with Y/n.

Y/N smiled, even with her heart racing, returning the girl's cell phone with trembling hands: "Thank you!"

Y/n's parents, who were further away, saw their daughter's nervousness and exchanged a worried look.

Y/n walks back to where her parents were waiting for her, her comfortable sneakers making a noise on the asphalt.

"Daughter, calm down. You've been to so many races. Today is no different."

Y/n tries to smile and hooks her arm through her father's arm.

"I know. But today is Gab's first day running in Brazil. And you know how it is with Lewis. How I feel when he runs

The parents exchanged a friendly smile.

"The way you are, it looks like you're the one who's going to run today." Lincoln says, making Yin smile.

Walking a little further, they arrived at the beginning where all the garages were. Y/n looked around, trying to locate her husband or brother.

"Here old lady!" She heard her brother's unmistakable voice. Y/n turned around and saw Lewis and Gabriel walking side by side, already dressed in their uniforms.

Y'n laughs before answering. "Hey, look at my boys over there," she says, and Lewis walks over and pulls her in for a kiss. Soon, her brother hugs his sister, followed by their parents. "How are you?"

"We're fine. A little nervous, but that's normal," Lewis says.

"Unlike your wife, who was shaking with nervousness until now," Bortoleto's father says.

"Good!!"

Lewis turns to his wife, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Hey, don't be like that. You run so many races and you never get this nervous. Relax!" He kisses the top of her head.

"Difficult. But I'll try!!" Y/n smiles.

Gabriel approaches the couple, touching his sister's shoulder: "We were going for a walk around the track. Do you want to come with us?"

Y/n smiles, "Of course!"

"Your father and I will be in the VIP area, up there. See you later," Clara says, kissing her children's heads and squeezing her son-in-law's shoulder.

Lewis smiles

The trio headed towards the track, walking around the circuit while talking. The view of the race track was breathtaking, with the stands already packed with excited fans.

Y/n was saying something about her and her husband's life in Italy now, when Gabriel started to look at her.

"Why are you still wearing a coat?" he asks. "We've been walking for about 10 minutes in this hot sun and you didn't even think to take it off."

"True!! I'm sweating here in my uniform and I can't take it off and you're in your coat" Lewis says.

"No, I'm fine like this!" She says, but in fact, she has a surprise under her coat.

"You're sick!" Gabriel says, before they move on to the subject.

As they approached the stands, fans began to notice the presence of Lewis and Gabriel. A small commotion broke out, with shouts and people asking for photos and autographs.

Gabriel was the first to stop and wave to the fans, followed by Lewis, who seemed to be used to the affection of the fans. While the two took pictures and signed shirts, Y/n stood further away, watching the scene with a proud smile.

"Y/N, Y/N!!" A fan screamed, Y/n walked over to where Lewis and Gabriel were. Leaning on her husband's shoulder so she could hear the woman over the crowd's screams. "We want to know, which team are you rooting for in today's GP. Due to the circumstances of us being in Brazil" The fan says and points to the woman's jacket. A light denim jacket.

Usually, she arrived in a Ferrari to cheer on her husband. But the Brazilian GP deserved something surprising.

Y/n laughs at the question.

"Everyone asks that, and I say it's for Lewis and Gabriel. No team, I have my own private drivers," she says, making some laugh. Especially Hamilton and the youngest.

As she took off her coat, Y/n felt her heart race. She had been planning this moment for months, thinking about how to honor the two most important men in her life.

The screams echoed like thunder, and some fans began jumping in excitement while others frantically took photos.

The woman was wearing a Brazilian T-shirt. From the front, it looked plain, but when she turned around, her brother’s and husband’s car numbers were glued on with little stones. Next to each number was embroidered the coat of arms of each country.

Lewis and Gabriel found themselves together when the screams started and Yin was too quiet. When they saw it, their eyes widened and a wide smile fell on both of their lips.

They definitely had no idea of the woman's surprise.

"You're kidding!" Gab says in disbelief and still laughing. He does a 360 on his sister and smiles. "You did this to us?"

"Obviously!!" She says and laughs.

Lewis was still standing in place, with the få pen in one hand and a Ferrari t-shirt in the other.

Lewis held her hand for a moment, intertwining their fingers. "You amaze me every day, you know that?" he said softly, but the sparkle in his eyes spoke louder than any words.

"The Brazilian GP deserved a surprise. Because of our entire history!"

"You know what would look better?" Gab says. Lewis and Y/n looking at the boy.

The newbie borrows a pen from a fan and approaches his sister.

"Our autographs!" She says and Yin lets out a laugh.

Lewis smiles at his brother-in-law's idea and does the same, lending the pen and signing the front of his wife's shirt and returning it with the autographed Ferrari shirt for the fan.

"This should be in a museum!" Hamilton says, looking intently into his wife's eyes.

She smiles shyly.

With a quick movement, Gabriel picks up his sister and puts her on his shoulder. She screams in fright, trying to balance herself, while Lewis stands behind his brother-in-law in case she falls.

"LET ME GO, YOU'RE NO GOOD!" She says between laughs, making everyone smile at the Bortoleto brothers' amusement.

The youngest obeys his older sister and puts her on the floor again. She smiles and pats him on the shoulder.

As soon as they returned to the Paddock, everyone couldn't take their eyes off the Brazilian's shirt. This would result in many, many media posts throughout the week.

Hours passed, and the race was about to start. Lewis was inside the garage getting ready when he realized that Yin was not there. He thought she might be in her brother's garage with her family. But Dona Clara stopped by the Ferrari garage asking about her daughter too. So, she was definitely not with her brother.

Lewis asks permission from the garage staff and especially from his engineer, who was talking to him, to go after his wife.

He went out the back door of the garage, and called for his wife. Nothing.

In a place away from the garages and the eyes of fans and the media, Y/n was sitting on a wall with a cup of black coffee in her hands and a lit cigarette in her fingers, while inhaling the nicotine.

"Y/n?" Hearing her husband's voice, the Brazilian woman hides the cigarette behind her back and smiles.

Lewis spots her and walks towards the woman. "I thought I lost you," he says laughing, and then sees smoke coming from behind the woman. "Hey, what's that behind you?"

Y/n smiles without showing her teeth.

"Nothing! Just...just my cup of coffee," she says, lifting the cup and placing her other hand behind her back.

Lewis rolls his eyes, laughing a little. "No, behind you. There's smoke coming out." He crosses his arms, a little serious now. "Are you smoking?"

Defeated, Yin lets out a sigh and pulls the cigarette forward again. Halfway through already. "Yes..."

"What did we agree on, honey?" Hamilton says softly now, taking the cigarette from her hands and stubbing it out on the floor with his foot. "No cigarettes. For your health and for our future baby!"

'Our future baby.'

Those words warmed her in a way she hadn’t expected. No matter how nervous she was, she knew she had to be better, not just for herself, but for the family she and Lewis were about to build.

"I know. But the Brazilian GP is getting on my nerves." She looks at the floor. "I know the fans are really looking forward to Gabriel.

"It's okay. You have concerns about Gab because it's his debut in his home country. But don't worry, Gab knows what he's doing on the track." Lewis pulls the woman into a hug.

She felt the familiar warmth of Lewis's embrace and realized that even in the most tense situations, he had the power to make the world seem less scary.

"Now let's go! I need my extra energy in the pits so I can race." Hamilton places a peck on the woman's lips.

Y/n responds and gets up, going hand in hand with Lewis to the Ferrari garage.

The race was about to begin. It would definitely be time.

Leaving the hiding place that Y/n had found for herself, Lewis and his wife walked through the back of the garages, passing by the Sauber garage. She saw her younger brother, Gabriel looked and made a victory sign and pointed to his heart, as if to say: For you, sis. Yin felt her eyes water, but quickly wiped the corner of her eye, sending a kiss in the air to her youngest.

Arriving at the Ferrari garage, Lewis began preparing to enter the track. Putting on his helmet and about to get into the car, he turned to his wife.

"God bless you, my love," she kisses her husband's helmet. "I'll be here cheering you on." Lewis returns with a tight hug and gets into the car. Giving a kiss in the air.

She smiles and watches her husband come out of the garage, putting on his headphones and taking a deep breath, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. She hears Lewis's voice on the radio, steady and confident, as he makes the final adjustments to the radio.

Remembering that Lewis had taken pole position and Gab was in 10th, his heart began to beat in time with the engines.

The engines roared as the cars lined up on the grid. The red lights began to go out one by one, and in the blink of an eye, they were in motion. The race had begun, and tension filled every fiber of his body.

The first few laps were intense. Lewis quickly moved up to P2, and Gabriel surprised everyone, climbing to P6 in just a few laps.

Y/n couldn't deny it, the race was tense. Two drivers had crashed right at the beginning. Her heart raced, just thinking about this happening to her husband or brother. But the dark thoughts disappeared when she received a message from her mother, who was in the Sauber pit.

"Gab's engineer says everything is going well, he'll be in the pits to change the tyres shortly. How's Lewis?"

Y/n smiles and answers her mother, saying that there were some problems with Lew's car, but that they would soon fix it.

On lap 65, Lewis took the lead after a perfect pit stop, but when he heard his voice on the radio, his heart sank.

"The car is slow on the straights. I need more power! The frustration in Lewis's voice was evident. Y/n pressed the headphones against her ears, trying not to show her nervousness.

"Lewis, try to stay calm. Bortoleto is 18 seconds behind you. There's still a chance you could take first place!"

Lewis quickly responds over the radio, leaving Y/n with her heart in her mouth.

With one lap to go, Lewis was still leading, but Gabriel was right on his tail.

"Hey Lewis, your brother-in-law is on your tail. 5 seconds difference" Hamilton's engineer says, and they can hear the driver's laughter over the radio.

Lewis knew he had a chance of losing first place, Bortoleto was right there, but he couldn't be frustrated to see his brother-in-law win in Brazil.

"Tell Y/n that I won't go easy on her brother," he says amusedly over the radio and Y/n, who had headphones on, listened and laughed.

All playful eyes turned to her in the garage.

Each corner was contested with millimeter precision. In the penultimate sector, Gabriel saw the opportunity and made a bold maneuver, overtaking Lewis on the inside. The crowd went wild.

Tears were already streaming down the woman's eyes. The checkered flag began to wave. Gab came in first, with Lewis right behind him in second and Charles in third.

A heavy sigh left Y/n's lungs, she took off her headphones and placed her hands on her knees, bending down and letting out a sob.

"Two podiums in the family. You'll need a cup too, Y/n." One of the Ferrari engineers jokes, looking at Hamilton's wife.

"A sedative right now is more than enough," she says, smiling and sniffling with tears.

Looking at the monitor, she saw Lewis and Gabriel's car approaching the garages. She left the phone on the table and ran out,

She looked around, trying to understand where they were coming from, until Lewis's car appeared at considerable speed. He got out and hugged his wife tightly.

"I'm so proud of you, darling!" She says, kissing his helmet again.

Lewis takes off his helmet and balaclava, pulling his wife into a passionate kiss. "It was an incredible race. I gave it my all, but to see Gab win here was something special. I think the Brazilian GP will always be in his family."

Y'n smiles, touching her husband's face: "You were perfect. You will always be my champion." She pulls him in for another kiss.

"Now, go celebrate with your brother. We can continue our celebration in the apartment's bedroom later." He says in her ear, making her shiver.

She smiles and leaves Lewis with the team grinning crookedly.

Arriving at the Sauber garage, he sees his brother hugging his parents and the team. Someone touches Gabriel's shoulder, saying that you were there. The youngest turns and sees his sister crying with a wide smile on her face.

"First place, huh, little guy!" She approaches her brother and hugs him.

"I'm still numb. It's strange to hear so many people shouting my name," he says muffledly, as he's hugging his younger sister.

Y/n laughed in response, pulling out of the hug. Gab kept his hands on her shoulders. "So, I saw your fingers crossed in the Ferrari garage. You said you were going to root for both of them!!!"

The Brazilian rolls her eyes laughing. "I was hoping neither of them would crash, that's what!" she says, and then sees Júlia approaching. "Go over there with your girlfriend before you get on the podium!" She pushes her brother and sees them hugging.

Clara approaches her daughter, smiling. "Hey, are you okay? Your heart must be racing seeing your husband and brother on the podium."

Y/n laughs and hugs her mother from the side. "Now that I'm able to breathe

Minutes later, everyone in Interlagos heard the Brazilian anthem playing, while Gabriel was on the podium in first place. Y/n was down there, with a smile on her face and tears almost falling again. Lewis saw her and smiled at her. A smile that overflowed with love.

Shy Y/n sends a kiss in the air and Lewis pretends to catch it, making them both laugh at their own joke.

When it was time to pop the champagne bottles, Gabriel, with a mischievous smile on his face, quickly approached Lewis and, without hesitation, began to throw all the liquid in the direction of his brother-in-law. The champagne splashed all over Lewis's red uniform, and he was initially startled, feeling the cold liquid seep through his overalls.

"Oh, is that how it is?" He smiles back, his eyes shining with amusement, and in one swift movement, he grabs the bottle of champagne and pops it, splashing the liquid all over Gabriel.

Gabriel, now completely soaked in champagne, lets out a loud laugh. Making Y/n smile down below, as she watched the two fight like children.

"Today I'm going home dry," Charles says smiling. Lewis and Gabriel exchange a knowing look and, in a synchronized movement, throw the rest of the champagne from the bottle at Charles.

"NO!! I didn't want to get into this family champagne fight" he jokes cringing.

Lewis and Gabriel laughed, before leaving the podium to give some interviews.

During the interviews, Lewis smiles proudly as he praises Gabriel's performance, and Gabriel returns the compliment, saying that one of his greatest inspirations on the track has always been his brother-in-law. The connection between the two is clear, and the Brazilian public, euphoric, recognizes the friendship and respect between them.

Hamilton, who was now in the Ferrari garage with his wife, was talking about how proud he was of his brother-in-law, until he started hearing loud music approaching the Paddock.

Y/n lowers her head laughing, already knowing who it is.

The two leave the garage and go to the Paddock, seeing Gabriel with a speaker bigger than him with loud music, his girlfriend laughing behind, shaking her head.

"ARE YOU GOING TO LOSE YOUR EARDRUMS LIKE THIS?" Y/n speaks loudly, watching her brother.

Gabriel, with an irreverent smile, makes a gesture indicating that he doesn't care about the volume. The music stops, and then a new Brazilian song starts playing. Y/n's eyes widen, and can't help but start dancing, approaching her brother enthusiastically.

Julia approached Lewis smiling. "It's our burden for dating Brazilians" she laughed, making her brother-in-law smile and watch his wife celebrate with her brother.

"I wouldn't trade it for anything!" He smiles lovingly, seeing his wife.

Julia crosses her arms, smiling too. "Neither do I..." The two share a moment of understanding, before turning back to the joyful chaos in front of them.

Y/n continues dancing, caught up in the music and the joy of the moment. Gabriel joins her, and little by little, Lewis and Júlia join in the dance, everyone joining in a spontaneous celebration. Brazilian music, with its vibrant rhythm, unites everyone, and for a few moments, there are no rivalries, just family and happiness.

At that moment, Lewis smiled. He couldn't choose another family to be a part of this madness. And he was already very excited to expand the Hamilton-Bortoleto family with Y/n by his side.

Author: As a Brazilian, I'm addicted to this song. And then, I imagined Y/n and Gabriel dancing to this one in the Paddock hahaha.

#fanfiction #y/n #romance #lovers #marriage #imagines #one shot #lewis hamilton imagine #lewis hamilton #formula 1 #formula one #drive #gabriel bortoleto #Spotify

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