#let's also pretend it's a reasonable hour for me to be awake

[monzabee]

the alchemy - cs55

masterlist || part 1 || part 3 ||

Summary: The one where not Carlos, nor you, have the power to fight the alchemy. 

Pairing: dad!carlos sainz x mom!reader 

Word Count: 7.2k

Warnings: absolute fluff (been a while), possible ovary explosion bc of dad!carlos, cursing (because i use way too many f-bombs in real life too), kids (apparently, it’s a tw for some people), i tried hating charles but it’s not happenning so a cheater redemption arc (kinda, he's trying okay??)

Author’s Note: hi, hey, hello!! first of all, thank you all so much for the love you showed for part one, i really appreciate it and i'm sorry that this part has been a little delayed, but i just wanted it to be just as drama-filled as the first part whilst still being a bit lighter so i hope i found the right balance for it. while we love dad!carlos, i felt like charles still deserved a chance to redeem himself and come to his senses so we love that redemption arc for him (well, kinda guess?). also, i know we have one more part of this little mini-series to go, a social media au (yay!), but i just wanted to let you all know, once again, that i do not have a taglist, and no i will not be making one!! however, i do appreciate all your support and comments, and please do let me know what you think about this part! thanks to @percervall once again, who had to listen me talk about this part for many many hours and who was kind enough to help me proofread!! i hope you guys enjoy! good morning, noon or night wherever you are, xoxobee 

Please also note that all of my works are protected under copyright, and not available for reposting on other platforms. 

It only happened once every few lifetimes. 

You honestly did not expect to end up with one of your closest friends – especially not after you told your cheating husband that you were getting a divorce, after he chose his lover over you and your baby; and most definitely not after the said close friend told you that he would step up instead of your cheat of a husband.  

But there you are, in the arms of non-other than Carlos Sainz, your boyfriend, having just woken up by the excited pitter patter of feet right outside your bedroom door. “Carlos,” you whisper, nudging him softly to wake him up, “Carlos, wake up.” You watch as he stirs, and then buries his head onto his pillow mumbling all the reasons why he doesn’t want to be awake, but you just chuckle softly as you poke him again. “Carlos, please.” 

With a disgruntled grunt, you watch as his eyes open, and with a scratchy voice he whines, “What, amor, I was sleeping.” 

Rolling your eyes, you point to the bedroom door, “Listen,” you tell him, and watch as his eyes widen as realisation sets in at the same time his expression turns into a smiling one. “I think someone is excited for today.”  

“You think?” He retorts, snorting lightly as he pulls you closer, “That’s all he’s been able to talk about for weeks, amor.”  

“Well, can you blame him?” You nudge him, ignoring the sound of scraping of your son’s step stool outside your door. “He just wants to watch his father win.” Watching the smile on your boyfriend’s face grows as the door handle is jiggling, you point to the pillows with your head, “Let’s just pretend we’re asleep, he’ll be happier that way.”  

With a deep sigh, the happy kind, he pulls you closer to himself – at the right time too, as you hear the patter of footsteps getting closer. With a tug at the comforter, you hear, “Papa, wake up.” You can hear Carlos, badly, muffling a chuckle by burying his head deeper into your neck, but the little voice beside him is non-relenting. “Papa! You promised me we’d go to the race today!”  

“Carlos,” you whisper covertly, “you’re going to make him cry.”  

Giving you a look that silently says, No I won’t, he turns towards the little intruder in your bedroom, quickly gathering him in his arms as he puts him on the bed next to you. The sound of laughter coming from two of the most important men in your life bring a sleepy smile to your face as you watch Carlos tickle your son despites his protests for him to stop.  

“Mommy!” Your son exclaims, climbing over Carlos to reach you, “Tell Papa to stop! We need to get ready!” His face is flushed with excitement and laughter, a sight that fills your heart with warmth. 

“Alright, alright,” you say, giggling as you pull him into a hug, “let’s get ready then. You don’t want to be late for your big day, do you?” 

Carlos finally stops his playful assault, sitting up and stretching with a groan. “She’s right, buddy. We should all get up and get going. Lots to do before the race, you still remember our plan for breakfast?” Your son’s eyes light up even more, if that were possible, and he scrambles off the bed, running back to his room to get dressed. You and Carlos exchange a glance, something you seem to do more now than ever.  

You wait until Rafael is out of the hearing distance before you tilt your head sideways and narrow your eyes in question, “What plan are you talking about?” 

“Nothing for you,” he boops your nose with his pointer finger as he straightens up and gets out of the bed, “to worry your pretty little head about. Just come to the kitchen when you’re ready.” 

You raise an eyebrow, intrigued but willing to play along. “So, you think I’m pretty?” you ask, batting your eyes at him exaggeratedly as he gently shoves you back into the bed. Getting up and stretching, which you shamelessly take the opportunity to ogle him, you watch him with a smile as he heads towards the kitchen following your son. Getting ready consists of brushing your teeth and hastily throwing on a robe for you, too anxious to see what you son and husband cooking up in the kitchen – literally.  

The scene in the kitchen is enough to melt your heart on its own – Rafael is standing on his trusty step stool at the counter, his little hands busy arranging an assortment of fruits on a plate. The concentration on his face is evident by the way his tongue peeks out slightly in that adorable way he does when he’s focused, a habit that he picked up from his father. Your boyfriend, on the other hand, is busy with flipping something in a pan, shirtless might you add.  

“Oh my God, look at my boys!” You croon, leaning against the doorframe with a playful grin. “You even have matching hats and everything!” 

“Boys?” Carlos scoffs, turning to Rafael and pointing his finger towards you, “Can you believe her?” He then turns to you as he places his hands on his hips and puffs out his chest. “We are not boys, amor, we are men.” 

You chuckle at his exaggerated display of masculinity, shaking your head as you walk further into the kitchen. “Oh, of course, how could I forget? The two manliest men I know,” you tease, your voice dripping with playful sarcasm. 

Rafael, picking up on the banter, puffs out his little chest just like his father, mimicking his stance. “Yeah, Mommy! We're strong, right, Papa?” 

Carlos grins, his eyes twinkling as he looks at Rafael. “That’s right, we’re the strongest men in the world." He turns back to you, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “And we make the best breakfast too. Isn’t that right, Raf?” 

“Yes!” Rafael exclaims, beaming with pride as he holds up the plate of perfectly arranged fruit. “Look what I made, Mommy!” 

You lean down to inspect his handiwork, smiling softly. “Wow, this looks incredible, sweetheart. You’re so talented!” You give him a big kiss on the cheek, making him giggle. 

Carlos steps closer, holding out a fork with a piece of pancake speared on it. “And how about a taste test, amor?” His voice is softer now, the playful tone giving way to something more tender. 

You take the fork from him, taking a bite of the pancake. The fluffiness and warmth of it fill your senses, and you can’t help but let out a contented sigh. “This is amazing, Carlos. You’ve outdone yourself.” 

He watches you with a satisfied smile, clearly pleased with your reaction. “Only the best for you.” 

Rafael, not wanting to be left out, grabs a piece of fruit and holds it up to you. “Try mine too, Mommy!” 

You take the fruit from him, savouring the sweetness as you chew. “Delicious! You’re both going to spoil me with all this great food.” 

Carlos chuckles, wrapping an arm around your waist as he presses a kiss to your temple. “That’s the plan,” he murmurs against your skin, making you shiver slightly. “I can also spoil you in the other way you like,” his voice drops enough for only you to hear.  

You glance up at him, meeting his playful yet heated gaze, and feel a blush creep up your cheeks. “Carlos,” you murmur, half-warning, half-inviting, as Rafael happily oblivious to the exchange, chatters away about his breakfast creation. “I would like to still be able to walk by the time we get to the paddock.” 

But Carlos just smirks, leaning in to brush his lips against your ear, his breath warm and intoxicating. “Later, amor,” he promises, his voice thick with affection and mischief. 

Before you can respond, Rafael tugs at your robe, breaking the spell. “Mommy! Let’s eat now!” His voice is filled with the kind of innocent excitement that only a child can muster, and it instantly brings you back in the present moment. 

You smile down at him, ruffling his hair affectionately. “Alright, let’s eat. I’m starving.” Carlos gives you one last knowing glance before stepping back to grab the plates. As the three of you settle down at the table, you try to ignore his lingering gaze that makes your heart race just a bit faster, though you’re not exactly that successful. 

It would be safe to say that it had been a crazy few years for Carlos Sainz. Or at least, that’s what Charles would say – if, you know, anybody was to ask him his opinion. First, he had lost his seat at Ferrari, and Charles really felt for him at first; after all, he was his teammate. But he was also the man who ended his marriage, so his feelings for Carlos changed for the worse very quickly. The whole situation had him coming to some revelations.  

First revelation he came to was the fact that he was wrong for cheating on his wife, however complicated the situation might be. He had tried to justify it to himself, blaming the stress and the strain, but deep down, he knew there was no excuse for what he’d done. 

Second revelation was that you deserved to be happy, with or without him – he was just being petty because it was with his old teammate. You deserved to be happy, and while Charles could admit that in theory, accepting that your happiness was now tied to Carlos was a bitter pill to swallow. 

Third, and probably the biggest, revelation was that he had royally screwed up when he chose the other woman over you and your son, and it was a loss that he mourned every single day. If he thought seeing Carlos thrive after his own life was crumbling down was hurting his ego, seeing Carlos be the father to his son, was a thousand times worse.  

Life took an interesting turn for Carlos after that night at the hotel in Monte Carlo. You had no expectations for him, you didn’t expect him to stay true to his words and be there for you and your baby. But that was the thing, because he kept his promise. He was at your door the next morning with a short list of apartments and penthouses in Monte Carlo. Anticipating your need of getting out of the country, he was prepared – he also looked at apartments in New York, houses in LA and townhouses in London (the few apartments he chose in Madrid also didn’t escape you, but it was a conversation you weren’t ready to have yet). So, when you were having, yet another breakdown in front of him, he just stood next to you and held you until you calmed down. He was always next to you, somehow managing his schedule for the racing season and coming out to see you between races. He kept true to his promise as he made waffles for you at midnight, grumbling about how pancakes were superior, and he held your hand when you were in the delivery room even though you were probably close to breaking the poor man’s hand. The bigger shock came when he announced that he would not be racing for the next season – something he had conveniently not told you in the months leading up to your pregnancy. It also led up to your first fight, and your first real confrontation since this unexpected journey began. The news that Carlos wouldn’t be racing the next season blindsided you. It wasn’t just the fact that he had made such a monumental decision without consulting you; it was the realisation that he had chosen you and your child over the sport he loved so deeply. 

“What do you mean you’re not racing next season?” you had asked, your voice edged with disbelief. You were standing in the kitchen of the new apartment he had helped you find, your baby—your son—napping peacefully in the next room. Carlos was casually leaning against the counter, arms crossed, as if he had just announced something as mundane as what was for dinner. 

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, a habit you had come to recognize as a sign that he was about to say something serious. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” he said, his voice calm, and God it drove you insane how calm and rational he was being with a decision so irrational to you. “And after everything that’s happened... I just think it’s the right decision for now.” 

“But racing is your life,” you insisted, the weight of his words settling in. “I don’t understand how you can just walk away from it.” 

Carlos met your gaze, his brown eyes steady and full of determination. “It’s not about walking away,” he explained. “It’s about priorities. You and Rafael... you’re my priority now. I want to be here for you both, not halfway across the world, missing out on everything.” 

The sincerity in his voice made your heart ache. For so long, you had been used to being let down, to promises that were made and then broken. But here was Carlos, standing in front of you, willing to give up something he loved more than anything for you and your son. 

“That’s not fair to you,” you whispered, feeling the tears welling up in your eyes. “I don’t want to be the reason you give up on your dreams.” 

Carlos stepped closer, gently cupping your face in his hands. “You’re not taking anything away from me,” he assured you. “You’re giving me something I didn’t even know I needed. I’m choosing this, because I want to. I want to be here for you, to be the father Rafael deserves. I want us to be a family.” 

His words broke through the wall you had been holding up, and you let the tears fall. It wasn’t just about the sacrifice he was making; it was about the fact that he was doing it willingly, without hesitation, because he wanted to be with you and Rafael. It was a love that was deeper than anything you had ever known, and it terrified you as much as it filled you with hope. 

“But what if you regret it?” you asked, your voice trembling with the weight of your fears. 

“I won’t,” Carlos said firmly, his thumbs gently brushing away your tears. “I know what I want. And if I ever go back to racing, it’ll be when we’re ready. When we both decide it’s the right time. But for now, this is where I need to be.” 

You searched his eyes for any sign of doubt, but there was none. He was as serious as ever, and in that moment, you realized that this wasn’t just about him making a choice— it was about him choosing you, over and over again, in a way no one ever had before. 

The argument you had anticipated fizzled out before it could even begin. There was nothing left to fight about, not when he had laid his heart bare for you. All you could do was fall into his arms, holding onto him tightly as you let the weight of his decision sink in. It was overwhelming, knowing that someone loved you that much, that they would uproot their entire world just to be by your side. 

So, yeah, Carlos Sainz had not raced for the 2025 season. If it were up to him, he would stay with the two of you for the 2026 season as well, but you and Carlos Sainz Sr managed to convince him to get back to the real world, no matter how much he was enjoying being a stay-at-home dad. But the biggest shock for the world, and Charles, wasn’t that Carlos was returning to the F1 grid – no, the biggest shock was that he was returning to the F1 grid in one of the most coveted seats; right next to Max Verstappen. The reaction to the news had been mixed. Some were thrilled to see him back, eager to see what he could do in a car as competitive as the Red Bull. Others were skeptical, wondering if a year away from the sport had dulled his edge. For Charles, the news was a bitter pill to swallow. Carlos wasn’t just returning to the grid—he was stepping into one of the most sought-after seats in F1. But more than that, it was the reminder that Carlos had taken something else from him, something far more personal and painful. Watching Carlos step into his new role at Red Bull, knowing that he was now part of your life and Rafael’s life in a way Charles never could be, was a constant, aching reminder of everything he had lost. 

And so began the Leclerc-Sainz rivalry – which although sounds riveting, is probably the reason why you had to visit your cardiologist more times than necessary within the last couple of years. On the surface, it was the perfect storyline: two former teammates, now on opposing sides, battling it out on the track in some of the most intense and thrilling races the sport had ever seen. But for you, it was far from entertainment. Each race weekend became a new source of anxiety, and Carlos knew how much it affected you, so he tried his best to keep the rivalry on the track. He would reassure you, telling you that whatever happened during the race, it wouldn’t change how he felt about you or Rafael. But even he couldn’t deny that the tension between him and Charles was personal. It was more than just racing—it was about proving something, not just to the world, but to themselves and each other. And so, race after race, you found yourself on an emotional rollercoaster. The thrill of seeing Carlos perform at his best was always accompanied by the fear of what might happen if things went wrong. The rivalry wasn’t just a storyline for the media—it was a real, living thing that had a profound impact on your life. 

So, when Rafael told you that he wanted to watch his father race live, you were hesitant to agree. The thought of bringing your son into that world—where emotions ran high, and the stakes were even higher—filled you with dread. The last thing you wanted was for Rafael to witness the intensity of the rivalry that had consumed not just Carlos and Charles, but your entire life. 

Carlos, however, was adamant. He knew how much it meant to Rafael to see him race, to be a part of something that had been such a significant part of Carlos’s life before Rafael was born. “He needs to see it,” Carlos told you one evening as you sat together, discussing Rafael’s request. “He needs to know what I do, why it’s important to me, and why I went back to racing in the first place.”  

You couldn’t deny that Carlos had a point. Rafael idolized his father and seeing him in action would only strengthen the bond between them. But the idea of watching the race unfold, of seeing Carlos and Charles go head-to-head while your son was there, was almost too much to bear. The days leading up to the race were a blur of preparation and anxiety. Carlos did his best to reassure you, but the tension was palpable. He understood your fears and promised to keep things professional, but you both knew that once the lights went out, everything would be on the line. So, you weren’t exactly surprised that your boyfriend spent the entire morning buttering you up and getting you to relax as much as possible about the day ahead of you.  

And to be perfectly fair, he was right for the most part. It had been fine from the moment you made it into the paddock, which somehow worked wonders on your anxiety. As you made your way to the circuit, Rafael’s excitement was infectious. He was practically bouncing in his seat, his little face pressed against the window as he took in the sights. You couldn’t help but smile, his joy momentarily easing the knot of anxiety that had been tightening in your chest since the moment you agreed to come to the paddock in the first place.  

Seeing him so happy and in his element, you know instantly that the paddock, no matter in which country, is going to become his safe place. Rafael keeps asking Carlos questions about everything from how they manage to keep the cars so clean to what would happen if they didn’t wear helmets. And Carlos is patient as he answers all his questions, no matter how childish or obvious they might seem. So, when he told Rafael that maybe, just maybe, he might end up in one of the cars he admires so much one day, you know your son won’t miss the beat. “Can I?” He asks you, eyes widened with a pleading look as he clasps his hands together under his chin, “Please, Mommy, I promise I’ll be very careful.”  

“Absolutely not,” you shake your head, mind immediately starting to think about all the things that could go wrong, “it’s so dangerous! Just think about how afraid you’d be of the speed.”  

Rafael scoffs, arms crossed on his chest as he pleads through the pout he has on his face, “I’m not afraid of the speed! Papa, tell her I’m not afraid of the speed!” 

Carlos reaches over Rafael’s head as he takes off his cap and ruffles his hair, which manages to get a series of giggles from the little boy, and he affirms, “You are not afraid of the speed, but your mother is right.” You have to hold in your laughter when you see the indignant look on Rafael’s face, but Carlos continues talking as he signals for his son to listen, “We can talk about it when you are older, but for right now you are my lead strategist, capisce?” 

Rafael steers his pout towards you, and you shrug innocently in response, which gets a resigning sigh from him. “That’s fine, I guess.” He mumbles, and points to the garage door behind the table the three of you are sitting, “Can I look at your car again?” 

“Be careful, and make sure you tell Caco where you are.” Carlos reminds him, as Rafael excitedly scurries off toward the garage, leaving you and Carlos to share a quiet moment. 

Carlos leaned back in his chair, a content smile playing on his lips as he watched Rafael dart off. “He’s got the bug,” he says, a hint of pride in his voice. 

You sigh, shaking your head playfully. “I know. He’s already got the attitude. I don’t think I’m ready for him to jump in a kart and never look back.” 

Carlos reaches for your hand, his touch grounding you. “We’ll keep him safe,” he says quietly, his gaze meeting yours. “I promise. Whatever happens, we’ll make sure he’s ready, and we’ll protect him from the worst of it.” 

You nod, squeezing his hand in return, trusting him like you always have. As you sit together, watching Rafael’s excitement fill the garage, the sweet moment is interrupted by a voice both of you know very well. “Seriously? You’re using him to get to me on a race day now?”  

Your fingers nearly crush your poor boyfriend’s hand as you look at the intruder, your heart immediately racing. You turn to see Charles standing there, his expression a mix of frustration and disbelief. His eyes flicker from Carlos to you, then toward the garage where Rafael had just run off. “Excuse me?” You manage to get out, your voice sharp with surprise. The audacity of his accusation stings more than you expected. Charles' gaze hardens as he steps closer, clearly not backing down. 

“You heard me,” Charles says, his tone edged with bitterness. “Bringing Rafael here, right in the middle of everything... it’s not a coincidence. You’re just trying to—” 

“To what?” Carlos cuts in, his voice calm but firm. His protective instincts kick in as he stands, placing himself between you and Charles. “To have a good day with our son? To let him enjoy the race?” 

Charles scoffs, shaking his head. “He’s not your son, he’s mine. Stop fooling yourself into thinking you’re his father just because you’re here.” 

The words hit like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, everything goes silent. Carlos' expression tightens, but he doesn’t move, his body still a shield between you and Charles. You feel your breath catch in your throat, the weight of Charles’ words hanging heavy in the air. “I know who his father is, Charles,” Carlos says, his voice calm but steely. “And considering the fact that he doesn’t even know you exist, I’d say me being here is more than proof that I am his father.” 

Charles' jaw clenches, and his eyes flicker with something raw—pain, jealousy, frustration, all mixed together. “You think you can just step in and take my place? Be the dad, play happy family with my son?” 

“Cabrón,” Carlos warns, and though you’ve heard him use that nickname for his friends countless of times, this voice is devoid of all affection, “you lost all right to call yourself Rafael’s father when you decided to choose whatever flavour of the month you were with at the time.” You feel your heart race, not from fear, but from the sheer intensity of the moment and the murderous look on Carlos’ face. Carlos steps forward, his voice low but terse. “You think being a father is about biology? About showing up when it’s convenient for you? Rafael doesn’t even know who you are because you’ve never been there for him. I have. I’ve been the one tucking him in, I've been there when he was sick and crying, and I’m the one showing him love every single day.”  

Charles flinches, the sting of the truth evident in his expression. For a moment, the fire in his eyes dims, replaced by something else— regret, perhaps. But it’s gone as quickly as it appeared, and he straightens his posture, trying to regain control of the situation. “I made mistakes,” Charles says, his voice quiet but defiant. “But you can’t just erase me from his life. He has a right to know who his real father is.” 

Carlos’ gaze doesn’t waver, his protective instincts blazing. “Rafael knows who his real father is. He may not understand all the details yet, but he knows who’s been there for him. And when the time comes, when he’s ready, we’ll tell him the truth. But that decision isn’t yours to make anymore, Charles. You gave up that right a long time ago.” 

“You’re just going to sit there and let him talk to me like this?” Charles hisses, turning towards you in an attempt to find sympathy. His eyes are pleading, but there’s anger simmering beneath the surface. 

Your chest tightens as you meet his gaze, feeling the weight of everything that has been left unsaid between the three of you for so long. You take a deep breath, your voice soft but firm when you finally respond. “It’s time to let go, Charles.” Charles' face falls at your words, the weight of their finality hitting him hard. His lips part slightly as if he wants to argue, but no words come. The tension in the air is suffocating, each second stretching out painfully. Carlos remains silent, standing tall beside you, his hand subtly resting on your back for support. He knows this conversation is yours to finish. “It’s not about erasing you from Rafael’s life,” you continue, your voice steady though your heart is pounding in your chest. “It’s about doing what’s best for him. And right now, that means protecting him from the confusion and hurt that the fact that you were too much of a coward to choose him.” 

Charles takes a step back, the anger in his expression dimming into something more fragile. His eyes search yours, perhaps looking for a trace of the bond you once shared, but it’s clear that things have changed too much. Too much time has passed. “I’m not trying to hurt him,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. “I just… I apologised countless of times, what more do you want from me? I am sorry, okay?” 

“Are you quite done?” Charles flinches at your sharp tone, the weight of your words settling heavily between the three of you. His gaze drops to the ground as if he’s searching for something to say, but nothing comes. Carlos stands steady beside you, his presence strong, comforting, even. “I am sorry, too, about it all.”  

You can feel Carlos’ confused stare on you, and Charles looks at you with the same expression as he asks, “You... do?” 

“I’m sorry that you were cheating on me from the start, I’m sorry you were too weak to stay faithful to me after we got married,” you continue, the words heavy but resolute as they fall from your lips. Charles' expression shifts, a mixture of guilt and pain crossing his face. Carlos’ hand tightens slightly on your back, offering silent support as you finally lay bare what you’ve held inside for so long. “I’m sorry I ignored it for as long as I did, and I’m sorry that I ever found out.” Charles’ face hardens, his eyes clouded with guilt and perhaps a hint of defensiveness as your words hit him. The weight of what you're saying seems to pull him down, and he takes a deep breath as if trying to absorb the impact. He opens his mouth to speak, but you cut him off, not willing to let this moment slip away before you say everything that’s been weighing on your heart. “I’m sorry I ever found out about the lies, but most of all, I’m sorry for Rafael. He deserved better, he deserved a father who was present and loved him without conditions,” you say, your eyes locking with Charles’. “You weren’t there, Charles, you weren’t there before Rafael, and you weren’t going to be there after him. So, I suppose what I’m not sorry for is falling in love with a man who was courageous enough to fill that role for both me and him.” Charles’ lips part as if to argue, but no words form. His eyes betray the guilt and regret he’s been carrying, but there’s nothing left for him to say. He knows it. You know it. Even the mechanics and people around you who have stopped what they are doing to watch this whole thing go down know it. “Finally, I’m sorry that you felt the need and audacity to come down here, now not only have you ruined our marriage, but you’ve also ruined my day-off which I intended to spend with my boyfriend, and our son.” 

Charles flinches at your final words, his face crumpling under the weight of it all. The sting of your truth, laid bare for everyone to hear, leaves him speechless. His bravado has completely evaporated, replaced by a hollow sense of regret and defeat. He opens his mouth as if to respond but quickly closes it, realizing there’s nothing he can say that will undo the damage he caused, the pain he inflicted, or the years he lost. His eyes flicker to Carlos, who stands steady, unmoved by Charles’ turmoil. There’s no room for pity here. “I—” Charles begins but stops as Carlos raises his hand.  

“I think you’ve said enough,” his voice lacks all sympathy for his old friend, his old teammate, “it’s best you should go before you distress my girlfriend, or my son any further.  

Charles’ eyes widen slightly at Carlos’ words, the final blow landing hard. He looks as if he’s been physically struck, his shoulders slumping as any remaining fight drains from him. His gaze flickers between you and Carlos, searching for something—anything—but finding no redemption, no sympathy. There’s nothing left to say. 

He swallows hard, his lips pressed into a tight line, before finally nodding in a reluctant acceptance. “Fine,” he mutters, his voice barely audible. He turns on his heel, walking away with slow, defeated steps. The tension that had gripped the air slowly begins to dissipate as he disappears into the distance, leaving only the echoes of his footsteps behind. 

Carlos turns to you, his hand still resting on your back, but now it’s a comforting gesture rather than a protective one. His expression softens as he searches your face. “Are you okay?” he asks gently. 

You take a deep breath, feeling the weight of everything that’s just happened, but also a sense of relief. “I think so,” you reply, your voice steady despite the emotional whirlwind you’ve just gone through. “It needed to happen.” 

Carlos nods, his thumb brushing soothingly against your back. “He’s not going to ruin this for us. Not today, not ever.” 

You smile faintly, grateful for his support. “No, he’s not. He’s gone now, and I’m finally free of it all.” 

“We’re free of him,” Carlos adds, a reassuring strength in his voice. “You, me, and Rafael. That’s what matters.” 

“Just promise me you’ll be careful on the track today,” you plead, chin resting on his chest as you look up to him.  

Carlos chuckles softly, his warm smile easing the tension that still lingers. “I promise,” he says, his voice light but sincere. He tilts his head, giving you a playful wink. “But you know me, I can’t drive too carefully. It's in my nature to push the limits a bit.” 

You roll your eyes with a small laugh, but your heart flutters slightly at the thought of him racing. It’s something you’ve grown used to, but there’s always that edge of worry. "Just... don’t make me regret asking," you tease, though the concern in your voice is real. 

Carlos leans down, brushing his lips gently against your forehead, the gesture filled with tenderness. "I’ll come back to you both, safe and sound," he whispers softly, his forehead resting against yours for a brief moment. "Always." 

You smile, feeling reassured by his words, and you give him a small nod. "Alright. Go show them what you’re made of, then." 

As Carlos pulls away, you can see the familiar spark in his eyes, the passion and excitement that he always carries before a race. He gives your hand one last squeeze before turning to head toward the car. You watch him for a moment, taking in the sight of him—confident, composed, and ready for whatever comes next. Just before he reaches the garage doors, he turns back and flashes you that signature grin that always makes your heart skip a beat. “For you and Rafael,” he calls out. Your smile widens as you watch him go, knowing that no matter what happens on the track today, you’ll always have each other. 

It’s not hard for you to find Rafael when you head back to the garage yourself. He’s completely engrossed in conversation with one of Carlos' engineers, pointing out different tools and parts of the car with wide-eyed fascination. His little hands gesture excitedly, and the engineer listens with a warm smile, clearly amused by Rafael’s enthusiasm. Carlos stands off to the side, leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed, watching his son with a look of pure affection and pride. His eyes sparkle as he takes in the sight of Rafael’s excitement, and there’s a certain softness to his expression that makes your heart swell. 

You walk over, standing beside Carlos, who doesn’t take his eyes off Rafael but greets you with a small grin. “He’s already talking like he’s part of the team,” Carlos says quietly, his voice filled with pride. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s taking over the pit crew in a few years.” 

You chuckle softly, watching Rafael explain something animatedly, his little voice echoing through the garage. “He’s got your passion,” you say, leaning into Carlos slightly, feeling the warmth of his presence. 

Carlos hums in agreement, his arm slipping around your waist. “Maybe,” he says, his tone affectionate, “but the way he talks about everything… that’s all you. He’s got your curiosity, your heart, so, all my favourite parts of you.” 

“My boyfriend the charmer,” you mumble as you lightly hit him on his chest.

Carlos chuckles, catching your hand gently against his chest before pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles. “Just telling the truth,” he murmurs, his eyes twinkling as he holds your gaze for a moment longer. “You deserve all the charm in the world.” 

You roll your eyes playfully, though you can’t hide the smile tugging at your lips. “You’re lucky you’re good at this, or I might think you’re just trying to get out of bath time for the next few days.” 

Carlos laughs, his warm, deep voice sending a wave of comfort through you. “I’d never do that. Bath time is part of the job.” He leans in slightly, lowering his voice with a mischievous grin. “But if I do this race right, maybe we can negotiate something.” 

You raise an eyebrow, feigning suspicion, but you can’t help the flutter in your chest at the way he always manages to make you feel light and cared for, even in the most mundane moments. “Alright, we’ll see how you perform today,” you tease back “if you win, I’ll let you put a baby in me, how about that?” 

Carlos freezes for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise before a slow, playful grin spreads across his face. “You’re serious?” he asks, his voice filled with both excitement and disbelief. 

You nod, biting your lip, unable to hide your own smile. “If you win today, we can start thinking about it.” 

Carlos lets out a short laugh, running a hand through his hair as if trying to process what you just said. “Well, I’ve never been more motivated to win a race in my life,” he says, his eyes gleaming with a new intensity. 

You chuckle, your heart racing at the look on his face. "Just make sure you’re focused on the track and not… well, other things." 

“Oh, I’ll be focused,” Carlos says, stepping closer and lowering his voice. “But now, I’ve got the best reason in the world to win.” He leans in, brushing his lips against your ear. “For you, and for giving Rafael a baby sister or a brother.” Your breath catches at the sincerity in his voice, and as he pulls back, he flashes you that charming grin again before heading off toward the car. You watch him go, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness settle in your chest. 

Eventually going behind the barriers and watching the race is harder than you’ve expected, you realise. As the laps go by, you keep glancing at Rafael, who’s glued to the action, his eyes wide with admiration for his dad. You smile at the way he clutches his little racing helmet, a miniature version of Carlos’ gear, his excitement evident. It’s clear he’s living every moment of the race through his dad’s performance, just as you are. When Carlos is in the lead, you hold your breath, willing him to stay ahead. When he’s fighting for position, you’re on the edge of your seat, cheering him on with every ounce of energy you have. 

As the final laps approach, you glance at the clock and then at Rafael, who’s practically bouncing with excitement. You can tell he’s just as invested in the outcome as you are. You squeeze his hand, giving him an encouraging smile, and he returns it with a determined nod. 

When Carlos crosses the finish line, the roar of the crowd is deafening, and you let out a cheer of your own, tears of joy welling up in your eyes. You look down at Rafael, who’s jumping up and down, his face beaming with pride and excitement. “He did it!” you shout, lifting him up in your arms as you join in the celebration. 

Caco and a couple of the mechanics help you and Rafael to get to the barriers, weaving through the throng of celebrating fans and team members. As you approach the barriers, Rafael’s excitement is noticeable. His eyes are wide with wonder, and he clutches his mini helmet tightly, bouncing with every step. Caco, with his warm, reassuring smile, offers a few words of congratulations and gives Rafael a high-five. Carlos comes into view, his car parked in the parc fermé. His grin is infectious, and you can see the joy and relief in his eyes as he looks up at you and Rafael. The moment he gets out of the car, he’s enveloped by his team, but his gaze quickly finds you and Rafael. He finds his way to you after getting weighed and you can see him grab his cap before finally rushing towards you. Carlos scoops Rafael up into his arms, spinning him around as they both laugh, and then turns to you, his eyes shining with gratitude and affection. 

“Well, looks like we’ve got a baby sister or brother to start thinking about,” Carlos says with a wink, setting Rafael down so he can pull you a in for a kiss. 

You smile against his lips, feeling the warmth of his embrace and the joy of this moment. When you pull away, you look up at Carlos, your eyes sparkling with love and excitement. “We do, don’t we?” you say softly, your heart full as you take in the sight of your family together in this victorious moment. 

Rafael, still buzzing with excitement, tugs on Carlos’ sleeve, his little voice bubbling over with enthusiasm. “Papa, did you see me cheering? I was so loud!” 

Carlos laughs, his eyes crinkling with joy. “I heard you, buddy. You were the loudest cheerleader out there.” 

As the celebration continues around you, you feel a profound sense of contentment. The day’s events, the race, the emotions—everything has come together perfectly. You take a deep breath, savouring the feeling of being surrounded by the people you love most. 

Carlos pulls you close, wrapping his arms around both you and Rafael. “Thank you for everything today,” he murmurs, his voice filled with sincerity. “You’ve made this day even more special.” 

You rest your head on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his embrace and the steady beat of his heart. “It’s been an incredible day,” you agree, looking out at the jubilant scene around you. “I wouldn’t have wanted to spend it with anyone else.” 

As you watch him savour the moments with your son before he needs to go for his interview and the podium celebrations, you realise just how lucky you are to have something that only happens every few lifetimes. 

[wonwoonlight]

when mingyu takes jungkook's advice but forgets about one (1) thing

fluff // idol!au // mingyu is dumb in love // sex implied but this drabble is nothing but fluff!!!!!

It's three in the morning when Mingyu turns on the live.

He's still high on adrenaline for some reason; the whole day has been great and not one single thing went wrong even though some schedules got him worried at first. His meals were all exactly to his liking, his exercise went like a breeze, and he got to see you.

Perhaps the last one is what makes him so high. After all, it's been a little over a month since he saw you and finally being able to see you and feel you... gosh it was the closest feeling he would describe as euphoric.

You're currently sleeping in his room, blisfully unaware that your boyfriend has turned on his live just one room away.

"Hi." He grins and waves at the camera. "If you remember I told you some time ago that I'd start listening to a certain senior... here I am."

He fixes his hoodie over his head, happy that the fans seem happy with his wardrobe: a grey sleeveless hoodie with nothing underneath.

"I look like your boyfriend?" His grins widen, his mind flying to you. "Your boyfriend must be very handsome then."

"Hmmm, why do I look happy when it's 3 in the morning? Why? Am I not allowed to be happy at this hour?" He comes closer to his screen to look at the comments. "I'm not drunk! But I might’ve had a liiiiittle bit of alcohol earlier."

The live continues on like that, and between all the crazy things he's seen Jungkook did, he's starting to see why the guy is fond of doing lives at this hour. As an idol, he's usually wide awake at ungodly hours, and even though he knew the company and Seungcheol would have his head tomorrow, he can't be bothered to care at this moment.

He's blaming it on the alcohol too. But by the time he even remotely considers something might go very wrong, he's having too much fun with his fans and he's way too drunk on the happy feeling from everything that has happened during the past 24 hours.

"It's okay. If I get scolded then I get scolded." He addresses the fans' concerns. "They probably won't reupload this so consider this a present for all of you here, okay? Let's have fun while we're at it."

"Mmmmh. Is there nothing fun? Tell me something fun." He frowns as he squints at his screen, trying to read through the comments.

"What I'm wearing underneath this?" He grins teasingly and tugs the neck of his hoodie. "What do you think?"

It's seconds later that the comment section goes crazy, and he blinks in confusion, trying to see why people are screaming. It doesn't help that no one gives him any context until he finally catches one single comment that gets his heart beating so loud he can hear it on his ears.

Was that hickey on your collarbone???

He continues to play stupid, answers some questions that he made up in his mind while pretending to look for one in the comment sections, stays on live for another five minutes before he says he's starting to get sleepy so he needs to go.

He stares into space for a good ten minutes after he turns off the live.

He's fucked.

He's so fucked.

How the fuck is he going to explain this to the company and all of his members tomorrow? At least he's actually been considering going public with you for quite some time, have talked about it with his members and the company also, but this isn't how he imagined it would be.

Biting his lip, he's too lost in his thoughts to realize you've stepped out of your room, looking a little lost also, wondering why he's in the living room.

"Why are you not in bed?" You ask adorably, rubbing your eyes as you plop on the sofa besides him. "And why is your phone propped like that?"

His arm wraps around you and pulls you to his chest, already imagining not having to hide you away anymore after whatever hurricane that will pass tomorrow.

But.

First thing first.

"Babe." He squeezes your shoulder, already feeling sorry at your sleepy hum because he's sure you won't be sleepy after this. But whatever, imagining his future self showing you off to everyone is going to be worth it.

He grins when you look up in confusion, the dangerous grin that you know is up for trouble.

"We might have a problem. "

[webslingingslasher]

trouble asking peter if they're still friends after a fight bc not only are they lovers but also best friends🥲❤️‍🩹

it's been hours since the argument. you've both talked it out, apologized and made up to each other. so why do you still feel unsettled?

'peter?'

you scoot backwards on the bed until you bump his back with yours. 'peter?' you bounce against him, you earn an unhappy whine.

'peter?'

'what?' peter's talking like he's in a library.

you barely rest against him, you're scared you'll annoy him even more with your touch. maybe you shouldn't have woken him up, you might've just dug a deeper hole for yourself.

you stay silent, he might just think you were sleeptalking. peter doesn't buy it for a second. normally he'd be totally fine with going back to sleep but he can always sense when you're upset and really need him.

'please tell me you didn't wake me up just to pretend to be asleep.'

you turn to lightly scratch his back, he hums and arches into your touch. 'it's stupid, sorry for waking you up.' peter could leave it there, but he's a damn good boyfriend.

'tell me.' he's already awake, what's the harm in a light conversation?

biting the bullet, you ask the looming question on your mind.

'are we still friends?'

peter rolls onto his back and looks up at you, your hand is nearly squished in the process. he's disoriented from sleep and you just threw him a curveball. you feel silly but it's important.

'what?' he heard you loud and clear, the randomness of the question caught him off guard.

'are we still friends?' peter relaxes into his bed, he's going right back to dreamland. 'trouble, you're my girlfriend.' that's not the answer you wanted.

'but i'm still your best friend, right?' your voice cracked with your ask, peter opens his arm for a cuddle and you stitch yourself into his side. 'of course you are,' it's solidified with a small peck at your hairline.

'even if i say mean things?' you were the reason for the fight, you jumped at peter the second he got home because he promised he'd do dishes and he didn't. it made you spew a dozen things you've been holding in and peter was caught off guard while you backed him into a corner.

you weren't nice, even when peter said he understood why you were upset. it took him softly humming as he rinsed out cups for you to realize how nasty you were. peter just let you go off on him, he told you he was sorry and he should've cleaned them before he left and he didn't forget, he just adjusted his schedule.

peter took your upset in stride and didn't bicker back. instead he agreed and told you he'd make sure to put his chores first and all it took was him humming for you to come to your senses.

you had tucked your tail between your legs and approached him, resting your forehead on his arm so you could hide the shame. 'i'm sorry.' you know there's more to add, you just needed to say it before anything else.

peter brushed off your apology, he said sorry for some things too. you both made dinner together as a patch to your argument and peter thought it ended in the kitchen but your mind is still replaying your mess up.

'you weren't mean, you were venting. it wasn't just about the dishes, it's how i started to slack off on everything because i got used to you offering. i've been a bad roommate and you called me out on it, i didn't take it as a personal attack on our relationship.'

it's true. peter wasn't used to having someone do his laundry or pick up the little messes he leaves behind and it reached a point where all he was starting to do was burden you, the dishes were just the final straw.

he doesn't hate you or resent you. but does he still like you?

'so are we still friends?' peter almost lets out a laugh but he holds it in for your sake. 'you're my best friend and my girlfriend, trouble. that's never going to change.'

'it isn't?'

'well,' peter kisses your shoulder and tightens his hold. 'until i give you a ring.' 

[pyrodolls]

possession (yandere bi-han/sub-zero x reader)

warnings: mentions of blood and murder, bi-han is possessive

summary: yandere bi-han takes care of your shitty ex boyfriend. reader is gender neutral.

a/n: i haven’t written a yandere character in sooo long. i chose bi-han just bc he’s easy to write as a yandere :3 anyways next one i write will be a yandere smoke x reader so stay tuned

bi-han was always possessive over you. the moment he laid eyes on you, he knew you were his. he carefully pretended to be your friend and then court you like a normal person, hiding his true colors.

he knew he would most likely scare you away if he showed his true colors too soon. he had to wait until he knew you’d never leave him. he had to be patient. but he couldn’t hold back anymore after he saw you crying.

“love.. why are you crying?” bi-han asked, gently holding you in his arms.

“it’s just..” you hesitated to tell him, knowing that he doesn’t know about your ex-boyfriend. you haven’t told him yet.

your boyfriend held you, waiting patiently for your answer, and getting ready to comfort you. if someone said something to make you cry, bi-han would rip out their spine and bring it to you. if it was anything else, he would just hold you for hours and not let go.

“my ex. i can’t stop thinking about all the shit he did to me.” you admitted, wiping your tears.

bi-han’s gaze turned cold. “your ex? who is he? what did he do to you?”

his grip on you tightened. he needed to know who it was. so he can teach the bastard a lesson.

he was also jealous of your ex. he got to hold you first, he got to kiss you first, and he got to call you his. but he fucked up by hurting you. bi-han will not let him live with those sins.

you told him all about your ex and what he did to you. you opened up to bi-han about all the trauma you endured because of your ex. and how he was the reason you were hesitant to get in another relationship.

bi-han struggled to stay calm. how dare he hurt you...

he had the audacity to hurt you? you’re so precious. so delicate, like a flower. you were so lucky to have bi-han as a boyfriend. he can protect you. he can hold you and keep you safe from harm.

“where is he?” bi-han asked, but it sounded more like a demand.

“i don’t know? he’s most likely at his house right now. why?” you questioned.

“give me his home location.” bi-han commanded.

you looked up at him in confusion. “huh?”

“don’t make me repeat myself.” bi-han sneered.

startled by his sudden anger, you blurted out your ex’s location. bi-han immediately got up and left to find the bastard and make him pay for what he did.

you couldn't sleep that night. bi-han left and still hadn't came back yet. did something happen to him?

you were worried sick, until you heard rustling and grunting outside. that had to be him, right? nobody else is awake at this time.

you walked outside, barely being able to see anything, but you saw your boyfriend slowly dragging something behind him.

"bi-han? what is that?" you whispered. your boyfriend stopped in his tracks when he heard your voice.

you took a closer look at what he was dragging. it was a dead body... but it was unrecognizable, almost as if it was beat to death. you assumed it was just some random guy the lin kuei killed, until you noticed the clothes. that dead body had your ex-boyfriend's clothes.

"by the gods.. did you kill-"

"he cannot hurt you anymore. he was a fool to put you through pain. i simply taught him a lesson. and now, you can live in peace. with me." bi-han interrupted, as he dropped the body and held you in his bloody arms.

you looked up at him, and he had a terrifying look in his eyes. this man enjoyed beating your ex to death.

"you know i will do anything for you," bi-han continued. "if i must get my hands dirty in your honor, then so be it. you need me, don’t you? without me, more people will target you and damage you. you're welcome, my flower."

he was trying to convince you not to leave him. how could you leave, when he just demonstrated what he is capable of when he is angry?

"i don't know about this, bi-han..." you whispered.

his eyebrows furrowed. "what do you mean? you know i can protect you, so why can't you trust me? if anything were to happen to you... i would tear the world apart. if you dare defy me, then i must teach you a lesson."

you panicked. you didn't want to end up like your ex. "no! i'm not defying you, love."

"good. it pleases me that you and i can live happily together now. nobody can hurt you while i am around. i will not let that happen." bi-han mumbled.

he meant every word he said. he will keep you safe from harm. he would never hurt you, so you must stay with him.

[wosoamazing]

Opening Match

Summary: It's the Matilda's first 2023 World Cup Match, against Ireland and you're starting.

Warnings: Panic (I guess – but not like a panic attack, I don’t think), mentions of Sam’s WWC injury….

A/N: ACL injuries don’t exist in this universe, if only that was the case in the real world. Tried to make it semi-factual, so like the times at which things happen are factual, however obviously the goals aren’t. (Also I know the Lionesses were in QLD and the Matildas were in NSW but let’s just pretend they weren’t)

It had been an hour, and you still couldn’t get to sleep, you were too scared for tomorrow, Tony was starting you, which he had told you this morning, Sam had injured herself and he decided you were the best replacement, the only saving grace was that only the your Captain’s, Tony, and yourself knew this, the rest of the team would find out tomorrow, so at least you weren’t reminded of it all day.

You had millions of thoughts racing through your mind, preventing you from sleeping, causing the panic to ever so slowly increase. “What if I screw up” “What if this team wasn’t the right team” “What if I let the whole team down” “What if I don’t meet their expectations” “What if my streak at Arsenal has just been a fluke”.

A few tears had left your eyes at these thoughts, creating little puddles on your pillow. You decided to get up and go into the hallway, if you were going to cry you didn’t want to wake up Steph. You were crying for such a stupid reason, anyone would kill to be in the starting 11 for the Matildas, let alone a 16-year-old, yet here you were crying, wishing you could be anything but the Matildas starting 11. You quietly got out of your bed and walked towards the door, you opened the door just enough so you could slide out, trying to minimise the light that flooded the room, you made sure to keep hold of the door as it shut in hopes of it closing silently, you didn’t want to make a noise, you didn’t want to wake Steph or anyone else up. Except the thing was, Steph was actually still awake. She waited a while to see if you would come back thinking you had just gone to fill up your water bottle at the end of the hall, however when she noticed your water bottle was still sitting on the side table, she grew a little concerned, but she reassured herself that maybe you were just getting some Panadol or something from the medics. However, when she heard a faint sniffle come from just outside the door she panicked, she quickly jumped out of her bed, and made her way out into the hall.

“Oh bug,” she sighed out at the sight of you, beginning to sit next to you. You sat curled in a ball leaning against the wall, body slightly shaking with your sobs, you looked up at her, your face was red and tearstained, and your eyes were puffy. “It’s okay, I’m here,” she said softly as she pulled you into her lap, you sat there as she rocked you slightly trying to calm you down, you felt like a baby, how could you be so upset over this, and now you had disturbed Steph’s peace because of your pathetic little problem.

“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to wake you” you mumbled into Steph’s chest.

“Don’t be sorry, you can always wake me for absolutely anything, but you didn’t actually wake me I was still awake” she gently replied, as she wiped your tears away with her shirt.

“Oh,” “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” “I don’t think I should start tomorrow, what if I stuff up, what if I’m not good enough for them, what if I don’t live up to their expectations, what if-” you were cut off by your ever increasing sobs, making it hard to speak, Steph sighed at your words, she had suggested that they didn’t start you, just brought you on early, but Sam and Tony thought starting you was best, coming out with a bang. Steph had hoped maybe her suggestion would be taken, reducing some of the pressure, the media was all over you already, pressuring you, so too were the fans. You were the sister of Leah Williamson, the women who captained the Lionesses to Euro’s victory in 2022, the women who once again would Captain the Lionesses in the fight for yet another victory, one that could well possibly be theirs. There was something extraordinary expected from you by the public, and the second the starting line-up was released that would only increase.

“Y/N/N, it’s okay to be nervous and a little scared, everyone does, it won’t stop, but you get used to it and before some games you will get more nervous than other games, why do you think I wasn’t asleep. But you can’t let the outside world affect you, the people in this building and in this team believe in you, and if you don’t do as well as you hoped well so be it, everyone had off days, off games. Don’t listen to them, they would faulter the second they took a step on the pitch, even the commentators yes they do know what they are talking about but at the end of the day they are there for the public so they are going to feed them, and I promise, we wouldn’t have chosen you if we didn’t believe in you, and Tony only expects that you try your hardest every time you step onto that pitch, that’s all any of us want.”

“Yeah, I guess,” you sigh before continuing “but why are you nervous for tomorrow?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you said you weren’t sleeping, and then you said some games you get more nervous than others, so I just assumed-” you were cut of by the sound of a door opening, you both look up to see Sam sleepily walking over to you rubbing her eyes.

“Shit, sorry did we wake you up, I didn’t think we were that loud” Steph whispered as Sam sat down.

“No, don’t worry, I couldn’t sleep, thought I heard something so just wanted to check, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter” Sam gave you a look, causing you to blurt it out “I’m scared Sam, what if I stuff up, what if I’m not good enough for them, and now I’ve disturbed both of you when you should be relaxing and sleeping and I shouldn’t be upset about this, it should be something happy but I’m too scared to be happy, and, and my problem isn’t even a big problem, I mean you can’t play and now I’m technically in a way complaining about being in the starting 11 to the person whose spot I took” at those words Sam looked down at the floor, the tears that had started welling up in your eyes, started streaming down, “I-I’m S-sorry, I-I, I shouldn’t have said that”.

Sam looked back up at you, her face held a sterner and more serious look “No, don’t apologise, it’s okay, you did nothing wrong, and never think just because some else may or may not have a bigger problem than you, that your emotions and feelings aren’t valid, and never apologise for what you say. And yes, I can’t play and you get to play but at the same time that doesn’t mean you can’t be upset, it’s a big thing starting in a major tournament let alone …..” you nodded finding her words to be oddly comforting and had stopped crying, Sam had pulled out her phone and was messaging someone, so you looked up to Steph.

“You know, you never answer my question from before,” “Really, I thought I got out of that one” “Nah-uh” you say with some sass as you shake your head.

“I don’t know, I just guess I didn’t really expect to be leading the team out, it’s kind of scary, I mean this is our chance to make history and I guess in a way I’m leading the team out and am in charge of the start of our chance. I just don’t know, its silly anyway,” Steph let out as a singular tear rolled down her check.

“Steph, you have nothing to worry about, you are such an amazing player, and you are such a great leader, and such a great big sister and mini Mum, I believe in you, as you said, Tony wouldn’t have picked you if he didn’t believe in you,” Steph blushed at your kind words, before letting out a small laugh at your end comment, she hug you tighter and mouthed ‘thank you’, before the three of you feel into a calm silence.

“I think we should go outside, get some fresh air quickly” Sam said, breaking the silence whilst almost winking at Steph. “Good idea, Sam”

“But its late, wont we get in trouble?” The last thing you wanted was to be getting in trouble the night before your first world cup game.

“No, we’ll be fine, we will only be quick and plus as Sam said some fresh air will do you good” Steph said as she practically dragged you upright. As you left the elevators and walked towards the hotel doors, you noticed an oddly familiar figure standing just outside the doors, they were holding something, what you didn’t notice was the smile your two captains exchanged at the sight of this figure, Sam opened the door and you stepped outside into the cool air, before you found yourself running up to the figure, “Le!” you exclaimed as you jumped into the arms of your sister, “what are you doing here?”

“Well, I might’ve been told by a certain someone that my little sister was upset, and I thought I would quickly come visit to cheer her up.” You planted your feet back on the ground and said thank you to Sam before turning to talk with your sister, after a few minutes you both had to go back to your rooms, so you said bye to each other. She gave you one of her hoddies which you put on, it being the next best thing to being with her. You fell asleep almost as soon as your head hit the pillow, you were tired after all.

______

You were lining up in the tunnel when the nerves started to kick back in, probably due to the fact that when the teams were announced it was also announced that this is your first time starting, first major tournament playing for the Matildas and thus your first World Cup. You were also reminded that your sister had captained the Lionesses when they won the Euro’s just last year. But you felt Caitlin hands on your shoulders, and she squeezed them, Steph had obviously been discussing things with her. It was strange to you that the shoulder squeezes worked, but they did, they almost seemed to bring you out of your thoughts and into the present. As you walked out of the tunnel the stadium erupted, fans cheered like you’d never heard before, which is saying something considering you did attend the Euro’s final, you took your place in the line as the anthems were sung and soon enough the game was starting.

15 minutes in and a free kick was given, you took it, it was almost close enough to just go straight for the goal but you didn’t want to risk it, so you crossed it in, but instead of the ball finding a place at one of your teammates feet or head, it found a place in the back of the net, you had just scored your first goal for the Matildas, your first goal at a major tournament, your first goal at a world cup and the first Matildas goal of the world cup. You were elated. Your elation only increased at the 26th minute, when you headed the ball and it hit the back of the net, however you couldn’t take full credit for that one, Steph had delivered it in perfectly, you just had the easy job of tapping it in.

It was now extra time for the first half, you knew Tony was taking you off at half time, he had told you at the 35th minute during the ‘team tactical’ while Katie was down, Ireland was playing more aggressive than expected and Tony wasn’t risking having his two best strikers injured. Knowing this you decided to push yourself to your limits, you were running after every ball, you were taking tackles, and somehow by some miracle you scored your third goal in the final minute of extra time, you didn’t even know how you did it but you did, and with your goal the ref blew her whistle and the first half was over. The team ran over to you to celebrate, “Hattrick baby!” was screamed in your ear by someone, you all jumped up and down continuing to celebrate before deciding you should probably head back inside.

“Good game?” Sam asked as you walked into the tunnel together.

“Great Game!” You exclaimed, as you followed her through the door, to the locker room.

You took a seat in your locker ready to listen to Tony, being number 8 your locker was in-between Steph and Caitlin’s, “She might hate you now, though,” Caitlin said with a wink, it was a compliment in its finest, but it felt nice to get an inside compliment, like an inside joke not everyone would understand what she means.

“How do you feel? Like a million bucks?” Steph asked.

“Nope, like I chose the right team.”

[arminsumi]

OUR LAST SUMMER.

五夏 ⋅ reader

PART OF THE 2k SPECIAL: ur fave duos!!

NOTE: yuh this hurt to write 🥹 was solely inspired by that one abba song i'm ngl i listened to it one night and related it to satosugu and cried like a bitch

SUMMARY — You, Suguru and Satoru shared one summer of bliss before everything fell apart

WARNINGS — fluff to angst 👍, love triangle, i think it's gn reader but lmk if there's something not gn thank u!!

WORDCOUNT ≈ 1k

PLAY ME ♪ Our Last Summer

🍒 𝐉𝐚𝐲 ⋅ 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐬/𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 !

It had been a blisteringly hot summer. Sweat beaded at Suguru’s forehead. The sun forced Satoru’s eyes into a perpetual squint. And you took shelter in the shade of a palm tree – the two boys met you there, when they too decided to take shelter in the shade. The chemistry between you three was explosive, truly chemical; that one of a kind, once in a lifetime kind of friendship that blooms instantly like a timelapse of a flower, that artists and poets try their hand at capturing but mostly fail.

Beach walks were impossible at midday – the sand was so hot that it burned the soles of your feet. If you were riskily treading barefoot, then the boys would take turns carrying you. Satoru carried you bridal style. Suguru carried you on his back. The prior liked to pretend that he was going to throw you into the ocean (and he did a few times…) and the latter liked to steal romantic glances at you.

Come night, you three crammed together in one hotel room. Conversations, debates, arguments, flirting… those all easily carried past the midnight hour. Satoru was the first to pass out, but Suguru being the insomniac of the group managed to stay awake even longer with you. Usually, you fell asleep in the middle of expressing a thought to Suguru, and then woke up the next morning to two bleary blue eyes blinking awake on your left and abyssal black eyes blinking awake on your right. Satoru rolled on top of you and refused to let you leave bed. Suguru smiled and told him to stop crushing you to death.

Breakfasts were met with late attendance – thanks to Satoru taking his sweet time in the bathroom getting ready. Plates piled and spilled with hotel buffet food; Satoru’s plate consisted solely of sweet pastries. The custard Danishes were his favourite. The three of you broke down laughing at your inside joke about him being the custard Danish robber; the three of you couldn’t catch your breaths from how hard you laughed at your own stupid jokes. “He’s at it again!” Suguru snorted, body falling into yours, eyes reduced to strips of pure joy.

Butterflies liked Suguru for some reason. It was awful for him – he was terrified of butterflies, they really creeped him out. During walks around Okinawa, you struggled to keep up with the two giants; Satoru never missed a beat when walking in sync with his best friend. And he also never missed the opportunity to pick on your slowness or size. Suguru would patch up your bruised ego with a well-timed compliment.

When your holiday in Okinawa was drawing to a close, you three decided to cram as much exploration as possible into those three last days. Pulling all-nighters, stargazing, joking around, sharing secrets, kissing as friends until those kisses became something more. The final day of your holiday was spent ascending a hill that overlooked the glittering beaches. Such a picturesque view. One you didn’t dare to capture in a photograph, because that felt disrespectful. It was a beautiful landscape that deserved to live only in the rich world of your memories.

On that grassy hill, in that briny wind, you three thought that the present moment would never end. You held hands. You kissed. Your hands felt warm. Your lips felt tingly. They both looked at you meaningfully.

“Come back to Jujutsu High with us.” You didn’t hesitate to agree, a sparkle in your eyes. No one in your life had ever accepted you as a sorcerer until they came along.

Summer ended…

And the school year began.

In the far future, when you and Satoru would reminisce together as old Jujutsu High teachers to your students, you two would summarize your high school days with very specific memories.

“Remember when we always got caught making out in the classroom, and Yaga chased us down the corridors?”

“ – and we’d loiter around the vending machines. You know, Yuji, Satoru had such a bad sweet tooth even back then. And! He! Stole! My! Lunches! He was a menace!! Don’t deny it, Satoru.”

“What I stole from you in food I repaid in saving your ass. Remember when you almost died? No joke, Megumi, Y/n almost died during that Alleyway Incident – you know that one we talked about? Yeah, that was Y/n. Suguru and I were stronger than Y/n so we always helped – heyyy! I’m just telling the truth!”

“Who was Suguru?”

The smiles dropped from yours and Satoru’s faces. The color drained out of them, too. Just one little name, six little letters, devastated the atmosphere. That’s when the reminiscing ceased abruptly, and Satoru stood up and excused himself to a quiet place. You and him never cried together, only separately – except for on that day.

That day was the first and only day you and Satoru broke down sobbing into each other. Snot dribbled out of your noses. Your eyes puffed up. Your faces felt tightened with the dried tears.

“Suguru, don’t leave. Come back with us to Jujutsu High, we can sort all of this out.”

But he turned and walked away from you and Satoru, disappearing into the crowd of people. You yelled so loudly that you hurt your lungs, “Did our last summer mean nothing to you! What about the memories we’ve made at school together?! Suguru, don’t you walk away from us! Don’t – leave us behind, S-Suguru did it all mean nothing to you?!”

Just like that, three reduced to two. Just you and Satoru. Sat on the steps in heavy, impenetrable silence. Faces planted into your palms. Back curved because you had no energy to sit up straight after such an exhausting cry. You never thought you’d look into Satoru’s eyes and see no light. Over the years, he lightened up – especially when he became a teacher. But you could tell he masked his true expression; a deadpan. The real emotions were forcefully forgotten.

[thelov3lybookworm]

Remember me? (Part 15)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14

Summary: Under the Mountain, Y/n met the High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand. She was scared of him, but soon she found out that he wasn't who he pretended to be. Despite her efforts at not falling in love with him, she fails. It's not that bad as he loves her back.

But now he's gone, and she's left alone with nothing.

Except for a very adorable reminder of him.

•○●⛦●○•

Tw: secret pregnancy, none more that I can think of, so let me know if I need to add anything.

A/n: basically filler, fully feyfey's pov, we'll get revelations in the next chapter 🫶🏻

enjoy!

•○🌑○•

Feyre's pov.

The relief that spread through Feyre was unlike anything she had ever experienced. It was her chest constricting, making it hard to breath, but it was also the first full breath she had taken in the past hour.

And that beast...

Tamlin.

Feyre did not know whether to cry in fright, weep in joy or hide in shame.

The male she had destroyed for no reason other than her mate's wishes had brought her child, her light in dark and a part of her soul, back to her, and also probably saved him from some sort of danger.

She did not know whether to beg for his forgiveness or thank him for his mercy.

And when his beast-like eyes met hers, everything stilled around Feyre.

Only for her though. She stopped hearing anything, only a high pitched ringing in her ears. Everything around her seemed to move, the room spinning.

The huge and airy space did nothing to alleviate her light headedness.

Feyre watched as Tamlin crouched low so Nyx could get off, as if in slow motion. Nyx grabbed fistfuls of Tamlin's fur, scrambling to get off, the smile on his face never faltering.

Feyre did not realise that she had stopped breathing, that tears were flowing down her face anew until her lungs screamed for air and she had no choice but to oblige.

She drew in a sharp gasp, the feeling a little painful as she watched Nyx waddle over to her. Feyre knew that the only reason Nyx was walking towards her was because Cassian and the other two were holding themselves back from picking him up.

Feyre fell to her knees, holding out her shaking hands, and Nyx's brows furrowed, his smile dropping.

"Mama? Why are you crying?"

Feyre shook her head, pulling him into her chest. "I'm not crying. My eyes are just sweating because there is dirt in them."

Feyre glanced around, realising everyone was staring at the two. Y/n and Mor were crying, while the rest of the males looked on, their faces grim.

With a start, she realised Tamlin had turned to his fae form.

He looked healthy. Healthier than he had been before.

That was all she could focus on, her mind refusing to let go of her fear and making it hard to think properly.

Nyx pushed away from her, smiling again. "You know momma, I made a new friend." He turned halfway to point at Tamlin, who looked on, curiosity shining in his eyes.

"Is that so darling? That's very nice. But how did you meet him?"

Nyx opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped, his brows furrowing. Dread started pooling in Feyre's stomach.

"I don't remember..." He trailed off.

"It's okay baby. We'll figure it out later." Feyre pushed his hair back from his face, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Nyx? Are you still awake?" The sound of Fin's voice drew everyone's attention, and Feyre watched the three members of the inner circle closely.

Confusion scrunched their faces before recognition set in. Even Azriel, who was usually collected and calm, could not hide the shock at seeing another child that resembled so much of his brother.

Their wide eyed gazes swung to Y/n, who walked up to Fin and whispered something in his ear. He nodded, a determined expression on his face, before he walked over to Nyx, tugging him away. The maid that had been assigned to Fin followed the boys closely back to their rooms.

Feyre rose a questioning brow at Y/n, who simply extended a hand to help Feyre climb back to her feet. Y/n glanced around once, then whispered to Feyre. "Go with the kids. After the meeting is done, I'll bring them to Fin's room to talk." She inclined her head towards the confused Inner circle members.

Feyre nodded.

And, with a last glance at Tamlin, followed after the kids.

•○🌑○•

General Taglist: @bubybubsters @eos-princess @nightless @harrystylesfan2686 @cassie6392

Eris Taglist: @kennedy-brooke @hnyclover @minnieoo @sidrapotter @tele86

Remember me Taglist: @holb32 @awoa1 @cleverzonkwombatsludge @luvmoo @we-were-beautiful @eerievixen @zoe2 @fussel9913 @j-pendragonx @thesnugglingduck @jesssicapaniagua @devilsnightz @esposadomd @littleffawn @mandowhatnow @bubybubsters @eos-princess @nightless @bigcreatorwombatdreamer @princesslolaasworld @asemkta @cat-or-kitten @txzii @bunnyredgirl @theofficialmadman @leeknows-wife @aria-chikage @amygdtjhddzvb @azriels-mate123 @inky-clover @kemillyfreitas @12358 @justdreamstars @cuethedepession @princessvesta @fides25 @nocasdatsgay @acourtofbatboydreams @stained-glass-eyes0708 @glaciuswduo @wallacewillow0773638 @cassie6392 @quackitysdrugdealer @txzii @anuttellaa @coisas-da-dani @hnyclover @sassyslytherinshai @historygeekqueen @why4anne @mybestfriendmademe @going-through-shit @thisblogisaboutabook @thehighlordishere @hells-sluttiest-new-arrival

[buggyboba]

hi! I love that you write for doctor who. seriously. maybe headcanons of the 9th and 10th doctor when they're dating? what kind of a s/o are they? sfw would be super super cool, thank you!

Yeah of course! I took a break from writing filth, so here are some SFW things. AN 𓏧 ↳ ○ SHH, WE ARE PRETENDING RIGHT NOW…don’t come after me about Rose. shhhhh let’s all play in my made-up world, my rules, we don’t um actually here. Also, this kinda got away from me, but there are certainly head cannons there…they are not all fluff my bad.

══《✧》══ Nine

1. He met you at the lowest he had been; you could understand his demeanor. Once he opened up a little, enough to tell you about the Time War—maybe not what exactly happened, but you knew the trauma that war did. You made sure that he is taken care of, eats, and sleeps, which he will only do if you are there; he doesn’t sleep well alone; he doesn’t do alone well. Even if he says he does, you know better. You don’t do it in obvious ways, if you order something, you order extra and then push some at him, saying you ordered too much or it wasn’t right and you don’t like it. You get snacks every time you are out, and you make sure he grazes the snack, occasionally saying, “Try this.” or “Eat the rest; I don’t want it.” It works, he knows what you are doing, of course; there are only so many times you can use the same excuse. He loves holding your hand or touching your hip; he likes touching you, feeling you there as a reminder this is real. Sometimes his hand is on the small of your back; sometimes it’s on your shoulder; it’s subconscious, at first.

2. Speaking of sleeping, it takes a long time for you to move into his room; he doesn’t want to at first, but you insist. He relents, and for the first night you spend it awake, talking about everything and nothing all at once. You open up about yourself and your life, trying to show him you are a safe person. He knows, of course, if you weren't, you wouldn’t have gotten to this point. You and him fall asleep for a few hours; of course, he has PTSD and nightmares. This is the main reason he didn’t want you to move into his room; he didn’t want to keep you awake, but when you do wake up to his distressed sound, you wrap around him and rub his back, pressing kisses against his temple, talking calmly, telling him it’s okay, he did what he had to do, and that survivor’s guilt is common. You tell him you aren’t leaving and that you are right here for him. Now it's hard for either of you to sleep alone; of course, he keeps weird hours, so you have started keeping the same hours. But he loves waking up to see you still sleeping, how relaxed you are, and how the light catches your features. It’s one of his favorite things in the morning next to watching sunrises, which he promptly wakes you up for if he wakes up in time. It’s become a thing for you, watching the sunrise wherever you are, drinking coffee, and eating breakfast on the roof of the Tardis. There isn’t much talking in the morning until after the sunrise.

3. He is broody and rude, but he tries to tone it down with you, but sometimes it happens and he says something too mean or too rude, and you both have to seperate for a bit when he comes to you, and he does return to you after maybe an hour or so, though he cheats and uses time travel when it’s a particularly bad argument or statement. He’ll bring your favorite snack, drink, or just really something that is your favorite; he knows all of them; he watches you even if you don’t think he is watching you. He knows your order at any place you have gone to more than once; he knows your favorite movie; he knows your favorite songs. This man pays attention. So he will bring you your favorite things, or something that reminds him of you, and then he will take you out on a 'special’ adventure. He calls it an adventure, but it’s a date. He’ll take you to your favorite time period or to a planet you’ve been to before and expressed liking for. He doesn’t just do this after an argument; he does it randomly too. He likes seeing you happy, he likes watching the joy spread across your face as you see the place he’s taken you.

4. He says he hates it when you take his jacket, but he is lying, he’ll give you a hard time about it but never asks for it back. Just tells you you should bring your own. He also likes seeing you in his shirts. Particularly if there is an old one he doesn’t wear anymore that you wear to bed, he loves it. He will actively give you his jacket if you are cold; even when you don’t ask for it, he just takes it off and drops it around your shoulders and keeps walking like nothing has happened.

5. He started calling you Nova and Star. His Nova, his Star. That was the time you started calling him Starman; at first he teased you about it, comparing him to a David Bowie song, but it fit, and he was your Starman, you were his Nova, it was cute. He wouldn’t admit it, but anytime you called him Doctor instead, he worried he had done something wrong.

══《✧✧》══ Ten

1. Regeneration was terrifying; he was worried about a new face, a new body. He had cursed himself for not explaining regeneration until right then. You had watched him change; the energy was explosive. He expected you to leave, he knew you loved his previous face, you liked holding his cheeks, saying something so outlandish, kissing his nose, and walking off. He was scared you wouldn’t like this one, that you wouldn’t like him anymore, that this would be goodbye, and after a regeneration like this one he couldn’t say goodbye. He didn’t want to say goodbye to you. Much to his surprise, you took his cheeks in your hands like you usually did and turned his face side to side as if taking him in. You called him a ‘skinny twig man’ and kissed his nose, then asked if he needed anything. That’s when he knew without a doubt you were in it for the long haul. When he changed his style, the first thing you said to him was, “I guess the jacket is mine; I won it in the custody battle.” He went to protest, and you said, “You don’t need it; this one doesn’t do leather jackets… not a leather jacket face.” You were right, but that was beside the point.

2. He makes sure you are eating properly and sleeping properly. You took care of him; now it’s his turn to take care of you. He takes time on adventures to make sure you get something to eat; if there is a street vendor or restaurant, he will take you there, say they're immersing themselves in the local culture, and will give you that cheeky smirk. He still takes you out on dates, even if he won’t call them dates.

3. The first time you got seriously hurt on an adventure, he was in full-blown panic mode. Every single fear and doubt he had about you two had come to the surface. He tried to insist you leave and that you stay on earth, where it was safe. You told him to fuck off, that you were staying, that it was just part of the risk. This launched a HUGE argument, one that almost had him leave you for your own good, but luckily that didn’t happen. He became a hundred times more protective of you though, and while it was annoying at first, once things calmed down, he got better. This was the first time you got a good look at his self-destructive tendencies, and you knew you had to keep an eye on those. You assured him whenever you could that you were okay, you wanted to be here, you loved him, and that he was worth the risk, even if he didn’t believe it. This caused a bit of friction, but eventually, that too died down.

4. He tried so hard to keep you away from The Master, away from all of that. He wasn’t going to let you near that maniac, not after everything he had done. He couldn’t leave you somewhere; no, no HE would have found you if Martha’s family was something to go off of, but he couldn’t keep you with him; he was at a loss. You said you weren’t going to leave; you were scared, but even scared, you relentlessly harped on the master’s title, making light when you could. You escaped the year that never was, by the sheer grace of luck. He was worried about you but knew you and Martha could take care of yourselves. When you were reunited after everything, he held you for hours, swearing nothing like that would ever happen again.

5. He tried to end the relationship one more time when the OOD told him that he was going to die. He didn’t want you to see that; he didn’t want you to get hurt in the process. He tried to tell you you deserved better, but you took him by the cheeks, said, “I’ll kill whatever first,” and kissed his nose. He knew then you weren’t going to leave for anything. When you both clued in that the Master was back, and that was who the prophecy was referring to, you laughed in disbelief; he was terrified again, but you looked at him dead in the eyes and told him you were going to take his knee caps if he tried; you had a personal vendetta against him now, and while the Master plays chess, you play checkers. While he was not going to let you anywhere near The Master, EVER , he had to admire your dedication to him and your will to stay by his side.

══《✧✧✧》══

In conclusion, both these men are puppies for you, you scare them sometimes with your willingness to stay, but he is scared of losing you, but can't really let you go, not that you want to be let go. They are a faulted being, but you love them and they love you and you take care of each other. Also you will throw hands with the Master in a denny's parking lot and you know what I believe in you, and so does the Doctor.

[m3l0nfl0at]

farewell flights

tsukishima kei x gn!reader ; simple fluff, 732 words, no y/n used

“I’ll be fine Kei, don’t worry!! I’m only flying for an hour!” I think deep down, I’m not only trying to convince him but also myself. I hate flying, I hate being stuck in a metal tube crowded next to people who cough obnoxiously loud and screaming children. Yet, I have a work conference to go to and while I’m excited to be there, I’m not excited about getting there. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Kei says with that obnoxiously smug look on his face. “I’m just openly stating the obvious, that I'll be fine amongst the dozen of other people at the airport as well.” I say with a huff, that bastard didn’t have to call me out. “So…you’re definitely trying to convince yourself. Let’s go, if we leave any later we’re going to bump into traffic.” Kei promptly grabs his phone and the keys. I take one last look at my luggage seeing if I have everything I need until Kei interrupts me. “You’ll be back here in no time, remember only a day? Now stop stalling and let’s actually get through the door.” While on the way to the airport, my nerves take over and suddenly my fingers look like the most interesting thing to me but as soon as I start plucking at my cuticles, Kei pulls my hand to hold it. “I would sleep for an hour, especially since you were tossing and turning all night. I’ll also be sleeping for another hour due to your tossing and turning. “Think of it like this, we'll both be sleeping, you’re just in the sky.” Kei’s looking forward but I can see the reassuring look on his face. “Are you going soft on me right now? Wow, you really are going to miss me if you’re saying that.” Part of me will miss him, even if it’s only for a day but right now in this car, I would rather do anything than tell him. Pulling up to the airport, I know I have a commitment to upkeep but pretending I'm sick would also be ok, right? Kei gives me a knowing look as if he knows that i’m overthinking, he suddenly squeezes my hand. “Why overthink? It’ll only be for twenty four hours and for one of those hours you’re on a flight and for another maybe six hours you’ll be working. One of those six hours you’ll be doing a presentation you practiced for, you have no reason to be nervous.” He then puts the car in park to get out my luggage in the back. With a deep exhale, I reassure myself that I'll be to and from safely and Kei is just a phone call away. “You have your phone? Your carryon? Your passport?” With every item Kei lists I find myself silently nodding because instead of sleeping soundly last night I mentally made sure these items were at hand. “Can you stop sighing? Traveling is fun, you’re gonna be in a nice hotel and you’re gonna be safe with your coworkers. Plus if you miss me, I’m only a call away.” Kei stops to touch my shoulder and brings me into a hug. Now usually Kei isn’t one for PDA but every once in a while he makes an exception. Exceptions for moments like this where all I need is him, him to physically tell me i’m going to be alright with a single touch. When I pull away I see him closing his eyes tightly as if he were asking a higher being to keep me safe on my travels. “I love you, call me when you land alright?” I grin and kiss his cheek. “I thought you were going to be sleeping for an hour?” He gives me a deathly glare as I imagine lightning behind him. “Maybe I’ll be asleep, maybe I'll be awake waiting for a certain someone to land, who knows?” With one last look I start picking myself and my nerves up. “I love you too, Kei. I’ll be waiting to land just so I can call you, don’t worry.” He rolls his eyes and lets out a breathy chuckle. As I start walking, I realize I’ll be fine not just because I’m already at the airport but because behind me I have someone who I know that’ll be waiting for me as I get back.

divider credit to @/anitalenia

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ melon's notes: inspo from me going to the airport in the morning and seeing so many couples bidding eachother a farewell T-T

[empressgeekt]

Trolls - Accidental Knight and the end of the world (Field of Forget-me-nots au - what if?) -PART 4!!!!

Okay, so this is a what if off of second movie of the FoF au (this post), where Barb won. This was inspired by the fic "The Beginning of the End" by AnimationFan2006 on Ao3. Pls go give it a read. I highly recommend that anyone go to look at the rest of the Field of Forgetmenots au. And I had to split it in half because I posted the first one at 2:00 am. Here is that first post! and here's part 2 and here's part 3

Keith wakes up from a dream about him and Branch practicing archery in the woods. Well, it's more of a memory, about the trolling being scared to shoot at something after accidentally hitting his brother last time. Dream Branch's presence and comfort feels so real, and once awake the trolling misses his brother more then ever. Branch's final words echoing through his mind....

"Never be afraid to shoot, it could mean your life or others."

Him and the others had taken cover on a plateau on the edges of Rock territory for the prisoner pick up. It's one of the few places with actual green vegetation in nearby because of a river that flows through it, before going deeper into the territory and the distance between the top of it and the hot ashland ground below. Demo left hours ago, and Keith's worried about him. The rock troll is a little dorky, definitely a weak link, but genuine. Branch would like him.

He joins the others outside of Rhonda, their crew consists of John Dory, Bruce, Floyd, Clay, Viva, Tresillo and Wani (DJ and the other trollings stayed at the golf course). Keith sits by the fire they set up the previous night for breakfast. He accepts the food, but doesn't interact when Bruce and Floyd try to talk to him. Keith doesn't talk much anymore. Especially to Branch's bio-brothers. The trolling's feelings towards them complicated. He was mad at them, and some part of himself wanted to be mad forever. Branch had suffered through so much, and they were never there. Whenever Keith had been hurt or sick, even if it was just a little scratch or sniffle, Branch was there patching him up with a story, medicine and a bandage. Branch's brothers didn't even bother to show up when Branch was possibly on his deathbed last year after the chef nearly cut him in half. But another part of the mossy Trolling was just to tired to be angry and wanted to just snuggle up next one of them, pretending they were Branch. Because...who knows if Keith would ever get to hug his brother again.

It didn't help that most of them were just straight up jerks. They apologized, but didn't say for what, nor did they change their behavior. Floyd wouldn't leave him alone. The red-headed brother, acted all clingy, it felt like he was trying to take Branch's place as Keith's older brother. Not that Keith would ever let that happen. Floyd couldn't be trusted, he was a lair, there was a reason that Branch didn't make promises often. Bruce kept treating him like a little kid, who couldn't take care of himself. Granted, there were somethings that Keith needed help with, but he wasn't a baby. Branch made sure that Keith had all the skills to take care of himself, and where his limits were. Bruce didn't believe him when he said that, and that was offensive not only to Keith but to Branch as well, who took great care of Keith! He just also made sure Keith knew what to do in an emergency! Unlike some people who think an eight-year-old can't cut their own sandwich!

Clay wasn't at the firepit as he was busy keeping Viva calm, since they were out of the golf course, (while she had been all for getting her sister back, going outside was still nerve wreaking), and Keith didn't mind. Clay was just straight up a hypocrite! He spoke all the time about being serious, this calm and collected guy with a plan. When in reality he never took anyone else seriously, and was a kettle ready to blow with that temper he had. Both the stringbean brother and Bruce were almost tied for most annoying since they didn't believe Keith when the trolling told them he knew what he was doing. Something had shifted with Clay recently, his temper mellowed out slightly, but it didn't change the trolling's opinion of him.

After eating, Keith would run to join Tresillo on look out, John Dory came along after a few minutes. Out of all the brothers, John Dory seemed to be the only one who actually felt guilty about leaving, and actually put effort in figuring out Keith as his own person. Not seeing him as a replacement baby brother. Not as a scared kid who didn't know what he was doing. Just as Keith. Not that Keith gave him much to work with. Still it put him leagues above the other three.

Once that anglers showed, up Keith felt excited for the first time in a long time. He was running before Poppy even exited the transport critter, but nothing would stop him from running into her arms. She looked different. Her dress dirty and ripped, a streak of black and grey going through her otherwise bright hair, and tear tracks along her eyes. But she was there and with her Keith felt safe.

If only it lasted. The soft reunion, even Viva walking over gently calling Poppy's name was interrupted by chaos breaking out in an ambush. The peace was broken, by a the zombified K-pop gang and reggaeton trolls, and Branch himself.

His brother's corrupted form is horrifying. The green of his armor, was shifted over to a burn metallic red. The smooth leaf platting and vine sashes, had been replaced with critter leather and blackened brambles. The once comforting amber color of the lenses in the mask were set ablaze with the hue of blood. The caller, and cuffs were black spiked bands, tight like shackles. Showing his brother as a prisoner in his own body. A haze of red smog surrounding him, suffocating his form.

The fight that ensues is chaotic an bloody. Tresillo and Wani take on their sisters with heavy hearts, trying to both defend themselves while not hurting their family too badly (I head canon the Reggaetón trolls as triplets, I know most people see them as a throuple, but I like the siblings angle better, sorry), with Clay and Viva backing them up due to the numbers angle. Smidge jumps in being part of the guard using her hair to subdue them best she can. Floyd and Bruce are Trying to herd the others into Rhonda so they can escape, however when they come to Poppy and Branch their both frozen. Because in front of them, sword against sword, brother against brother, John and Branch dueled. Keith could tell that Branch was holding back, or at least trying too. His strikes are shaky, like he's fighting himself. However, whatever the little restraint Branch has is slipping quickly.

John Dory is mostly panicked at this is happening. His Baby brother is trying to kill him. Not to mention, where in the world did Branch learn to sword fight like this?! Eventually the corrupted troll forced John toward the edge of the plateau, right next to the river bank before it became a waterfall. By some miracle John isn't pushed over, instead he slipped around Branch hoping to lead him away from the cliff. However, out of nowhere Branch flips back throwing his leg out and knocking john to the ground. The next few moments are clear in his mind even as his head pounds. Branch standing over him Sword raised high, ready for the final blow. Then there's the whistle of an arrow and suddenly Branch was falling over the edge, an Arrow sticking out of the middle of his baby brother's chest. John turns to look in the direction the Arrow was shot, finding Keith, the trolling trembling, his bow held up, its string shivering as if it just fired.

"What did you do?!" Clay screamed, startling the trolling, and making Poppy glare at him.

Smidge has fully restrained the other zombies attacking them. Jovi came running over, pulling John to his feet. "C'mon, if he landed in the river he has a chance," The halfing spoke.

John and his brothers, along with, Jovi, Demo Poppy, Viva and Keith load up in Rhonda and began to search the river banks below the plateau. Bruce is helping Floyd through a panic attack, and Keith is sobbing into Poppy's arms, saying "sorry" over and over again, but other then that it's a silent ride as they all look at the river bank for any unknown shapes. It's Demo that spots a grey lump among the rapids. Rhonda leaped into the water, swallowing Branch, pulling him into the cabin. Branch lands on the floor, they haze was gone but he was completely grey, soaking wet, and arrow in his chest and not breathing.

Jovi jumps in the moment the grey troll falls on the floor. He screams for people to back up as he addressed the damage. His first main concern is that the grey troll wasn't breathing. With a drowning victim getting air into the body was one of the most important tasks, and it had to be done in under five minute. He settles Branch on his back, and administers CPR, he worries about doing chest compression, but after the armor was removed, turns out the arrow wound wasn't all that deep, it was close, so close to hitting something important and killing the grey troll. Jovi's hands are horribly bloody by the time he gets Branch breathing again.

With Help from John Dory, Jovi gets Branch stable. The grey troll is stripped of his armor and weapons, left in a pair of barrowed pj shorts and bandaged torso. Tucked in tight on the sofa in the back of the Armadillo bus' cabin. Jovi isn't a doctor and for that he apologizes, but he's done his best with the phsyical. as far as he can tell, Branch has a puncture wound, along with broken ribs, but he has no answers for his lack of color.

They pick up the others, tying the Zombie's up an head back to the golf course.

On the way back, Poppy and Keith stay by Branch's side. The trolling glaring at anyone other then Jovi coming too close. It takes a hot minute but eventually Keith falls asleep curled into his big brother's side. The scene in front of her is horrifyingly similar to like when Branch was in his coma and she hates it. It hurts to see him like this, and it makes her realize just how important he is to her. She silently vowes to tell him, as soon as he wakes up.

After that she can't keep the others waiting. They need a queen right now, and Poppy can't fail them. She at first checks on her friends and thanks the new trolls for saving them, Jovi and Demo especially. When she meets Brozone, internally she's kind of fangirling, but she's to tired to express it outwardly, and it makes her very suspicious as to where they were when Branch was in trouble when she learns their his brother's too. Over all she's pretty collected, until Viva introduces herself. Now, Poppy doesn't mean to be well, mean, but she Just starts laughing. Not an "Excited to meet you this is so funny laugh" its and "Of fucking course" hysterical laugh. Viva asks if she's okay, and Poppy answers...

"Sure! Why wouldn't I be, I just found out that not only did my father lied to me for my entire life the second time like it wouldn't seriously effect me in the future! Like who cares about the other tribes! We'll never hear from them! Who cares if I don't tell my daughter about a long lost sister! it's not like their ever going to meet at the end of the world!!"

Poppy breaks down sobbing, sliding down to her knees. Cooper walks up and nudges his sister gently.

"Poppy are you okay?"

"No no i'm not."

It takes a few days to get back to the golf course. John used the hustle to get them into rock troll territory, but he wasn't sure how the experience could effect Branch in his wounded and unconscious state. With the snackpack and every one else (zombies were left where they were tied up, sadly for Tresillo and Wani, but Demo and Jovi know that Queen Barb won't leave them to die in the wilderness due to the hunting skills their sister retained after turning), it's rather crowded, so they camp out when darkness falls, and to give Branch and Keith a little privacy he sets up a curtain in front of them. He hates it, all of his brother's hate it, but for some reason he can't help but also feel like he's intruding whenever he sees Poppy and Keith at Branch's bedside.

Clay is still mad at Keith for shooting Branch. He knows it's stupid but he is. That's his baby brother and that kid nearly killed him. Did kill him! His heart had to be restarted! he vents this all to Bruce in private, and lets his older brother take some of the weight. Bruce knows that Clay reacts with anger when he's stressed, and watching Branch get hit was terrifying, but he makes sure that Clay knows he can never let Keith know this. The kid is still a kid after all, a scared kid.

Floyd is a walking mess. He thought he was going to throw up the moment that he saw the arrow hit, the feeling growing ever stronger as he watched Jovi cut away at Branch's armor and skin to remove the arrow head. Even now he wants nothing more then to be right next to Branch holding his baby brother's hand, and feeling the living pulse in the grey troll's wrist with his own fingers. But he can't, Poppy and Keith had taken that role of soothing his wounded brother while he rested. That and the fact that he's terrified. Branch is grey, hurt, covered in scars and clearly has been mad at Floyd for a long time if it was enough for Keith to pick up on. He was scared that if he went to Branch now it would make it worse. So, he talks to Jovi, asking this oddly cute halfling troll about his brother's condition. Jovi has sympathy for Floyd, really he does, but he doesn't really know how to help, he's never had siblings before, so he just listens.

Viva is desperate to help her sister, but in her panic she falls back on the old ideals that were used in the tree during times of crisis, grin and bear it. No matter what look on the bright side. Shove the negative emotions down. It doesn't work and Poppy ends up snapping at Viva. She apologizes, and just tries to talk with her sister about how she would love to get close and do all the sister things, but she can't right now. She has Keith and Branch and the others to worry about. They need a plan, but she's never been the planning type, that has always been Branch's side of things. Viva respones that she and Clay work similarly and a little bonding happens. It's not happy, or excited, but rather just a simple understanding happening between the sisters, and its enough.

When Branch wakes up, he's pretty sure he's dreaming. The last thing he remembers is Jumping in front of Keith and Poppy. After that it's hazy. Just a void of anger, screaming and fire. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't feel. Just a complete detachment from between his soul and body. When his eyes flutter open, and his thoughts are finally clear, he thinks he's either dreaming or dead. His head is pounding, and his chest hurts. But it's clear, there's no blinding anger, and his body is his own to control. And even better, snuggled up next to him is his brother, and at his bedside Poppy is passed out in the chair next to the couch.

When Keith sees his brother's eyes open he starts crying, hugging Branch and apologizing. feeling so so guilty and so so grateful. They had no idea how Branch broke from the control, but they were so thankful. Poppy wakes up too, and hugs him gently. Though she does choses to wait for anything else until after Keith is calmed down. Branch is bone weary tired, so the back strokes he gives the trolling are weak, but they seem to sooth the trolling well enough. Still isn't enough to get him to sleep, so Branch starts humming a lullaby ("Sacred Oath" By Beth Crowley if anyone is wondering). Something broken inside of him is fixed as the music flows from his tongue and Keith lulled to sleep.

With the trolling out cold, Poppy give Branch the run down. He wants to pass back out again and never wake up at the mention of his brothers, and at the mention of Viva he has this overwhelming desire to find Peppy and punch him in the face. But in his state Branch can't doo much other then just accept his situation. He'll make the best of it, he always does, but that doesn't mean he enjoys it. It gets a little better when Poppy kisses him before they both fall back asleep though.

When morning comes, Jovi checks him out, making sure his wound is healing, and marvels at the return of colors to Branch's still dulled coat (none of them are sure how). His older brothers are there and Clay mentions Keith was the one who shot him. Branch does not miss the wince that rest of theme give, and they way Keith wilted. Branch just tells Keith he did a good job, it was a clean shot, and wouldn't scar much when healed. Clay looks surprised by his reaction, but Branch pretends not to be paying attention. Jovi continues to ask him questions, and when the topic of food comes up, Branch ahs no idea when was the last time he ate, so Jovi recommends light foods for a while. Bland porridge was for breakfast, and it was delicious.

With Branch back, Poppy feels in control again, and she's ready to take charge once more. She talks with Demo, Tresillo and Wani while Branch naps through the afternoon, and then with whisper to each other through out the night, forming a plan. With their small numbers they would need allies, the other tribes are not an option, but Poppy still has one ace up her sleeve, Bridget.

The plan is not well recevied when they present it to everyone in the morning. The snackpack is on board, while Jovi, Demo, Tresillo, and Wani don't really care they just want a home base, however it is rejected with venom by Viva and the brothers.

V: What?! NO! We are not going to the bergens, it's not safe!

Clay: I'm with Viva, this is not an option. The puttputt course is the best defence from both giants and trolls, we need to go there.

Demo: Uhm, you're defenses are not enough to stop a power cord assault.

Clay: and how would you know?

Demo: I work with musicians, Rock tribe musicians, I need to know how music weaponry works, and you're buildings are barely sound, not to mention the plastic is old and rotting.

Poppy: would stone and metal be harder to break?

Demo: in general? yeah, but if they have the right angle and frequency they could still break it.

Poppy: See we'd be safer in Bergentown, we gather up the trolls in your outpost and seek refuge with the Bergens.

Viva: Poppy no!

Poppy: And why not?

Viva: I just got my baby sister back! I am not going to let you just walk back into town full of MONSTERS! It's my job to protect you!

Poppy: And it's my job to protect everyone else! You're scared Viva, and I get it, but we can't let our fear stop us! Believe me I know just what kind of horrible things that the bergens are capable of, but i've also seen what good they can do!

Clay: how the fuck would you know what bad things their capable of?! You were a baby when the escape happened, you know nothing of what we went through!

Branch: Don't talk to her like that!

Bruce: Bitty sit back down!

Branch: Oh shut up spruce! I know my limits! And for you're information Clay she knows just how bad they can get because she was there, when I got this *points at face scar*. Chef got real pissed when I cut off her finger, you know.

Floyd: ...th-the chef gave that to you?

Clay: If you got hurt by a bergen then how on earth can you think that going to them is a good plan?!

Branch: Because I've watch them reforge their society. And I trust Poppy over any of your sorry ass opinions.

Viva:...when we get back to the golf course you'll see....

When they get back to the golf course something is immediately wrong. It's calm but the in the wrong way. All the trip wires are broken, and the gate is smashed to bits. Inside the course is a wreak, the buildings burned and crushed. Clay calls a search for survivors and the others spanned the course. All they find are zombies, Clay almost getting bitten by one when he thinks he find a survivor in the rubble.

Viva is panicking, this was her safe place, and now it was gone. Ripped away, and she doesn't know what to do. The world around her is crumbling and she has a panic attack that leads to her passing out. She comes too only to throw up and pass out again. Clay feels helpless during all this. Everyone is gone. Until...

"Hey Captian no slappy!"

A rather annoying cloud joins the chat. Branch shoots and arrow at him out of habit. However, even he can't be too upset with Cloud Guy, after he explained that he got as many putt putts out as he could with his caterbuses. "whoa that's actually nice of you." "Oh Branch you wound me, I can be nice, after all it is the end of the world. I'd be a real jerk if I didn't do anything now." Clay breaths a sigh of relief, at the news that the Puttputts, well most of them, are safe. When they meet up with the excavated Puttputts there's a lingering question in the air.

What do they do now?

Clay knows the answer and it's not going to be easy. They're going to Bergentown.

----

Stay tuned for part 5

[honeymochibubbletea]

quick skesh b4 bed :3

You sir or ma’am or whatever pleases you (i don’t know your pronouns), have gained my seal of approval! Aaaaand, because of that, i shall reward you with some headcanons~♪ ;D

Charlie is a VERY DAMN LOUD snorer whenever she’s at Phantasmo mansion. (She does that on purpose to annoy him hggfggfgfghfgg) however he actually doesn’t mind her snoring (too much at least) and when he does, he simply sleeps with some earmuffs. (Also, he does know that she does that on purpose, but he just pretends to be annoyed just to amuse her 🤭)

Usually Phantasmo doesn’t like to sleep because of his nightmares and bad sleeping habits. Charlie and T-oby have already tried to make the mad scientist sleep properly but he still insists that “sleep is for the weak” or “5 more minutes and then i’ll be already on bed” (spoiler: no, no he’s not going to bed in 5 minutes. It usually takes more 5 HOURS for him to sleep) or:

Charlie: Phantasmo! Get on bed NOW. You stubborn ghost!

Phantasmo: it isn’t morning yet, so i’ll just work on a few more-

Charlie: it IS morning! You’ve spent the whole DAMN night working on this! And I haven’t slept because of you!

Phantasmo: . . .

Charlie: . . .Phantasmo… don’t you DARE-

Phantasmo: IF I HAVEN’T SLEPT, IT ISN’T MORNING YET! and also, you are to blame for not sleeping: I didn’t force you to stay awake all night, now did i?

Charlie: Ohoho, that’s it mister! If you won’t come, I’LL DRAG YOU TO YOUR ROOM!

Phantasmo: NO, NO, NO, NO, NO- W-WAIT…! Ow ow ow! It hurts! You’re hurting me you crazy woman!

Funnies aside, when Phantasmo wakes up from a really bad dream (and when Charlie’s at his place or he’s at her place), She’s there to comfort him and caress his face, wiping off his tears 🥹

Phantasmo loves to bury his face on Charlie’s neck (but won’t admit it though, lmao), he finds comfort in her warmth 🥰😊

Who’s the big spoon and the little spoon? Easy, *INHALES DEEPLY*, CHARLIE AND PHANTASM- (kidding, not really though… let me explain: sometimes Charlie’s the “big” spoon (whenever Phantasmo is feeling down, he allows Charlie to be the “big” spoon. He likes being held. He’ll never admit though, lol) and sometimes she’s the little spoon (Phantasmo is touch-starved asf and if you think i am wrong, FIGHT ME-) and vice versa)

……Okay so, HEAR ME OUT: the reason why Phantasmo doesn’t go to Charlie’s place that often to sleep with her was because one: Charlie’s parents (if she has any) hate him, two: because privacy is not an option here and three… *inhales deeply again and hope that Jencil and Fluff don’t come for my head* CARTER GAVE HIM A FUCKING CONDOM WHEN HE NOTICED THAT THESE TWO WERE SLEEPING TOGETHER, SERIOUSLY, HE IS DAMN SERIOUS ABOUT PROTECTION. ESPECIALLY IF HIS SISTER IS SLEEPING WITH A GHOST

I imagine that Phantasmo has a very low body temperature, so every time these two cuddle, Charlie starts shaking, feeling cold. Very cold…

Charlie: Phanta? Could you please stop being this cold…? I’m freezing over here man!

Phantasmo: *mumbles and grumbles*

And the solution they have found for this little problem was making a burrito out of Charlie with some blankets, lmao (so that way, Phantasmo could still cuddle with Charlie and she wouldn’t get a cold from being in too much physical contact with him! :D)

[n0v4t33z]

The Piece of Eight - Assimilate and Assault

Pairings: Capt. Hongjoong X Female Reader , Crewmate San x Female Reader (Overall not chapter specific)

Genre: Pirate AU, Romance, historical-ish (not really), Action, Angst, Non-Idol AU

Word Count: 5.1k

Tags/Warnings: For Mature Audiences, Violence, Language, mentions of blood and gore, Highly Suggestive at times (This is a warning for the whole story overall)

Chapter specific: Some suggestive conversations?, straight up violence for some of it (HERE'S YOUR WARNING IF YOU DON'T LIKE GRAPHIC VIOLENCE), enemy says vulgar shit to y/n, lots of blood, y/n's PTSD makes a small appearence, Mingi being a little weird (let me know if there's anything else)

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!

Spotify Playlist ⚓ | Masterlist 🏴‍☠️

Author's Note 💌: Hi I finally had some time to edit and post this lol it's very short but it gives you a peek into MC's first day with the teezers. Also I had to change the color scheme bc Tumblr wanted to be mean and remove the yellow text option so I chose orange bc ateez. Tbh I've been so tired from work I've been procrastinating editing this and i've just been working on the most recent chapter of the story which is easy writing but I decided I need to at least post something so I hope you enjoy this chapter and please look forward to the next one! - N 🌙

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A few hours later I wake up and it’s dark. Eledonia was also now gone from the horizon and as I look around at the endless dark sea I realize a blanket is wrapped around me.

It was most likely Seonghwa since Hongjoong did say he’d be coming by later to show me to my room. I keep my gaze fixed in the direction of Eledonia and now is when it sinks in that I will not be seeing my family in awhile. I sit there welling up in my own thoughts until a gentle tap on my shoulder disturbs them, it was Seonghwa. 

He gives me a soft smile and says “Hey, you’re awake now. Let me show you to your room so you can sleep comfortably.”

 I get up and he helps me with my bag while I silently follow behind him with the blanket still wrapped around me since It was quite chilly. We walk down to the crew’s quarters which is located towards the front of the ship. I walk down and I notice nothing was separated, everyone was sleeping in the same room.

 I could see six figures fast asleep in their own beds then Seonghwa leans over and whispers “Go ahead and sleep on my bed, I’ll be keeping watch tonight up in the crow’s nest so I won’t be using my bed. Don’t mind everyone else, sleep well okay?” 

He sets down my things next to his bed and gives me a smile and a nod goodbye. After I’ve quietly settled down on Seonghwa’s bed I notice it’s quite comfortable, more than mine back at home. Which led to me falling asleep pretty quickly.

 In the morning I’m woken up with voices, all of them belonged to the six figures on the beds last night which obviously belong to my crew mates. Since I have a habit of sleeping with a blanket over my head I lay perfectly still and pretend to be asleep then I hear someone say “That’s not Seonghwa. Is that y/n? The Captain’s new protector?”

 For some reason I’m terrified now that I’ve made my existence known. Someone then answers “Nah I don’t think it’s her, why would she be sleeping in here? I’m sure that’s probably Seonghwa being lazy.” 

Suddenly, something presumably a pillow is thrown at me followed by “Get up Seonghwa or you’re not getting any breakfast!” Followed by someone pulling the blanket from over my head harshly then complete silence. 

I open my eyes and and realize 6 men standing around the bed I’m laying on with some of them with their mouths agape. Then someone says “What the fuck? She’s sleeping in Seonghwa’s bed?” 

Slightly irritated from how embarrassed I was I sit there in silence glaring at them. Followed by Mingi chuckling then reaching over to grab my arm  “Hey let’s g-” Before he’s even able to finish his sentence I grab his wrist and twist it “Don’t touch me.”

 Immediately he pulls his hand away and massages his wrist and says “She’s feisty.” The man with puppy like features looks over at the blue haired male “Mingi stop..” 

I throw the pillow at Mingi who gets bonked in the head then manages to catch it “Look, just- can you understand how I was woken up? Like that was such an aggressive and rude way to wake up it was so uncalled for so, can you blame me? Especially your so called superior, you’re really going to disrespect him like that?”

San looks over at Mingi says “I agree with her, that was rude. Especially towards someone who’s not used to the way we play around” 

Mingi playfully punches San in the arm “Loosen up San, it was a joke.” San turns and looks over at Mingi with a glare. 

Wooyoung raises his eyebrow “Wait, so are you really the Captain’s protector?” I bite the inside of my cheek “Yeah, otherwise what else would I be doing here.” Mingi responds “Our-” Yunho immediately covers his mouth “No, stop. Quiet, no”

 Everyone else erupts in laughter. I roll my eyes then I get up and grab my backpack “If you’ll excuse me I need to change.” Wooyoung smiles “Sure.” Someone in the distance then says “You pissed her off, she was so nice the last time we saw her..”

 I walk out of the crew quarters and It just so happened that Seonghwa was walking in that direction and I’m stopped in the middle of the hallway leading to the stairs to go back upstairs.

 “Hey, I was just about to go wake you and introduce you to your other crew members.” I stay silent for a few seconds then I respond in a low voice “No thanks.”

 Seonghwa grabs my arm “Wait, why not? What happened?” I shake my head and pull my arm away from his grasp “I’m going to change..”

 I walk upstairs towards the deck to look around and head towards the room the Captain walked into last night. Surely he must be in there right?

I knock on the door and carefully enter the candle lit room “Captain?” 

 He glances over at me and removes his glasses “y/n? Good morning, I didn’t think you’d come here so early. I heard you stayed up pretty late.”

 “I did, but I’m a light sleeper so I woke up pretty easily.” I sit on the leather chair in front of his desk softly squeaking from my weight.

“That reminds me, can I tell you something? I don’t want to be worrisome on my first day here but this just kind of bothers me.” Hongjoong nods giving me a concerned look “Did something happen?”

“Yeah kind of. Your crewmates are assholes, they threw a pillow at me thinking I was Seonghwa, is that really how they treat your first mate?”

 Hongjoong lets out a small laugh “Well, yes but the respect is there don’t worry that’s just how they get along. As for the way you were woken up..” he trails off and lets out a sigh “I’m sorry about that, if you want you have my permission to scold them if they get on your nerves as they tend to have their moments of not being the most pleasant to be around.” 

What? No way he’s letting me scold them?! Is that how much he trusts me? I mean it’s a given the man trusts me with his life, why wouldn’t he when it comes to just standing up for myself and straightening out a couple of grown brats…

”Oh, um. Thank you for that.” Hongjoong’s eyebrow slightly raises “Anything else?” I awkwardly stipple my fingers for a few moments “Um, do you have food? I’m kind of starving” 

Hongjoong smiles “Yeah, second floor below deck. Breakfast should be going on right now. I’ll walk you there.” I look over at his desk and notice he’s writing something immediately feeling guilty for making him stand “oh, uh. No captain, it’s okay. I should learn my way around the ship by myself.” 

Hongjoong hums and I continue “Besides, you’re busy doing Captain things..I really don’t want to bother you.” Hongjoong puts his black polished index finger on his lips and hushes me “I promise you’re not bothering me darling, I’m more than happy to show you around. I’ve got plenty of time.”

I stand up and smile “It’s okay Captain, I think it’s best for me to learn things on my own. You are the Captain after all, I’m sure you’re quite busy erm…Being a Captain.” 

Hongjoong smirks then looks at me fondly “Alright, but in case you need someone to guide you Seonghwa and I are here. Don’t forget that.” I quietly nod then he continues “Once you’re done with breakfast go ahead and head over to the crow’s nest and keep watch. I’ll put you in charge of that. If you spot anything let Seonghwa know immediately. ”

 Hongjoong reaches into the side drawer of his desk and hands me a golden spyglass “Thank you Captain, I will.”

  I glance down at it then back up at him where he then motions for me to leave “Alright, go. If you need anything Seonghwa will be there to assist.” 

I bow, slightly intimidated by him not because he's scary but more or so because of how well he carries himself. 

When I exit the captain’s quarters I carefully examine the spyglass. Must be brass or something judging from the nice weight to it. 

Regardless it was so beautiful It had an engraving on it, the same one as the one on Hongjoong’s arm band. I guess this means it’s his, that’s cool. He trusts me even with his personal items.

 While I walk across the deck my stomach growls then I sigh. If I remember correctly Hongjoong said the kitchen was on the second floor? 

I head downstairs and as soon as I enter the mess hall it becomes dead silent. I knew it, I knew it was going to be this awkward. At least Hongjoong isn’t here it would have been much more embarrassing. 

San pats the seat next to his and gives me dimpled smile “y/n, sit here. I saved this seat for you.” 

This man is making me want to smack him. Pretending to be nice. Why is he so flirty? I can only imagine how cringe he was with the girls back in Eledonia. They probably ate that shit up too. Ugh.

 I sit on the seat next to San on the other side to my right was Wooyoung who immediately stands up. To my recollection he's the cook, he was the one wearing an apron while cooking back in Eledonia and the one who gave me the delicious peach tart.

 Seonghwa then brings everyone’s attention over to me“Evreyone, you weren’t properly introduced but this is the Captain’s protector Her name is y/n.” 

The tall one with blue hair and glasses which was Mingi if I remember correctly says “Ah yes, the cute doll back in Eledonia.” Wow, he must have a thing with dolls but honestly I'm not mad at it. 

“You’re cute, I know why Hongjoong chose you now. I think Hongjoong likes cute girls. Cute..” Everyone silently stares at him then Yunho looks over at Mingi in disgust. “Maybe you should stay quiet you’ve used the word cute one too many times for my liking.”

 Yunho looks over at me and gives me a concerned look “He’s weird please don’t listen to him. Anyway, hello y/n It’s nice to see you've decided to join us.” I slightly raise my hand from the table to acknowledge his greeting and take a bite of a piece of bread from a basket. 

From the corner of my eye I notice the guy with Jongho back in Eledonia, Yeosang if i'm not wrong. Looking at him closer now I notice he's got very gorgeous features, one of them being a cool looking birth mark on his left eye (which I didn't notice) , his face being almost too perfect to be real with soft brown hair that compliments him very well giving him a very princely and delicate appearance. 

He stares at me without saying anything which is intimidating noting how gorgeous the man is. The stare wasn’t out of hate, it was more or so out of curiosity until he finally speaks “Who trained you?” 

Slightly taken aback I almost choke on my bread but manage to play it off. He speaks Eledonian, like Hongjoong only much more fluent. “My grandfather, an Eledonian veteran. Why?”

 He gives me a small smile and shakes his head “I was just asking, I’m Yeosang. My apologies for not introducing myself when we first met.” I shake my head “It’s okay, no worries. I appreciate you introducing yourself..” 

San furrows his eyebrows “Hey Yeo, you speak Eledonian? I didn’t know that.” Yeosang glances at San while resting both elbows on the table and his hands laced together “Who do you think taught Hongjoong?” 

Shortly after being gone Wooyoung comes back with a bowl and a cup of tea and gently sets it in front of me. “I hope you like it, it may be a little spicy depending on your spice tolerance but it should still be good.. ” 

I silently nod and take a sip of my tea then Seonghwa says “So y/n, how’d you sleep? You didn’t get seasick?” I pick up my eating utensil and mix my food.

“Well, besides being woken up in the rudest most uncalled for way ever. It was actually pretty comfortable, more than my old bed so I fell asleep almost instantly.” The whole table stays quiet with exception of a few of them clearing their throats and awkwardly adjusting themselves in their seats.

 Seonghwa looks over at the rest of the guys and forces a smile when he looks back at me “Well at least you slept well up until that point.” I shove a spoonful of food in my mouth and nod, San remorsefully speaks “So um, about this morning. Sorry we thought you were Seonghwa and we kind of ambushed you without your permisson.”

 I shrug taking another sip of my drink “What’s done is done, it’s fine.” Jongho, the very well built dark haired male with a very friendly face says in an apologetic tone “We should have honestly checked before we pulled something like that. I’m sure that’s the reason you’re being so cold towards all of us which we understand.” 

Woah this guy hit the nail on the head with that one. “You’re right, you guys were assholes but now with the Captain’s full permission if you ever cross the line with me again I have his personal blessing to kick your asses.”

Mingi says under his breath “Ah, that’s so hot..” San looks over at Mingi like he just insulted him and flatly says “No..” 

Seonghwa glares at both males, something told that pissing him off wasn’t a good idea. As it is he’s already intimidating. “How about you both calm down and behave. You both act like you didn’t just meet up with women back in Eledonia” 

Wooyoung giggles looking in San’s direction playfully nudging my arm so that I could watch the whole ordeal go on. “Seonghwa’s right, weren’t you two the ones who were flirting away and getting back rubs from Eledonian women later in the evening?”

 San crosses his arms in front of his chest “They were just back rubs!” Everyone looks in his direction then Wooyoung fires back “You and I both know you’re lying about that, that's not the only thing that was getting rubbed”

 I roll my eyes at how utterly embarrassing this whole conversation was getting and continue to eat my food completely tuning out the conversation happening. Everyone explodes in laughter while San sits there festering in annoyance and Mingi awkwardly laughs it off with the others.

 Once they settle down a bit Jongho says “That’s true one of them didn’t come back until midday the next day so that says alot about what actually happened.” I eat the last of my food and drink the remaining tea from my cup and I get up not caring we were all in mid conversation.

“I’m done eating. Wooyoung, the food was delicious.” I give Wooyoung a smile and in return he blinks “Oh, you ate fast.. Do you want seconds?” I shake my head and get up “No thank you, I’m full.” 

San turns to me and looks at me a bit sad “You’re leaving already?” I nod dusting my lap off from the leftover bread crumbs “Yep, see you around.” 

Before anyone has a chance of saying anything else I excuse myself from the clearly very private conversation going on in the background. I guess I'm going to have to get used to conversations like this, men are so… Weird.

After that chaotic breakfast I find my way back to the crow’s nest, it was a nice change of environment. I wonder if this is the only thing I’ll be doing while we’re at sea, then again there is no one I need to protect Hongjoong from anyway so I guess it makes sense I’m in charge of keeping an eye. 

After a few uneventful days of me keeping watch, which were either cargo ships or just other ships in general who weren’t of intrest. I basically lived up at the crow’s nest and only really came down to shower or use the bathroom since Wooyoung would usually bring up my food while on duty. 

Today was a different story, on the horizon I could make out a ship in the distance then I look into the spyglass and notice a ship with a peculiar flag. Unlike our flag, theirs was red with a skull on it except this skull had two spears crossing behind it then my stomach sinks. 

I quickly climb down then I run over to Seonghwa who was talking to Mingi and in between breaths I say “I don’t know who they are but we have company from the north east.”

Seonghwa quickly puts down the book in his hand and runs outside onto the deck then pulls out his spyglass, and stares at the ship for what felt like forever “The Scarlet Sailors… The Captain needs to see this.” He turns to me “Prepare for battle these pirates are quite tough, ring the bell.” 

It’s like a switch instantly lit up I run over to the bell and ring it as loud as I can while Seonghwa runs into the captain’s quarters to alert the Captain. My first looting with the crew and I’m not going to lie but I’m scared. What if I die not even three seconds after stepping foot on that boat.

 Meanwhile the whole ship goes hectic to prepare everything and a few minutes later Hongjoong steps out and looks through Seonghwa’s spyglass with a big smile on his features “Evreyone, looks like we hit the jackpot. We will strip them from everything.” 

He hands Seonghwa his spyglass back then looks over at me and gives me a bright smile “Use this time to practice, don’t worry if you kill them. The government doesn’t care, so neither should we. Also, unless I call for you do your thing I’m not useless.” I hum and touch the gun on my holster then I smile. Here’s my chance to show off.

 As the ship gets closer Jongho aims the canon at the ship and shoots directly hitting the ship in the front of the ship he then signals San and Yeosang to do the same permanently disabling the ship due to Jongho’s successfully being able to break the main mast of the ship. 

Right as Yunho and Mingi begin to set up the plank a few people of the enemy begins to shoot at us causing us to hide. 

Seonghwa gently squeezes my shoulder “Good luck, and please protect our Captain.” I turn and give him a smile for the first time in a while “No problem.” once the plank is clear I notice the captain of the ship immediately heads over towards Hongjoong.

 He’s not useless he can fight, I just need to clear these people out then I can help him. I shoot my gun at any of the crew mates running towards me until I have no ammo left after that I pick up a sword from one of the bodies on the ground then I climb up one of the shrouds of the ship. 

Before jumping I take a deep breath and jump down onto a crew mate who was about to shoot Yeosang in the back so I proceed to stab him in the back of the neck with the blade exiting through the other side of the man’s throat.

 When I pull it out of the man’s neck the sound alone of the man choking on his own blood causes Yeosang to turn and notices the man on the floor then he looks back at me and smirks.

I pick up the man’s gun and shoot the man behind Yeosang and I smile. I notice a scary looking man about to gang up on Wooyoung who was already busy with a sword fight so I give Yeosang a two finger salute and while running to Woooyung’s aid I shoot the man on the side of the head causing him to fall to the ground limply.

 While I look around to see if I could assist anyone I feel a hand pull me back by the hair and begins to crush my throat with the other then I put the barrel of the gun under the bearded man’s chin and I pull the trigger causing him to fall back. In the midst of me running away I see another huge scary bald man with a cigar in his mouth begin to walk towards me with evrey intention to kill.

 “You can’t go around killing people like this little lady, you’ve been a bad girl.” I smirk then I pull the trigger of the gun only for it to be empty then I let out a frustrated groan so I grab the sword again then he lets out a laugh. 

"You wanna fight with swords? Alright, I'll do you a favor before I kill you then although I can't guarantee I won't fuck you up pretty girl." He grabs a sword from the nearest body And does a few practice swings. 

I run towards the man and swing to aim at his midsection but he successfully blocks my sword and knocks it out of my hand. The man lets out a laugh and grabs me by the wrist and pulls me towards him then he rests his blade on my neck, pressing just enough for me to acknowledge the blade on my throat drawing some blood.

 The smoke from his cigar hitting me in the face while I lay completely still “What a shame I have to kill you I really wanted to fuck that pretty little face of yours-”

 Feeling complete disgust by the vulgarities this man was saying I pull out a dagger hiding under my belt and stab the man once in the midsection then another right in the eye causing him to drop his cigar to the floor and scream in agonizing pain.

 “You fucking bitch! I’ll kill you!” I pick up the sword I dropped and motion the angry man to attack "Come and get me you ugly troll.." 

The man leans in and swings his sword in my direction grazing my arm only managing to rip the fabric of my sleeve. I parry the angry man and unfortunately for the man his anger combined with only having one eye grants me an opening to lunge and slash followed by a stab right on his stomach causing him to fall on his knees and drop the sword on the ground.

 I pick up the cigar he dropped from the floor and push the end of the lit cigar into the wound in his eye.

The man screams in pain and clutches onto his face squirming on the floor until I pick up the shot gun off of a body and shoot the man dead. It's over, finally. 

I slowly close my eyes and let out a soft sigh, when I open my eyes I look at the state of the situation and see the captain of the Scarlet Sailors had been defeated or more so shot in the face. 

The rest of his crew only a handful were left alive and were are all tied up while San kept watch the rest of the guys were quickly hauling alot of supplies and money onto the ship.

 A few minutes go by of me being confused and not really knowing what to do si I decide to help San keep watch on the rival crew mates. From a distance I hear a whistling noise only to realize it was Hongjoong, who was looking in my direction and motions me back onto the ship.

 Both San and I walk back to the ship, leaving the rival crew on the boat. It still hadn’t dawned on me how brutal this whole situation is in reality. How my first encounter with true violence would be the one to light a fire in me that won’t be put out which will put a crack on my moral compass.

Once we get on the ship I begin walking towards the bathroom before Yeosang stops me “Hey, are you okay? That slice on your neck is bleeding.” I gingerly touch my neck then look down at my hand to see it coated with blood.

 Of course internally i’m panicking but I can’t let anyone know that the captain’s protector is a wimp, so I hum quietly while looking down at the blood. “The bleeding will stop, I’ll be fine.”

 Yeosang shakes his head “You have to go get that cleaned or else it’ll get infected.” I smile and wipe the blood with my finger on my inner wrist.“I’m going to shower so no worries the wound will get cleaned, thanks for your concern though.”

I give Yeosang a soft smile and before I even see his reactiom I walk over to the bathroom and close the door behind me and I begin to undress.

While I’m undressing I notice my hands are shaky, it must be the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. Growing slightly irritated because of how flimsily it made my hands feel I clench both my hands together and sigh. 

Slowly a small smile forces itself onto my features “I did a great job today, for my first day. I can’t be entirely disappointed.” I stand in the warm water staring at the ground with the slight sting on my neck from my wound. 

Suddenly I get flashes of all the people I’ve killed today and I will admit I do feel remorse for what i did as I’m only human but what Hongjoong told me keeps repeating itself in my head “The government doesn’t care, and neither should we.”

 Which means technically they aren’t the government since pirates are anti government but they did begin to head straight towards us and willing to attack us so we were in full right to attack them back.

This wasn’t wrong was it? Am I just overthinking everything right now because of the amount of people I just killed? I don’t know honestly, all I know is my body is reacting to it.

I start to feel slightly dizzy and a bit light headed so I sit under the water to rest a little bit. How can I be so weak I’m reacting like this, what happened to my grandfather’s training? No wait, his training didn’t include how to cope with killing people. 

After a long maybe 5 or 10 minutes of me feeling weird I eventually finish showering and tightly wrap the bathrobe around my figure and step back out onto the deck. It’s as if Yunho was waiting for me outside of the bathroom he hurriedly walks towards me “Yeosang told me about your wound.” 

I brush out my hair with my fingers “Oh, I’m fine.” He rolls his eyes and puts both his hands on my shoulders and turns me in the direction of the crew’s quarters “Yeah, I’m not taking any risks then you die on us and the Captain will get mad at me for not doing my job which is attend all the injuries our crew gets.” 

I sigh slightly rolling my eyes but not enough where Yunho notices “Yeah, okay then.” When we go down to the quarters he sits me down on the first bed entering the place.

 “Sit, I’ll be right back.” He walks over to a small cabinet in the room and pulls up a chair next to me. He gives me an awkward smile and points at my robe.

"Can you um, pull it down a little bit?” I nod and grab the soft fabric of the bathrobe and gently pull it down exposing my neck but still covering my chest. 

He clears his throat and silently begins to clean my wound up until he probably get tired of how painfully awkward it was so he breaks the ice and says “So, I saw you fighting and you’re pretty good. I now understand why the Captain was so hellbent on you joining us.”

 I awkwardly smile at Yunho “Yeah.” He chuckles and awkwardly smiles back  “You looked like a cat on top of those shrouds, weren’t you scared?” 

Stiffly I nod trying not to disturb what Yunho was doing “A little but when you’re set to kill you just kind of forget evreything around you and you just focus on your task.” Yunho hums “I see, just remember to be careful. You’re meant to protect the Captain and if you get hurt you’re neglecting your purpose.” 

Well that’s a bit.. Outright. What a strange way to tell me to be careful. “Okay, i’ll be careful. I'll try my best not to worry the Captain.” 

After a few more minutes of awkward small talk and him cleaning my wound he finally finishes and dresses my wound then puts away his first aid kit. I pull my bathrobe back up and I head over towards the door.

 I really wanted to say thank you but for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to say anything until I finally manage to say in a very low almost indistinguishable mumble “Thank you.” Yunho turns back to me and says “Did you say something?”

 Great, he didn’t hear me. I look so dumb right now. Immediately I shake my head and walk out without another word. I stand by the railing looking out onto the sea, unfortunately It hasn’t even been a month yet and I’m already kind of sick of seeing nothing but water.

 I might as well learn to get along with everyone even if that means I have to fake my personality. They can all be afraid of me but if I keep this up and keep being so quiet and unaproachable I’ll not only get bored but I’ll be miserable. I also can’t latch onto Seonghwa and the Captain the whole time I’m here I need to make friends even if these guys are a bit…Weird.

 I hear steps approaching me from behind and a familiar voice emerges behind me “I’ve brought you some clean clothes. I don’t know if they’re your style but Hongjoong chose them. I’m sorry we didn’t give these to you earlier and you had to go into battle with your personal attire. I am sorry your old ones got ruined.” 

I turn and it was Seonghwa, skin with a slight sheen of sweat on his exposed skin which was just his neck and face with a small cut under his eye and a busted lip. “Ah, It’s fine. I’ll keep those clothes as a memento of my first battle with The Piece of Eight.” I shake my head and see his slightly worried expression shift to a small smile.

“Good job out there by the way. Yeosang told me you saved him twice and you helped out Wooyoung. I also heard you took out the juggernaut first mate of the Scarlet Sailors.” I nervously laugh “Thank you, I was only fulfilling my duty.” 

He hands me my clothes and smiles “This might have been your first battle but it certainly won’t be your last.” I look down at the clothes and I couldn’t tell first glance if I was going to like them. It wasn’t until I actually tried them on I saw and could definitely tell Hongjoong chose them. 

Very high fashion, it’s a very nice blend of their style just a bit more feminine. I like it. It was a black blazer with a beautiful pin on it the shape of an hourglass with silver detailing and a top that was a black fitted vest and some black pants , boots and.. A wide brim fedora. 

Kind of an odd choice, I thought pirates wore those weird looking hats? Not Hongjoong though, I can tell this man goes against what everyone expects of him. He forges his own path even with the smallest of things as simple as clothing. Something tells me I'm working for right man, the right cause.

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[cherry-poppins]

Late Night Snack Run - US!Papyrus X Reader

Restless nights feel better when i'm by your side Distracting my thoughts as you fill my soul Salty seas and jealous stars This won't be the last night I share with you

It was a warm summer night, the stars decorated the sky only to be blinded by the light of the moon, stealing the night sky. You had always been a night owl, as they say. For whatever reason you’d claim. Either perhaps you’re used to working late nights, your hours taken by studying till dawn, maybe you just loved late nights, find the peace in it, no one to bother you.

But for some reason tonight was different.

You had been tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep, your mind overwhelmed with thoughts and worries. Feeling them crawl up your spine and latch onto your mind, chewing into you as you attempt to dismiss them with peaceful slumber. Yet here you were, awake and mind brimming with anxieties and overgrown thoughts. While you’d love to just pretend and get over it you knew you had to do something to clear your head, and thankfully you knew just the night owl to help you.

Swiftly picking your phone from your nightstand, groaning as the lights hits your eyes. Promptly turning the brightness all the way down before sending a text to the one person you knew would be up at this time.

A few minutes later, you hear a knock at your door. You’re quick to descend down the stairs to the front door. Opening the door you greet him with a finger pressed to your lips, signaling him to be quiet.

"Hey, what's up? Has something happened?" Papyrus whispered, eyeing you with worry. You can tell he hadn’t planned on going to bed tonight due to the fact he was still in his day clothes, dark gray sweats and his signature mallow yellow hoodie. Which you loved to steal from time to time, shit was so thick and soft. The best during winter.

"I can't sleep," you replied, also whispering. You cross your arms as the cool night air sinks into your clothes. "I just need to get out of the house or some shit ya know”

He nodded, leaning against the door frame. “Ah i gotcha, hmm. How about we hit the gas station for some snacks and then chill at the beach”

You couldn’t help but smile at the idea. “Yeah lets, ya brought ya car?” you asked.

He chuckled as he shook his head. “Heh, nup. Teleported here, but lemme teleport you back to my place and we can fetch it”

You nodded, quickly sliding on a pair of shoes.

“Welp you know the drill, hang on.” You clutch onto Papyrus, closing your eyes as you feel the ground at your feet warp, and disappear for a second before you back on solid ground. Opening your eyes you meet with the front of papyrus and his brother's house.

“I swear I'll never get used to teleporting” You say as you take a deep breath, trying to ground yourself. Papyrus just chuckled as he ruffled your hair before going off to fetch his car keys.

We made our way down the street, the only sound was the hum of the car's engine . The night was quiet and still, the only lights coming from the street lamps and the occasional passing car.

"So, what's been keeping you up?" Papyrus asked, breaking the silence.

You sighed. "A lot of things… work has been up my ass and unfortunately i can't just up and quit. My Family hasn't been making it any easier, I love them to bits but it seems like there's always something and that something is always my fault…” You stare out the car window, breathing in the cold night air. Letting it clear your mind and wash away the stress. “It's all just been weighing on me lately, ya know?."

"I hear you, life’s just shit like that sometimes." Papyrus said sympathetically. "Sometimes you just need to get out and clear your head."

We arrived at the gas station, and you went inside to grab a few snacks while Papyrus filled up the car with fuel. You bought a few drinks and candy, snuck a donut because why not, you were having a bad day. As we were leaving, the cashier called out to us. "Hey, aren't you two a little young to be out this late?" he asked suspiciously.

You laughed nervously. "Just grabbing some snacks. We'll be on our way." We were quick to make our way back to the car and drive off, relieved to be out of the cashier's line of sight.

We both looked at each other and laughed. “What was that all about?” Papyrus chuckled, shaking his head.

“Fuck if i know, either he was just trying to look out for us or he was some massive weirdo” You responding, whipping your eyes from the rogue tear the slipped and to cleanse yourself or the weird interaction.

“We don’t look that young do we?” Papyrus gaze turns to me. “I mean I get that i still have the youthful glow to me but you don't look a day over 35” he winks.

You gasp, dramatically holding your hand to your heart. “Oh you wound me, the absolute audacity!” You whine, giving him the middle finger which slipped another giggle out of Papyrus.

Another comfortable silence settles between you two, silently lip-syncing to the murmured tunes of the radio. You turn your gaze slightly to papyrus, not so much so that he notices but you knew that he would notice regardless. He had the tendency to notice small things like that. As you looked at him, watching as the street lights reflected across his skull. You smile to yourself, remember when you two first met, all the times you’ve called him up and he came without question. The times he called you, even if it was for you just to be near him while he wrote his book, says you inspire him… whatever that means. You look out the window again, feeling your cheeks heat up slightly at that last thought. You appreciated Papyrus, appreciated his company, his friendship. A smile forms on your lips.

"Thanks for coming with me," You said, breaking the silence again. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Anytime," Papyrus replied with a smile. "That's what friends are for, right?"

“Yeah right, what are friends for”

After a small while we finally made our way to the beach, the tide coming in as it lapped against the bay. The air salty mixed with the cold night wind, you could help but breathe it in. It was like your body craved the salt of the sea, the fresh cool air, clear night sky and the sounds of the ocean…. Wow you really needed to get out of the city more often.

Papyrus parked the car, taking a seat on the car's bonnet, with you following a quick pursuit. Cracking open a bottle of coke as papyrus was already digging into the donuts. You made a comment on the price of gas station snacks, saying that if this happened often that you’d go bankrupt. Papyrus commented that you'll be the reason that the gas station will still be in business.

You both sat watching the stars go by, talking about events that happened in your life, what book you were reading, what book he was writing. How you lost your favorite sock and that you had the best indian take out the other week. Papyrus claiming that the show he’s been binging had the worst ending, shitty writing he calls it. But he did find a cool coffee machine the other day so he could make his own coffee at home but he doesn't know how to use it.

“Ha, then why’d ya buy it then ya ding dong?” You laugh, shaking your head at his absolute tomfoolery.

Like every other question I give him he answers with a shrug “I dunno? It looked fancy for cheap? Plus who doesn't want to make their own coffee at home.”

Another laugh escaped your lips. “Mate you’re so lucky that i worked at a bakery with a cafe once and that they taught me how to use those suckers because they were short of a barista”

“Well would you look at that, see, so there was a point in buying it” Papyrus smirks and gives you a little playful nudge.

You dramatically gasp and give him a shove back. “Oi you bought it before you knew i could work em”

“Eh that 's true but it's a very good coincidence wouldn't you say? Call it destiny if you will”

“What, the coffee machine?” You ask confused.

“What?” he asks back, clearly more confused than you.

“You wanna call the coffee machine, Destiny?” You try to explain, starting to feel a bit embarrassed “Is that not what you meant?”

He looked a bit confused at first but the realization kicked in and Papyrus was “No, that's not what i- ahaha.” He threw his head back in laughter, tears brought to his eyes, you couldn't help but laugh a bit with him

“Wait I wasn't trying to be funny- was that not what you were- oh…. Oh fuck i’m an actual dumbass” You giggle as your face heated up in shame.

Wiping a tear from his eye he wraps his bony arm around you and pulls you close. “Eh, I'm the dumbass who bought a coffee machine and didn't know how to use it. You tell me who sounds like the bigger dumbass?”

“Yeah but ur my dumbass” you bantered, giving his shoulder a half assed punch.

Papyrus gave the most dramatic look to you before sassily saying. “Oh how dare you… You know what, i think i will name the coffee machine destiny”

“Pft yeah yeah, whatever” you giggle as you exit out of Paps arms and lay on the bonnet of the car, you gaze, eyeing the night sky, feeling your mind go quiet. You smile as you watch a shooting star go by, wondering if it was a trick of the light as it went by so fast…. If it was you were just gonna pretend it was a shooting star for luck. You look towards papyrus, realizing he must also see your trick of the light shooting star too.

“Ready to go home buckaroo” Papyrus asks as he turns to you.

You nodded, feeling ready to go to bed after this whole thing. Though you weren't sure if you wanted to spend the night alone. “Yeah… uh actually don't suppose i could stay at your place tonight?”

Papyrus smiled “yeah why not, suppose you wanna borrow my clothes to sleep in again too”

You gave him a light shove, papyrus dramatically falling off the bonnet of the car.

You both drove around for a while longer, talking and laughing, before finally heading back. As they pulled up to papyrus’s house, you turned to Papyrus.

“Hey Paps, thanks for doing this with me. I had the best time” You admitted, leaning against his car once you exited it.

“What are friends for honey, come on let's getcha inside. You ready?” He asks, holding out his hand for you.

Letting out a content sigh you waste no time grabbing his hand, giving it a small squeeze. “Yeah, I’m ready”

Quietly teleporting to Papyrus’s room, you stumble a bit forward, but Papyrus was quick to catch you. You whisper a small thank you before rummaging around his closet looking for something to sleep in. You chuck on some of his sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, and flop onto his bed. Stealing one of his pillows you cuddled it waiting for papyrus to join you. Papyrus finally joined, covering the top of them in his weighted doona blanket. Wrapping his arms around you, spooning you as you spooned the pillow as you like to cuddle a pillow as you sleep. You murmured something as Papyrus placed a soft kiss on your forehead before your body finally took rest. Your mind is empty as you fall into slumber, feeling warm, cozy and happy. Knowing that no matter what life threw at you, that you had someone who would always be there for you.

[moonspirit]

I can't decide which out would be the bigger insomniac out of Annie and Armin. Annie probably adores sleep and I do think she prefers sleeping in late (Armin's the early bird) but I can't decide which one actually falls asleep.

I think it might depend on the night, really, and how busy their brains (and days) are. If they're over thinking, of course they can't sleep, but Armin buries himself in his commander duties and forgets to sleep and Annie's terrified she won't wake up for another 4 years if she goes to sleep.

So do they both lie awake in silence staring at the ceiling until the sky is bright (unless Armin is working)? (they probably pretend to be asleep so the other one wouldn't notice and worry even thought they both know the other is awake)

ORRRR is one asleep and the other awake and grumpy over the fact they're gonna be groggy and tired all day tomorrow?

I'm interested to see your thoughts on this

Hi Ally!

Who falls asleep huh? Okay, so we're talking about a post canon time period after some years have passed.

Armin does strike me as someone who has very unhealthy sleeping habits, often staying up late into the wee hours on work and fine print. This can get to the point where he's driving himself to near-collapse and someone has to step in and drag him to bed. In such states, I think it's reasonable to say that as soon as his head hits the pillow, he's out cold.

On the other hand, if it's one of "those" nights when Armin's feeling very bad about himself, then sleep doesn't come well. He either spends the night tossing and turning in bed, or decides to put his mind to work on some papers. But let's say he's got a season off work and is more relaxed, then he probably sleeps well.

I have this personal headcanon that in a general, overarching sense, both Armin and Annie sleep really well with each other because of the feeling of comfort and safety each other provides.

As for Annie, now. If I'm not wrong, she wasn't asleep for all of those four years in the crystal. It was more like a state of constant paralysed wakefulness. Perhaps if she fears anything, it would be being unable to move and feel her senses, imo. So good sleep is something she really hasn't had for a long time. She'd actively crave it. That said, I think it's more likely for her to be the one who's more of an insomniac in the normal sense of the word, because she's spent so long not sleeping that she finds it hard to fall asleep now. Still, as time wears on, it becomes easier, especially once adapted to the certainty of Armin's presence next to her in bed.

Then there could be situations where both of them are relaxed and calm, but they stay up all night talking (well, Armin talks, Annie listens). Then let's say they've had a fight, in which case both of them are awake and unable to sleep because The Sad™ is too much, and both are left wondering if the other doesn't like them anymore and if they'll be left alone (dramatic, but hey that's how they are).

They could also be suffering from nightmares from the past, which would give both a reason to avoid sleep.

So as you say, it depends on the time period (years post rumbling), the states of their minds, their relationship and so on xD

[erogenousmind]

One Last Time

I’m...I’m going to miss this,“ Sonya said. She couldn’t bring herself to look Daniel in the eye at the moment. “But I’m really glad we get to have this right now. I’ll be looking back on it a lot. So I just...thank you. For everything.”

She could feel the heat in her cheeks. She didn’t normally get this embarrassed or feel this awkward talking to Daniel, but something about saying good bye brought the reality of how they had spent their time together into focus. So much of it had seemed like a dream. So much of it she could simply get lost in and let it happen. But seeing it come to an end, it became more real somehow. What they had done. What she had done for him. What she had been for him. What he had made her feel. How could she not blush?

Daniel smiled at her even as she kept casting her gaze down. She was quite cute when she was flustered. “I’ve been thinking,” he answered, calmly. “Maybe this doesn’t have to end.”

Now Sonya met his gaze. “We’ve talked about this, Mas...” She caught herself. The title came so naturally now. It felt so good to say. It made her feel like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. But this wasn’t the time. “We can’t keep doing this, Dan.” His name felt so foreign on her lips, though they had spoken daily for weeks. “Life just isn’t going to allow me the chance to go into trance for you anymore. I know we wish we cou--”

A finger to her lips silenced Sonya instantly. She could feel the conditioned response turning over in her mind. Reminding her of her place. Of how good it felt to surrender. Of how helpless she was. How much she needed to obey. Her thighs squeezed together for a moment, her face flushing for a different reason.

“I know, pet...Sonya. I know.” Her name sounded as odd as his had felt. How curious that their intimacy had surpassed their names entirely. “I’m not going to be able to drop you whenever I want anymore. You aren’t going to be able to slip into trance.” Daniel smiled, looking wonderfully mischievous. “So I thought you could just stay in trance this time. I can take you deep, and you can stay there.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” Sonja stuttered.

“You don’t need to come back up ever again. You might have moments, hours, even days where you are able to pretend. When you can fool the world into thinking you are not deeply hypnotized. But you’ll know the truth. Underneath it all, you’ll be lost in trance. Your eyes will glaze over the moment you are alone again. My voice will always be in your head. Every action, every thought will be the result of my suggestions. I’ll be deep inside you and you will take me with you wherever you go.” Daniel watched Sonya intently as he spoke, reading her body language, watching her unconscious cues.

“I’ll always be hypnotized?” She swallowed slowly, contemplating his words. “Never be fully awake again?”

“We know how capable you are of following commands even deep in trance. Your subconscious will continue to keep you safe. You will be able to live the life you want, the way you wanted. You will also be my deeply hypnotized thrall. Feeling the pleasure of my control. Feeling the lightness of submission. Of surrendering yourself to that feeling from the moment you wake to the moment you fall asleep. Day after day.”

“You-you can do that?” Sonja was stunned.

“You can. You let me in so deep, just like we have trained you to do. You let your focus narrow until all you hear is my words. They pull you down deeper and  deeper, your mind going completely blank, my will filling your mind, until there is nothing left but the wonderful bliss of trance. And then my words never leave. You never need to come back up. Because you are so talented and capable of surrendering so completely for me.” Daniel made it sound like the most natural, easiest thing in the world.

“I-I don’t know what to say,”

Daniel chuckled. “And that’s why we are doing this for you. You always prefer when I make the decisions. So it’s going to happen, right now. You are going to look right here...that’s my good girl. Already so focused. Ready to let go. Notice your breathing. Notice how my words make you feel. How already your thoughts feel so sluggish. It’s so hard for them to keep up. So you let me think for you. You let my words into your mind. You feel them caress those slow thoughts away. As you drop for me now, pet. As you slip away into trance one last time.”

[stay-midnight]

Unreleased Draft #5 • A Banquet for the Emperor

Emperor Yang Jeongin x Guard Male Reader

Synopsis • Today was the young emperor’s birthday where people from different countries all across the continent will gather to celebrate it. It’s tradition now really, it has a really long history to why it is as it is.

A/N • This was supposed to be the 2022 Jeongin BDAY Fic! I didn't continue it cuz I didn't have enough time and I was both busy and drained huhu! But yeah, its a bit too similar to Royals which is also another reason why I lost inspo!

Author's Ratings:

Plot/Thought Process - 2/10, Royalty Fic has grown over me, Im sorry HUHU but I tried to make it different with a guard sneaking into a birthday! But overall its too similar to Royals

Writing Style / Level - 8.5/10, It has good writing atleast definitely the best out of the 5 unreleased drafts because its the most recent out of all em!

Write-ability / Needed Creativity - 10/10, I could probably complete it quite fast cuz Im familiar with Royalty fics a bit!

As of this moment, you were sitting in a last minute meeting, a boring one that was called by the head of knights. The meeting was about where each knight will be stationed in different locations around the castle. Security is extremely tight during the grand celebration for the emperor, as a lot of nobles tend to bring expensive gifts to gain the awes and thanks of His Majesty.

Drool seemed to almost fall out of your mouth as the meeting continues, seemingly a waste of time as you got drowsier, the knight beside you and great friend Bo had to elbow you to not draw attention to which you silently thanked him.

A silent sigh came out of your mouth as you continued to listen.

For hours..... At 5:00 in the morning.... 13 hours before the grand celebration. His Majesty isn't even awake yet so why should we be.

Unnoticed and in your thoughts, you jumped as the leader of the knights spoke, “Y/N! Are you even listening?!” His expression was menacing as he glared down on you as all the other knights stared at you

To which you lowered your head, mumbling a small “Yes, Sir..”

The man clicked his tongue, “Don’t lie straight to my face, as I was saying, You are going to be stationed at the southern gates with Kim Bo. Finally understand?” he said, clearly annoyed with your absence of mind and hearing.

You nodded, “Understood, sir.”

Bo, the knight beside you couldn't hold out a grin.

He was amused as he had warned you of your airy behavior earlier. You rolled your eyes at him and sat straight, pretending to listen while your mind wanders as the voice of the meeting fades.

...

“Dismissed.” The leader spoke firmly as the knights stood up as you do too, bowing before most started to leave the room while some stayed to chat to which they received the unpleasant stare of the leader.

You were long gone, scurrying away as the word “Dismissed.” was spoken.

Now, Bo was right beside you again as your best friend and camaraderie. You already had told him your plan of sneaking and blending in the upcoming celebration. “Where did you get the rich-looking clothes anyways?” He asks, settling down with a huff as you both finally arrived at your station.

“Oh, I got my tailor to made them, she made the gems as real and shiny as possible. She is so good! She creates wonderful clothing out of cheap products, I wonder why her business isn’t booming as it is.” You spout, sighing at the end of the sentence.  Now, your knight friend had a gleam in his eyes.

“What?” you ask, noticing his suspicious look.

“Ooh~ You like her, don’t you?” he says, slightly in awe as he made heart shapes with his hand.” 

You tut, shaking your head at what he said, “She’s an amazing friend, she even gave me a discount, but other than that - Nothing more.” He look at you in disbelief at what you just said. 

“Believable.” he said with a tone of sarcasm as you denied him again until he drops it. “Now let’s see your outfit! I still haven’t seen it cause if you don’t blend, me covering for you will all be for nothing.” he says, excitement apparent in his voice.

“Wait, I hid it somewhere near the clock tower. It’s far and it’s all because my guess was wrong on the location of our station.” you said, pouting a bit at the length you had to walk to.

“Atleast, nobody goes to that part of the castle much.” you said, sighing.

“That’s really far.. Hm, I’ll cover for you, come grab it and wear down your helmet okay? If you get recognized, we will get a lecture.” He says seriously, insinuating his tip as he hit your metal helmet lightly.

You nodded as you started walking away, helmet down, restricting your vision a minimum. Bo waves as he sat down.

...

The sound of silence fills your ears, leaves rustling at this side of the castle. It was dead silent here as no guards ever come here due to the enclosed space. You spotted the white cloth on one of the trash cans that you hid it at last night.

“Hmm..” you wondered, looking around at the empty hallways, you were about to leave but a single footstep caused you to freeze up and run behind a pillar.

“What am I doing? Act normal, act like a guard.” you thought.

About to be on sight and act normal for the approaching, until you peeked and noticed it was not someone to be expected.

“HIS MAJESTY?!?! Oh my god, I’m going to be sent to the guillotine, please don't see me, please don't see me..” You were panicking and chanting in your mind, noticing the rather normal and plain white clothes that he was wearing but he was still as handsome and elegant as ever with those sharp fox eyes.

The young emperor stopped in his tracks, your heart beating out of your chest, as sweat cascaded down your face through the knight helmet.

“You know, you could've picked a better hiding place than... That.” the young emperor, named Yang Jeongin said out loud — voice stiff and rough as if he just got out of bed, he managed to catch a glimpse of a small piece of your armor.

You felt your throat dry, too frozen in fear to move or do anything.

“No use in continuing to hide.” he said, tone a bit tired or emotionless.

In a shot of adrenaline, you immediately went face to face with the emperor, kneeling to your knees fast and keeping your head down. “Y-Your Majesty..! I—I don't dare i-intrude, a friend g-got me to get s-something here.” you said rushed, a bit unintelligible.

The young emperor stood and look down at you with a raised brow as he noticed the white baggage you had on your hand.

The young emperor could care less about it.

“Go.” he simply said, as you ran shaken up and frightened.

...

Running up to your stationed post, Bo noticed your rather tired figure. It raised many questions for him, “Woah, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost.” he says, clearly joking playfully at your distraught expression and sweaty forehead.

You held your hand up at him as you caught your breath, “His Majesty...” you mumbled, wiping the sweat off your forehead with your wrist, as you tried to calm your heart and trembling fingers down.

“Hm? What about His Majesty? What happened..?” he asks, both curious and worried as he leaned in to hear your answer.

“He.. His Majesty saw me as he was walking at the hallways near the clock tower...” you answered, sitting down near Bo, “I thought, I was going to die...” you added as you blew a sigh of relief. Contrary to the shocked face of your best friend and partner who not only very shocked but scared for your own life.

You stifled a laugh as you noticed Bo’s face, “His Majesty let me go without any questions.” you coughed out, smiling a little of how funny he looked right now.

“Are you sure that you’re fine?” He asks, still not fully convinced since His Majesty is known to be punishing at people.

“Yeah...” 

A wave of relief passed through Bo, before finally remembering to what you got to show as the ‘cheap but supposedly expensive-looking outfit’ as your wear for sneaking inside to festivities and feasts later.

“I wanna see it now then~!” he pipes up, you stared at him incredulously like he didn't just forget your life-death situation earlier.

“What?” he asks, noticing your stare.

“Nothin’, I’ll show you tonight, I am not prepared to strip my clothes here.” you say, clearly aware of the surroundings. The clatter of armor as some knights walk by, the gardener’s shearing the bushes to magnificent shapes to fit the young emperor’s want and even the loud instruments playing and practicing for later. It’s too occupied.

“Well.. We just have to pass time until, I’ll probably leave for a bit at noon though.” you said with a small smile as you watch Bo nod his head along at your words.

. . . . .

It’s was time for the esteemed guests to enter the castle — other royals and nobles alike will be present. After wearing the 'royal' wear, claid with fake gemstones and other numerous patterns symbolising nobility, it was time to sneak in and blend within the crowd of the rich.

A soft sigh passed through your lips, before a confident look was smeared across your face. “For delicious food and wine, calm and composed.” you mumbled a pep talk to yourself. You promised yourself that you wouldn't get caught and stay at sidelines to eat dishes. You only live once, as they say.

Finally, after Bo’s continuous screech and excitement at your spectacular clothes. you already went to the path you scouted for yourself as the most way to sneak it. Guards wouldn't budge at the sight of the more or less flashy clothing. If ever approached, you will use the alias last name of the Noble family “Eulae” as the tailor stated the certain family wouldn't attend due to territorial problems. The castle didn't send invitations rather have the royals and nobles come in as they please which was very stupid in your opinion.

. .

After 20 minutes or so of sneaking around and guards bowing to you, you finally arrived inside the great castle of the emperor Yang. You released a breath of relief and casted your gaze towards all the precious and expensive things, you saw.

From the royal patterns inlaid upon the walls, to the grand chandelier and finally the actual hugeness of the hall where the banquet will be held.