#but when he said he was going to find a whole lot of things to love about donnie. he meant that

[vitalverstappen]

Man's Best Wingman - C. Leclerc

summary: they say dogs are a man’s best friend, but a certain dachshund may be man’s best wingman

pairing: Charles Leclerc x veterinarian!reader

warnings: none ( i mean use of y/n if you count that)

word count: 2.6k

It was no surprise that Charles Leclerc adored animals, specifically dogs. So, when word spread like wildfire around Monaco that he had adopted Leo, it was only a matter of time before the duo showed up in your clinic. 

You had heard about Leo from the gossip mill - Charles had been spotted walking the dog around the streets of Monte Carlo, and the photos of the two of them quickly made the rounds on social media. The sight of the Formula 1 driver, usually so composed and intense, walking around with an adorable dachshund puppy had the whole city cooing with affection. 

You had been working as a vet for a few years now, as one of the only ones in Monaco, so you were no stranger to having a celebrity walk through your doors. In fact, you had Alex Albon walking through your doors practically every month with the zoo he had. But hearing your techs swoon at the fact Charles was in your clinic, made you question how big this guy really was. 

“Y/n, Leo Leclerc is in room four for you. He’s here for his routine exam. So far everything looks good,” one of your techs said. 

“I bet Charles looks even better,” another one called, overhearing the conversation. 

Your eyes rolled, but you couldn’t help but chuckle at their remarks. “Focus on Leo, not Charles,” you teased, though you knew their excitement was understandable. 

Taking a deep breath to prepare yourself, you grabbed your stethoscope and walked toward room four. You were a professional, after all, and your job was to make sure Leo was in tip-top shape, not to let the celebrity connection distract you. 

As you knocked lightly on the door, you heard a soft voice call from the other side. “Come in!”

You opened the door to find Charles sitting on the exam table, with Leo happily bouncing around at his feet. The little dachshund’s tail wagged furiously as soon as he spotted you, making a beeline for you as though he’d known you for ages. 

“Hey there, Leo,” you said, crouching down to meet the enthusiastic puppy. You pet him for a second before standing back up. “I’m Dr. Y/L/N, but you can call me Y/N. I’ll be your primary veterinarian.”

Leo’s little tail wagged even harder at the mention of his name, and you couldn’t help but to smile at the sight. His big brown eyes stared up at you, full of trust and excitement. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N,” Charles said as he got off of the exam table. His smile was easy, and you noticed how much more approachable he looked when he wasn’t in his racing suit. “I’m glad to see you’re the one handling Leo today.”

You nodded, doing your best to focus on the task at hand, though your heart was pounding into your throat. “He’s a cutie. And I’ve heard a lot about him from the clinic’s gossip mill. Seems like you two are quite the duo.”

Charles chuckled lightly, glancing down at Leo, who was now sitting patiently at his feet, as if sensing the shift in attention. “Yeah, Leo’s been a good distraction for me. Definitely makes my life a bit more fun, and I think he’s a great companion for my downtime.”

You turned to Leo, picking him up and placing him on the exam table, where Charles once sat. “He’s got a lot of energy for a little guy. Looks like he’s been keeping you on your toes.”

Charles shrugged, the slightest hint of amusement in his expression. “He definitely does, but I love having him around. Plus, he’s a great way to relax after a stressful weekend, just walking him around and enjoying the quieter side of things.”

“Sounds perfect,” you replied, settling your stethoscope into place. “Let’s make sure everything is going well with him. I’ll just start with a quick check-up, get his vitals and make sure he’s healthy.”

You focused on Leo, quickly going through the routine exam. His heart rate was normal, his coat was shiny and healthy, and his eyes were bright. After a quick examination, you looked up at Charles. “He’s in great shape, Charles. No issues at all. He’s a happy, healthy little guy.” 

Charles sighed in relief, his smile widening. “I’m glad to hear that. I was worried I might be doing something wrong.”

“Not at all,” you assured him, chuckling. “You’re doing everything right. It’s clear you care about him a lot.”

You scooped Leo into your arms and informed Charles you would be taking Leo into the back room to give him his shots. What you didn’t mention was that it was also an opportunity for all of the techs to fawn over the puppy. 

Once you brought Leo back into the exam room, Charles' eyes lit up, though you were unsure if it was at you, or the dog. You gave him a few instructions for Leo’s next few weeks, including a reminder to keep up with his vaccinations. “He’s good to go! Just a few follow-ups, but nothing to worry about.”

You bid goodbye to the driver as you guided him up to the receptionist's desk. There, you gave instructions on the next exam date. 

Charles had the day of the exam circled on his calendar the minute he got home. Sure, he wanted to be a good dog dad and pay attention to Leo’s appointments, but he also couldn’t wait to see you again. 

Unfortunately, he didn’t realize that since Leo had done so well, the follow up appointments that had been scheduled were only with the techs, not with you. He went through with the appointments, but in the back of his mind, he had to find a way to see you again. And thankfully, Leo gave him plenty of excuses. 

It all started when Leo ate a blade of grass. 

Now, Charles knew that eating grass wasn’t going to kill his dog, but he was worried it might make him a little sick… and he wanted to see you again. 

So, he scheduled an appointment.

As soon as you saw Charles and Leo’s names on the schedule, a smile tugged at the corner of your lips. You tried to shake it off, you were just doing your job, but there was something about seeing him that made you feel a little lighter. 

As the time drew nearer, you found yourself making sure everything was in order, the clinic bustling with its usual activity. Your techs were curious no doubt - they’d fawned over the duo when they took care of the dog’s follow up appointments, and definitely talked about the “celebrity dog dad” a little more than they probably should’ve. 

“Y/n, Charles and Leo are in room three for you. He mentioned Leo had eaten some grass earlier today, but so far, everything seems normal,” your tech informed you 

You walked towards the exam room, preparing yourself to see the driver and his dog again. As you entered, you saw Charles sitting on the chair this time, gently scratching behind Leo’s ears. The little dachshund’s tail was wagging, and he immediately perked up when he saw you, jumping down from Charles’ lap. 

“Hey, Leo,” you greeted, crouching down to pet the excited pup. “What’s all this fuss about grass, huh?” 

Charles looked up from his phone and smiled when he saw you. “Hey, Y/N. Yeah, Leo decided to sample some grass this morning, and now I’m just a little paranoid.”

You chuckled, standing up to meet his gaze. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Dogs eat grass all the time. Most of the time, it’s harmless. But let’s take a quick look just to be sure.”

You began your routine examination of Leo, checking his belly, feeling for any signs of discomfort, and listening to his heart. Leo seemed perfectly fine, happily squirming and wagging his tail as you worked. 

“See?” you said, glancing up at Charles. “He seems to be in good spirits. No signs of anything bothering him.” 

Charles let out a relieved sigh, but there was still a hint of concern in his eyes. “Yeah, I’ve just been overthinking it. But I’m still getting used to being a dog dad, you know?” 

You smiled warmly, meeting his gaze. “Like I said at our first appointment, you’re going great, Charles. Leo’s in good hands.” 

He looked at you with a soft smile, and for a moment, there was a brief pause in the conversation. It was like neither of you wanted to break the moment, but eventually, Charles cleared his throat and stood up. 

“Thanks again, Y/N. Seriously,” he said, giving you an appreciative look. “I’m glad I came in today, even if it was just for a little blade of grass.” 

“It’s no problem at all,” you replied, trying to keep your composure. “Take care of Leo, and we’ll see you for the next check-up.” 

But you saw him much sooner than the next check-up. 

Only a few weeks after the grass related appointment, your receptionist came into the back area, where you and your techs were prepping for surgery. You had a busy day ahead of you, with having back to back appointments all day, and the only break you got was your thirty minutes of lunch. 

“Mr. Leclerc is on the phone,” your receptionist began, causing a bunch of oooo’s from your staff. “He said that Leo stubbed his toe and wanted to see if you had availability for today.”

You paused for a moment, wiping your hands on your scrubs as you turned toward your receptionist. “Leo stubbed his toe?” you asked, trying to suppress a smile. You could hear the excitement in your staff’s whispers behind you, but you didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing how much Charles’ calls were starting to feel like little breaks from the clinic chaos. 

“Yeah, that’s what he said,” your receptionist replied, her tone amused. “Should I tell him to hold on or that you’re in surgery?” 

You quickly ran through your schedule in your head. It was packed, but a stubbed toe? You could squeeze that in. You didn’t want to seem like you were too eager, but you couldn’t help but feel a little excitement at the thought of seeing Charles again. 

“I can take a shorter lunch,” you said, giving your receptionist a quick nod. “Schedule him for the last twenty minutes of that half hour.” 

Your receptionist raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as she turned to make the call. As soon as the door closed behind her, your techs immediately leaned in, their eyes sparking with curiosity.

“You know you two aren’t fooling anyone, right?” one of them teased. “You’re excited to see Charles again.

“And he’s got to be wanting to see you if he’s making an appointment over a stubbed toe,” another one chimed in. 

You rolled your eyes, trying to stifle a grin. ‘It’s just a stubbed toe,” you replied, but your voice betrayed you, laced with a hint of amusement. “He’s just a concerned dog dad. Nothing more.” 

Your techs exchanged knowing glances, clearly not buying it. 

“Uh-huh,” one of them smirked. “A ‘concerned dog dad’ who keeps calling in for the tiniest little thing. Sure.”

“Maybe you should get him a frequent flyer card,” another suggested, grinning. 

You shook your head, trying to ignore the warmth growing in your cheeks. “Focus, guys. You have things to do, remember?” 

They held up their hands in mock surrender, but you could still feel their eyes on you as you turned back to finish prepping for the day. 

When the status of Leo’s appointment changed to “arrived” on your computer, it took everything in you to remain calm and composed. The butterflies in your stomach only grew as you heard Leo’s excited barks from down the hall. 

Once your techs informed you that the Leclercs were ready to see you, you made your way to the exam room, trying to keep yourself steady with every step. When you opened the door, Charles was sitting there, looking as relaxed as ever, with Leo perched on his lap. 

“Hey there, you,” you greeted Leo first, just like you always did. “I heard you got a stubbed toe this time around.”

Charles chuckled, giving you a sheepish look. “I know, it’s ridiculous. But he seemed to be limping a little, and I didn’t want to take any chances.”

You nodded, appreciating his concern for his dog. “It’s never ridiculous to take care of our furry friends,” you said, your eyes briefly meeting his. There was a warmth in his gaze, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow down. 

You got Leo up on the exam table, gently checking his paws and making sure everything looked good. As you worked, you noticed Charles’ gaze lingering on you - though this time, it felt different. His smile was softer, more intentional, and there was something in his eyes that made your heart skip a beat. 

Finally, after checking Leo’s paw, you turned to Charles. “Good news. It’s just a little sore, probably from the way he landed. No major damage.”

Charles visibly relaxed, his tension easing as he gave a small sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear that.” 

As you gave Leo a few gentle pats and wrote down the instructions for recovery, you could feel Charles’ eyes on you again. There was a quiet moment between you two, one that made the air feel just a little thicker, like there was more unsaid than spoken. 

“Thank you for always being so patient with me, and with Leo, and I appreciate you squeezing us in at the last minute,” Charles said, standing up to walk toward the door. He paused for a beat, then glanced back at you with a small but meaningful smile. “Would I be able to squeeze into your schedule again sometime, for coffee or drinks?”

You felt your heart flutter as the words hung in the air. It was the question you’d been waiting for, yet the reality of it still made your breath catch in your throat. For a second, you just looked at him, the familiar warmth in his smile making your pulse quicken. 

You tried to play it cool, but you couldn’t hide the slight blush creeping onto your cheeks. “I think I could make some time for you,” you said, your voice soft but sure. “I’m not usually this free, but for you? I’ll make an exception.”

Charles’s smile widened, and you could see a spark of relief in his eyes. He stepped back into the room, the distance between you narrowing as he moved closer. “Tomorrow? After work?” he asked, his tone a little more tentative, as if waiting for your confirmation. 

You nodded, your heart racing a little faster now. “Tomorrow works. Let’s say, six?” 

He gave a small, excited nod, clearly trying to contain his enthusiasm. “Perfect. I’ll pick you up. I’ll make sure not to keep you waiting.”

You both stood there for a moment, the air thick with anticipation, before he gave a final smile and turned to leave. “See you tomorrow, Y/N.” 

As he exited the room, Leo wagged his tail, clearly eager to follow. You watched him walk out, a mixture of excitement and nervousness bubbling up inside you. You leaned against the exam room table for a second, trying to catch your breath, before shaking yourself out of the daze. You still had a job to do, but you couldn’t help but smile to yourself as the thought of tomorrow played over in your mind.

[elliesanqel]

catharsis

sypnosis; after ellie had a nearly heated argument with seth over something he said about you, your best idea was to take her home, but you get caught up in the car—relieving her anger. cw; angst, smut, sub!ellie, soft dom!fem reader, oral sex, strap use (referred to as a cock), multiple orgasms, fluff, e!receiving all, not proofread, men and minors dni. a/n; can i just say a HUGE thank you for 1k on my obsessed fic, i was really not expecting it to reach that 😭💞 i love you all! basically i have ALWAYSSS wanted to write car sex—its just so hot to me so i had this specific idea💋 and im in the midst of writing lots of requests rn so they will be released soon! anyways hope you enjoy!

➝ masterlist

seth had already spat out a nasty comment your way as you walked off hand in hand with ellie. she initially tried her best to ignore the fact seth had basically told you both to leave for kissing anyway, but his next comment sent ellie off the rails and you weren’t expecting it.

a loud-mouthed dyke.

ellie let go of your hand and whipped around like someone had just thrown something at her, and her eye twitched. you watch as she walked away from you and towards seth, her finger raising to point at him, her brows knitted together. “the fuck did you just say?!” she spits out as she storms towards him, the only thing you could do was step in front of her and press your hands to her chest, holding her back.

your eyes look up at hers that were burning into seth as she never lost eye contact with him. “ellie, ellie—no!” you warn, her still moving towards seth as you spoke and had your hands on her chest, but she eventually stopped once you pressed her away firmly. her eyes finally broke from seth, falling down and inking into yours, her gaze instantly softening as soon as they met. she knew by the stern on your face that she’d better stop, especially since everyone was already staring.

before you knew it, you were hand in hand with your girlfriend, walking out of the bar, your eyes looking at hers from the side and you could practically see the steam coming from her ears. you sigh as you both walk to the car, letting go of her hand as she gets the keys from out her back pocket, unlocking the car and getting in the driver seat and you got in the passenger side.

she started the car, the engine roaring as she pulled out of the car park, driving off. the ride home was awkwardly silent—you were just in utter shock, and ellie was still very much angry. so angry that she hadnt even put her hand on your thigh while driving, which she normally did every single time—the fact that she didnt want to touch you made her anger prominent enough.

you notice ellies face, too. eyebrows knitted together, nose slightly scrunched, lips pursed and her cheeks flushed slightly, eyes narrow as they stayed on the road infront as she drove. nothing but the sound of the engine between you both, but, you decide to break the silence, feeling as though the awkwardness was swallowing you whole.

“why did you do that, ellie? we could have just walked away and ignored him.” you say, your voice low and tone soft, making sure it didnt sound like you were scolding her as you didnt want to make her more angry than she already was. she rubbed her brow, letting a sigh flow past her lips as she pouted them a little.

“well, who else was g’nna shut him up? dickhead had no right to call you that. you know i hate it when—” she says, her tone very firm, her anger obvious in her words, but you cut her off.

“i know, i know. i get it.” you sigh out, rubbing your eyes. you knew ellie was very protective of you, no matter how much of a loser she was she’d never let anyone fuck with you, she drew the line there. her hands were gripping the wheel tightly, her teeth finding her bottom lip. you found that after you’d said this, she had started to rant about it to let her anger out, but it didnt seem to work.

she rubbed her eyes with one hand as she rambled on, curses, groans and insults leaving her mouth. all this, and an idea still managed to swarm your head. how about you release her anger for her?

“he’s such a fucking—“ she rants, but you stop her by your confident words. “stop the car.” you say bluntly, with a hint of something else behind those words. her brows furrow further as she suddenly goes quiet from her rambling, her eyes meeting with yours for a split second. “huh? why?” she asks, confusion in her voice.

“pull over, ellie.” you whisper, your tone firmer now, almost seeming to stun her but she does comply, the fact that you were so strict with what you said making her pull the car over quickly and urgently. she was very much confused, parking the car on the side of the empty road. you grin to yourself, opening the glove box. “get in the backseat, baby.” you tell her.

she raises on eyebrow as she eyes your every movement, but somehow she doesnt seem to want to argue, and instead unclips her seatbelt slowly, manoeuvring into the backseat as she sits in the middle with her legs spread, seeming to get a small hint of what you were doing. especially when you were in the glovebox.

of course—ellies strap was in there.

you grab it in your hand and unclip your seatbelt, getting into the backseat. ellie reaches her arms out to you, grabbing your arms and then your hips, placing you on top of her lap as your legs rest either side of her waist. she was probably thinking you wanted her to fuck you. little did she know it wasnt like that. her hands caressed over your hips, her thumbs rubbing soft circles. “mm, y’want me to fuck you baby? right now?” she hums softly, her lips against your ear. however, you just laugh softly.

“no—you’re the one getting fucked, princess.” you grin, pressing your lips to her ear now, mimicking her own movements. you giggle to yourself as you could practically feel her smile faltering, her eyes widening and her legs spreading further. you move your head back, making eye contact with her puzzled face, your nose brushing against hers. “let me rail that anger out of you, hm?” you bite your bottom lip, watching the way her eyes pretty much fill with desperation.

she remained silent but she blinked, feeling herself getting wetter and wetter by the second, before you know it, you’d moved her to lay down and you hover over her, her jeans and boxers on the floor of the car—your skirt and panties in the same place. there was something so ironic about using ellies strap to fuck ellie with it. seems like the perfect way to go.

you strapped it on, not being able to help the moments that flush in your mind of every time ellie had fucked you senseless with this. you let the clear, veiny silicone brush against her already dripping folds, her head leans back on the car door at the first bit of contact, her eyes rolling back and her mouth opening in a silent moan.

you grin as you watch her face contort—starting to lift her shirt and move her flannel up, your lips finding her stomach. you kiss down her pretty waist, the way her stomach flattens with the sharp breaths she takes due to your soft movements, your lips pressing softer kiss on her hip bones as they arch up.

you meet with her folds, your tongue darting out to lick up her wet slit and swirl around her puffy clit. her arms lean back to grip onto the door, her hips arching up. “fuck! oh fuuuck—don’t stop. ohh, goddd…” she whines, swallowing hard as her eyes roll to the back of her head, her hips fucking themselves on your tongue.

you refused to praise her aching hole with your tongue, you wanted to save that for your cock and make her take it like a good girl. you gave her soft kitten licks, swirling your tongue over her bundle of nerves and up and down her slick heat, paying the area in particular that made her whine the most.

you could slowly feel her body shake, already teetering on the edge from your tongue on her clit, now she was sensetive wasnt she?

her hand instantly reached down to grab a fistful of your hair, fucking her pussy on your lips as she pushed your head in further. “fuuuuck baby—g’nna cu—oh god…!” she cries out, her hips grinding on your face as she fiercly cums all over your tongue. your quick to react, taking all her juices into your mouth and swallowing it up like it was flowing gold.

you pull your face out of her heat, seeing her eyes shut in ecstasy. the windows of the car had steamed up and it felt awfully hot. before ellie could even open her eyes, you had her flipped over and pulled her hips up so she was on her hands and knees on the seats, your hands curling around her hips. “you’re gonna take this like a good girl, ain’cha, princess?” you speak, voice low and seductive. you knew she was no longer angry and that you’d likely relieved her stress, but you wanted to fuck her nastily.

she bows her head, nodding quickly. “y-yes baby. shit—i—“ you instantly cut her off by rolling your hips forward, your cock completely bottoming out inside of her tight hole, which made you groan—having to stretch her needy cunt.

“uuuhhh! s—shit—“ she whines, her hand slamming against the steamy car window along with her other one, trying to steady herself as you begin moving in and out of her throbbing pussy, her ass smacking against your hips causing it to ripple as the noises echo throughout the car. any normal person driving or walking by would’ve seen the car rocking.

“s-shit…take it baby. fuuuck, your pussy is so pretty—taking my cock so well.” you whine, the friction from the strap rubbing against your untouched clit. you knew ellie loved it when you treated her like this, praising her and all—you loved it too, treating her like the queen she was. you grip her hips, although you didnt really have to—she was already pushing them backwards onto your cock as you spoke nasty words to her. her hands left two imprints on the steamy window, placing them somewhere else on the window to steady herself further, leaving two more imprints.

every time you thrusted forward, her pussy made squelching noises from her precum dripping on your cock. your hands gripped her pretty waist harder, slamming the thick silicone in and out of her needy cunt. her head arches back and strident moans fell from her throat. you were panting now, but that didnt stop you. ohhh no.

you take her hips and pull her up so her back meets with your chest and she was basically sat on your lap. a cry escapes her throat at the new angle, her body feeling overstimulated. your hands move up under her shirt, gripping both of her small breasts, giving them small squeezes which caused her to whine at your touch. “f—fucking hell—shitttt!” she whimpers out, bouncing herself on your cock. what a needy princess.

you grin, resting your chin on her shoulder as you fuck up into her, some of her hair that had fallen out of her bun stuck to her cheeks that were covered in sweat. one of her hands remained on the window, her other one came to cup your cheek. “m’close. gonna cum baby…ahhh!” her head fell back against your shoulder as she whined this—her mouth staying agape.

“thats it, thaaaats it, cum all over my cock sweetheart. doing so well f’me—mmm…” you groan, fucking up into her further as your words only egg her on, her body beginning to shake again as you repeatedly slam the tip of your cock against her spongey spot.

she shudders on your lap, and you swore you could feel her walls pulsing around you. her eyes squeeze shut, brows knitting together and with a final jolt and a slurred, whore-ish whine emitting from her throat, her cum leaks out of her pussy and all over your cock, a loud gasp following.

“ohhh my fucking god…” she sighs out, her hand slipping off the window which caused a streaky handprint, her head falling onto your shoulder. you give her breasts one last squeeze before you let go and lift her shaky body off of the silicone and she sits against the door while you crawl inbetween her legs to lay there, her hands finding your hair to play with it.

you smile contently, “feel better?” you whisper, voice croaky as you close your eyes, feeling proud. she laughs, her hands gently playing with your hair as she speaks, her tone soft and her voice quiet.

“fuck yeah. i should be pissed more often.” she kissed your hair, letting her words linger. “think we should go home, cuddle in bed. how’s that sound, princess?” you ask, looking into her eyes now.

her eyes soften at your words, looking into yours. “i’d love to, baby.”

taglist: @valeisaslut @elliesfavtoy @ttspenny @ellieswrath @willurms @slutt4ellie @stvrluvrrpres @elliescoochieeater @les4elliewilliams @eveyuyy @starwilliams @eriiwaii @vahnilla @ellieputellas @vampirq @067supremacy2 @se4ttlellie @edenspoem

[nyasialiveshere]

Its crazy how multiple people have confirmed that jongins been in arrested development his whole life and people think he is mature. He is physically developed but his maturity is stuck at like age 8 when his father pushed him to become something in the ent sector. So many people never talk about how stressful his life must have been he was in school full time plus over 5 activities. He said over the years he did art, calligraphy, he tried taekwondo but he sucked, jazz, tap dancing, and ballet and was an sm terminal for years before even auditioning again and becoming a trainee. On top of they wanted him to be a child model. He would of had issues even if he wasnt in s.m but sm is another reason why he wasnt able to develop. All the staff became substitite parents and babied him. He just stopped being a kid which is why he is the way he is. His office is full of child's toys and he constantly refrences cartoons. He literally is mentally stuck at that age and even kids find him immature. Which explains why he doesnt say anything when kids tease him and never demands they respect him because they think he and them are on the same level. Ricky kim even basically said this when asked why Kai was so good with kids. I also noticed he never demands younger people respect him or use honorifics. He doesnt even understand the concept or at least he doesnt think it even applies to him. Hence why he argued with Taemin in middle school about the honorifics thing and didnt think it was important. Honestly its not a sweet thing but a real psychological hangup he has that he requires others to take care of him at all times, whether on variety, in a band or in his friendgroup. During the variety they did im 2022 I think his different mindset is so apparent now that he can actually talk more. He doesn't get jealous in relationships allegedly cause 8 year olds don't really care that complexly about relationships. Physical boundaries mean nothing to him so thats why he is okay with a partner feeding or zipping up someones jacket. Him talking to a psych major is so funny cause i know he is already aware of all of this cause he reads psychology books. SO he's aware but that doesnt change his issues. You cannot fix this problem unless you go back in time and become a kid again. Which is something he's constantly trying to do. Lmao that why the other member said he thinks he's gen z it was an inside joke because he really does think he is younger than he is. It happens to lots of people. Which also explains why he was begging to be a few years younger a few years ago and didnt want to talk about being 30. They will be married with kids but they are still psychologically stuck at a certain age. A lot of people say he acts like he's five but I will go with 8 because thats when he began doing all those activities. Too much stress on tiny very young person like it was gonna happen regardless. His stage persona is a mask yes, but its more than that. That is the person he created to be what the top superstars during his youth were.

even sehun wants to take care of jonginnie ♡ [trans]

[elliesbabygirl]

ch.005 ⇄ ch.006; boyfriend material - Young Friend

"Our conversations always short, we're fucking in my car"

my masterlist.

word count: 4.3k words

series synopsis: friends with benefits, that's what ellie wanted. yet, she can't let you go, even after the messy 'breakup' between the two of you.

warnings: fingering(r! receiving), strap-on sex(r! receiving), kissing, swearing, baby blue didlo referred to as ellie's 'cock', reader cheating(?) on abby anderson, even if they're not officially together + lying to her, and possible hints of abby being closeted to her father.

author's note: can you tell that my favorite color is baby blue btw.. Sorry if you guys don't fw this chapter 💔. It's been a stressful week for me❤️(still not proofread).

The library was quiet, the low hum of students studying filling the space around you. The steady scratching of pens against paper, the occasional rustle of pages turning—it all should’ve been soothing. It should’ve helped you focus.

But you could barely sit still.

Your sleeves were pulled down over your wrists, your collar zipped up just enough to cover your throat, layers strategically hiding the marks Ellie had so desperately left on your skin the night before.

And Abby was right across from you.

She sat at the table, casually flipping through her kinesiology textbook, occasionally glancing up at you with that easy, lopsided smirk of hers. “You good?” she finally asked, raising a brow.

Your fingers twitched against your notebook. “Yeah,” you said too quickly, forcing yourself to keep your gaze on the highlighted notes in front of you. “Just tired.”

Abby hummed, unconvinced. “Mmm. You do look exhausted.”

You swallowed hard.

She had no idea.

No idea how wrecked you were from last night, how your thighs ached from Ellie keeping them spread, how your skin was still sensitive in the places she had marked you up, how your mind kept flashing back to the way Ellie had whispered, you’re all mine, against your skin.

No idea that you had spent the entire morning scrubbing yourself clean, covering up every single bruise with makeup, layering your clothes just to make sure Abby wouldn’t see.

You nodded stiffly. “Didn’t sleep well.”

Abby studied you for a moment, then smirked, leaning her chin in her palm. “Guess I should’ve tired you out more last time, huh?”

Your stomach dropped.

A nervous laugh that tasted like vomit bubbled up in your throat, and you barely managed to swallow it back. “Guess so,” you muttered, forcing a small, tight-lipped smile before ducking your head down, pretending to focus on your textbook.

Abby just chuckled, turning back to her notes.

And you let out a slow, shaky breath.

She couldn’t find out.

She wouldn’t find out.

As long as you kept your guard up—kept your lips sealed—Abby would never have to know the truth.

Sleeping with Ellie was a one time thing, a mistake, you promised yourself.

Abby flipped a page in her notebook, tapping her pen against the table absentmindedly. “Oh—by the way,” she started, keeping her eyes on her notes. “My dad’s coming into town this weekend.”

You blinked, looking up from your book. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” she said, stretching her arms behind her head before letting them fall lazily onto the table. “He’s got some conference thing, but we’re probably gonna be catching up the whole time, so I’ll be kinda off the grid for a bit.”

Something about the way she said it made your stomach bubble.

She wasn’t just letting you know she’d be busy—she was preemptively telling you not to expect to see her. Not to text her. Not to exist in her world for a while.

You swallowed, fingers tightening slightly around your pen. “That’s nice,” you said slowly. “You guys close?”

Abby shrugged, giving a small smirk. “Yeah, I mean—he’s busy a lot, but when we do see each other, it’s cool.”

you forced a tight-lipped smile, nodding as you reminded yourself to give Abby grace. After all, you were creating a double standard by already having slept with Ellie.

She flipped another page in her book, barely sparing you a glance before adding, “Though, he’s probably gonna spend half the trip trying to set me up with some fancy lawyer’s son or whatever.”

You stared at her, waiting for her to follow it up with a joke, a smirk, something.

But Abby just kept reading, like she hadn’t just said something completely out of place. Like she wasn’t literally fingers deep inside you earlier this week.

like Ellie’s pussy wasn't literally against yours last night, but Abby didn't need to know that.

You shut your textbook with a quiet thud, stretching your arms over your head with a sigh. “Alright, I think that’s enough studying for me."

Abby smirked, setting her pen down. “Tapping out already?”

You rolled your eyes. “We’ve been here for hours. My brain is fried.”

Abby chuckled, leaning back in her chair as you stood, grabbing your bag. As you slung it over your shoulder, she tilted her chin up slightly, wordlessly waiting.

You leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips, brief but lingering enough for her to hum in approval.

“I’ll text you,” you murmured against her mouth.

“you better” she teased, giving your hip a light squeeze before letting you pull away.

You gave her one last small smile before turning toward the exit, digging into your pocket for your phone. The second you checked your screen, your stomach flipped.

Ellie: miss you. come over?? :(

Your breath hitched.

You locked your phone immediately, shoving it deeper into your pocket before Abby could see.

“Something wrong?” Abby asked, raising a brow.

You forced a small laugh, shaking your head. “Just my mom,” you lied smoothly. “Probably just checking in.”

Abby nodded, not questioning it further, and you exhaled quietly, turning towards the exit.

But as you stepped out of the library, the message burned in the back of your mind.

Come home.

Your grip on your bag tightened.

you shouldn't.

The uber to Ellie’s apartment felt too fast. Like your body knew exactly where it was going before your mind could stop it.

By the time you reached her door, you barely had a chance to knock before it swung open, revealing Ellie standing there in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants, her hair slightly messy like she had just rolled out of bed.

Her eyes flickered over you, something soft and shy in them before she stepped closer, tilting her chin up to kiss you. It wasn’t rushed, wasn’t desperate—just slow, warm, familiar.

Her hands found your cheeks, thumbs brushing over your skin as she sighed against your lips, smiling a little into the kiss. “Missed you in bed this morning,” she mumbled, her voice low, still thick with sleep.

Your breath hitched slightly at the way she said it—so casual, so certain, like waking up with you beside her should’ve been normal

She pulled back just slightly, her green eyes flickering over your face before she pecked your lips again, softer this time, like she couldn’t help herself.

Then, without another word, she took your hand and led you inside, pulling you toward the couch. The TV was still on, some random show playing, the remote tossed onto the coffee table like she hadn’t actually been paying attention to it.

Ellie sat down, tugging you with her, settling right against you, her arm resting over your waist as she slouched comfortably into your space.

Every so often, she’d lean in, pressing absentminded kisses to your neck—soft, warm, casual—like it was second nature, like she didn’t even have to think about it.

You shivered slightly, the warmth of her breath against your skin sending something familiar through you.

Minutes passed before Ellie let out a quiet sigh, clearly losing interest in the show altogether. She shifted beside you, tugging at the hem of your hoodie, her green eyes flickering up at you.

“I really did miss you this morning,” she mumbled, her voice low, a little rough.

Before you could respond, Ellie leaned back, shifting until she was lying fully against the couch, pulling you down with her until you were on top of her, her hands sliding up your back to keep you close.

Then—she kissed you again.

It was slow, deep, dripping with something raw and needy, her lips parting slightly as she sighed into your mouth. Her fingers curled around the back of your neck, keeping you there, her legs wrapping around your waist, her old Converse pressing firmly into your lower back.

She moaned softly against your lips, her body shifting beneath you as she kissed you deeper, her tongue lazily slipping into your mouth, teasing, tasting you.

For a moment, she dominated the kiss, slow and intentional, making you feel every inch of her, every ounce of want she had been holding back—

Then she let you take over.

Her body relaxed beneath yours, her hands trailing down your spine, her breath heavy as she let you lead, let you kiss her the way you wanted, her lips parting under yours like she was ready to give in completely.

The room was filled with the quiet, wet sounds of your lips moving together, of your hands slipping under each other’s shirts, exploring, remembering.

Ellie sighed into you, her nails scratching lightly at your scalp, her hips subtly rolling up, chasing more, even though she wasn’t rushing anything.

The only thing you could hear was the quiet, wet sounds of Ellie’s lips moving against yours, the soft sighs slipping from her mouth every time you kissed her deeper.

She was needy, barely holding herself together, her body shifting beneath you as she tried to keep the pace slow, tried to act like she wasn’t getting turned on from just kissing you.

But she was failing.

Her hips kept rolling up against you, subtle at first, like she didn’t mean to, but then again—this time, deliberate.

A quiet whimper slipped from her throat, her fingers gripping at your back, keeping you pressed against her. Her breath was heavy, her lips parting beneath yours like she was desperate for more, for anything you’d give her.

She pulled back just slightly, her lips still hovering over yours, her green eyes dark and glazed over. “Please,” she mumbled, the word slipping out between the small space of your lips, like she couldn’t help it.

Her hand slid down, fingers tracing the front of your pants, playing with the button—hesitating, waiting for you to say something, for you to let her.

She didn’t care how desperate she looked.

Didn’t care that her hips were still subtly grinding up against you, her breath coming out shaky and uneven.

Didn’t care that she was practically begging now.

All she cared about was you—letting her have you, letting her make up for every second she had lost.

Ellie barely made it to the bedroom before she was on you again, her lips finding yours with a messy, open-mouthed desperation as she pressed you back onto the bed. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light filtering through the blinds, casting soft shadows over her face, her flushed cheeks, her needy expression as she hovered over you.

Her hands roamed over your sides, gripping, pulling—taking you in. She needed to, needed to feel you again, to memorize you, like you might slip away if she wasn’t holding you close enough.

“Fuck, I missed you, baby” she murmured against your skin, her voice rough, laced with something desperate as she pressed her lips to your neck.

She reclaimed the hickeys she left last night, sucking dark bruises into your skin, her tongue flicking over them before she bit down just enough to make you gasp. The sound made her groan, her hips grinding down instinctively against your thigh, like she couldn’t help herself.

Her fingers made quick work of your clothes, yanking fabric over your head, shoving your pants down until they were completely forgotten on the floor. She didn’t waste a second, her hands slipping between your thighs, teasing you, spreading you open, her breath hitching when she felt how wet you were already.

“Shit, baby,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to your jaw, fingers trailing between your folds, circling right where you needed her. “You’re already so fucking ready for me.”

You whimpered, bucking into her hand, and Ellie moaned, her own breath shaky. She slid one finger inside, slow and careful, her other hand gripping your hip, holding you there as she worked you open.

“need my cock inside you,” she whimpered suddenly, her lips brushing your ear, her voice almost pleading. “Please.”

You shivered at the way she said it. “please what?” you teased breathlessly, even though you already knew.

Ellie exhaled sharply, her forehead pressing against yours, her fingers curling inside you just right. “You know what, baby,” she whispered, kissing you slow and deep as she rubbed her thumb over your clit, making your body twitch. “baby—please, I need to.”

You hesitated for only a second before nodding, and Ellie swore under her breath, her lips crashing against yours before she reluctantly pulled her fingers away.

She reached into her nightstand, grabbing the harness, the baby blue dildo attachment making your stomach tighten. Ellie's hands trembled slightly as she adjusted the straps, securing it around her hips, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.

Then, without a word, she straddled you suddenly, her knees pressing into the mattress as she hovered over you, still, quiet for a moment as she took you in—laid out beneath her, waiting.

She swallowed thickly, her voice softer now, almost shy as she whispered, “You’re so good to me, baby.”

Ellie exhaled slowly, adjusting her grip on your waist, fingers flexing slightly like she was grounding herself, steadying her breath as she lined herself up with you. The baby-blue dildo pressed against your entrance, slick and warm from where she had been grinding against you moments before.

Her green eyes flickered up to yours, searching, asking silently even though you had already given her permission.

You nodded, wrapping your arms around her shoulders, and that was all she needed.

Ellie pushed forward, slow and careful, her breath stuttering the second she saw herself slip inside. “Fuck—” Her voice was barely above a whisper, shaking with restraint, her lips parting as she watched your expression shift beneath her.

She froze for a second, her fingers tightening their grip on you. “'M not hurting you, right?”

You shook your head, breath hitching as you adjusted to the stretch. “No,” you murmured, pulling her closer, kissing her softly. “You’re good, els.”

Ellie fucking whimpered.

Something in her snapped.

The second the nickname slipped past your lips, her hips jerked forward, pushing in deeper, a wrecked, breathless moan spilling from her mouth. “Fuck—say it again,” she begged, her voice breaking as she thrust into you again, her movements suddenly needy, desperate.

You gasped, nails gripping onto her shoulders as she rocked into you harder, her forehead pressing against yours, breath hot and heavy between you.

“Els—”

Ellie groaned, her hands gripping your hips even tighter, her pace picking up as she rolled her hips in a way that had your body tensing, arching into her touch. “Again,” she pleaded, her lips brushing against yours, swallowing every little sound you made.

“Els—ohmygod els—”

“Fuck, baby—” She whined into your mouth, her thrusts growing rougher, sloppier, like the sound of her name on your lips was ruining her, completely breaking her down.

“Keep saying it,” she begged, voice raw, desperate, her fingers slipping between your legs to really make you feel her. “Wanna hear you say it when you come—fuck, baby—say my name just like that—”

Her mouth trailed down your neck, her pace relentless now, obsessed with pulling those noises from you, chasing the moment where you’d break completely and give her everything.

The sound of her name on your lips had completely undone her, and now she couldn’t stop, couldn’t slow down—her hips snapping into you harder, deeper, the wet sounds of your bodies moving together filling the room.

Her mouth dipped down, desperate for more of you, her lips wrapping around your breast, sucking hard before pulling your nipple between her teeth. You cried out, back arching, your nails digging into her back, leaving scratches she was going to feel tomorrow

Ellie groaned, relishing the sting, her free hand gripping your other breast, squeezing, playing with you like she needed to feel every inch of you under her hands.

“Fuck, baby—” she gasped, her mouth trailing sloppily back up your chest, her breath hot against your skin as she begged, “please—say my name just like that—”, Ellie was completely pussy drunk on you, and she didn't even know it.

“Els—fuck—els, ohmygod!” you moaned, body trembling, hips rolling up to meet her every thrust.

Ellie whimpered, her movements turning even sloppier, even rougher, her hand slipping between you to rub tight, frantic circles against your clit. “That’s it, baby—fuck, you’re so good—so fucking good for me—pussy so fucking good for me.”

You shattered.

Your whole body tensed, your breath catching as the pleasure crashed over you, your nails digging deeper into Ellie’s back, leaving red in their wake as you moaned her name, over and over, falling apart beneath her.

Ellie followed you, a wrecked whine slipping from her lips as her hips stuttered, her body trembling as she came, still rutting into you as she whimpered, mouthing at your breast, her hand pawing at you, like she couldn’t stop touching you.

“Fuck—fuck—” she gasped against your skin, her body shaking with the aftershocks, her forehead pressing against your chest, her breath uneven, her whole body burning from how hard she had just come.

For a long moment, neither of you moved, just breathed, tangled together, Ellie still pressed so close, her hands still gripping at you like she wasn’t ready to let go.

She stayed right there, still inside you, her body warm and heavy on top of yours, her breath uneven against your skin. Her fingers slipped into your hair, lazily threading through the strands, her touch slow, gentle—such a stark contrast to how desperate she had been just moments ago.

Her chin rested against your chest, face pressed close to your skin as she listened to your heartbeat, felt the steady rise and fall of your chest beneath her. The soft motion moved her slightly, rocking her with each breath you took, like she belonged there.

And then—so quietly, like she almost didn’t want you to hear it—Ellie whispered, “I love you.”

The words barely left her lips before she tilted her head up, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to yours—no rush, no desperation this time. Just Ellie, just her, giving you all that she was, without saying anything else.

She pulled back just slightly, her green eyes watching you as you recovered, as you steadied your breathing. She traced slow, absentminded circles on the nape of your neck, still not moving, still holding you so close, like you were home in her arms.

The apartment was quiet, save for the low hum of the coffee maker and the gentle sizzle of the pan on the stove. Ellie moved slowly, deliberately, her socked feet barely making a sound against the hardwood as she flipped the eggs, watching the edges crisp just slightly before turning down the heat.

The smell of coffee filled the air, warm and rich, mixing with the faint scent of butter melting in the pan. It was early—too early—but Ellie didn’t mind.

She glanced toward the hallway, toward her slightly ajar bedroom door, where she knew you were still curled up, tangled in her sheets, your body pressed into the warmth she had left behind. The thought sent something warm curling in her chest, something she wasn’t used to, something she didn’t want to name just yet.

She sighed, running a hand through her messy hair before reaching for the mug she had set out, pouring herself some coffee as she leaned against the counter, watching the steam curl into the air.

It felt normal, domestic. The kind of morning she didn’t think she’d get to have with you again.

And yet—here you were.

Still in her bed.

Still here.

She swallowed, pushing the thought aside as she turned back to the stove, flipping the eggs onto a plate.

Ellie took a slow sip of her coffee, letting the warmth spread through her chest, before setting the mug down with a quiet clink. She exhaled, running a hand through her messy hair, again, before padding back towards the bedroom, the faint creak of the floorboards the only sound in the stillness of the early morning.

The sight of you tangled in her sheets made her stomach flip.

You were buried in them, limbs sprawled lazily, face half-hidden against her pillow. The soft rise and fall of your breathing was steady, peaceful—familiar.

Ellie swallowed, something in her chest tightening as she carefully climbed onto the bed, straddling your waist without putting too much weight on you. Her hand found your cheek, thumb brushing gently over your skin as she leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

You stirred slightly, letting out a sleepy groan but not fully waking just yet.

Ellie smirked against your mouth, barely pulling away, her lips still hovering close as she whispered, “Morning, baby.”

Your nose scrunched slightly, a small grumble leaving your throat as you shifted beneath her, still so tired from the night before.

Ellie chuckled, pressing another soft kiss to your lips, her thumb still tracing slow circles against your cheek. “C’mon,” she murmured, voice low, warm, teasing. “I made breakfast.”

You groaned again, this time more exaggerated, burying your face into the pillow. “Too tired,” you mumbled, your voice muffled, your body still aching in the best way from last night.

Ellie grinned, dipping down to press another kiss to your jaw, then your cheek, her barely-there coffee breath the first thing you smelled as you shifted beneath her. “Can’t be that tired,” she teased, her lips ghosting over your skin. “Not after the way you were moaning my name last night—”

You groaned louder this time, smacking her thigh halfheartedly as she laughed, her breath warm against your skin.

Yeah.

Ellie could get used to this.

She is getting used to it, too quickly.

So were you. What about Abby?

“Ellie fucking Williams,” you groaned, voice rough with sleep, full-naming her as you blindly reached out to shove at her shoulder. “You are such a fucking freak in the morning—”

Ellie just grinned, unfazed, her hands settling on your hips as she hovered above you. “You love it,” she teased, leaning in like she was gonna kiss you again.

You narrowed your eyes, putting a hand on her face and shoving her away with a huff before finally sitting up, stretching lazily. Your muscles ached from the night before, your body still warm from the way Ellie had held you against her for hours.

You sighed dramatically, leaning back against the headboard, rubbing at your eyes before reaching out, fingers absentmindedly playing with the short ends of Ellie’s auburn hair.

Ellie melted instantly, the teasing grin on her face softening as she inched forward, tilting her head into your touch like it was instinct.

You barely noticed it at first, still blinking sleep from your eyes, until her green ones flickered up at you, something warm, something fond behind them—

And then she was kissing you again.

Soft, slow, her hands curling around your waist as she pressed forward, like she couldn’t help herself.

It lingered, deepening slightly before she finally pulled back, her lips hovering over yours for a second before she spoke. “You got any plans today?”

Her voice was casual, but there was something hesitant about the way she asked, like she was hoping you’d say no, like she wanted you to stay.

You pretended to think, lips pursing, stretching your arms out with a long, dramatic sigh as if you had so much on your agenda. “Well… I was supposed to attend this very important—”

Ellie raised a brow, her hands still gripping your waist as she stared at you, waiting.

You fought to keep a straight face, eyes flickering up like you were really considering something, before finally shaking your head with a small giggle. “Nah, no plans.”

Ellie’s face lit up. “Really?” she asked, like she needed to hear it again just to make sure.

Ellie let out a soft, relieved laugh, ducking her head with that boyish smile of hers, shaking her head slightly like she couldn’t believe her luck. “Fuck, I love you,” she muttered, more to herself than anything, before leaning in again, pressing another giddy kiss to your lips.

You both giggled into it, hands tangling in each other’s hair, lips moving together in messy, soft kisses, smiling so much that it made it hard to kiss properly.

Ellie hummed against your mouth, her fingers squeezing your hips before she pulled back just slightly, her forehead still resting against yours. “Alright,” she murmured, breath warm against your skin. “As much as I wanna keep you here all day… I did make you breakfast.”

She kissed you again—quick, chaste, just to steal one more—before standing up, stretching her arms above her head.

You just watched her, still breathless, still feeling the warmth of her lips, her laugh lingering between you.

Ellie turned back to you as she reached the door, arching a playful brow. “Well? You coming or what?”

yeah.

You could get used to this.

What about Abby?

© elliesbabygirl - all rights reserved. do not copy, translate or share my work on other media platforms.

Author's note: can y'all tell that i fucking lost the plot midway...ch. 006 is so ass u guys, I'm so sorry. I've genuinely been thrown off my rhythm ever since my midterms started, since I've gotten sick, AND since my period started this week😭yeah life's been kicking mybas lately y'all but I'm so sorry for being so late with this mid ch.006...Also, I had to watch homemade lesbian porn on pornhub to write the strap on scene cause your girl has ZERO game n has only ever tribbed with a girl before 😭so I'm sorry if the scene seemed a little wonky to you cause I was trying my best, I promise y'all😭

TAGLIST: @liasxeatt @vahnilla @sleepingwasp @morticeras @violetszn @eriiwaii @elliesactualgirlfriend @mikellie @lovely-wisteria @idletyouruinme @losing-it-lately @robinphobia @sexlus @lez-zuha @liztreez @linabellaox @piscesfairyyy

COMMENT TO BE ADDED TO MY TAGLIST!!

[emeraldserenade]

hii!! i have a request for joaquin :) reader is joaquin’s wife that he told bucky & sam abt but they thought he was lying and she eventually meets them in person & they’re shocked 🩵🩵

Real ~ Joaquín Torres

synopsis: Sam and Bucky never thought you were real, until you were in their eyesight.

tw: fem!reader, FBI!reader, limited use of y/n, barely edited

fic, ficlet, drabble, request

Hi Reese, I hope you like this! If you've seen Criminal Minds, then you know what a profiler is and that's the job I gave her. I also didn't know how to end this so sorry for the odd ending.

➽──────────────❥

It wasn't uncommon for Joaquín to talk about you, your name and the words "my girl", "my wife," or "amor de mi vida" tumbling from his lips like you were the goddess he worshipped. It wouldn't surprise anyone who saw the two of you together if he did worship you, he looked at you like you made the world go round. And you did the same, the love you two had for each other made your own world go round.

Bucky and Sam though? They have never seen you, they've heard about you. Joaquín spending any time he can talking about you, about your smile, the way you hold yourself, anything he could think of was mentioned. That's why the two of them were convinced you were fake, they had never met you, let alone see a picture, yet he was always talking like he was trying to convince them you were real.

"Are you sure the kid isn't lying?" Bucky questioned Sam one day, they were all waiting on you. You said your plane was running behind because your 'case' had run a little longer than expected.

"Why would he set this whole thing up if he is?" Sam tried to defend Joaquín at any chance he could. While he didn't particularly believe you were real, he wanted to give Joaquín the benefit of the doubt.

"Oh, she's here!" Joaquín announced, bouncing on the balls of his feet waiting for you to appear. It only took a moment, then you were in his eyesight. He made a beeline to you, the mostly empty airport helped him not having to weave through people.

To say Sam and Bucky were shocked was an understatement. They assumed, had you been real, that you were going to be pretty. But this was something else, you looked ethereal and they understood by Joaquín basically worshipped you. It didn't help that they saw the way you looked at Joaquín, the amount of love that could never be faked.

"Sam, Bucky, this is y/n, my wife," Joaquín introduced you to the others and you shook their hands.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you two," your eyes twinkled with your smile, your genuine happiness at meeting them making them both feel at ease around you.

"Likewise," Sam was the first to recover, his shock still evident on his face.

"You two thought I was fake," you announced and watched them both scramble for an excuse. "It's ok, my job doesn't really allow me to be around as often as I'd like," you admitted, pressing into Joaquín's side.

"And what do you do for work? I'm pretty sure I could tell you your own favorite color before your job," Bucky joked, you laughed knowing that Joaquín would tell someone your favorite color before your job.

"I'm a profiler at the FBI's behavioral analysis unit," you explained. "I use the behavior pattern, method of murder, and a whole other things to find serial killers. And the occasional kidnap or bioweapon attack," you gave them the longer answer to the question since most people tend to not know what the BAU is. The four of you started to walk out of the airport and to the car, Joaquín holding your bag for you.

It wasn't anything new, the looks you got when you walked with Joaquín but these one's made you smile. You were talking with the boys, getting to know them as you talked. It was fun, you noticed that Joaquín was quiet most of the time but you also knew that with the drinks he would soon be talking, a lot.

"I love you," Joaquín mumbled as he leaned into you, you glanced at him with a smile. "Sam, Bucky, have I ever told you how much I love y/n?" Joaquín looked over at the two. You laughed at the way he tried to make it subtle but with the way he was leaning on you, and his not so quiet whispering, you could hear all his words.

"All the time," Sam answered.

"What about how when she smiles it's like time stops and the world is just revolving around her?" Joaquín had moved to wrap his arm around you, but was still stage whispering.

"That one's new," Bucky said, a smile gracing his face.

"Or, or, when I was immediately drawn to her laugh at the college party. She was playing beer pong and she laughed when her friend missed," Joaquín retold the story of the first time he saw you; however, you've never heard it.

"I didn't know that," you told Joaquín who looked at you weirdly.

"You didn't?" Sam was the one to ask.

"No, if I have the right party, then we didn't meet until a few days later in a shared class. We just happened to sit next to each other the one day that the professor made us pick our partner based on who was next to us," you explained, looking down at Joaquín who was staring at you with heart eyes.

"Well, we didn't know that one either," Sam told you and you smiled and let out a little laugh. You four talked a little bit more before Joaquín started to just ramble about how much he loved you.

"I guess we should get going," you laughed after one particularly loud declaration of love from Joaquín followed by a kiss to your cheek.

➽──────────────❥

Masterlist | Requests

[star-suh]

Boy Toy

Jung Sungchan x Male Reader

—

being an idol is though work, dealing with rehearsals, learning choreos, recording songs, being in front of a lot of people, etc. but there's one specific member that has one more problem to add to all that, sungchan, who has a massive cock paired with a high libido, he started to masturbate thinking that would be enough, that worked –but only for some months– then he move on to use toys, fleshlights, cock rings, a vibrating wand or one of those silicon fleshlights shape like an ass, surprisingly this worked for him but soon it got tired for him, he wanted to try the real thing, a warm tight hole to obliterate with his huge veiny cock. man was big everywhere –height and dick size–.

but all changed one day when sungchan went to a vacation resort with his member yn, they were there to record a vlog for their youtube channel. one night yn walked out of the bathroom looking for his underwear, using the towel to just cover his dick with one hand. he looked everywhere for it – even in the floor, but didn't find them, “maybe i still have them on my bag” when he turns around he realizes sungchan was there all the time, he watched how yn cheeks opened, showing his hole when he crouched to search on the floor, “oh my god sungchan !!” he jumped surprised. they both made eye contact for a time until sungchan stroked his big bulge, “would you help me?. i need it… please” the taller one said, letting the other guy know what he wanted. sungchan is a really handsome guy and by the looks he's packing too “w-why?” yn asks. “i had fuck every toy that exists but they end up breaking apart and they're not as warm as a real one.. please just this time” he was practically begging yn to let him use his ass, “okay, but just this time”..

“fuck you’re so big” yn struggled to go down sungchan’s hard rock dick, “yeah it’s a pain in the ass sometimes, my toys constantly break” he says while guiding yn’s hips with his hands, making him go down little by little. the tight hole engulfing each inch. “you’re gonna split me in half sungchan” yn cried when he finally bottomed out. leaning backwards made a bulge to form on yn’s stomach, a bulge that sungchan touched slightly and made yn’s body to spasm a little, “holy shh-” yn gulped, “it feels funny” he hissed. “it does. stay like that a little bit” –yn complied– sungchan started to do circular motions with his point finger on top of it, drawing little whimpers out of yn’s mouth. sungchan’s hips rocking slightly due to yn squeezing him every time the sensitive bulge is touched. “i think i’m ready. you can move now”.

it started with slow thrusts, sungchan pushing his massive dick up while yn held a steady squat position, his hole being stretched continuously by such a girthy dick, he had never seen one like that before. every vein filling every crevice on yn’s insides, they accommodate perfectly to sungchan’s length. then the thrusts started to get faster and faster. “you’re better than all those toys i bought” sungchan added, lowering yn with his hands gripping the other’s hips, “ride me” he asked and yn did as he was told. first he rocked his hips front to back with the top’s length still inside him, “phew, this feels better than i thought sungchan”, “yeah i know, nothing better than a tight warm hole to hug my big dick”. yn now went up and down, making sure to always go all the way up to the tip and then slamming himself back down, balls deep. sungchan, desperate for release and more satisfaction, started to meet yn’s thrusts, smacking and wet sounds reverberating throughout the whole room. yn, now laying on the bed face down, was moaning in ecstasy, feeling how deep sungchan was capable to reach with his dick, “fuck you make me feel so good yn” sungchan purred along with grunts and pants. “why don’t you become my toy” he cheerfully asked, his dick jabbing at yn’s obliterated hole constantly, “i won’t be able… to handle that fucking cock” yn uttered, drool coming out of his mouth.

“don’t worry, you just need to practice, we will have a lot of time for that”. yn’s ass bounced every time the other made a powerful thrust that even made the bed creak a little. sungchan being cocky about his big frame he lifted the bottom from behind, folding him in half in an attempt to go even deeper, “cum with my yn please” sungchand murmured on his ear, his hot breath tickling his neck. but yn wasn’t able to comply to sungchan’s request, shortly after he resumed his thrusts yn came hands free, he couldn’t hold anymore the constant abuse his sweet spot was suffering, “i-i’m so so..rry” yn pled, “i’ll make it up to you next time sung.. chann…”, sungchan feeling disappointed threw him towards the bed, “of course you have to, but as a punishment i would be using you all night”.

the whole night went by sungchan using his strength and big dick to whore yn out to his pleasure, something about yn having a way smaller frame than him but so capable of taking his whole length send sungchan into a frenzy, he was the perfect candidate to be his personal fleshlight, “finally a toy that won’t break so easily… yet” and almost evil smirk forming in his face. loads and loads of cum oozing out of yn, sungchan wasn’t only blessed with a big dick but also with huge balls that can apparently make a lot of cum, that’s what yn thinks. sungchan pulls out with a pop sound, his cock semi-hard leaking with the white liquid, “there’s nothing left” he whips out his dick trying to clean it of the liquid, then he uses his hand to clean the remains and made yn lick them, he licks them as if he was sucking sungchan’s dick, “good boy” he praised, “here, have a treat” he guided the head of his cock towards yn’s mouth, just suck the tip, you can suck the shaft later in another session”. yn sucked on it like a lollipop, making sure to make eye contact with sungchan, he looked majestic, his toned muscles glistening with sweat, his hands went up caressing every ab and pinching his nipples. sungchan grunted in pleasure, “shhhhit… so good”. at the end they both fell asleep with sungchan being the big spoon so yn could cockwarm him until they had to wake up and record the vacation vlog.

[greenwitchfromthewoods]

a beautiful little lie. [chapter 2] l Harry Castillo

Summary:  you are the personal assistant of Harry Castillo, a wealthy entrepreneur who asks you to go with him to his friend's wedding. there you meet your ex-boyfriend and things get out of hand

Warnings: fluff, a little bit of angst, friends to lovers (maybe?), some wine, almost kiss, mentioning ex-boyfriend, Reader feels insecure

A/N: I'm giving you this chapter. Be gentle with me, please. I don't have much to say, except that I'd like to thank every single person who left a sign under the first chapter. I was afraid to write this, but with you it's somehow easier. Thank you,

your feedback is very important to me and I want to thank you for all the reblogs, comments and likes. I secretly hope you like this story.🖤 sorry for all the mistakes

[my masterlist] [Harry Castillo masterlist] [a beautiful little lie- series masterlist]

"Harry asked about you." Susan leaned out from behind the monitor and looked at you over her glasses. "You're fifteen minutes late."

"I know!" you groaned, throwing your bag on the desk. "The whole street was jammed. I was texting him."

"I know, he told me. But he asked anyway." she smiled, reaching for the cup of coffee you brought her. "Thank you, honey. You know, that guy would die without you. Me too."

“He'll be fine. He's Harry Castillo, he'll always be fine.” You replied, trying to calm your breathing and smoothing your skirt with your hand. “How do I look?”

“Like you ran three blocks to get here.”

“I did!” you laughed, glancing toward the glass doors leading to Harry’s office. “Okay, wish us luck.”

You entered Mr. Castillo's large office and immediately noticed him talking on the phone, leaning against one of the windows. He nodded to you in greeting without interrupting the conversation, then pointed to the folder lying on his desk. You quickly put it in your bag.

“I could send a car for you,” he said, pocketing his phone, frowning. “Did you run here?”

“A lot of people run in the morning. Are we ready? Mr. McCullen should be in his office in an hour.”

Harry took his jacket off the chair and put it on. You quickly walked over to him and straightened his tie. "I'm ready now."

The offer had landed on Castillo's desk out of the blue, but it was so good it piqued his interest. Mr. McCullen's company was about to be sold, and Harry was considering buying it. You didn't have much time to prepare, since your sources told you there were a lot of companies interested. 

However, everything was going to go your way that day. You had arrived at the company building early, so you quickly mumbled, "I have to go to the bathroom," and disappeared down one of the hallways leading from the conference room.

You were already washing your hands when you heard a quiet sob in one of the toilets. You anxiously wiped your hands on a paper towel and cleared your throat. "Excuse me? Is everything okay?"

The sobbing came from the last stall, where you noticed a pair of shapely legs in red heels. "Ummm... Do you need anything? A tampon or a tissue?"

The stall door opened and a young girl with swollen eyes stepped out. She sniffled and blew her nose into the toilet paper she was holding. “You can’t help me…” she said in a hoarse voice. “Until you find me a new job.”

"Oh! You know... You shouldn't worry so much about work, it's just..." you started, but the girl rolled her eyes. You clearly didn't understand her at all.

“I should care, because I’m about to lose my job!” she groaned. “I’m only working for this company until the boss closes this stupid deal, and then he’s moving to Los Angeles. That idiot got himself into so much debt…” she shook her head. A cold chill ran down your arms.

"What are you talking about?" you asked. "Not Mr. McCullen, right?"

She leaned against the counter and wiped her red nose, then crossed her arms over her chest. “His company is a bottomless pit. He’s desperate to sell it, and the guy buying it is a fucking idiot. He doesn’t even know what he’s signing up for.”

It was your second run of the day, your footsteps echoing through the empty hallway as you made your way to the conference room, but then your heart stopped. Harry was already sitting inside with two other men.

Everyone was chatting happily, or so it seemed to you, because the men were sitting with their backs to you, and all you could see was your boss's face.

"You can't go in there now." the female voice rang out as you grabbed the door handle.

“I’m Mr. Castillo’s assistant,” you said firmly, but the woman sitting behind the desk just tilted her head, unimpressed, looking you up and down appraisingly.

"I don't care. I said you can't go in there."

You huffed angrily and reached into your bag. You clenched your hand around your phone and a moment later you were dialing Harry's number. He must have felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket because he looked up and saw you behind the glass wall. He shook his head slightly.

“Shit!” you hissed. You had to think of something. You pulled out your folder and grabbed the first sheet of paper, then pulled out a pen.

Harry's brown eyes widened when he saw the piece of paper in your hands that said "BULLSHIT! DEBTS!"

one year earlier

You glanced around the hallway and took a deep breath, clutching your briefcase like it was a lifeline. The pretty brunette sitting across from you smiled, but you were so nervous you could barely lift the corners of your mouth.

How were you supposed to compete with them? Each of the five women waiting with you outside the glass doors to Mr. Castillo's office was simply beautiful and certainly had excellent references. And you? Your inner critic certainly had her hands full.

An hour passed, a very long hour. You were alone now, and the woman sitting behind the monitor glanced at you from time to time.

"He won't eat you alive, sweetie." she finally said.

"Huh?" you looked up, looking at her with fear. "You think so?"

"I've been working for him for a few years now. Just be yourself, girl."

You looked down at your nervously twisted fingers. It wasn't good advice.

Finally the girl came out of the office and you were invited in. The office was spacious and brightly lit by the rays of the setting sun. Behind the solid desk you saw a man, he was already over forty years old, broad shoulders, a prominent nose and a charming smile. He looked up from the paper and you saw beautiful brown eyes.

Your name flowed from his lips. "Please take a seat, it won't take long."

You sat on the edge of the chair feeling like your soul had already left your body. Mr. Castillo was looking at what must have been your job application.

"You don't have much experience." he said, there was no disapproval in it, more curiosity. "Why did you decide to apply?"

You barely recognized your voice when you spoke. "Can I be honest?"

Mr. Castillo made a gesture with his hand as if he was encouraging you to do so.

"I need a job. I know I don't have much experience as an assistant, not as much as previous candidates, I'm sure, but it's either that or going back to customer service."

"Mhm." he mumbled, rubbing his chin with his finger.

“Mr. Castillo.” Brown eyes focused on you again. “You’re looking for an assistant. I spent over an hour outside your office and saw other candidates. They’re beautiful women with references, and I understand that I can’t compete with them, but… I’m hardworking, loyal, and a quick learner. If you give me a chance, I assure you that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re not disappointed.”

“I like your energy,” Castillo murmured, leaning back in his leather chair.

“Yeah? It’s more like desperation.”

He chuckled, and you finally smiled back. You stared at each other for a few seconds until Castillo finally closed the folder in front of him and reached for his phone, signaling that the conversation was over.

"Thank you for giving me your time." he said politely. "We'll call you back."

You nodded, mumbling a quiet, “Thank you and goodbye,” before quickly leaving the office, your legs feeling like jelly. The walk to the elevator wasn’t memorable, nor was the entire ride down.

You knew you had fucked up this interview. Tears welled up in your eyes, but you wanted to wait until you were outside the building to cry. As you stood on the sidewalk, you took a deep breath and a sob tore itself from your throat. You felt pathetic, small, and weak. What were you even thinking, coming here, standing in front of this office? Fuck. You idiot.

The phone in your pocket vibrated and you rolled your eyes reaching for it, you couldn't even cry in peace anymore.

"Yes?" you said, not caring how you sounded.

“Hello, this is Harry Castillo. We spoke a few minutes ago.” A pleasant male voice spoke on the other end, and you felt your heart skip a beat. “Would you be interested in starting work on Monday?”

“Mrs. Diane Kruger-Waltz will be here next week. She would like to meet with you.”

Harry handed you a glass of wine and sat down on the couch next to you with a quiet sigh. “Okay, let me know when she’s available. We’ll work it out.”

You took a sip and set the glass down on the small coffee table, then quickly typed something on your computer. It was a pleasant, albeit rainy evening. After returning from Mr. McCullen's, Harry met with his accountants, who confirmed the information you had received in the ladies' room. 

You both breathed a sigh of relief, this deal would cost the company millions and you didn't even want to think about what the consequences would be.

To celebrate this small success, if you could call it that, Castillo made a call to one of the best restaurants and ordered a takeaway. They didn't do that, but they made an exception for their regular customer. And then both of you, avoiding the slowly intensifying rain, hid on the couch in his spacious living room.

"Done." You announced, closing your laptop and putting it aside. "You should get your suit from the cleaners tomorrow morning. The sponsors' party starts at six in the afternoon, so you should be able to make it."

"I'll pick you up twenty minutes early, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be ready."

You sighed quietly and rubbed your forehead with your hand. It had been a long and hectic day. No wonder Harry had changed into sweatpants in search of comfort in his own apartment. Your clothes suddenly seemed extremely uncomfortable to you.

"What's going on?" he asked, feeling and seeing you shift nervously.

"Nothing. It's just... I'm tired, you know, every seam in my clothes irritates me." You mumbled.

"I already told you to keep something more comfortable at my place." you rolled your eyes and Harry chuckled "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not keeping my clothes in the boss's apartment." you replied, taking a sip of cold wine "That's unprofessional."

"Now this," he pointed at himself and you sitting on his couch, "that's professional, right?"

"Oh, never mind." you snorted but couldn't hide your smile and after a moment Harry also chuckled.

He liked spending time with you. There was something about it that made him feel free, like he could take off his tie and just be himself. Yes, he was a mature man, he knew his worth, but with you, a lot of things just seemed easier. Like he didn't have to pretend to follow rules and regulations. He didn't have that with other employees, only with you.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You already did." you replied, and seeing his face you lightly nudged him in the shoulder "Sure, ask."

"What was between you and Daniel? Of course, if you don't want to, you don't have to answer, but I was wondering... You seemed really upset after you met him."

You were silent for a moment and Harry thought that he might have crossed some line. Maybe the question was too intimate, too personal. But finally he heard your voice.

"We met through mutual friends. He started as a lawyer, quickly climbing the career ladder. I did my own thing, you know, but I wasn't as flashy as he was. We were together for two years, I think..." you closed your eyes, wrinkling your nose slightly as if you wanted to remember something, Harry was silent, watching you

"I was really in love. I supported him in everything he did, I practiced what he was supposed to say with him, ironed his shirts and stuff like that. I totally gave myself to him... At one of the parties he met Beth. I wasn't there because I had to be at work, the boss wouldn't let me off. Beth is different from me, better than me, you saw it yourself."

You smiled, looking at Harry, but the corners of his mouth barely twitched. He was staring at you attentively, listening carefully to every word. You lowered your gaze. 

"Daniel started dating her. He didn't even tell Beth he was in a relationship... I found out by accident. It was like a slap in the face. We started arguing and he blamed everything on me... I believed him. I believed every word he said. I was in a bad place at the time." 

You fell silent again for a moment, those memories must still be hurting you. A little hesitantly, but Harry reached out and squeezed your forearm in a supportive gesture. You smiled slightly.

"Huh! We broke up, of course. Daniel got together with Beth, officially. She was and still is a beautiful woman by his side, now carrying their child. It took me longer to get myself together and now I'm here. I'm drinking wine with my boss and telling him the pathetic story of my relationship."

You wanted to laugh, but just like that time at the wedding, the laughter died in your throat. Harry leaned slightly towards you, his voice calm and soothing.

"Daniel told you that you were a lot to handle?"

You nodded and quickly put your hand to your cheek, trying to wipe away a tear unnoticed.

"I'm sorry." Harry said quickly, placing a hand on your shoulder and caressing you "I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's okay!" you replied quickly, although your voice trembled "I'm telling it for the first time in so long, huh, I thought I was over it. But it hurt a little when I saw him, with her, so happy."

"Yeah, I understand that."

You finally looked at him, smiling even though your eyes were slightly red from the tears that had gathered in them. Your hand found his, squeezing it lightly.

"It's okay, really. Don't worry. I'm even glad you asked. I haven't talked about it with anyone. It's good to get it off my chest."

"I still feel guilty." Harry mumbled.

"Unnecessarily, really." You drank the wine to the end and put the glass on the table. "It's a bit embarrassing, sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for anything. To be fair, Daniel should apologize to you. He shouldn't have done that, he should have been honest with you from the beginning."

You waved your hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter anymore, Harry. I'm in a different place now. I have a cool job, my boss is okay too. I manage somehow."

You both laughed quietly until silence reigned again. And then Harry decided to say what had been on his mind for some time. Maybe it wasn't the right time, but when would there ever be one? He was still holding your hand, you were sitting so close, and he felt like he had to get it out.

"You're not a lot to handle." You looked up at him, surprised. "To tell you the truth, I think it was my lucky day when you showed up in my office for the first time. Remember?"

"This is embarrassing too, Harry. Let's not go back to this." You said, the corners of your mouth twitching even though your eyes were still scared. You waited to hear what he was getting at and you felt fear welling up inside you.

"It wasn't your fault. And you're not a lot to handle. Don't even believe it. You're worth so much more..."

You stared at him as if enchanted. Harry had such wonderful eyes, you noticed it from the first day, and since then you reminded yourself of it every now and then. And in that moment you saw almost everything in them - care, sincerity, sympathy.

"Don't say that, or I'll fall in love with you." You joked, but he didn't laugh.

"Would that be so bad?"

Something tightened your throat when you saw him leaning closer to you. He was too close, your lips inches apart, his scent filling your nostrils. "I have to go." You blurted out quickly and jumped up, freeing your hand from his.

"I..." Harry began uncertainly, but you had already grabbed your laptop and quickly shoved it into your bag "Listen, I didn't want to..."

"It's totally okay!" you said a little too quickly and too nervously, throwing your bag over your shoulder and slipping your shoes on "I really have to go now."

Harry wanted to say something else, but his head was completely empty. So he just watched as you gathered your things, threw a quick "See you!" and headed for the exit, closing the door quietly behind you.

Harry fell onto the sofa and rubbed his face with his hands, letting out a quiet groan.

☆☆☆☆

Thank you for your time.

taglist: @nrschuster30 @maried01 @lunariantears @thatesqcrush @suzysface @youkeeno @legoemma @nuo0n @sarahhxx03 @hazzzy418 @pedrofan @peepawispunk @readingiskeepingmegoing @maryfanson @anoverwhelmingdin @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi @axshadows @picketniffler @underneath-the-sky-again @kaysfanficcorner @noisynightmarepoetry @xmaykeca @orcasoul @sincerelywithheartt

[trippinsorrows]

just need you to know i smiled the whole time reading this. honestly. truly. 🥺

and, man, i appreciate you commenting on the introduction, because i really wanted that to be attention grabbing, just because given everything that happened, the entrance needed to be good. 😭

yessss. lmao. that's exactly the dynamic i was aiming for with jacob being included in the group now. he most definitely a lot (mans threw father time out the window like it was nothing), but so is roman. hell, all these men, but roman is more controlled with his crazy. jacob ass just wild asf, and so roman def does have to adjust to that for all the reasons mentioned. lmaooo you know i had to have him drive that ambulance, friend! and, you can bet he was driving just as erratically as he be acting. 😂

it truly felt so strange to not have or show any scenes with and of solana outside of that brief flashback snippet. but, it was also necessary, as i wanted to focus on roman and his journey/challenges navigating all of the things without solana to help/comfort him. 🥺 we also saw that roman struggled a bit with deciding on how honest he wanted to be with jimmy, and i too agree that he made the right decision in not leading them to believe her dead. that just felt too....cruel, almost.

i 100% agree, and as i've mentioned before, no one wins or was going to win, regardless of what decisions were made. the damage is done, the relationships borderline irreparable. at least, for right now. jimmy has every right to feel hurt and angry with roman for the "treatment" he and naomi are receiving, but he also has to acknowledge why roman is so upset and hurt. and, he has every right to be. conversely, we know roman's pride is a big struggle for him, and he's stubborn, so yes, i'd say some part of him is keeping his wall up with people who played no active role in the coup. still, like he pointed out, jimmy knew rikishi was on some fake shit and never said anything. that's still betrayal in roman's eyes. also, i'm so happy to see you point out his not telling jimmy the truth about rikishi. that was very telling and powerful. shows that even with all that's happened, roman still loves his cousin and doesn't want to deepen his hurt.

mmhmm! we've seen some glimpses before, but roman definitely secretly struggles/has struggled with insecurity regarding a few things. i believe we'll see that explored a bit more in book 2. 👀

lmaooo. yes. honestly, truly it's roman's love for solana and her pleading for jey's life that spared him. as much as roman didn't want to kill him before, as we clearly saw in this chapter, baby boy is on a murderous rampage. he dropping bodies left and right, and i think he would have killed jey based off high emotions and moderately to deeply regretted it later. it would just be more trauma for him. banishing jey and excommunicating him from the bloodline was the next "best" thing. and yes, roman don't ever wanna see that man again in life, bruh.

not to mention, and i think i saw a few people comment on it, jey was clearly upset with roman. i don't want people to get things mixed up though. jey 1000% regrets his role in the coup, but nicki being killed in the process only recharged that anger with roman. he's angry with roman and blames roman for nicki's murder. one might also wonder how he feels/will feel when he finds out solana isn't dead, so roman's wife lived and his didn't......hmm.

ahhh! you know what's crazy! that was discussed! solana wanted roman to take dulce with him for the exact reasons you mentioned. she didn't want him to be all alone in the house. 🥺 and, roman considered it. he really did, but he ultimately chose for dulce to stay with solana, because he knew she'd more or less be in that house all day by herself, alone, and he didn't want that for her. not when she could be with solana. 🥺 50/50 on if that convo will be included in a flashback for the next chapter, but in the event it doesn't, there ya go lmao

yessss. the murderous trio all gon be in the same city! heaven help anyone who crosses any of them. 😭

listen!!! we don't talk enough about alicia and lita who be out here doing the lord's work for these unhinged ass niggas. someone needs to just go on and give them both a raise atp.

chile.....i guess they mama said, "welp, it's time for me to fuck some shit up again." 😭😭😭

@proceduralpassion

looking through your eyes + thirty eight | part one

authors note: see at end of chapter.

warnings: angst and graphic depictions of violence. gore. torture. not for the faint of heart.

story song inspo: ‘looking through your eyes’ by leann rimes

***gif credit goes to @romanreigns ***

cast+ masterlist +story playlist + taglist request form

words: 12k

"We need Tribal Combat!"

"There's no time for that! We need a leader now!"

"We need to follow the order of command!"

"What command? Roman is dead! There is no order anymore!"

"This is why he should have been dethroned a lot sooner! He left us no heir!"

"The child wouldn't be old enough to rule anyway!"

Aleki runs a hand over his haggard face. In a matter of weeks, he feels like he's aged another ten years.

He's getting too old to be dealing with this shit, and that's exactly what all of this is. A bunch of shit.

"Tribal Combat is the way our ancestors would handle a situation like this," he finally speaks. The situation being the fact that for the first time in his lifetime, the Bloodline is without a leader.

Roman is dead.

Solo is dead.

Roman left no heir, thus there is no clear path moving forward for what should occur. The past two weeks since the former Tribal Cheif's murder has been nothing but chaotic to say the least. Aleki is far too prideful to admit it, but a part of him blames himself. He should have known better than to trust Rikishi to get the job done. Should have known that just like he did years prior with Jey, he'd fall short.

Should have known his plan was not without holes. Holes that have left them in the mess they're in now. Allies demanding to know who is in charge, threatening to sever partnerships with a syndicate that boasts no formal, official leader.

A mess.

"And just how do we determine who is eligible for combat?"

Someone, another annoying voice, inserts their question among the mumbled conversations.

Another Elder handles the answer, offering, "it could be open to anyone."

Sione sighs, saying more to himself than anyone in particular. "Nakoa's bloodline has ruled for generations."

"And now his bloodline is all dead," Aleki counters. Cold. His voice and expression are as cold as the ice in his veins. "His son in his stubbornness has damned us to this mess." He gestures around the room, anger growing as he mulls over the situation. "We should have never allowed him to rule for so—"

His pending rant is cut short by the arrival of another attendee, which instantly has him scowling for two reasons.

One, all attendees who were allowed for this audience are present and accounted for.

Two, the identify of said attendee has him pissed.

"Dwayne." His voice is clipped. "This is a closed—"

"I don't give a fuck," comes the dismissive response of the man nearly insufferable as his late, younger cousin. Dwayne saunters over to an occupied seat, easily grabbing the seat by the back, yanking it out and knocking the person to the ground. A smug smirk sits on his face as he plops down and props his big ass feet on the table. Dwayne lifts the sunglasses from the bridge of his nose to the top of his bald head. "Oh, don't stop on my account."

"This doesn't concern you," Sione dismisses.

"Come on." The 'n' drags on as he props his hands behind his head. "I'm still Bloodline, aren't I?"

"You were apart of Roman's Bloodline, and he's dead now, so you have no place here anymore." Someone, an attendee whose name Aleki would never bother to know, counters with a huff. "Plus, where the hell have you been the past few weeks?"

Dwayne shrugs. "Around."

"Around." Someone else mocks. "Our empire in on the brink of collapse, and you've just been around."

"It's like candy ass small dick over here said." Dwayne gestures with his thumb. "I'm unemployed."

The insulted man slams his fist on the table, shooting up, "you smug son of—"

Dwayne quickly silences him by pulling out his Glock G-19 and shooting him directly in the temple, his lifeless body instantly dropping to the floor. Gasps sound around the table, Aleki angrily calling for security.

"You need to leave now!" He hisses. Aleki glances toward the door, wondering why the hell security didn't come barging in at the sound of a literal gunshot.

"See, I would, but I don't answer to you anymore." Dwayne replies in a significantly more serious voice. Gone is the nonchalant "devil may care" attitude. His big body shifts as he moves both elbows onto the table, gun still in hand. "I only answer to the Tribal Chief."

Aleki hisses. "Roman is dead. There is no Tribal Chief."

Dwayne's growing smile can only be described as sinister and predatory. Knowing. "You sure about that?"

Seconds later, not even a full minute, the sound of grunts and thuds from outside the conference room. The Elders and other attendees looking around in confusion.

Except for Dwayne.

He just keeps smiling.

And an almost thunderous sound is accompanied by two more unexpected arrivals. One significantly more unexpected than the other.

Jacob Fatu's unhinged, crazed look of insanity is accompanied by his big body throwing down two dead guards, their heads awkwardly and sickly hanging from their lifeless bodies. Snapped. Their necks have been snapped.

But, that grotesque sight is severely outmatched and borderline underwhelming compared to the inconceivable sight of a dead man walking.

Roman's hair is down and wild, his murderous gaze steady and focused forward. Brass knuckles attached to a chain are secured to his right fist. The table of men are suddenly in shambles, falling over and working to put as much distance between themselves and the man everyone has believed dead.

Again, everyone except Dwayne.

Aleki can barely compute what's happening before him. So much so that there's no time to react, no time to think, just a tremendous of pain that courses through his aged body. Because one minute, he's in his chair at the head of the table, and the next he's on the floor, an enraged Roman having slapped the heavy metal chain against his body.

The old man cries out in agony as the chain is whipped once more, cutting into his skin and laying heavy onto his already brittle bones.

"Please!" He begs, allotted a brief respite as Roman redirects his focus onto Sione and the other Elders, each being mercilessly whipped with the chains.

Punishment.

He's punishing them.

"You wanna take me out!" Roman's infuriated voice slams against the walls the same way he starts to slam his fists against the broken, bloodied men who sought to see him six feet under. "It ain't ever fucking happening!" Roman lands a bone breaking kick to the neck of one of the elders, killing him instantly. The next is killed not directly by Roman but by proxy, as he screams for Jacob.

Jacob, who grabs his gun and shoots out a window, marches over, snatching the man up, dragging him to the window and not wasting a second of a minute to toss him out of said window.

Onlookers watch in horror as one by one, Roman kills them all in various brutal ways. Suffocation. Slit throats. Snapped necks. A brutal beating with the brass knuckles. Various, violent methods and manners in which each meet an untimely, grisly demise. But, the best is saved for last. Aleki. A thorn in Roman's fucking side since he was a boy.

The older man is barely clinging onto life when Roman easily snatches that life away with each slap of the heavy chain, the brass knuckles slammed onto his face until it's disfigured beyond recognition. And finally, the severing of life is achieved via the slicing of the large hunting knife across his throat.

Heaving, splattered with blood, a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, nothing but adrenaline and unbounded rage soar through Roman. His lethal gaze falls on the room of people who've been forced to watch the gory bloodbath.

The faintest hint of a smirk on his face.

Good.

Dwayne whistles. "Well, if it isn't obvious, he's not dead."

Roman shoots his older cousin a glare. Dwayne simply shrugs while Roman tips the chair back over, kicking Aleki's body to the side, rolling the chair and sitting down.

And silence. A piece of lint could fall off the wrinkled shirt of the man sitting a few seats down from Roman, and it could still be heard.

Fear.

Fear fills the room and dances off the walls, surrounds the men who just witnessed a bloodbath unlike any.

And then, finally, a brave—or stupid—soul decides to take a risk. Take a chance. "You're….you're alive."

Roman's gaze easily flickers to the man whose wide, horrified gaze is focused on him, trembling finger pointing in his direction. "We—we thought—"

One nod toward Jacob, and the man is barely able to stammer out an "I'm" before his head is violently forced to the side, the sound of his neck snapping followed up with the loud thud sound of it dropping onto the table.

The men around him back and cower away, eager and desperate to escape the death that's already claimed their pathetic lives.

"I was betrayed." Is the first thing to leave his mouth, the word 'betrayal' leaving a bitter, disgusting aftertaste that has him craving more blood. Craving vengeance. "They tried to overthrow me. Tried to kill me, and they should have." Roman stabs the large knife into the table, almost certain he heard someone whimper, as if about to cry. As if they were already crying. "They should have because they killed my wife, and now there's no fucking place on this earth anyone can hide or escape my rage." Saying it aloud is more difficult than Roman anticipated. Playing along with this storyline where Solana is no longer among the living. The discomfort is only quelled by the constant reminder that she is okay. That she's safe and simply waiting for him to return to her after handling business.

And, that's exactly what he's going to do.

Roman digs the knife deeper into the wood. "When I'm done with everyone involved in this shit, the only thing anyone will be able to see is red, and that's the fucking blood I'm going to paint this whole fucking town with." Sitting back in the chair, Roman leaves the knife protruding from the table. "But, until then, I need you all to send them a message."

Another foolish, ignorant, naive soul decides to ask what will be the final thing to leave his mouth before he leaves this room. "Wh—what m-m-message, s-s-sir?"

And for the first time since his entrance, Roman offers something other than a menacing glare. He smiles, but there's nothing humorous about it. If anything, it's predatory.

"That I'm coming."

Similar to the onslaught Roman bestowed upon the now deceased Elders, it's quick and violent. Jacob and Dwayne work almost simultaneously, not killing, but maiming the men. Severed, bloodied pieces cut from bodies. Fingers, noses, ears. Nothing fatal. Just warning enough.

And, it's only when each men has been left with a mark, a sign of Roman's pending revenge, they're ushered and forced out the room. Jacob landing a particularly painful looking blow into the back of the last disfigured, partially dismembered man.

Rolling his shoulders, Roman doesn't even need to instruct them on what to do next. Dwayne is reaching for the laptop, ripping a shirt off one of the dead elders to use it to clean it of the blood. "Fucking disgusting," he hisses, throwing it down once its completed the job.

Roman's eyes cut to the clock on the wall. Right on time.

He's uncaring of his appearance, focused on one thing and only.

Blood.

Roman is out for blood.

As Dwayne works to get everything set up and synced to the large TV screen anchored onto the wall, Jacob stands off to the side, waiting, observing, protecting almost.

Roman would be lying if he said he wasn't skeptical when Solana first told him about Jacob.

Told him how he allegedly protected her and vowed his loyalty to Roman and Roman only, as he recognized Roman as the Tribal Chief.

The only Tribal Chief.

Told her how not everyone in the Bloodline was involved in the coup, and many were waiting for Roman to show up.

Truth be told, Roman is still trying to test that. Test Jacob. So far, he's proven useful, offering Dwayne and Matteo intel and information on those allegedly involved and those not involved.

He's a a hell of a body to have around, capable of the most violent desecration of people. Useful. He's useful, but only time will tell to what extent Roman can trust him.

Can trust anyone, really.

"It's ready," Dwayne announces. Roman breaks from his thoughts, rolling his shoulders once more, ignoring the throb. Solana would have his ass for all the physical exertion. But, it needs to be done.

The sooner Roman handles this, the sooner he can have her back home with him.

Right where she belongs.

Dwayne and Jacob move to take seats, both on opposite sides of the table but in view of the TV that also serves as a casting source. The television screen is then filled with the exact person Roman wants to see next.

"This is a fucking waste of time." Luca's irritated voice is heard, his irksome ass face focused on something beside him. It looks like he's signing something. "Without someone of Italian blood at the head of your table, we have no alli—"

He stops, finally turning to look at the screen, and if there was ever someone to be as pale as Casper the fucking ghost, it's Luca.

"Roman." He all but whispers.

The Tribal Chief remains stone face. "Luca." He tilts his head. "You look surprised."

The younger man stammers, eyes darting around, hardening slightly when he lands on Dwayne who offers a small, mocking wave.

He then narrows his focus back on Roman. Clearing his throat, trying to play off indifference, he straightens his tie. "We were told you were dead."

"Were you?" Luca makes a sound. "I suppose that would have made things a lot more easier for you, now wouldn't it?"

Luca glares. "Just what—"

"Don't fucking play with me," Roman growls. "Do you think I'm stupid? I know you've been trying usurp me. That you were behind that missing shipment. The hit that killed our men. That you sent my brother to spy on me. That you were working with them to kill me."

Roman refuses to name them. Refuses to have their names on his lips. They're not fucking worth it.

Luca, to the best of his limited abilities, tries to remain unbothered. "I don't know what you're talking about."

At that, Roman chuckles, smiling, looking down and nodding. "That's….that's good." Roman can give credit where it's due. Albeit a paltry amount. But, just as quickly as he was smiling, he's glaring. "But, here's the fucking problem, I'm better. I'm better than you. Better than anyone else in this fucking family. I've always been better, and I always will be better." Always. "And you know what else?" A beat. "I'm always three steps ahead."

Luca opens his mouth to respond, fire and fury dancing in his irises when commotion can be heard through the TV.

Roman smirks.

Luca looks to the side, once angered, now confused, and then disturbed.

Gunshots. It's the sound of gunshots.

He curses in Italian, barking orders at what's probably security.

Roman says nothing.

It makes no difference.

None whatsoever.

He just sits back in his chair, enjoying the sound of men crying out in pain, bodies dropping, bullets being emptied into now lifeless corpses.

Luca's clearly shitting bricks, perspiring, gun in his shaky hand. He calls out another order that's cut short by what sounds like the door being kicked open.

Gunshots ring once more, back to back, strategic and aimed.

Luca curses loudly, holding onto his shoulder where he's been shot.

And seconds later, the base of his neck is exposed as another figure stands behind him, forcing his head back, gun pressed to his temple.

Matteo

True to his character, Luca uses his dying words to curse at not only Roman but Matteo who stands with a smug expression, giving Roman only a simple nod of acknowledgment.

Roman smirks.

He sits back in his chair, voice calm and collected. A contrast to the mayhem just unleashed. "Luca." The man in question struggles and works to move out of Matteo's unrelenting grasp. "Take this free advice. If you're gonna go for the devil, you should go always go for the head, because if you miss." A quiet chuckle. "He sure won't."

A loud bang followed by blood and brain matter splattering the screen, partially obscuring the view of Luca's lifeless body slumped over.

Like a bug, Matteo shoves him away, taking the seat, seemingly unbothered by the blood that stains his clothes, hair, and skin.

"It's done."

"Good." Sitting forward, Roman's mind travels to the mental list curated. "Get on the first flight back here."

Matteo nods. "Will do." The connection ends, and Roman closes the laptop.

Looking around the room, he readies to order Dwayne to start seeing about replacements for the Elders council but ultimately decides against it.

It can wait.

He has bigger, important things to worry and focus on, like making his way down his infinite kill list.

The OTC is coming.

---------

There are many, many things on Roman's to-do list once he arrives back home. Many bloody, violent things. Lives to take, primarily.

But, while that remains near the top, there are other things that also require his attention. Things he'd moderately prefer to not have to do but things he needs to do.

It's what leads him a few days later standing outside of Jimmy and Naomi's house. One of his first of many stops during his "revival" tour of sorts.

But, the minute the door is ripped open, and Roman is standing face to face, directly across from Jimmy, a new influx of confusing emotions fill him. The same way they paint the face of his wide eyed cousin.

Roman can see the way Jimmy continues to grip the door so tightly that his knuckles whiten. "It's….it's true." Roman's jaw twitches as he briefly looks away. "You're…you're alive?"

"We need to talk," is Roman's response. He looks at Jimmy. "Can I come in?"

A delayed response is followed up with an almost distracted head nod as Roman makes his way inside of his cousin's home, a place he's been in countless times over his almost 40 years on this earth. But, this…..this has to be the first time where it's felt different. Felt off. Felt wrong.

"Where the hell have you been?" Jimmy breathes. Roman turns around to face him, seeing the shock and confusion melt away into a bowl of anger. "We thought you were dead, Roman. Almost everyone thinks you and Solana—" He stops himself, pausing, eyes widening slightly. "Wait, is she—"

A pause. Hesitation. The moment Roman wrecked his brain over and over again trying to navigate the best way to handle such a tricky, complicated, complex situation. Ultimately, Solana's words and recommended or requested approach taking front seat. "She's safe."

Once the words leave his mouth, there's a semblance of regret. Like, he wishes he had gone a different route. Almost like he wishes he'd continued to maintain the story being spread about the fate of his pregnant wife.

Jimmy places both hands behind his head, walking away just enough to blow out a big breath. "What the fuck, Roman?" He growls, walking back over and pointing upstairs. "You got any fucking idea how gutted Naomi and I been?" He scowls, the anger and relief clearly at odds. "Thinking you and Sol were—"

"I know what you thought," he interrupts, hating his own emotions being at war. "You thought what we needed everyone to think."

Jimmy swallows. "Even me?" Silence. He once again motions upstairs. "Even Naomi?"

Silence

He runs a hand over his face, and in that moment, Roman can see for the first time the toll all of this has taken on him. He looks drained. "Roman….I know….I know what happened was fucked up. I'm not denying that. But, to treat Naomi and I like this when we ain't even do nothing?" He shakes his head. "When I'm already having to mourn my brother and father—"

"The same people who tried to kill me?" Roman interrupts, his voice sharp and even. "The people who kidnapped and were going to kill my wife?"

"I know that, Uce—"

"Do you?" A pointed question, as anger starts to overpower everything else. "Cause you're acting like I did something fucking wrong—"

"You did!" Jimmy snaps. "You kept us in the fucking dark when we deserved to know the truth!"

"The same way you kept me in the dark?" Is Roman's almost quiet response. He sees the way Jimmy's anger twitches, how it's briefly interrupted by what Roman considers to be a valid point. "For years, your father was trying to get ya'll to challenge me, trying to turn you against me, and you never said anything. Never told me shit!"

"I told you, I didn't realize—"

"I don't give a fuck what you did or didn't realize. I had a right to know!" He needed to know. Roman needed to know that the same people he considered family, the closest thing he had left to a father figure, even with them never necessarily being super close, was plotting against him the entire time. "If you had just told me—"

"Then what? It would have changed something?" Jimmy shouts, also unwilling to back down like the man across from him. "Would have stopped all this from happening? Would change what happened—"

"I don't know!" A forced, short, angry response as the Tribal Chief turns away, running his hand over his face. This conversation is equally heavy as it is challenging. He wasn't stupid enough to expect anything about it to be easy, but Roman can't deny a small part of him hoped it would go….different. In what way, he's not entirely sure. Just something….not this.

"Uce, we can figure this out—"

Roman briefly turns to him. "Can we?"

And, when Jimmy doesn't respond immediately, doesn't respond at all, Roman realizes in one area of all of this shit, they're on the same page. They're both confused as to how to untangle this massive mess of betrayal, lies, and hurt. Because for Roman, it's not even the coup organized by the people he once considered family, it's the fact that he also has to come to grips with that same "family" was a part of the plan that cost Roman his entire immediate family.

Left him essentially alone.

In many ways, that's what hurts the most.

But, it's also something Roman has opted to not tell Jimmy. As much hatred the Tribal Chief holds toward Solo and Rikishi, he can still acknowledge that was Jimmy's brother and father. He won't complicate his cousin's grief.

Because Roman doesn't hate him.

Doesn't hate him at all.

He just can't trust him anymore, and he's not sure if and when that will change.

Which is why he settled on the decision he did. The decision he's ready to finally share.

"When Solana comes home, and she will come home, I don't want to see you."

Gaze focused on the wall art in Jimmy's living room, Roman doesn't need to be looking at his cousin to know he's floored. "W-what?"

He swallows, recalling the specific wording he decided on. "You're out of my inner circle. I'll have Dwayne find a position for you in the Bloodline when things settle—"

"Roman—"

"Solana can decide for herself what she wants her relationship with Naomi to be, but I don't want either of you at my house."

"You can't—"

"I can do whatever the fuck I want." Even if he's not entirely sure it's exactly what he wants. It's the best Roman can do under these circumstances.

All he can do.

That doesn't mean there's not the reappearance of that damn weight that's been on his chest ever since he had to leave Solana. Even before that, if he's being completely honest with himself.

"My decision is final, Jimmy." Because maybe sticking to the facts, or rather the stipulations Roman has decided to put in place until he can navigate a better solution might be helpful. Emotions are getting in the way of business.

Jimmy just looks at him, stares at him, unwilling or maybe even uncaring of how visible his many emotions are. "So, that's it?" Roman's jaw clenches. "After everything we been through, the good, the bad, the everything in between. Almost 40 years of friendship, of being family….." He swallows, emotion and vulnerability on full display. "You're like my brother, Roman—"

"But not a brother, right?" Silence. "That's why you didn't say anything."

It's a deeply rooted point of insecurity. One that Roman hasn't really allowed himself to think too much about since he was a kid. That feeling of being "not like them." Of feeling like he didn't necessarily "belong."

An outsider among his own blood.

"This isn't fair, and you know it," Jimmy finally responds. "You're punishing me, punishing Naomi, for something that we didn't even do."

Perhaps. The Tribal Chief won't entirely deny that. He knows he can be vindictive, and maybe some part of him does want to punish them in a way he can't the deceased. But, the vast majority of him only seeks to have a temporary solution in place to relieve him of all the other very many tasks on his plate.

And, the deep fucking truth of the matter is also something he won't allow himself to admit aloud but feels fully.

He needs Solana.

Roman needs his wife to help him sort through all of this. He needs her support. Her safety. Her sage wisdom and soft way of helping him navigate these things. So, until that can happen, this is what needs to happen.

Roman takes a deep breath. For as nice and big a home Jimmy and Naomi have, it's suddenly feels a lot more stuffy than he recalls. A lot less welcoming. His presence more…intruding than anything.

"I have to go." Both a truth and a lie. The day is practically just getting started, but time waits for the Tribal Chief. He could stay longer, could maybe talk things through with his cousin.

Problem is he doesn't want to.

Not right now.

Not for a while, most likely.

Roman is a bit unsure why he's some level of bothered by Jimmy not protesting his leave. It's what's best….

Right?

"You're going to do it, aren't you?" Roman's hand is halfway to touching the doorknob when he's hit with the question. The one he knew was coming but hoping wouldn't. The one that makes sense. "You're going to kill him."

His eyes shut.

Debated. Roman debated the hell out of and with himself to try to figure out how he would tackle that one. Of course, Jimmy would want to know that. Would want to know if another person will be added to the list of lost loved ones. Especially his brother.

Jey.

Roman also considered how to respond to this, how much he wanted to share, if he wanted to grant Jimmy some sense of peace with knowing the answer or grief with also knowing the answer.

Roman swallows once more.

And, he walks out the door.

-----------

The only way for Roman to decompress from his heavy conversation with Jimmy and all that will come from the decisions that have been made is to cope the best way he knows how.

Murder.

Roman needs to cross off another name from his hit list.

Two, precisely.

"Where the fuck are they?" Dwayne complains and swats away a pesky fly that seems to prefer to fly around and in his personal bubble. "Fucking hate the outdoors."

Matteo snickers. "So, you wouldn't accompany Afia, the kids and I on a camping trip?"

Dwayne just stares at him. "Do I look poor to you?"

Roman manages a chuckle and a thought of something else. About the sacrifice Matteo is also making by being here with him. Standing with him. He's also separated from his wife. From his children. Agreeing to no contact to help keep Solana being alive a secret.

Roman swallows.

He didn't really realize until just now how massive an ask that was.

And how Matteo never once hesitated to agree to join him.

The sound of a truck engine revving is a welcomed distraction and something that allows Roman to reorient his focus to the task at hand. Jaw clenched, he watches the ambulance come to an abrupt stop followed by the drivers door being flung open.

Jacob's large body drops down, his boots leaving imprints in the slightly muddy ground as he stomps to the back of the truck and snatches the door open.

Hate fills the Tribal Chief as he watches Jacob angrily and almost erratically yank the two hospital beds out the back, both participants crying out in pain as they tumble onto the ground.

But, the cries of pain from one ease into a sick, twisted, laugh.

Roman's stomp onto his neck effectively silences that laugh. Seth's brown eyes peer up into him, that deranged smile on his face causing Roman to lift his foot and stomp once more. Seth almost instantly coughs up blood.

However, it's wheezing from the rotund man on the ground a few feet away from the lunatic under him that snatches Roman's focus.

Carefully, slowly, he walks over, anger accompanying each step until he kicks Paul over, a loud howl leaving his former advisor's mouth.

Tears stream down his face that has a large bandage on the right cheek and other unhealed cuts around various areas. "Pl—please."

Roman growls. That damn word has easily become one of his least favorites.

Similar to Seth, Roman lands his boot down on the top of Paul's fat neck. As the man screams out in pain, Dwayne chuckles.

"I know that hurt."

It all must hurt, Roman realizes. Hurt tremendously. Good.

For the first time, he takes in the sight and state of the two men before him still in hospital gowns. Their legs and arms covered with bandages, peaks of red, burned skin peaking out, the lesser of their injuries minimal compared to the latter end of severe.

Severe…

Nothing will ever be severe enough for them.

Roman barks for a knife, and the minute he's handed one, he crouches down and begins cutting. Not just the bandage. The fresh, still healing skin graft underneath the bandages as well. The screams of pain are ear piercing and music to Roman's fucking ears.

Methodically, like a butcher mastering his craft, he cuts away, ignoring the blood and body matter that splatters and splashes his clothes, tossing the mangled, ruined patches of fleshto the side like trash to the can.

Around him, no one interferes, no one stops him, and no one damn sure responds to Paul's blubbering as he transitions between screaming, apologizing, and eventually begging for Roman to just kill him.

That last is definitely on the agenda. Just not yet.

Because, one he's done butchering victim one, he transitions to victim two. Seth. Seth's torture is the eerily the same, the maniacal laughing eventually melting into sobs of agony. But, he doesn't beg for death, doesn't beseech the Tribal Chief for mercy.

No, that doesn't come until Roman is handed the electric chainsaw.

It comes then. Screams and shouts of unimaginable pain as Roman saws off arms and legs, one by one, blood shooting and spurting out. Again, the man intent on making their last minutes on earth nothing but horrific, forever uncaring. It's satisfying in a demented sort of way, but Roman doesn't care.

They're getting exactly what they deserve.

Heaving and sweating from the exertion expended through the torture, Roman only stops when all that remains is exposed bone from where he cut off their arms below the elbows and their knees slightly above the knees.

He would have continued too, if not for the fact both men are starting to lose consciousness, and that won't do.

He wants them awake for as long as humanly fucking possible.

Especially for the grand finale.

Roman snaps, speaking to Jacob. "Douse em'."

An order that doesn't need to be repeated. As Roman lifts off his shirt that's caked in blood, pieces of bone, and human flesh, tossing it to the ground, Dwayne hands him a towel to dry off and remove some of the other unmentionables.

Jacob moves quickly and efficiently, pouring the gasoline all over what remains of Paul and Seth's carved up bodies. Drenches them.

And with a wicked smirk on his face, Matteo tops it off, tops them off with the cherry on top.

An accelerant.

He forces their mouths open, the sound of them gurgling and choking sounded out with a kick to the side of the head. It's effective, allowing him to empty the bottle that he tosses to the side.

"Done," he says, voice ice cold as he goes to stand beside Dwayne and Jacob. None of them showing even the slightest hint of disturbance. If anything, there's more of a pleased, satisfied aura.

Recognizing they've reached the end of the road, that the men are mere minutes away from unconsciousness—and death—Roman stalks over to them. Slowly. A predator enjoying the final moments of his prey's existence. Moments that must consist of pain beyond human comprehension.

He looks down, the sight grotesque and enough to evoke vomiting from anyone without a seasoned stomach, but Roman is anything but. The sight makes him smile. The putrid smell of exposed bone, organs, and extensive blood pleasing to him in every sense of the word.

A dark, quiet chuckle leaves his mouth. "So much for that spoiler."

Stepping back, his eyes dart between the both of them, studying and committing the grisly image to memory.

Gratifying, indeed.

And without much thought, he pulls out the matchbox, lighting two matches, each thrown onto the men.

Turning on his heel, Roman walks away, tuning out their screams of misery and suffering.

"Let's go." It's spoken to the three men with him as they head out of the forest and to their SUV's. Extracting his revenge on the two men grants Roman with a sense of relief. He's relieved to know those two fuckers no longer breathe, or will breathe, the same air as him.

But, as gory and sadistically satisfying as Paul and Seth's deaths are, it still doesn't dull or ease the mixed emotions that fill the Tribal Chief at the thought of his next task.

Arguably, one of the hardest he has to complete.

----------

There's one reason and one reason alone why Roman asks Matteo and Dwayne to be present for this.

One very valid, important reason that can't be ignored or pushed aside. It's not his preference though.

Not really.

This is so personal that it feels almost wrong to have other parties present, but Roman also knows himself. Knows that when he fully succumbs to that uncontrollable rage that dwells within him, he can't see or think beyond it. It totally and wholly consumes him. Controls him.

Thus….his need for a contingency plan.

Roman has his back toward the door that's flung open, the intensity causing nearby photos on the wall to shake. Roman sighs. As effective as Jacob can be, he's…..a lot.

The Tribal Chief turns around just in time to see one cousin throw down the man Roman also once considered cousin.

Considered family.

Considered to be a brother.

As prideful as he can be, Roman would never deny the fact that he could have done a better job with being less hard on the twins. Less…..him. But, the truth of the matter is that despite the frosty disposition and irritation that marred a lot of their interactions, no one but the three of them know what they've been through. The countless times they've had each other's back out in the field. Protecting and looking out for each other.

The times Roman looked out for Jey.

All those moments that have boiled down to and left them right where they are now.

Jey, on the floor before him, hands on the ground, his fiery gaze on the man he also once considered family.

And seeing it, seeing Jey be upset with him?

It pisses Roman the fuck off.

He walks toward his table and grabs the brass knuckles. Both pair.

"Get out." A command directed only toward Jacob who offers no protest, walking out the same way he came in, standing watch outside the door.

"Roman…"

Roman has completely tuned out the voice of either Dwayne or Matteo. He doesn't know nor does he care.

Roman lifts his foot, kicking Jey right in the face with so much force that his body jerks back violently.

"You son of a bitch," he growls, not wasting a second to pounce on top of him, aiming for his ribs first. Jey's' howl of pain drives his determination—and fury—and distracts the Capo from his own lingering pain. The injuries that have not yet fully healed, marginally due to the fact that Roman has done nothing but exert himself from the moment he landed back home.

He'd kept his promise and continued rehab, continued to follow the doctor's orders, but that was all in between carrying out violent, bloody, brutal punishments for every fucker who turned on him.

Including the one underneath him.

And thinking of Solana, thinking of how she's not here, not with him, it only deepens the color of red he sees.

It's all he sees.

The sound of Jey's ribs cracking and his fruitless efforts to push the enraged man off him only drive Roman to lift the man up and slam him against the nearest wall. Another brutal kick to his ribs. Roman doesn't care if every single one is broken.

He grabs Jey by the chin, squeezing, enjoying the way his face remains scrunched up in pain. "You broke up my Bloodline." Not the massive crime syndicate that Roman has spent the better half of his life improving and making it into the billion dollar empire that it is now. He's referring to the family component, the familial bond and connection they shared.

That Bloodline.

"My wife isn't here because of you, Jey. You understand?" Roman continues. A part of him wonders if anything, especially that, means anything to Jey. He's unsure if Jey knows that Solana is actually alive or if he even cares, because his wife is most certainly not.

And, it's that, Roman is sure, that fuels Jey's hatred. Has him, despite the brutal beating he's receiving, refusing to cower, to show any sign of fear. Just impenetrable defiance.

"I looked out for you, I spared your fucking life, saved your ass time and time again, and what do you do?" Another fresh wave of rage, as Roman slams Jey's head back against the wall, shouting, "you break up my fucking family!"

Again, double, maybe even multiple meanings, all with one heartbreaking conclusion.

It creates a brief fracture in Roman's anger, paves the way for a small glimpse of what lies underneath all of that fury that courses through his big body. "I would have never done this shit to you, Jey."

Because, he wouldn't. Because for all the bad things Roman is, how awful he could be, he would have never stooped so low. Would have never allowed whatever prideful feelings he was struggling with to lead him down a path that could only end in heartbreak. But, Jey did. His insecurities got the best of him, and it's cost him.

It's cost him dearly.

Because as far as Roman is concerned, Nicki's death is on him.

"So just…." Jey coughs up blood as Roman realizes at some point in his inner dialogue, he'd moved back to pounding Jey into the floor. "Just…do it." Roman stops and stares at him, his own chest heaving. "You wanna kill me…..fucking do it then, Uce. It's…it's what you want, ain't it?"

Bullshit.

Roman can see right through it, right through the paltry front he's trying to put up in the face of a true life or death situation. Stubborn as all outdoors, very much like himself, Roman knows that Jey loves his kids more than anything. He would never want to "leave" them.

Especially after what's happened.

He's calling Roman's bluff, and that pisses him to fuck off.

For more reasons than the man under him and the two before him can realize.

Roman closes his eyes.

"Please." It's the pleading nature of her voice as well as the borderline desperation in her eyes that has Roman struggling. Struggling with it all. "I know….I know what he did was wrong."

"It wasn't just wrong, Solana," he calmly counters. Roman is working hard to be mindful of his tone with her. The anger that dances and burning within is 100% not aimed or geared towards her. Whatsoever. "It was unforgivable."

She swallows. "I know." He shuts his eyes once more as she continues to gently massage his scalp with one hand, the other tracing his inked arm, carefully maneuvering the ridges of disfigured skin from his burn scars. "But, I'm not….I'm not asking you to forgive him, Ro."

"No," he murmurs, jaw flexing. "But, what you're asking is a lot fucking harder."

Solana moves closer, her hand traveling to his face. "Roman….his kids lost their mother." She licks her lips and shakes her head. "We both grew up without our mothers, and I know that your relationship with yours was…..complicated, but….mine wasn't and not having her…." Her eyes watering is something he can't avoid. Can't ignore. "No child deserves that, Roman, and you know it." His silence is all that she needs to continue. "Baby, I know I'm asking a lot from you, but….please don't kill him."

He's always said and "joked" about never being able to say no to her. But, this….this might be a first. "Solana…."

"Please, Roman." Her voice cracks as she leans up, her forehead against his, breathing. "For me."

Roman is returned to the scene before him, to the decision he'd made just this morning. A decision he's not sure how he'll handle moving forward, but it's one he's accepted as his final answer.

"I'm not going to kill you," he announces. Jey can't hide his surprise, and Roman would bet his cousin and brother mimic similar expressions.

He hadn't shared his decision with anyone until this very moment.

"And, the only fucking reason I'm not is because of the woman you almost got killed," he hisses. Jey continues to look dumbfounded. "But, you are fucking dead to me in every other sense of the word. You've got a fucking week for you and your kids out of the city. Your security access is revoked, your position with the Bloodline done. You are done."

Jey continues to look around, obviously struggling to process what's being said. Like, he hadn't expected Roman to actually kill him and yet still expected Roman to kill him.

"I never want to fucking hear or speak to you ever again, you understand me?" It's a watered down warning. It's all watered down, truly. Even the fact that Jey lays before him, potentially half dead, in need of medical assistance. It's not enough. Nothing will ever be enough, even if he took his cousin's life with his bare hands. And, Roman knows this.

Still, this has to be one of the hardest decisions he's ever made.

"But, if you ever fucking step foot in this town again, I don't care what Solana says, I'll fucking kill you. I swear it on Fetu's grave." A vow to carry out the act of vengeance, love, in all the irony, prevents him from completing.

It's solely Roman's love for Solana that stops him from killing Jey.

Nothing else.

Literally nothing else.

Roman's final declaration is accompanied by another stomp, this time to Jey's face, effectively knocking him out cold. Standing up and rolling his neck, Roman grimaces and grabs at his shoulder.

Way too much exertion. Not that it makes a difference.

Jey is just one of many he plans to visit today.

He looks over his shoulder, uncaring and unwilling to discuss what transpired. What's done is done.

Roman so casually, and coldly, walks over Jey's slumped, unconscious body and snatches his jacket off the hook behind the door. "Let's go."

Footsteps of the other two men follow him swinging the door open, Jacob standing at attention.

"Make sure he's gone by the time I'm back," Roman commands. What's done has been done, and while there's a tremendous amount of unspoken, unresolved issues between himself and the man he's just effectively banished indefinitely, it's not a task he's up for.

Not now.

Not ever.

Roman meant what he said.

Should Jey ever try to return to the city, Roman will absolutely kill him.

But, until then, he might as well already be dead.

Because he is to Roman.

---------

Following Roman's dramatic, bloody return from his supposed demise, he places the city on lock down.

No one enters, and no one leaves.

Armed guards, a mixture of verified Bloodline loyalists as well as soldiers from the Legado Del Fantasma, remain stationed at every entrance into the city, whether it be by land or harbor, to ensure that this order remains non-violated.

Roman intends for not a single fucker to escape his bloody vengeance.

And bloody, it most certainly is.

Nothing but unbridled rage courses through Roman's body as he spends the weeks making his way down his list eliminating target after target. Traitor after traitor. Life after life, taken.

Doors are kicked down, pieces of shit dragged out. Some granted quick death. Simple head shots that leave blood and brain matter splattered in the nearest vicinity. Some are tossed off of buildings, leaving their splattered remains for all to see. Some are used as examples. Their tortured, mangled remains tied up on display in the middle of the streets as both a reminder and a warning. A reminder of what happens to all who dare to cross Roman fucking Reigns, and a message to those who played in any role in the coup that he's coming, and he's coming for blood.

Roman has the city in a state of terror and fear. Families keeping their children in the house. Picking them up and dropping them off to school to avoid being caught in the cross hairs. A bit unnecessary, as despite Roman slipping back into that dark space that consumed him before Solana, his few morals remain the same. Women and children are off limits.

Neither of those groups are included in his hit list.

Everyone else though…..tough.

But, while the adrenaline that races through him fuels his revenge tour, that fuel of sorts easily melts away when he arrives home later in the evening. Arrives to an empty home. No sweet, delicious aroma of Solana's cooking to greet him. Or the pitter-patter of Dulce's feet as she races to the front door, eager to jump at and try to lick him but mostly just wanting to be petted and to have her belly rubbed. Being able to come up behind his wife, holding her, kissing her temple, taking in the feel of her body up against his.

Things he'd gotten used to.

Things he misses.

He misses a lot.

He misses her.

He thinks about her, about what she could be doing, about whatever pregnancy symptoms she could be experiencing, as he follows along via the app she'd installed on his phone. He checks daily, each time wondering about the swell of her stomach, imagining the excitement she must feel. Or, the sadness.

Because there is something undeniably sad about them not being able to experience this together. Something that was so important to her.

Important to him.

Being there with her to support her as she carries his children, their children, is important to him.

But….but, her safety comes first.

Their safety comes first.

Her absence is with him every fucking second of the day, though on the back-burner when the sun sits comfortably in the sky, and he has the distraction of his murderous rampage. But, when the sun is replaced with the moon, and he lays in that same bed where they've made love countless times, where she's laid on his chest, talking about her day. Where he's held and slept with her, rubbing her belly, allowing himself to feel genuinely happy for a long fucking time.

All of that is soured and dampened by the cruel reality. Solana is not there. Dulce is not there.

She's not with him. They're not with him, because of them.

And then the rages builds up all over again.

It's a vicious, cruel cycle. One that he can't escape. One that leads him to the place he wasn't expecting or planning to visit anytime soon.

Too difficult.

But, necessary.

"Not gonna lie…." Lita trails off, shifting in her seat. It's one of the few times he's noticed she's not almost casually lounged, legs tucked under her. She's sitting with both feet planted on the ground, a small frown on her face. "Believing you to be dead only for you to show up with quite the return….and now having you in front of me, I'm not quite sure where to start except to tell you that I'm so sorry about Solan—"

"She's not dead."

Silence.

Lita, for all her expertise and experience, can't hide her shocked expression. "What?"

Roman looks away. Just as he battled with whether or not to tell Jimmy the truth about Solana, he experienced the same battle regarding just how honest he wanted to be with Lita.

That's not to say he doesn't have a host of other issues he could probably, definitely, benefit from talking and working through with her.

Like the two panic attacks he's had since returning home.

Or, the several nightmares that have awoken him from the little sleep he has received. The nightmares that started when he was in the hospital in Mexico. The reason Solana refused to go home and leave him alone, staying and sleeping with him. Comforting him.

She's his comfort, and not having her has him six different shades of fucked up. On top of the pre-existing level of fucked up-ness he is on any given day.

If there was any doubt in his mind before just how codependent Roman is with his wife, this whole experience has successfully zapped it all away.

Still, that doesn't take away from the fact that Solana isn't here, and he's not okay, so he needs to find a way to get his shit together.

And, the woman before him is his best bet.

It didn't take much research and digging to realize Lita had no connection or involvement with the coup, thus eliminating her from the hit list. But, there's still this overwhelming importance of only keeping Solana's true status a secret from anyone who doesn't need to know.

And, while Roman wouldn't consider Lita someone who needs to know the truth, it would help him a hell of a lot considering the whole reason he's sitting before her.

Plus….while Roman isn't sure just what trust means to him anymore, he trusts that if she didn't know before, the bodies dumped in the streets, should be all the reminder of what happens to anyone who crosses Roman fucking Reigns.

"She's….she's in hiding. Safe." He clarifies, not willing to offer much more than that. "I'm not bringing her back home until I'm sure it's safe to do so."

"I see…." Lita trails off once more, slipping into her usual sitting position, legs tucked under her. For some reason, it makes Roman feel slightly more relaxed. "It all makes sense, then."

He eyes her. Skeptical. Cautious. "What do you mean?"

She takes a deep breath. "Roman, I don't….I don't fully understand how all the crime shit works, but I know and have heard enough to know that you were betrayed, Solana was kidnapped, and my guess would be that they tried to kill you both." He says and offers neither agreement or disagreement. "I can understand why you're so angry and why you've been on a murder spree, making the town look like something out of a horror movie, but it's….it's deeper than that." She tilts her head, assessing in a low voice. "It's even more personal, because she's not here….you don't have her with you, and that's….difficult, I'd gather."

He looks away once more, fist forming at his side. Roman's voice is also low and quiet, as he admits aloud for the first time, "I'm not….I'm not used to it." He swallows, pushing back the pride, knowing he needs to talk about this. To unload at least one thing on his plate. "I'm not used to….to being without her."

He doesn't really know how to function properly and normally without her. Just knows how to channel all of that frustration in his killing and torturing.

"I'm sure," Lita murmurs.

"I—" He struggles, the word a tremendous weight that weighs him down to the point of needing release. "I miss her."

Lita presses her lips together, voice sympathetic. "Are you….are you able to spe—"

"No," he interrupts, voice gruff. "We're no contact to ensure her location can't be tracked."

"I see." She's quiet for a few minutes, eventually and gingerly approaching all of the other shit Roman now has added to his collection of baggage. "I've also heard that….that you were betrayed from the inside. That it was….some of your family members."

"They were never my fucking family," he growls. Roman has shifted from that place of vulnerability to that stainless steel wall of defense. "And don't fucking call them that."

"My apologies." She nods, recognizing that the extent of his regression might be more than she realized. Understandable though. Completely understandable. "Can I ask you something?"

His hesitation is noticeable. "What?"

"With Solana gone for the time being, who do you have?"

It's a delayed response. The question requires contemplation.

"My cousins, Dwayne and Ava," he finally answers, and for the first time, in a long time, Roman allows himself to be honest about the very thing he's avoided for years. Tried to pretend wasn't a thing. But, it is. And, it's been more than proven in the past few weeks. "And Matteo….my brother."

This time, Lita expertly shields her surprise at yet another shocking confession. "Your brother?" He says nothing. Expected. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had a sibling still living."

Tense and partially uncomfortable, Roman nods. "It's….complicated."

"I bet," she murmurs. "Do you…do you want to talk about it?"

No. He doesn't want to talk about anything. What Roman wants to do is be with his pregnant wife. He wants to not have to deal with any of this shit. Wishes it never fucking happened in the first place, but it did, and now he's here trying to use a dollar store mop for a rainfall of issues.

But….

But, in this midst of this storm of epic proportions, there have been some glimpses of….something.

Like the fact that Roman can't and won't continue to deny something he's spent his whole life avoiding. Trying to avoid.

That he has a brother.

That despite all off the bitter feelings of resentment and jealousy toward the man that got the same short end of the stick that he did, Matteo has more than proven himself to be someone Roman can….can trust.

Such a difficult, virtually impossible thing considering what happened, the depth of the betrayal, but the truth of the matter is that Matteo and so many others showed up when Roman needed help the most.

Needed his brother.

It's why he's decided to stop denying the truth and maybe, just maybe, himself.

Roman shifts in his seat. "I've…I've realized that….I should…probably try to form some kind of relationship with him." Because, it's time. "It's what Solana thinks I should do, and….one of my aunt's dying wish that I….make things right with him."

"Sure." A pause. "But, what about you, Roman? What do you want?"

A lot of things. The biggest thing? His wife back home with him, so he could have her by his side as he works through all this shit. But, that's not an option. It's not an option, and he has to learn how to be without her for the time being.

Has to learn how to navigate the waters closest to him.

No matter how much he hates it.

"I—I—" He also hates this fucking stuttering and stammering. It's so unlike him. "I don't know how….how to go about that."

An almost embarrassing admission but a truth, nonetheless. Solana is good with these sorts of things. Not him.

Lita keeps a contained smile. Regression has certainly occurred but not, perhaps, as much as she initially believed. There's something there she intends to grab and hone in on as much as she can while still acknowledging his already complex treatment plan just got significantly more complicated.

"Well….." She starts, standing up and walking over to grab the infamous box of Giant Uno off her bookshelf. "Murder and mayhem, I don't know, but that…." Trailing off, she takes a seat, offering another small, patient smile. One step at a time. "—That I can certainly help you with."

----------

"Ya know," Ava starts, lifting her beer from her mouth after taking and swallowing a decent ass amount. "I'm a little offended none of you fuckers have invited me along for the kill tour."

Dwayne chuckles, the beer in his hand looking significantly smaller than it actually is due to his big ass overall size. "Didn't realize that was your thing, cuz."

"Psshhh." She makes a sound, leaning back in the chair, lifting her middle finger to the sky. "They came after our family. Of course, I want my pound of flesh."

Matteo's smile is small as he traces the mouth of his bottle. "Well, there still remains a few outliers we haven't caught."

Being reminded of that makes Roman scowl as he tightly squeezes the bottle in his hand.

Despite his shutting down the city, a few bitches were perhaps smart enough to get the hell out of dodge when they realized Solo was also dead. When they realized that while Roman had been "eliminated," not having the protection of the men who led the charge meant their fates were left up in the air.

So, they ran.

Not that it's made a difference. Roman has accompanied Dwayne on various trips to other states where the Bloodline has locations, where tips from traitors who were dumb enough to stick around and ended up singing like canaries from a little bit of torture. Or, if Roman doesn't accompany Dwayne for said trips, Matteo does.

They're smart enough to know it's not wise for all three to leave the city at once. Not when they're working to restore order and balance.

A process that's…..going, which is good, but it's still going, which is the problem.

It's been two weeks, and they're still not there. At that point where Roman can bring his wife home, and that….that's been rough, to say the least.

It helps to have the people around him, but even them combined together don't equate even half of the comfort and relief his wife provides him.

"Good," Ava replies, smiling craftily. "Save some for me, then." She then gasps, looking around the room. "Has big ears told you what we came up with for you know what?"

At that, Roman rolls his eyes, but he can't ignore the skip and leap of hope that dances within at the shift in topic and conversation.

"Hopefully, you did most of the thinking, cause Lord knows this man ain't got a romantic bone in his body," Dwayne scoffs, gesturing to Roman who only scowls in response.

"I'd argue there's maybe one there." Matteo shrugs. "Or, half of one."

Ava snorts. "More like a quarter." Roman flips her off, something she entirely ignores. "Anyway, so here's what we came up with…."

As Ava moves into specifics, excitement painting her face and accompanying her hand gestures as she almost illustrates what they, what Roman primarily, intends to do for his wife upon her return. A plan months in the making, marked and interrupted by several setbacks but something he's ultimately decided to follow through with.

Roman tunes them out to a certain extent, focused less on the conversation at hand and more the people.

In under a year, his life has taken such a turn. Many unexpected turns. He's gained and lost, lost and gained, gained some more, lost some more, and started all over. Overwhelming in a lot of regards, especially considering the latest chapter has easily been the most traumatic.

But, there's also something else he can't deny. Something he's been working on in therapy with Lita, that he'd love to be able to talk with Solana about, but something he can't really deny, nonetheless. Even if he wanted to.

He's gained such a loyal, strong inner circle. People who, if he continues upon the path of honesty, have always been there for him. It's just been him, Roman, who's kept that wall up.

The wall that, according to Lita, kept the "bad" people out but also kept the "good" people from getting in.

She wasn't wrong.

Roman has spent so many years pushing people away, only letting a select few close to him, and while a few of those select few have caused him an insurmountable of pain, hurt and trauma, there still remains the fact that he still has people he can trust.

He still has family.

Even more, Solana's several statements regarding as such return to the forefront of his mind.

"The girls deserve to have a big family who love and support them, Ro."

Solana was also right.

His family might look slightly different now, but they're still family.

"I—" He cuts in, interrupting the conversation among the three regarding that. Equally important but not as germane as what he wants to say. Needs to say, really. "I want to thank all of you."

"Hell hath fucking frozen over." Ava scoffs. "Did you just…..thank someone?" She smirks, crossing her arms, head tilted. "I didn't think you were capable of that shit. Not unless it's Solana."

Roman scowls, but he doesn't disagree. "Are you done?" She rolls her eyes and lifts her hands in a defensive manner, signifying her silence. Roman shifts in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable with the three sets of eyes on him. "I know I….I'm not the fucking best with this shit, but I….I do appreciate the three of you. What you've done…..for me." He primarily looks between Dwayne and Matteo. "Especially you two….you saved my life." He swallowed. "I don't….I don't take that lightly."

"You better fucking not," Dwayne shakes his head, sipping some of his beer. "I don't risk my life for just anyone."

"And, you're not just anyone, Roman," Matteo adds, his tone more on the serious side. Sincere. "You're family."

"We're family," Ava corrects, looking among the men. "A dysfunctional ass family of killers and shit ton of trauma but family nonetheless."

Roman chuckles. "Yeah…." He clears his throat, carefully trying to balance vulnerability with some element of business. "Matteo…." His brother looks his way, eyebrow raised. "You said you trust Vinci, right?"

Vinci. The man who assisted Matteo in making his way back to Italy without the Administration finding out, allowing him the element of surprise needed to carry out his hits. A man who, according to Matteo, has worked hard for and with him for over a decade.

He offers no hesitation, just a nod of confirmation. "With my life." Skepticism is raised. "Why?"

A bit of a delayed response, because that damn trust thing. Roman isn't sure how he's supposed to trust anyone outside of the group of people who helped him ever again, and while this Vinci fucker isn't anyone he knows, Matteo does. Matteo is vouching for him, so that has to be enough.

For now.

"We'll need someone we know we can trust to handle business over there." At that, he and Dwayne share questioning expressions. "Because I need you two stateside with me."

Matteo is the first to respond, that skepticism still looming. "Yeah?"

Roman rolls his neck, explaining. "I….I need people around me I know I can trust." A survey of the gatherers. "And outside of Solana, I don't know anyone I trust more than the people in this room."

Ava sits forward, seeing her cousin's gaze on her. "Wait…." She lowers her beer, small smile growing on her face. "You're inviting me into your inner circle?"

Roman nods. "You may be a pain in the fucking ass majority of the time, but you're smart. Loyal. I know I can trust you, and I know you'd be a valuable asset."

"Hell yeah, I would." She agrees. "Some estrogen to tamper down all that testosterone would probably do you all some good."

Roman doesn't entirely disagree. He just continues to share the tentative plans he's been mentally mulling over since returning home. "I'm also….I'm considering including Escobar."

"Escobar?" Dwayne's look of skepticism sure. "Brotha, you sure you didn't hit that big ass head of yours at some point?" A sarcastic question, of course, but there's also a hint of truth. "You hate Escobar."

"Dumbo hates everyone. What else is new?"

Roman ignores Ava. Her being on his council will be….an adjustment, for sure. "I did, or I do, but….I can't deny what he did, and Lopez wants him to be the liaison between us and the Cartel, so it only makes sense to include him. In some things. Not all."

"Isn't he technically your in-law as well?"

"Don't remind me," Roman mutters, trying to wipe his brother's valid but irritating reminder from his mind.

"I hate to break it to you, Roman, but it seems Solana's maternal side of the family is….large." Matteo's comment doesn't help, but it's not meant to. Meant to remind The Tribal Chief that his future is most likely filled with forced interactions with….people. "It might benefit you to get used to….large family functions."

"Make sure that Stephanie girl is there."

Matteo frowns. "Did she not tell you, not so eloquently, might I add, to fuck off?"

"Sure did." Dwayne answers. Proudly, almost. "I'll wear her down."

"Oh my God." Ava rolls her eyes, standing up and heading to the kitchen. "I need another beer."

"I'll join you," Dwayne announces.

"Please don't," she objects. Not that it makes a difference as he says something about warming up a slice of pizza.

Their departure leaves Roman and Matteo alone. A blanket of silence befalls them. One that has Roman moving around in his seat, eager to down the rest of his beer. In the madness and chaos that's thrived and consumed his life in the wake of fixing everything, this evening of just….calm, of normalcy, is appreciated.

Needed, even.

"So…." Matteo starts, placing his beer down on the coffee table. "Your inner circle…"

The younger man nods, stroking his beard. "Well, there are openings now."

While Roman is dead serious, Matteo laughs quietly, shaking his head. "I bet there are."

For the Elder council as well, but that's also being taken care of. Another task Roman is overseeing with the help of his cousin and the man before him.

"Thank you, Roman." Matteo's voice has shifted to a serious, solemn tone. "I don't take the honor lightly. Especially after what's happened…."

Roman says nothing initially. Just nods as something unfamiliar and indescribable fills him. Emotion, maybe? Some form of it, perhaps. He just knows it's partially settled by the conversation he had with Lita about this.

One step at a time.

"You've earned it." Is the response he settles on. The latter portion of his response a bit difficult for him to share but a truth, nonetheless. "Besides, it might be kind of hard for us to work on this….brother shit, if you're on the other side of the world."

While it's not the first time Roman has referred to Matteo as his brother, it's certainly the first time he's verbalized it in an accepting manner.

Especially in front of Matteo whose small smile can only be described as one of relief.

And joy.

Happiness.

"I suppose you're right, fratello," he hums. "I suppose you're right…"

Fratello

Brother.

And for the first time, Matteo's use of the word doesn't anger Roman. Doesn't pick at a long-term, never healing, always open, fresh would.

It feels relieving.

Healing.

---------

Despite an evening of relaxation and camaraderie, the next day brings about more work. More shit to work through.

"So…." Matteo starts as the two walk into Bloodline Headquarters, Dwayne planning to meet them later in the day, tasked with carrying out a side quest for Roman. "Who are we killing today, fratellino?"

Little brother.

Again, no irritation. No vexation. Just….the calm.

"Depends on who pisses me the fuck off," Roman mutters, and the two brothers share a small laugh and chuckle that's almost instantly washed away from both the minute they walk into Roman's office to see someone already waiting, sitting in Roman's seat.

Roman's fist forms at his side. Alicia's days are fucking numbered.

"You got a minute to tell me who the fuck you are, and maybe I won't blow your brains out just yet."

The man smiles. Older. Very old. His face reveals that he's seen decades of this world past him by, his eyes filled with countless stories of mischief and mayhem. A smirk on his face accompanies him standing, revealing a height rivaling Roman and Matteo's. He comes to stand in front of Roman's desk, leaning back with his arms crossed over his slim build.

"Well, I'll be damned." His voice is thickly accented. Familiar. Italian. "Can't say I ever saw this shit coming."

Roman is ready to kill the old man and be done with it, but Matteo grabbing his arms stops him from adding to his never-ending kill count. Roman looks over to see Matteo's head turned slightly, studying, observing, but something else. Something unfamiliar. Alarmed. He looks alarmed.

Roman frowns. "What?"

But, Matteo says nothing. Not to his brother, at least.

"Nonno?"

And, at that, Roman's gaze shifts back and forth, quickly, between the two men.

His chest tightens, asking again, but for a completely different reason. "What?"

Gaze on the old man, Roman sees how he simply raises his chin, offering a nonverbal response. And confirmation.

Only then does Roman see it. The slight but now visible similarities between not only Matteo and this man, but himself and the man.

In all of them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Matteo speaks in Italian, his voice even, the former shock and confusion easing into a coldness that Roman often feels and see in himself.

"Well." The older man makes a sound, rolling his shoulders, face turned up in a brief grimace. "Given all that's happened the past few weeks, we realized it was time—"

"We?" Roman cuts in. It's the first thing he's said to the man he now recognizes the same way Matteo does.

His nonno.

Their grandfather.

This is their maternal grandfather.

"Hi, boys..."

Another voice speaks, but this time, this time there is no word to describe just what courses through either of the brothers as they turn around in almost perfect synchronization. Initially guarded and partially alarmed, that's punted away the minute their sight confirms what the auditory already knew.

Roman doesn't get disturbed often. If ever. It's not in his character. Matteo's neither.

But, it's a miracle that neither man stumbles back at the sight before them.

She stands in the doorway, an expensive, beautiful, intricately designed scarf over her head, tied under her chin. A wrap that slender fingers with disfigured looking skin slowly moves to undo, allowing it to crumple in her hands. She swallows, the lines on her face prominent as she frowns, her familiar light brown eyes bouncing between the two stunned men.

The weight on Roman's chest has grown to an unbearable amount, so much so that it prevents him from speaking. From thinking. From breathing, it feels like.

No, Matteo is the one that finds the wherewithal to speak the word Roman can't find in him to verbalize.

"Mom?"

------

welp. do ya'll agree with roman's decisions regarding jey and jimmy?

also, yes.....matteo and roman's mother is still alive.

reminder: next chapter is the last one.

[lemotmo]

https://www.tumblr.com/lemotmo/778664610713747456/they-really-are-watching-an-entirely-different

They really never learn. Even without watching the episode. Tim himself said it wasn’t them shutting the ship down. Like the interviewer went very hard in the pro Tommy try to paint buddie as over and buddie shippers as a problem (and it came off very awkward) and Tim himself shut them down instead. I think he finally learned that with that man’s cult you just can’t leave any opening for them to latch on to. Like with how he answered here. Or how he said that Bucks not in love with Tommy. Or how Buck didn’t call Tommy later on.

Yeah it's pretty clear that Tim is OVER this Tommy/Lou bullshit that has been going on for the last year. Everyone is exhausted at this point, so he is doing his best to point out that BT is officially done. It's also obvious that no one else, in any of the interviews, really talks all that much about Tommy or Lou anymore. But Buddie (+ Oliver and Ryan) is mentioned a lot. It's everywhere.

They are actively pushing the Buddie narrative at this point, making it clear that Tommy was just a plot device and he wasn't all that important in the long run.

We also know he will be back to plot device some more, because Tim said this in one of his interviews:

The way Tim describes it here? Yeah, he is once again hammering it home that Tommy is only there to fly a helicopter, because that's his skill. And the way he says 'bed buddy'? LOL! I mean... this makes it very obvious that when BT hooked up in 8x11 it was just that... a badly thought out one night stand with an ex. 🤷‍♀️🤭

And we also know from another interview that Buck never called Tommy after Maddie agreed that he should. I mean... I don't know what Tim can say anymore at this point.

Buck and Eddie could be French kissing in 8x15 and declare their undying love for one another while Tommy stands there awkwardly witnessing the whole thing and the Tommies would still find some way to explain the Buddie away and make it all about BT.

No matter what Tim says in these interviews, it won't have any effect. They are locked into this mass delusion that BT is endgame and that Lou will get his own main role in 911. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

It's like I said yesterday. I am done caring about it. As long as they stay in their own little part of the Internet, I say let them be happy and celebrate whatever it is they think they should be celebrating for. As long as they don't bother me and the rest of our fandom, I don't care anymore. The show, Tim, the actors, the social media team are all actively ignoring them. We should follow their example and ignore them too.

It's clear that the Buddie writing is on the wall. I'm choosing to focus on that right now.

WE ARE GOING CANON AND WE SHOULD ALL GET REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT!!! 🥳🥳🥳

[sukibenders]

"Outie Mark was wrong for lying to Innie Mark and denying that he's a person," or "Innie Mark was selfish for not understanding his outie's decision and being mad at him for it," are both takes that are so surface-level because it lacks nuance, at least to me. Perhaps, just maybe, both Outie and Innie Mark are both selfish and selfless to different degrees. Outie Mark just found that not only, is his wife alive and that after having been kidnapped by the said company he works for, but that due to his job he has been slowly torturing said wife in a process that, once he completes, it will eventually lead to her death. That is a lot to take in, especially in a short manner of time on top of finding out that the severed version of you has a new partner and has little interest. While I do think Mark was foul for lying to his innie and denying him personhood, not even taking the time to learn Helly's name, that doesn't automatically make him an outright horrible person. And him creating a separate version of himself free of his grief also isn't 100% wrong, in hindsight, because he didn't necessarily know what his innie was going through until s2. After that, you could say he was wrong for going back to Lumon, but that also would erase any chance of getting Gemma back. He's desperate, but that doesn't necessarily make him irredeemable.

Innie Mark isn't necessarily wrong for not trusting his outie, who hasn't even had a conversation with until recently where he lies to him and denounces the happiness he was able to cultivate even within a hell space. I don't even think that he was necessarily wrong for wanting more than a few minutes longer with Helly, when his other option is to be erased completely and never see her again while his outie gets to be happy. Can his actions be viewed as selfish in a way? Yeah, but again, I don't think that makes him a bad person, especially given that even when he says that he could just not free Gemma, he realizes that he's wrong and still saves her, even with the grudge he holds toward his outie. That's a huge!

I think you could go back and forth on whether Outie Mark or Innie Mark did the right or wrong things and, if analyzed correctly, you could come out seeing both sides and I think that's the point. Rather than just trying to pick either side, understand that it's deeply complex. That's the whole idea with the show as a whole, especially revolving around severing (which is literally shown to be controversial) because is necessarily right to knowingly create a separate entity of yourself to escape your grief to a company that preyed upon you? Is it necessarily wrong to be upset that someone, who doesn't even really know you, disregards the life you've built and the relationships you made and tries to take it all away from you? Is it wrong to be so desperate to save your wife from torture and death that you do anything to get her back, even if it means willingly entering hell to do so? Is it wrong to want more, in your short existence, time with your loved one even if it meant staying in hell?

[twopoppies]

Hello Gina, I remember back when I wasn’t in the fandom in 2022, I saw a clip from an interview with Harry and Chris Pine where Harry says something like “the best thing about this movie is that it feels like a movie” (or something like that). I haven’t seen much more from the dwd promo, but I wanted to ask if Harry had that same attitude throughout the whole round of promo. Because when you compare it with how he was during MP promo, his answers were much more thoughtful. Do you think it was a kind of protest, like saying "I don't agree with this circus"?

Also, is it true he ignored Ow during the Venice premiere?

He completely ignored her. You can look through my VENICE FILM FESTIVAL tag and see for yourself.

As for his interviews surrounding the film, I think he was in an extremely difficult position.

• The movie was terrible. So trying to sell it means trying to find whatever good points you can find, and doing a lot of lying. If the best thing he can find to say about it is that it feels like a movie is sad (also, clearly his point wasn’t articulated well, but it’s not that hard to ask him to explain what he means. So that was just irritating).

• Filming the movie was not a great experience (especially with his only comparison at the time being directed by Christopher Nolan).

• He’s contractually obligated to promote the film.

• His team has their greedy fingers in the pie so they’re likely pressuring him to promote heavily.

• The whole explosive reveal of the information from Shia happened just before the premiere.

• He was likely already furious about how the PR stunt with her was going, and then that was added on top (it made it abundantly clear that Olivia was manipulating everyone).

• Throw in that he was in the middle of an enormous tour and flew to Venice from NY in between shows, did the couple of days of promo/events there and then flew back to NY to perform again. He was probably exhausted.

Having said all of that, I do think his behavior during The Venice Film Festival was as much of a push back as he could manage. Unfortunately, what I think many people took away from it was that he wasn’t very professional and that he was a shitty boyfriend 🙄

And yes, he couldn’t have been more different during the promo for My Policeman. He was invested, eloquent, and proud to be there. That film deserved so much better.

These additional tags might be interesting for you

TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL

MY POLICEMAN PROMO

DON’T WORRY DARLING PROMO

SHIA LA BEOUF

[charlesollielandooscararthur]

virginity

summary:Arthur and Y/N casually reveal on a podcast that they lost their virginity to each other, sending the internet—and Charles—into chaos. Twitter explodes with memes, Lando loves every second, and Charles is traumatized. warnings: just the talk of loss of virginity.

Arthur and I had done a lot of questionable things together—most of which ended up on the internet in one way or another. But this? This was about to be our biggest mistake.

It started off as a normal podcast.

We had been invited as guests on a popular F1-adjacent show, mainly because the internet had decided that Arthur and I were the most chaotic duo in motorsport. They loved our banter, our constant arguing over nothing, and the fact that we somehow managed to embarrass ourselves in every interview.

For the first forty-five minutes, everything was fine.

We talked about racing, our families, funny childhood memories. Arthur and I bickered about literally nothing for half the episode, which the hosts found hilarious.

And then—

The question happened.

A listener had sent in a segment called "Spill the Tea or Take the L," where we had to either answer a question or take a punishment.

Most of the questions were harmless—things like who's the biggest diva in F1 (Arthur answered Charles, obviously) or which teammate annoyed you the most (I said Arthur, because it was true).

But then—

The host smirked at the paper in their hand. "Oh, this one is interesting."

Arthur and I shared a look. That was never a good sign.

The host grinned. "You both have to answer this."

I sighed. "Oh God."

Arthur groaned. "Just say it."

The host cleared their throat dramatically.

"When and where did you lose your virginity?"

The room went silent.

Arthur and I just stared at each other.

The hosts were laughing, expecting us to be embarrassed, expecting us to either dodge the question or take the punishment.

But instead—

Arthur smirked. "Wanna tell them, or should I?"

I grinned. "Oh, let's really shake the internet today."

Arthur leaned into the mic. "We lost it to each other."

The entire room exploded.

The hosts gasped. The producers behind the cameras choked. Someone dropped their coffee.

I shrugged, completely unfazed. "What? We were young, we were best friends, and it just happened."

Arthur nodded. "Yep. No regrets."

The hosts were still processing. "WAIT—so, like, everyone in your family knows?"

Arthur snorted. "Oh, yeah. I told Charles and Lorenzo immediately."

The hosts screamed.

I laughed. "Charles took it so badly at first. He just kept looking between us like he was watching a horror movie in real life."

Arthur grinned. "Lorenzo just sighed like he knew something like this would happen eventually."

The internet?

The internet went into MELTDOWN.

Twitter exploded within seconds of the clip going live.

@F1Tea: "ARTHUR AND Y/N JUST CASUALLY DROPPED THE BIGGEST BOMBSHELL OF THE YEAR WTF." @PodcasterFan: "The way the hosts were NOT READY for that answer." @LandoNorris (yes, the real Lando): "oh. my. GOD." @Charles_leclerc: "I AM BLOCKING BOTH OF YOU." @FerrariMemes: "No thoughts, just Charles finding out Arthur and Y/N lost it to each other and regretting his whole life."

Arthur and I?

We just sat back and enjoyed the chaos.

The internet was on fire.

Clips of the podcast were everywhere, and the reactions? Hilarious. People were screaming, making memes, losing their minds over the fact that Arthur and I had just casually dropped the biggest bombshell of the year like it was nothing.

And while Twitter (yes, we still called it Twitter) was having a meltdown, the Leclerc family group chat?

Worse.

Leclerc Family 🏎️

🔴 Charles: WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST WATCH. 🔴 Lorenzo: ...I was waiting for this day. 🔴 Pascale: Oh, mon dieu. 🔴 Arthur: Why are you acting so surprised? You've known this for years. 🔴 Charles: Yes, but the entire world didn't!!! 🔴 y/n: And? Now they do. 🤷‍♀️ 🔴 Charles: THIS ISN'T NORMAL. 🔴 Arthur: We're not normal. 🔴 Pascale: This is true. 🔴 Charles: MAMAN PLEASE.

I was crying laughing at my phone when Charles' name suddenly popped up on my screen, calling me.

"Oh, no," I muttered, showing Arthur.

Arthur grinned. "Oh, yes."

I answered.

The second I did, Charles' voice exploded through the speaker.

"ARE YOU TWO INSANE?!"

I put him on speaker, because no way was I dealing with this alone. "I mean, probably?"

Arthur snorted. "Definitely."

Charles groaned so loudly it sounded painful. "Why would you just—just SAY it like that?! Like it was some casual conversation about the weather?!"

I shrugged. "Because it was casual?"

"CASUAL?!"

Arthur laughed. "Charles, you're acting like we committed a crime."

"NO, BUT YOU DID TRAUMATIZE ME."

I grinned. "Well, that's a you problem."

Charles groaned again, and then—

A new voice entered the call.

"I just want to say, I fully support this," Lando said, way too happily.

Charles let out a sound that I could only describe as pure suffering. "Lando, I swear to God—"

Lando ignored him. "y/n, Arthur? Legends. I respect the honesty."

Arthur and I high-fived. "Thanks, Lando."

Charles screamed.

And that was when I knew—

This was going to haunt him forever.

The moment the podcast clip hit the internet, social media erupted. No one—not a single soul—was prepared for Arthur and me to just casually drop the biggest bombshell of the year like we were discussing our favorite snacks.

It was pure chaos.

🚨 Trending Topics:

🔺 #ArthurAndy/n – 3.2M Tweets 🔺 #CharlesIsSuffering – 1.8M Tweets 🔺 "WHY DID THEY SAY IT SO CASUALLY?!" – 1.5M Tweets 🔺 #LandoWasTooExcited – 800K Tweets

Twitter Reactions

@F1Drama: "I was expecting a funny childhood story, NOT THIS. I just choked on my drink." @F1Tea: "THE WAY THEY JUST SAID IT SO CASUALLY, I CAN'T BREATHE." @Charles_leclerc: "I hate it here." @LandoNorris: "This is the best thing to happen all year. I want this framed." @FerrariMemes: 📷 Attached: Screenshot of Charles staring blankly at his phone on the Ferrari pit wall "Live footage of Charles finding out his little brother and his girlfriend just broke the internet." @PodcasterFan: "The hosts were NOT prepared. The way their souls LEFT THEIR BODIES." @WTF1: 📷 Attached: Meme of a guy sitting in a burning house "Charles every time Arthur and y/n open their mouths in public." @F1Fanatic: "WHY DID THEY SAY IT LIKE IT WAS NOTHING???" @F1Edits: 📷 Attached: Clip of Charles dramatically holding his head in his hands "Charles trying to process his life decisions."

TikTok Reactions

🔹 Edit of Arthur and me laughing on the podcast, with the caption: "THEY DIDN'T EVEN HESITATE. CHAOS. ABSOLUTE CHAOS."

🔹 Compilation of Charles suffering over the years, ending with this podcast clip. "Pray for this man. He's been through too much."

🔹 Lando's reaction video: "I knew they were wild, but THIS??? ICONIC."

Arthur and Me?

We were crying laughing as we scrolled through Twitter.

Arthur turned to me, holding up his phone. "People are making memes of Charles suffering."

I grinned. "As they should."

Arthur refreshed his feed and gasped. "Oh my God, look at this one."

He showed me a tweet that had a side-by-side comparison:

📷 Left: Charles looking exhausted in an interview from 2019. 📷 Right: Charles holding his head in his hands at the Ferrari garage today.

Caption: "4 years apart. The suffering never stops."

I lost it.

Meanwhile, Charles?

Charles was nowhere to be found.

Rumor had it, he turned his phone off to escape the madness.

Which, honestly?

Fair enough.

[sturnioz]

i think if fb chris was a real person, bun would be the type of girl that would help him be able to be in a relationship again, BUT it would never be able to be bun. from my experience with guys like fb chris, they do find someone that sticks it out with them (without necessarily trying to change them) and it does something to them that eventually makes them crave ‘love’ or emotion again.

here’s my little theory with chris because we don’t know why he is this way. i think bun is unlike a lot of the girls he’s been with before which i also think is why so many of the frat brothers are so caught up of bun being the ‘one’ for him in a way. unfortunately with them being so pushy at times, it will make chris resent someone (either frat bros or bun or himself) a lot more over time. i don’t think we seen a ton of that stuff but doesn’t mean we won’t.

which i guess could be true that bun and him could be ‘the one’ but in reality i don’t think it will be. i do think bun makes him see things in different perspectives (for example the frat wedding and him realizing she was humiliated just like he was) which will push him to not be as bad as he was before.

there’s def a lot of ways that all could go, IF and i definitely mean IF chris ever gets to a point where he does think he wants a relationship again, do we actually think bun will stick it out that long? because i don’t think so. chris needs work and i think the moment bun is actually going to be looking for something real, she will drop it with chris because she knows her current situation now. theres so many ways this could all go which is what is beautiful about a slow burn.

i think i’ve said it in a message before this situation could be a right person wrong time. which is sad but sometimes people (chris) needs to experience that to be able to get love that everyone deserves at the end of the day.

to me it’s getting a little annoying watching people complain. don’t read it then. this is a slow burn story. it would be so so so boring if they already got together. it would be disappointing to read if we were able to predict everything as it was happening.

anyways love your writing, love you, love slow burn, please don’t change the story because people are unhappy

-🐛

im sorry i dont have much to say without giving my whole au away but i just want you to know that this is such a beautiful theory. i genuinely love reading what you're thinking abt and whats going through your mind and how you process everything when it comes to this au like its so fun and interesting

[shutupineedtothink]

Wait, did Rand and Moiraine just become the most interesting relationship in s3? (3x04 thoughts)

Bruh I still have so many thoughts about Rhuidean but I’m gonna talk about Rand and Moiraine for a sec.

So right before this ep I saw a clip of an interview with Ros and Josha, and the question was what was the most interesting unexpected relationship for your character this season. Ros said something about Lanfear I think, but Josha was like well the most interesting relationship for me continues to be Moiraine and Rand. And initially I was like ?? Really? You mean the whiny little boy and mother knows best thing y’all have going on? Lol that’s a little uncharitable toward both of them but you see my point.

And then this episode. Rhuidean. And suddenly— fuck if he isn’t right. They just became the most interesting relationship in the whole show. And certainly the most interesting wizard/hero depiction I’ve seen on screen in … forever? Lemme explain.

There’s a huge theme here about trust for both of them, but for Rand it’s learning to put his faith in Moiraine (and NOT Lanfear) and that she really does want to help him, and for Moiraine it’s about releasing control and accepting that while it’s her job to guide Rand, it’s not her job to literally create his path step by step. This has to be a collaboration between both of them. Trust, from opposite sides of the spectrum.

In your standard hero’s journey, the guide teaches the hero, the hero learns from the guide, the hero fulfills their destiny. There’s some growing pains maybe, some lessons learned, but usually the trust is there from the beginning. Think Luke and Obi Wan (and Yoda). Think Frodo and Gandalf. They’re pretty much buds from the jump. They’re on the same level with each other. Or something happens very early on that puts them on the same level (Luke’s aunt and uncle die, Luke willingly goes with Obi Wan, no further conflict needed).

Rand and Moiraine have had wayyyy more conflict than that from the beginning, but it was hard for me to see it as an integral part of their relationship and part of their journey because Rand just seemed so childish and Moiraine always seems so… correct lol. Like just do what she says my dude.

But now in s3… we’ve already seen a lot more growth and maturity in Rand in the last 3 episodes than the first 2 seasons combined. He’s got this quiet pensiveness to him he didn’t have before, and an edge of darkness too. It makes me take him a lot more seriously (finally). So initially when he says at the fire that Moiraine has never tried to help him - well, that stubborn boy is still in there - but I see where he’s coming from. She’s not exactly forthcoming with her intentions. She has tried to manipulate him in the past, even working with Lanfear of all people to influence him, which is actually insane and almost got them all killed. She can be so single minded on the goal that she doesn’t consider other possibilities, and she hasn’t put her trust in Rand to forge his own path as the dragon. To be fair, he hasn’t really made any moves of his own until now, but now he is, and all he gets from her is resistance.

And, as much as it pains me to say it, we find out that Moiraine WAS in fact wrong to go get Callandor first, because, if I’m interpreting the Aiel correctly, she would’ve died if they didn’t go to the waste first. I think?

Anyway, at the fire when he says it’s “not enough” that she won’t do anything to hinder his destiny as dragon and whatever, what he’s saying is he needs her to trust him. To actually believe in him and his ability to go down this path. Not try to control and manipulate him (even if her intentions are good) into the best outcome. And maybe for the first time, she seems to really consider his words. And it is on her, as the guide, to take the first step here, to give him her trust and let him meet her halfway.

And then what she actually does — joining him to go into Rhuidean — is straight out of the Lan Mandragoran good partner playbook. Instead of trying to stop him (which has been her strategy up til this point) she says, if you’re going, I’m going too. They literally walk through the spears side by side in that amazing slow mo shot. (Cinema!) If she had any illusions of being able to help him/influence him through his trial, that’s almost certainly gone as soon as they walk into the city. They’re both on their own, and yet they still went in together. More on the same page than they’ve ever been at this point. And then we get the whole tree story and “we’ve been connected since before I was born.” Which is nice because a) Moiraine handing out some personal history and pivotal knowledge for once aka more trust and b) a little twist of fate binding two characters together never hurts, especially in this world.

For Rand’s part, his “you should never have come here” was still quite moody towards her. But then he does a full 180 after his trial when he refuses to leave without her. (“Aren’t you?” “Not without her.” I screamed, btw, I was that invested by this point.) I hope we get a little more insight into what he’s thinking about her soon, bc it seems like maybe he has accepted her on some level. Almost like he subconsciously knows he needs her help. Or maybe he just knows Lan would beat his ass if he didn’t walk out with her, idk. Lol.

The whole last few minutes of them walking out of Rhuidean, well, Rand walking out with Moiraine in his arms, is a) visually STUNNING and b) certainly the most vulnerable and connected we’ve seen them so far. Don’t get me started on her reaching for him even as Lan takes her in his arms and Rand’s eyes never leaving her for a second. Ho boy, they’re on some other shit now. New level unlocked.

So my whole point being, WOW they just got a whole lot more interesting in the space of a single episode. You know a relationship between two characters is getting good when you’re like man I just wanna see them TALK to each other. Can’t wait to see more.

[lemonsyourdem0n]

lots of info about has been released from the anime talk show, especially about roy and i wanna talk about it like the roy enthusiast i am

spoilers for talk of the mega voltage arc ahead

i had a feeling this would be the case, with spinel having framed the rvts for the incident at laqua it would have been a large reason why liko went back to school and dot went back home, but roy didn't want to go back to the island and seemingly motivated to learn more about the laquium and find friede, hence why cap is with him

-roy is going to have heavy focus this arc

i had a feeling this would be the case, with all the stuff roy has been shown to be getting/have, from the looks of things he is the only one of the horizons trio to be getting mega evolution. and when the magazine was released showing all the timeskip designs, roy had a page to himself whereas liko and dot shared a page. ult had his own page too, he is a new character so that makes sense, roy having his own page rather than liko had to be for a significant reason

-roy is going on his journey without the rising volteccers

-roy's growth embodies a sense of sadness and loneliness, like a child being forced to grow up (according to terasaki, roy's jp va)

smth i definitely expected and am right about was a change in personality from the trio as a result of laqua, it was also stated that liko has become depressed after the events of laqua. roy forcing himself to become more mature to focus of finding friede and learning about laquium makes a lot of sense, especially since for the most part he is going on alone, really giving him that sense of loneliness. i thought this would happen to roy ngl

-roy is a lot more serious and mature (especially around ult)

roy being especially serious around ult could come from the fact that he sees his past self in him and it makes him feel bitter about not being able to go back to that

-despite being his rival, ult and roy have a master/disciple dynamic

this just amuses me kind of but at the same time, really shows that roy isn't all that interested in interacting with ult outside of being rivals

-ult is after the black rayquaza

this would give motivation as to why ult is chasing over roy and seems to admire if roy has brought up battling and having earned a little bit of respect from the black rayquaza to ult. would explain the master/disciple dynamic more as well

-ult's personality is very similar to how roy was in the past

i could tell this was going to be the case from just seeing the little bit of how this kid looks and acts, and is a big reason why i feel roy is especially serious and mature around him as i said before

-dot has become more of a reliable figure and has been helping roy from home

i really like this detail, does make me wonder how much we will get to see of dot actually outside rather than helping from just in her home

-ult is not impressed with liko and doesn't like her

im amused by this but honestly? it kind of makes a lot of sense. ult is constantly ignored by roy and not all that impressed by him from the sounds of things, and one of the only things we currently know about ult is that he is incredibly confident in his own strength. so maybe it will have bruised his ego a little to know that roy came to find liko for her to lend him her strength and seeing the bond between them

-roy seems to ditch ult a lot

a bit of my last point stems from this, their whole dynamic seems a little sad ngl, ult seems to really admire roy and look up to him and roy is just not giving him the time of day. i do think this is because of roy's bitterness of wanting that joy and whimsy all the time back, i did read that battling with ult does bring that childlike side back but unfortunately that sounds like a very short-lived moment. partly i think roy does not want to see ult get hurt like he is as a result of everything

im very excited for the mega voltage arc, that is my son

[isthatbloodonhisshirt]

WIP TAG GAME

Share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that begins with each letter of your given word.

Thanks for the tag @teencopandthesourwolf, and way to call me out at the same time :P <3

My word is: CRUSH

C - Mafia fic I’ve been working on off and on for like, 3 years.

Clenching the strap of his messenger bag as he approached the Camaro, he glanced down the street to see what was going on with the traffic, and was startled to realize that… he’d been right. There were barricades set up and policemen directing cars away from the street. Derek had legitimately closed off the area.

How powerful was he?

Forcing himself not to panic, Stiles moved around the car with the other guy, who moved quickly to get the door for him, pulling it open. Stiles muttered a thanks, because he was a polite guy, and climbed into the Camaro, the door shutting sounding like a coffin lid.

He tried not to look at Derek as he buckled himself in, wanting to make himself small in hopes that maybe Derek would forget he was there entirely.

–

R - Current fic being worked on (could actually be posted by the time queue catches up lol)

Romance, as a whole, was perfectly fine, and he knew it was popular.

No, what Stiles did take issue with was people’s complete lack of originality on cover designs for said romance novels.

Every single one he’d ever seen—or done himself—was virtually exactly the same. It was boring, and he hated it, and he hated having to justify why he wanted to change things with his clients. They never listened, so it got to the point where he did the same thing over, and over, and over again, with only the slightest variations, and doing that got boring and repetitive.

It also ran the risk of him being accused of plagiarising his own stuff because all of the covers looked the damn same.

–

U - One I am still on the fence about finishing related to a Supernatural haven.

“Understood.” When she turned to leave, Stiles was pretty sure there was a bit of a skip in her step.

Harris could fucking wait, the asshole. And maybe Stiles was also kind of sort of trying to delay what was coming. Because he knew if Harris was here, this was it.

Did this mean he was stuck here starting now? Like, was it an immediate thing? Or could he still go home? Fuck, this was a lot, but he’d made his decision and he was sticking to it. It was only five years, he could handle that.

When he headed back around the corner, he was near the dining room and his dad walked out of it. He looked resigned, but he still said, “Ready to go home?”

Stiles just gave him a look, silently asking him not to make this whole thing worse than it already was. The only thing he had going for him right this second was the fact that Erica was making Harris wait at the gate pretending she couldn’t find him.

–

S - ZOMBIEAPOCALYPSEZOMBIEAPOCALYPSEZOMBIEAPOCALYPSE (I am perfectly normal about zombie apocalypses, clearly).

“Set a timer for an hour,” he said to whoever was beside him out of sight. Then he faced Stiles again, smiling brightly. “We’ll see you again real soon, Mr. Stilinski.”

“Bite me,” he spat.

“Oh, I do believe you’ve had quite enough bites for one day,” the guy said infuriatingly before the door was shut in Stiles’ face.

–

H - MerMay fic I started before my life went tits up. I am praying I can finish it before MerMay this year.

He jerked awake, and then heard something large crash loudly into the water, having him let out a shout and swimming quickly behind one of the large rocks he had down at the bottom of his pond. His heart was pounding and a part of him worried she’d just sent him down a friend he would not like—oh God, if it was a shark, he was going to be pissed.

Staying hidden behind the large boulder, heart pounding and ears straining to hear the telltale sign of another being in the pond with him, he felt himself slowly calming down when he heard nothing moving around, suggesting he was still alone.

Coming out from behind his rock cautiously, he looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary in his immediate line of sight. Making sure to move slowly, in case whatever was in here with him was just waiting for Stiles to ripple the water enough to find him, he slowly made his way to the surface until he could pop his head out. He didn’t emerge completely, only just above his nose so that his eyes were out of the water, but the rest was submerged.