#and this is why Quartet Night can't have nice things

[adventuringblind]

Drive With You Forever

Chapter 6.1: some chaotic group texts

Max Verstappen x Charles Leclerc x Lando Norris x Reader

Chapter summary: just some group texts between the quartet

Warnings: sexual innuendo, mentions of the Daniel incident, Max being a dad, Lando being a menace, reader is gullible, Charles is a clutz

Notes: I felt the need to show you the chaos I have going in my notes and writing software for these four

Previous <-

Masterlist

Lando: so what's the plan for tonight?

Charles: Max won so its up to him

Lando: but like... I could not do what he says 😈

Y/N: ah yes I love watching Lando suffer

Lando: hey! You're just no fun!

Y/N: i am fun and also do what I'm told. I think Charles would agree with me 👀

Charles: yes, but it's also fun to watch as Lando begs for mercy.

Maxy: and here I thought we could have a soft night

Lando: absolutely not

Lando: I woke up a menace to society, and I plan on ending the day that way

Charles: Lando no

Y/N: Lando no

Lando: Lando yes

Lando corrupts y/n

Maxy: Lando, I swear on everything that if I find you starting before me and Charles get there, I will not let you finish for a year.

Lando: guess who's here with me

Lando: *image*

Charles: At least she's waiting like we asked

Lando: unless 👀

Y/N: I tried to tell him

Charles: Lando, I will not hesitate

Lando: ha! Look at the perfect angel now! *video*

Maxy: I'm stunned

Maxy: I swear I will have both of you crying by the end of tonight

Y/N: I'm sorry! Lando started talking, and my head just did what he said :(

Charles: sounds about right

Lando: *video*

Maxy: how the fuck are you even recording this??

Lando: skills.

Charles: you're corrupting the innocent!! Leave the angel alone!!

Max being a dad

Maxy: what time is everyone planning on being home? I have dinner on the stove

Y/N: I am home. I have no friend remeber?

Maxy: is my company nit enough for you? 🫢

Y/N: You sound like Seb rn

Lando: after Jon let's me live in peace

Maxy: work hard Lan! You'll make it!

Lando: Did you wake up okay? Are you sick? When did you become a father?

Maxy: why are you being so mean?

Charles: I won't be there for dinner, my mother is feeding me tonight

Y/N: awe! That's so sweet!

Maxy: be safe!

Charles: 😶

Lando: 😶

Y/N: Sometimes he's dad, but most of the times, he's daddy

Y/N becomes an avenger

Y/N: I have decided to learn martial arts

Lando: intresting. Why?

Y/N: because all the avengers know martial arts and I'm already halfway there

Charles: anyone sometimes forget that y/ns powers aren't normal?

Charles: like we're litteraly dating a superhero

Maxy: just be glad you weren't there when she learned she could use it on people

Maxy: I scared her so bad she accidentally threw me across the paddock the first race back from break

Maxy: I'm sad to say I was turned on from it

Lando: does this mean you'll be fighting crime?

Y/N: Does crippling depression count as a crime? If so, then yes

Y/N does some research

Y/N: did you guys know this is a thing???

Y/N: *link*

Charles: alright whoever gave her access to Google (lando) I promise I won't be mad if you confess

Lando: why do you think it's me?

Charles: because of what that link it

Max: who told you about this y/n?!

Y/N: it was Carlos, actually. He mentioned it and I was confused sk I asked what it meant and he said to Google it

Charles: I will be having words woth my teammate

Y/N: he said it's where people share ideas about what they do in the bedroom

Lando: honey... no

Max: Sometimes, I forget you are still gullible

Lando: on the other side... any intresting finds 🤔

Y/N: now I'm confused

Lando: nothing new

Charles: Lando be nice, the poor girl was just told about this

Charles: I asked Carlos what he said

Charles: did you really not know the females can do this?

Y/N: No? It's not like anyone has ever sat me down and explained every atmomical function of my body, and this one just sounds weird

Max: Anyone down for further research? 🤚🏻

Charles: Obviously, we can't let this opportunity go to waste

Lando: maybe we can convince her of other things while we're at it

Y/N: you're so mean to me

Post Daniel incident

Lando: You should have seen Daniel during interviews today!

Lando: he's an absolute disaster!

Charles: what a pervert

Max: Please tell me he's not making eyes at you

Y/N: Doesn't he have eyes? Why would he need to make them?

Max: I'll explain that one later

Lando: No, he's not. Don't worry, your pretty little heads

Lando: he's been blushing at every question that involves us

Y/N: as partners?

Lando: everything.

Lando: "what do you think of the grid quartet? Are you all still close friends?"

Lando: his response was between yes and no, and he couldn't make eye contact with the interviewer

Max: I think we did a number on him

Charles: a well deserved number might I add

Max: we're never doing that again though

Y/N: omg! I tried to go say hi, and a reporter spotted us and came to ask a question but turned around after he heard Daniel apologize for my throat for the millionth time 🤭

Lando: man can't win today

Charles: I'm glad he apologized

Max: I'm glad he's finally stopped trying to take pictures of us

Max: If he ever does it again, I'm running him off the track and into the wall

Charles the uncordinated

Lando: Has anyone seen Charles? I made dinner for us and can't find him.

Max: You know me and y/n are in a meeting rn right?

Lando: yes but I'm worried

Y/N: Can't we see each ithers location?

Lando: ...

Lando: Why is he at the park?

Charles: I went for a run, remember?

Lando: that was two hours ago, mate

Charles: ... it's been a long run

Max: is everything okay Charlie?

Y/N: Did you sprain it?

Lando: Sprain what??

Charles: :/

Charles: traitor

Y/N: I had a vision that he fell while out on his run and told him to be careful around the curbs

Y/N: it looked pretty bad. Do you need us to go get you, love?

Max: The answer is yes. We're on our way to get you.

Charles: I can get home myself

Charles: is Lando upset? The radio silence from him is killing me

Charles: nvm he's running at me in his bright orange McLaren sweatshirt

Charles: he's holding a first aid kit

Lando: WEEWOOWEEWOOWEEWOO

Lando: no need to worry, the doctor is in ;)

Charles: Someone save me

Next ->

Tags: @styles-sunflower @purplephantomwolf @boiohboii @reblog-princess-blog @jjsprobablywrong @jayda12 @faithm120601 @eugene-emt-roe @lpab @yaaadii @80sloverry @spongebeck3101 @eviethetheatrefreak @jjsprobablywrong

@chanshintien

[agent-8449]

The Negatives: Masterpost

"Howdy there, to the audience beyond the screen! I'm your host Eris, and this is Late Nights With Disharmonia..."

The Negatives AU was borne, long long ago, by me fucking around with the ancient joke of Soul 2. Mind 2, Heart 2, Whole 2, etcetera. It evolved into something more sophisticated if light-hearted, and now it's psychological horror. Oops!

Firstly; Eris, this Whole, is American. That's the first part of the joke. The second is that he's supposedly everything a normal golden Whole isn't-- loud, confident, in control. The third part is that he's exactly like a normal Whole in those respects anyway. He might have willed away the loop amnesia, but this cold war he's started with himself might be worse.

Total and godlike control of his own Psyche means nothing if he can't stop himself from splitting anyway. His Thirds know what he does, and they're horrible like him too.

Phobos, the Green Heart, is the distillation of what Eris thinks makes him different to other people; acting and ingenuity, sure, but also a casual disregard for their wellbeings and a violent streak. His impulsive, or intrusive, thoughts.

Deimos, an Orange Mind, is what Eris believes the world wants him to be; a pencil-pushing pushover, dull and boring and content with mundanity. Deimos might be calculative, but that's in the literal sense. He's a calculator, with about as much personality.

Nemesis is where it gets interesting. This Teal Soul isn't needed to pretend to be him at all, not really. He's less so Identity, and more... self-hate. Sure, Eris intended for him to be an embodiment of social pressure/"cringe culture", yet all that's done is make his Soul even more viscerally self-aware of the futility of this all. Nemesis was built to hate. To hate what Eris wants to be-- to be critical, never-pleased, and cynical. By god does Nemesis fulfill these criteria. Because-- well-- what is he supposed to do? Not hate this? This insufferable, useless war? These two tumours Linked to his thoughts? The fact that him hating at all is decreed by Eris, and he's playing his role perfectly? So he hates, quietly. The other two overpower him, and Eris uses him again and again and again for the things he himself doesn't want to do.

What a cheery quartet!!!

The delicate balance of Whole and Thirds was disrupted by their additions to the chat. Entirely sick of <making his Thirds> running Youtube content farms, Eris seeks a way to monetize this supernatural happening. Mixed with his total control of his Psyche <due to being his Psyche>, it's a recipe for something finally interesting. Eris is more of a filmmaker than a songwriter, and to create The Perfect Story is his goal. If only it was that easy. Pretending to be nice and helpful in chat, in order to lure somebody over, did not go very well at all. Neither did exploiting the phenomenon of his self-duplication; the fact that sending constructs from his Psyche is literally sending chunks of his Psyche, i.e., him. If they're in the right shape to walk and talk and think like him, well, they do! Eris clones 3 and 4 both met separate grisly demises.

Why? Long story short, they're filled with assumption goop, and if Reality questions that too hard, it becomes real goop. They melt. This is what happened to 3. 4..... got beheaded. By Nemesis. OOPS! Turns out the breaking of the pattern gave the Whole-adoring Heart and Mind enough grievances for Nemesis to convince them to murder him. And thus ended a doomed attempt at coexistence. The following month unsupervised screwed up Eris' life, too, on his return. Punishment only made them hate him more, and now it's all collapsing...

Now, desperation makes men do terrible things.

This is all a very quick summary of the Negatives, of course. Feel free to ask for clarifications! I might even respond in-character... Toodles for now!

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @somethingclevermahogony!

OC Questionaire

My questions:

What is one embarassing memory from your childhood that you can't shake?

What would you take with you if you were trapped on a desert island for one week?

What is your favorite animal?

Hm, let's do the Outcasts quartet for this one

.

1. What is one embarassing memory from your childhood that you can't shake?

Izjik: "Oh spirits, there was this one time back when I was a kid, I'd just started my apprenticeship as a hunter for my enclave, and one of our patrols found a drakeling carcass. Now, that's a pretty big deal - a drakeling will feed the enclave for weeks - and this one was really fresh, as it'd just been killed in the spring rut. So, Dzako - my old mentor - decided it'd be a good thing for me to learn to butcher it. ...Let's just say I didn't listen super well to where he told me the acid glands were. I'm lucky I didn't lose my hands, but damn if everyone wasn't mad at me. A whole week of fresh meat, gone in one mislaid swipe of a cocky teen's knife..."

Sepo: "Ugh, just one? I wasn't the most attentive child, so be it romantic or malevolent attention, I usually didn't notice. There was this one boy - I was maybe eleven at the time - who kept leaving notes in my bag. I'd usually toss them out, but the one I happened to read held a place and time to meet. I asked Saius about it, and he said the other boy probably wanted to hang out because he wished to be friends. I thought that was stupid, but Saius pressured me into going. A day later, I went to this random park, and turned out, it was not a friendly invite. Apparently, according to the other boy, I had 'marred his honor' by implying his sister was a prostitute and then repeatedly ignoring his confrontational notes. To be perfectly honest, I don't remember saying that about his sister, but then again, I might’ve not meant anything by it. Growing up in a high-end brothel tends to warp a child's view of things. Anyways, long story short, the other boy beat my ass. I never let Saius live that one down, even when he shaved the other boy's head in the dead of the night for me."

Twenari: "I mean, I'm twelve, so I have some more childhood to go, but I do remember one incident from when I was very little. I was probably around seven, so before I'd started working for my mother. She and I were on the deck of The Promise and I was showing her the magic I'd been learning. I'd just figured out the ice sigil and I was terribly excited. Excited enough that I ended up freezing her shoes to the deck. Imagine it - the most terrifying smuggler to ever stalk the Janazi Sea, swearing up a storm as her seven-year-old giggles because her mom's shoes are stuck. Yeah, I'm really not surprised my training doubled after that."

Djek: "Gods, this must've been... my first year on the street? No, my second, cause I'd had some teeth knocked out by then. I was out hunting rats with my little shiv. Fayuki rats are good eating, I'll have you know. Nice and fat, but as mean as dogs when you have them cornered. I was chasing this really chunky one through the alleyways, and I was super intent. Not only were rats food, but there was this guy I knew who'd buy the pelts off of you for two whole tuec. I chased this thing for almost a quarter mile before it squeezed its fat behind into a building. Of course, I followed it, not realizing that the building it had ran into was a fancy boutique. Yeah, you can imagine. A whole flock of uppity ladies started screaming as I ran out of a storage closet after this massive godsdamned rat. Someone got a hose from somewhere. Don't even know why they had one in the first place, to be honest. They tried to force me out with the cold water, but frankly, that was the first bath I'd had in months, so I didn't mind. It was the dye they threw that was kinda fucked up. I caught the rat in the end, but when I turned in that pelt, it and I were both splashed in a lovely permanent spring green hair dye. The kids on the street called my Greenie for months."

2. What would you take with you if you were trapped on a desert island for one week?

Izjik: "My washava. It's a weapon and a tool, great for hunting and trapping. It's been a trusty companion of mine for many shitty situations."

Sepo: "Only a week? Some books. I can drink seawater and fish for food in my siren form, so if survival is no issue, I'd love a quiet week to catch up on my reading."

Twenari: "A boat. Then I wouldn't be there for a week. Duh."

Djek: "Cucumbers. I think those count as food and water, so I bet I could survive off those for a week."

3. What is your favorite animal?

Izjik: "I like a lot of animals, but probably leopard seals are my favorite. Twenari told me about them and I'd love to see one in real life!"

Sepo: "Landhorse, but just her though. All other horses can get fucked."

Twenari: "This is going to sound stupid, but seagulls. They're so fun to watch fly and play, and if you see one over open ocean, that means land is close by, which is always welcome indeed."

Djek: "Pine martins. You ever seen one of those little bastards? They're just so damn cute!"

.

I'll tag @mk-writes-stuff @tryingtowritestuff24 @sergeantnarwhalwrites @bunnymermaidwrites and anyone else who wants in :)

Your questions are:

1. What is (or would be) your favorite subject in school?

2. Have you ever played a prank on someone?

3. If you could swap bodies with anyone you know for a day, who would it be?

[jelzorz]

For the writing meme please:

Viren gets up. Opeli’s hand tightens around the handle of her dagger, but she does not draw it. Viren doesn't even touch the bars. “Why are you all trying so hard to keep me alive?” he asks. “You��ve made it clear I'm not welcome here, just let me die.”

Opeli scoffs at him. “The only ones who don't want you dead are your children,” she says. “I don't care what you do. I advocated for you for Soren, but whether you live or die at this point is not my concern. But know this, Viren, if you hurt him again, I will personally make sure you are kept here, fed and watered enough to stay alive with guard to make sure you will never find relief. Your children will grow and they will live their lives, and you will never trouble them again because you will never leave here. And when you do die, old and forgotten, your body will rot here. No rites. No burial. Whatever’s left of your soul can wander around for rest that will never come.”

He stares at her. Then he laughs a hollow, dead sounding laugh. “You know I have never believed in such things.”

“And yet, here you are,” sneers Opeli, “begging for Mercy in the form of Death that Justice will not let you have. How much longer would you like to tempt her? What was it that Claudia said?” She hums, feigning the thought process. “There were certain conditions that were met to make your resurrection spell permanent. How permanent do you think it meant? Shall we leave you here and find out?”

Viren holds her stare, defiant, but Opeli can see the flicker of doubt in his eyes.

“It's been eight years since Aaravos was defeated, Viren,” she says. “Eight years since Soren ran you through with a sword. How many times have you tried to end it? How many times have you failed?”

He looks away, his brow furrowed, counting the attempts, the failures, rethinking the events of his resurrection. Then his face shifts, eyes wide in horrified realisation.

Opeli smirks. “Take the kindness that is offered to you, Viren. There are worse fates than a trial. Don't make this harder for Soren than it already is.”

She turns to leave, heaving the door open with an echoing creak when Viren calls after her.

“It's his, isn't it?” he asks. “The child.”

Opeli shuts the door behind her without a response.

B L E S S Y O U @lunamoon1313

A quick disclaimer: I wrote this on night shift so I can't tell you exactly what was on my mind as I wrote it bc. I don't remember and I was very sleep deprived lmao BUT I can tell you what I intended based on how I read it now, which was, probably, ~dramaaaaa~

One of the biggest selling points of the crack quartet is how fucking Messy it gets for everyone involved. I did fully intend for Viren to dead but the idea of Soren having to deal with him while being married to Opeli was just too good for me to pass up. This entire scene is built around two things:

1) Opeli being stubborn as Fuck

2) Viren figuring everything out

Once again, most of the snake was written on night shift so I don't actually know if it was obvious that Viren had picked up on the hints. I remember going "Is this a reasonable leap he could make?" And then immediately going "🤷🏽‍♀️" and doing it anyway, but I tried, in previous scenes, to draw attention to the fact that he noticed Soren's wedding band, the little looks that passed between him and Opeli when they went down there together, and the fact that she's threatening him over Soren but not Claudia, and not even the rest of the kids. Her priority has and should have been Ezran, but instead she's demanding he play nice for Soren? Oh???

So he puts the pieces together which Opeli does not confirm but he'll bring it up with Soren later, just subtly, and Soren will go "How the Fuck do you Know" and realise Opeli went down there, and one would think they might Argue about it, but in my head, he is so desperate not have a repeat of the fruit that it'll just be a few stern words and then they're cool, as they always are.

This is entirely not canon now but I do also like to think that Opeli has always had LJs favour, whether LJ is a real deity or not. I wrote in another ask that if Opeli got power from somewhere, it wouldn't be a primal source but from LJ herself, and the fact that Viren won't die is an extremely ironic and also extremely LJ thing to happen given all his crimes. Opeli threatening him is one of the very few times she invokes power through LJ the way a cleric might invoke the power of any other god, but I think there's also something extremely ominous about a non-combatant character threatening violence through a god BC. Well. She means it, and she's right. Whatever the fuck Claudia did to bring Viren back MIGHT ACTUALLY have made him immortal in some extremely ironic sense, and LJ definitely has the vibe of a god who would Absolutely pull that kind of shit.

ANYWAY thank you for the opportunity to talk about this!!!! I put FAR too much thought into this fic and it was an absolute Pleasure to rant about it!!

[pacifymebby]

what are your favourite books?

I have so many but like, my favourite book of all time is the faraway tree by enid blyton haha i still read that and the brambly hedge books all the time!!!! Theyre like my little escape when times are tough.

I also love the lord of the rings and also dark materials, my dad read them to me when I was younger and so i have lots of nostalgia for them.

Other than that though!!!

🌼 Quite Early One Morning / Dylan Thomas

Its a collection of his short stories and they are all so beautiful to read and also to listen to him read.

🌼 Wuthering Heights / Emily Bronte

Just very good to read when you're in a sulk

🌼 Rebecca / Daphne Du Maurier

Similar to the above but like, you're young naive and about to go through your first love and you need Max to call you a silly little girl.

🌼 How Green Was My Valley / Richard Llewellyn

I can't explain why i like it so much but I've read it so so many times!!

🌼 Drive Your Plough Over The Bones Of The Dead / Olga Tokarczuk

Straight up best book I've ever read!!!!!! Incredible incredible incredible

🌼 Neopolitan quartet My Brilliant Friend + other books / Elena Ferante

Just like, This Is What Makes Us Girls the lana song but in book form and so much more than that too. Its a beautiful story it sucks u in, u care about every flawed character so deeply. I love it.

🌼 Glory / Vladimir Nabokov

Young man tries to break out of the soviet union in order to impress a girl. Girl is disgruntled at best.

🌼 Maggie Cassidy / Jack Kerouac

Just kind of rose tainted glasses sad and melancholic and good to read when you just feel like everything is leaving u behind

🌼 The dangers of Smoking In Bed / Mariana Enriquez

Fucked me up no end super uncanny but genius short stories. Shes so cool as well, just a cool cool woman.

🌼 Little Birds / Anais Nin

Queen of erotica, she said this thing about how men are preoccupied with the action and physics of sex and women need the poetry and she was so real for that

🌼 Aqua Viva / Clarice Lispector

Its like frantic and wonderful and like she didn't need to try to capture the exact specific moment but she really tried and i think she kinda did it? Its a really cool book

🌼 Gods Silence / Franz Wright

Just beautiful melancholic poetry about fathers, death and god. I love him.

Im gonna stop now bc i could go on allllllll night thank u for making me think about books though that has been nice!!

[unproduciblesmackdown]

ideal scenario is that i like thinking about this like, essential short story adventure where winston and tuk hook up w/a couple [that bachelorette party] members, and as a foursome/quartet because they have these parallel stories of two pairs of friends who are like "sure i'd have sex with you if things aligned for that" and now are living that short story about expanding a dynamic & becoming closer friends for the end of it (of course billions only wrote winston as standing next to tuk next episode, instead of rian as he's often written to be standing with incl in a previous finale, to shove him out of the path of getting material and let taylor have confusing nonresolution w/rian based on this proximity and coincidence instead. but who can't say that that, And winston next not even trying to sit with tmc in the last finale appearance which at this point is probably for the best and instead again hanging out with tuk and then ben, isn't about having been closer for whatever all happened there in obtaining casual sex together)

and they can have perpendicular stories of also just having some nice chats and enjoying other interactions together such that maybe it's just fun for this one night of crossing paths, maybe anyone stays in touch at all, who even knows, if winston or tuk are dating anyone it's probably only going to come up again in how they were last dumped for being too much effort for how unepic they are, so godspeed to offscreen unmentioned dating. but just friendly acquaintanceship, or again this one-time spontaneously crossed paths night's acquaintanceship, is also a lot of fun. and why not imagine that winston "he's not allowed to not feel self-loathing or, by doing basic things like talking or initiating Or oppositng anything, Not operating as though he's too low in a social hierarchy here to be allowed thusly" type of material where his spontaneity, vivacity to bon vivantocity, self-assurance that is apparently arrogance/aggression to every who thinks he ought to be self-effacing instead, etc, is actually just a social success in other less wretched non-work situations, and his personality is taken as a contribution to the proceedings even before anyone takes up his proffered contribution of himself as a potential sexual partner. and lending confidence to tuk as like one person who won't, at any given time, go into hostile mode with him or even like take up the position of issuing this criticism, which is an inherently elevated (over tuk) one when it's a unilateral thing. such that tuk's personality can be a potential contribution as well. and winston and tuk's Friendship Developing Moments can be happening then, too, b/c Maybe they've hung out outside work on their own aleady, but also maybe they've never really been interacting with a larger group outside work, such that that group is less likely to include some people, or entirely people, who will suddenly go sicko mode on either or both of them. and then meanwhile, who knows anything abt this bachelorette party, could be already a cohesive friend group who all see each other all the time, or people who see each other more infrequently meeting up on this trip, or a mix; could be fun and chill or something so scheduled/demanding it's kind of like a work trip, or fluctuate....and of course zero info abt the individuals such that imagining anything abt them is entire OC territory, and i'm bad at that, or at coming up with stories, so not exactly a lot of details here from me but godspeed if two of them unlock another tier of friendship here b/c like parallel to winston and tuk, they're like hmm okay so we're mutually down re: potentially having a foursome here, and spending some time away from the larger group

(or of course the scenario that tuk and winston can also have that moment but just as putting "and/or: a threesome?" as an option, and that tips the scales for someone who might've otherwise felt more indecisive like "hmmmm casual convenient hookup, or spending more time out & about like this / whatever other activity...." but then is like oho Well, if it's a threesome, i'll seize that opportunity, sure....such that then maybe afterwards [winston and tuk hanging out together] happens sooner, if the third member feels more third wheel about things lol, since now they'd be the only two who already know each other. like ooh who knows, round n+1 in the aftermath just one on one (and/or i mean, maybe another thing the third party's still around for, re: further casual sex opportunities that don't just fall into your lap every day), and/or talk, watch tron together, go back out on the town even. where the conclusion of this truly is the essence of "it Is easy to imagine that winston and tuk are real Genuine Friends for the implicit further offscreen time spent together outside work / interactions between them here. and fun" and with that flair of "and give that a juxtaposed parallel in it being the same for a couple bachelorette attendees, why not, good for them"

[musiclarity]

Quartet Night + Aine playing a friendly game of Scrabble.

Reiji: “I will put down my A to make A.”

Camus: “I will add T to your A to make AT.”

Aine: “I will add R to your AT to make RAT.”

Ai: “I will add onto your RAT to make BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC.”

Ranmaru: Flips the table.

[likeastarstar]

rank the boys from best to worst boyfriend!!

LOL THIS IS FUNNY

disclaimer this is a joke and in no way reflective of the boys actual personalities and boyfriend abilities or a diss in anyway this is just me and my head ok

BEST

Taehyung would probably the best boyfriend just bc he's so romantic and lovesick lol I feel like he'd never forget a birthday or an anniversary and he'd want to meet your parents and take care of you and he'd be so good at planning dates. He'd wake you up with coffee in bed and try to make you breakfast but burn it and all of that cheesy, adorable shit.

Hoseok would probably be next because he's just so incredibly sweet and nice and attentive. He'd never leave messes around the house for you to clean up and would buy you cute little matching outfits to stroll around town in. I think he'd listen to you when you need to rant and actually give you rly valid advice. I also think he'd be that boyfriend who takes care of your friends the way he takes care of you like girls night is always at your house and he's down for the gossip sesh

Jimin is next. he'd be higher but honestly he would prioritize work sometimes I think like if he needed to stay at the studio late to perfect something he would and while he'd shoot you a text to let you know, I think it would be important to him that his partner knows his career is a priority and to be flexible about it. But I do think he'd be so attentive and so loving and just so incredibly sweet as a boyfriend! I think he'd never make you ask for attention or more love bc he just is love in a human form.

Yoongi would be a pretty good boyfriend but I also think he's not like a big anniversary, huge display of affection, type of guy. I think he'd be so attentive and loving but in a rly quiet, humble way. I also think while he's around you all the time, he wouldn't be the biggest date planner. Like he's not gonna organize a string quartet and rent a helicopter for a random saturday night BUT he will get takeout from your favorite place and watch pride and prejudice with you and then give you a back massage

Jin is next! He would be a great boyfriend! He would be baby tho. You'd have to remind him about events he already said yes to going to and set out exactly what he should wear or else he's going in matching sweats lol I think he'd be willing to meet your parents and your friends but he would whine and be dramatic about it bc he gets nervous and why can't you guys just stay home? please? please? PLEAAASE? No? Fine. But you're letting me stay up all night playing video games to make up for it.

Jungkook is next....I really sat here debating whether or not he'd be last or second to last lol. ITS NOT THAT HED BE A BAD BOYFRIEND! ITS JUST--- boy zones out, ok? he zones out a lot. He also is extremely independent. He'd forget to call you if he gets sucked into something he's doing. He prioritizes his job and takes things very seriously and I don't see him wanting to take chances when it comes to his career, understandably so. I feel like he'd be so fun to go on dates tho and you guys text all the time and send funny tiktoks back and forth and are best friends

Namjoon. I'm sorry. He's a good boyfriend but he's endearingly not a good boyfriend at the same time. He tries really hard and to be honest who cares about the details when you're dating Joon bc you love him so much but yeah he probably forgets anniversaries and has no idea what birthday gift to get you so he asks the sales attendants for help but when he describes you he says you "always smells really nice, like really warm and comforting but also clean and fresh like a flower. They like to dress up sometimes but sometimes they're just in a t-shirt and shorts and that looks super good too-"

NOT SO BEST

[harmonizingsunsets]

It might be foolish, but you got me all soft

Read on Archive here.

Kate's nose crinkles as she watches Penelope and Colin. Their feet dance with one another underneath the table. He leans over, whispering something in her ear that makes her giggle. Their smiles are brighter than the fluorescent lights of the coffee shop. Watching them is almost blinding.

"You guys are so cute," Kate observes with puckered lips. "I hate that."

Penelope turns to Kate with a bemused expression. "No, you don't. You love us."

"Love isn't the word coming to mind. Nauseated is more like it."

"Kate, everyone finds us adorable," Colin insists, wrapping an arm around Penelope. "It's not a matter of opinion. It's just a fact."

"I'm happy for you two. Honestly, I am. But you're acting so lovey-dovey and sweet that it makes my teeth ache," Kate jokes, picking up her coffee for a sip.

"If we make your teeth ache, then you and Anthony cause cavities," Colin mutters.

Kate chokes a little on her mocha, causing a few patrons to give her odd looks.

"Excuse me?"

"Colin, we talked about this," Penelope says through gritted teeth, shooting him a disapproving look.

"No, you talked about how we weren't supposed to say anything because they're both so jumpy about it, but I disagreed," Colin protests. "Someone needs to open their eyes."

"Hello, I'm still right in front of you," Kate says, waving her hands at them. "Open my eyes to what?"

Colin and Penelope argue with their eyes for a few moments before Penelope cracks, nodding. Colin turns to Kate with a sly grin.

"That you're in love with my brother."

It was a good thing she wasn't drinking that time, or she'd have to spit her coffee all over them. Although, perhaps a spritz of hot coffee would wipe the amusement off of Colin's face.

Kate feels her cheeks heat. She opens her mouth, but only incomprehensible protesting sounds come out.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Colin says, his smile turning softer. "He loves you too."

"That is not true," Kate insists, standing up straighter in her chair. "I don't love him, and he certainly doesn't love me. Right, Penelope?"

When Kate turns to Penelope, the friend she usually can rely on for back-up is instead chewing her lower lip.

"Well...."

"Pen!"

"I'm sorry, but Kate, Colin's right," Penelope says, the words rushing out guiltily. "I write romance books for a living. I know the enemies to lovers trope very well, and you two embody it."

"That's ridiculous!" Kate exclaims, her heart beginning to hammer in her chest. "We drive each other crazy. I mean, we've become better friends over the past few months—but it's not like that."

Penelope tilts her head. "Would it be so bad if it was?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

A hundred reasons that Kate could never utter go through her mind. She wants to say, "Anthony dates pop singers and models, and I can't live up to that." Or she could confess, "When he looks at me a beat too long, I feel like I could combust from the weight of it." Most of all, Kate wants to say, "If I let myself love him, I know that I'll never be able to stop."

But she can't tell them any of that. Kate had been just fine about the prospect of being alone. She's satisfied with her career, family, and friends. But if she admits that she loves him, then she'll never be content with any life that doesn't include him in it.

No matter what Colin and Penelope think, Anthony doesn't love her. He can't. Letting herself hope that he does is too dangerous. It scares her more than any thunderstorm she's ever endured.

"I have to go," Kate murmurs, standing up numbly from the table.

"Kate, wait," Colin says, grabbing onto her arm. He looks apologetic, and it's impossible to be upset when looking into his puppy dog eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's fine," Kate insists with a thin smile, tugging her arm away from his grasp. "I got to go. Have a nice evening."

As she walks out of the coffee shop, she hears a cheesy pop tune about love play on their radio.

The lyrics inspire Anthony's face to surface in her mind.

Kate groans, knowing she's in deep trouble.

That night, she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed but couldn't stop hearing Anthony's teasing voice in her head.

In a huff, Kate gets out of bed and quickly puts on her clothes. She debates whether to reapply makeup but decides against it. No one else will see her where she was going.

Luckily, she's friends with the security guard, who let her inside the building that turned off the lights twenty minutes prior. She thanks him and hastily goes to her office, turning on the light and booting up the computer at her desk.

If she wasn't going to sleep, she might as well get some work done.

For a while, all that she hears is the sound of her keys as she typed and the soft hum of music she'd put on to work.

She thought she'd be safe listening to music without lyrics. But Anthony creeps into every note, every chord, and every song.

Just as Kate lowers her head to beat it against the table in frustration, a knock on her door causes her body to jolt upright.

She stands from her chair slowly, walking to the door with caution. No one else would be here this late, so she fears what was on the other side of the door. But if someone was there to hurt her, why would they bother knocking on an unlocked door?

When Kate turns the knob, she sees the face of the man who's been haunting her thoughts for the past few hours (longer than that, if she was honest with herself).

"Hey, what are you doing here so late?" Anthony asks.

"Um, working."

Anthony scans her with curiosity. "On a Sunday?"

"So are you," she points out, crossing her arms.

He holds up a black leather journal. "Actually, I just came by the office for my phone book."

"You have a phone book? Anthony, there's a reason for that contact list on your phone."

"I like writing it down," he defends, looking affronted.

"But you can't add emojis, which adds personality to someone's contact." Kate pulls out her phone and holds out the contacts for him to see. "Edwina has two pink hearts, Penelope has a book, Benedict has an easel, and you have a fire emoji."

"Why do I have a fire emoji?"

"Because you make me want to set things on fire, of course."

Anthony smirks. "Well, next time we play that 'who's most likely to' game in the office, I'll be sure to put you down for becoming an arsonist."

Kate smiles at him, and they fall into one of those moments that's becoming more frequent between them—ones where his body seems to close, and his eyes gleam with something she can't name but feels a kindred sensation within her heart.

Kate takes a step back from him. "Why did you need your phone book so late, anyway?"

Anthony itches behind his ear. Kate frowns, as it's a nervous tick she's never seen from him before. Anthony, like fire, was all-consuming. His feelings were as hot as flames and easy to detect. But now, he looks more guarded, his eyebrows scrunched and his posture squirmish.

"Anthony?" she asks again.

Anthony takes a deep breath. "Well, I actually needed it to call you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. My phone hasn't been working since I went out on the boat with Simon. The bloody idiot knocked it onto the water," he grumbles. "I got a new phone and need to add my contacts back on, which is why I'm lucky I have this phone book which you mocked me for having."

Kate rolls her eyes. "What did you need to call me about?"

"Well, I know we had a rocky start to our relationship—."

"Because you hit on my sister?" she asks, arching her brow.

"I did not hit on her. I merely danced with her at the Christmas party," Anthony corrects with an exasperated sigh. "How many times are we going to argue about this?"

"Until you admit I'm right."

"It'll take a long time for that to happen."

"I've got plenty of time to spend with you."

As soon as those words are out, that heat radiating from Anthony's fire feels warmer. It's as if more time with her is exactly what he wants.

But Kate doesn't let those thoughts get far. She squashes them before they can take root in her mind.

"Continue," Kate tells him.

"Yes, well, as I was saying, we didn't start on the right foot. But, over these past few months, I feel like we've become friends." He looks at her with a hesitant kind of hope. "We have, haven't we?"

Kate smiles. "Yes, we have."

"So, I thought as my friend. You'd like to come with me to this."

Anthony draws two tickets from his pocket and holds one out to her. Kate takes it from in, and her eyes widen as she reads what's on the paper.

"The Vitamin String Quartet?"

"I know you listen to them to relax. I saw that they were touring and coming to London, so I thought that—." His words suddenly halt, tilting his head at her curiously. "What?"

Kate blinks in confusion. "What do you mean 'what?'"

Anthony points at her face. "You were looking at me all funny."

"I was not!"

"Yes, you were! You were looking at me like this."

Anthony imitates a soft-looking expression, gazing at her with an affectionate smile. Kate, in horror, realizes she had been looking at him like that.

"Shut up," Kate scoffs, nudging his arm and hoping it distracts from the blush on her face. "Like I'd ever look at you like that."

"If you're going to be mean, I won't give you the ticket."

He reaches over, but she pulls her hand back.

"Fine, I'm sorry," Kate says, looking down at the ticket in awe. "This is really nice of you."

"So, you'll go with me?"

"Of course I will," she nods, beaming in excitement.

Anthony releases a breath. "Good."

He begins to back out of her office, but she steps forward from her desk, grabbing his arm.

"Anthony?"

He turns. "Yes?"

Before she can second guess herself, she leans up, pressing a kiss to his cheek. When she pulls back, it takes a few seconds for his eyes to open, as if he thinks she's a figment of his imagination that will disappear.

"Thank you," Kate whispers.

Anthony nods, giving her a kind smile before leaving her office.

The music on her computer is still playing. Kate hears the gentle notes of a piano, cautious and optimistic-sounding.

The night had been amazing.

The quartet performed beautifully. They played orchestrational versions of pop songs, which makes Kate feel less guilty about listening to them.

She worried when Anthony said he'd never heard any of their music himself, that he wouldn't enjoy it. But when the concert started, she kept stealing glances out of the corner of her eyes. She saw him watching the players with a content expression.

However, the music didn't help her much with her newfound Anthony problem. When she closed her eyes, the violins sang his name. When his hand grazed hers on the armrest of the chair, the music swelled in tandem with her heart.

He was a song she couldn't get out of her head.

And the worst part was, it was a tune she didn't think she'd ever tire of hearing.

They bantered a bit about the weather while waiting for their Uber. Kate claimed the night was perfectly brisk, not enough to warrant a coat. Anthony, however, disagreed. He poked at the goosebumps on her arm as proof and insisted she take his jacket. She eventually relented, letting him drape his jacket over her shoulders.

When he looked away to wave at the car they'd been waiting for, Kate turned her nose to the jacket. She smelt the scent of amber, sandalwood, and something that was discernibly Anthony.

When they get into the back seat of the car, Anthony turns to her. "Can you believe that couple who sat in front of us?"

"I know! They were all over each other the whole night."

"Music is the food of love, but couldn't they have got the meal before the concert?"

"You'd think," Kate huffs, curling her fists further into his sleeves for warmth. She looks back at him, offering a smile. "I had a really nice time."

"I'm glad," Anthony nods. He swallows nervously, forcing himself to meet her eyes. When he does, Kate sees a raw vulnerability glistening in them. "I just wanted to make you happy."

She bumps her shoulder against his. "You do that by just being you."

Kate's words skim a cello string, creating a deep note that lingers in the air. Something flickers in Anthony's expression, his gaze steadying on her. Suddenly, it's harder for Kate to breathe.

"Look at us, acting like that couple," Kate jokes, trying to ease the tension. "The music must be getting to us too."

"Yeah, that's probably it," Anthony hums, moving a fraction closer to her. "Because right now, I feel this urge to put my arm around you."

Anthony gives in to the feeling, putting an arm around her back. Kate's breath hitches as his thumb rubs circles on her arm. Even through the material of Anthony's jacket, his fingertips send electric shocks to her skin.

"And I want to lean my head right here," she finds herself saying, resting her head on top of his shoulder.

"I want to tuck this strand of hair behind your ear.”

Kate feels his fingers skim against his cheek, gently moving a curl that had fallen into her face behind her ear. Her breath quickens, slowly turning her eyes up at him, and the look he's giving her is overwhelming.

"This is all so ridiculously stereotypical. You make me feel so—so..." Kate's words drift, unable to finish her sentence. Her tongue goes out to wet her lips that suddenly feel dry. "I hate it."

Anthony's index finger goes to her chin, tilting it up and off of his shoulder. "Do you hate this?"

He leans forward, kissing her so sweet and tenderly that she knows if she were standing, her foot would pop up like all of those delusionally romantic heroines in movies do when they kiss.

She gets lost in him. Her hands go up to cup his cheek as she deepens the kiss. Anthony's arm moves from her shoulders to her waist, pulling her flush against him. He swallows her gasp, and Kate hears a cacophony of melodies in her mind.

Kate doesn't know how long they stay wrapped in another's arms. It's only when the driver clears his throat that she realizes the car had come to a stop.

They jump apart, and Anthony gives the driver an uncomfortable nod. "Sorry, sir."

"It's alright," he says gruffly and mutters something about "just wait till you have kids, it won't be like this" as they get out of the car.

They stand awkwardly on the street for a few seconds. Kate looks around them. The vivid leaves of the trees stand out amongst the darkness of the night.

Kate remembers when she first met Anthony. It'd been fall, and the trees were bare with leaves littering the ground. It had felt fitting. Back then, her publishing company announced that they were joining one of their competitors. She had to work with Anthony, as they were both the top production editors of the separate companies. Like the leaves, it felt like everything was falling apart. Every smirk or retort of Anthony's felt like the leaves blowing chaotically in the wind.

But now, the trees were alive again, flooding with color. Kate's at the dawn of a new season with Anthony. It's something as inevitable as the change of weather but as everlasting as the stars above them.

No—stars eventually burn out. Kate thinks that whatever is between her and Anthony will continue to burn when all other flames dim.

"So, that happened," Kate says, breaking the silence.

Anthony takes a cautious step towards her. "Yeah, it did."

"I didn't hate it," she shrugs with a teasing tilt of her lips.

"Wow, what great appraisal. Can I list you as a reference for giving me such a raving review?"

"Excuse me, who else are you planning to apply with?"

"No one, I'm quite satisfied with my employment with you," he assures smugly, his hand going up to her cheek. "But, I'd like to have a slight promotion in my position."

Kate leans into his touch. "Oh really, what position do you want to fill?"

"Well, I think I've done everything that I can in the enemy job. I've enjoyed the friend's position. But, if the boyfriend position is available, I'd like to submit my candidacy."

Kate loops her arms around his neck. "Well, how about we check over your application one more time?"

"Where do you want me to start?" Anthony asks, pressing his lips to her temple. "My education?" he murmurs as he kisses her forehead. "My goals?" Kate sighs as his lips move to the corner of her mouth, and his hand curls around her waist. "My experience?" He kisses her again, and Kate feels his smirk against her lips. "Or, my skills?"

Kate pulls back with a smirk of her own. "How about what drew you to this position?"

His eyes gleam roguishly, looking at the lack of space between them. "This particular position?"

Kate tries her best to give him a stern look. "Anthony."

"You," he answers simply, resting his forehead against hers. "Everything about you."

Kate's unable to stop herself, chuckling softly. "Wow, that's incredibly sappy."

"But it's true."

She takes a deep breath, feeling content and peaceful in his arms. "Maybe being sappy isn't such a bad thing."

"No," Anthony agrees, the corner of his lips tilting up as he studies her intently. "I'm starting to think that it's not."

This time when Kate kisses him, she does it without a single reservation about cliches or stereotypes, or how she would roll her eyes if she saw the two of them on the street.

Kate's foot pops, and the song that's been stuck in her head gets set on an infinite loop.

[katefiction]

Chapter 2: she would’ve made such a lovely bride

Hi again and thank you for your comments on Chapter 1. As with that one, Chapter 2 doesn't use her name, but actually I was imagining a Kate-like character for this. We meet her again a few years after the 'weekend' in Chapter 1 and find out what happened because she didn't ask him to stay. I'm enjoying this format because it's nice to go back and forth. We'll meet some of these characters again in future chapters and fill in the gaps in the story. As always, I hope you enjoy! Based on champagne problems.

Love, Maria x

They thought she was strange. She always knew that. They tolerated her because she was his girlfriend, but there was an unspoken acknowledgement that she wasn’t their usual type of person.

As they drove up to the house, he sensed her discomfort.

‘You ok babe?’ he said, taking her hand.

‘Yeah of course’, she said with a tight smile.

‘You look nervous’ he said as they parked outside the house. His dark brown eyes could make any woman melt, and they did regularly. Everyone they met told her how lucky she was to have him.

‘Oh you know, all your friends and family in one place is a bit intimidating’. She left out the part where she felt they all hated her, that she wasn’t good enough.

He picked up her hand and kissed it gently, ‘don’t be silly, besides you have me’.

He gave her one of those smiles that lifted her spirits when she was doubting herself.

They got out of the car and he handed his keys to the valet. She thought it unnecessary to have a valet for a family party, but would never say that of course. She wasn’t one of their people.

The frontage of the house was imposing. Five steps lead up to the entrance, stone pillars framing the large oak double doors. The noise from the back garden rose and fell, reaching them at the front of the house.

At least she looked presentable, she thought. Even if she didn’t feel it on the inside. She wore a champagne coloured sparkling cocktail dress. The way it folded and wrapped around her body was reminiscent of the Greek statues they had all around the acres of their property. Her long brown hair was styled with half of it up, and the rest falling in waves around her shoulders.

He looked even better. His light brown hair was such that you could run your hand through it as many times as possible and it would still maintain its perfect mix of roguish and smart. His cropped beard was a new addition, making him seem more mature.

The doors opened and they walked in, hand in hand. The perfect couple.

*

‘Oh you’re here at last!’ a woman came rushing towards them, champagne in hand. Her hair was coiffed neatly in a formal bun and she wore a dress smart enough for a wedding.

‘Hello mum’ he said, kissing her on both cheeks.

She took her cues from him and did the same to his mother. She smelt of expensive perfume and hairspray. ‘Hello Dorothea’ she said, ‘happy anniversary’.

‘Thank you dear, you look lovely’, Dorothea said with a slight purse of her lips, only noticeable to her. ‘Now come come, the speeches are just about to start’.

Above them, hanging from the landing was a sign with the words Happy 30th Anniversary Dorothea and Christopher painted on cloth.

Dorothea led them through the entrance hall, the parlour and the second kitchen to reach the back garden. The garden was lit up beautifully, lanterns hanging from trees and stuck in the ground. A string quartet played under a pergola as the guests milled around.

A clink of a glass signified that it was time for the speeches. Christopher went first, showering his wife with praise and thanking the guests for coming. Next was the friend who introduced them, followed by Dorothea who only spoke to introduce her son.

All eyes were on him as he began his speech. ‘Thank you all for coming today. If you didn’t know, I’m Josh, their favourite and only son’.

Josh spoke glowingly of his parents, their love for each other, and the happy life he’d lived as their child. Looking lovingly at her now in a way any woman would dream to be looked at, he told the enraptured crowd how their example had taught him how to love.

She was touched at his words, knowing they were genuine. But there was a numbness in her, one that had managed to push further and further down since she had met him. Tonight though, it was different. Something had changed.

*

‘I’ve been looking for you’ Dorothea said, appearing through the French doors from the garden.

After the speeches, the guests had rounded on her and Josh, some surveying her like she was the prized calf. She couldn’t stand being the centre of attention. She had been desperate to get away from everyone for a few minutes, so had hidden in the kitchen.

‘Sorry, did you need me for something?’ she said, startled.

‘Yes’ Dorothea said, taking her by the wrist and leading her out of the kitchen, ‘I want to show you something’.

They followed the grand staircase up to one of the many bedrooms. There hanging on the curtain rail was a white satin gown with pearls running down the sleeves.

‘This is the dress I wore 30 years ago today, it looks like new doesn't it?’ Dorothea said proudly.

‘It’s beautiful’ she replied. She wasn’t lying, it was a beautiful and opulent dress.

‘I’m glad you like it’ Dorothea’s eyes twinkled with delight - and with the many glasses of champagne she’d drunk. ‘Because you’re going to look lovely in it’.

Her heart stopped, ‘I-I’m sorry?’

‘It’s a family tradition, and as I have no daughters, you’ll be wearing it’.

She didn’t know what to say. All she knew was that she wanted to run.

‘That’s very kind’ she said eventually, ‘but Josh and I aren’t engaged and - ‘

‘No not yet’ Dorothea blustered, ‘but one day soon I’m sure, now I must go see Joshua about something’.

Dorothea rushed out of the room, leaving her alone with the dress.

She stroked the fabric and turned it to see pearls buttons all the way down the back. Taking it off the rail carefully she held it up to herself, looking in the mirror. It was what she’d dreamed of as a child, so why did that fabric seem more like a vice, those shining buttons like clasps that would suffocate her?

All she wanted at that moment was to be out of there. Back safe under the covers with someone who didn’t have any expectations of her. Back to three years ago when she hadn’t even met Josh. Back to when the weight of other people’s opinions didn’t crush her.

She felt guilty for even thinking about it. Josh was a wonderful, kind man who she didn’t deserve. She hated herself that he could never live up to him.

*

The party had moved inside as the air outside became cooler. She tried her hardest to speak to everyone, but their judgemental looks weren’t lost on her as they were on Josh. He was on the landing, when he tapped his glass to announce another speech. Her heart sank, please don’t do this. He gestured to her to come up as the guests congregated in the entrance hall.

His friends were grinning ear to ear, the same friends who sniggered when she told them that she lived in a one bedroom cottage in the middle of the woods.

‘Quiet please’ Josh shouted, commanding the attention of those in the hall beneath them. He placed an arm proudly around her waist.

‘We’re here to celebrate mum and dad’s anniversary, so I want to thank them for letting me share their special night. As you may know I met this wonderful woman three years ago. I knew immediately that she was special…’

Her heart started beating out of her chest, her eyes silently pleading with him to stop.

‘In 30 years time, I know that we’ll be just like them, celebrating our anniversary’, he beamed and turned to her, getting down on one knee. The crowd gasped in delight beneath them.

She froze, unable to express how much she didn't want this.

Out of his pocket, he pulled a ring, a large round diamond with smaller diamonds surrounding it. ‘My love, this ring belonged to my mother and now I want it to belong to you…’ he began.

She couldn’t hear anymore of it, it was as if the edges were blurring around her. She noticed he was holding her hand, ready to slip on that ring and she pulled it away slowly.

‘Please...stop’ she whispered. But he clearly hadn’t heard her as he was still talking. She said it louder this time ‘I can't, please stop!’.

It was as if the air had been sucked from the room.

He looked up at her like a deer in the headlights, ‘what do you mean?’

‘I can’t do this’ she repeated. ‘It’s too much’.

He stood up, and speaking quietly he said ‘I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have done it in front of everyone’.

‘You shouldn’t have done it...at all’ she said, tears brimming in her eyes now.

‘What are you talking about?’ he said with the pain of a wounded animal.

‘You’ll find someone else and she’ll make everything better’ she assured him, even though she didn’t believe it. She thought finding someone else would patch up her torn heart too, but it hadn’t worked.

‘You’re not making any sense, this is what we wanted’ he said, confusion etched all over his face.

‘I’m so sorry’, she took his hand and squeezed it, knowing it was the last time she’d do that.

Without looking back, she turned and ran down the stairs, leaving him crestfallen on the landing.

She heard him calling her name, begging for her to wait. She heard the murmurs of his family, mortified at his expense.

‘She would’ve made such a lovely bride…’

And she heard one last thing from his friends as threw herself out into the air.

‘What a shame she’s fucked in the head’, they said.

The end.

[karajaynetoday]

clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose | ashton irwin

image source 

hello friends! yes it is after 2am in my timezone, OOPS. But the inspiration struck, and the writing gods blessed me with motivation and words, so here’s part 3 of charlie rose, ten fingers, ten toes. apologies for any typos, i’m a lil delirious right now. Thank you so much to everyone for their lovely feedback and shares with the previous parts. Also shout out to any Friday Night Lights fans who got a lil kick out of the title of this one lol. Enjoy!

Read Part 1 here | Read Part 2 here 

Word count: 4.1k

Warnings: none

(This is a fem reader insert)

More writing here | send thoughts/feedback/suggestions here | if you’d like to be on my taglist go here

After your quiet moment of togetherness on the beach that evening, you felt more comfortable around Ashton than ever before. Previously small touches were held for longer; instead of accidentally waking up in each other’s arms, you purposefully went to sleep that way; and Ashton’s hand slipped into yours whenever he could manage it.

Charlie Rose still crept into your bedroom every morning for her favourite snuggles, and then she began joining her Uncle Ashton out on the deck for some morning yoga every day as well (which was possibly the cutest thing you had EVER seen). Charlie tried her best to follow all of his poses and stay as quiet as she could, but her favourite part was when the yoga was over and Uncle Ashton used her as a body weight for his push-ups and bench presses, bopping her nose between each rep and earning a giggle in response. Again, a contender for the cutest thing you’d ever seen. 

You spent your days on the beach or relaxing in the villa, and your nights eating out and then stargazing on the deck. You were getting far too used to paradise, and you had to keep reminding yourself that the holiday would soon come to an end. You noticed Ash spending more and more time looking at emails on his phone as your time in Maui progressed, and it started you thinking about how busy his life was about to become. Tour was kicking off a few weeks after you were due to return from Hawaii, which meant Ashton would be criss-crossing all over the US for a few months, before a short break and then heading to Europe and eventually Australia. 

As you watched him build yet another sandcastle with Charlie on a lazy afternoon, you realised just how much effort Ash was putting into spending time with Charlie and making memories with her. Of course, you’d had a lot of Charlie Rose quality time as well, and spent some nice one-on-one time with Alice that you hadn’t really had since Charlie had arrived (naturally, Alice had tried her best to pry information from you about exactly what was going on between you and Ashton, but you didn’t quite know yourself yet, so you’d brushed it off the best you could). But Ashton had barely gone a few weeks without seeing Charlie her entire life, and especially now that she was a little bit older, she was definitely going to know that he was away, and you weren’t quite sure how she’d take it. You also weren’t sure how you’d take it, either. 

Your mind was running into overdrive with increasing anxieties, and you just didn’t know how to voice any of them. On your final night in Maui, after another incredible beachside dinner and a trip to get Charlie’s favourite ice cream, you were folding clothes from the dresser into your suitcase quietly while Ashton was in the shower. You know you needed to talk to him about how you were feeling, but not quite knowing what that even was was driving you up the wall. You hated the overbearing sense of uncertainty. Did Ashton even want something more than a holiday romance from you? You’d only kissed again a handful of times, and despite increasing tension between you, the only thing happening beneath the sheets of your shared bed was some very wholesome spooning (not that you were complaining). Was more-than-friends even on the table? Did you want it to be on the table? Could you handle months of Ashton being away on tour, and the critical eye of his fans and the media? Were you reading into everything too much? Oh god, why were you like this?

You were snapped out of your trainwreck of thoughts by the bathroom door opening, and in your peripheral vision you saw Ashton step out with a fluffy white towel wrapped around his hips. You busied yourself with folding more clothes, but your hands faltered as you felt Ashton come closer, and you sucked in a breath when he slipped his arms around your waist and pulled your back against his bare chest. 

“Why are you packing already, darlin’? We’ve still got the whole night to enjoy.” Ash whispered against your ear, before pressing soft kisses down one side of your neck. You closed your eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation, before all of the anxiety you’d been grappling with came flooding back into your mind and without meaning to, your entire body tensed up. Ashton immediately sensed the change in your demeanour, and stopped what he was doing. He let go of your hips, and gently tilted your head to face him.

“What’s on your mind?” He tried gently, knowing that you hated confrontation (Ashton’s love for it was a huge part of what intimidated you in your first few interactions all those years ago). 

You sighed, before turning around to face him completely as you perched on the edge of the bed. Ashton sat down next to down, and loosely linked his hand with yours. 

“What… what are we, Ash?” You whispered, not wanting to meet his gaze as your heart started beating faster and faster.

“What do you want us to be?” Ashton countered, squeezing your hand softly.

“I want…” You trailed off, closing your eyes and inhaling deeply. “I want us to be as close as we are, always. I want to have you by my side, while we get to be Charlie’s godparents and watch her grow up and support her achieving her dreams. I want everything we’ve had in Maui, and I want more, but I just… I don’t know how this all works, once we’re back in LA and I’m stuck working a 9-5 while you’re touring the world meeting incredible, probably attractive people, and then I started thinking about what would happen with Charlie if we didn’t work out and I… I don’t know how to make this work. “ Oh god, you were rambling now, but every anxiety that had crossed your mind in the last few days was tumbling out and you couldn’t stop it now.

Ash waited for you to stop talking, and took your other hand in his. 

“That’s all valid, babe. I don’t know how this works either. I’ve had relationships while I’ve been on the road before, sure, but this is different. Because it’s us. You… You mean more to me than anyone else, but I know it’s scary. For both of us.” Ashton said softly, raising your hands to his face and kissing them. 

“Charlie’s going to be important to both of us for the rest of our lives. We’re going to be there for her, like you said, and that means we’re also unavoidably going to be around each other. If we date and it doesn’t work out, we can’t let that get between us being the best godparents Charlie Rose could ever have, because I know we both love that little girl more than anything… but, I also don’t want to let the fear of us not working out hold us back from even trying, you know?” 

Damn it. Why did he always have to be so wise? A wordsmith, of sorts. 

“I know, Ash. I know it shouldn’t hold me back, and I’ve let fear hold me back from a lot of things, too many things…” You paused, as your mind flashed back to the last time you had a serious conversation about a relationship with someone. Someone who’d ripped your heart out and stomped on it several times over. You shook your head, trying to shake away the memories. 

“But I don’t want you to think that I don’t want to give us a chance. I do. But I’m a little out of practice at this, and the last time I tried, it didn’t go so well.” You grimaced, as the flashbacks continued no matter how hard you tried to block them out. 

“And I respect that you’re going to need time to feel comfortable with whatever this is. I can’t promise to wait forever, but I can tell you that right now I’ll give this a chance, if you’ll let me.” Ashton spoke firmly, ducking down to meet your eyes.

“Okay. But slowly, right?” You looked at Ash properly for the first time all night, and his hazel eyes gazed back at you steadily, with a glint of excitement at your agreement. 

“Slowly. I will cancel the romantic beachside dinner with a string quartet, and put a hold on asking you to move in the minute we land at LAX.” Ashton said solemnly, before cracking a grin at what must’ve been a slightly panicked expression on your face. 

“I’m kidding, you dork. We’ll take it slow. I’m going to be gone for a while anyway, so we’ll have to kind of take it slow thanks to circumstance anyway. But you’ve got to let me take you out a few times before then, deal?” Ashton stuck his hand out, and you shook it, rolling your eyes at his antics.

“Pleasure doing business with you. Now then, I should probably put some pants on…” Ashton murmured, looking around the room for his clothes and getting up from the bed to pull some shorts out of his suitcase by the door. You were, quite frankly, ogling his toned back and shoulder muscles, when a knock at the door snapped you back to reality.

“Charlie wants both of you to come read her bedtime story, please!” Alice’s voice sounded through the door, sounding tired and a little on edge. For a tiny human, Charlie sure knew how to make a big performance out of bedtime. Ashton finished getting dressed, and he tugged your hand into his as you made your way over to Alice and James’s room where Charlie was snuggled into her cot. Tonight’s book of choice was from the Little Feminist collection you’d bought Charlie when she was a baby, and you read all about Malala, and Ruth, and Frida, and Rosa, until her little eyes closed and her breathing steadied. You and Ashton took turns to lean into the crib and kiss Charlie’s forehead silently, before making your way back to your own bedroom for one last sleep before your scheduled return to Los Angeles. 

Leaving Maui felt much harder than arriving - not helped by the tantrum Charlie threw when you explained there was no time for yoga or sandcastles. After James had calmed her down and negotiated one final quick walk on the beach while the rest of you checked out of the hotel, you made your way to the airport and onto the first flight and then the second with ease. You’d learnt your lesson from the previous long-haul flight, and Ashton had downloaded a few more Charlie-friendly apps onto his iPad that she happily engaged with. She barely left Ashton’s side for the whole flight, and you started to wonder if she’d sensed his impending departure on tour. Sure, Charlie was only small, but her emotional intelligence was remarkable (I mean, as her godmother you were maybe a little biased, but maybe you had a child prodigy on your hands, who knows?!) and you weren’t looking forward to seeing them bid each other farewell in a week or so. 

You and Alice shared an iPad and watched a few episodes of Friday Night Lights. It was one of your favourite shows that you’d binged watched together one summer, and rewatching it brought you comfort (and a fair dose of fangirling over Tim Riggins, and a recurring debate on whether or not he should’ve ended up with Lyla or Tyra). It was an emotional rollercoaster, and the small town of Dillon in the show reminded you of the one you’d grown up in (albeit a little more Texan, and a bit more enthusiastic about American football specifically). After landing at LAX and disembarking, you made your way to the long term parking garage and helped James and Alice load their luggage and Charlie into their car. You were about to get in yourself, when Ashton cleared his throat behind you.

“Can I give you a lift? You’re just around the corner from me, it’s not out of the way.” Ashton said brightly, pre-empting any excuses that you were about to come out with about you being a bother. You agreed, and he took your suitcase from your hands and led you towards his car that was parked nearby. The car ride home was quiet, and when Ashton pulled into your driveway, you didn’t want to unbuckle your seatbelt and get out of the car. Because that would mean that the magic of vacation was truly over, and you didn’t like that idea at all. 

“Come on, slow poke. I’ll help you carry your stuff inside.” Ashton tapped your nose, disrupting your internal dialogue. You reluctantly followed his lead and got out of the car and headed inside, groaning to yourself about the idea of having to do laundry and all of your unattended life admin the next day, to ready yourself for a return to work on Monday. Ashton pulled your suitcase into your bedroom, and laughed when you flopped down onto the bed and moan in annoyance into the pillow.

“Post-holiday blues, gorgeous?” His tone was teasing, and you could hear the stupid smirk on his face. 

“Not all of us have the luxury of a rockstar lifestyle, Irwin. No more late nights or sleep ins for me. Back to the daily grind.” You sighed, pushing yourself up onto your elbows at the edge of the bed.

“Well…” Ash crouched down so your faces were level. “How about I make it a bit less of a travesty by taking you to brunch tomorrow? Just us.” He shot you a wink as he spoke.

“Just us?” You felt yourself smiling, and oh yes, there were those butterflies again.

“Just us. Pick you up at ten.” Ashton beamed as you nodded, and he quickly pressed his lips to yours before you could say anything in response. You reached up and linked your hands behind his neck in an attempt to deepen the kiss, but Ashton caught onto your arms and untangled them, before pulling away.

“Slowly, remember? Gotta keep something up my sleeve for you, darlin’.” Ashton smirked, pressing one final kiss to your lips and standing up to his full height. “I’ll see you tomorrow at ten. Sweet dreams, babe!” He shot you another wink, and strolled right out of your bedroom without another word. Damn, he had you good. 

Brunch was delightful, there was no other way to describe it. Conversation between you and Ashton flowed easily, but there was also comfort and content in the silences you shared as well, sipping coffee and eating your smashed avocado. Ashton had a few days of final rehearsals and meetings this week before flying out for the first tour date on Friday. On Thursday, you were scheduled to babysit Charlie, and you’d suggested to Ash that perhaps you could go to the nearby park and play on the playground. He’d agreed, and was going to see if Calum wanted to come along and bring Duke. Charlie Rose loved her godparents, but she also loved dogs, especially ones that were a little more Charlie-size friendly. She did not love Calum (yet), but that was mostly because he liked to rile her up with arguments about who Ashton’s best friend was (logically, it was Calum, but emotionally, Charlie was definitely giving him a run for his money). 

On Thursday the sun was shining, so you headed to the park with a bubbly and chatty Charlie Rose in tow (once you’d ensured you’d both slip, slop, slapped for sun safety, of course). Charlie had insisted on wearing her brand new overalls that Alice had hand-embroidered her name and a series of colourful roses onto, and a bright yellow sunhat to match her seemingly sunny disposition. The park was fairly empty when you arrived, and you easily spotted Ashton and Calum resting on a park bench by the swings. Charlie spotted them also, and tugged on your hand for permission to run over, which you gave her.

“Charlie Rose! How’s my best girl?” Ashton’s voice boomed across the park, as he lifted Charlie up into a hug and then swung her around, causing Charlie to shriek with excitement. You reached the park bench and set down the tote bag you’d brought along, and Cal stood up to hug you hello with Duke in his arms. 

“Thank god you’re here, mate. We were starting to get some weird looks from the mums over there.” Cal muttered, pulling away from you and setting Duke down on the ground.

“Duke! My best puppy!” Charlie yelped excitedly, wriggling out of Ashton’s arms to greet her favourite furry friend, who patiently stood still while she petted him softly and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Gentle, Charlie,” You reminded, crouching down to her level. “Did you say hi to Cal? He brought Duke to the park, just for you.” You gently prompted, smiling encouragingly at your goddaughter, who eyed you suspiciously before fixing Calum with a glare. 

“Hi. I guess.” 

You had to stop yourself from cracking up at Charlie’s blunt tone in greeting Calum, and you could see Ashton doing the same. Cal just smiled at Charlie, before producing a tennis ball from his back pocket and offering it to her.

“Wanna play fetch with Duke, Charlie? I’ll let you have the first throw…” Cal offered cautiously. Charlie grabbed the ball from his hand and bounded off with Duke on his lead, and Calum scrambled to follow her. 

“You got it, Cal?” Ash called after him, half-serious, half-laughing.

“Yep! Got it! We’ll be best friends in NO TIME, just you wait!” Calum called back, as Charlie stopped a few metres from him. She liked to push the boundaries sometimes, but Charlie Rose also knew the rules, and not to go too far from her grown ups when you were out and about. 

Countless rounds of fetch, a few turns on the swings and one too many trips down the slide (both Calum and Ashton almost got completely stuck) later, it was time to take Charlie back home so that James could come by after work and collect her. Ashton offered to walk you back, and Charlie clapped her hands in delight when he let her climb onto his back for the journey home. She kissed Duke goodbye and mumbled some sort of farewell to Calum (which was progress), and you headed out of the park towards your house.

You’d noticed that Ash had grown reserved on the walk, but he was still listening intently to the story Charlie was telling him about how proud she was of Duke for learning how to play fetch. When you arrived home, he set Charlie down on the couch with an exaggerated groan and a kiss to the forehead, before heading into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water. You followed, sensing that something was up. Ashton was facing away from you at the sink, but he didn’t flinch or react when you brushed a hand along his shoulders reassuringly.

“You okay?” You asked quietly, trying to meet his gaze.

“Yep. Just gotta do the pre-tour goodbyes to my two favourite girls. Sucks, but no avoiding it.” Ashton said, his tone laced with sadness. He gulped down the rest of the water in the glass, and set it on the sink, before turning to you and pulling you into a brief hug.

“Time to rip the bandaid off.” Ash whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head before heading back into the living room.

“Charlie Rose, can I talk to you for a second?”

Charlie looked up from where she was playing on the floor with a teddy bear you kept here for her, and cocked her head to one side, eyeing Ashton curiously.

“I suppooooose.” She drawled out, making you chuckle. This child had a flair for the dramatics. Ashton crossed the floor of the living room and picked up Charlie, sitting her on his lap as he settled onto the couch.

“Do you remember how I get to play my drums with Calum, Luke and Michael?” He asked slowly, brushing the hair that had come loose from Charlie’s pigtails out of her eyes. She nodded, looking up at him curiously.

“Okay, good. So, there are lots of people that like to hear us play, all over the world. And that means I have to go away for a little while, so we can play our music for them.” Ashton continued, and you could tell he was struggling to keep it together. 

“Oh! So we get to go on more airplanes, like Maui?” Charlie said, excited at the prospect of another adventure.

“You don’t get to come with me this time, Charlie Rose. Maybe you and auntie, and mama and dada can come visit me for a bit of it, but I’m going to go by myself for a little while. But I promise I’ll still FaceTime you lots, and read you stories, and you can tell me all about your adventures with auntie, okay?” Ashton was trying to keep his voice calm and steady, but it was starting to waver, especially as the realisation dawned on Charlie Rose and her bottom lip began to wobble. Ashton noticed, and pulled Charlie in close, whispering reassurances into her ear and rubbing her back as she began to sniffle into his shoulder. 

“What about auntie?” Charlie asked, her voice muffled into Ashton’s shoulder. You sat down on the couch next to Ashton, and rubbed a hand along Charlie’s shoulders.

“What about me, Charlie Rose? I’m not going anywhere, lovebug.” You coaxed reassuringly, giving Charlie a small smile when she turned to look at you and rub her face.

“Yeah, but… but won’t you b-b-be sad that Uncle Ashta’s gone too?” She hiccuped, looking at you with worried eyes and a frown, as her tiny mind tried to process everything that was happening. You saw Ash glance at Charlie in wonder, but then admiration, when he realised what she was trying to say. 

“You’re right, lovebug. I will miss him,” You began, pausing to note the flicker of a smile that crossed Ashton’s face. “But, just like you, I’ll get to call him on the phone heaps, and then maybe we can go and visit him on tour, won’t that be fun?” You tried to speak as brightly as you could muster, but you could feel the anxiety and emotion starting to build in your own chest. If only you could get away with throwing a temper tantrum, but alas.

“Mmm, fun. But… how will you sleep?” Charlie asked, confused.

“What do you mean, bug?” Ashton asked, bopping her on the nose which made her wrinkle her face in confusion. 

“How will you sleep without snuggles?” Charlie asked so innocently that you had to stifle a laugh and partly a cry, because honestly, you had no idea how you were going to cope with the next month or so apart from Ashton. It seemed silly, given you’d been friends for literally years before this, but something had shifted in those close moments you’d shared in Maui, and the sense of content you’d found with Ashton at brunch and the park and other places in between was going to be hard to go without.

“It’s going to be tricky, Charlie, you’re right. But remember, you can always feel your loved ones and how much they care about you, even if they’re not with you, right? And you can do anything you set your mind to, can’t you?” You said softly, as Charlie reached over to you for a hug and pulled you closer to Ashton in the process.

“Yes, we can.” She mumbled, giving you and Ashton slobbery cheek kisses in response.

“What does mama say to auntie when I get frustrated or sad, can you remember?” You prompted, returning Charlie’s kiss on the cheek.

“Oh! Clear hearts, full eyes, can’t lose!” She exclaimed, proud of herself for remembering. You laughed, and Ashton joined you, throwing his arms around you and Charlie in one warm embrace.

“Almost, lovebug. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” 

You knew getting through these next few months was going to be a challenge, but in that moment, it felt like you were ready for anything that the universe was going to throw your way. 

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[captain-jinguji]

Okay. I have this in mind for some time now. So, i have asked about the boys with an youtuber s/o,but i was hoping if you can make another hc where the boys meet the most famous youtuber in Japan, who is also their crush. Like the youtuber is famous for such a good humour, she/he does parkour and crazy things😂. You just can't love her/him. Sorry if i annoy you with how many asks i have, i just have a lot of imagination

I just realized with this post that tumblr updated :0 idk if I like the new layout... Anyways! Your imagination is fine bb I love seeing asks :)

STARISH + QUARTET NIGHT + HEAVENS meeting the most famous YouTuber in Japan

STARISH

Natsuki:

He only watches their videos because hes amazed okay but he also gets scared when they do crazy stunts. Meeting them would not be much different than meeting anyone else because hes super nice and chill with just about anyone. Goes to the meet and greet and becomes friends with his crush :)

Tokiya:

Lets make one thing clear here. He doesnt watch their videos, otoya does and he just happens to be in the same room when he does, okay? But he does like them... And is concerned like why are you going so crazy? Asks his "crush" why they're doing these crazy things and it somehow turns into a nice convo ~

Cecil:

Otoya also got him into it and he IMMEDIATELY fell in love with them. Like worse than anything ever. Has to meet them. Goes into the meet and greet kind of like... Shy but they like him anyways because who doesnt? Totally has an easy time to connect with them.

Ren:

He loves people who dig thrill and adventure so he was bound to stumble onto their YT page sooner or later. He's at the first meet and greet ever and was one of the first fans, ever. His natural charms definitely help him ;) and they quickly hit it off.

Otoya:

Ultimate fan. He was just browsing through YouTube one day when he found them and watched ALL their videos. Goes to one of the first meet and greets and even though hes super shy, he actually makes them laugh and even holds up the line a bit.. So they exchange numbers and now they're texting day and night!

Syo:

Much like Ren, he LOVES people who seek thrill and he LOVES them. Has all the merch and goes to every event theyre at (as long as his schedule permits) is kind of awkward and stumbles over his words but ultimately leaved a good impression.

Masato:

AWKWARD. He will never admit that Ren got him into it but he goes to one of their events in secret and congratulates them on their fame. Super polite and they end up liking him and next thing he knows, they're at one of STARISHs concerts and he almost flies off the stage.

QUARTET NIGHT

Reiji:

Hes a youtuber nerd and thats just facts. He loves their videos and is always one of the first to see them. Much like Ren, he uses his natural charms to hit them up at a meet and greet. Not awkward and all and actually gets a coffee date out of it ~

Ranmaru:

Super awkward because he looks so threatening but theyre a thrill seeking person so actually, they're hella attracted to Ranmaru and strike up a convo with him before he even gets the chance to. Hates that he's getting nervous but they comment on his band t-shirt and the convo just goes off from there.

Camus:

Much like Ranmaru, he also looks low-key threatening and attractive to them. So imagine the look on their face when Camus pulls the butler card. Honestly makes them laugh and Camus didnt know whether to be offended or relieved.

Ai:

Hes the ultimate ultimate fan. Knows everything about them. Knows their likes and dislikes and even their bloodtype. Sounds creepy but its only because hes a robot he swears!!! His emotionless expression catches their eye and they strike up a convo with him and he just keeps it going from there.

HEAVENS

Eiichi:

Smh hes not even a thrill seeking guy but he just LOVES your personality. Like ugh nothing is more attractive than someone who does what they want. Also has natural charms that help him at the meet and greets and he gets a dinner date out of it.

Kira:

Hes not even into their videos, just got dragged to go by Eiichi and somehow became friends with them. Now he has their number and theyre flirting day and night 👀

Nagi:

Much like Syo, he just loves their videos but is kind of insecure about how hes gonna be perceived by them. Like yeah hes a star too but hes also annoying and he knows that. So imagine the look on his face when they tell him hes so fun to be around.

Eiji:

Super cute about it okay. Like he meets them and is one of the cute fans that just compliment them and maybe theres a little blush on his cheeks ~ and that's when they pick up on him and hunt him down, asking him about himself. Friendship and maybe more after that 👀

Yamato:

LOVES them. Goes to the meet and greet and suggests a collab since hes 👀 ya know. Also super sporty and crazy. And they actually take him up on the offer? Long story short hes in a lot of videos now and the fans started to ship them. If only they knew ~

Van:

Hes the fourth and final natural charmer. His silly personality mixed with his soft flirts are what gets him bonus points and he ultimately gets their number. Stays up all night to text and somehow also ends up in their videos.

Shion:

Hes like Eiji. His soft personality is what makes THEM talk to HIM and hes super chill like Natsuki. Just makes friends with them easily and goes on a little date with them :) super cute and wholesome.

[gracexbeck]

Facade | Quentin Beck x Reader

Word Count: 2.2k Warnings: Far From Home spoilers and slightly obsessive/possessive/manipulative Quentin; implications of sex

When Quentin came up with his plan to become "the next Tony Stark", he knew he was missing something. And when he saw you, a chaperone for Peter Parker's class during their European field trip, he knew exactly what, well, who it was. He needed a damsel in distress. A companion. Someone to be on his arm on the red carpet. He needed someone to be the Pepper Potts to Tony Stark, the Bucky Barnes to Steve Rogers, the Wanda Maximoff to Vision.

His plan was quite simple actually. When he first saw you leading the students around, rolling your eyes at that weird teacher that kept talking about his ex-wife, he was captivated. He immediately used his drones and his cronies to find out everything about you. From your friends and family, to your job, to your mother's maiden name, to all your favorite things, your darkest secrets and all that good stuff. Then all he had to do was stage a "little accident" where you were and rescue you and put his acting skills to use.

The Water Elemental was great for this. You got yourself separated from the rest of your group to look for that kid Peter Parker. He was always running off whenever things were going bad and you and your favorite student, MJ had this theory that he was the friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man.

"Peter?!" You shouted as you ran down the cobblestone streets, feeling like a fish swimming upstream as you battled the swarm of people trying to escape.

"What the hell," you grumbled to yourself, questioning why you volunteered to chaperone a bunch of hormonal teenagers. All of a sudden, a huge wave enveloped you, pulling you into the river.

"This is not how I die!" you huffed as you tried to swim your way out of the watery mess. But the current was too strong. You felt yourself slowly getting pulled closer to the Elemental.

"Oh shi-"

You were cut off by someone grabbing you and the next thing you knew, you were flying in the air.

"I got you miss," a strangers deep voice whispered in your ear. You looked up at your savior and saw a magical Asgardian astronaut? You didn't actually know what was happening and you definitely didn't recognize him as one of the Avengers. He placed you on the roof of a building.

"I'll be back in a second," he remarks. You couldn't tell because of his fishbowl helmet thingy, but you were pretty damn sure he said that with a smirk. Entranced by this mysterious new hero, you stared in awe as he defeated the water monster with ease. He quickly returned to you and took off his helmet, revealing his face.

Damn. You thought to yourself. Why are all these superheroes super hot?

"Are you okay?" He asked you, his voice laced with concern.

"I'm completely soaked but I'm fine," you responded. You could feel his deep blue eyes penetrating you.

"It can't be," he murmured, staring at you in awe. "Y/N?"

"How-How do you know my name?" You questioned him, slowly backing away.

"Don't!" He begged. "It's just.." His voice faltered and he took a shaky breath. "You were my wife."

"I was what?!"

"Sorry, that was, I mean..." He let out an exasperated sigh. "Let me explain from the beginning. Please."

"Fine, but make it quick," you agreed. "I gotta get back to my group."

"My name is Quentin Beck. I'm from another Earth. Earth-833. The whole time-traveling and the Blip, all of that, it tore hole in the multiverse. And that's how these Elementals and I got here." He cautiously took a step towards you, not wanting to scare you off.

"You were my wife Y/N. In that Earth. But..." He trailed off once again.

"I died and you couldn't save me?"

He nodded solemnly. "Along with our kids. And the Fire Elemental, that was the one that destroyed my Earth." He closed the gap between the two of you, taking your hands.

"I swear, on my life, that I will protect you and this Earth."

"Quentin," you said, trying to console him. "I'm sorry about what happened, but I barely know you. I'm sorry," you said, pulling away.

"Please!" He exclaimed, desperate for your attention. "You may not know me, but I know you."

He launched into a full on speech, complete with personal details from your life, things only your closest friends and family knew about you. There was something about him, something that pulled you into a trance. He was mesmerizing. His charisma, his longing stares, his raw emotion drew you into his charm and you found yourself agreeing to a date later on that evening. He dropped you off at your hotel, pressed a soft kiss to your cheek and flew away saying, "I'll see you at seven!"

Your students gaped in awe and pestered you with questions. Even Flash was amazed and nearly fainted at the close proximity Mysterio was to him.

Eventually, seven o'clock came and Quentin met you outside your hotel wearing a button up with its sleeves rolled up, revealing his (very muscular) forearms.

He sure does clean up nice. You thought to yourself as he offered you his arm. You were wearing your favorite f/c dress that fell just above your knees.

"You look beautiful, Y/N," he breathed in your ear as he pulled you closer. "You always do."

All you could do was smile and blush at his simple yet sweet compliment. The two of you walked around the city of Venice, chatting the whole time. It seemed as though you'd known this man your entire life and you felt you could tell him anything. As you and Quentin sat on a bench continued to talk, a string quartet began to play some music. Quentin stood up and offered you his hand.

"May I have this dance?" He asked you with a shy smile.

"You may," you responded with a grin.

He pulled you a close and intimate slow dance and while it felt cliche at first, it felt as if you were the only two people on Earth. He eventually had to leave, saying that he had to meet with Fury and when you arrived back at your hotel, all you could do was smile as you replayed the night's events in your mind as you drifted off into a comforting sleep.

A couple days later in Prague, you lead your students into the opera house and sat in the back, missing Quentin. You hadn't seen him since your date but he texted you all time. Right before the opera began, you noticed MJ following Peter out of the opera house. Not wanting to lose your students, you followed them. You managed to catch up to MJ.

"What do you think you're doing?" You huffed, coming up behind her.

"Ms. L/N?!" She yelped. "I um, I was just...I needed a breath of fresh air?"

"I saw you follow Peter," you remarked.

"What? I totally was not, I definitely most certainly not following Peter because he's definitely up to something," she stammered in reply.

"I'll take care of him later MJ, but you need to go back to your classmates," you commented. "I know you have a crush on him but that doesn't mean-"

You were cut off by people's screams. You looked up and saw this fiery thing emerge and begin to destroy stuff.

"Okay, you definitely gotta go now," you quipped as you pushed in the direction of the opera house. "I'll find Peter." Again.

MJ rushed into an alley as you began to search for the child. "Why does he always gotta do this," you grumbled to yourself as you pushed past the frantic crowd. Suddenly what you assumed was the Fire Elemental was in front of you.

"Oh for heavens sake not again," you complained, bracing yourself for the worst. But, it never came. The next thing you knew, you were in Quentin's arms once again and he and some sticky guy in all black that claimed to be "Night Monkey" (and was suspiciously similar to Spider-Man) ended up beating the fiery creature.

Once the chaos dwindled, you found yourself in Quentin's hotel room, laying in his bed, wrapped in his arms.

"I don't know what I would've done if I lost you again Y/N," he confessed.

"But you didn't lose me," you responded with a small smile. "Thank you."

He captured you into a kiss, a kiss that quickly turned passionate as you ran your hands through his hair and clothes began to fly off. He encapsulated you into a deeper kiss, with you longing for his touch and you let your bodies melt into the night.

—————————-

You woke up in an empty bed, sunlight streaming in through the windows. You got out of the bed and wandered into the closet. You threw on one of his t-shirts and then you heard his voice.

"Oh, we're in the endgame now buddy!" You heard him exclaim. Curious, you moved closer to the sound of his voice.

"I've got our little Y/N wrapped around my finger. I can't believe she actually fell for that story. My fans are going to absolutely love this. Next thing you know, we're going to be the next Pepper Potts and Tony Stark. She's the perfect damsel in distress. I'll see you in a little bit so we can finish our London plans. Okay?"

Fell for his story? Damsel in distress? London? Your mind began to race. What was going on? You grabbed your phone and looked at it. You had several text messages from MJ and Peter, all claiming that Quentin wasn't who he said he was. That he faked all the attacks just so he could become a hero in the public's eye. It couldn't be true, could it? After all he did for you? Your heart pounded and a knot formed in your stomach. You didn't know what to think.

The door flew open and in walked Quentin.

"Hey baby, didn't expect you to be up so early," he exclaimed with a smile as he leaned in to kiss you. "Last night was amazing Y/N. I really think we should-"

You cut him off by pushing him away. "Stay away from me!" You croaked, your voice shaking slightly.

"What's wrong, baby?" He questioned, frowning at you.

"What's wrong? What's wrong is that you lied to me!" You hissed at him. "You used me! You pretended to be a hero!" You backed away from him even more. "But you're not."

His eyes darkened and his persona changed entirely. This was not the Quentin you had quickly fallen for. This was someone completely different. Someone dangerous.

"Stop it right there," he threatened, his voice low and deadly.

"I can't believe I fell for you," you seethed. "I honestly thought you were someone I could love. But it was just a facade. It was fake. And everyone's going to know it."

You made a run for the door but Quentin was quicker. He grabbed you by the waist and threw you onto the bed. He pulled out handcuffs from god knows where and cuffed you to the bed frame.

"Let me go!" You snapped at him. "Or else you'll really regret it."

"Enough!" He bellowed at you. "Now listen to me, sweetheart." His voice sent chills down your spine.

"I'm not the only one with skeletons in my closet," he sneered at you, as he stood up. "I know you're secretly a SHIELD agent and that your mission for Fury is to look over Spider-Man, who just happens to be your student, Peter Parker."

You gasped. He knew. He knew everything about you. You felt your heart drop as you knew what was coming next.

"Shut up, Beck," you growled.

"And I know you were a double agent for SHIELD and Hydra until Captain America took them down for a second time."

"I said, shut up!"

Yeah, it was true. You were a double agent. But only because your boyfriend back then, Grant Ward, convinced you to join. But when you saw Hydra for what it was, you turned on them, confessed to Fury your involvement and you were able to help take them down.

"So unless you want your little secret to get out into the world and if you want to protect your precious Parker, I suggest you listen to me," he commanded. Feeling as if you didn't have a choice, you pressed your lips together and glared at Quentin.

"Everything I felt for you was real Y/N," he declared. "You're the one for me. You're my soulmate. And you're going to be with me forever darling. Whether you like it or not. You're going to be my partner and we're going to be the next big power couple."

"Please, don't do this," you begged him, tears prickling at your eyes.

"That's too bad honey," he said with a sinister grin. "Because from now on, you're mine, Y/N. You're. Mine."

[narekashi]

An angst idol group with an angst army. Perfect.

• Surprisely, Camus was the first one who began to relax in such a strange place. Despite how cautious and cold he is, he quickly gave in after he saw how many sweets and desserts were served during tea time.

• Jonah and Camus are on quite friendly terms, seeing as both of them have the same common interests and are rather similar themselves. Jonah often invites Camus when tea time is ready and no matter how much will power Camus has, he simply cannot fight against his craving for those delicious sweets.

• Jonah is absolutely delighted that someone enjoys such high class and delicious sweets almost (or maybe even exactly) as same as he does. It doesn't take him a long time before he and Camus are strolling the streets and entering every single cafe that Jonah recommends.

• Ai is simply fascinated by Cradle. He never did believe in magic (even though Camus and Cecil are able to use magic) so an entire country that runs using the thing he doesn't believe even exists truly fascinates him to no end.

• Zero seems to pick up the fact that Ai wants to go explore Cradle. He asks if Ai wanted to follow him while he goes on patrol to explore some parts of Cradle. With no hesitation, he agrees.

• Now, Zero is practically Ai's tour guide in Cradle. Whenever Ai wants to know something, he goes straight to Zero to ask. He finds it interesting that Zero can take his rapidly fast questions with ease but soon finds out why when he sees Zero and Edgar together.

• He also frequently sees Kyle when Zero isn't avalible. Though Ai questions why a doctor risks his health with alcohol, he learns quickly that he can learn a lot more about the history of Cradle and other uses of magic crystals from Kyle much easier.

• Zero and Kyle both think that Ai is rather weird but they don't dislike Ai's presence at all. Sometimes, Ai accompanies Kyle on his regular check ups and Zero peeps in every once in a while to check up on them.

• Ranmaru is a complete other story though. He wants nothing to do with the red army nor MC. Nothing at all. He often walks outside by himself and doesn't open up to anyone at all.

• One day, MC spots Ranmaru playing around with some stray cats that were often seen around the red army territory. She offers to show him more spots with cats but Ranmaru refuses really harshly.

• Later on, she brings Edgar to him, in hopes of showing him that the red army isn't all that bad as well as seeing that they both have a common interest in animals.

• Edgar shows Ranmaru all the places that have cats and Ranmaru immediately melts when he sees all those cats. No sooner, he's playing with all those cats with MC saying a silent "yes" for her successful plan.

• Ranmaru asks Edgar to show him where all the spots are again on later days but also occasionally asks MC who is always delightful when he asks her.

• Reiji just wants to take it free and easy and he interacts with all the officers and soldiers a lot, asking about random topics like how was their day to some interesting places he could go visit in Cradle.

• Edgar is normally the one who introduces Reiji to all the interesting spots and activities he can see and do in Cradle. Edgar's rather knowledgeable in all these things so he tells Reiji to ask him whenever he feels bored or wants to go somewhere.

• But Reiji can't shake off that sneaking suspicion like something's wrong. He's good at reading people and he knows that something about Edgar resembled himself way too much for his comfort. Maybe it was that flicker of nothing in his eyes? Or maybe that smile he knows means something else entirely?

• "Edgar." "Yes, Reiji?" ".... The weather's real nice today too, isn't it? Cradle sure is peaceful!"

• That was also the case with Lancelot. Unlike Edgar, Lancelot was cold and had the aura of a powerful demanding leader. There was something in Lancelot's actions and words that made Reiji suspicious.

• Just kidding~☆ You didn't really think that, did you? (•^• )

• When the full moon night comes, the red army states that they will welcome their presence any time and gives them small gifts before Quartet Night returns back to London.

• Overall, all the guys enjoyed their time in Cradle on way or another but besides Ai (and perhaps Camus), none of them wanted to come to this strange place again.