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thebestandworstdayofjune · 2 months

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everybody’s goin’ off the deep end (s.h. x reader)

A/N: Long time no see! I wrote this in the midst of Steve Harrington brain rot, I hope you enjoy! If you prefer, you can find it here on Ao3!

Summary: Your life has always been simple. Not necessarily easy, but simple. You know your way around the world you live in. You love your dad, your friends and your exceedingly nerdy babysitting charges. When you’re assigned to be Steve Harrington’s tutor because he is one step away from being kicked off the basketball team, you can feel things beginning to shift in your small town. And that’s just the beginning.

Friday, November 4, 1983

“I think it’s time we admit that this is hopeless.” Steve Harrington looked positively morose, hunched over his Hawkins High School issued copy of Macbeth for the third Friday in a row.

You did your best not to laugh, but he just looked so ridiculous leaning back in his chair far enough that the front legs rise off the ground, shoulders slumped and pencil tapping against the table rapidly. “It’s been ten minutes, and we’ve only made it through two pages.” If you hadn’t been anticipating the slam of the front two chair legs on the floor, you would have jumped out of your seat. You had several times in the past few weeks, even.

But by now, you had the routine down. For the first fifteen minutes, Steve would joke and grumble, hoping that you would offer to cut your session short. Had he been assigned any other mandatory tutor during the meeting with Ms. Chen, the school counselor, and two out of three of his basketball coaches, he would have had a shot. But you’d had one too many reluctant students stuck in front of you at a library table in your time to give in to his whining.

“Exactly!” He tapped his pen against the copy of Macbeth in front of him on the desk, accentuating his point. “Two pages in ten minutes is a horrible track record!” His eyebrows drew together, as they always did when he was particularly pouty. “Besides, Mrs. Brown already spoiled the whole thing.” You raised your eyebrow, continuing to make notes in your already extensively annotated copy. “Calling it a tragedy in class kind of ruins the ending, you know?” You missed the way Steve’s eyes sparkled as you threw your head back in laughter.

“That’s just the type of play, Steve. There’s comedies, tragedies, like Macbeth, and histories.” You glanced over to see Steve slumped over the table, his cheek resting on his hand. “It might be helpful to write that down.” He blinked, seemingly confused for a moment. “For the test?”

“There’s going to be a test?” Steve looked mournful.

“I know that Mrs. Brown went over the syllabus on the first day of class. And there have definitely been tests over the other two books so far. What do you mean what test?” You looked up from your folder, where you had been shuffling through past syllabi to find a lopsided smirk on Steve’s face. “You can’t do that, Steve!”

“I’m offended you bought that! You know I’m taking this seriously.” He looked slightly sheepish at the realization you might not believe him. You took a moment to consider. You’d started studying together a few months ago, and Steve had been remarkably punctual, and had yet to cancel a session. He’d only forgotten to bring his work once and remained apologetic the whole session, even when you’d reassured him that it was fine. You’d spent the hour hunched over your notes with him beside you, you providing insight into the short story from class while Steve did his best to make you laugh.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.”

Steve’s eyes grew wide, mock astonishment clear on his face. “An apology?”

“Oh my god, shut up, Harrington.” You playfully roll your eyes, before sliding your own copy of Macbeth towards him. “Trade me.”

Steve glanced down at your copy, grinning. “Do they know you’re defacing school property, Ms. Clarke? I’m not sure that your father would approve.”

“My dad spends all day trying to convince middle schoolers to retain information about layers of the Earth’s crust. He’d just be glad I am taking an interest in an academic pursuit.”

“Even if it’s English?”

You smile to yourself, remembering the year you had to admit to your dad that your Science grade was not what it should be. You’d built being that daughter of Scott Clarke, science enthusiast and Earth and Biology Teacher extraordinaire of Hawkins Middle, up in your mind to be a heavy burden to bear. You’d been so afraid to hand your report card over, but he’d diligently ignored your C- and instead waxed poetic about your perfect English score. “Finally, someone to round out the knowledge base in this house!” He’d beamed and loaded you into the car for ice cream with an urgency unbecoming of the situation.

“Especially if it’s English.” You leaned over the table, quickly finding where you and Steve had left off in your copy and pointing it out to Steve. “Start there, let’s try again.” You made it through the next two scenes, with only minor detours, usually when Steve found one of your annotations particularly amusing.

The door to the library squeaked open, breaking your focus. Nancy and Barb hurried over to your table, crowding around your study materials. “Macbeth cannot possibly be so interesting that you forgot we had plans.” Nancy joked, Steve’s arm settled over the back of the chair. Nancy insisted it ‘wasn’t anything serious’ but you caught them making moon eyes at each other the last few times that your tutoring sessions ran over, and you could have sworn that last week he slipped his number into her notebook when he thought no one was looking.

You glanced up at the clock, cringing internally when you realized you were, in fact, fifteen minutes late to meeting your best friends in the parking lot. Across the table, Steve let out a heavy sigh. “We were a little too into the ghost of Banquo in here.”

Barb gave Steve a weird look. You were almost sure that she was going to say something, her eyebrow was quirking up in the way it usually does when she is about to be snarky, but the moment passed, somewhat awkwardly, but passed all the same. “I’ll see you next week, Steve.” You stood up from your chair, Nancy and Barb following your lead. Steve started to slide your copy of Macbeth back to you across the table. “Keep it, maybe you can get through a few chapters on your own before I see you again.”

“You firing me, Clarke?”

“I don’t think I have the power to fire you from mandatory tutoring, Harrington.”

Steve gifted you a rarity, one of his genuine smiles that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle slightly before standing up and heading for the library doors. “See you on Monday, Ladies!” He offered the three of you a joking salute and a wink before heading for the parking lot.

“Doesn’t he know we are all going the same way?” Barb said, breaking the silence of the library. The three of you dissolved into giggles, and you took your time packing your book bag, not not in the hopes that you would avoid running into Steve again in the parking lot. As much as you loved Nancy, it was almost painful for you and Barb to watch her try to keep whatever is going on with her and Steve from the two of you.

______________________________________________________________

“What about this?” Nancy held up a pink blouse off the rack, eyebrows raised.

“It’s nice, Nance, but I just can’t understand the urgency.” You laughed. The three of you’d had plans to head to Benny’s for milkshakes, as you did every Friday, but on the way Nancy had begged to stop at Pam’s, the clothing store downtown. Reluctantly, you’d parked your dad’s car out front and let her drag the two of you inside. Nancy ducked her head, blush taking over her cheeks as she put the shirt back. Her dismissive muttering could barely be heard over the store’s speakers, blaring the new Cyndi Lauper single.

“Oh come on, Nance.” Barb rolled her eyes, snatching the blouse off the rack again. Nancy’s eyes were wide as her head snapped up to meet Barb’s gaze. “You are horrible at this. Just tell us what’s going on with Steve!”

Nancy grabbed for the shirt, but Barb was holding it over her head while you did your best to hold in your laughter. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Nancy grabbed for the shirt, looking back at you over her shoulder clearly asking for help. All you could do was shrug.

“We saw him put his number in your notebook, and the last two times I called your line was busy! It’s never busy!” Nancy’s blush was creeping down her neck. She gave up the fight for the blouse, looking at you accusatorially. Another shrug, and a nod had her looking like she was going to stomp her foot.

“I just-“ she paused, taking a deep breath “I need to make sure that Steve Harrington isn’t going to steal both of my friends.”

“Barb what are you talking about?” On some level, you could understand why she was worried about Nancy. It wasn’t typical for the three of you to have secrets. But you’d tutored countless people, or joined different after school activities, and she’d never worried about the state of your friendship before.

Barb hesitated, suddenly looking ashamed. “Nothing, it’s-” she dropped the hanger back on the rack, her hands twisting together nervously. “It’s nothing, swear.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. You and Nancy shared a look, not entirely convinced.

Without a word, the two of you wrapped your arms around Barb sandwiching her between the two of you as you had done since preschool whenever someone was having a hard day. It had been a while since you’d had reason for a best friend sandwich, but when Barb wrapped her arms around the both of you, leaning her head on top of Nancy’s, you knew you’d made the right choice. “You should get the shirt, Nance. I think Steve will really like it.” Your voice came out muffled, and you couldn’t see Nancy’s face because it was smushed into your arm, but you would have sworn that you felt her smile.

______________________________________________________________________________

You pulled into the Hawkins Middle parking lot doing your best to keep your smile from turning into a grimace. Nancy had been stuck debating between two options at Pam’s for a solid twenty minutes, and after Barb’s minor breakdown, you hadn’t felt it was the time to rush anyone. You threw the car into park and barely managed to stop yourself from sprinting as you headed for your dad’s classroom. The tension left your chest when you heard the screaming from down the hall. In any other situation it would have had the opposite effect, but hearing the AV Club chattering away meant that even if you were running late, your dad is running later.

“Like I said boys, it should be here next week but there is just no telling for sure.” Your dad had run the Hawkins Middle AV Club for as long as you could remember, but he had never had such an enthusiastic membership. In years past, you’d stop by a meeting or two after outgrowing the appropriate age for club participation, but you’d babysat for a few of the kids before, and you had a special soft spot for them. The unanimous, synchronized exclamations of “Bea!” as you rounded the corner led you to believe the feelings were mutual.

Bea was a nickname that had pulled double duty since you were little. Bea, as in short for Beatrice, your middle name after your grandmother who had passed long before your arrival, and Bea as in bumble bee. You were a Bea to everyone, but when your dad used the name, you both knew the difference. You gave everyone a warm smile and a small wave, plopping down in a desk close to the door.

“As soon as it comes in, you all will be the first to know.”

“And the only ones to care.” Mike muttered, causing you to hid your smile behind your hand, in an effort not to encourage them. The boys almost instantly began to speak over one another, calling dibs on who got the first go, where they should call first. Your dad gave you a smile that said ‘there’s nothing I can do about this’.

You coughed a few times, gaining the boys’ attention. “You guys do know you are cutting it close if you want to be somewhere with cable, so you can catch the new episode of that Dungeons and Dragons show. It comes out on Fridays, right?” The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, before they started hastily shoving books into backpacks and tearing out of the room. You stuck your head out of the doorway, calling after the boys to remind them you would see them at the Wheeler’s on Sunday. You were planning on studying for your chemistry test with Nancy. You had probably fifty vocab words to make flashcards for, not to mention the equations and elements you needed to know for your test next week. They waved without turning around before sprinting out the doors of the school.

______________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, November 6, 1983

You’d been able to hear the boys screaming in the basement from your spot on Nancy’s bed for the last few hours. You had a rare weekend off from babysitting, as most of your regulars were currently 9 hours deep into a Dungeons and Dragons campaign in the Wheeler’s basement. Weekends without a babysitting gig were more frequent now that the boys were old enough to bike home from school alone. You would watch Lucas’s little sister on occasion, and Holly more regularly, but it was far more common to end up at the Wheeler’s with Nancy for a while and then offer give the boys a ride home. They would take you up on it if the weather is bad but more often than not, they preferred to race home.

You and Nancy had been pretending to study for the same amount of time. You’d arrived with the best of intentions, your bag heavy with notecards and textbooks, but Nancy had a new copy of Tiger Beat, and then she’d launched into an hours-long grievance against Steve having yet to take her on a real date. Apparently, grabbing a milkshake after school didn’t count, “we do that all the time anyways”, and a makeout session in his care was not cutting it either, “besides it was only like, one time”. Ever since Barb had weaseled the confession out of her at Pam’s, it was like the dam was broken. You’d managed to corral her into focusing on studying for all of ten minutes while you secretly contemplated if it was over stepping to bully him into just asking her to go steady if it meant you got your study partner back, when her new blue phone started ringing on her bedside table. She popped up to answer it, and you resisted the urge to roll your eyes. You’d made double the note cards she had and you still had two chapters to go. You’d largely tuned her out until you heard Steve’s name.

Your eyes snapped to Nancy’s, a blush already having taken over a vast majority of her face. You heard some murmuring from your spot across the bed, but nothing that you could make out clearly. Maybe he was finally working up the nerve to invite her on a proper date. Her shoulders deflated, and the blush was quickly receding from her face when she looked at you. Without a word, she held the phone out to you.

You frantically shook your head, she shoved the phone farther across the bed, causing the base to tumble onto the floor, pulling the handset out of her grasp with it. You both scrambled for the phone but Nancy was quicker, snatching it off of the floor and holding it up to your ear. “Hello?” You asked, wincing when your voice came out squeakier than you were used to.

“Hi, I, uh, I called the number you gave me but your dad answered. Said you’d be here.” Steve sounded almost bashful, which was not something you were used to hearing from him.

“Did my dad say something to you?” Nancy leaned her head closer to the receiver, and you adjusted to make more room for her.

“Just that learning is a voracious and exciting river, and you have to give yourself over to the current, or something.” Nancy started to giggle, you gently shoved her back against her pillows.

“Yeah, that sounds like him. Did you,” you pause, struggling to sound less surprised than you were, “need something, Harrington?”

“I just,” he paused, and you could almost see the way his gaze gets stuck on the ceiling while he tries to work up the nerve to say something he is worried will make him sound stupid. “I needed to know what was up with Lady Macbeth’s weird bloodstain monologue. All you had in the margins was that she was ‘wickedly fucked’. Don’t get me wrong, you’re right, I think anyway, but why is she so crazy all of a sudden.”

You sighed. You’d given him your number after he’d canceled a session during lunch after you and your dad had already arranged the car schedule one too many times, and begged him to call if he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it as soon as he could. It wasn’t exactly for study emergencies, not that you had ever really expected Steve Harrington to have one. “She and Macbeth have swapped how they were at the beginning. Remember how you said he was being a bitch and she was a badass for plotting Duncan’s murder?” You could hear his hair rustling against the speaker, and you could picture him nodding through the phone. It didn’t seem like the time to remind him there was no possible way you could see him. “Well, now she is regretting rushing in and being brash, and he has fully accepted what the witches said at the beginning.” “That it’s his destiny to be the king?” “Yep, you’ve got it. The whole thing is about how power and ambition is corrupting.” More rustling. “Steve, are you nearly done with the play?” “I finished it, that one part was bugging me that’s all.”

“You finished it?!” You winced at the surprise that was clear in your voice. Nancy had not looked this confused since the time you told her the boy’s campaign had actually been interesting the last time you watched them as a group after Joyce got called in for a last minute shift, and Jonathan had photography club, rendering him unavailable. You shrugged, not sure how to explain it.

“Your notes were really helpful, and funny. I didn’t mean to but, yeah.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“I just, you said that reading Macbeth was worse than taking sandpaper to your eyes.” He’d looked like Mike when he was ten and realized that you had tricked him into finishing the steamed broccoli his mother had left for dinner, the picture of theatrical disgust.

“I said your notes made it better, didn’t I?”

You blinked a few times as Nancy scooched back to your side. “Well, I guess we will have a lot to talk about on Monday, then.” “Yeah, yeah. Um, tell Nancy to have a good night.” He went silent for a moment, and you searched for the right words. “And you too.” He added, derailing your train of thought.

“Sure, Steve, goodnight.” You placed the phone back on the base as if it were a live bomb. “What was that?”

“What do you mean what was that? You’re the one he was calling!”

You gasped. “If one of us is more accustomed to receiving phone calls from Steve Harrington, it’s going to be you!”

Nancy rolled her eyes, a signal as clear as ever that she was gearing up for what she liked to call a lively discussion, and you hated to admit was an argument. Before she could, the phone rang again. You held your breath, preparing to hear Steve’s voice through the phone. Thankfully, it was Barb calling to ask if Nancy needed a ride to school tomorrow, she did, and if they had been studying for Kaminsky’s test, sort of. The conversation quickly devolved into talking about Steve after Barb asked if Nancy had heard from him. Nancy was recounting the awkward conversation you’d just finished and you were doing your best not to help when there was a knock on the door frame.

You glance up to see Dustin standing at the threshold of Nancy’s room, holding a pizza box. He shook it enthusiastically. “There’ two slices left if you want ‘em, sausage and pepperoni!”

You are about to nod enthusiastically when Nancy tells Barb to hold on. She leaves the phone on the bed and shuts the door in Dustin’s face. “Nance!” You frown at her, and you’re off the bed and out the door before she can respond. “Dusty, wait up!” You call when you get to the top of the stairs, catching a glimpse of his hat disappearing around the corner. You find him in the kitchen, depositing the pizza box on the counter. “Did you finish the campaign?”

“Nah, we just got to the fight with the-”

“With the demogorgon? Mike was telling me about it when I was here watching Holly last week. He seemed pleased with the planning.” Dustin shrugged, looking unusually gloomy. “Is this about Nancy?” Another shrug. You throw an arm around his shoulders, walking him to the backdoor. “She didn’t mean it, she’s having a weird night.”

“Seems like she’s been having a weird year.” He mumbled, pulling the door and stepping outside. “There’s something wrong with your sister,” he announced, making his way over to his bike, where it sat in the Wheeler’s garage.

“What are you talking about?” Mike huffed, exasperated.

Lucas was quick to chime in. “Yeah, it’s because she’s been dating that douchebag, Steve Harrington.” His gaze shifted to you, looking guilty.

You held your hands up in the air in surrender. “Don’t look at me, I’m just trying to keep him from getting kicked off the basketball team on account of his English grade.” A touch of mirth made it’s way into your eyes. “Didn’t you hear, we might actually have a shot at State this year.” The boys dissolved into giggles, kicking up the stands on their bikes, fully aware that you had never the willpower to know anything about the school’s sports teams.

“The day that you care about the basketball team is the day that Will rolls two nat twenties in a row.” Lucas laughed. Will was a notoriously bad roller.

You ruffled Will’s hair, discreetly checking to make sure all of the boys had their bags and the flashlights on their bikes turned on. You’d been called late at night over forgotten homework one enough that you did your best to confirm they had anything before they got too far down the street. Lucas rolled his eyes. “We have everything mom.” The rest of the boys shook with laughter.

“Let’s see how you feel being woken up at eleven o’clock over missing math homework, and then we can talk. Are you sure you guys wouldn’t rather have a ride home?” The boys shook their heads in unison, rebuffing you when you asked fi they were sure.

They confirmed one more time that you had no updates about the new radio your dad had ordered for the AV club, before beginning to pedal away. “Be safe, boys!” You called, stepping inside, leaving Lucas and Dustin’s unified “We will!” And the sounds of Mike and Will talking softly drifting in from the garage behind you.

You quickly said your goodbyes to Mr. And Mrs. Wheeler, stuck your head in to say goodnight to Nancy and gave Holly a hug before heading out to your car. By the time you got home, your dad was in bed, a note on the fridge reminding you about your early wake up time for tomorrow, so that he could be at Hawkins’ Middle to receive a package. You were thoroughly tired by the time that your head hit the pillow, but somehow, a pit had formed in the bottom of your stomach. It wasn’t often you tossed and turned, but when you did, you were an old pro. You lasted fifteen minutes before crawling out of bed and setting yourself up on the couch, a cup of tea and a worn old copy of A Wrinkle in Time your dad acquired in high school. It was your favorite bedtime story growing up and it usually did the trick even now. You read until your eyes got heavy and your tea grew cold, before dragging yourself back to bed in the hopes of feeling more like a well rested, responsible, functioning human in the morning. If you were being honest, the chances of that were slim.

next chapter

#Steve Harrington x reader #Steve Harrington fanfic #Steve Harrington fanfiction #stranger things x reader #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfic #stranger things fanfiction #Steve Harrington #Joe Keery #Joe Keery x reader #Steve Harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #stranger things

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working-dreamer · 2 years

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The Person Within: An Analysis Of Professor Layton's Hidden Character Development

Spoilers for practically all of the Layton games!

Hershel Layton as a character is sometimes criticized outside of the fandom for having no personality other than his gentlemanly nature and taking the concept of enjoying puzzles to the extreme.

While I think this criticism shows a blatant misunderstanding to his character, I do think from a different angle that perspective makes Professor Layton more interesting.

Think about it. Most of his personality is taken from the tragedy of those around him. Randall was the one who was originally obsessed with archaeology and puzzles. Claire was the one who originally perceived Hershel as a gentleman (thus giving him the idea.) We don’t really see Layton take these aspects of his personality onto himself until tragedy strikes and these people are taken away from his life.

In the case of Randall's death, Hershel blamed himself for surviving and moved out of town because of his self-loathing and guilt. And when Claire disappeared Layton paused his studies for an unknown amount of time trying to find out what happened until he was beaten into a coma by a group of people associated with her death.

And yet instead of grieving like you’d normally expect from a person who lost his best friend and girlfriend, he internalized their interests and aspects of their personalities into himself. He wears their passions and dreams as his own to remember them. In a way, he’s always reminding himself that he couldn’t save them.

However one might wonder how Layton really feels about those things outside of his previous losses. Does Layton even enjoy archeology and puzzles? Or is it something he has grown to accept in his life simply because he is living out Randall’s dream? Does he feel like he has a choice in the matter?

I can easily imagine Layton having doubts deep within himself: Randall didn’t get to live and it’s my fault. His dreams should live on. I don’t deserve anything else.

Same with Claire. She saw him as a gentleman but he certainly didn’t feel like one after her disappearance if his memory of events is to be taken seriously. How long did it take for him to turn into the perfect gentleman? Especially if it's just a painful reminder of her loss?

It’s probably after waking up from his coma that he starts to really embrace the idea that he has to be the perfect gentleman because he knows he can never get her back. So all he can do is embrace what she thought of him before she died. So with all of this in mind is Layton’s gentlemanly persona genuine to who he is as a person? Or is it just a persona created in order to keep her memory alive?

Layton has kept the shadows of his lost loved ones close to his heart for years and probably would have always done so had he never gotten any closure. However, when Randall turned out to be alive Layton now has the opportunity to let go of that guilt. Claire came back in the future momentarily and Layton got to say goodbye. He no longer needs to keep their personal traits as his own.

So why does he still embody Randall's passion for archeology and puzzles and Claire's perspective that he's the perfect gentleman?

I think it's because Layton doesn't know who he is without these borrowed parts of his personality. Without those aspects that he adopted into himself… who is Hershel Layton? Deep down he is someone who has silently mourned his loved ones and repressed those emotions. And yet most of his life has been embodying said grief. It makes me wonder if Layton would ever look deep within himself and realize that he doesn’t have anything to claim as his own. His entire personality revolves around past guilt and trauma from people he loved and lost.

Shoot even his name isn’t his own! Hershel Layton was actually the name belonging to his brother and in a moment of sacrifice switched names so our Layton could be adopted. So our Layton loses the only family member he has left without even knowing who that is for the majority of his life!

So we have a man who feels guilt and remorse for the deaths of his best friend and his girlfriend so he doesn’t allow himself to develop his own interests and personality because he doesn’t feel like he deserves to be his own person. It's even implied that he believed for a time that he didn't deserve to be the one who survived the events that killed his best friend and girlfriend. And then adding to the fact that he never knew his real family so he most likely felt a different kind of loss by not knowing where he came from. All and all we find a man that feels alone and tries to make it right by embodying the traits of those he cared about.

We don’t get to see Layton develop his thoughts on all of this but we do see an interesting development later on. I’d like to think that Layton slowly began to heal after his adventures thanks to adopting Katrielle in the anime.

This is because, for the first time in Layton’s life, he had a family to look after. Someone who doesn't need a mystery-solving archeologist or a perfect gentleman detective. Someone who doesn't need the grand "Professor Layton." This little girl just needs someone to be her father and, while he tries his best, he doesn't really know how to do that.

Sure he had a familial relationship with Luke and Flora, but he never called himself their father. I don’t think he allowed himself that privilege because of all the self-loathing he had been dealing with before. When he adopts Kat it feels like it’s the first time we see Layton truly allowing himself to be a father figure. And yet he is still uncertain about if he should be the one in this role.

Layton feels like his adopted daughter should know where she came from (something he didn’t get to have) before he can start thinking of himself as a father. He’s scared that if he gets attached then it'll hurt worse when she eventually returns to her own family should she decide that is her wish. But if he finds her family first then he doesn’t have the go through that heartache. He wants to find them first so she can make an informed decision.

And he says this with the logic that he always had as “Professor Layton” with that calm and collected smile. Notice that he says "I want to solve this puzzle so that we can become a true family." He doesn't say "so that we will become a true family." It’s almost as if he is going to let Kat decide if she wants to stay with him or go back to her real parents and that choice will be up to her. However, it's somewhat implied that he already thinks that she would naturally choose her real parents if she had the opportunity.

Despite his wishes to be her father, he still seems to be internally preparing himself to say goodbye (hence why he disappeared for so long in the first place.) He just doesn’t want to get too close to another person only to lose them and suffer alone again.

It makes sense why he is distancing himself, but he’ll still solve the mystery. It's what “Professor Layton” would do and he’ll have to accept whatever happens once Kat learns the truth. He doubts that she would still see him as her dad if she could be with her real parents. He doesn't even know himself outside of the role of "Professor Layton" so how can he be a true father to her? She'll go away with her real family eventually anyway. Why would anyone choose him?

And yet when he sees her again Layton is surprised when she immediately cries out for him. She still calls him papa. She wants him to be her papa.

In a public display of overwhelming emotion, we see Layton openly weep for the first time. He is so overcome by these emotions and for once doesn't repress them. He's just so happy to see his daughter again (to truly call Kat his daughter again) and allows himself to fully express those feelings for perhaps the first time in decades.

If Layton from the original game trilogy saw himself like this he would have been mortified by this “un-gentlemanly” behavior. His mindset back then was that a gentleman never cries because he has trouble coming to terms with his emotions. He even chastised Luke in Unwound Future because “a gentleman never makes a scene in public.”

However, he was never a gentleman for himself. It was always for holding onto the guilt of losing his loved ones while trying to honor their memories at the same time. But he doesn’t have to hold himself to those impossible standards anymore. He no longer blames himself for their deaths, he found closure, and now he has found himself in a family who chooses to love him not because of those attributes “Professor Layton” embodied, but because she loves him for the person hidden under that persona. And that is enough for Layton to openly weep as he embraces his child.

I believe Kat's words here helped Layton more than she'll ever know.

So who is Hershel Layton if he’s not a gentleman or a fan of archeology?

The solution to that puzzle is really quite simple.

He is a caring person. And that’s all he ever needs to be.

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mariabtsos · 3 months

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Unsinkable ||j.jk|| — Chapter 6

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Description: The 1910s are the peak of passenger ships, it was also the peak of classism, Jungkook is a third class immigrant from Korea, and you are a first class “prisoner” not wanting to go back to a life of strict standards. Once you meet Jungkook, life seems worth living, but when tragedy strikes, will you guys make it out to live the life you planned?

Genre: Titanic AU, poor/artist!JK x rich!f reader, angst, fluff, very slight smut, forbidden love.

Warnings: ANGST, major character death, mention of grave injuries, blood, thoughts of death and drowning, descriptions of mass panic.

Word Count: 1.4k+

Jungkook was stressed, or maybe that was an understatement. He was almost able to get away from Yoongi's grip if it wasn't for the Master-at-Arms being right there. They left him in that room, handcuffed to a pipe whilst the aforementioned went back to the main deck to assist with the evacuation of the ship.

Jungkook didn't think that he would die in a sinking ship, he had done so many other dangerous things in his short life. He reminisced about the time he was ice fishing with Chris and the ice gave out underneath him, the water was so cold, but he was quick to get out. He’d been to those county fair roller coasters and gotten off just before a piece of the track fell apart. He didn’t usually consider himself to be lucky until now, when he realized he had taken all the other times he had escaped being seriously injured or worse for granted.

How long had he been handcuffed?

The room slowly filled more and more with water, slowly tipping over where he had to hold on to a pipe to ensure he wouldn't hurt himself or his wrist. He'd hoped his death would be quick, then again he'd known from a book one of his parisian muses let him read, that if pain is what you wanted, drowning was the way to go. He wished he could've seen you one more time, that he would have kissed your lips one more time.

His laments were interrupted by a door being broken open, and he was shocked to see you there, water almost up to your waist, accompanied by Chris and an ax. “Yn? Chris? What the hell are you doing?” He questioned as both of them pushed through the water to make it to him, “we're not going to let you die, Jungkookie,” Chris said.

Getting to Jungkook had been challenging, you had to escape your mother, Namjoon and Yoongi after they had dragged you to the first class staircase to wait, it took strength and you spitting on Namjoon's face, but you'd be damned to go live a life that would be worse than dying on this boat.

On your way down, you ran into three young men who you found rather quickly to be Jungkook’s friends, and at first, when all three found out what your lover's fate was, they wanted to go with you, Chris however, insisted if anything were to happen Jungkook would be angry if all four of them died.

It was a funny thing to have to think about at such a young age, death. They were all in their early 20s and you were barely 21, you had so much to live and yet right at this moment, it was uncertain whether you'd be alive in the next hour. Ultimately, Chris came with you because Jungkook had been his friend for the better part of 4 years, and he was not going to leave him to drown, at least not on his own.

Chris had walked you through how to use the ax and had you make a couple practice swings, before you moved on to your main target.

“You've got this darling, I know you won't hurt me,” Jungkook assured you, and you were doing your best to hold back your tears, because one wrong cut and you coming down here would be for nothing. But luckily that wasn't the case, the cuffs around his wrist split and now they were like two bracelets, you let go of the ax which made a big splash

He wasted no time bringing you into his arms, hugging you tightly and kissing your head, and then hugging Chris, “we have to go if we want to make it to a lifeboat with Taehyung and Jimin,” the latter said, and you all made your best effort to run since there was no way of telling when the next burst of water would make it through.

It was unfortunately too soon.

The water came quick as you ran to the last working elevator, it sounded like a stampede of horses was running through the ship, the sound ever close as you finally had started to notice a difference in the water's height, you were starting to see your feet again, although a little too late.

You heard a loud groan, seeing that Chris had fallen behind, “Chan!” You heard Jungkook call, was that also Chris' name? “There was a hole in the wood, my foot’s stuck,” he struggled as attempted to get his foot out, Jungkook immediately jumped to help him, trying his best to be gentle, “damn you and your big feet,” his doe eyes were filling with tears they could now see the water coming quickly toward them, if they didn't get him out of there quick enough they would be dragged back, and would likely die.

“I don't care if my foot is hurt, just pull me out”

You joined in their attempts at liberating the poor man, and the screams that followed made you nearly burst into tears, it was just in time, as his foot popped out — you didn't dare look at it, afraid of it's condition — the water gushed down the hallway, loud impact of the waves against the walls of the ship, running for the small box that would bring you up to the main deck.

But it wasn't there, the gate was closed, and the lift was gone from where you had left it. You could feel your eyes swell with tears. Was this how you were going to go? Drowned in a ship never to be seen again? Because your body would most likely stay with the ship, would it even survive the depths of the ocean?

“There's a staircase this way!” Chris yelled, you saw the two men starting to run and so did you. As the water level kept getting lower thanks to what you could only assume was the way the ship was sinking.

It took some time, but you made it up the main deck just in time to see the chaos and panic. Men rushed to help lower the lifeboats, as well as women of all classes yelling for their husbands as they were placed in boats, or yelling for their children as they frantically looked through the main deck.

“LUCY?! Please has anyone seen my Lucy?! I can't leave the ship without her!” A mother screamed next to you, running through the crowd of people, looking through every nook and cranny. You watched as she went inside the boat once more, and you hoped she would be able to get out if she went any lower than any of the higher decks.

Your attention was ripped away when you heard the sound of gunshots ring.

“NO!” You heard a loud scream, seeing a circle forming in front of one of the lifeboats. The voice sounded familiar, and you hadn't realized you were moving until you felt Jungkook's hand sliding into yours, “you move quickly through a crowd,” the small joke making you chuckle. It was refreshing and appreciated. You pushed through, and once you finally made it to the front of the circle you dropped Jungkook's hand.

Yoongi was crying over Namjoon's body.

“I told you to stay back, women and children only!” The officer standing with his gun drawn spat back. “So you shoot him?! You incompetent fuck?!” Yoongi's eyes seemed to have a never ending stream of tears, his voice uneven. You knew that Namjoon and him were close since childhood, Yoongi had been working with Namjoon for a long time, his dad had worked with the aforementioned's family before Yoongi started to years later.

You slowly walked up to Yoongi, placing your hand on his shoulder “WHAT?!” He turned to you, his features softening, something he'd never done toward you, you looked down to see your ex-betrothed, his white shirt had a large scarlet stain in his stomach. “Ynie?” You heard him call, “Yoongi hyung?”

“We're here Namjoon-ah,” Yoongi sobbed, even in his weak state, Namjoon's dimpled smile made an appearance, “I'm sorry for being for being an ass to you Ynie,” you couldn't help the few tears that spilled from your eyes, the dragon eyed man stared up at your lover, giving him a stern nod which the younger man reciprocated, you sobbed watching the wordless exchange. “Take good care of them hyung,” he sighed.

You watched as Namjoon's grip on Yoongi's shoulder was slowly losing strength, until the only thing keeping their hands together was Yoongi desperately holding onto his best friend. You watched as he continued to sob for a few more minutes, the crow's dispersing in their own panic trying to reach a lifeboat, until he only sniffled.

“Let's get out of here,” Yoongi said sternly, “where are the rest of your friends Jeon?”

#bts fanfic #bts #bts au #jeon jungkook #jungkook au #jungkook fanfic #jungkook x reader #jungkook angst

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loveinhawkins · 1 year

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Thinking again about theater kid Dustin so naturally I had to come to you 💙 Specifically I’m thinking about Dustin auditioning for a community theater production of Jesus Christ Superstar with an eccentric director who convinces Eddie to audition for Judas. He knows his reputation and thinks his notoriety will add an extra meta layer to the role (and get some butts in the seats he’s gotta keep the lights on somehow). Eddie is reluctant to put himself in the spotlight but ultimately does cause Dustin is excited about it. Also he’s really good? He plays it completely sincerely which no one is expecting, really leans into the interpretation that Judas was in love with Jesus and amps up the tragedy. (Afterwards Steve also asks him if that kiss with Jesus is in the script or…?)

i love this so much, thank you for sharing with me! ❤️ theatre kid Dustin is just so incredibly precious & i just love the thought of him having so much fun with it in his future. like i see him as such a little social butterfly, i think everyone in the theatre group would adore him (i’m always so upset when his peers make fun of him at the snow ball, no, that’s my boy!!!)

and oh my god Jesus Christ superstar yes!!! yeah i can see Eddie being so hesitant about it, like the thought of how certain factions of hawkins might still view him makes him nauseous.

but the director—who maybe knows through close-knit community theatre circles that a very young Eddie once played Action in West Side Story (i love your story so much ❤️)—has one last parting shot which convinces him.

“So you never want to have fun ever again?”

… Huh, Eddie thinks.

he still asks for Dustin’s approval, all too concerned with the thought that this is Dustin’s thing and maybe he’s overstepping or something, or—

“Holy shit, that’s some seriously impressive over-thinking,” Dustin says. “You’re my friend, asshole.”

And maybe he says it with a tone, but he means I wanna hang out more with you not less!

so Eddie takes the role and of course he’s brilliant—okay everyone’s got opinions on the auto tune used in Tim Minchin’s rendition but dear god the depths in his eyes, the acting. also maybe the director does a present day take like that version did & Eddie’s jokingly like “I could wear the hellfire tshirt” & the director’s eyes light up & Eddie quickly goes, “No. That was a joke, it wouldn’t even make sense.”—and maybe there’s something empowering in playing this figure when people once said his name and the Devil’s in the same breath.

Maybe, maybe.

and oh we all know who Eddie is thinking about when he’s singing:

I don't know how to love him I don't know why he moves me He's a man, he's just a man He's not a king, he's just the same As anyone I know He scares me so

and

Does he love, does he love me too? Does he care for me?

And oh on a lighthearted note, Steve asking if the kiss is in the script has me in hysterics, especially if this is pre-them getting together.

just the thought of Steve staring grumpily any time there’s a scene with Jesus & Judas—the guy who plays Jesus is maybe like a couple years older than Eddie, not originally from Hawkins perhaps so he’s kinda not fully aware of Eddie’s history & sure, he’s nice, but he’s just not on Eddie’s radar at all.

So when Steve asks if the kiss was in the script (not that he cares! At all! He doesn’t care! Look at how much he doesn’t care!), Eddie stares at him for a long moment and says, “Steve. Did you think I improvved the Bible?”

Dustin, who is also here—currently doing English homework up on a barstool in Steve’s kitchen while Eddie & Steve lounge on the couch—sighs very loudly and says, “How the fuck am I supposed to know what role dialogue plays in Much Ado About Nothing?”

Eddie waves a hand distractedly at him. “Just make it up.”

“I can’t just because my way through Shakespeare,” Dustin says, adds in a huffy undertone, “this isn’t one of your campaigns.”

Eddie mimes being stabbed in the heart. “Oh, betrayal!”

“So it was in the script?” Steve says.

“Oh for—yes, Steve, it was,” Eddie says. “It’s called acting. Also, it was on the cheek.”

“So?”

“So—ugh, just—” Eddie tugs on Steve’s wrist impulsively, while another part of his brain is screaming in vain for him to stop. “Come here.”

“What’re you doing?”

“I’m just showing you how fucking little it—”

I’m never finishing this essay, Dustin thinks. My home life is distracting and chaotic.

And Eddie kisses Steve very very chastely on the cheek, just to show it was nothing, that’s all, but Steve can feel Eddie’s breath on his skin, the warmth of his lips, and Eddie doesn’t really think it through until he does it and then oh shit, his heart is pounding—

“Oh, yup cool,” Steve says. “That’s—yeah, wow, that’s it? Huh. I need some air.”

“From your own house?” Dustin says, to the front door already slamming shut.

And Eddie’s eyes are wide and shiny, like, did I fuck up, and it takes all of Dustin’s self control to not roll his eyes and slam his face into his book.

Then he softens a bit, remembers looking out into the audience and seeing Steve silently crying while Eddie sang You have murdered me.

“You’re so dumb,” Dustin tells Eddie as gently as he can. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“Uh.” Eddie blinks. “Did I—should I…?”

Dustin sighs wearily, slings his backpack over his shoulder. And he has a parting shot of his own:

“I’m not waiting through another production for you two to get your shit together.”

#i hope this repays even a little bit the joy i had thinking about this! ❤️#dustin henderson headcanons #eddie munson headcanons #steddie headcanon #steddie hcs #henderfam #steddie #eddie and dustin #steve and dustin #steddie ficlet #dustin henderson #steve x eddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #JCS AU

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infinitywrites · 1 year

Text

I Didn't Expect You Part 4 ~ Conrad Fisher

(Part 3) (Masterlist) (Part 5)

gif credit @laurens-german

synopsis: Y/N never expected it to be the summer that everything changed. Conrad, Belly and Steven were all dealing with the consequences of recent break ups while Jeremiah's wasn't acting like himself. Susannah was undergoing treatment that provided unpredictable health results and kept her loved ones on the edge of tragedy. Had they drained the well of the magic of Cousin's beach? Or could something new fulfil it again?

warnings: multichapter slow burn, warnings will update with every chapter, timeline is both POST S2 and a retelling of S2 with changes, everyone swears A LOT, 4th of July party, ANGST between Jeremiah/Conrad, ANGST between Conrad/Y/N, Nicole (sorry to this Queen), Conrad's friend Danny (made him into my own thing), hints of Belly/Jeremiah, I don't know shit about sports

word count: 4,141

___________________________________________

I feel like no one wants me

And I hate the way I'm perceived

I only have two real friends

'Cause I love people I don't like

All I did was try my best

Ego crush is so severe

God, it's brutal out here

Got a broken ego, broken heart

I decided I needed sustenance before heading into the lion's den and popped a bacon wrapped scallop in my mouth. Nicole sidled up next to me in no time, refilling her plate.

"Someone's got game." Her voice was low, unassuming and her eyes were focused on the desserts when I looked at her.

I almost spit out my margarita, "You're kidding, right?"

She giggled, "Nuh uh. I got to watch you in action twice now. Danny was eating out of the palm of your hand and even Cam looked weak."

"OhmiGod, Cam is Belly's ex!"

Nicole shrugged, "Okay, fair but I don't blame you for Danny cause he's definitely been working out." Our eyeline shifted to where he was laughing with Jeremiah and Steven.

"He's at school for a baseball scholarship, of course he works out." Her look of unabashed thirst would never not amuse me.

"Fuck, that's so hot." She looked like she was about to swallow her tongue.

Without another word Nicole walked off in his direction and I smiled as I watched her get her flirt game on and trail her fingers up his bicep. My mind drifted back to the house as I downed the last of my margarita before I headed inside to poke the bear.

He was in the kitchen, drinking from a dark liquor bottle when I walked in. His sullen eyes met mine for a long moment, "Where's your boyfriend?"

"Would you shut the fuck up for like a second?" The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them as I leaned against the island on my palms. Conrad rolled his eyes and turned his body away from me. That set me off again, "Since when the fuck do you talk so much anyway? My god the stupid fucking shit that flies–"

He put his bottle down, "Since when the fuck so you swear so much?" It was disconcerting how much calmer he was than me. It spurred me on.

"Since you, asshole!" I didn't even realize how angry I was until the words came flying out and the adrenaline spiked higher. "Since you make me so fucking mad I wanna tear my own hair out! And I thought we made progress the other night. How fucking stupid am I?" I took a long breath and felt the heat prickle my cheeks. I should have brought in another frozen margarita.

The look on Conrad's face changed and his voice went soft, "You've never been stupid a day in your life."

"Fuck you, I'm not done!" I wasn't done being pissed at him for trying to ruin a perfectly good day. "Do you even know who asked me to come in after you? Your friend, Danny. Sweet Danny who was genuinely worried that he hurt your feelings, you fucking–"

His eyes narrowed cruelly, "Oh, poor sweet Danny who wrangled an invitation to 4th party just to drool all over you apparently."

"Are you seriously fucking jealous right now?"

Conrad's mouth snapped shut as his eyes widened in panic for a second and I couldn't have cared less, "I didn't want to steal his attention away from you, Conrad. I was just saying hi…you know, like a nice person."

"Mhm. I'm sure he's got lots of ideas of how you can be nice to him." He took another swig from his bottle.

I couldn't even look at him anymore so I squeezed my eyes shut until I could. "Jesus, I'm not gonna date your friend, okay?!? Not if really you don't want me to."

When I opened my eyes Conrad looked shocked, "What? Seriously?"

It was the last thing I was expecting and I could feel myself start to calm down finally, "I mean, yeah. If it bugs you that much."

I could tell he was thinking about it. "Y/N…"

"Unless it really was the stupid fucking baseball shit." It was the shift in his tone of voice. I couldn't handle it.

Conrad paused, "I mean, he is a fucking liar. It's…" I spluttered a laugh and couldn't even hear his very important correction. "What? It's true." Conrad shrugged miserably and placed his bottle back on the counter.

I thought about Danny's request when I said, "I'm sure it is. I just have no idea what you're talking about."

Conrad rolled his eyes and I sighed.

"How is it I've known you my whole life and I never knew the absolute stats nerd hidden under that 90s heartthrob hair?" The second I walked into that kitchen I could barely believe the words coming out of my mouth. I was cutting myself off from another margarita even though I wanted it.

"You think I'm a 90s heartthrob?" He was leaning on the other side of the island and peering at me quizzically. I thought I could even see the hint of smirk under his misery.

"Ohmigod, that's what you got from that?" My face was screwed up in disbelief. His ego had no bounds.

"Uh, that was definitely the most important part."

"Oh so you're a delusional nerd too?" This was better than sulking Conrad or angry Conrad but only by an inch.

He paused and shrugged like he was shaking off the rest of his sour mood. And then I felt him focus his stare directly at me in a way I'd never experienced. I didn't have to look up at him to know what I'd find. Was this the shameless confidence that Belly always talked about? The silence was bad enough. He always did that; said the thing I least expected or never said anything at all after I did. He'd just wait and look at me, expectantly until I felt like I couldn't breathe.

The silence was never comfortable so I mustered the last bits of my courage and looked him square in the face, "Not everyone is flirting with you, Conrad."

His smile grew for the first time since he thought he was on a winning streak in the pool. The unsettling thing about it was it seemed like he knew something I didn't. Conrad was nodding and considering the statement as he stepped around the island to stand in front of me on the other side.

I gasped softly when his eyes flashed back to mine and muttered, "You sure?" He lingered in the moment and I felt a calloused fingertip graze the back on my hand gripping the island countertop. Just when the static in my brain started the clear and I could breathe again, Conrad leaned into my ear to whisper,

"Or do you save that for Danny now?"

He stayed close but he had to be drunker than I thought and fucking with me again so I took a breath and tried not to take the bait. Maybe it was my turn to say the thing he least expected for once. I didn't want to have to look him in the eye again after that, "I…you know, sometimes I can't tell and it's unintentional. Danny probably did the same thing. He's just a nice guy."

He scoffed and took a step back. "Sure. Not like you'd notice either way."

I looked at him then and shook my head in confusion, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Conrad opened his mouth as he stepped closer again but was shocked into place when he heard his brother calling for him from the other room. "Connie!"

He had the decency to look at me apologetically before directing him to the kitchen. When I saw Jeremiah's expression was serious and fixed on Conrad, I used that opportunity to make my exit. I took a few minutes in the bathroom to splash some water on my face and assess the pink hue in my skin as flush or sunburn. It didn't take long before I started to hear raised voices. I debated whether to investigate or leave them to it, if it was even the Fisher brothers at all, but when I thought about how Susannah wouldn't be able to deal with it like she always did, I knew I had to make sure it wouldn't get out of hand.

I caught pieces of the story as I walked back towards the kitchen. Susannah and Adam had been separated for a year now but he'd helped throughout as he should. He helped more than he did when they were together if Conrad was telling the truth. I heard Jeremiah accuse Conrad of scaring Adam away from the party altogether. It was true, Adam Fisher was nowhere to be found for the first time since I could remember. It was strange to think about now when he'd showed up for a few short hours the year before.

Jeremiah's tone was firm. "What gave you the right?"

"Get over it, Jere. They're not even together anymore." In contrast, Conrad sounded like this was the last conversation he wanted to have.

"You think I don't know that?"

"This is Mom's house and her party. You really think she wants him here?"

"I think she wanted him at Thanksgiving and Christmas and when the treatment got really bad in the Spring too. Oh, but that's right you had finals and weren't around much then, moping around after you screwed things up with Belly." My eyes squeezed shut at the dig. This could escalate badly.

"Fuck you, you know I came home every second I could!"

"I was there every day!"

"Okay?! Okay! What do you want, a medal?" I hoped the breath I huffed wasn't audible enough for them to hear.

Jeremiah shook his head out of the corner of my eye, "Did you even ask her? Cause you're right, this is her party and she should have decided. Not you." The footsteps were heavy across the tile as he left and I heard the door slam behind him.

Conrad sighed. "You heard every word of that, didn't you?"

I winced and came out of hiding around the corner to see him leaning heavy on the island like it was the only thing holding him up at this point. His liquor bottle of choice was abandoned by the sink. "I'm sorry...but not every word and I didn't mean to, I swear. I was just in the bathroom."

"It's okay. It's not your fault. Actually it's my fault. As per usual." He didn't move from his spot as his eyes carved holes into the countertop.

"Don't say that." My heart ached for him without my permission. Maybe Conrad fucked up by not inviting Adam or telling him not to show up at all but some of what Jeremiah said was unfair. And it wasn't hard to see that his brother was taking every word to heart no matter what.

"Why not? It's true. It's the only fucking thing I'm good at anymore." He looked up finally, lost.

"Connie, come on."

The words seemed to shock him out of his emotional spiral. His brows raised and while the smile on his face was immediate, it fell just as quick, "I can't remember the last time you called me Connie."

"I think I do, actually." Apparently it was infectious because now I was smiling at a memory I thought I'd lost.

When I looked his way again, he was watching me expectantly with the hint of that same sweet smile on his face. It was the least I could do since he seemed interested in the distraction from his own thoughts.

"There was this girl in my freshman year named Connie and I remember thinking it was hilarious that it was a girl's name. Kinda gross of me, honestly."

"I would say," he interrupted but was still listening.

"Do you wanna hear the story or not?" His hands raised in defeat as he chuckled. "I told Belly I was gonna torture you with it that summer; calling you every famous Connie I could come up with. TV characters and political figures but she got really upset and said you'd be mad so 'please don't'. So I tried to forget about it entirely so I wasn't tempted."

When I looked up again, Conrad was looking at me with an expression I couldn't quite figure out so I kept on. "And it must have worked too because I forgot about it until this second."

He nodded slowly, "Does that mean I get to call you Y/N/N again?"

I rolled my eyes at the old nickname and conceded, "I guess it's only fair."

We ended up heading back towards the party and paused to look outside sliding door windows at the view of the patio. He nudged me, "So you've grown to like my name."

I didn't need to look at him to know he was trying to shift his mood before we went back to everyone who was oblivious about what had gone down inside. "Damn, the confidence with which you said that completely inaccurate statement."

"Mm, say it again." He muttered and I shot him a glare so fast I couldn't believe he kept talking. "But softer."

My patience was battling against the need for physical violence but I let it out verbally. "Maybe try therapy if that gives you a nerdgasm." I was gonna get a lot of traction out of this nerd thing.

"Exposure therapy maybe." The mood shift was successful if I could base it on his teasing tone and goofy smile.

"I said I wasn't flirting with you, dummy." I didn't mean to bring it up again since it wasn't that serious but it wasn't the only thing I'd said that I was gonna regret after the fact.

Conrad scrunched his face in disbelief, "That's definitely not what you said. Actually, we decided you wouldn't know if someone was flirting with you. Case in point."

I could barely listen to him anymore and I gestured for him to quit it. "Fine, whatever, I'm saying it now. Not flirting. Can we move on?" I knew he was looking at me then but I refused to do the same.

"No." His response was immediate and I saw him register the shock, like it even surprised him a little that he'd said it.

I didn't have a choice then and could only gape in his direction, eyes struck wide by his stubborn streak.

Conrad turned to me and stepped closer like he'd made a decision. "Even if you weren't, I was. And I want you to know so I'm telling you now, straight up, to your face, so later you can't explain it away or pretend I didn't…flirt with you."

And that's when I realized he did know something I didn't. I was such an idiot. He broke his steady gaze for a second and chuckled, "I didn't mean to at first and then…I don't think I can stop now."

If all that wasn't enough, he wasn't done. "I don't want to." Conrad leant close then and his voice dropped an octave, "I mean, why does he get to when I can't?"

I heard the sliding door shift open and closed but didn't see it from my frozen state, staring at a corner piece of the door frame. I sucked in an unsteady breath and looked up just in time to see him look back at me from the edge of the pool, quickly before he jumped in.

My nerves were shot and despite the cool air inside the house compared to the heavy July sun, my hairline was damp. My mind was blank and racing at the same time; no thought coherent in the slightest so I shut it down completely. No more thinking, not that I could think myself out of this one anyway. I waited until I could breathe normally and wasn't overheating from the inside before I stepped back out to the patio and steered directly to the drinks table for my third frozen margarita.

The rest of the party was fairly uneventful in comparison but still great. No more drunken drama or broken family heirlooms to Belly's great relief. In fact, I found a lot of peace watching her for the rest of the night; giggling with her friends, swimming until her limbs cramped up and flirting with Jeremiah if I could read the signals right. He seemed elated by the development and I let myself be happy for them instead of diving into the complications of that potential. No more thinking.

At one point, I watched Conrad grab Danny's shoulder, both of them nursing their last beers of the night, and mutter something to him that looked serious enough to be an apology. Danny shook his head with a smile and gripped him in a fierce hug. I didn't even realize I was smiling at the sight until Danny's eyes caught mine and he mouthed a grateful 'thank you'. It was so sweet I had to put down my margarita and rethink my life choices. I caught Aunt Laur and Susannah sitting together and seeing it too: Laurel pouted her bottom lip at her friend and Susannah's eyes sparkled with unshed tears.

When the party got to the point of only relying on the patio and pool lights, I distracted myself with the first steps of organized clean up. Steven joined me not long after, saying that he needed an excuse for a quiet task to keep his hands busy. Usually I would have pressed for more information but I was surviving off fumes by that point. Maybe everyone was. Nicole and Danny stopped by to say goodbye and thanked us for a great party. I hugged them both and looked around to realize that it was only the family left after that. Jeremiah and Belly said something about how they'd make up for their clean up crew shift in the morning and were nowhere to be found after that.

Eventually, when Susannah's porcelain serving platter almost slipped from my hands and into pieces on the kitchen floor, Laurel told me I'd done enough and shooed me upstairs. I debated washing the day off before I crashed into bed but worried I'd actually fall asleep under the warm spray. I'd just managed to get into a baggy Cousin's Rowing t-shirt and sleep shorts before I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

It was the creak of the old wooden drawers of Belly's dresser that pulled me out of deep slumber. The room was bright with sunlight shining through the curtains and I had slept right on anyway. I yawned as Belly made a face in my direction and grabbed her crop top.

"I'm sorry! I was just gonna change before I got to the beach. I don't wanna miss the chance on our last day."

"What time is it?" I looked around the room when my phone wasn't on my nightstand like usual. It landed on the end of my bed with a thump.

"After 10. Here. I found it on the kitchen table when I came in last night. Figured I should plug it in for you."

I smiled and saw that it was, indeed, fully charged. "You're sweet."

"The least I could do. You barely left anything for me and Jere to finish up this morning."

"Yeah, I was on a mission." I looked at her smiley face as she pulled her top over her bikini. "So. About you and Jere…"

Belly was never good at hiding things from me and her face screamed guilt even as she tried to shrug it off. "What do you mean?"

"Belly. Come on." She looked at me then, waiting. "You guys hung out all day yesterday and then you left together last night. What's going on there?"

The poor thing looked scared, "You're not mad?"

I rolled my eyes, "Is there something to be mad about? I mean, if you guys like each other…it's not gonna be easy but there are worse things."

"Wow, you should sleep in more often. Oh, don't forget to check the kitchen when you get up. Conrad went out early and got the good muffins."

"Oh, nice. But you're not off the hook about this Jere thing."

She pulled her lip balm out of her pocket and smeared it across her bottom lip. "It's not anything yet. When there's something to tell, I'll let you know."

"You better."

I took a moment to check my phone and saw an unread message from an unknown number. Hey, it's Danny. Jeremiah swore it was cool if he gave me your number so I hope that's okay. It was nice seeing you yesterday. The look on my face must have given me away because Belly was laughing at my expense in almost no time.

"Let me guess. Danny decided to text you after all." She wiggled her brows and giggled.

"Did you know about this?"

"I was there when Jere was trying to convince him. Poor guy actually thought you rejected him because of Conrad." Belly didn't seem to notice if my face reacted to that tidbit. "I told him there wasn't any reason you couldn't come back to Cousin's this summer if you had some good incentive."

She wasn't wrong. It wasn't like I had plans like Steven and Belly. I didn't need to be anywhere until the middle of August. I didn't need to shut everything down before it even started; before giving it a chance to be something to forget about at all. It was a nice thought that was almost immediately ruined by Conrad's look of relief when I told him I'd do the exact opposite. Maybe in a different world where I wasn't leaving for California in five weeks, or if I had any concrete plans of spending more time in Cousin's this summer, I'd feel different. Not to mention that I still didn't have the slightest idea where Conrad's head was at after yesterday and I wasn't sure I even wanted to. The world in which I could be excited about this didn't exist and it was time to make peace with that.

"You know he invited me to his ball game? I can't believe I have to leave before seeing him in those white pants."

"Y/N!" Belly threw her stuffed polar bear, Junior Mint, at my chest and I caught it with a laugh. "I knew you liked him. He got so much hotter this year, I'm a little jealous I didn't get there first."

I gasped dramatically, "I'm telling Jeremiah!"

"I'm kidding…kind of. I mean, I'm definitely leaving but Danny Wilder could inspire a hot girl summer."

"Mm. Period." I looked back at the text and wondered if I should just leave it altogether. My stomach grumbled and it distracted me enough to leave it be for now and wave Belly off to the beach to have her fun.

I shuffled down the stairs to the kitchen after my shower, remembering the muffins Belly said would be waiting for me. The box was on the island like always and I smiled at the small victory. I really should have missed my chance at one, let alone my favourite, coming down after 11am. I opened the box and considered my choices when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked towards the sound and found Conrad standing in the doorway.

"Uh…I uh, saved you a carrot. It's under the cake plate." He gestured to the other side of the counter where it waited for me.

"Oh. Thanks." I walked that way and saw him shift his stance uncomfortably, and look down at his feet. I forced myself to give him the credit he deserved at that moment with a look of sincerity. "You didn't have to do that."

He looked pleasantly surprised, "It's no problem. You uh…call it a thanks for cleaning up last night. My mom really appreciated it."

"Of course. Anything for Susannah."

It was the most polite we'd ever been to each other in our entire lives. I wasn't even sure it was real since there were no witnesses to prove I wasn't making the whole thing up somehow. Belly and Steven would laugh in my face if I told them. But that didn't stop the awkwardness from getting worse by the second and finally I couldn't take it anymore. Conrad looked like he wanted to say something else but I couldn't hear it, whatever it was and I was scared that I already knew. Instead of giving him the chance, I mumbled a quick 'thanks again' and 'see you later' before bolting back upstairs with my carrot muffin in hand and shut the door behind me. I leaned back against it and wondered how I'd avoid whatever that was for the next 24 hours before my time in Cousin's would come to an end.

___________________________________________

author's note: I hope you enjoyed part 2 of 4th of July! How are we feeling at this point? Don't worry because there's still lots more story to come even if Y/N thinks her journey is ending. Next chapter is a day at the boardwalk! Thank you again for the continued support 💚💛🧡❤️. Reply with comments and let me know if you wanna be added to my taglist. If you'd like to ask me about any upcoming chapter warnings you wanna be warned of ahead of time (angst? 18+ smut?) then come visit my blog with any questions and I'll be happy to answer!

taglist: @c4rpediem-s @jackierose902109 @lcvecstiel @h0t-as-h3ll @stylesxroyalty @fandom-addict404 @hellofutur @junnniiieee07 @shelby-x @historygeekqueen

#conrad fisher #conrad fisher x reader #conrad fisher x y/n #conrad fisher x you #team conrad #the summer i turned pretty #tsitp conrad #the summer i turned pretty au #the summer i turned pretty imagine #the summer i turned pretty fanfic #conrad fisher fanfic #conrad fisher imagine #conrad fisher au #conrad fisher x fem!reader #Spotify

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callmewrinkles3 · 1 year

Text

Long Live - DR3 x fem!OC

Summary: An early morning phone call, a failed concussion exam, and an Instagram post lead to just one thing. A statement from Red Bull Racing released the Thursday morning before Silverstone. Oracle Red Bull Racing regret that Max Verstappen has failed his concussion assessment following his crash at the Red Bull Ring last week. Max is doing well, but as per the medical advice he will not drive in the event this weekend. In his place Third Driver Daniel Ricciardo will drive the RB19 for this weekend.

Warnings: Mentions of past crashes, Blake and Em scheming, mentions of cheating (not our loves!)

Words: 8.6k

A/N: Happy Danny Ric Race Week! This has been planned for…yeah so long. So, so long. Silverstone has been where so much of our stuff hinged and we’re so excited to get to share at last. Let us know what you think.

July 2023

Em glared at her suitcase. Dan’s was neatly packed - not that he needed much, his outfit for the weekend was jeans and Red Bull merch. But she needed a week and a bit of clothes for their time in Northamptonshire, plus changes. And with a limited supply thanks to the now prominent bump she was miserable about it. But they had to leave in the next few minutes or they might be late getting to Silverstone.

“You packed?” Dan asked, watching her shake her head. “Does the new stuff help?”

“Yeah. It feels ok.” The box had been sitting at reception waiting for them when they got back from the whistle stop trip to Perth, a gift from Lewis when he found out about her pregnancy. She’d mentioned once or twice that she hated the feel of some fabrics, and the clothes were soft and stretchy, comfortable for her and the baby. She was wearing one of them now, a lilac empire waist dress with black leggings that helped support her belly.

“Gimme a sec.” His phone started ringing almost too loudly for seven fifteen, Em zipping the case but leaving it for Dan to lift. Charlie had texted a photo of the brunch she and Blake had gone for that morning. He wasn’t back until the tyre test, and she missed having him there.

“Emmy?” Dan sounded dazed as he came into the room.

“Yeah? What’s up?”

It was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “I’m driving this weekend. I…I’m in the car this weekend. Max didn’t pass concussion protocol, the new rules are if you don’t pass it before Thursday morning you don’t pass for the weekend. I’m in his car. Fuck. I’m driving.”

He lifted her with a grin, spinning her around and holding as tightly as he could before Em kissed her husband, separating with a grin.

“You’re driving the RB19? For the race?”

“Yeah.”

“We need to tell everyone.”

It was a frantic phone call to Blake as they piled into the car, Dan putting the bags in the boot. The first two attempts went unanswered, but finally the third was answered.

“Dan I swear to God I used to leave you and Em alone when you were-“

“Blake it’s Em. I’m using his phone.”

“Oh, shit. Sorry. What’s up Timmy?”

“You and Charlie need to get on a plane. Dan’s driving this weekend. Max is out after the crash last week, he’s in.”

They’d watched the race the previous weekend from Perth, Checo crashing into Max at turn three and pushing them both off track. The two cars had been pushed into the barrier, Max losing consciousness for a moment. Em had watched terrified until she heard him over the radio, Dan gripping her hand tightly. It could have been so much worse, especially on a weekend already filled with tragedy.

“Fuck. Seriously? What time is it what can we get?” Blake’s voice came through the speakers in the car as Em was already searching flights. She turned the tablet to Dan, pointing at the direct Qantas one and the five tickets she had ready to go.

“I’m booking you on the Qantas direct, you get in here at five tomorrow morning. Give Callum a call, tell him to come too. I’ve business for Joe and Grace, the three of you are stuck in economy I’m sorry.”

“That doesn’t matter, we’ll get there. Somehow. You sure about Cal?” It was Charlie speaking and Em smiled.

“Positive. He’ll love it, we’ve got the passes. He can watch the race from the garage.”

“Ok. I’m gonna get packed and call Cal. Want me to pick up your parents?”

“They’ll probably pick you up, you’re at Charlies?” The organisation decided, Charlie promised to text when the five of them were at the airport. While Dan drove Em got on the phone with Qantas, putting on her charm and using her surname liberally so she could try get seats organised. It wasn’t much, but Charlie and Blake had a row to themselves and Callum had extra leg room so it was a little more comfortable.

The last thing she could do before relaxing for the drive was stare at her instagram account. The original plan was she’d wait at the hotel for the night so the pregnancy news could die down. But now she had to be there in just two hours. The post was written, ready to go, the carefully staged photos of their vans and the baby ones Dan had bought the day after they found out she was pregnant but had hidden until things were safe. The tiny little scan photo showing their bean. This was real.

“Ready for the world to know you knocked me up?” It was crude and blunt and made Dan laugh so it was worth it, Em grinning as his laughter filled the car.

“Ready for the world to know you’re stuck with me forever?”

“Feels right.”

She hit post, waiting for the chaos. Red Bull were announcing that Max was out at 9.30, so hopefully that would start to overshadow everything. Carefully she read the caption again and smiled at it. Baby Ric. Half Brit, half Aussie, already the coolest kid in the world. We really can’t wait to meet you, sunshine.

This was a good thing. Everyone who needed to know was aware that she was announcing it this weekend. Limited comments made it easy, the people she’d met mostly through Dan commenting congratulations publicly. She could breathe. The world was always going to find out about the baby but this made being pregnant real to her. It was actually happening.

They were nearly to the track when Dan’s phone rang again, Em hitting answer on the car screen.

“Hey Grace, Dan’s driving. We’re almost there.”

“Emmy, how’re you feeling? We’re waiting at the gate, the plane’s here and we should be on soon.”

“I’m good. News about the baby is officially out now.”

“How do you feel?”

“Excited. I think. I’ll tell you tomorrow. Fly safe, tell everyone I love them.”

The roads around the track were closed to the public, Dan getting through when he showed his paddock pass and people recognised him. Finally they were in the car park, pulling into the Red Bull Driver spot. This was real.

“You ready for this?” Em asked, watching as her husband ran his fingers through his hair, the thick gold band glinting in the sun.

“Yeah. I think I am. I want this. I want to be there, I want to drive well. I want to be on that podium again. Do you think I can do it?” It was the most honest he’d been about driving, the most open he’d been apart from nights in bed where only the dark surrounded them.

“Yes. I know you can do this. This is the track where you had your first race, where you did your first test. You can do this, Danny. I believe in you.” His smile lit up at her words as he put his hand on her belly, leaning down to press a kiss to it.

“And for this little one. Can’t embarrass her at the first race people know about her.”

“I thought we agreed it was they until we know?”

“She’s a girl. I know it. Because Lulu isn’t going to make us argue over a boys name, are you sweetheart?” It was quiet for a moment before Dan squeezed her fingers. “Time to face the media.”

“Let’s go.”

The first person in a Red Bull shirt they spotted was Simon, a smile spreading across Em’s face as she saw him. He was sticking to hospitality for most of the weekend, but agreed to help out if needed. It didn’t take long for them to be at the paddock gates, Em staring at them with trepidation.

“Good luck. Lewis went in about five minutes ago with Roscoe, that might have pulled some photogs away. People are delighted for you, there’s gonna be good wishes.”

She nodded at Simon before stepping through the gate, scanning her pass and waiting for Dan. It felt so different to a usual race weekend with him. There was no Michael around, no Blake yet, no bags being carried with helmets or gear. That was all coming down, it’d be there. Right now they needed to make it to Red Bull. She’d sit in hospitality or walk down to Aston to say hi to Lawrence, depending on what was going on. It was fine.

“Daniel! Emma! Congratulations! How does it feel to be driving?” The news had filtered out and questions were being thrown around but Dan just smiled and waved as they made it through the paddock. Different kids and fans came up with hats and merch to sign and he signed it all, Em standing there and fiddling with the FEA bracelet that she rarely took off. A couple of parents made small talk with her while the kids got photos with Dan, running off grinning. But finally they were at the Energy Station.

The moment they arrived in there was rapturous applause, a banner across the seating area with “IT’S A RICCIARDO” and a stork on it. Em blushed and grinned while Dan put an arm around her waist to hold her close as he nodded.

“Thanks guys, thanks. Much appreciated. Any idea where I’m supposed to go?”

“Engineering in five.” Christian stepped up as most of the team went back to where they were supposed to be. “Congratulations on the pregnancy. I know I already said it, but I mean it. You deserve some happiness. Em if you want to stay here feel free, or if you want to go up to Dan’s driver room you can. Is Blake around?”

“On his way back from Perth.” Em pulled a notebook from her handbag, flipping it open with practiced ease. “I’m back to work at least until he’s here, he wasn’t going to come back until testing. What do you need?”

“Just wanted to check timings. I got an email from him for four paddock passes, is that right? Charlie Clarke, Callum Clarke, and Dan’s parents?”

“Yeah. Blake’s partner, her brother, and my in laws. Are they ok?”

“Of course, yeah. You know that. Just wanted to be sure, they’ll be ready for tomorrow. We’ve an engineering briefing, Dan’s in the TV pen. I was going to send someone from PR with him, if you want to put a Red Bull shirt on you can follow him recording Em if you like. Whatever suits. Here’s the list of interviewers”

“Thanks Christian. Give me an hour?”

“Of course. See you in a couple Dan.”

She kissed her husband as chastely as they ever could, smiling at him.

“You know this car inside out. You know it as well as you know me. You know how it behaves. They would be putting Yuki in it and putting you in the Alpha Tauri if they had any doubts about you. You can do this, Baby.” Dan smiled and squeezed her hand before he left.

She sat in the hospitality with tea in front of her, her tablet open tracking the flight from Perth as she drank her tea and ran down the list of interviewers. It’d be easy, and her bump was still small enough that a large tee would be wearable. A woman sat beside her and she smiled.

“Em? Right? I’m Carola.” Em smiled at the other woman, switching off the screen.

“Nice to meet you. You’re Checo’s wife? It’s so lovely to meet you, I’ve seen you at a couple of races.”

“You too. Congratulations. This is your first?”

“It’s our first baby, yeah.” It didn’t hurt as much to say that anymore. Admitting it was the their first baby was true.

“It’s pretty great. This is our fourth, I’m due in October.”

They chatted for a few moments, Dan returning a few minutes later with a shirt for her.

“Vicky said she’d do it with me, but if you want to feel free. Wanna do it?”

“Yeah, let’s.” Dan took her hand to help her up. “We’ll talk later? It’s lovely to meet you Carola, but work calls.”

“Oh?” She seemed confused and Em smiled.

“My day job is his assistant. And his manager’s, but Blake isn’t here today. Time to get going!”

She followed Dan to the pen, smiling and staying out of the cameras as he answered the questions. It was mostly about the car and getting into it, but Ted at Sky couldn’t resist it.

“And your wife is at the track with you today, how does it feel to be able to tell everyone you’re having a baby?”

“Well Em is doing the hard work! But yeah, we’re excited. Its been a really, really good week for us.”

“That’s great. Congratulations to both of you.”

Em ended up back in hospitality while Dan was doing more work, but this time making phone calls left, right, and centre. Every hotel had a call in if they had a spare room, and she finally managed to get a caravan delivered to beside where Dan’s motorhome was. They could put Grace and Joe in the motorhome, Callum on the motorhome couch, and the other four would fit in the caravan. It was tight but could do it. Carola sat beside her as she ended the final call.

“Busy?”

“Yeah. Dan’s parents are flying in from Perth, so getting a caravan for them. How’re you? Are the kids here?”

“No they’re at home. How long have you worked with Daniel?” She was quiet as she spoke, younger than Em.

“Nearly four years? Japan 2019 was my first official race, but we were friends and together for years before that. I was complaining about work, Blake needed an assistant, so here I am.”

“He wanted you to travel?”

“Definitely. Being apart hurt. We’re working out how next year will go if he gets a seat, it’s gonna be toughs with a baby. But it’s worth it.”

“You’ll travel with the baby?”

“Definitely. Dan wants to be hands on and around for everything. We’ll make it work.”

“Oh. Well, this is my first time at Silverstone. Can you tell me about it?”

They chatted until Checo came over and saw them talking, speaking to his wife in Spanish before Carola said goodbye and they went to their own motorhome. Dan was a bit longer, coming back and giving her a kiss.

“Have fun?”

“I have a caravan beside your motorhome, and I had a really good chat with Carola. She’s lovely.”

“Checo’s wife?”

“Yeah. She’s sweet.”

The night was filled with nerves for both of them, different to any other race that Dan had done. Nights before fp1 before were easier. He knew the car. This time it was a car he’d never driven in real life before, but she was determined to be positive. He deserved at least that.

The news that the flight had landed woke them up, Blake promising to make their way up after they showered and ate. It’d be fine, they’d arrive in time for fp2 so she could relax then.

The yells for Dan as they walked into the paddock that morning were overwhelming. There was fans wearing ancient Aston Martin Red Bull 3 hats to make them grin, Em following her husband and holding his hand the entire way through.

Usually she’d be working away but Dan had told her to enjoy it. So she was, sitting in the garage with headphones on, watching as GP gave Dan some last minute encouragement. There he was in his race suit, helmet under his arm as he came across.

“Go fast and be safe.” He grinned as she spoke, kissing her quickly.

“I can do this, right?”

“Of course you can. I’m gonna be right here when you come back.”

She stayed in that spot for the full sixty minutes, watching as they got him used to the car. He wasn’t setting the timing screen alight, but he was firmly in the top ten. And in a sick delight that she’d never admit he was above the McLarens. She’d had to keep her mouth shut around Brown at all times, beating Lando and Oscar gave her a joy.

Instead of hospitality for lunch she went over to Mercedes while Dan was in meetings. Susie had promised a chat, and the two women sat in the sunlight with Roscoe sitting on the bench beside them. Em ate her wrap while petting the dog, promising to stay there for a few minutes while Susie ran back in. Now that she was officially the enemy she couldn’t go in like before, but being with someone was fine.

“Emmy!” She turned and saw Grace a little bit away, her mother in law wrapping her in a hug. Em relaxed against her, nodding at everyone else.

“Hey, it’s so good to see you all. Blake, Dan’s in engineering meetings. P6 in practice, Checo was P1. They seem happy so far.” Blake nodded and she watched him kiss Charlie before jogging towards the Red Bull Energy Station. “Welcome to Silverstone. I’m just waiting for Susie to come back and take Roscoe, then I’ll show you around.”

“Em. That’s not…is it?” Callum asked, Em smiling.

“Want to pet Lewis’ dog? He’s so sweet.”

The way Callum lit up petting the dog was great, and it wasn’t long until Susie was back with his lead to take Roscoe inside with a wave. Em led everyone else back to the Energy Station and found a table for them all.

“It’s gonna be a tight squeeze, but we’ve made it work. Grace, Joe, you’ve got Dan’s motorhome-“

“But he needs his-“

“It’s Dan. Do you think he’d be ok if you weren’t being looked after? You’re in there. I managed to get a two bed caravan brought in. It’s tight, but Charlie, you and Blake have one room. Dan and I are in the other. Sorry Cal, you’re stuck on the couch.”

“That’s fine. Thanks, Em. Seriously. I never thought I’d be here.”

“Enjoy every minute of it. You can watch from the garage if you like, or I got you a grandstand ticket too. Whatever you want.”

“You’re amazing.” He reached around her shoulder for a hug, Em giving him one before taking a deep breath.

“I’m just really glad you’re all here. It’s been a whirlwind.”

“How’s the baby?”

“They’re fine. We’re good. Just tired. It’s gonna be a week with everything. But it’s ok.” Dan came by a few moments later with his race suit tied around his hips.

“Navy suits you,” Joe told him and Em could see the pride on her in-laws faces at their son. Dan put his hand on her stomach for a moment as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“Good to see you. We can get dinner later? I’ve been in meetings all day when I’m not in the car, GP reckons they can let me go an hour or so after practice if nothing weird comes up. But practice in ten. Cal, you coming into the garage for it?”

“What?”

“C’mon.” Em went to stand up but Dan stopped her. “Stay there, you’ve been on your feet all day. I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Go fast and be safe.”

“Promise.”

The four who were left stayed in hospitality to watch practice, Em glad to be in the air conditioning. She relaxed with them to watch, greeting Dan as he came back. Their group was just back at the caravans when her phone rang.

“Is that Emma Ricciardo?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Hi, I’m calling from Hilton Silverstone. We have a room available, you said you wanted it?”

“I’ll be there in ten. Thank you!” She hung up and went into the one they were sharing, Callum on the couch looking at his phone.

“Grab your stuff.”

“Huh?”

“I got you a hotel room, c’mon. We’re going. I’m gonna tell Dan, maybe we can give Blake and your sister some privacy.”

“They’re in that new love touchy feely mode. It’s not fun.”

“It is for them.”

She filled Dan in on what she was doing, her husband grinning and kissing her quickly. Grace was making dinner for them all, they’d eat in the motor home and give Blake and Charlie a bit of privacy. When he went into the second bedroom to say it she heard a yell, followed by Dan’s “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

By the time they were outside Callum had his stuff in the boot of Em’s little Fiat, Em sitting in to bring him. Security was strict, showing her pass nearly not enough to get her to the hotel car park. Finally they were in and Callum got out, waving and promising to meet them in hospitality in the morning. He was a grown adult, he could do what he wanted to.

Saturday morning Em was exhausted. Her stomach was filled with butterflies for the last couple of days thanks to stress and nerves, and she was terrified watching Dan go out in the car. But she had to trust everyone on that pit wall had her husband’s best interests at heart. If they didn’t then Dan wouldn’t get in the car.

She’d forgotten what it felt like to arrive at a race as the partner of a driver. It was different compared to Thursday and Friday, now it was the business end of the weekend. It felt like every photo was of her bump, of how she kept one hand on top of it when she was speaking. The hugs her friends gave her were photographed and carefully checked. Chloe had texted her one of her and Lance with a grin and a it’s unfair my brother sees you before I do that Em had sent a selfie back to. Chloe’s fault for being in Colorado with Scotty.

That morning while Charlie and Dan were getting ready Em and Blake had a conversation about what this weekend could lead to. The ultimate goal was a seat for Dan with Red Bull. But Em’s photos with people around the paddock would help with the media game and that was what she had to do. See her friends and people she liked, smile widely and get photos taken. It sucked that she had to, but the more it seemed like other teams were interested the more it would help.

Lawrence had known immediately what was happening, laughing with her and staring around at a photographer.

“Making it seem like we’ll sign Daniel? You know that it was never any of our-“

“Lawrence it wasn’t your fault. Or Seb’s. He apologised to Dan so many times last season. It all started from Monaco. I know for a fact there were discussions with people from Baku. You were at our wedding, you know we don’t blame Aston for anything.”

“I know. But still.”

“But nothing. How’re you doing? How’s Lance, I haven’t really talked to him much.”

They separated with the older man promising that the baby was receiving a bag of Aston Martin merch, Em laughing that Dan wouldn’t let it in the house as she said goodbye.

Practice was spent in the Energy Station, sipping a smoothie while she watched the screen. Joe sat beside her, Grace in the garage to watch for a while.

“Are you doing ok? I know Dan says he is, and I know you’ll pretend to the world you are, but are you really? You didn’t expect this.”

“Nobody expected it. It’s kind of insane.” She ran through the timeline with him, how Dan had come home from filming and in the sim the night before with no idea and then they were running so he’d make meetings and media. As she talked Max came into the room and sat at their table.

“Em. Joe. Sorry for putting Dan out like this, but he’s enjoying being in the car of course?”

“He is. Are you ok?”

In a different world Em thought they could have been close. Dan loved Max like a brother, and Em liked him as a person. But it was the people around him who she couldn’t stand. From the first time they’d met his father tried to make her feel less than, and Dan had told her the story of Kelly trying to ask him out shortly after she and Daniil had split up. She knew better than almost anyone how hard it was to cut those ties, but she couldn’t let herself be close to people who couldn’t cut them themselves.

“Getting there. I’m allowed look at screens now. Of course the crash was not my fault but that’s not something I can say outside. I spoke to Christian and he said we’d talk about it later. But this cannot continue.”

“I’m really glad you’re ok. We were watching, it was scary.”

“Thank you. You will tell Daniel that I was asking about him? They want to film something with the three of us later. He can be the padding.”

“We will. Look after yourself.”

He left and Joe looked at her with a small smile. “If I didn’t know about walls here and ears I’d say something.”

“It’s been bad. That’s all I’ll say.”

Red Bull had done well to hide how awful the relationship between the drivers was, but it was ice cold. Max barely acknowledged Checo when the cameras weren’t watching. There was a reason Dan was the one who was in all the videos with them. Max had only just left when Carola came over, taking a seat.

“Joe, have you met Carola? She’s Checo’s wife, she was so nice to me on Thursday when it was just us here. Carola, my father in law, Joe Ricciardo. I promise he’s not actually scary.” The younger woman smiled, holding out her hand for Joe to shake.

“You all came for the race?”

“Of course. Seeing Dan in a car again? With a team that supports him? The second we got the call we were looking for flights. Emmy had it organised, she was booking them already.”

“It was easier booking all five of you than everyone booking separately. I’m just glad we could.” It was quiet conversation between the three of them until Joe stood up.

“I‘ll stretch my legs. Em, text me if either of you ladies want anything. You don’t need to stand and get it, that’s what we’re for.” He left and Carola looked at Em confused.

“He’s Daniel’s dad, right? He acts like he’s yours.”

“We’re family. I’ve known him since before Dan and I started dating. It’s part of how I know Dan’s going to be such a good dad when the baby arrives. Plus, we’ve got a hard stop on when he’s driving.”

“Why?” The question was tinged with something more than just politeness, but Em kept going.

“He doesn’t want to miss the big events. The baby’s going to start school in 2027, so 2026 will be his last year if he gets a seat. We’ll be in Australia, it’s too far. It’s different for Louise, she’s in Europe. It’s even different for you, you’re in Mexico, right? How long is the flight?”

“Eleven hours to London. It’s ok.”

“Not bad. It’s seventeen from Perth if you get the direct one.”

“So Daniel will retire?”

“Yeah. I do most of the parenting till then, and then we swap. I get to decide what I want to do and he’ll be the main parent. It won’t be easy for us, but it’s what we want. Do you have photos of your kids? I think I saw them in Mexico last year but I wasn’t too well.”

“I remember! Daniel drove well. Here’s the three of them.”

It was oohing and awwing at the kids, Grace coming back and joining in. She pulled out the photos of Isaac and Isabella, Em feeling like she’d joined some secret club of parents who were so proud of their kids and their accomplishments. Carola was quiet, but she was nice to chat to. They’d never really be friends, they were too different, but having someone who knew the fear watching each race was something she could appreciate.

Finally it was time for qualifying. Em watched as Dan brought the car smoothly out of the pits, the car reacting just how he wanted it to. She hadn’t seen it like this since the Renault days, the car moving how he wanted it to. That smile as he put his helmet on, her and Callum standing listening to the radio. It was jarring hearing GP talk to Dan, but it fit somehow. She watched as he did his runs, not even the red flag stopping him from safely making it into Q2.

Em had nearly forgotten what it felt like to not worry about Dan going out in Q1. But she didn’t realise until the car was wheeled back in fully that Checo had been knocked out, the other driver’s face like thunder as he hopped out of the car and started the walk down to be weighed.

“That makes five in a row,” Callum whispered to her and Em shaking her head in response.

“Later. But I know.”

Q2 was tighter. Dan had told her that the only thing that Christian had said to him was he was expected to make it into Q3. Doing that was a good day for him with so little time in the car before now. She held her breath as Logan Sargeant had yet another lap time deleted, Daniel P10 and scraping through. Blake took her hand at the end of the round, squeezing once.

“He’s fine. He’s improving every lap, and he’s got a new set of softs for this. It’s Dan.”

“I know. I know.”

The last round was almost painful. Em held her breath as the chequered flag came out, Dan last to go across the line. He’d been in p10 until that lap, pushing him up into p5 and starting just behind the Ferraris.

“P5 Daniel. Great job, good spot for tomorrow.”

“Ah I’m sorry. It should have been higher.” She could hear the annoyance in himself as he spoke, wanting to hug her husband.

“Dan you did great. Little bit of traffic compromised the lap slightly and you still brought it home. This is a good base to go from tomorrow. Well done.”

The one thing that truly annoyed Em was that this was the first race McLaren had showed true promise in. A tractor of a car last year, unreliable and temperamental the year before, but now it was a front row lockout. Her annoyance at that team would always be there, but this was the time for her to smooth her face and grin because Dan had put in a hell of a performance. And beaten his teammate by eleven grid places. No big deal.

Dan was sent out early that night for an early arrival to the track the next morning. Everyone piled into the weird little golf cart to bring them back to the drivers campsites to relax. They were on the couch when Blake and Charlie stood up and grabbed their jackets.

“Blake’s bringing me on the ferris wheel and for food. There’s some of the nutritionist approved driver meals in the fridge, and I made sure there’s a bag of peach rings for you there too Em. We’ll be gone for oh, I dunno, three or four hours? Have fun!” Em laughed as the two of them left the exact same way she and Dan had the night before, leaning against her husband for a kiss.

“Does it make us old if I say I want food before anything else?” She asked, watching the grin spread on Dan’s face.

“Considering you’re growing a whole extra human no, no it doesn’t. You’re 18 weeks yesterday, right?”

“Yup. Almost halfway to meeting them.”

“Her.” She pushed against Dan to stand up, smiling as he got up.

“Them. We don’t find out for another three weeks. What if they’re a boy? What then?”

“Then I’ll love him all the same. But I just know. This baby is a girl, and she’s gonna be our Luna. Aren’t you, Lulu?”

“You need some food. C‘Mon. It’s an early night for race car drivers.”

Sunday morning dawned too early for both of them, staring at the clock until it was time to get up. It was real. Dan was driving in Silverstone again, and he was going to be in a good car. Em had so much faith in him.

“Promise me something?” She asked as he held her before they got out of bed.

“Anything.”

“Don’t leave anything out there. We don’t know what’s going to happen. But I don’t want you to have any regrets about this race or driving this car. Go out there and focus on driving as well as you can and as fast as you can. I’ve got faith in you, Danny.”

“I love you so much. I’m gonna do it. Alex bet me a hundred pounds that he’ll finish ahead of me. I’ve got to at least beat him.” Em giggled, laughing as Dan turned them over to kiss her before getting out of bed.

Getting ready to go to the paddock felt normal, and when they got into the main area of the caravan everyone was there with breakfast. Grace was cooking bacon and eggs, there were fresh rolls someone had gone out to get, and a big fruit salad in the middle of the table. The five others who were there clapped as Dan came out in an Enchante hoodie, Joe pointing to one of the seats.

“Your mother has food now, cmon and sit down. She texted Michael, he gave her a list of what to make.”

Em was missing the fourth member of their quartet. She’d hugged him briefly on Thursday, but there was so little time to see him. He had a week off in London and had promised to at least get lunch with her which was something. But she ate and laughed and walked into the paddock holding Dan’s hand for the fourth day in a row. They could do this. It’d be fine.

The mornings of races were usually chaotic, and this was no exception. She brought Callum upstairs to watch the F3 and F2 races from the roof of the garages, watching his face light up as he saw the cars battle it out.

“Would you do something like this? Charlie said you want to be a mechanic.”

“Not F1. The travel would kill me. I dunno how you and Dan and Blake do it. But a karting circuit or something, I’d like to help out there. My mates and I go most weeks, I usually help out with the mechanics there.” She nodded at him. All she’d known about him before the trip was he was Charlie’s brother, a massive F1 fan, and he recognised Blake the moment he walked into Charlie’s parents house. But he was smart and polite, and he didn’t let being starstruck stop him from chatting to other drivers. Watching him joke around with Esteban and Lance for a few moments when Lance had come over to say hi to her was a highlight.

Finally it was time for Dan to start going out. The cheer from the grandstand as his vintage car went past made Em grin broadly. No matter what she was going to enjoy this day. If this was the final race it was with people who cared about Dan, who wanted him to do well and loved him. That was more important than anything else.

“Your husband’s popular today.” Christian stood beside her and Em nodded.

“Isn’t it why you hired him? He’s always popular. I just want today to go well for him.”

“It will.” The certainty in his voice nearly startled her. “This is the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him before a race. Ever. I’ve got a good feeling about today.”

Dan came back in and changed before coming down, kissing Em and bending down to kiss her bump. She smiled with watery proud eyes before kissing his cheek.

“Remember what I said this morning. But more importantly, go fast and be safe. I love you.”

“I love you too, Wrinkles. See you on the other side.”

Waiting for the race to begin was an age. There was the trip to the grid, the grid walk playing on the telly beside her, and then the formation lap began. As it did Charlie stepped beside her, holding her hand tightly.

“You ok?” She asked, Em nodding.

“There’s a decent chance a camera will be on my face at some point. But yeah. I will be. I just want to watch Dan and make sure he’s ok.”

One ear on her headphones was Dan’s radio, the other was the commentary from Sky. The cars were lined up and she watched the lights blink off.

“And it’s lights out and away we go! Carlos Sainz had a slow getaway, letting Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull get the better of him. The two McLarens are still first and second, but they’ve got a Ferrari less than a second back, and a driver with something to prove currently in fourth.”

“Good work getting away, Daniel. Currently P4, P4, with-“

“I don’t want to know who’s ahead. Let me know if anyone behind me is coming close, but otherwise if I need to know I’ll ask, ok?”

“Understood.”

Fifty two laps went past quicker than Em could have thought. It was terrifying. She watched the screen on lap three as DRS was enabled and Dan slid on the inside of Charles around a corner.

“And I think the last of the late brakers is definitely back with us, that was classic Ricciardo right there.”

“Look at him, it’s such a difference to last year. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. He’s got his replacement in his sights and I don’t know if this McLaren can hold up much of a fight.”

“He’s not going to make it two overtakes in four corners is oh wait he is! That was skill and talent and trusting the car you’re in. I dare say that rivals a Lewis Hamilton in 2014 or 2015 overtake.”

“I think you’re right Crofty, he’s really making this count. Up to P2 now and we’re three laps in. Meanwhile his teammate lost a position at the start and is currently battling Tsunoda!”

Em stared at the timer, the gap between Dan and Lando dropping from three seconds to two, and finally he was inside DRS range. The rear wing opened and she watched her husband do the overtake on the McLaren car, pulling ahead and going around the corner in a sweeping motion.

The garage erupted in cheers from the pit crew watching the screens, “c’mon Danny boy!” heard from a couple of them. Em kept a hold of Charlie’s hand, breathing deeply with her other one kept steady on her bump. He could do this. He could do it. This was Monaco, but a fully working engine. This was the proof that Dan hadn’t lost everything. That the trust Red Bull had put in him wasn’t misplaced.

As the pit stops happened she rolled her shoulders to get some tension out, but he was still out there. Finally he was called back in, a nearly thirty second gap to Lewis behind him. It was tight, so tight that Em held her breath while he was in the pits, watching as he came out just ahead of Lewis. This was it.

“That’s Lewis one point three behind, try to open a gap so he doesn’t get into DRS. They’ve got some good race pace.”

“What about the McLarens?”

“Behind Lewis.”

“Copy. Clear to push to the end?”

“Clear to push.”

Dan’s soft tyres did what they were supposed to, pushing him forward and propelling him to a gap. Em watched everyone in the garage stand as the chequered flag was waved, her husband in P1 as tears fell down her face. He’d done it. He’d won at Silverstone and he’d won a race and he had nothing left to prove. Nothing.

“I’m sorry. I thought I’d get Carlos at the end. Sorry for not winning it for you.”

“Dan what are you talking about?”

“I’m P2, right?”

“Daniel it’s Christian. You were about to lap Carlos, he got a puncture and had to pit. You did it. You won the race.”

“I won?”

The shock in his voice was clear, Blake holding Em up as she listened. He didn’t even know.

“You won, mate. You’re a British Grand Prix winner and a nine time Grand Prix winner. Come on back in and pull up at the big number one.”

It felt like an instant that Em was pulled down to Parc Ferme, half walking, half running down the pit lane. Blake had one hand and Charlie had the other, and she knew she was on camera but she couldn’t care how she looked because she needed to see her husband right that moment.

The mechanics let her through to the barrier, standing beside GP and Christian. She knew Dr Marko was somewhere nearby but she ignored, focusing on the navy car pulling in and the roar of the crowd as Dan stopped the car. His head tilted forward against the steering wheel before he pulled it out and unbuckled his seatbelt. He got out and stood on the halo for a moment, thumping his chest three times. Em covered her mouth, the memories of Monaco and Monza hitting her full force. That was her husband. He’d won in Silverstone.

She watched him get weighed and then he ran straight across to grab her, leaning across the barrier to kiss her.

“You went fast.”

“I promised, didn’t I?”

“I’m so fucking proud of you right now, Baby. So proud. Go do a shoey for us?”

“Of course.”

She watched him get enveloped by the team, Christian grabbing him for a hug before Dan was brought over for his interview. Lewis and Lando both hijacked it, the younger driver’s “I mean his missus is British so technically this is also his home race, right?” Making the crowd cheer even louder. Finally they were led up to the drivers cooldown room and the podium.

His grin was impossible to miss. Dan stood on that top step, GP on the constructor’s podium as Advance Australia Fair rang out across Northamptonshire. She watched the champagne be sprayed in slow motion, Lewis and Lando taking full opportunity to spray him before Dan pulled his racing boot off and poured into it. The crowd was chanting “shoey” as he drank, holding the boot aloft like a goblet. The other drivers followed suit, even GP taking a sip before pouring the rest of it out. Em felt like she’d burst with pride as her entire family was there with them to celebrate Dan’s success.

It took an age for Dan to be free from press but Em didn’t mind. She walked the paddock to see friends, giving hugs to the drivers she knew well enough. Charles stopped her to specifically congratulate her on the pregnancy, giving a hug and promising to give her Italian baby books so the baby wouldn’t just speak English. He was disappointed after his race so she just hugged him and promised to cheer him on in the next one.

Finally Dan was free, and the hug he gave her was everything. The seven of them went for dinner together nearby, a private room that someone from Red Bull managed to get them. There was a party in his honour from Red Bull, Em insisting Dan at least showed his face at it. By nine he was back in the caravan they were sharing with Blake and Charlie, food on the table for the four of them as they curled up on the couches. Blake was the first one to break the silence.

“Christian asked me for a meeting tomorrow. Me and him while Dan’s prepping for the tyre test. The paddock rumour is Checo and his wife had a fight on Saturday night in his motorhome. She threatened to leave him.”

“Oh shit. Saturday was when we were talking and I told her our plans.” Em explained the entire conversation she had with Carola about Dan being an involved parent and the travel plans they had for the baby. Charlie started giggling as she spoke.

“You psyched her out! You showed her what her life could be like if he wasn’t a cheating cunt - do not shush me Blake Friend I didn’t care about F1 then and I saw the videos - and actually cared about his family. She’s setting her boundaries. Good for her!”

“Which means his seat is empty next season. Nyck’s gone from the summer. Alex Palou in Indycar is Marko’s preferred driver for that seat, but he can only take it after Monza because of the Indy season. He doesn’t know if Lawson can make the step up, and he doesn’t want Iwasa. Plus with the Yuki stuff I dunno.”

“Yuki stuff?” Dan asked as he speared a piece of chicken from the platter.

“Sauber want him. They think he could bring that car into the points regularly and learn from Bottas. So that could be two Alpha Tauri seats open for next year at least. Would you take one?”

“I mean I want Red Bull. But I know even with today it’s not guaranteed. I’d take it if the contract says I’m first driver and have first dibs on a Red Bull seat. But who would take that seat?”

“Max wants you.” Em was the one who spoke, making herself comfortable on Dan’s lap. She and Charlie were each on their partner’s laps, Dan’s hand protectively around her stomach. “We were talking for a few minutes on Saturday. If he got Nyck that seat - unproven Nyck De Vries who’d never been involved in Red Bull - him lobbying for you can get you the seat. We know Christian would be happy to have you back. I say go for the Red Bull. Checo was completely shown up this weekend. I love you Baby and you know I believe in you, but in any other team those results should have been reversed. He shouldn’t be beaten by the reserve.”

“Are you sure you’re ok with that?”

“I’m gonna head over to Grace and Joe, let you guys talk.” Charlie went to get up but Blake kept her still, Em turning to face her.

“You’re involved in this. You get a say. This only happens if it’s four yes votes.”

“I’m not involved in Dan’s career. I don’t need a say.”

“You’re Blake’s girlfriend. The two of you live together even if you don’t admit it. He’s going to be gone for weeks or months at a time and it’s hard. So yeah, you do have a say in this. As someone who was in your position before you definitely have a say.”

It was quiet between them for a few moments as they all thought. Em was the first to break the silence.

“I say yes. It’s going to be hell travelling with a baby, but if you want it then it’s a yes.”

“Yes.” Charlie looked at Blake as she spoke, her head resting on her boyfriend’s shoulder. “I just…yes. Today made me realise why Callum has loved racing for so many years. And yeah it’s gonna be hard and it’s gonna hurt and Blake and I will be moping around when we’re apart. But you’ve got a deadline, right?”

“End of 2026. The baby’s in pre-kindy from 2027, proper school the year after. We want to be well settled before that happens.” His hand rubbed Em’s bump as he spoke, Charlie nodding.

“I can do that. It’s a yes from me.” She faced Blake fully and Em felt like she was intruding watching them as Charlie’s voice got thick. “I love you. And this is going to be so hard. But we know it’ll be hard and that’s how we’ll make it through. We’ll figure it out somehow. But if they’re travelling the world with a baby then that child’s uncle Blake needs to be right there too, yeah? So we’re doing this.”

Blake pushed a kiss to his girlfriend’s forehead. “If Chuck says yes then I say yes. It’s all her.”

Em looked up at Dan, at the determination on his face. Her sunshine boy who’d won nine races, all of them at different tracks. Who deserved the world and who people finally realised was as talented as he’d always said he was.

“Yeah. I really want this. Thanks for letting me try for it.”

“Ooof.” The butterflies in her stomach solidified for a moment, a weird feeling against Em. “Oh my god. The baby agrees. They just kicked I think.”

“What? Seriously?” Dan pushed his hand on her belly and Em could feel the movement properly. Their baby was there and safe and was going to be fine.

“Yeah. They did it again when you pushed. So we’re doing this? Three more years of chaos?”

“Three more years of chaos.”

Em sat against her husband, their best friends on the other couch. Charlie had quickly become someone she trusted more than almost anyone else. She’d kept their secrets, and in return Em was going to do everything in her power to make sure that Blake and Charlie got their happy ending.

The good mood from the win stayed that way the entire night. It was a lazy, lazy night with them watching a movie. Callum texted Charlie that he was down at main stage before going back to his hotel, Joe and Grace stayed in their own motorhome. Everything was hitting Em all at once. Dan won Silverstone. He won her home race. As she went to bed that night it was all that she could think about.

The next morning was chaos. They had hotel rooms booked because of the tyre test, and the caravan and motor home were being taken back by the rental agency. Instead they were packing to move to the hotel, and Em handed Callum her Oyster card before he headed back to London with Grace and Joe. The three of them were staying in Dan and Em’s apartment for the tyre test before they spent time together after it. It was hugs goodbye until Dan and Blake dropped their respective partners off at the same hotel Callum had been staying in. The rooms weren’t ready, but Em and Charlie could sit in the restaurant until they were.

Em hugged Dan goodbye, kissing his cheek.

“Whatever happens this week, you won Silverstone. You have nothing to prove them. Don’t think you do.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too, Dimples.”

Beside her Charlie was doing the same goodbye, slipping her favourite necklace into Blake’s hand.

“What’s this for? You never take this off, you said it’s a family one.”

“Yeah well it’s for the next couple of hours to give you good luck. Not that you need it, but every little helps.”

“Thanks, Chuck. I love you.”

“Love you too. Go get him that seat, yeah?”

Em watched the two drive off before sitting with Charlie to wait. Now they actually knew what might happen she was ready but terrified.

Taglist: @dr3lover @sabrinaselina55 @majx00 @tall-tanned-tattoo @lovingdennishauger @lauehr @msolbesg @f1medlife @idkwtfimdoing2 @leclercsbae @hiphopdancer101universe @mehrmonga @lewispool @saintandrea-droidsmuggler @coldheartedmar @sugarbabygirlofdaddy @nonsensical-nonce @a-distantdreamer @tita010 @leslizzle @javen @mloyer @magical-imagination-kgp @danarysstormborn @kakorrhaphiphobia @g-l-o-b-e-w-h-o-r-e @elizanav @neiich @luckyladycreator2 @scotlynaurora @belledawnidk

#call it what you want fic #daniel ricciardo imagine #f1 imagine #formula 1 imagine #formula one imagine #formula one fanfic #daniel ricciardo oneshot #f1 oneshot #formula 1 oneshot #daniel ricciardo x reader #daniel ricciardo x ofc #ciwyw writing #daniel ricciardo fanfic #formula 1 fanfic #f1 fanfic #formula one oneshot

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suhyla · 6 months

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At the height of his calamity, after losing two more sons upon the already painful loss of Yusuf, Yaqoub makes a conscious decision to exercise patience. Not just any patience, but beautiful patience. A patience that made him expect only the best from Allah. A patience that made him say, perhaps such a painful calamity is happening so that Allah can reunite me with all my sons. Perhaps behind this tragedy is what I have longed for all these years. Perhaps this is the beginning of my relief. Allah is the Most Knowing, the Wise. This cannot be happening without a purpose.

It does not befit a servant of Allah to know the vastness of His mercy and assume that anything other than tremendous good awaits in the most seemingly tragic moments. Allah does everything for a reason. But we need to practice beautiful patience. We need to assume only the best of Allah because whoever knows Allah knows that He is the Most Merciful. So surely, every pain will be followed with great relief. Every sadness only exists because an even greater happiness will come out of it. Everything we go through is to prepare us for the good that will inevitably come. It is part of the process. When you know Allah, you hear patience knowing that what is to come out of your calamity is greater than anything you could dream of.

Yaqoub was so sure of Allah’s mercy that he not only expected only good from Allah, but he told his sons to go look for Yusuf, whom he lost decades ago. The sons were focused on the brothers they just lost. Imagine their incredulity when Yaqoub tells them to look for Yusuf and his brothers. Not just the brothers in Egypt. They did not take him seriously.

But what followed Yaqoub’s great expectations of Allah and his certainty in Allah’s mercy? Allah soon gave him glad tidings of Yusuf not only being alive and a Prophet, but becoming the Aziz of Egypt. His son, who was overpowered by his brothers, has been given power over a kingdom by Allah. His son whom he lost in the most heart-wrenching way was under Allah’s care and achieved even more than he would have had he remained in his father’s arms. Every little detail was accounted for. Every harm was followed by an even greater reward. Every pain was followed by an even greater happiness. The generosity of Allah was manifest. Allah gave Yaqoub more than he expected of Him.

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#islam #allah #quran #deen #islamic reminders #ramadan #duaa #holy quran #Quran reflections #tadabbur #Quran journaling

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tumblingghosts · 2 months

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“gimme that baby and i’ll yeet it off a tower-” “what.”

aka perimedes "helps" odysseus with a moral dilemma

if you haven't seen this video that jay posted about a cut song with perimedes, do yourself a favor and go watch it-

anyway, here's a short snippet where perimedes is there for the whole prophecy about astyanax (not to be taken seriously at all)

---

He seeks out the Captain as the battle draws to a close.

Perimedes is riding the wave of triumph at the Trojans’ fall, and he knows many of his companions are doing the same. They are right to! This is a joyous victory—one worthy of a grand celebration. Well deserved, after the ten years of war they had spent away from home, and Perimedes wanted to begin the festivities sooner rather than later.

But they could not start without their Captain.

So Perimedes does the favor of seeking him out, finding the Captain in one of the highest rooms of Troy’s far tower. He makes to call out to him, but there is a screech, and a flash of lightning despite the clear skies. Something (his dying sense of self-preservation) tells him to keep quiet. Perimedes does, and learns of a prophecy.

He thinks he is missing much of it, but the gist is that there is an evil baby that will grow into an evil man, and he will kill the Captain’s family. Perimedes watches as the Captain tries to appeal to a being he cannot see. It feels like a terribly solemn affair, and Perimedes did not come here to experience tragedy. It did not seem like the Captain was in a terribly hale state to party, however.

Bummer. Perimedes silently thinks that the Captain should work on killing that baby as effectively as he’d killed the mood. He watches the Captain stand over the evil baby’s cradle for a long moment, then two, then three—and he continues to stand there, unmoving, for so long that Perimedes begins to think that Zeus might have turned him into a statue.

But no, the Captain is perfectly fine.

In fact, he has finally begun to reach for the evil baby.

Slowly. Very slowly.

Chop chop, man, thinks Perimedes. Pick up the pace so we can get home.

---

...and then perimedes yeets the baby (sorry astyanax!)

#epic the musical #epic the musical odysseus #epic the musical perimedes #epic the musical fanfic #perimedes

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captainuranium543 · 8 days

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Hi! I just wanted to know your thoughts on this post here: https://www.tumblr.com/yamishika/761491771751596032/something-that-has-been-bothering-me-regarding-the

Do you agree with this? Disagree with this? Was this just a light comedic moment? It def feels out of character for Jellal to a large degree. You have such great takes on Erza in general, that I wanted to check about this. I tried looking at your posts (now that I have better cell service) and didnt see this on your posts list. Apologies if you’ve covered it already. Thanks in advance!

the post in question^

thanks so much for this ask actually cuz I have been resisting the urge to yap about this forever and now I have an excuse ahaha.

honestly I completely agree, I've been saying it forever but as fairy tail has gone on Mashima has kind of stopped putting as much thought into it has he did early on. Early on the characters where the center of the narrative and honestly I think that's when ft is at its best because that has always been the best part if ft as a whole. The tower of heaven and the trauma Erza and Jellal faced along with countless others had so much impact on the story as late as season 6 because of just how massive a tragedy it was.

starting with Erza and Kiria, it feels especially disgusting for this to happen to specifically Erza because she has spent so much of her life being treated as less then human already. In the tower her purpose was literally to work herself to death, they needed sacrifices and lots of them. As soon as she wasn't useful to them anymore she would killed without a second thought and her life would only be another number added to the massive death toll of the r system project. she wasn't a person in there, she was a tool. Even after the tower she was still under someone else's control (on a leash you might say) with Jellal holding the lives of her friends over her head to keep her quiet, constantly taunting his power over her by spying on her with seigrain in the magic counsel. this is exactly what happens with Kiria and it feels genuinely horrifying to see it happen again but still its just played for fanservice and I find that incredibly irritating.

as for the Erza vs Jellal fight in the Aldoron arc, here we have a scene that is objectively horrifying to both of them. Erza and Jellal share INTENSE trauma associated with mind control and the loss of free will, and yet the scene is played for laughs and fanservice.

I do understand why Hiro did this, if they took the scene seriously it would probably set Jellal right back into his old ways again of avoiding Erza like the plague which he doesn't want because he's trying to push them closer together. I get that but its still feels like such a missed opportunity to give them some kind of emotional development which neither has had in so long. I'm gonna get into my own idea for the fight here so bear with me.

The fight begins and they intercut it with flash backs to the tower of heaven arc, or even further back to their actual childhood, showing how genuinely afraid of him Erza is right now while also trying to control herself and keep her "fight" instinct at bay because she doesn't want to hurt him. the fight from her perspective should be chaotic, rapidly throwing her between past and present while she desperately tries to hold onto a sense of reality and remind herself its not him.

now imagine this, at some point she loses control and really starts to spiral and he gets the upper hand. she's totally beaten and exhausted after trying to fight him and her demons at once and while she's on the ground he approaches her, lifts her up, and we get a call back to this scene.

throughout this fight we never really see Jellal's face, its mostly been from Erza's perspective and when we do see his face its a flashback to a different time while he was mind controlled. Now in the present jellal says something, idk what he would say exactly, but its something similar to the "it was the color of your hair" moment where it reminds Erza of something he said to her while he was himself. Erza finally snaps back to reality, she looks down at him and we finally get a clear view of his face in the present, and we see that he's crying.

that is enough to fully snap Erza back and finally give the fight her all, because its not just for her sake its for both of them. he would never forgive himself if he hurt her so she's going to have to be the one to do it even if it hurts because its the only way she's going to save him. and more than anything she wants to save him. (Again, call back to the tower of heaven, she was to late to save him then and it weighs on her to this day, she wont be to late this time.) anyway fight ends shortly after that she knocks him out and she's crying because obviously she never wanted to hurt him either she's just taking one for the team (like always but that's another rant). Just before Jellal passes out he looks at her and he thanks her for saving him (ONCE AGAIN CALL BACK TP THE TOWER OF HEAVEN but this time its not manipulation he's being fr showing us that its really him now). he passes out, erza gets up, looks back at him maybe one last time, says shes sorry, then goes off to go keep fighting. fight over

case and point I think this could have been sick as hell and i'm sad it didn't happen. its not that I have a problem with fanservice I just think it should be tasteful at least a little.

#fairy tail #yappin #jellal fernandes #erza scarlet #jerza #ig its kinda jerza #anyway yea i have thoughts on this #lots of em

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alex-the-nonsensologist · 9 months

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Wish Rewrite

Thought I’d try my hand at rewriting Wish for fun. In my version, Asha is Magnifico's daughter. This gives them a more compelling relationship, a more plausible reason for Asha to find out his secrets, and officially makes Asha a royal princess to boot. Additionally, Magnifico is a sympathetic tragic villain, and Amaya has passed away. While I would love to see a fully evil version of Magnifico that’s better written, along with an evil Amaya (I LOVE @hah-studios‘s version here), my version of the story features a twist that heavily depends on his relationship with Asha.

Of course, this version would be 2D animated (or at the VERY LEAST have more ambitious and stylized CG that perfectly mimics 2D), and have songs written by people with actual musical theater backgrounds.

I am not a writer, so I apologize for the disjointed and clunky ideas.

Opening Storybook

“Once upon a time, in a world of magic, on an island in the Mediterranean Sea, there was a little kingdom called Rosas. The harvests were never quite plentiful, the town was barren and gray, and the work was long and hard. The people of Rosas knew life could be better, and spent many days wishing it were so.

“A young man, who called himself Magnifico, spent years studying magic to become a master sorcerer, in order to better the lives of those around him. He believed magic was the solution to make one’s deepest desire come true. The King of Rosas was impressed by Magnifico’s skills, as was the king's daughter Amaya. Magnifico and Amaya fell fast in love and soon wed, becoming the new king and queen of Rosas. Together, they brought joy and prosperity to the kingdom. It was a celebrated occasion when the queen announced she was with child.

“Unfortunately, the queen fell ill and died shortly after giving birth to the princess. The king was saddened by the loss of his wife, but he vowed to raise his daughter to become a worthy queen like her mother, and to better himself as a sorcerer so that such tragedy would never befall anyone ever again.”

Young Asha and Magnifico

Every Disney heroine this era has had an intro flashback of them as a child, so it only seems fitting Asha should get her own as well. We cut from the storybook to a scene of Magnifico, with a visible gray streak in his mostly brown hair, showing young Asha the stars before tucking her into bed.

She asks if anyone wishes on the stars anymore. Magnifico explains that people stopped doing that because the stars never answered. Perhaps the stars could be magic, but no one has ever been able to study them because they're so far away. Perhaps one day.

🎶 At All Costs is reframed as Asha's lullaby.

Transition

Asha finally falls asleep and Magnifico kisses her on the forehead. Camera pans up to the night sky before fading to black. For a short moment, there is complete darkness, then some very faint sparks of light. Someone is calling Asha's name, but their voice sounds very far away, before it’s suddenly clear and Asha wakes up; it is morning. We are now in the present and Asha is 17. This establishes that she's always had the same odd dream of a dark void with faint sparks for as long as she can remember.

Present Day Asha

Asha is studious and hardworking, but is frustrated that her father does not trust her with more important duties. Magnifico is training her in magic to succeed him, or at least he promised he would, but he seems hesitant to teach her more advanced magic than the basics. Asha has memorized every law textbook assigned to her, as well as a handful of magic textbooks she snuck from her father’s study.

Today Asha is going down to give a tour to new visitors, and she takes this very seriously. Dialogue implies Magnifico was hesitant to let her do this, but eventually gave in, hinting at how overprotective he is. Even more than wanting to prove her worth as a future ruler, Asha wants to connect to the people, and secretly wants a friend her own age.

Dahlia and Simon

In this version, Dahlia is older, and renamed to something like Yuki or Bianca to more subtly reference Snow White instead of Doc. Simon is also older and serves as Asha’s bodyguard, and references the Huntsman from Snow White instead of Sleepy. (Two new character designs would be created to reference Doc and Sleepy, and the seven teens are relegated to one-off townsfolk.) “Dahlia” and Simon are the only people Asha is close with, since her father is reluctant to let her leave the castle except on supervised royal duties. “Dahlia” serves as an auntie figure, and Simon is very understanding of Asha’s frustrations of being cooped up in the castle and occasionally lets her sneak off (but he always emphasizes safety and resourcefulness). She can confide in them when she feels she’s being ignored by her father.

🎶 Welcome to Rosas

The song would be cheery at first glance, but on closer inspection, it’s apparent Rosas has seen better days. There’s some cracks in the buildings, and the murals and statues have lost some of their shine. The townsfolk and Asha explain it’s just a bunch of minor hiccups, and they’re working on it.

The visitors ask if there are rules for wishes being granted. Asha and the townsfolk explain the basic rules (which include no wishing for death or harm, no making people fall in love, and no wishing for the dead to be brought back to life; as a shout-out to Aladdin). Also, Magnifico does not grant them right away, but needs time to make sure the work is done just right. After all, magic is a science as well as an art.

When the visitors ask the townsfolk about wishes that have previously been granted, they're told about relatively simple things, like being given a new food cart or a pet cat. This foreshadows what Magnifico does with their wishes. When the townsfolk are asked if they had ever wished for something more significant, they stumble for an answer. They say they're just content with what they have, but they seem unsure. Some of the townsfolk appear lethargic, and some even slightly fumble during their dance routine, but manage to make the big finale. They ask the visitors if they’ve been convinced to live in Rosas and are given a noncommittal answer, “Too soon to say. We'll just stay the night and see how it goes.” Asha brings the new visitors to her father. (Sabino’s character design can be re-used here as one of the visitors, as he’s no longer Asha’s grandfather in this version.)

Side note, I would love it if some of the townsfolk were given a few notable quirks to stand out. The artbook for this movie was lovely, but in the final film, all the townsfolk sort of blend together into genericness. The only one I can recall from the movie with clarity is the girl who wished to fly and meets “Peter Pan” in the end. Even Ecanto’s “We Don't Talk About Bruno” had memorable townsfolk and most only had a single line of dialogue or less. The seven teens would of course feature in this song number.

Present Day King Magnifico

Magnifico's hair is completely gray and white now, and he’s got wrinkles under his eyes. He seems burnt out from his job, but puts on a professional face for his subjects and visitors. Asha is the only one Magnifico shows any tenderness. But for the most part, Asha feels her father has been distant for a long time.

Magnifico thanks Asha for bringing the visitors and tries to dismiss her, but she argues she should start sitting in on the wish-granting sessions so that she can properly learn to take over from her father. This is an argument they have gone over many times before, and her father finally relents today.

The inciting incident

They begin the consultation, starting with Sabino. Magnifico specifies that the wisher must meditate and reach deep within themselves, and recall their desire with every fiber of their being, which manifests as a wish orb. In this version, while a wish orb contains the many memories of the wish in question, handing it over does not automatically erase the memory of it from the wisher.

When Asha and Sabino’s backs are turned, Magnifico does something to the wish. This hints that Magnifico steals wishes and plants false memories, so that the wisher is unaware that they were granted a false wish. In many cases, Magnifico grants a much simpler wish than what the wisher desired (This is hinted at earlier in “Welcome to Rosas”.). Magnifico finishes collecting wish orbs and tells everyone to come back later tonight for them to be granted. Asha wants to stay and help her father more, but he quickly dismisses her.

Later that night, when Magnifico grants a false wish for Sabino, and Asha is suspicious because she knows it is not what he actually wished for. (Sabino’s wish could still be the same one from the movie, perhaps refined to something like, “I wish to leave a lasting legacy that will inspire the next generation, and that I won’t be forgotten.” And when Magnifico grants the wish, it has been reduced to “Your wish to write a memorable song.” or something along those lines. Side note, in the movie I was totally expecting Asha to tell her grandfather that he already inspires her everyday, so his wish had in fact already been granted, so I was quite disappointed when that did not happen.)

Magnifico deflects and dodges the question, and tries to gaslight Asha into thinking she misheard or misinterpreted Sabino’s wish, and that this is why she’s not ready and should wait a while before she’s taught more magic, and basically shoos her away for the night. Asha is too frustrated at her father to dwell on the discrepancy she caught, and storms off.

🎶 This Wish

This song is reframed to be a more straightforward “I Want” song. In this version, Asha wishes to be taken seriously and supported by her father. She feels quite alone and wants someone to believe in her. “Please stop seeing me as a helpless child. …I wish someone would notice my potential.” Star descends.

Star

Would of course, follow the scrapped shapeshifter design from the artbook. I refer to Star as male here, but I am also open to the idea of them being designed as a genderless character. I also think it would be fun if Star could rapidly switch between art styles when he’s excited (2D classic, CG, 2D sketchbook, 2D Picasso, CG mimicking stop-motion / paper puppets, etc). Maybe he can also occasionally transform into his chibi form from the movie when sneaking around.

Star is very weird, almost like an alien. He seems to have general knowledge of various things on Earth, but can never seem to get them exactly right. For example, he never transforms into a normal animal. There’s always a fantastic element; instead of turning into a normal rabbit, he turns into a jackalope. In addition to having a personality inspired by Peter Pan and Genie, he is also a less chaotic version of The Collector from The Owl House and Discord from My Little Pony.

Star would also be incredibly powerful. Instead of only making animals and plants sing, he can also change their size, color, species in the blink of an eye (and maybe even change their art styles). He can spontaneously conjure random outfits from all time periods (including the future) for the animals to wear. He can also change the shape of the landscape; at one point, Asha could suddenly find herself in the middle of an elaborate maze that Star conjures to tease her.

🎶 “Star’s Song”

A new song inspired by Genie’s “Friend Like Me” and Maui’s “You’re Welcome”. Replaces “I'm A Star”, which I didn’t really like. (It had far too many words to poorly explain weird worldbuilding, and I wasn’t a fan of the rhythm. Though to be fair, I dunno if the worldbuilding in my version is all that strong either, lol.)

Star basically shows off all kinds of weird things he can do with various transformations and conjurings. He elaborates he comes from “someplace beyond the edge of the world” and that he’s often found Earth fascinating, but never found any reason to descend until he heard Asha. There’s something special about Asha he can’t quite put his finger on. This foreshadows the reveal.

Valentino

Quick detour, I don’t hate Valentino. I think there is great story and humor potential, especially in regards to his deep voice provided by Alan Tudyk. Unfortunately, in my version, I felt Asha’s sidekick needed to be someone who could quickly keep up with her. At first I thought about changing him into a bird, but then I thought it would be funnier if he was a pet goldfish and Star granted him the ability to fly and breathe out of water. Fish Valentino is happy to not be cooped up in a pool, but is fond of Asha and content to stay with her instead of flying off. For the most part, he offers moral support and perhaps helps Asha make friends with the other animals, but otherwise I don’t really have many ideas for what to do with him.

The Middle Part

Admittedly, I couldn't come up with a definitive idea for this part. Basically, there needs to be a reason for Magnifico to be occupied and unaware of Star’s presence; a reason why Asha does not immediately tell him about Star. One silly idea I had is Asha immediately tries to tell him, but we turn around and find Star’s conjurings and alterations gone and everything is back to normal. Magnifico brushes this off as Asha having a weird dream and tries to tuck her into bed. Star reappears later and explains he wants to run around and have fun first before being “studied” by Magnifico. Other ideas include:

Asha thinks Star is the answer to Rosas’s and her problems. Star agrees to grant various wishes, and let Asha take the credit, in hopes that her father will notice her and finally take her seriously and teach her real magic. Star thinks this will be a great opportunity to see more of Rosas and have fun, and Asha is frustrated enough with her father being dismissive of her to agree to this.

Alternatively, Star will teach her magic. Problem is, Star’s magic is wild and unlike anything Asha has studied in her father’s books. Star is incredibly powerful and Asha has to constantly ask him to tone it down. She runs around trying to fix the chaotic results of the wishes he grants, and this attracts the attention of her father.

Alternatively, with Star’s help, Asha grants small wishes, and fixes things around town. For the most part, everyone is grateful, except for one grumpy older citizen (maybe an older version of Gabo) who remembers “the good ol’ days” and thinks Rosas needs more competent rulers than Magnifico and Asha. An argument breaks out and attracts the attention of Magnifico. Alternatively, again, this could also be replaced with someone who instead wants a selfish wish like a mountains of riches, or to be king and replace Magnifico, and Asha refuses to grant it, leading to the argument.

🎶 “Not What I Expected”

Montage of Star and Asha granting people’s wishes. Includes lots of hijinks of Star overdoing things and Asha getting Star to undo them (For example, someone asks for a new cottage, and Star conjures a giant mansion with mismatching colors and architectural details, and upside-down rooms.). “Dahlia” and Simon help them to ease tension with the townsfolk, especially after Star reveals himself to be a non-human magical being. The seven teens can also appear here again in one-off gags. Along the way, Star and Asha experience the joy of community and begin falling in love with each other. Star slowly learns about being human and cares about the townsfolk as much as Asha does, and Asha is given the freedom to take charge and be responsible but is also surprised to find just how good it feels to finally connect with the townsfolk after being cooped up in the castle for so many years. Star and Asha both find each other fascinating and full of energy, and are glad for each other's support.

Perhaps there’s a dance with the townsfolk. When earlier during “Welcome to Rosas”, the townsfolk were lethargic and clumsy, here they are more spirited and coordinated. Star is incredibly happy and shines bright, and his light “melts” away Magnifico’s false memory spells. The townsfolk finally wake up and are confused as they recall their true wishes and do not understand why Magnifico lied to them. Asha and Star go to confront Magnifico.

Confronting Magnifico

Star senses something in Magnifico’s study. They find a secret room that holds the records of every wish Magnifico has ever stolen. Asha is in disbelief, but can’t ignore the fact that her father has been distant and negligent of the town for a long time. And maybe this would explain why Magnifico doesn’t teach her magic or let her do anything, because he had no intention of giving the throne to her. They find some documents about using wishes as life force, and conclude that maybe Magnifico was using everyone’s wishes to become immortal. Magnifico walks in on them.

🎶 “Everything I Do”

Replaces "This Is The Thanks I Get?!" and "Knowing What I Know Now" This new song is not quite a villain song. It’s a duet between Magnifico and Asha, of them arguing back and forth. Asha argues to her father that he’s lost sight of his responsibilities and that he only cares about staying in power; Magnifico argues that Asha is naive and could never understand that everything he does is for her benefit, and she argues back how could she when he never tells her anything.

The reveal

Magnifico had an impossible wish: to bring Asha back from the dead. Baby Asha in fact died almost immediately after birth. Magnifico could not bear losing both his wife and his daughter, and desperately wished for Asha to live again. However, no magic can bring the dead back to life. Instead, what ended up happening is a new baby was created from Magnifico’s wish orb. In his anguish, his desire was so strong it brought a new person into being. (Side note; this does in fact mean that the original baby is still dead, so Magnifico had to secretly bury a dead baby to hide the fact that Asha is an artificial human taking her place. Perhaps a bit too morbid of an implication for a modern Disney movie, but my mind likes to go to weird places.)

At first Magnifico was happy. It was a miracle come true. But over time, the magic would run out and Asha would begin to fade. Magnifico used his own magic and tried to wish again to fuel Asha's form, but it took a toll on his health and age. This explains why his hair turned white so quickly. So eventually he began using his subjects' wishes. The more heartfelt and significant the wish is, the more powerful it is, which is why Magnifico ends up replacing the townsfolk’s wishes with simpler things and false memories that didn’t require much magic.

As Asha grew older and became a more complex human, more wishes were needed to fuel her. This is why Magnifico refuses to teach her magic, because he is afraid that she would accidentally use up the magic that makes up her being instead of the magic that a regular sorcerer would draw from the environment around them.

Magnifico grew more desperate to draw in new citizens to get more wishes, while also exhausting more wishes from the townsfolk already living in Rosas, leading them to become lethargic. Keeping track of so many wishes and false memories to cover his tracks took a toll on Magnifico’s mental state. Also a growing bitterness that he has to live with this burden that no else could ever know, and perhaps resenting the people of Rosas for getting to live worry-free.

This is why Star answered Asha's call: she is a living wish who made a wish of her own.

Asha's death

Magnifico and Star fight. Asha gets caught in the crossfire trying to stop it. It’s a heart-wrenching moment as glowing cracks form all over Asha’a body. She looks to her father with absolute terror in her eyes as cracks spread across her face. Her legs snap. Magnifico runs to his daughter a second too late and just fails to catch her body as she disintegrates into stardust.

Star stares in disbelief as Magnifico screams in agony: “YOU COULD HAVE LET ME SAVE HER!” He looks like he’s about to attack Star in revenge, but quickly gives up and falls to his knees.

“...Nothing matters anymore.”

There is no need for an evil book as a lazy plot device. Years of paranoia and bitterness have reached a breaking point with Asha’s death, and now Magnifico’s magic is corrupted green by his anguished heart. He transforms into a monstrous dragon-like creature (in homage to Maleficent). This creature is blind with rage, and in a great roar it bursts from the castle, causing it to collapse. The creature summons storm clouds that cover the sky and fierce green lightning that strikes the town, destroying buildings and terrorizing the townsfolk. Monster Magnifico also spreads a green fog that drains everyone’s energy. As the good king he brought joy and hope, but now as a monster he brings only despair. (Inspired by Madoka Magica, when magical girls turn into witches.)

Star attempts to stop Monster Magnifico while also shielding the townsfolk from harm. Rubble from the buildings collapse and bring the camera to black.

Beyond the Edge of the Universe

A short moment of complete darkness and silence.

Slowly, faint sparks shine in the darkness. Asha’s voice weakly asks, “Where am I? ... Who am I?”

The faint sparks grow into a kaleidoscope of colors. Asha has been reduced to a single spark. Her consciousness floats in the chaotic void beyond time and space, where Star comes from. She quickly feels overwhelmed in this sea of color and sound. It’s a great big cacophony of voices all jumbled together, like musical instruments all playing off-key all at once.

A blue light in the distance grows brighter and closer before it reveals itself to be the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio (Disney's first wish-granter). She welcomes Asha’s consciousness. “Hello, little one.” She explains this is a space between worlds, where the emotions of humanity reach far across time and space.

“Listen carefully…” The Blue Fairy helps Asha’s consciousness tune into the voices of the void to hear the words clearly. These voices will be familiar to the audience.

Asha’s consciousness hears the hopeful, longing voices of Snow White, Ariel, Hercules, Rapunzel, and Moana. (This can include snippets from their “I Want” songs.)

She hears the wicked laughter and the dark, selfish wishes of Maleficent, Ursula, Jafar, Scar, and Facilier. (This can include snippets from various villain songs.)

She hears the sad voices of Cinderella, Belle, Quasimodo, Tiana, and Mirabel at their lowest points. ("There's nothing left to believe in. Nothing." and other such lines.)

(Yes, this basically establishes a Disney multiverse. As I’m writing this, I think visually this could resemble the Ahtohallan scene in Frozen 2, but in space instead of in ice.)

(February EDIT: I randomly thought it was also be a neat idea if all magic in the universe originates from this realm. Pieces of magic fall into the different worlds and adapt to make their own unique rules depending on the world. For example, Cinderella's fairy godmother could come from here, as well as the drop of sunlight that grows into Rapunzel's flower. A drop of magic could fallen into a certain world, becoming a trident and transforming the local sea life into merfolk, who would then go on to build Atlantica. Little sparks seeping to random worlds could also explain certain things in otherwise non-magical worlds, such as why toys and video games come to life.)

Not many humans come here after death, but Asha is a special case, as she is literally made up of hopes and dreams. She is spontaneous life (The Blue Fairy of course has experience in this department.). Asha’s consciousness finds herself moved by all the voices of the dreamers and wishers throughout the universe, and thinks she wouldn’t mind going to sleep forever in this void. She just feels so tired. She almost fades away until she hears Star's voice, her father's voice, and the people of Rosas whose wishes made up her very being. She remembers being human. The spark of Asha’s consciousness shines and she returns to her human form. The Blue Fairy asks her, “What will you do now, little one?”

Asha hears the anguished cries of the people of Rosas in trouble, and she decides she must return to help them. The Blue Fairy smiles, and tells her, “Before you go, there’s someone who’d like to meet you.”

She gestures behind her to reveal Queen Amaya and the baby Asha. Asha is stunned to see them, but is overcome with emotion, and Amaya embraces her.

“I am so proud of you, Asha. I wish I could have stayed and been your mother. Please, take care of your father for me.” Amaya gives her a kiss on the forehead, and the baby Asha gives her a happy giggle. The Blue Fairy tells Asha to close her eyes and think of home.”

Return to Rosas

Asha is reborn in a great big burst of light in the sky and gains a new dress made of starlight. Monster Magnifico has not noticed her and is still rampaging the kingdom. Asha sees Star has been defending the citizens, but is exhausted, and Magnifico finally manages to strike him down. Finished with Rosas, Monster Magnifico turns to the coast, intent on continuing his destruction to the mainland.

Asha descends to help Star get up. He is surprised to see her, but her appearance reinvigorates him, and explains the situation to her. They turn to the frightened people of Rosas and promise them that they will fix this. They take hold of each other’s hand and fly to confront Monster Magnifico.

🎶 Combined This Wish and At All Costs Reprise

Monster Magnifico does not recognize Asha, and tries to strike her, but she and Star conjure a magical shield. They dodge lightning and repel Magnifico’s fire breath. Asha begins singing, determined to reach out to her father. There is a moment where it appears Magnifico has gained the upper hand.

“Dahlia” and Simon are inspired and lead the townsfolk into the song. Asha and Star, combined with the hope of the people of Rosas, shine brighter than ever before, dissipating the fog and melting away Magnifico's monstrous form. The storm clouds are cleared away in a shower of sparks. Asha grabs her father’s unconscious body and holds him tight in her arms as she slowly descends to the ground and sings her lullaby. Magnifico is very disheveled (maybe even a little bit of fanservice with his top torn off), but is otherwise alright. He soon comes to.

"...Amaya? ... ASHA!" Magnifico is in disbelief, but overjoyed to see his daughter alive and well. He embraces her and bursts into tears. “I thought I lost you! I thought you were gone!”

"I was. I disappeared beyond the edge of the universe. But I came back!"

Rebuilding Rosas

They turn to the townsfolk. Asha gives a speech about how not every wish should be granted, but that does not mean they’re not worth pursuing. It just requires careful consideration, and being open to finding a something new. (Someone with better writing skills please step in to write this speech without making it too sappy.)

Magnifico is greatly ashamed of the harm he has caused and steps down as king. Asha understands if the townsfolk do not want to see them anymore, but promises to do what she can to help them rebuild, and to help them pursue their dreams in an ethical manner. Star concurs. The townsfolk, having been touched by her earnestness and genuine emotions from when she helped grant their smaller wishes, embrace her with open arms and express that they would love if she remains their ruler. They are hesitant to forgive Magnifico, but think it's for the best that he be allowed to stay with his daughter.

Cut to some time later, and there is scaffolding all throughout town and the castle. Star and Asha have been using their magic to help with the rebuilding, with mixed results. Progress has been slow, but the people are hopeful. Asha and Star hold daily consultations with the people who were granted false wishes. Some are easy to grant, while others Asha advises that they can pursue on their own. (The girl who wished to fly meeting "Peter Pan" can be re-used here. I honestly thought that was a clever bit. While she could easily fly with magic, I like that the movie implies she'll find more meaning in learning to build a flying machine.)

Asha visits the original baby Asha’s grave. She renames herself. Perhaps to something like Stella? “I loved being Asha, but now I think it’s time I return your name back to you. Thanks for the loan.” She conjures some flowers for her and Amaya's grave, and goes to join the celebration.

🎶 “Finale Party Song”

Asha/Stella, Star, the townsfolk, and even Magnifico join in on the grand finale. Asha/Stella and Star kiss, and Hidden Mickey fireworks light up the sky.

End Credits

While the end credits were cute, I would revise them to include characters from the missing movies (the package films, The Rescuers, Black Cauldron, Meet the Robinsons, etc.). I would also change some of the character selections (For example, I'd have the three kittens represent The Aristocats, instead of just Marie by herself. It always annoys me to no end when they market Marie by herself. I'd also swap out Yokai/Professor Callahan with Baymax. What an odd decision to have Yokai of all characters represent BH6.). And also have some of the characters be animated instead of just still images. (I liked for Cinderella's credit they had a trail of sparkles surround her, but it would have been even better to actually see her transform from her ripped dress to the ballgown.)

Closing notes

There are a lot of things in my version that could use some more polishing, like the build-up to Magnifico's reveal about Asha. There should be at least one scene that foreshadows that the times when Magnifico tucks Asha into bed is when he magically absorbs the wishes into her to fuel her.

In addition to the whole wish theme, I thought it would be neat to also include themes of legacy, to tie in to Disney's 100 Anniversary. Disney Animation has come a long way, but is still capable of making big missteps. With many of the old talent gone, it's understandable that passing the torch to the next generation would make anyone nervous, but despite it all, I do have faith that Disney Animation can make a comeback. They've been through low points before; we just have to wait and see.

#wish rewrite #includes a plot twist and a connection to the Disney multiverse #disney wish #wish 2023 #wish movie #princess asha #king magnifico #star boy #star x asha #asha x star #wish critical

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libbee · 1 year

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The Dark Side of Communication

I am sure it's not just me but people with pisces, scorpio rising or placements, 8th or 12th house placements or even major plutonic people, are pretty aware of manipulation, lies and the monsters that live in people. The first few times when I was manipulated, I blamed myself for too long analyzing and ruminating endlessly on my vulnerability, how I let things escalate, how I was naive and immature. Such natives take dishonesty seriously and are really afraid of dishonesty in others.

I brainstormed endlessly trying to find my weakness and loopholes. Was I stupid? Doormat? Spineless? How could I not tell lies and manipulation? How did I trust them so easily?

There are two answers to this.

First = Although my dominant personality is "authentic or honest", I believe that everyone who comes into our life brings a lesson to learn. Even if you meet bad and evil people, they are your exposure to the dimensions of personality you had never encountered before. They are your own shadow figures that you refuse to acknowledge or even afraid of accepting in yourself. I may try to shout how virtuous I am but in the dark corners of my heart I know that even I am capable of being a really bad person in certain situations.

Second = Manipulation, lies, dishonesty are only caught in the hindsight. It is pretty much impossible to tell who is lying or manipulating or being dishonest or selfish in the moment, it is only when the event has passed and we think in retrospect after some time that we realize that we have been lied to or manipulated.

I realized that I can take endless precautionary measures, analyze the roots of my psyche and read a hundred books on psychology... but when a trickster comes into life to trick me, he will succeed no matter what. And it is only in hindsight that I will come to realization that I have been fooled once again. This is the dark side of communication. There is simply no way to predict the character of a person in advance. Tragedy of communication is that dots only connect in hindsight.

Another dark side is that person in the communication cannot tell things outright but the onlookers can tell things out. How we say "That girl is dating such a douchebag but she does not realize it" Yes because it is her blindspot and she does not understand because things only make sense in retrospect and currently she is in the process of communication. Maybe he tricks her and lies to her a lot but she digests everything because she does not sit back and question "This does not make sense, something is off".

So, this is my sad conclusion but anyway what can we do except be resilient? These natives are also hypersensitive so we really have it harder in communications. Just be vigilant and keep a close friend by your side who can give third person advice on your matters!!

#astrology #astro community #astro observations #astrology observations #astroblr #astro notes #astro tumblr #astrology blog #astrology notes #8th house #12th house #Scorpio #pisces #shadow self

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skinnypaleangryperson · 10 months

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There are literally tears streaming down my face right now, and I wasn't even expecting to care about the episode that much. Once I processed what the show is trying to communicate with Rick's inner stagnance and grief, I started balling with the music at the end that was meant to portray the fact that he realized now that now that there's nothing left to do or anything to act on or to put all that energy to there's nothing left except for the hardest battle to fight, which is the acceptance of the fact that he can't get his wife or anything back.

This is such a perfect portrayal of what inner depression feels like with nowhere for it to go or anyone to talk to about it because it's just something you have to accept.

Rick is such an incredibly good portrayal of depression and grief because, especially with this last couple of seconds when Morty thinks that he's satisfied, but there's nothing that you can do about emotional grief and the fact that you can never get back what you lost, especially with something as profound as what Rick obviously considers the love of his life. The feeling is like nothing else; and even worse, it's the loneliest feeling in the world because nobody knows what it feels like to carry that grief every single day and it's profound and constant battle except for yourself.

It's the worst feeling and the heaviest feeling in the world for Rick to realize there's nothing left to do-he still didn't have his Diane back, and his grief is still full of nothing but what he can't help but feel is a cheap emulation of the life that he should have had. If you ever genuinely grieved over anything that you can never get back and there's nothing left but emptiness to reflect over it, I don't know how you couldn't be incredibly touched by Rick's character. His story is such a stark and jarringly incredibly written story over long-term grief and how it never really heals or gets better, but is a weight that you care with you for the rest of your life everyday, every moment.

I remember when I watched the first unity episode I was literally paralyzed from how much it touched me once we got more information about the fact that the reason why he went home and tried to terminate himself was because he had this a lifelong grief that he was carrying with him that he still is. I don't think in my life, literally, I have ever been so touched or so abrasively paralyzed by the idea of someone suffering from a young age all the way till 70 and never getting over it, because, if your brain is wired a certain way, some people truly never get over tragedy.

This show is so goofy and it obviously doesn't take itself seriously, but somehow it managed to pull up one of the most compelling paralyzingly impactful characters that I've ever consumed in media in my life.

#I am projecting a lot #but I really don't have any interests in anything anymore except for itself shipping with Rick Sanchez and one other character #as much as I can be I'm grateful for the fact that Rick came to me and my life at a time when I really needed a character to grieve with at #this incredibly life-endingly paralyzing time in my life.#and I couldn't care less about being accepted by the fandom or whatever it's called so I'm free to make as many whack post as much as I want #or whatever it is most of you would call it #rick and morty #lol

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jiliansky-blog · 10 months

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In the dark. Chapter 2. The beginning of something new

Pairing: Morpheus x FemaleReader

Rating: PG

Words: 1849

That night, you didn’t appear in the Dreaming for some reason. And you thought perhaps Morpheus was tired of you and had changed his mind.

“You became dreamy”, said your friend. “You were always dreamy. Is something happening that I don’t know about”.

“Well, I have very interesting dreams now”, you explained. No one believes that some god of dreams visits you at night.

“Really?” she asked. "What do these dreams look like?”

“Like some fairy tale kingdom”, you smiled.

And the next evening, you were looking forward to seeing Morpheus. You hope that he won’t leave you. But he told you about the month. And yes, he appeared in your room when you were almost asleep. As he waits for you to fall asleep.

“Hello”, you smiled. “Thank you for yesterday’s reading. Your voice is just enchanting”.

“Do you prefer this again?” he asked.

“Perhaps, but why wasn't I in the Dreaming yesterday?” you asked.

“My apologies”, Morpheus replied seriously. “I thought you just wanted to sleep and didn’t want to go to the Dreaming”.

“No apology is needed”, you smiled. “And don’t be so formal. Though I want to spend time in the Dreaming after I fall asleep”.

“Very well”, he agreed. “Should I read again?”

You supposed that it was easier for him to read than to answer your questions. And he was wonderful at this.

“What books do you prefer?” you asked.

“I don’t have preferences”, he replied.

“No, I don’t believe in this”, you said. “You can’t realize it, but there must be something that you enjoy reading”.

“I love good poetry”, he said after a long pause. “And plays”.

“Me either”, you smiled. “I liked to read Shakespeare’s plays in school. But I prefer comedies to tragedies”.

“Then you should like A Midsummer Night's Dream," he admitted.

“I do”, you said again. “Do you like Shakespeare?”

“Yes, I inspired him on this play”, he replied.

“No way!” you gasped. “Did you know him?”

“I did”, he said, nodding. “He wrote two plays for me. This and “Tempest”.

“That's marvelous!” you admitted.

Morpheus revealed something about him. It was really something, too. So you thought that you were eventually starting to get to know him.

“What food do you like?” you asked.

“I don’t need food to sustain myself”, was the answer.

“I didn’t ask you about this”, you said. “I asked about your preferences”.

Silence again, and then he sighed. Perhaps you did tire him.

“I like wine”, he replied. “And coffee. And Italian food”.

“So you do have preferences”, you smiled.

“It doesn’t matter what I prefer”, Morpheus said. “What matters is that I need to perform my duty. And I won’t be able to do this if…”

“If our agreement breaks,”, you finished.

“Yes”, he said quietly.

“Perhaps your preferences don’t mean anything in the universe, but they can be important for you”, you admitted. “And I want to know you very much”.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because you are interesting and mysterious”, you said. “We can be at least friends”.

“You, humans, are really something”, he said, but without irritation. Perhaps, he even smiles. You would like to see him smiling.

“So should I read to you?” he asked.

“Yes, please”, you replied, making yourself comfortable in the bed. And his voice put you to sleep again.

And you appeared in the Dreaming again. Lucienne was just a little bit surprised to see me again.

“Oh, welcome back”, she said with a smile.

“Hello again”, you replied. “I kind of slept through all of yesterday’s night. The magic of Morpheus’ voice”.

“Did he read to you?” She was really surprised.

“Yes, twice”, You nodded. “Why?”

“He rarely did this”, she replied. “Especially for mortals. She read to his former lovers or to his son. But not to mortals”.

“Oh, I see”, you said, surprised too. “I asked very nicely. And it would be better if no one found out about it”.

“Found out about what?” Of course, Matthew should appear at this moment.

“Nothing”, you said.

“No, you are hiding something”, he continued. “What is it?”

“That Morpheus was nice and sweet”, you said.

“Oh, so do you want to tell me that you are in love with your boss?” he asked. “Or maybe that boss likes you? That would be interesting”.

“No, I’m just saying that he was nice”, you rejected.

“Matthew, stop being silly”, Lucienne said. “If it were as you said, then everything would change”.

“What do you mean?” You asked.

“Nothing”, she says, returning to her work, but you felt like she wasn’t telling you something. It was something related to his visits.

“What is it?” you asked.

“He will tell you when the time comes,”, Lucienne answered.

“He is afraid that it will change your relationship if he tells you”, Matthew admitted. “That is why he forbids us to tell”.

“I see”, you sighed.

Perhaps, it was important for Morpheus not to tell you anything. You walked alone for a little bit and then read. But you didn’t meet anyone else. You tried to figure out the reason he wanted to stay in the shadows. It reminds you of the fairy tale about Beauty and the Beast. Can he be ugly or cursed, and that’s why he wanted to stay in the darkness? But if he wants you to fall in love, then he wasn’t trying hard. Or does he have another plan?

The next night, he came again. You were waiting for him. And he just appeared in the darkness.

“I was watching you yesterday”, he said. “Do you not like the Dreaming anymore? You seemed confused and puzzled.

“It’s nothing”, you replied. “I was just thinking why you want to stay in the dark. You forbid Lucienne and Matthew to talk about this”.

“Why do you want to know this?” he asked.

“Because I want to help”, you replied.

“You are already helping”, Morpheus said. His voice was calm and even soft. He wasn’t angry with you, and that was a good sign.

“I’m glad you're trusting me”, you said.

“Should we read?” he asked. “Or do you want to communicate?”

“What do you prefer?” you asked.

“Do you really need to know all of my preferences?” Morpheus asked, but it seemed to you he was amused.

“Why not?” you asked in return.

“Very well”, he sighed. “Ask your questions”.

“You are not very good at socializing, are you?” you smiled.

“It’s not important”, he said. “And I don’t have many friends”.

“What about your family?” you asked.

“We don’t talk to each other very often”, he replied calmly but coldly. “We are too different”.

“And you don’t want to talk about them”, you guessed.

“Indeed”, he said.

“Aright, can you tell me the story?” you asked. “Lucienne told me you're also called the Prince of Stories. Is it true?”

“I am called the Prince of Stories,”, he confirmed. “And I will tell you the story”.

“I am going to listen carefully”, you replied.

“Once upon a time, a god traveled through ancient civilizations”, he begins. “And a mortal princess saw him out and tried to follow him”.

Oh, is that a love story? And why do you feel like this story is important to Morpheus? What is he trying to tell you?

“She found the way to follow the god to his world, but when she found out who he was, she wanted to escape from him, even though she wanted him”.

“She was awful, why try to find him if you don’t want to be with him”, you admitted. “She has no sense”.

“Because the god and the mortal can’t be together”, Morpheus replied. “The god brought her to the night of love, and her kingdom was destroyed because of him”.

“That’s sad”, you said.

“She refused to stay with him and even killed herself”, he continued with a lifeless voice. “And the god was heartbroken. He cursed and damned her to life in hell”.

He finished the story and became silent. You understood that it was a story about him. He did something very wrong. But this princess was very weird too.

“Why did you tell me this?” you asked.

“You shouldn’t fall in love with me”, he said. “It will ruin everything”.

“There is a way between friendship and love”, you replied. “And you know, this princess was really dumpy. If she knew how their relationship was going to end, she needs to think more clearly before following him”

“She couldn’t know what he was,”, he replied.

“You said she followed him to his world”, you confronted. “She should know that he wasn’t human when she was making so many efforts”.

“Right”, His voice was tired now. “But she paid her price because of him. Because he wasn’t passionate and doesn’t care much about humans”.

“And I can say she doesn’t love him, or she would find the way”, you said.

“There is no other way”, he sighed.

“I don’t believe in this”, you admitted. “Thank you. For sharing this story”.

“It would probably be better if we didn’t get too close”, he sighed. “That is why I don’t want to communicate”.

“Can we be friends?” you asked.

“I suppose we can”, he agreed.

“Good”, you nodded.

After that, he read, and you fell asleep. And you spent the rest of the day in his library.

The week that came after, he mostly read to you, but he started making remarks about the stories. Sometimes he chooses the story, and sometimes it's your choice. You started to understand him a little better. He missed the opportunity to discuss with someone stories, books or some other stuff. But he doesn’t approve of your love for stories about the fairies.

“They are deceiving creatures”, he once told you. “Their beautiful look is just glamour. And they can charm you and do whatever they want”.

“So they are real?” you asked.

“As real as my world”, Morpheus replied. “But stay away from them. They are quite dangerous”.

“Do you know any of them?” you asked.

“Yes”, he said.

And you understand that this is the end of this conversation. He doesn’t want to talk about fairies anymore. And suggested reading another story. And so you agreed.

Slowly, he became friendlier. You heard his chuckle. And you were curious what his smile looked like. Or how his laugh sounds—even without seeing him, you began to feel the warmth grow in your heart.

“You are so smart”, you said another night.

“Of course”, he says, sounding so proud. “Did you expect me to be stupid?”

“Not at all”, you smiled. “I just marveled”.

Morpheus was indeed smart. You knew he could be cold, but he also has a deep, caring hurt. And he always talks about his home with softness and warmth.

“You need to sleep”, he said suddenly.

And so you slowly drifted to sleep and to his palace. Where he left you small gifts. Books that you like. Even though he warned you against falling in love with him, he almost courted you, as he would say. Perhaps, it was a friendly gift. But it warmed your heart anyway.

@shadowqueen1318 @mypsychoticlove @justathirstyhoe @ladymoztaza @sapphireonline @deniixlovezelda

#morpheus x reader #dream x reader #sandman x reader #sandman fanfiction #the sandman

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