#like i'll express an opinion and then it still feels like i'm the only one who has it bc those posts don't really get interaction

[tamilhobbit]

Speaking as an Izzy hater - I found his character racist, homophobic and despicable in S1, did not see any appeal at all, and then copped a lot of shit from racist Izzy stans on Twitter (I used to enjoy fic that gave him a good arc, but those fandom experiences led me to start avoiding basically anything to do with him). Maybe the demographics are different on Tumblr, but Twitter was overwhelmingly pro-Izzy in a way that didn't acknowledge any of the bad he'd done and was hostile to anyone who disliked him.

I also thought his 'character growth' in S2 was too rushed. Him showing up in drag and singing felt more like Fandom Izzy. Canon Izzy had made a very very big leap there that, to me, didn't feel earned or justified. But I'll freely admit that my poor fandom experiences have soured me against him.

Otherwise, I agree with most of these points. I'm very much a Gentlebeard shipper and I still did not like the portrayal of their relationship this season. I have many of the same criticisms you expressed.

And it's gross that the 'talk it through as a crew' show refused to deal with everyone's PTSD, and even gave Lucius SA-related PTSD and played it off as a joke. Pete was horrifically cruel to him about it. That is one of my biggest issues with S2.

I think the writers suffered from being too involved with the fandom, to be honest. And it affected their own vision of their characters.

I've already said that to me, someone who is not an Izzy stan, the Izzy we got in S2 was much more like the Izzy I saw in fanfics and fandom than the Izzy we met in S1. Yes, Izzy could plausibly have become that person, but it takes a lot of work and growth that I feel they skipped over.

There was also just way too much going on. They crammed too much in and didn't have the time to treat any of it with the detail and respect it deserved. Given the show had to be cut down to 8 seasons, the writers desperately needed to be ruthless in cutting and editing. They needed to take out anything that didn't serve the plot or character growth, so they could focus on the important things.

They didn't.

Anne and Mary, for example. They don't actually add anything concrete to the storyline beyond being a backdrop for Stede and Ed! They serve as symbolism and foreshadowing, sure, but... of what? If we take them as foreshadowing of Stede and Ed, all it tells us is that this idyllic retirement that they end the show on won't actually be a happy ending for them. That they won't be happy with it. Which is a weird choice. Or do they serve as narrative foils of Stede and Ed, as a dark mirror? The narrative isn't very clear about that, to be honest.

The feeling I got was that that they were fanservice. Fans were clamouring for Anne Bonny and Mary Reed, so they gave us pirate lesbians, regardless of whether it was useful. The writers should have cut them and focused more on the plot, or made them relevant to the plot. They didn't.

Fans wanted Zheng Yi Sao, so we got her. Even though the plot ended up making her look a little foolish and incompetent by the end, in contrast to the first half.

Fans wanted Izzy to embrace his queerness, so we got that, even though it seemed like a rather abrupt shift.

Fans wanted more women and POC, so we got Archie. Who just shows up and isn't very well fleshed-out tbh, and ends up breaking up Jim and Olu. (Are they poly? It's only ever hinted at. And then Olu leaves for Zheng Yi Sao anyway. If they then become a polycule, it is entirely up to the fans.)

Fans wanted Stede to become competent and famous as a pirate, so we got that. Fans wanted Gentlebeard sex, so we got that. Fans discussed a soft shore retirement for Gentlebeard with Oluwande captaining the crew, so we got that.

This was some Monkey's Paw bullshit. We got a everything that we'd mused about on Twitter and Tumblr. It just wasn't executed well.

And yeah, even though I dislike Izzy, I do think his death was stupid. And in my opinion, a cop-out. It was like Shadow Weaver in She-Ra - you don't need character growth or redemption if you sacrifice yourself instead! With the double whammy that both Ed and Izzy have been toxic and awful to each other, and this narrative choice basically wriggles out of having to deal with that in any meaningful way.

Question: I enjoyed s1 OF OFMD, but for various reasons I never actually got around to watching s2 (pick up most of the plot from tumblr tho). What exactly went wrong in s2 that got so many people upset?

Oh, boy. Very long rant incoming.

So, for context, S2 had a significantly smaller budget, which necessitated moving the filming location to union-unfriendly New Zealand, reducing the number of actors/number of appearances of established actors, and cutting down the number of episodes from 10 to 8. In a show where each episode is only about half an hour long, that last one alone was enough to seriously hamper any character development or plot. I am very comfortable putting the vast majority of the blame on HBO because of these financial decisions.

The short version is that Jenkins et. al. needed to address and build on the problems left hanging in S1 while also getting the characters to the end of their character trajectories in case there was no S3 while also leaving room for additional episodes in case there was a S3, in a grand total of four hours, and failed.

The long version is that there were a bunch of what I'd consider small problems in isolation that came together and exploded in the S2 finale.

The reduced cast necessitated breaking up the crew (ex: having Swede marry Jackie and stay on land with her, so they don't need to pay Nat Faxon for all eight episodes) and not spending as much time on their relationships as S1 did.

The reduced time meant that the entire season was rushed (in contrast to S1, which takes place over at least several weeks if not months, most of S2 takes place in roughly five days), leading both to a lot of telling rather than showing (because they don't have time to show you), including vital character and relationship development.

This includes:

Having the Kraken half of the crew beat Ed to death after months of being abused by him – abuse that is clearly shown to have given them PTSD and a well-justified fear and hatred of him – only for them to be okay with him two in-universe days later;

On that note, having Stede dismiss the crew's concerns about Ed because he loves him and also we only have three more episodes left to fit in everything so we need to get over it really fast, even though Stede is supposed to be well-meaning and caring (even if he's not good at it all the time);

Resolving the issue of Stede abandoning Ed in one day, then having them "go slowly" in their relationship for two days and then have some spur-of-the-moment sex, and then the next afternoon have them break up over their diverging career aspirations, and then the day after that resolve that problem and retire on land while the rest of the crew sails off into the sunset;

Stede becoming a fantastic pirate captain over the course of one day, becoming wildly popular in the piracy world two days later, and then deciding the day after that to never be a captain again because he is retiring with Ed;

Having Ed and Stede decide to retire together as what is implied to be the end point of their relationship arc, when none of Stede's issues from S1, like his poor self-esteem, have been so much as mentioned by anyone, implying that he's either magically gotten over them or they don't matter all that much, actually, even though they were the catalyst for basically everything he did in S1;

Ed having two separate character crises – "I am an unlovable person" and "I want to do something with my life other than piracy" – not spending a lot of time on either one, having moments that clearly indicate he is still working on both problems and they have not been resolved, and then apparently having them both be resolved in the final episode despite nothing occurring to actually make that happen, and in regards to the latter, despite the story actively undermining it by repeatedly showing he can't do anything other than piracy;

Related to the above, Ed ending the series as allegedly being loved by the crew as a family (thus solving Crisis #1) despite this never actually being shown, demonstrated, or even fucking alluded to onscreen. If anything, it shows the exact opposite.

This last point is especially galling to me because of what is probably the most divisive issue in the fandom right now: killing off Izzy Hands after giving him seven episodes of character development.

The show begins with the Kraken crew clearly trying to use the skills they learned as part of Stede's crew to cope with their incredibly shitty situation and care for each other, which includes Izzy. Izzy, on his end, tries to protect the crew and speak up for them, which results in him being repeatedly hurt (both implicitly, as Ed at one point says "that's another toe" in response to Izzy advocating for the crew and we later see he's missing more than one toe already, and explicitly, as Ed shoots him in the fucking leg in front of the crew when he stands up for them).

This camaraderie is shown again and again and again. Frenchie, Jim, and Archie take care of Izzy while his leg is infected, at risk to their own lives. Izzy's misery over losing his leg is what unites the PTSD-ridden Kraken crew and the well-meaning-but-ignorant-of-PTSD marooned crew, who are initially at odds, to make him a new prosthetic leg. Izzy gives Lucius advice about forgiving Ed. Izzy is introduced to drag and opens up enough to sing at a crew party, and the whole crew is having fun together while Ed and Stede are in their cabin having sex for the first time. Izzy gives Stede pirate captain lessons and bonds with him when Ed leaves him. Izzy provokes the season's villain into focusing on him and then gives a big speech about how piracy is about belonging to something, giving the rest of the crew time to try to escape.

Recall that Season 1 had some pretty well-established universe rules, one of which was that it runs on Muppet physics/magical realism. People can jump off yardarms, hit the side on the way down, and be perfectly fine. People can get stabbed in the liver and it's totally okay because it's probably not that important, and even can stay pinned to a mast all night that way with only mild discomfort. Buttons can talk to birds and see long distances without a spyglass and put hexes on people. Good people can be hurt (Stede is stabbed repeatedly), bad people can die (the Badmintons, Geraldo), but no one we care about is ever killed.

This is repeated in Season 2: Ed is beaten into a coma with a cannonball and wakes up like Sleeping Beauty after a spirit journey, with no injuries to his face or body. Buttons turns into a seagull after spending an episode doing a magic ritual and is never seen again (because they couldn't keep paying Ewen Bremner due to the budget cuts). Jackie microdoses her husbands with poison to build up their immunity, so that she can later pull a Dread Pirate Westley and poison the British with shared drinks.

So: in the finale, the villain of the season is taken hostage by the pirates (for reasons? unclear how that fits in the plan), happens to have a gun on him (no one checked??), shoots Izzy on the right side and then leaves with no repercussions. The entire crew stands around silently doing nothing while Ed cries over Izzy and tells him that he's his only family.

And Izzy fucking Hands, the guy who just spent eight episodes bonding with and protecting everyone, uses his last words to reassure Ed that him becoming Blackbeard/the Kraken was Izzy's fault and that the crew is Ed's family and they all love him. No one else says anything to Izzy or tries to comfort him or help him in any way.

I repeat: in a show predicated on the idea that bullies and bigots die stupid deaths while queer people and POC are basically magic, a show that was praised for being kind to queer people by not making them worry about their faves suffering or dying, a show founded on the strength of the relationships between the characters, the guy who went through a season-long arc of learning to embrace his pirate found family and his own queerness is shot for stupid reasons on the side we're told isn't important and dies while everyone just stands there. His last words are about the whole crew loving Ed when the only person that the whole crew has loved all season is him.

Anyway, never mind all that, let's cut to Lucius and Pete getting married and Stede and Ed retiring!

Complicating all this is that people who liked Izzy (or even said anything insufficiently mean about Izzy) were harassed for months in between seasons with insults, slurs, and actual fucking death threats. Izzy's growth was kind of a vindication for liking him: it meant that, despite all the harassment, we were right to like him and care about him as a character. Even people who didn't like him initially started to like him during Season 2.

And then he dies, and now there's a bunch of people saying that Izzy fans are big whiny babies who can't handle fictional death, and actually his death was so meaningful and beautiful and the only logical end to his arc, and it can't be bad writing because people die in real life all the time, and also he admitted he fed Ed's darkness so actually he was a terrible person all along anyway and they were right to hate him (and his fans)!

So, yeah, there are a lot of reasons why it's so hated, and I'm probably only addressing the problems of the pro-Izzy people (from what I can tell, BlackBonnet shippers who don't like Izzy think Ed and Stede's relationship is fine and dandy, but I'm sure that there are other criticisms they have that I have not addressed). I'm not even addressing the issues with Jim and Oluwande's relationship this season (and whooo boy are there issues).

It wasn't a universally bad season. There were episodes I really loved and still do. But the finale was a train wreck, and because it was a train wreck, a lot of people are looking back at what happened before the wreck and realizing that, oh, the train lost its brakes and steering because of the budget cuts and the engineers kept throwing fuel in the engine to make it go faster, and huh, now that I think of it, that part earlier in the trip was really wobbly but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time because I was sure the engineers had everything covered.

[xinganhao]

✏️ film major!mingyu x reader.

"the greatest films of all time were never made"? not if your ex, film student mingyu, can help it ✶ part of my svt university milestone event

⤿ college exes, exes to friends. more content under the cut. ♡⸝⸝ prompt from @taeraegyat & @gyubakeries!

DIR. BY KIM MINGYU

FADE IN INT. CINEMA '76, LOBBY - DAY

MINGYU enters with his DATE. MINGYU's eyes go wide when he notices YOU at the cinema's snack bar.

DATE Do you want some popcorn?

MINGYU (hesitant) Uh… Isn't it kind of expensive?

DATE shoots MINGYU a look. He heaves out a longsuffering sigh.

MINGYU Okay, I'll get us some.

MINGYU makes his way to the snack bar. YOU look up. His eyebrows furrow, because he can't read the look on your face as well as he used to.

MINGYU Hey, look—

YOU (interrupting) Welcome to Cinema '76. What can I get you?

MINGYU feels his heart drop in his stomach. He wants to explain, but then DATE comes up to him.

DATE Can you get us some soda, too?

MINGYU wishes he hadn't noticed the slight change in YOUR expression. But YOU keep your cool as you go to punch in the order.

YOU A large popcorn and two sodas. Anything else?

MINGYU I—

DATE And a pack of M&Ms, please.

YOU Got it.

MINGYU watches helplessly as you go get their snacks. When YOU return, he wordlessly hands over the payment. The tips of your fingers brush.

MINGYU (softly) Thanks.

YOU only give MINGYU a nod in response. He winces slightly when DATE grabs him by the arm.

DATE We'll miss the previews!

MINGYU Right, right.

MUSIC UP: "You Were Beautiful" by DAY6

MINGYU lets DATE drag him off. He casts one glance over his shoulder at YOU, except YOU'RE not even looking at him. Somehow, that's even worse.

INT. CINEMA '76, CINEMA 1 - DAY

The film is one of those cheesy romcoms. MINGYU thinks about how YOU had introduced him to his favorite romcom; how the two of you used to spend hours and hours debating over which was best.

His DATE leans over a lot to comment on things, he notices.

DATE (pressing close to MINGYU) I think Glen Powell is severely underrated...

MINGYU laughs, just a bit, because his first thought is how YOU would react to that opinion. He's also imagining the look on YOUR face if YOU saw somebody talking during a film.

YOU only allowed movie commentary if it was in the comfort of YOUR home. Otherwise, in public places like cinemas? YOU would glare daggers at anybody who dared.

DATE (CONT'D) ... And that's kind of like Sydney Sweeney, isn't it?

Crap. MINGYU has no idea what DATE had just said.

MINGYU (whispering) Yeah, I agree.

His DATE seems placated. Close call, thinks MINGYU. But he's also thinking about how the two of you would argue about everything. How YOU would never back down on YOUR opinion, and how he adored YOU for all YOUR convictions.

DATE goes to hold MINGYU's hand. He almost flinches away. But that would be rude, so he awkwardly lets them hold on.

It's cruel, but throughout the movie, MINGYU bears it by imagining that it's YOUR hand instead.

INT. CINEMA '76, LOBBY - EARLY EVENING

MINGYU emerges from the movie with DATE. He immediately drops their hand.

MINGYU Hey, uh, I think I was short on change from the cashier. Mind if I go check on that real quick?

DATE Oh, sure. I'll wait for you by the entrance.

MINGYU Thanks.

MINGYU rushes back to the snack bar. YOU'RE nowhere to be found. He checks his watch; YOUR shift has probably ended.

MINGYU (underneath his breath) Damn it.

MINGYU had wanted to explain. He does the next best thing. He fishes out his phone from his pocket and pulls up your contact, which is still your name with a heart emoji. He hasn't changed it after all this time.

He types and retypes several texts. When did you start working at Cinema '76? and You looked good and Can we talk, please? and I wished it was you during the entire two-hour runtime of the film.

In the end, he only sends out an I'm sorry.

MINGYU puts his phone away. He wanders back to DATE, who greets him with a helluva good question; they're looking at the posters for upcoming shows.

DATE (absentmindedly) How do you feel about sequels?

And, again, MINGYU is thinking of YOU.

MINGYU I think they're always worth a shot.

FIN.

[burstingsunrise]

Appreciation post for you because sometimes when i see a bad take on twitter (i.e. luke’s hair) I like to scroll down your blog or read one of your fics to see him correctly appreciated. Thank you for keeping me sane :*

thank you for this. <3 i also frequently feel insane in this fandom because it's like...you just see all these bad takes and they seem to be the general consensus and you start to feel crazy like why am i the only one who has an issue with this? why is no one expressing my perspective on this? am i the only one who has it?

and i think it's largely because generally the people who have that "other" perspective - like you and me on luke's hair, or appreciating luke correctly overall - are quieter. either lurking or hesitant to post an opinion and potentially attract drama or whatever else. i won't speculate on the reasons for that, just something i've observed.

but sometimes if something works me up enough over and over again i'll release a ranty tumblr draft on the topic, and i'm glad that they validate you and remind you that you're not alone with your opinions in this fandom. <3

[dustofthedailylife]

It Must Be Love

-> Masterlist || → Taglist

Pairing: Blade, Dan Heng, Jing Yuan, Gepard, Welt x (gn!) Reader

Summary: When they realized they had feelings for you...

Tags: Fluff, SFW, mention of injuries (Blade), just them realizing they're completely smitten

A/N: My last fic before my Japan vacation! I got a lot more in my WIP stash that I'll get to after. Excited to get to that when I'm back, or maybe I can finish one or the other fic in the evening on my vacation when I'm in bed. We'll see. Stay amazing until then! <3

BLADE

When you joined the Stellaron Hunters he shot down your every attempt of trying to get to know him and stayed clear of you. He was curt and only ever spoke with you if it was necessary. In his opinion, there was no need for you two to be acquainted. And it would be for your own good anyway.

It wasn’t until you came back gravely injured from a mission and were passed out for days, that he wouldn’t leave your side.

He sat on the armchair in your room most of the time, and was either sleeping or meditating with his eyes closed. He occasionally switched your bandages and cleaned your wounds while insisting he’d be the only one to do it. After all, he involuntarily had quite the expertise with injuries himself.

And when the day you began to stir awake again finally came, and he heard the quiet plea for water come over your parched lips, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

He told himself over and over again that he didn’t care about anyone and wouldn’t dare to allow himself to care anymore. In fact, he may have even thought he wasn’t capable of it anymore. But feelings are often beyond one's control or rational explanation. And deep down he had always known that he cared deeply about you. 

He had only steered clear of you because it had been evident to him, that if he allowed himself to care, there would be no going back. Alas, it now was too late for that as well. Yet it did not matter any longer. All he cared about was that you were still alive.

“Never get hurt like this again.” He scolded with a voice seemingly devoid of any emotion, as he lifted a bottle of water to your lips so you could drink. 

But despite the underlying sharp tone in his voice, there was sincere concern in his eyes only a few people ever got to see. And he knew he was no longer able to hide it.

DAN HENG

Himeko brought you along one day and introduced you to the Astral Express Crew as their newest member, a bundle of energy much like March. And everyone seems ecstatic to welcome you aboard. Everyone but Dan Heng. He curtly introduced himself without shaking your outstretched hand, before vanishing back to his room again without another word.

It would be a lie if he said he didn’t find you attractive, but Alas, he couldn’t allow himself to get closer. One more person on the Express only meant there were more people he had to keep secrets from. Besides, you seemed just as lively and energetic as March was, and if he was sure of one thing it’s that one March was already enough. So that was even more reason to steer clear of you for his own peace of mind.

So in turn he tried keeping you at an arm's length. The only problem however was, that you apparently weren’t deterred by his cold demeanor and practically threw yourself at him at every chance you got.

You would often knock on his door to bring him some freshly brewed tea, rummage through the archive or call him quirky nicknames you came up with. He could only roll his eyes at them, but secretly he began to like them and caught himself smiling whenever he thought of them. 

At first, he managed to remain distanced and only spoke to you when it was strictly necessary, but he soon began to warm up more and more. Until he would eventually find himself beginning to crave your presence every day.

And it was when he found himself looking at the empty chair you used to sit on almost every evening now, that he became aware of his feelings for you. The naggings and nicknames that used to bother him, now made his heart beat quicker and a tingly feeling made itself known in his stomach.

The simple image of your smile made the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. The sound of your voice always managed to soothe his nerves. And your absence made him feel incomplete.

It was then he had to admit to himself that there was no longer any point in denying it. He had inevitably fallen for you.

JING YUAN

When there was more administrative work to do on the Luofu due to the recent happenings, Qingzu, who was assisting Jing Yuan with the additional workload, proposed to hire someone else to help as well. To be precise, help with caring for the general’s lion, since it was usually Qingzu’s task. But since she was preoccupied with other matters right now, there was a distinct lack of time.

And that’s when you were hired.

You were tasked to care for Mimi in Qingzu’s stead from hereon out and seemed to immediately get along with the animal quite well, too. It certainly put Jing Yuan’s mind at ease to know that his lion was adequately cared for.

One day, when Jing Yuan returned earlier than usual from his duties he found you peacefully asleep on the sofa, your head comfortably nestled in the fur of the equally asleep lion. But he didn’t dare to disturb your slumber and returned to his desk with a smile on his face since he too felt the weight of sleep oftentimes throughout the day.

Once you awoke you practically jumped up when you saw him sitting at his desk already, ushering a shy “Oh, General. I didn’t expect you to be back home at such a time already. Forgive me.”

He just let out a soft chuckle in reply, assuring you that there was no need to worry and that it actually put his mind at ease that you got along so well with Mimi.

After this, he made a conscious effort to come back home earlier more often. And every time, without fail, he would find you sleeping together with his lion in the afternoon sun. Your peaceful expression and the quiet purr of his lion truly was a sight for sore eyes 

And if his lion loved you, what was he supposed to feel if not the same?

GEPARD

Gepard saw you for the first time when he stopped by his sister's workshop. He caught a quick glimpse of you before you vanished into the side room of the workshop again.

Of course, his sister immediately caught him staring. Because he stood there stunned and only stared holes into the door you vanished through. 

If Serval was good at one thing, it was reading Gepard like a book. And she only needed one look at his face to know exactly what he was thinking. Of course, she took the opportunity to tease him about it with a big grin across her face, much to the embarrassment of Gepard who only cleared his throat and diverted the topic, unable to hide the red blooming across his cheeks.

He soon found out that you were a singer and songwriter and that you and Serval sometimes performed together in a local club. And he found himself venturing there on his off days to watch your show. 

Serval introduced you to him and eventually, you began to become closer. Asking him if he would come to your next gig as well. And of course, he did. In fact, he did so often that he had all your songs memorized down to a T now and often found himself humming them absentmindedly throughout the day. 

And suddenly, as one of his subordinates asked him which song he keeps humming all the time now, he became aware of the feelings he harbored for you.

The warm, prickly feeling within his chest. The way his heartbeat quickened, or the corners of his mouth turned upwards involuntarily whenever he saw you, talked to you, or thought of you.

It was undeniable. He had fallen in love in love with you.

WELT

Welt and you were just colleagues. At least that's what he was trying to convince himself of at first. 

Research and worries about your mission often woke you up at night recently, so you often got up to brew a fresh pot of coffee. And Welt found you sitting in an armchair in the parlor car one night when he, too, got up in the middle of the night because his thoughts had kept him awake.

You offered him a cup of coffee as well before you sat back down. Each just sipped their coffee in silence. You gazed at the stars outside of the window of the Express while he tried to read some book to keep his mind off the thoughts that had kept him awake.

Yet, he found himself unable to concentrate on it and instead stole glances at you while rattling his brain about what he could talk about with you.

Eventually, you were the first one to break the silence. Initiating a conversation about the vastness of the universe and the thing that are yet beyond any human comprehension. Asking questions no man knew an answer to yet. And he was more than happy to indulge in the conversation. 

You ended up talking until the morning hours that night without the conversation ever dying down. He enjoyed the talk you had so much, he found himself thinking about it for weeks after.

Long deep talks over a fresh pot of coffee in the middle of the night should soon become a habit for both of you.

And he came to crave them so much that he even started setting an alarm at night and went to check if you were there again as well. And most of the time you were. 

One night, when he looked at you and saw the light of the stars reflect in your eyes once again, he too had to admit he was looking straight at a star himself.

Do not repost, copy, translate or edit - © dustofthedailylife || reblogs, comments, and asks about HSR or my fics are always greatly appreciated and motivate me! Maple dividers are mine - do not copy.

[vettelsvee]

Hey, how's it going?I have been thinking, for me, Seb gives off a GREAT vibe of a big family guy, who has a big family with the person he loves, my opinion of course. Could you write something like this?

E a propósito, adoro tudo o que você escreve!!

ROADTRIP TO MONACO | Sebastian Vettel

f1 masterlist | ao3 | requests or let's talk!

retired sebastian vettel x wife!reader

word count: 2894

summary: seb and a pregnant y/n go and have a trip to monaco with their three little ones after seb's retirement

warnings: none, just mentions of pregnancy sickness as y/n is on her first term of her pregnancy! fluff, lots of fluff, and dad!seb

a/n: i love that seb. i actually love seb and oscar so much that the only thing i want to do is write about them. i'll be waiting your feedback, comments and requests please! and also, don't forget reblogs are truly appreciated (also, so close to 1k! tysm to you all because i most of the times feel surreal with all of this and how much you seem to enjoy my fics). also, anon: hope you like this!

© VETTELSVEE (2024). please, do not steal, copy or translate my works. thanks for reading!

The soft melody of an alarm broke through the darkness of the bedroom Sebastian and you shared around one-thirty in the morning, interrupting the couple's deep sleep. Sebastian, still startled by the noise, managed to quickly stretch his arm to turn off the alarm in an attempt to fully wake up. Meanwhile, you rubbed your eyes, fighting against the tiredness.

"Is it already time to get up, sunshine?" you asked sleepily.

"Yes, darling, it's time," Seb nodded as he sat up in bed. "If we want to get to Monaco on time and avoid Charles from killing us. We should leave in about an hour and a half."

You yawned, curling up under the blankets.

"But it's too early, love… Don't you think we could, and should, sleep a little longer?"

Sebastian approached you and gently stroked your hair. He was aware that the fourth pregnancy was being a bit challenging for you compared to the previous three, despite being only in the second month.

If fatigue, nausea and dizziness were making life difficult for you at the moment, he didn't want to imagine how you would feel four months from now.

"Y/N, sweetheart, don't worry. Let me be in charge of waking up the kids and getting everything ready. You stay here and rest a little longer, okay? I promise I'll let you know when everything is ready so you only have to get in the car."

You looked at him with a tired but grateful expression. Still, you knew you had to help prepare the final details of the trip, and most importantly, make sure the kids were perfectly ready..

"Are you sure? I don't want you to take on all the work, really," you expressed with concern in your voice. "Even though I'm tired, I can help you..."

"I'm absolutely sure, darling," the man interrupted, smiling and giving you a warm kiss on the forehead. "These are the kinds of things I retired for, so focus on going back to sleep, alright? I'll see you in a bit, liebe."

"Sebastian…" you spoke again. "I'm really serious: we're in this together, and I don't want you to handle everything alone. It's a family trip, not a trip of Seb with his three kids. I want to help."

He admired your determination, but he wanted you to be treated as you deserved.

"I know, Y/N," he explained, "but I also know how tired you are. Really, allow yourself not to worry about your kids for once. I promise I'll wake you up soon enough so you can get ready."

You nodded, trying to avoid continuing the conversation and settling back into bed, closing your eyes and trying to sleep without thinking about how long your husband might take to prepare your kids.

Meanwhile, Sebastian left the room with determination and headed towards the children's rooms. Emily, Charlotte and Matilda slept all in different rooms, so he went from door to door, opening them gently and affectionately, and then approaching each bed.

He first woke up Charlotte, the middle one, who rubbed her eyes and looked at her father, confused.

"Dad, what's going on?" she asked, puzzled. "Did you have a nightmare and want to sleep with me? Or is mom having the baby?"

"No, no," Sebastian chuckled at his seven-year-old daughter's antics. "It's time to wake up. Remember we're going to Monaco today."

The little girl's eyes lit up immediately.

"Yes, that's right! We're going to your old workplace!"

After letting her fully wake up, the head of the family went to the room of the youngest, Matilda, who was four years old.

"Matilda, wake up, honey," whispered Vettel, giving her a gentle tap on her shoulder. "We have an exciting day ahead. We're going to see those fast cars daddy used to drive."

The youngest Vettel lazily stretched in his small bed and yawned. Sebastian then smiled, picking her up while she just wanted to hug Seb. 

"That's what I like to see, little one," he commented, tousling her hair. "Let me dress you so mom doesn't have to worry too much, okay?"

Both the children and Sebastian hurried to get ready. There was no doubt that, despite the sleepiness, the family was full of energy and excitement for what awaited them in the country about seven hours from their residence.

After also waking up Emily, your eldest, and making sure all of them were ready, Seb put cartoons on the living room TV to keep the children entertained and returned to his room, where you were still resting, seemingly peacefully asleep.

"Honey, the kids are ready. They're waiting for us in the living room. Are you feeling better?" he whispered as softly as he could, gently stroking your arm.

You opened her eyes and sat up in bed, stretching aggressively. “Thank you so much for getting our little devils ready, I owe you one."

He tenderly kissed you on the lips.

"You don't owe me anything, you did enough effort to bring them into the world and act as both father and mother when I wasn't around. Let me help you get ready, we have a great day ahead."

Quickly, Seb helped you change you clothes, gently touching your small but already slightly prominent pregnant belly. Once you were finally dressed in sportswear for comfort, you both walked hand in hand out of the room and headed to the living room, where your children were already waiting impatiently.

After making sure everything was ready and the kids had no further needs, you all headed to the garage, quickly getting into the family car. While Sebastian made sure the suitcases fit perfectly in the trunk, you took care of buckling the children up and offering them a few games or movies to keep them entertained on the way, although you were quite aware they would end up asleep.

"Are you all ready?" you inquired, turning around from the passenger seat and looking at her children with a smile as Seb began to start the car.

"Yes, mommy, let's go!" exclaimed little Matilda, who received cheers from her sisters.

With the car's engine purring softly, they set off on the Swiss roads amidst the darkness of the night, which, despite being synonymous with tiredness, brought a surge of energy to the youngest members of the family, where conversations and plans for Monaco came to the forefront.

"Do you think grandpa Norbert is going to come, Dad? I heard you talking to him the other day," exclaimed Charlotte, once again showing her admiration for Sebastian's sister. "Is grandma Heike coming too?"

"I want to hear the loud noises of the cars and see how fast they go," Emily added immediately, excited.

Sebastian smiled as he drove, very happy to hear the excitement of his children and, especially, to be sharing such an experience with you all not only after his retirement.

As the hours went by, tiredness arrived, and the children fell asleep. Quite the opposite happened with you: you woke up when you no longer heard the sudden conversations between the siblings. As you progressed along the winding roads and approached Monegasque territory, the sky began to lighten, giving them a beautiful sunrise.

"Look, honey, the sun is rising," you commented to Seb, pointing to the horizon stained with warm colors. "I can't believe we're finally arriving in Monaco after weeks of waiting..."

After a couple more hours of driving, and lively conversation among the family resulting from a brief stop for breakfast and in your case, vomiting a couple of times, you arrived in Monaco. The city looked completely different from any other time of the year as the streets were adorned with flags and banners for the Grand Prix. Furthermore, the grandstands, the paddock, and the countless yachts docked in the harbor made Monte Carlo seem even richer than it already was.

"We're here, guys," Sebastian announced to his children sweetly. "If you need something, just make sure to tell me, alright?”

Seb parked the Mercedes in a parking lot reserved for VIP guests, and then got out of the car to help you. He made then a phone call, possibly to Leclerc, your kids began to stroke your belly. You reacted early and quickly moved them away, aware that journalists and paparazzi could discover the secret.

"Let's follow dad, guys," you whispered to them, getting down to their level. "And remember: no one, not Uncle Charles or anyone who asks you, can know that dad and I have made a little baby, okay?"

The children nodded in response to your question, which somewhat reassured you were still nervous. However, the excitement began to set in as you walked alongside your kids, following Seb towards the place where the free practice sessions would take place, partially pushing aside your worries. The sound of the engines grew louder with each step you took, with the youngest of the family covering her ears with his little hands.

"Look, mommy: there's the Ferrari team!" exclaimed Emily pointing towards the red team's garage.

Charles appeared in his racing suit, as Free Practice was set to begin in just thirty minutes.

As soon as he spotted your husband, who was slightly ahead of all of you, he raised his arms in the air with great joy at seeing him again on the circuits, a wide smile adorning his face.

"Charles!" exclaimed Seb when he finally reached the Monegasque, giving him a strong hug. "Thank you so much for inviting us. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. The kids are very excited to be here, and especially to see you."

Leclerc returned the hug to the German, reminiscing about the two years they were teammates.

"You don't have to thank me, Seb," replied the Ferrari driver. "I'm sure Emily and Charlie remember something, but I know it's all new for Matilda. Anyway, I'm sure they'll enjoy it like the first time, just like Y/N!"

As the conversation continued between the two men, you and the kids surrounded the Ferrari driver, who felt a bit shy seeing the children's excited faces.

"Thank you, Charles," you expressed with your little ones embracing you somewhat shyly. "We're very grateful that you made it possible for us to come," you leaned closer to the Monegasque and whispered: "and don't tell anyone, but despite Ferrari's shitty strategies, you're doing great."

After a few minutes of conversation catching up on your respective live, and where Seb almost revealed you were expecting your fourth child, Charlotte, Emily and Matilda crowded around Charles, excited to see their father's former teammate again. Despite the constant denials from the team engineers, he managed to let your kids have a close look at his car.

"Look," said Charles, excitedly, pointing to the vehicle, "this is the car I'll be practicing with today, and that's my teammate's, Carlos," he pointed to the car beside it. "What do you think?"

The children's eyes widened with passion as they began to examine the car closely.

"Can we touch it, Uncle Charles?" asked the four-year-old, grabbing Leclerc's race suit pants.

Charles smiled, nodding enthusiastically, inwardly melting at the scene he was witnessing. He wished he could see himself like that with Olivia in a few years.

"Of course, but do it quickly so you father doesn’t get fined again," he said jokingly.

While the kids explored the car, and after you joined them shortly after, Charles and Seb began to converse animatedly yet seriously about the expectations for the Grand Prix and the sensations he had so far in the 2024 Formula 1 season.

The sudden hustle in the Ferrari garage made it clear that Free Practice 1 was about to begin. Sebastian and Charles had their conversation interrupted when Leclerc's beloved engineer insisted he get into the car as soon as possible. It was finally time for you to head to the corresponding grandstand to enjoy the practice session.

The Monegasque was forced, much to his regret, to interrupt his conversation with the your husband. Seb, however, understood, and immediately turned to you all, who were eagerly waiting to go to the best spot to watch the cars go around.

"Come with me, kids," notedhim, "it's time to go up to the VIP grandstand to get a better view of the session."

Taking Matilda in his arms, holding his daughters' hands with his free hand, and with you on his left, you all formed a little chain to avoid getting lost in the commotion on you way to the designated spot.

You were moved by the scene you were witnessing. Holding onto Seb's free arm, you tried to control your tears as your followed your husband's lead.

Minutes later, you had found your reserved seats, but numerous fans who had recognized Seb had delayed him. You were used to this, as were your kids. Moreover, none of your minded as they were aware that Seb had done great things for and in the world of motorsport.

“Look dad!”, exclaimed Emily excitedly as her father sat down next to her, “That's Charles! He's going really fast!”

"Yes, he's going fast indeed, Emily," Seb answered, still in shock at what he was witnessing after many time.

As the practice hour progressed, you captured some moments of the family with your camera, all of them fully caught up in the energy emanating from the circuit at that moment. The applause and words of encouragement, though impossible to hear for the drivers, were felt as the local hero made his appearance on the track.

When it came to an end, faster than they thought, you all made your way back to the Ferrari garage, where Charles had promised to meet his former teammate after the session.

Once there, you saw the blue-eyed with his girlfriend, Alexandra, engaged in lively conversation, likely about what had happened on the track during the previous hour. Charles, upon seeing Sebastian with you at the garage door, hurried over as fast as he could.

"Seb, I thought you'd be gone!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I didn't get to see you: you know, speed problems," he laughed at his own bad joke, "but I'm sure you had a good time, and your amazing wife and kids did too, right?"

Matilda and Charlotte shouted in unison. You and Emily nodded quickly.

"I'm really impressed, Charles," Vettel said enthusiastically. "Apart from the track being in wonderful condition, the weather cooperating, and not having too many idiots running around today, your performance has been incredible."

Alex joined the conversation, greeting your and the kids first, and then Seb.

"It's been wonderful seeing you in the stands. I wish I didn't have to stay locked up in the garage all day, but there are these crazy Charles fangirls out there..." she joked.

You laughed at the comment. If she only knew all that you had to go through in the early years of your relationship with Seb…

"Anyways…" Leclerc began, placing his arm around his girlfriend's waist. "Alex and I have been talking these past few days and we'd like to ask you if you'd like to join us for dinner tonight. It would be nice for us to spend some time together, just relaxing, and celebrate that you've finally come back around here," he explained, looking directly at your husband.

"But really, if it's any inconvenience for you," she hurried to add, "or if you need to head back home or..."

Sebastian looked at you, who nodded excitedly at the proposal.

"It would be an honor, Charles."

After exchanging details for the dinner, they bid farewell momentarily due to Leclerc's press commitments. During that time, you returned to the hotel where you would stay for a couple of days to freshen up and prepare for dinner, as managing three children wasn't an easy or simple task.

When you met again, this time at the restaurant, you were warmly welcomed by its members. Dinner unfolded amid laughter and lively conversations, mostly revolving around Formula 1 anecdotes and your private lives.

As the night progressed, Seb and Charles delved into deeper topics about the world that absorbed so much of their lives. Alex and you, on the other hand, got to know each other more and realized they had more in common than you initially thought.

The children, meanwhile, were having the time of their lives: Charlie, Emily, and Matilda, who fell asleep early, spent the night playing games with the young couple, who still seemed like kids in your eyes.

"I hope you've enjoyed the day, guys," Charles said, raising his glass of wine. "I hope we can enjoy many more moments together, especially when the little one comes because, Y/N, I know there’s a reason why you’re not drinking alcohol when you like wine so much."

"Cheers!" you all exclaimed while you tried not to get nervous and more shy than you actually were, laughing at the revealed secret. 

As you continued to enjoy the delicious food, along with the laughter and entertaining stories, you knew that trip to Monaco would become a cherished memory in the years to come. There was no doubt you should definitely do this more often and, above all, around the world if given the chance, something you had been waiting for years.

[theminecraftbee]

Also, shoutout to Impulse for getting stuck in two of those worlds in ONE DAY. Joe revealed that the recording for what we now know as vault hunters was also last monday. Impulse is really going through it.

Impulse sweats. For the past several minutes, Iskall has been staring at him and "hmmm"-ing for some reason. His only solace is that he's also doing it to Etho, but it's still making Impulse feel like he's got something weird on his face. That, or Iskall has suddenly and unexpectedly transformed back into his original villager state. One or the other.

He glances at Etho, who shrugs awkwardly at Impulse. He looks back at Iskall, who is still 'HMMM'-ing, increasingly furiously.

"Do you think he wants us to say something?" Etho asks.

"I mean, I guess?" Impulse says. "He could just ask."

"He's just going to keep humming at us, though," Etho says. "That's scary."

"Scary?" Impulse says, blankly.

"HMMMMM," Iskall says with an irritated expression.

"Scary," Etho confirms. Impulse sighs.

"Okay, I'll handle it. Hey, Iskall," Impulse says.

"Oh, I didn't see you there," Iskall blatantly lies.

"Right. You're, uh, sounding a bit concerned, buddy," Impulse says.

"Right, yes. Very concerned. Did you know you and Etho are already claimed? And, like, super cursed."

"Uh, I got a divorce with Cleo, you know," Etho says, completely straight-faced. "I'm a bachelor now. Not claimed by anyone."

"I'm not sure Bdubs and I ever got a divorce," Impulse says.

"No, no, not claimed like that! Claimed like--I did warn you all, yes? That my patrons would not like it if you came with other gods all over you? They get jealous of each other, let alone whoever you have... doing that to you."

Impulse and Etho glance at each other again. Impulse looks back at Iskall. "Yeah, I think I'd remember if I were claimed by any gods. I don't really... worship any, these days."

"If I worship any gods, Iskall, they're not the kind yours can do anything about," Etho says.

"What?" Impulse says.

"I mean, I'm old! I'm old, Impulse! I've met a lot of gods! Some of them I have opinions on!" Etho says.

"No, I've met yours too, they won't cause problems, yeah?" Iskall says.

"Thank goodness," Etho says.

"Sometimes I forget how old you two are," mutters Impulse. "That doesn't answer the whole... already claimed?"

"Yeah, like, it stinks off of you to me. It's like... you've got... someone's already claimed you to kill players, not mobs. And your health is all wonky. And you're keeping secrets or... kept secret? And don't even get me STARTED on how much time you have. All wrong. Who did you even find to do that to you?"

Impulse freezes.

"...the time was last season," he says, finally.

"Last season? What?" Iskall says.

"Yeah, that was--you know what, tell your gods not to worry about it," Impulse says. "I'm sure it's. Fine? Hey, wait, how can you tell?"

Iskall shakes his head like he's trying to knock something out of his ear. "They're annoying about it. Make whatever curse you're under go away while you're here or they're going to make it my problem. Mine! As though I can do anything about it. Go to the mortal world, they say. Bring your friends back here, they say. We want to meet them, they say. They're so annoying."

Etho, without skipping a beat, says: "Yeah, are those gods or the mother I saw last night?"

There's an ominous roll of thunder.

"Oh, definitely your mom," he says. There is a second, even more ominous roll of thunder happens, somehow entirely focused on Etho's location. Impulse decides to ignore it.

"I'll bother Grian about it," Impulse decides. He somewhat doubts Grian is a god--man, he really, really hopes Grian isn't a god, actually--but maybe he knows that Secret Keeper guy. That feels like the kind of guy who probably did this to them.

"Do that," Iskall says, and he wanders off to bother Stress.

Etho watches him go. "You know, maybe we should worry about the fact we're cursed because of the Life games. That seems, uh, bad," he says.

Impulse thinks about it and shrugs. "Eh, what's the worst that can happen?"

A long silence.

"Don't answer that," he tells the silence, before it can ominously thunder again. He knows the kinds of things that will lead to gods mocking him, after all.

[whispereons]

Oracle!Reader Part 3

Masterlist - Part 1, Part 2, Part 4

The Kamisato Estate was truly more beautiful in person. That little courtyard in the game was a joke compared to the real thing.

The few servants still awake at this time pass by as Thoma leads you into the estate. Almost all of them give Thoma some sort of greeting as they pass by. A smile, a wave or even a 'hey Thoma!'. They give you curious looks but no one comments on your presence.

At least you don't realize how they raise their eyebrows at Thoma holding your hand. It's not completely unusual for Thoma to be extra friendly in this way but bringing someone to the estate was a whole new thing.

"If you don't mind, you can wait here for my lord and my lady." Thoma opens the door to the room as he speaks. Its a drawing room with a window to the outside. The moonlight seeps in as the curtain blows.

You take a seat on the cushion as best as you remember the formal way. Inazuma style was inspired by Japan and you didn't know a lot of Japan customs.

The door closes softly and you're left to your thoughts. It's not long before the soft pitter patter of footsteps are heard coming from the hallway.

The door opens and Ayaka in comfortable clothes steps in with a smile. Her hair is loose and it's a good look on her. You stand up and bow politely.

"Its an honor to meet the Shirasagi Himegimi. My name is Y/N."

Ayaka smiles gracefully and gives a polite bow back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Y/N. Thoma has explained a few things about you, most specifically your position as the creator's oracle."

It's clear by the gleam in her eyes that she doesn't believe you at all. You keep a peaceful expression on your face as Ayaka continues.

"My brother was in a meeting for most of the day and would like to address your situation tomorrow at a more convenient time. We'll have arrangements made for you to sleep here tonight."

That's fair, the moon is high in the sky. You don't need a clock to know that. But she could have easily asked Thoma to rely this to you. Meaning she wants to talk to you about something privately.

You purposely wring your hands in fake nerves to test her alertness to your actions. Her eyes immediately notice it. Either the game downplayed her attentiveness or she's just super relaxed around the traveler.

"No need to be nervous. I just wanted to speak with you for a while before tomorrow. After all, maybe my brother doesn't need to speak to you for us to know the truth about you."

It's a threat your mind supplies. A threat that if Ayaka herself could see past your lies and deceit, that she'll kick you out immediately. In fact you bet the Shuumatsuban are already looking into you as Ayaka takes the seat across from you.

There's a soft knock on the door before Ayaka says a quiet "Come in." A young servant comes in with a tea set and placed it on the table between Ayaka and you.

There's only the clinking of China and the pouring of tea as the servant brews tea. After pouring a cup for both of you the servant bows and leaves.

"Then I'll bite your bait. What do you want to know? How do you want me to prove myself?"

You know that's not what she's actually after at this moment. She's probably well aware that Ayato is better suited to figuring out any lies or schemes you might have to sell your oracle position.

"No, that's not what I came to talk about at all. I'm more interested in hearing your opinion on the creator and other topics."

She wants to know if you're truly a fake believer using the creator's name for nefarious acts. Or a crazy fanatic worshipper who convinced themselves that they are a oracle.

You feel a little happy seeing Ayaka stay up this late to help Ayato with his work. Even if it means being cross-examined by her.

You bring the teacup to your lips and take your time to savor the taste. At least you would be able to taste it if you weren't nervous to hell and back.

"Well due to my memory loss I don't know much about the creators past. So I'll need you to be more specific on what you want my opinion on."

"The Electro Archon started the vision hunt decree as a way to get closer to the creator and achieve eternity. The creator helped the traveler get the decree repealed. But many citizens that suffered due to the decree can't help but feel hurt that the creator wasn't more open on their opposition."

This was a hard subject but it's exactly what you need.

"It's understandable that they feel that way. I can't speak on my personal experience since I don't remember anything at that time but the effects have permanently altered Inazuma."

You take a breath as you prepare your words that may or may not damn you.

"The creator shouldn't be blamed for not being more open as they are stuck in a different world with who knows what kind of restrictions. At the same time, the people of Inazuma shouldn't be so reliant on the gods, both the Shogun and the creator."

Ayaka's stare is cold and unnerving. She stays as silent as snowfall as you speak. Was it just you or did the room get colder?

"The creator has lived in a different world all this time. I believe they want everyone and every being to flourish on their own with their own power. That's what visions help with. This blind reliance and trust in the Shogun is what led to so many Inazuma residents to suffer. Not necessarily because they caused it but they enabled it because the majority didn't question the decree and simply accepted the reasoning without a fight. While vision holders are a minority, they still exist. And their decisions and actions have ripple effects that do effect the majority of Inazuma."

A visible steam breath leaves your mouth as ice begins to crawl from the floor where Ayaka sits. Her bangs cast a shadow that leaves her expression unreadable. Goosebumps cover your exposed skin as you continue.

"Would the creator really be happy with overly dependent subjects? Is a parent happy when they see their child refuse to use their gifts and hard work to achieve their dreams? The creator loves Teyvat and everything in it. The good and bad has shaped the world they created. And I believe they love it all. Not that they wish harm but nothing can live without harming something. That's a hard truth people try to deny."

Frostbite strikes your fingers as they start turning a pale blue. The ice is about to touch the cushion you're sitting on.

Then it all stops. The temperature goes back to normal and the ice shatters leaving the shards broken on the floor. Your heart rate goes back to normal.

Ayaka stands and holds out her hand to you. You don't move and merely stare at the smile that's basically frozen on her face.

"I can't say that I agree with you but I find your viewpoint fascinating. It's fresh and bold. I'll leave brother to make the final decision about how trustworthy you are."

It seems your gamble payed off as you place your hand in hers. Her skin is chilly as she pulls you up before releasing you. She seems lost in her head as she leads you out the room.

You follow her down the empty halls as her hair gracefully flows behind her. Truly the title Shirasagi Himegimi suits her.

She stops at a door and opens it. The room is small but cozy. It has a neat bed, small bedside drawer, coffee table and a window showing the courtyard.

"You can sleep here for tonight. Breakfast will be delivered to you here as well. Brother's schedule is a bit unpredictable so he'll visit sometime before the afternoon."

"Thank you for your hospitality." Is your reply as you step into the room. Ayaka hasn't dropped that polite smile even as she closes the door.

You stand in your spot in the middle of the room as you hear Ayaka's soft footsteps gradually get quieter. It's only when nothing can be heard that your body loosens the tension and slumps.

Your back softly hits the door and you let your body slide down into a fetal position. The cold that ate away at your body earlier was still lingering.

Was your body still cold or was it just a phantom feeling after that display of power?

You still didn't consider Ayaka a threat. At least not mentally as she doesn't even need her vision to murder you. The Kamisato Clan is known for their sword techniques after all.

It's was Ayato. You could have pulled the same act you did to Sara. Acting meek and shy while gushing about the creator. And you know full well that Ayaka would have fallen for it before handing you off to Ayato.

But that plan only worked under the premise that you would be meeting them both in the same day. By Ayaka meeting you today and Ayato tomorrow, Ayato gets information about you from Ayaka and can look into you through the Shuumatsuban.

That would let Ayato think up a counter or even use your act against you. You can already imagine him using your oracle act as a way to bring you to Ei. She would recogize you by your voice and that would mean the end for you. No fried egg would save you from that fate.

The only way to avoid that was by playing a whole new viewpoint that would leave Ayaka feeling confused. Ayaka would report to Ayato and Ayato would feel a stronger need to meet you himself. The more unpredictable you were, the less cards Ayato had.

Your hand reach up to your mask and you're about to take it off. You slam your hand into your lap, away from the mask as you remember the Shuumatsuban.

There's no way that the Ayato, would let a suspicious person in the estate and let them stay the night without supervision.

Your suspicions made everything around you look shady. Like Sayu was hiding in plain sight at this very moment. But acting so skeptical would only make them in turn more suspicious.

Your stomach growling was what snapped you out of your thoughts. The last thing you ate was those roasted lavender melon with the Arataki gang. You missed them dearly.

You hold your stomach as the familiar hunger pains started. Getting off the floor and lazily draping your bag on the bedside drawer, you flop onto the bed.

God did it feel great.

After walking, running, lying, stealing and bullshitting your way through the whole day, you were utterly exhausted. Plus this mattress was wonderful. Nothing like the beat up and dirty mattresses you were used to sleeping on in Earth.

As you shimmied onto your back to stare up at the ceiling, another pang of hunger hit you.

Didn't they have etiquette for this? Maybe something like late night guests would be offered a snack and a place to rest?

Your bitter chuckle rings throughout the room. You may be in the guest room but you highly doubt they see you as a guest. There was no way you were waking someone up for food. You've spent nights starving before, you could do it again.

Your eyelids drift shut every so often as nerves pricked at you. Knowing that a Shuumatsuban is watching over you has kept you awake despite your exhaustion. Your mask is still on your face adding to the uncomfortable feeling of being watched.

But everyone has a limit and you've reached yours. The mental stress, lack of food, and injuries took their toll on you. It's impossible to remember when you fell asleep.

Hands. The feeling of hands on you makes your heart drop. It's just a dream you try to tell yourself as the hands continue touching.

It's taking something. Money? Food? Clothes? Those were the only things you had left after leaving.

It's only when the hands are touching your face and reaching for something hard and cold on your face that you sit up in a flash.

You weren't on the streets, you haven't been on the run for a while. Not yet at least. You were in Genshin Impact you remind yourself.

A shadowy blur moves away from you as you keep your hand over your mask that was almost pulled off.

The little mujina ears on the assailant gives away their identity.

Sayu uses her Yoohoo to disappear before you could react. But you still feel on edge, as if at any moment more Shuumatsuban will come out and hold you down. Ripping off your mask, exposing-

You let out a breath. Deep breaths are the only thing you focus on to calm the rising panic. To keep away the hands reaching out for you from the shadows.

You don't sleep after that.

The sun rises and the estate slowly gets louder as servants bustle about. Your eyes tirelessly read a book in the archive on the screen. The eyebags that you usually have are darker than normal.

You decided to read through the Genshin archive in the Paimon menu to stay awake. It was a good refresher on the events of the game and the characters. You needed to use all the resources you had.

You also noticed a difference. All the books were either slightly changed or had a overhaul to fit someone in. The creator. All the books from each of the nations have some sort of mention, indication or even a chapter dedicated to you.

Did the books change once you entered Teyvat? Did everyone and everything change to acknowledge a creator when you entered Teyvat? Or was it always there and only by entering Teyvat were you able to view that specific information?

Two knocks on the door snap you out of your head and you open the door. The servant bows and hands you a tray of food. You thank them and are sure to be extra gentle as you hold it.

The moment the door is closed, you shove a piece of bread into your mouth. You close your eyes in relief and savor the taste of freshly baked bread.

With the tray on the table you eat in a hurry. You don't recognize half the dishes or the ingredients but you don't care. It's tasty, filling and hot.

With the tray picked clean, you lean against the window and try to sense if the Shuumatsuban were still watching you. After a beat of no sense of danger or unease, you guess that they have more important things to do with the sun up.

You get comfortable on the window sill as you look out the window. Many people pass by as you watch. People watching was fun in times like these where there was nothing else to do.

A flash of blue and red enter your vision making you more alert. It's Ayaka and Thoma.

You unlock the window and raise it halfway. At the same time you reach for the book you were pretending to read during the night.

With the book comfortably on your lap and your eyes on it, you focus on the faint sound of their voices.

Damn, they're too far away. If you lean out any farther you'll draw eyes. Just as you're about to give up, the wind starts to blow in your direction.

You're suddenly able to hear their voices clearly while the voices closer to you are drowned out. Strange but you aren't going to take it for granted.

"You spoke with Y/N last night right? How was it my lady?"

"Different." You can basically taste the resentment and confusion.

"I'm sorry it didn't go so well. I thought you would feel a instant connection like I had."

Oh? This immediate liking to you seems to be a pattern rather than a coincidence at this point.

"I didn't feel anything. Not a instant dislike, although I admit I am biased hearing them be referred to as the creator's oracle. I just felt blank. The conversation was strange, their answers were like no other."

Was there no connection because you haven't pulled for her?

"I'm going to need a bit more than that to tell you any advice my lady."

"I asked for their opinion on the creator regarding the Vision Hunt Decree. Their answers were so contradictory that I was becoming frustrated."

Ayaka's voice grew a little louder as she started to rant about you.

"On one hand they downplay the creators existence and power. On the other they're sympathetic to the creators feelings and any restrictions the creator might have wherever they may be. If anything they seem to blame the residents and the Shogun more than anything else. Which would be good if they didn't discredit the creator in the same breath!"

Thoma nervously laughs at Ayaka getting so worked up over you. It seems you have a natural knack for bringing out some of her hidden sides.

"I can't say that I'm not ashamed of how I lost control of my vision and temper for a bit. It's so unlike me and I'm quite embarrassed. I have an image to uphold as the Shirasagi Himegimi after all."

Her words are so sad and disappointed that you almost feel bad for messing with her like that. Almost.

"Honestly my lady, I'm not totally surprised that Y/N said something like that. In fact they implied something similar in my last conversation with them as we walked here. You see-"

Thoma's voice fades away as the wind stops blowing. You frown and are about to look up from the book you've had your eyes on when things start to shake.

Every moment or so you feel yourself vibrate as if an earthquake is happening. You look around and see everyone acting normally. Perhaps this shaking is connected to the wind that help you eavesdrop.

The shaking stops and the wind blows from under the door of your room. What would have been silent footsteps become deafening sounds as you realize that someone is heading for your room.

It's probably Ayato you think as you put away the book.

Most likely Ayato you think as you fix your clothes and reposition your mask.

It's Ayato you confirm as the man himself opens the door to see you sitting at the coffee table with a smile. His suit is crisp and clean, not a single speck of dirt can be seen.

Rude, it's rude to open the door without at least knocking. You bow politely in your seat and speak without letting your thoughts and feeling slip out at all.

"It's an honor to meet you Lord Kamisato."

Rude, it's rude to not stand up as you greet someone new. Ayato speaks in a smooth voice. You almost hate how good it sounds in person.

"It's lovely to meet you too Y/N."

His words make your eyes fall to the mole below his lip. You try to ignore his absolutely horrendous amount of layers he's wearing as he sits down. The long sleeves fold perfectly without creasing. There's no doubt that he's familiar with information digging.

"I apologize for not being able to see you yesterday. You arrived quite late at night and I saw no reason to rush to meet a scammer."

Ah, that familiar title. You never accepted it with pride but you couldn't deny it. Even now the title 'scammer' suited you.

"The Kamisato Clan much like many others are heavily involved with the creator. We have access to both government records and oversea records of the creator. Yet not a single one of them ever talks about a oracle or the possibility of one."

"Did any of the text deny the ability for a oracle to exist?"

A shot in the dark but it seemed to work as Ayato diverted to a different topic.

"That little loophole won't work forever. What I'm more curious about is how you managed to get Thoma to bring you here."

"I just wanted a boat to Liyue to continue my work. Itto, your 'bro', brought me to Thoma and I divulged some private information to Thoma. I'm sure he already told you so I don't see the point in asking me. I will admit that I wasn't expecting to be brought here."

Ayato is good, he didn't even react when you mentioned Itto's 'bro' thing with him. A conversation with him is just as nerve wracking as you thought it would be.

"Yes, that little piece of information you told him was something. You could be the creators oracle but that's the least likely option. Wouldn't be more logical to assume that you got it from one of the Kamisato's many enemies?"

A threat drenched in the sweetest honey is all you hear. Anyone else would either get mad and fall for Ayato's little bait. Or get nervous and give him more reason to suspect that possibility.

You do neither and double down on your stance.

"Least likely doesn't mean impossible. It's not like you can drag me to all your enemies and ask them if I belong to them. I'm a oracle and able to prove it."

"Or I could just have the Shuumatsuban get the information from you. Whether you're an enemy spy or not, you don't have anyone looking for you. And if anyone does come asking for you then that's just another lead for me."

He pulled no punches with that one. He flat out said he could just torture you and anyone that comes asking for you. If you really were from this world and was faking the oracle stuff then Ayato would definitely go through on this threat.

"I don't understand what you think I'm trying to do with a oracle job that I don't flaunt. If I really was a fake, wouldn't I be spreading it like fire?"

"As true as that might be, that doesn't remove you from suspicions. I mean, even though you're trying to stay low, here you are trying to convince me that you're the real deal. Doesn't seem very low profile to me."

Twisting words and intentions was a tricky but useful tool. Something you both were skilled in using it seems. It seems being a scammer and a politician aren't that different.

You could try to explain from the beginning but it would only be seen as a excuse. Ayato would probably find it amusing, his voice lines spoke about him finding enjoyment in people squirming come to mind.

Instead you shrug and stay silent letting him win this round. He sighs seeming disappointed before placing some papers from who knows where onto the table.

"So I was right to assume you took your sweet time to investigate me. Judging from how there's only a few pages, you didn't find much."

Ayato lets you read through the papers. That's probably a sign that if you can't prove yourself then he'll kill you. You try not to think too hard about it as you put the papers back down.

"You claimed to have woken up at a shrine somewhere near Ritou and strangely enough, anyone that should have been there at that time can't seem to remember."

"Remember me or remember in general?"

"In general." He leans closer with a calm facade keeping his curiosity at bay. "I wonder why that is."

"Don't expect me to remember anyone there at that time. I was too busy reorienting myself to notice much."

"I don't expect much from you anyway." Ouch. "But I'd say I've given you more than enough time to come clean. Are you ready to prove yourself Y/N?"

"I-"

"Oh and I won't be asking for the same proof the others accepted. I require something more concrete than a switched weapon and old information."

Well it wasn't like you could tell the future, well maybe you could if you played your cards right but you had something else planned for Ayato.

"No need to worry Lord Kamisato, I have something you'll be forced to believe."

"No disappearing acts either."

"Even if I show proof of where I disappeared to?"

"That all depends on what sort of proof you provide. I have strict requirements."

"Tell me about it."

"Pardon?"

"What?"

You don't give Ayato a moment to process your sass as you stand up and walk over to his side of the table. You hold out your hand to him with a purposefully cunning smile. There's no need to hide that sort of thing from him.

"I hope you won't die of heatstroke in those clothes since we'll have to go outside for this. Get ready to get your clothes dirty, rich boy."

A huff of amusement leaves him as he gets up on his own ignoring your hand. You drop it with a uncaring shrug and begin walking out the door.

It's only when you stop at the doorway that you turn to face him. He's smirking at you knowing exactly what you're going to say next.

"So where's the exit?"

You stand in front of the blue teleport waypoint outside the Kamisato estate. You glance behind you to make sure Thoma, Ayaka, and Ayato were all still there.

You clap your hands to grab their attention. Which was unnecessary for Ayato as he hasn't stopped staring at you. Seems he was taking the 'no disappearing' thing seriously.

"Just to make sure, only those being controlled by the creator can use the teleport waypoint. Meaning normal people, vision holders, acolytes and even awakened acolytes cannot use it correct?"

They all nod and Ayato seems to catch on to what you're about to do. Jokes on him because he's wrong.

"Then watch and try not to burn your eyes."

With that as your only warning, you touch the teleport waypoint. It glows brightly as gold starts to takeover the blue color. Turning back around with a smile you look to see their reactions.

With different degrees of shock, Thoma seems the most impressed. Ayaka composes herself quickly as expected of her considering her title. Ayato does seem surprised but his smile seems more excited rather than trusting.

"Was that enough proof?" Your question has no clear reciprocate but it's clearly directed to Ayato.

He shakes his head no and explains more for Ayaka and Thoma who gave him questioning glances.

"As good as this seems, I still have my suspicions. And something tells me you have more up your sleeve."

"Yeah, cause something told me this wouldn't be enough to convince you. Which is also why I asked that Thoma and Lady Kamisato accompany us."

You walk the few steps back to them and look towards the Grand Narukami Shrine. You point up there with a smile as you think about what you're about to put Ayato through.

"You know how there's a teleport waypoint all the way at the Grand Narukami Shrine? Well I have to get up there to make that one gold too. And since Lord Kamisato doesn't want me disappearing, it seems he'll have to come with me."

The color in Ayaka's face drains with every word you say. She's quickly realizing just how long it'll take and how much Ayato will have to work overtime to catch up.

"Can't you go down to the teleport waypoint in Chinju Forest instead? It's around the same distance but will be faster since it's not up a mountain." Thoma asks trying to lessen Ayato's workload.

You smile with a little too much joy but you could afford to slip up a little every now and then.

"That would be far too dangerous! I mean Lord Kamisato with an untrustworthy individual like me, alone in a forest like that? The Grand Narukami Shrine has many visitors and shrine maidens so he'll be safe on the journey there."

"Brother is strong and has a vision. Surely there's no need for you both to travel to the shrine. No offense but my brother could deal with you just fine."

"Oh I wholeheartedly agree with you there but! It seems Lord Kamisato thinks differently seeing as he had the Shuumatsuban watch over me while I was sleeping last night."

Ayaka and Thoma freeze at the information and give a Ayato a questioning look. Ayato who was content with watching this debate gives them both a serene smile.

He doesn't apologize but you never expected him too. This was your way of revenge for leaving you hungry rather than the spying.

"It seems Y/N is right about the shrine being the best option. The hike to there is at least 30 minutes. Please let any visitors know that I'll be back in around an hour or so."

You don't feel as satisfied seeing Ayato take the punishment with such grace but you don't let that show.

"Thoma, Lady Kamisato please make sure to be at the teleport waypoint at least 10 minutes before the first 30 minutes. It's necessary for me to prove myself."

Thoma and Ayaka give a confused nod but avoid questioning it. They go back inside and you see Ayato walking towards the stairs to Chinju Forest instead of the stairs up that lead to the electrograna.

"Lord Kamisato, the electrograna is at the other staircase, why are you going down this way?"

He stops and smiles at you knowing something you apparently didn't.

"The electrograna only work for those being controlled by the creator and electro vision holders. Since we are neither, we'll have to take the extra long civilian route."

Unexpected but not impossible to work with.

"Then let me at least try to activate it. I'm not the traveler or a acolyte but I was able to get the teleport waypoint to respond to me. The electrograna may be similar."

"Respond doesn't always equal work. I know you want to teleport using the structure, which won't work, but alright lets try the electrograna."

His arrogance and confidence in his words are both understandable and annoying. You'll show him. You seem to begin doing this not for your oracle identity but to take him down a peg.

You walk side by side as you guys climb the stairs and walk under the red gate. The Thunder Sakura Boughs come into view before you both stop in front of it.

Before you could even give yourself a mental pat on the back for remembering the name of the Sakura Bough, Ayato speaks with an annoyed tone.

"Well? While you may have all day to admire it, I do not."

"Aren't opportunities like this hard to come by? Shouldn't you at least try to enjoy such a sunny day to bask in?" You say with a sigh making it your mission to kill as much time as possible.

"Even so, I would hate to cut your little show short for things that actually matter."

You know he doesn't mean it completely since the whole 'blue turns to gold' definitely showed something. But you still feel annoyed. With a roll of your eyes, you reach into the Sakura Bough and grab the electrograna.

With a smug smile you pull it out and show it to Ayato. "Seems my deduction was correct. We get to take the shortcuUUTT"

You scream as the electrograna connects to a thundersphere above the next boulder and yanks you towards it. You release the electrograna and your back hits the boulder with a thud.

You groan as you lie on your back and try to deal with the growing pain in your back. Your eyes snap open as you hear laughter coming from the boulder below.

You crawl to the edge and look down to see Ayato trying and failing to contain his laughter. Your face burns in embarrassment as you yell.

"I get thrown into a boulder and you're here laughing at me?! Not even asking if I'm okay? Is this how you react to everyone that gets yanked by an electrograna?!"

He only laughs harder at your words.

"I swear the moment I get down there I'm gonna smother you with those stupid long sleeves." You bite out as you climb down.

Ayato still has a smile as you look at the Sakura Bough with caution.

"So since only I'm able to touch it, you'll have to be touching me for you to be taken with me. There's no way I can carry you so it seems you'll be stuck carrying me. Maybe the world is fair after all." You finish as you direct a smile at him so sure that he'll hate the idea of carrying you.

But Ayato doesn't look mad at all, he looks more amused than anything else. With a disappointed pout you look back at the Sakura Bough as you finish speaking.

"It's better that way too since you have a glider so we wont crash land. I'll grab the electrograna but as you clearly saw, I can't control it very well."

"It's not that hard, you just have to angle your body correctly." Ayato speaks with infuriating smile that looks kind. You wanna punch that smile off his face.

"Then since you'll be doing the carrying, you'll also be controlling which way we go. Do you know the way by heart?"

"Admittedly I don't, do you?"

"In fact, I do. Before I take each electrograna, I'll point out which way you'll need to go with each thundersphere. Sound good?"

"That works with me, now up you go." You turn to him confused as you hold the electrograna.

You yelp as Ayato bends and swiftly grabs your knees and throws you over his shoulder. Thankfully he didn't put you on the shoulder that had the armor but it still hurt.

"What the fuck?! A little warning would be nIC-"

Your words are cut off as the electrograna pulls you both up to the first thundersphere. Your stomach lurches and you feel nauseous as it pulls you guys to the second thundersphere.

Ayato lands on the ground as the next set of electro transportation is on the other side of the broken bridge. There's a twisting root that serves as the middle part of the bridge.

As much as you would like for Ayato to put you down and jump across the gaps on your own. You know full well that you don't have the power nor energy to do that.

Ayato is aware of it too as he keeps you on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and walks towards the bridge. But before he can start parkouring, you wrap your legs around his torso and beat his back.

"Wait, wait, wait. You absolutely cannot carry me like this the rest of the way."

"That position isn't all that bad. It'll take some getting-"

Your breath is hot on the shell of his ear, your voice low and soft. Your mouth so close to his ear makes him shiver.

"Ayato Kamisato I will throw up all over your expansive ass clothes if you do not carry me differently."

Hearing his name fall from his lips makes him freeze but you honestly couldn't be bothered to upkeep etiquette when you feel like your breakfast is about to escape you.

Almost gently Ayato moves you off his shoulder and carries you bridal style. He smiles down at you with fondness?

"Is this position better for you?"

"Yeah, way better. Congratulations your clothes are saved."

He chuckles at your dry wit and starts parkouring across the broken bridge. To steady yourself, you wrap your arms around his neck. It's a little embarrassing to do especially with how his hair brushes against your hands every so often.

He makes it across without stumbling or falling. There's a cliff with the next Sakura Bough. You take a moment to point and give directions.

"You see the floating island right across us? That should be the next one."

"Hmm, isn't it strange how someone who should have almost no memory knows the way to the shrine by heart?"

"Isn't is also strange someone who lives right near it, not know the way by heart? Plus you have probably have used the electrograna way at least once due to the creator."

"Is that knowledge from the creator or your own guess?"

"Does that really matter when I'm right?"

He laughs a little and you grab the electrograna hoping to catch him off guard. Not enough to drop you but just to wipe that smile off his face.

As you expected he easily adapted with no problem and arrived at the floating platform.

"Alright it's about to get really messy since the path becomes super scattered in the middle of Mt. Yougou."

After explaining the next set of directions you grab the electrograna and Ayato seems to be smiling a little wider. Suspicious.

You are proven correct when halfway through the thunderspheres he starts fumbling with your weight. You cling onto him tighter in fear of being dropped.

"Holy shit, Kamisato why are you repositioning me when we're thousands of feet in the air?!"

"Aw no Ayato this time? Seems like my hands are starting to slip." Ayato continues, this fucker is enjoying your panic.

"Ayato, you drop me and I'll rip those pretty blue locks with me!" You scream as he starts fucking dangling you. You make good on your threat by holding his neck with a fistful of his hair.

Yes, he will kill you the moment you guys aren't in the middle of the air. But it's always safer to fear the closest threat than the one in the future.

Ayato goes back to holding you properly as he chuckles. But you keep holding his hair in case he gets any funny ideas. Finally you get to the landing where the next Sakura Bough is and you release his hair.

You get out of his arms to kneel on the ground and take deep breaths. You were used to high speed chases on foot and car. You even had to run atop rooftops in come cities. But flying through the air was definitely a new one.

"Surely you can't be tired already? I'm the one who's been carrying you this whole time."

"You call that carrying??? I saw my life flash before my eyes at least 3 times!"

You stand up and glare at him. He seems to find all your reactions incredibly amusing. Honestly if you truly felt your life was in danger, you would lie and just go to the Chinju forest teleport waypoint.

But you could tell he was having too much fun to actually drop you. Yes you were still terrified but letting your emotions show was making him put his guard down.

With every series of thunderspheres Ayato and you bickered and fought. At least until you had gotten to what should be the last electrograna needed.

"This should be the last one. Soon enough I'll no longer need to ride the Ayato Express." You say with a teasing tone.

"Until we have to go back you mean."

"Crap, I completely forgot. I was just thinking of teleporting back but I'm not even sure if I can teleport people with me."

"You mean if you can teleport at all."

"You'll see I'm not lying about this."

"So you lied about the other stuff instead?"

This makes you laugh in shock as you turn to face him with a annoyed smile. Except unlike his other jabs that were told with a cold smile, this one was different.

His smile was small but true and his naturally downturned eyes didn't look as muddled as usual. For a second it seemed like he was as clear and readable as water.

It's gone just as quickly as it was there but you turn your head away to hide your own smile.

"You know what I mean. Now don't drop me or pretend to drop me!" You grab the electrograna as you speak.

His maneuvering is just as graceful as he was the first time. "What an absurd thing to accuse me of. I mean it's not my fault you keep squirming and looking down. It's like you want to jump off and escape me."

"Ha! Nice try Ayato but if you're aren't strong enough to carry me the whole way then just say so."

You aren't exactly sure when you started calling him by his first name but Ayato hasn't corrected you so far.

"I am but the humble Yashiro Commission leader. Maybe I should let you down and watch the electrograna make you smack into another boulder."

That gets a laugh out of you. The pain in your back from that incident has already disappeared but you doubt Ayato will let you live it down.

As you laugh Ayato listens to the sweet sound quietly. The way your lips stretch into a smile and cheeks get a little flushed is distracting to say the least.

Distracting enough that he stumbles on the landing on the stairs to the shrine. Trying to correct his mistake he holds you tighter against him and turns so that his back hits the mountain instead of you.

You look up at him in worry as he grunts from the pain. He's still gentle as he sets you down onto your feet.

"Shit, that looked rough. You okay Ayato?" Distracted by his pain you don't think about any sort of etiquette rules as your hands trail up his arms and lightly rub his shoulders.

His breath shudders and he lifts your hands off him, softly he pushes them back to you.

"I'm okay Y/N, it looked worse than it felt." Ayato could feel your concerned stare through the mask. Usually he wouldn't mind it since the enemy underestimating him would only make his job easier. But he feels more embarrassed than anything else since you saw him like that despite your shady identity.

"If you say so. The journey is almost over so don't die on me yet."

Saving him anymore embarrassment you turn and begin walking up the stairs case to the shrine. You hear the clacking from his way too expensive shoes following you.

You can't stand the awkwardness and clear your throat. You've always wondered about some things.

"So you know how visions affect their holders? Like pyro visions make them naturally hotter and cryo visions make them colder?"

Ayato catches up to you to walk by your side. "Yes, it happens without activating it. Why do you ask?"

"Well what happens to hydro vision holders like you? Do you sweat more or have more fluid in your body?"

Ayato stares at you with the most incredulous look on his face. "I truly wonder what goes on in your head to make you have such questions."

"That's not an answer."

"I don't have a answer for such a absurd question."

"Well water makes skin clearer right? And your skin is pretty clear but that may be due to a skin care routine since Lady Ayaka also has clear skin."

"I know Ayaka has a skin care routine but I only wash my face in the morning."

"Oh that is so unfair. But I guess I was right in assuming that the hydro vision affects your inner body more. But still super unfair."

"Between the answer you gave Ayaka last night and the questions you ask me now, I almost feel like you're from another world."

You know he's just joking but for a second your heart dropped. He didn't seem to notice as you arrive at the Grand Narukami Shrine. God you hoped Yae would be at the publishing house.

The Narukami Shrine is empty. No people, no noise, not even visitors. You look around a little confused as you both approach the blue teleport waypoint.

Seemingly picking up on your confusion Ayato answers your unspoken question.

"It's noon meaning everyone is inside for the prayer, it'll last for another 30 minute."

Internally you're relieved beyond measure that you won't have to deal with Yae and Ayato at the same time. Then again Yae and Ayato naturally repel each other.

You touch the teleport waypoint and watch it turn gold. Ayato still looks a little awed but you've grown used to it at this point.

"Well it's finally time for you to teleport. I have very little expectations."

Your mouth sets into a firm line. "You'll be blown away even more then."

Despite everything you've gone through with him, Ayato still seems skeptical of you. The plan you have will make you seem crazy but it's your only shot.

You planned on touching the teleport and then using your other hand to bring up the screen. Yet you only got to touching it and remembering where the Kamisato Estate teleport waypoint is on the map when your vision goes white.

The feeling of being teleported is still unfamiliar but you manage to fix yourself as you open your eyes to see the Kamisato Estate. You lock eyes with surprised green and blue eyes.

To think you can teleport to gold waypoints by simply remembering where it is on the map. It couldn't have come at a more convenient time. You smile charmingly and step closer to the duo.

Ayaka becomes embarrassed as she remembers how she acted around you. She leans back with a red face. She uses her fan to hide most of her face.

You're unperturbed and simply lean closer till your face is nearly touching the mask. "Ayato requires strong evidence that my teleportation wasn't staged or shady. So I'll be taking your fan as proof."

You can tell she's about to back away. To stop her you place one hand on her back and she leans back making the position look like you're dipping her.

You easily slide the fan out of her loose grip and lean back to help her stand straight. After removing your hand from her back you turn around to walk to the teleport waypoint.

Ayaka keeps her head down as the lingering feeling of your breath on her face stays. The spot where you held her is still warm. Her mind can only remember that confident grin on your face as you slid her fan from her shaky hands.

Thoma watched the scene with a tight grip on his spear. He took it out in surprise when you appeared but he's using it more as a stress tool at the moment. He can't help but feel a flash of envy when you got so close to Ayaka and held her.

Even as you walk back to the teleport waypoint both of them want to call out. They want to ask you to stop, to come back. But neither of them let out a sound as you touch the structure and leave in a flash of white.

You open your eyes and see Ayato standing in front of you with a rare troubled expression. He sighs in relief seeing you in front of him again.

Your smile is victorious as you stand in front of him before pulling Ayaka's out from behind your back.

"Care to believe me now?" You ask as you hold the fan over your lower face. Ayato takes a few steps towards you with a smiling facade. Your heart stutters as you recall how he threatened to torture and kill you.

You blink in surprise as Ayato plucks Ayaka's fan out of your hands.

"I believe you Y/N. You've truly proven my suspicions wrong. While you may still have secrets you'll not divulge, I'll place my trust in you as the creator's oracle."

Holy shit, you actually managed to make the Ayato Kamisato believe your scam. You can't stop the beaming smile that overtakes your face.

Ayato watches you with clear blue eyes. That smile on your face makes him want to see it even closer but he refrains himself from doing anything inappropriate. Yes, even the sight of your happy smile makes him as excited as your mischievous one does.

Ayato places something in your hands and cups your hands around it. The item is a fan, specifically Ayato's fan judging by the pattern. Both sides of it has his signature theme but one side also has the Kamisato crest clear as day.

You look up at him and tilt your head in confusion. He taps your nose and gives a simple answer.

"I believe my fan suits you better."

Your jaw drops at his blatant flirting. Never ever has someone tried to use flirtatious tactics to make you lose your composure.

But instead of questioning you he smiles wider at your shock and turns around. He starts walking down the stairs and calls out to you.

"Are you going to stand there catching crystalflies all day or are you coming?"

You snap your mouth shut with a blush and follow after him. Was he really flirting? Was it just a compliment? You decide to shake it off for now.

"With you fully proven as a oracle, I must apologize Y/N. I lacked certain courtesy while you were staying in the estate. I do hope you understand why I gave you such a strict test."

The Sakura petals gently sway in the wind as you walk down together. He takes your silence as permission to continue.

"Once we get back I'll arrange for the best ship to take you to Liyue. The ship I have in mind will be in Ritou tomorrow so I would like you to stay at the estate tonight as well. Of course you'll get lunch as soon as we get back and you'll be served dinner tonight. Feel free to ask any of the servants for whatever you need."

Your mind begins to be flooded with the types of food you can eat. The breakfast you ate was delicious and the bed was like sleeping on a cloud-

Oh. You are not going through that again.

"I'm not so sure I would like to sleep at the estate again. I don't want to be woken up in the middle of the night again by Sayu spying on me. The last thing I want to be is sleep deprived on a boat."

"You're completely right about that Y/N, I'm sorry. That was more than not performing certain platitudes, I crossed a boundary that you did not deserved to be breeched. I understand if you would rather have me pay a hotel for you in Ritou but I would be grateful if you could give the Kamisato estate another chance."

Ayato isn't smiling as he says this. He's serious and looks a little ashamed of himself too. A small part of you wants to keep jabbing the opening Ayato revealed and accept the offer to sleep in Ritou. But the sight of him looking down at you with unsure eyes makes your heart ache.

A familiar desire rises in you. The same one that has always ate away your heart for all the lying, cheating, and deceit you pulled on innocent people.

Besides, you were really expecting him to hit back with something like 'If you didn't hide your face then I would never have felt the need to send Sayu.' Yet what you got was a sincere apology instead.

Your silence unnerves him and he turns his face away with the faintest hint of pink on his ears. That's all it takes for you to give in.

You stop at the Sakura Bough and stop Ayato by tugging his long sleeve.

Perhaps you were dumb or foolish for giving in like this. Maybe this was all a trick of his to get more information on you tonight. Or even another chance for Sayu to remove your mask.

Even so, you didn't want to relive your old life again. Your old life where all you had was your wit, quick thinking, and a cold corpse of the only one dear to you. You wanted to trust again and that could only be done by taking a leap of faith.

If this really is a trap then you'll deal with the fall out one way or another, you've always had.

"Thank you for the apology Ayato. To a certain extent I can understand why you had the Shuumatsuban watch over me. But waking up to being touched without my consent is still troubling."

You clench his fan closed as you stare directly at him. Deep blue eyes that seem as vast as the ocean pull you in.

"But just as you're taking a risk in trusting me despite my obvious secrecy, I want to extend that same trust to you. I'll sleep in the estate again tonight."

If you hadn't been paying attention to his body language, you would have missed how tension left him in a very subtle way.

"Now, enough with the mind games we should go to the estate quickly. I'm sure your workload is almost as heavy as me at this point."

Ayato chuckles at how you dismiss the heavy conversation with ease. Swiftly he carries you again and with your hair so close to him, he can smell the sakura petals that linger on you.

The journey back to the estate is filled with more banter after you asked him the age old question on whether water is wet. Spoiler alert he threatened to let the electrograna drag you into the air if you didn't stop asking stupid questions.

Finally landing on the boulder that you hit the first time. Ayato puts you down and tells you. "Careful there Y/N, I don't want you falling again."

"Ayato, I swear to Celestia. If you don't stop bugging me about that I will steal your boba."

"I'd like to see you try."

You're tempted to flip him off but decide against it as the estate comes into view. Thoma is standing outside waiting for you both. Surprisingly enough Ayaka is there too.

You know Ayato is still capable of torturing and killing you but you still feel sad that the journey is over. Realistically you know that even if you trusted Ayato fully, adventures like this would probably never happen again. He's the head of the Yashiro Commission after all.

Thoma smiles when he spots you both, Ayaka and him meet you halfway. Ayato gives Ayaka her fan back and gives a simple summary of how it went.

"The journey to the shrine went smoothly and I'm sure you saw them teleport. I will be arranging a boat for them to leave tomorrow. They've graciously agreed to stay here another night despite our previous hostility."

"I understand. Y/N, thank you for giving the Kamisato Clan another chance. Especially considering how I treated you last night. I am truly sorry for my behavior."

Ayaka hides part of her face with her fan as she speaks. You aren't sure if you should apologize for purposefully riling Ayaka up or not but you nod anyway.

Thoma claps his hands with a smile to disperse the oncoming awkwardness. "With everything cleared up, why don't we all head inside now? Y/N hasn't ate anything since breakfast and my lady has a meeting with other parties. My lord as you're no doubt aware, many things require your attention."

Ayaka and Ayato sigh in unison. You feel a little bad that while you'll be enjoy lunch they'll be working. Giving them both a pat on the back, you speak encouragingly.

"Don't look so glum Lady Kamisato. The faster you finish work, the sooner you can enjoy things you like. And Ayato while your workload isn't something I envy, I do hope you enjoyed our little adventure as a break from your usual work."

They both seem to perk up at your words. You aren't completely sure why since you said pretty normal words of encouragement. Maybe since it felt like the creator was speaking through you?

You weren't completely wrong but you weren't right either. Ayaka was looking forward to finishing her work to speak more to you. She wanted to make sure you and the creator didn't have a bad view of her. Ayato on the other hand was more happy that you seemed to have enjoyed the journey as much as he did.

Thoma is quick to grab your hand and pull you towards the estate. He smiles and begins chatting with you as people swarm Ayaka and Ayato.

"You must be hungry after that hike. I made some lunch, my signature miso soup."

"That sounds delicious Thoma, thank you so much!" Your excitement is clear in your voice as you follow him inside.

Inside the room he led you to is two bowls of his signature dish. You begin eating making sure to imprint the taste into your brain. You didn't know when you would be eating like this in Liyue.

Probably never but you would rather do that then have Ei a constant threat.

Thoma eats across from you as he talks with you. The conversation is light and entertaining as you ask him strange questions like:

"So what's the deal with Taroumaru? Like he's a badass Shiba Inu who worked for the Shuumatsuban before retiring as the owner of the Komore Teahouse. How did he become a member of the Shuumatsuban? Who sold him the Teahouse? Who even wrote up the contracts that he used for his employees?"

Thoma stops eating as he thinks. "I can't really tell you much about that. I guess the only 'safe' information I can tell you is that my lord was the one who helped Taroumaru with all that."

"What makes that information 'safe'?"

"If I tell you anymore information there is a very large chance that you may get assassinated."

You nod in understanding, and decide to drop that particular subject. Lunch is soon over and Thoma leaves to fulfill his duties, leaving you alone in your room. But that's fine, you have your own things to test.

Taking the book you were pretending to read that morning, you open it up as you sit on the bed. The cover is in a language you can't understand.

Genshin has it's own language and you've always headcanoned that Paimon was the one who translated it for the traveler. A lot of the stuff in Genshin was in ineligible scribbles if they weren't important.

Now that you were here in the flesh, you can see the letters clearer. But it was useless since you didn't recognize the language at all. You never got to finish your schooling in your world either.

Thankfully Genshin was set in a time where most transactions are done by talking. But that doesn't mean reading wouldn't be useful either.

It is strange how when using the screen it automatically translates it while you in real life cannot. You stare at the cover of the book harder hoping that a new screen will open and automatically translate the cover. That of course doesn't happen.

Could you even learn a whole new language while traveling? How would you even learn if nobody knew what language you read in? Plus you can't ask anyone in the Kamisato estate since you were fake reading this book for a good portion of the morning while eavesdropping.

As you continue brainstorming you let your fingers trace the words on the cover. You feel it start to move and watch in fascination as the characters twist and move to spell the book cover in your language.

"Treasured Tales of the Chouken Shinkageuchi" is the name of the book. You remember reading it in the archive. To think that you were using a book about the Electro Archon to help you get away from said Electro Archon.

You open the book and touch the letters on the first page. Just like the cover, all the letters changed into your native language. What a useful feature, even if you have to touch every sign and book from now on, it was well worth it.

In fact this reminded you of how the wind blew Thoma and Ayaka's conversation to you while blocking out the other sounds. And how the ground seemed to shake only you when Ayato was coming closer to your room. Perhaps this was powers you got from being the creator? Or could it be Teyvat itself helping you?

You don't get much more time to stew the possibilities as someone knocks on your door. You open it expecting it to be a worker tasked with giving you dinner. Instead it's Ayaka with a small smile.

"I hope I didn't come at a bad time Y/N. I wanted to ask if you would like to have dinner with me. Brother and Thoma unfortunately can't join due to work. If my offer is uncomfortable for you then you can reject it with no problem."

You're starting understand why Ayaka seemed to have changed her tune. Not that you blame or think less of her due to it. This 'worship the creator' thing is deeply imbedded in Teyvat as a whole.

"That sounds great Lady Kamisato, I would love to eat with you." Ayaka relaxes at your answer, you can already tell what she'll be asking you at dinner.

"Please call me Ayaka." She says with a smile as she leads you down the hallway. You enter a clean dining room that already has food set down on the table. You let Ayaka take a seat first before choosing the spot across from her.

It's quiet at first with workers putting portions of the food on each of the plates. It's a weird feeling to be served outside of a restaurant. Many of the dishes that you saw in the game were on the table looking just as delicious as before.

They also tasted amazing as you and Ayaka ate in silence. Soba, unagi meat, sushi, and other soups left you eager for more. Ayaka sets down her chopsticks and speaks quietly.

"I understand that this may be presumptuous of me to ask but I have to. Why am I the only one in the Kamisato clan to not be awakened?"

You finish chewing the food in your mouth before responding in a neutral voice. "What kind of answer are you looking for? A emotional answer with me telling you the creators thoughts and reasons on why they haven't awakened you? Or a factual reason that is out of everyone's control, including the creator's?"

You continue eating as Ayaka looks down while thinking about what you said. As her silence stretches on you audibly sigh and speak.

"Look Ayaka, if you want me to give you a real answer you'll need to tell me why you want to know. Are you feeling insecure as the only Kamisato left out? Are you envious of everyone else who was awakened? I mean even the Electro Archon and the head of the Narukami Shrine haven't been awakened yet. What are you hoping to see happen or feel, when or if you are awakened?"

You give Ayaka a moment to think before going back to eating. It was a shame really, you had hoped to bond in some way with the Shirasagi Himegimi while you were still here. But it seemed that no matter what kind of setting you were in with her, you two seemed to be on opposite sides of each other.

The sound of twinkling ice falling onto the table startle you. You stop eating and look up to see what ice was falling. For a second you even though that Ayaka was going to use her cryo to threaten you again.

Yet instead of seeing a raging snowstorm, you saw small tears leave Ayaka's eyes and freeze before hitting the table. She was crying, shit you made her cry. You were crap, complete and utter crap.

Leaving your spot in a hurry you move to her side and sit next to her. You don't touch her in case that's too personal as she tries to wipe away the tears. The tears only fall faster and faster while you are helplessly watching.

"I'm *hick* sorry. You sh-shouldn't have to s-see me like this."

Ayaka's whole problem was struggling with speaking her mind and having to keep up a perfect appearance in front of everyone. You feel like a fool for not realizing how your words only aggravated her insecurities.

"Don't apologize for something like that. I'm sorry for pushing you so hard with all my questions. Not my best words, I'll be the first to admit that."

It's true. In trying to fight back against Ayato and defend yourself, you've used Ayaka without care. You wouldn't change your decisions since your life was on the line but you can't help but feel the need to make her feel better too.

Slowly you place your hands on hers that are covering her eyes. You keep them there for a moment giving Ayaka more than enough time to reject you. With no movement from her, you slowly pull her hands off her face to see her clearly.

Her eyes are red-rimmed and tears are slowly sliding down her face before becoming ice once they fall off. She's looking away from you before glancing at you quickly.

"Ayaka, I never meant to make you feel bad or ashamed for any feelings you might have. Envy, jealousy, isolation, or any other emotion are completely normal to feel in your situation."

Your sincere words and apologetic smile seem to comfort Ayaka as the tears slow to a stop. She doesn't move her hands out of your grasp as she replies with a hoarse voice.

"You are right though. I do feel insecure and envious of my brother and Thoma. I had hope after Ayato was awakened that I would soon be too. Yet it never came and I watched more and more acolytes awaken too. People spoke more and rumors spread."

She bites back a sniffle as her feelings and words flow out with a frosty tone.

"Things like 'She isn't a good enough worshipper' or 'poor Ayaka is the only exception'. It was only when brother stepped in and stopped the rumors from festering or growing that it stopped but that doesn't make them stop thinking about it. The pitying looks, side eyes, and even mocking stares were destroying my life's work in keeping a good image of the Kamisato Clan. The image of perfection that I worked towards was crumbling beneath my feet."

She breaths heavily as she speaks with despair filled love and adoration.

"I could never blame the creator for that. I never needed to know why they couldn't or even refused to awaken me. They are perfect and if I wasn't the problem then people would think the creator is. I would never allow that sort of perception of them. That's why I have never fought against the rumors, this is the only way I can show my love for them without being awakened outside of normal worship."

Her words blow you away. You never considered how being awakened could have this much effect. Nor did you understand how high Ayaka herself placed you as the creator. To think that she would rather her image of perfection and title of Shirasagi Himegimi be tarnished than let your own perfection be questioned. You aren't perfect nor will you ever call yourself perfect but the devotion she shows touches your heart.

"Ayaka, know that I speak as both myself and the creator right now. That image of perfection you feel the need to upkeep is due to your upbringing from wanting to help Ayato right? Just as your brother was recognized, not for his title or deeds but for the love and care he showed for you. You too will be recognized, perhaps in a way that neither you nor anyone else will realize. But know that you are loved and appreciated for the sacrifices you have made."

You smile and hug her tightly. Ayaka hugs back as she grips the back of your clothes. She's crying harder than before and it leaves cold wet spots on you but it goes ignored.

You never had the income to pull and whale for all the characters. Ayaka wasn't very high on your list of desired characters and her banners came at the moments where you had little to no primogems. But you wanted to now, you probably would never build her but if simply awakening her would stop her problems then you'll happily do so.

Ayaka seems to calm down in your arms and after a while she pulls away with a flushed face. The embarrassment of how she acted around you seems to finally dawn on her. All she could fully remember was the sweet words that left your mouth and the warmth of your arms around her.

On the other hand, you were too busy despairing over the now cold food to truly notice the dazed look on her face. She stands up in a hurry making your head snap up to watch as she hurriedly leaves the room.

You sit there confused by her sudden exit before moving back to your spot. Determinedly you begin eating your cold food. Cold or not, delicious food was delicious food. If you could eat expired, dumpster and even raw food then some cold food would be fine.

The moment you finished eating, Ayaka came back holding a small tray with a single plate on it. She's completely composed again but she still avoids your curious eyes as she sits down.

"My performance just then wasn't what I should have showed you considering that you are a guest. I apologize for that. Please have some Sakura Mochi I made as a apology."

She sets the plate down and uses her fan to hide her face. You chuckle and bring the plate closer to you. It's her signature dish and you had never tried mochi before.

"Thank you Ayaka and like I said, don't apologize for expressing normal emotions."

She smiles quietly and watches you cut a big piece of it. She gives you a worried look as you put the whole piece in your mouth. It's sweet and tasty but it's also very sticky. She tries to suppress her giggles as she watches you struggle to chew and swallow it.

"Have you ever eaten mochi before?"

You can't even open your mouth to answer and simply shake your head no. You were choking on a delicious piece of mochi while Ayaka laughs at you. A death like this wouldn't be all that bad.

Thankfully you manage to swallow it and sigh in relief.

"Even though I nearly died choking on this mochi, I absolutely love it. If you were expecting to have a piece of your own creation then I have bad news for you."

You say with a teasing tone before cutting a smaller piece and eating it. This time with no choking in between. She only smiles wider behind her fan.

You finish the mochi and the servants come in and take the dishes back to the kitchen. You get up and Ayaka beckons you to follow her to lead you back to your room.

"I know that you don't really need to know, but I think closure is important." Ayaka gives you a questioning glance and you take that as a sign to continue.

"While in the other world, the creator has limited power to awaken acolytes. Some acolytes are able to be awakened at any time, while others only have a certain time frame. In fact even luck has a huge factor in this too. The creator hasn't awakened you, not because they dislike you or something. But rather because your constellation for awakening happens to come at the worst moments."

You give her a soft smile. "You're just really unlucky but I have a feeling your luck will turn around soon."

Ayaka doesn't answer and you don't expect her to. When you get to your room, you open the door and are about to step inside. She places her hand on your shoulder making you look back at her.

"You're right, that does make me feel better." Her answer is quiet and soft just like her smile. Yet it's beautiful all the same.

She releases you and walks away. You go back inside your room and hope that the next one-on-one conversation you have with her won't have dramatic emotional moments. But you have a feeling that those moments were needed for both of you.

The sunset makes your room bathe in a soft glow as you read some books from the shelf that weren't in the game archive. It's been a few hours since dinner and you were trying to enjoy the last hours you have until tomorrow where you'll stuck on a boat for who knows how long.

A knock the door surprises you and it's Thoma who stands outside smiling at you. Most of his armor and accessories he usually wears are gone which makes him look good, just a bit unfamiliar.

"Y/N! Glad to see you're still awake. My lord and I have finished up work and he wanted to invite you to hotpot with us. My lady will also be there. Are you up for it?"

Your social battery was completely drained at this point but the way Thoma was staring at you with such excitement made you nod. He beams and grabs your hand.

"Have you ever played hotpot before? It's really fun and we have the dishes already you just need to choose which one you want to put in."

"I know the premise of it but I've never done it myself. If I put something disgusting in it, can you help me make sure Ayato is the one who eats it? I wanna see his reaction to it."

Thoma laughs at your mischievous smile. He pulls you down another hallway past one of the few rooms that has lights on.

"Sounds great to me, I'll think of it as payback for all the strange stuff he's made me eat in the past."

"Didn't he try to make you eat some strange flavored Boba before?"

"Ah, don't remind me. I drank it all trying not to waste food. I was sick for the rest of the day."

"Or maybe you're just competitive. I mean you did eat all the weird stuff in the hotpot you played with Ayaka and the traveler."

Thoma's hand tightens around yours for a moment before his grip goes back to normal. You take note at how you passed that same lit up room again.

"Did the creator show you that? You aren't completely wrong but I'm not that competitive."

"Oh, so you just like eating strange stuff? Never guessed you were the type Thoma."

Your teasing words made him shush you playfully. You've been walking for at least 10 minutes, more than enough time to arrive at the room. You stop walking making Thoma stop and look back at you. Just as you're opening your mouth to speak, the door to that room you had your eye on opens.

"How many times were you going to walk past the room Thoma. Did you get lost or something?" Ayato says with a smile. He's wearing a dark blue yukata or was it a kimono? That had a white obi and gold engraved patterns.

A really good look on him and you can see Ayaka peaking out behind him. She has her hair loose again and she's wearing a white kimono and a steel blue obi. The winding gold sakuras that decorate her kimono suits her.

"Sorry my lord, I was so caught up in the conversation that I kept walking." Thoma speaks with a sheepish smile. Ayato slides the door open wider letting you and Thoma in.

Ayato and Ayaka go back to their seats across each other. Thoma is busy bringing the ingredients to the wide table to sit yet leaving you with the decision.

Do you sit next to Ayaka or Ayato?

To kill time you close the door and walk slowly to the table. The decision is made for you as Ayato pats the spot next to him and tells you.

"Sit here Y/N, you probably haven't played hotpot before, right? We'll be playing a hotpot game too so I'll explain it."

Just as you are about to sit down, Ayaka pipes up.

"Then shouldn't Y/N sit next to me instead? Me and Thoma are the only ones who played it before with the traveler. So it would better for me to explain."

"That may be true but I was hoping to add something new to the game that would require Y/N to be in the spot next to me."

You sit down before they can go on any longer. Ayato smiles at you while Ayaka looks away with what you think is a pout. Thoma comes back with a box of ingredients. He sets it down before siting down across from you and next to Ayaka.

Ayato begins explaining as the broth is finishes heating up.

"The game goes like this. We all put some ingredients into it and we all take turns tasting it and guessing who put it in. The ingredients in the box are up for everyone to pick but if one of us already have a ingredient then they can use that instead. Every time someone is right they get a point. I was hoping we could play in teams since Ayaka and Thoma have already played before."

"Wouldn't it be better for Y/N to pair up with me and you with my lady so that it's more fair?" Thoma says which makes Ayaka speak up.

"Then Y/N can also choose to pair up with me instead of either of you."

"Then Y/N, who do you choose to be your partner?" Ayato asks you with a smile that makes you feel a bit nervous. You look at all their expectant faces as you contemplate your choice.

Yeah, you'll just leave it up to chance.

Pointing at Thoma you start rhyming as you point at them all with each word.

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe."

They look at you confused by your strange words and actions.

"Catch a tiger by the toe."

Ayato seems to understand and sits back with a smile. This prompts Thoma and Ayaka to relax as they continue watching you.

"If he yells, let him go."

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!"

Your fingers stops and it's pointing at Thoma.

"Luck and probably math has chosen. Thoma is my partner, I hope ya'll are ready to lose."

Ayato and Ayaka take the decision with no hard feelings just like you hoped. Instead they send each other a firm glance before turning back to you and Thoma.

"We'll just have to see Y/N. Thoma may be up for eating strange things but you may not be able to." Ayaka says as she smiles at you.

"I'll be fine, I mean how bad can it be?" It wouldn't be a good decision to let them know just what kind of food you used to eat to not starve.

"You'd be surprised how things can change taste in hotpot. Just make sure not to almost choke this time." She finishes with a giggle. Ayato smiles at you in amusement as Thoma laughs.

"I don't know if I'm just a fun target or if you and Ayato are that similar. I made one mistake using the electrograna and he never let me live it down the whole journey."

You pick your ingredients; sea ganoderma, matsutake, eel meat, and fluorescent fungus. Hopefully you won't make anyone sick with this and you hide them in your box under the table.

"I believe it's your inability to behave normally that makes us pick on you so much. Who even asks if a vision can make you sweat more?"

Thoma and Ayaka laugh while you stick your tongue out at Ayato. You all turn around for one of the late night servants to put all the chosen ingredients in. With no body able to witness him, he sticks his tongue out at you back.

You give a mock shocked gasp and pay very close attention to the boba the servant hands to Ayato before they leave. You all turn back to the table and take turns cooking the pot full of strange choices.

"I'm starting to think this hotpot is a danger hazard."

"It probably taste better than it looks Y/N." Thoma says comfortingly.

"Are you lying to make me feel better?"

"Yes." You laugh at his honest reply before Ayaka uses her chopsticks to check the hotpot.

"Y/N, tell me how does your back feel?" Ayato asks innocently. You smile at him before responding.

"It's perfectly fine, never been better. Why do you ask Ayato?" You know exactly why but you're just waiting for him to say it. Your hand twitches in anticipation.

"I just wanted to check since you hit the boulder so harshly when that electrograna dragged you."

Ayaka and Thoma give you concerned looks and you're quick to reassure them.

"I'm fine, really, no bruises or cuts. But Ayato is about to be one boba short!" You say before reaching over quickly to snatch the boba out of his hand.

Ayato is a step ahead of you and keeps his boba in his other hand farther from you. At this point you're leaning on him trying to reach the damn boba as he smirks at you.

"What's wrong Y/N? Can't reach?"

"You are so lucky you changed your clothes or else I would have used those long ass sleeves to drag your hand down."

You give up and sit properly in your seat as you glare at his boba. Ayato simply sips it loudly to further annoy you.

"The hotpot is done, so who'll go first?" Thoma asks as he looks up from the pot. You immediately raise your hand, you did not want to get stuck eating something bad.

"I'll taste the pot of doom first." Ayaka hands the chopsticks to you with a amused smile. You hold the chopsticks with a sense of resignation.

You don't know how to use them. All this time, they had given you a choice between chopsticks and other utensils.

"Sorry but I can't use these. I can barely handle a fork and knife." One of the guys snorts as you hand it back to Ayaka. Giving a glare at both of them who look away innocently, you use a different utensil and scoop out a piece that doesn't look poisonous.

The whitish soft food is put into your mouth. It taste sweet and only a little soggy. You chew it a bit before realizing what it could be.

"This kind of taste like tofu. I'm gonna guess Thoma put this in because we ate miso soup for lunch."

"Looks like my partner knows me well. That's right Y/N, I put it there." Thoma high-fives you as you swallow the tofu.

"That's one point for you two but now it's my turn." Ayaka grabs a piece of food and eats it. Her face scrunches up in surprise. You laugh at her expression and the game goes on.

Points were gained and Thoma almost always guessed each weird ingredient as Ayato's. He was at least 80% right. It's on one of Ayato's turn that he ate something green.

As Ayato continued trying to swallow it as Thoma laughed at him, you slipped your arm behind his back. You blindly groped the floor next to him for the boba before the plastic bottle was in your hand.

You pulled it back victorious and drank from it. It tasted like strawberry milk boba, refreshing and sweet. You kept the straw in your mouth as Ayato spoke.

"Who put sea ganoderma into the hotpot? It didn't taste bad but the texture is awful."

You only smile as you keep slowly sipping the Boba. For some reason Thoma and Ayaka are giving you a look. Ayato finally looks you and covers his mouth with his sleeve.

"You do know I already drank from that, right?"

No, no you didn't but damn it you weren't losing.

"And you do know I threatened your boba right? It's pretty good so I think I'm keeping this now."

He only laughs at your childishness and looks away. You can't see how his face becomes a soft pink at your actions.

"I'm gonna guess Ayaka put it in. It's too tame to be Thoma's and Y/N can only choose from the box." Ayaka shakes her head no and you raise your hand.

"It was actually me this time. I found it all the way at the bottom of the box. The look on your face was funny but I'm glad it wasn't poisonous."

"C'mon Y/N I wouldn't give you a box with potential poisonous ingredients. But I am glad you found all the hidden gems I snuck in." Thoma cheerfully adds. Something about the way he's speaking is off, the same could be said for Ayaka with how she's refusing to look at Ayato.

You shrug it off and the game continues on. That weird tension slowly goes away leaving the atmosphere pleasant and fun. At the end of it, you and Thoma won the game. You felt bad that he was the one who ate some of the strangest ones.

Thoma was sprawled out on your lap as you rubbed his back. Ayaka was dozing off on your shoulder while Ayato cleaned up the remaining mess. You weren't sure how you got into this position but it was nice.

Ayato smiled softly as he saw you trying to keep Thoma awake. He shakes Thoma and brings him to sit up.

"Thoma, Ayaka fell asleep, please bring her to bed while I lead Y/N back to their room."

Thoma is about to say something but the look Ayato gives him backs him hold his tongue and nod his head. You aren't able to understand but it seems Ayato wants to talk to you in private.

Thoma stands up and pats your head as a 'thank you'. He carefully carries Ayaka and leaves the room. Ayato offers you his hand and you accept the help.

He doesn't let go of your hand as he leads you out of the room and down the halls. It's quiet with the moon as your only light source. Ayato keeps glancing at you while smiling a little sadly.

You get to your room and before either of you can say a goodbye you fumble with something in your pocket before taking it out. It's Ayato's fan, you hold it out to him.

"I almost forgot to give this back to you. I don't want to forget and accidentally take it with me. It's very pretty so it must be just as expansive."

Ayato shakes his head and pushes it back to you.

"Keep it. This isn't just a gift, this is a symbol of my trust in you as a oracle. The Kamisato crest will serve as proof that the Kamisato clan backs you up."

You accept it with mixed emotions. Out of everything that you've lied about, your status as a oracle was definitely the most profound one. Yes, you kept up and made it more believable to save your life but what would happen if they found out? Believing and trusting were different and accepting this fan would mean accepting whatever punishment they would subject you to for breaking their trust.

"Thank you Ayato. It's a beautiful fan, I'll be sure to utilize it to solidify my oracle position. You accept the intricate beautiful fan with a graceful smile.

He turns to leave before stopping and turning back to you. "And Sayu will be paying you a visit soon. So please don't sleep just yet."

A little confused you nod and wave goodbye to Ayato who returns it with a soft smile. When you close the door, his eyes dull a bit as he remembers how far away you'll be tomorrow. Not for the first time he curses the vast ocean that will separate you both.

You flop on the bed and sigh. The bed seems to envelope you as the smell of sakura seeps in through the window. For a few seconds you doze off before the sound of something on the window sill startles you awake.

Mujina ears are the first thing you notice as Sayu sits on the window sill with a bag next to her. You sit up and watch as she moves to kneel in front of you.

"I hope I'm not interrupting you Y/N. Wait should I address you formally?" Sayu's signature sleepy voice is quiet as the wind blows gently.

"Nah just call me Y/N and speak to ne normally. I'm not a noble or someone important."

"The creator is important and by extension you are too Y/N. Please forgive my rudeness and suspicion I treated you last night. Even though I was under Lord Kamisato's orders, I was still wrong."

You can basically see how the mujina ears and tail drop as she speaks. You feel very tempted to reach out and pet her, but you really don't want to be bitten.

"I also wanted to thank you for not mentioning how I tried to take off your mask. My lord never requested it and if he found out I would be stuck with even more work as punishment."

So Ayato never ordered Sayu to take off your mask. Then that leaves the question.

"Then why did you try to remove it?"

Sayu gets up from her kneeling position to look up at you. Her eyes though tired are firm as she speaks.

"The creator is one of the few people that I have left in my life. When you came in and Thoma claimed you were a oracle, I was pretty mad. Someone claiming to be the creator's oracle is really arrogant. You were even more dubious with that mask. When I was sent to get information on you and couldn't find anything I just felt worse. That's why I decided to use the opportunity I had to see your true identity."

That's right, it's implied that her master left her in some way and since people worshipped you so much, she ended up relying on you to fill the hole her master left. It's hard to lose the only parental figure in someone's life, you've gone through it too. But it wasn't healthy to fixate on you or growing taller.

"Thank you for apologizing Sayu, I don't hold it against you. But even if I was someone suspicious please don't do that again, to anyone really. I'm keeping this mask on for a reason and for anyone not preapproved to see my face would mean drastic events would occur."

Sayu's eyes widen when you mention drastic events. It wasn't the best move to imply that but you needed to scare her. You didn't have the time to try and ease her off the devoted worshipper train.

Instead you change the topic to something else. Pointing at the bag on the window sill you ask what it is. Sayu grabs it and carries it to you. It's a cute sight seeing the small ninja carry a bag that's as big as her.

"This is a gift from my lord and myself. I hope you like them. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm actually gonna sleep tonight instead of wasting time watching you." Her words come out as a sleepy mumble before she uses her Yoohoo art to leave.

You open the bag to find a ton of clothes inside. Formal, pajamas, casual, and even some tougher clothes that seem to be built with resistance. All high quality and expansive.

You change into the pajamas to find it fitting you perfectly. You remember how Sayu was touching you, she must have been measuring you. Maybe the original reason she was doing that was to get a body bag for you since they were so sure you were a fake.

As you put the other clothes inside your bag, you continue thinking on the topic. They wouldn't need a body bag for you since Thoma is more than capable of burning dead bodies. But maybe they were worried that Thoma would refuse to since he was the one who brought you.

You lay down on the bed and wonder how in the world did you get so comfortable imagining your death. Thinking yourself as the creator with acolytes willing to die for you, still feels unreal. But the way the bed cradles your tired body is too tempting to continue debating the morality or logistics of your situation. Your eyes close and you fall into a deep slumber.

Finally done with this monster of a chapter. Was it too long? If you thought it was then just let me know and next time I'll cut it in half. It was really fun to write. In my outline I wrote that Ayaka and reader would get along well. But by the time I got to the scene, everything changed. None of those dramatic emotional burst were supposed to happen. And Thoma? His yandereness showing every so often was completely unplanned. I really enjoy this kinda characterization for Ayato. I hated him as I wrote him in the beginning and loved him by the end of the chapter. I hope you all liked how the teleport waypoints were used! Taglist: @vvyeislazzy, @nikqi, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @etherisy, @yourlocalstranger123, @ra404, @iruiji, @goldenglow149, @haru-tofuu, @lsleepysimpl, @bebobeboben, @yuyuzi-ling, @amidst-the-tempest, @resident-cryptid, @mxd1zzy, @mochicurls21, @nervouseaglelover, @thedevioussmirk, @yumuramma, @kwqsla, @undecidingfate, @ehjane, @game-savvy, @akiramirae, @sielt If you are in italics that means I couldn't tag you! Usually you'll need to check your settings to fix that.

[who-is-page]

I've seen (typically older) therians talking about how they feel that their subculture as animal-people and nonhumans is slowly disappearing. This is a point that, in all honesty, I'm inclined to agree with-- although I think I'd perhaps frame it less as "disappearing" and more as just "changing."

Because let's be honest with ourselves here: is the subculture actually vanishing, or is it just evolving into radical new dimensions as excited newbies join and find different focal points for their nonhumanity? As they express themselves in whole new dimensions and ways, as they explore a digital landscape that didn't exist ten, twenty years ago? As the older members lose touch with the newer members, and no one bridges that gap between the two?

I think I'm also extra frustrated because when I see these discussions go down, a lot of the time they're either 1) self-pitying, or 2) finger-pointing.

It's not bad or wrong to look around and realize that the community you found comfort in has changed in ways you could have never predicted and which leave you feeling off-kilter. But approaching these changes with a complete lack of curiosity, with an absolute woe-is-me sort of perspective, where you drag your feet and glare bitter daggers at everyone else, isn't the way to do anything.

And going around trying to pin blame on whoever happens to be at hand is an even worse way to approach it. "It's the furry fandom's faults!" "It's the alterhumans' faults!" "It's the humans' faults!" Who does this approach realistically help? What does this do, beyond ostracize people and make whoever is saying it feel temporarily vindicated in their solitude, in a vicious cycle where they never step out of their ivory tower and always use how alone they are as "proof" that they're right?

I think having discussions about the ways the subculture has changed is extremely worthwhile. But I think that they're at their best when enthusiasm over sharing takes a main, central point. When you see people excitedly telling others about Werecards for the first time, or when you get to introduce someone to the concept of personal websites and webrings, or when you link someone who's only just starting to learn that there's others like them to old and new groups and forums alike. These are the ways you keep those traditions alive, these are they ways you get people both informed of and really excited about them.

And like, maybe I'm just cheesy and optimistic, but building bridges is way more fun than building walls! And more than that, I also think it's fundamentally something that's significantly more helpful and productive. I'm always so hype when I see community projects taking off that involve connecting many different people, especially if they're centered on a specific group or identity, but I also think that those sorts of things are how we keep a community healthy and moving, how we avoid things getting stagnant and rotting away.

I've said it before in past essays I've published and I'll say it again: alterhuman communities survive through their internal momentum. We're still around and kicking because we're a bunch of opinionated, passionate animals and objects and entities and people and concepts and and and-- this is what we are! This is how we all, both together and individually as separate groups, continue to be around. We write. We argue. We dance. We leave tracks. And then others see all those things, months or years down the line, and they know they're not alone. They know that it's okay to join in around the campfire, and they end up leaving their own tracks, and the cycle repeats.

So I guess what I'm saying here is that I'm not just beseeching people to create, but I'm asking you to create with others. To extend that paw towards the people around you in your immediate community spaces and wider, and to realize that yeah, the digital grains of sand and time might erode and change the landscapes we're all in, but we can still have a damn good time exploring the new nooks and crannies around us and showing others our old hidey-holes and favorite spots to watch the sun set.

[sebscore]

can we have more of leclerc!sister x ollie and the guys in her life reactions??? (idk im talking abt maybe some of the drivers and obs the brothers)

DO NOT POKE A BEAR UNTIL THEIR CLAWS COME OUT

pairings: ollie bearman x leclerc!reader / arthur leclerc x sister!reader / lorenzo leclerc x sister!reader / joris trouche x leclerc!reader / charles leclerc x sister!reader

warnings: swearing. car crash (but no one is hurt). an angry ollie. overall angst.

author's note: this came to me after finding a vid of ollie swearing on radio, cause arthur squeezed him on track. THIS IS SET IN AN IMAGINARY GRAND PRIX !!

masterlist

• • • • • • •

''I don't think that's such a good idea, Y/N.'' Lorenzo muttered, glancing at her through his rear-view mirror.

His sister pouted, despite having expected his answer. ''It's just a one time thing, though! We haven't seen each other in so long and after the race, we won't see each other for like another week. I'm sure Thur will understand.'' She pleaded her case.

Explaining to her two oldest brothers that she wanted to stand in the Prema garage instead of the DAMS garage for the upcoming Grand Prix, wasn't something she had been looking forward to.

''I don't mind you going there, but I think Thur is going to be hurt by it.'' Charles gave his opinion, turning in his seat so he could properly look her in the eyes.

Y/N sighed, feeling conflicted. She knew she didn't necessarily need her family's approval to support Ollie from his team hospitality, but she still wanted it- perhaps to not feel as if she was ''betraying'' Arthur.

''Just talk to Thur, chérie. He's the only one that really matters.'' The eldest advised her.

The young girl nodded to his words. ''Yeah, I'll do that.'' She agreed, understanding that it was important to take Arthur's feelings into consideration.

Charles noticed his baby sister's doubtful expression. ''Hey, if you just explain it to him, he'll understand. Don't worry about it, petite.''

''Absolutely not. That's not happening.'' Arthur shook his head, standing up from the couch and moving to the kitchen.

Y/N followed him there. ''But Thur-''

''No,'' he abruptly turned around, his stern eyes focused on her, ''that's like saying you want me to lose. Ollie's my mate, but no, absolutely not.'' Arthur grabbed a glass from the cupboard.

''It's only for the feature race! I barely see him and I'd just like to be there when he's done. You literally see him more than me.'' She frowned, frustration present in her voice as she watched him grab the soda bottle from the fridge- was he even listening to her?

Arthur sighed loudly, letting his sister's words process in his brain. ''Only the feature race? Not the qualifying or the sprint? You'll only be there on Sunday?''

She quickly nodded her head. ''Yes, only Sunday. The rest of the weekend, I'll be with you.'' Y/N confirmed.

Her brother filled his glass, tilting his head as he thought of an answer. ''Hmmmm…'' He trailed, swirling his drink before his lips, staring at her through squinted eyes.

''Okay.''

Y/N's eyes widened. ''Really? You're okay with it?''

He nodded, a smile slowly appearing on his face. ''Yeah, but if I don't do well on Sunday, I will blame it on you.'' The smile turned into a teasing smirk, pointing his finger at her.

The youngest rolled her eyes, but went in for a hug. ''Thank you, Tutur.'' Arthur put his arm around her, his other one still holding onto his glass.

''Don't make me regret it, eh?'' He raised his left eyebrow.

She shook her head. ''I won't, thank you so much.'' Y/N pulled him closer, practically squeezing her older brother from excitement.

''Okay, that's enough love for today.''

''It's nice to see you before I get in the car.'' Ollie gushed. The couple stood a few metres away from his team and machinery, taking a moment for themselves before the race started.

Y/N smiled at her boyfriend. ''I know, I don't usually see you like this.'' He was nestled in his full racing gear, only his eyes visible through the visor of his helmet.

''You like the view?'' He wiggled his eyebrows, a teasing grin on his face.

The young girl pretended to think. ''I guess so.'' She dragged out her words, trying to sound not entirely convinced.

Ollie lightly tapped her arm. ''Hey! I know you can only see my eyes right now, but still.'' He defended himself, crossing his arms.

''No, no. I really like the view.'' Y/N gave in, her mischievous smirk turning into a genuine smile.

The Brit glanced down at his feet, seemingly blushing under his helmet and balaclava. ''Thank you,'' he told her in a small voice, having grown shy at the compliment, ''I would give you a hug, but we're still doing that private relationship thing so how about a fist bump?''

She cackled at the suggestion, but stuck out her fist, bumping it with his. ''The way you said that made me laugh.''

''Yeah? That's nice.'' He laughed to himself, happy he got a giggle out of her. ''Anyway- I have to get in the car now so I'll see you right after?'' An expecting look in his eyes.

''I'll be here,'' she smiled, ''be careful, alright? I know you'll do well, but I still want you to walk out of the car without a scratch.'' Y/N had a small gut feeling, it was probably nerves, but she couldn't shake it off.

''I will, darling.'' He assured her with a nod.

''Okay, good luck.'' She bid him goodbye, sending him off to his team while she made her way inside the Prema garage, standing next to Ollie's father.

David took a glance at the young girl. ''You always look this nervous, Y/N?'' He chuckled.

She tensely laughed. ''I used to worry about one guy, now I have to worry about two.'' Y/N explained her stress to him.

''I get that, but it's gonna be fine- don't worry that smart head of yours.'' David tried comforting her. He figured her anxiety was more bad than usual as she wasn't by her brothers' sides.

''I'll try.''

The race was going fine, the youngest Leclerc's nerves calming down as both her guys had clean starts and were battling in the Top 5. It wasn't until Croft's commentary that she realised her gut feeling had been correct.

''COLLUSION BETWEEN BEARMAN AND LECLERC! BOTH CARS OUT OF THE RACE!''

The crash wasn't big, but both cars ended up in the wall with some force. Arthur went along the inside of Ollie's car, but got squeezed by the Pourchaire and the former teammates made contact.

The entire Prema garage watched the screen with wide eyes, surprised by the sudden turn of events as they waited for a sign that both drivers were okay.

Oliver gave a quick ''I'm ok.'' through the radio, relief visibly going through everyone listening. The Brit was the first one to get out of their car, not sparing the Monégasque a glance as he walked away with one of the marshals.

Arthur followed swiftly, Y/N letting out a deep breath as her brother seemed physically alright from the crash.

The youngest Leclerc sibling noticed the wary eyes on her while she glanced around the garage. She could feel her head heating up due to embarrassment for the situation, hoping the Italian team wasn't cursing her out in their heads.

About 10 agonising minutes later, Ollie walked into the garage. David left their spot, while she stayed there- unsure of what the right thing to do was at that moment.

The young man was first approached by Anthoine who patted his back and whispered some inaudible words into his ear, most likely sweet comforts to calm him down.

As soon as the helmet and balaclava came off, it was obvious how angry he was with the situation. His usual smile traded for a tightlipped frown and a furious red colouring his cheeks.

Ollie merely nodded at his engineer and anyone who attempted to try to make him feel better about the unfortunate end to his race. His father gave him a hug, but David wasn't met with the infamous resting head on his shoulder.

The Brit pulled away and tilted his head towards the driver's room. ''I'm just gonna be in there for a while.'' He shook hands with some of the mechanics and made a run for it, leaving to be his own.

Jamie glanced at her, seeing the visible concern on the young girl's face. He signalled for her to talk to him, tilting his head at the garage exit.

Y/N hesitated, doubting the comfort she could bring to her boyfriend at that moment. However, Gigi gave her a soft push. ''You're the only person he's not going to ignore.'' He told her, confident in his words.

She nodded her head and took off her headset, carefully putting it back where she had gotten it from. Y/N smiled weakly at the Prema crew, almost feeling ashamed as it was partly her brother's fault that they would have to work even harder and longer tonight.

The Monégasque knocked two times on the door, opening it without hearing an answer. Ollie stood against the table, his racing suit hanging around his waist. The indifferent expression on his face worried her, not used to it.

''Are you okay? You're not hurt, right?'' She walked up to him, taking slow steps.

The youngest Leclerc put her hand on his back, relieved he didn't shrug her off like he had done with everyone else.

''I'm fine, probably just gonna be sore in the morning.'' Ollie mumbled, brushing his hand through his hair. The lack of eye contact not doing anything to ease her worries.

Y/N nodded. ''So… what happened there?'' She wanted to hear his side of the incident, already planning to ask Arthur the same thing later.

Ollie scoffed at the question. ''Your fucking brother obviously wanted to kill me with his car and just slammed us both into the walls.'' He exclaimed, getting worked up again.

His answer stunned her, simply staring at him with a frown on her face.

''Like what the fuck did I do? Is it cause I'm your boyfriend and he wants to pull that overprotective brother agenda? It's stupid, everything is so stupid.'' Ollie continued, leaving her side and pacing the rather small room.

The young girl waited a few seconds before saying her next words. ''It was just an accident, Arthur wouldn't run into you on purpose.'' She defended her brother, knowing how Arthur considered Ollie one of his closest friends on the grid.

''Of course you're going to take his side. It was not an accident, Y/N- oh, whatever.'' He sighed, sitting down on one of the chairs, and grabbing his phone from his bag.

''I'm not taking sides! It just looked like an incident, it's no ones fault.'' She stated, clarifying what she meant.

Ollie rolled his eyes, frustration still overtaking all of his other emotions. ''You're really saying that was a fucking racing incident? I get that he's your brother, but that doesn't mean he can't make mistakes.''

''You think I wouldn't point it out if Thur made a mistake?'' Y/N chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. ''I'm not the biggest racing expert, but it was quite clear that it was an accident.''

The Brit remained quiet, mindlessly scrolling through Instagram despite having gone through all the new posts already.

Y/N observed him, her disappointment growing over her boyfriend's behaviour. ''I really don't like how you're acting right now.'' She disapprovingly shook her head.

''How am I acting right now?''

''Like an asshole, Ollie.'' She cursed, startling the Prema driver as it doesn't happen often.

He scoffed once again. ''I'm not being an asshole, I just can't believe you're not on my side on this.''

''I'm not on your side? I'm here for you, aren't I? I could easily be standing in my brother's garage right now with my family, but I'm here for you, because I want to be here.'' Y/N retorted, not wanting to believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.

''If you want to be there so much, then go to fucking DAMS.'' Ollie said, before standing up and turning around to change his clothes. Y/N watched him with sad eyes, feeling dejected over his careless attitude.

The young girl stood frozen in place for a few moments, after which she turned around and opened the door. ''Bye, I guess.''

She wanted to close the door with a lot of strength so a loud ''bang'' would be produced, but she wanted to remain polite in front of the Prema team and potentially damaging one of their doors doesn't exactly scream politeness.

Y/N got out of the backdoor of the hospitality, too humiliated to face anyone and explain what happened in the driver's room. She stumbled around the F2 paddock, in search of the DAMS hospitality so she could check up on her brother.

In a moment of absent-mindedness, Little Leclerc bumped into the body of another person with quite a force. ''Oh, I'm so sorry.'' She apologised before even seeing who she had run into.

''It's okay- Y/N?'' Her head shot up at the gentle voice of Joris, a rush of relief going through her body that she'd found a familiar face.

Her brother's friend properly greeted her with a hug, bending down a little. Joris could see by the look on her face that not everything was right with her. ''Hey, ça va?'' He rubbed her back.

''Is Thur okay?'' Y/N deflected the question, wanting to know about her brother's wellbeing.

Joris nodded, a frown appearing. ''Yeah, just a bit of neck pain, but nothing too serious.'' He answered. ''What's wrong, petite? You look a bit sad.''

Y/N’s eyes started watering, not able to get the words out at the reminder of her and Ollie's disagreement. The older man in front of her noticed what was going on and pulled her in his embrace. ''Hey, don't cry. What happened?''

The youngest Leclerc shook her head. ''Ollie, he- he told me to go away.'' She sniffled between her words, tears rolling down her cheeks.

''What do you mean? Wait, let's go to Enzo.'' His hands gently grabbed her shoulders and he guided her to the DAMS hospitality where her two brothers were calming down after the eventful but short race.

She dried her tears while making their way to Arthur's driver room, not wanting other people to know that she had been crying.

Joris opened the door, making Arthur and Lorenzo turn their heads towards them. ''Hi, chérie.'' The eldest greeted her before noticing her teary eyes and flushed face. ''Did you cry?''

Lorenzo walked over to her, cupping her face. ''Is Ollie okay?''

''Yeah, he's just really mad.'' Y/N mumbled, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.

Arthur shifted in his seat. ''It really was a racing incident, we were both at the wrong place at the wrong time.'' He explained, a similar frustration visible to Ollie's.

''I know that, I tried to explain that to him and he started saying shit.''

Both of her brothers furrowed their eyebrows. ''What did he say? Something about me?'' The DAMS driver asked.

''I asked him what happened and he was saying that Thur tried to kill him, and that you did it cause he's my boyfriend and that you wanted to be an overprotective brother.'' Their sister summarised for them.

''That's bullshit.'' Arthur said, rolling his eyes.

''I told him you wouldn't do that and that it was just an incident, but then he got upset and said I should be on his side, and that there was no way that it was just an incident. Then I told him he was acting like an asshole and he said that he wasn't,'' the three men chuckled when she mentioned calling her boyfriend an asshole, ''he was just upset that I wasn't taking his side and I told him that I was there for him, and then he basically told me to leave.'' A tear escaped her eye which she quickly wiped away.

The men frowned. ''He told you to leave?'' Lorenzo repeated her words, stunned by what she was telling them. He couldn't even imagine the young man asking that of her.

Y/N nodded her head, a pout forming on her face.

''Is he still in the garage? That bastard.'' Arthur got up from his seat, moving to the door with large strides but being stopped by Joris. ''We're not gonna do that.''

''If he's angry with me, he should curse me out! Not my sister.'' The youngest brother reasoned, holding up his arm as if he was pointing at Ollie. Arthur understood the Brit's frustrations, but he shouldn't take them out on his baby sister.

Lorenzo grabbed his brother's shoulder. ''How about instead of causing more trouble, you console your sister?''

Arthur sighed, but approached the young girl. ''Come here,'' he pulled her in an embrace, her arms going around his waist, ''he shouldn't talk to you like that, Y/N.'' Her brother caressed the back of her head.

''I know.'' Y/N pouted.

He hugged closer upon hearing her defeated voice, hating how sad she sounded. ''You want me to actually kill him next race?'' The question managed to crack a smile out of the young girl.

''That's more like it.'' Lorenzo grinned, relieved Arthur cheered her up- even if it was only momentarily.

''Hey Y/N, I'm going to Cha now, you want to come with me?'' Joris suggested taking her with him, figuring she could use the distraction. ''I'll let you take some pictures.'' He held up his camera, knowing she enjoyed messing around with it.

''Yeah, I'll go with you.'' She agreed, gloomily lifting her lips.

Her brothers both gave her a few pats on the back. ''We'll join you in a while, okay?'' Lorenzo told them, assuring her they wouldn't be too far behind them.

''Okay, can I have some money for food, though? They have smoothies at the F1 paddock.'' Y/N's sorrowful expression traded in for a pout, her doe eyes attempting to convince her brother to give her some money.

Lorenzo pretended to be shocked by her question, overdramatically widening his eyes. ''Money? You want money? Why don't you ask Charles, he's got a lot more than I have.'' Her oldest brother exaggerated.

''Because he's probably already wearing his racing suit and there's no cash or cards in there.'' Little Leclerc replied, a 'duh'-tone present in her voice.

The three men looked impressed by her answer, entertained by her quick comeback. ''That's a great reason, actually.'' Arthur admitted, his sister's reply having him think about how driver's never carry money in their racing suits.

Lorenzo sighed, but pulled out his wallet- a squeal leaving the young girl's mouth. ''Thank you, Enzo.''

She held out her hands to grab the money, but her brother pulled the few notes of cash back. ''Only on food! Not unnecessary memorabilia that will just sit in your drawer.'' The stern look on his face didn't intimidate her, but she was aware not to mess with Enzo's words.

''I promise, only food. Joris will keep an eye on me, won't you?'' Y/N mischievously glanced at her brother's best friend, already knowing he'll let her get away with anything.

The photographer nodded to Lorenzo, ''promising'' to not let her spend his money on anything other than food.

Her brother slowly handed her the money, Y/N immediately taking it and putting it in her pocket. ''Thank you, Lolo.'' She used his old nickname, teasing him a little more.

''Get out of here before I take it back.''

Arthur's team debrief didn't last as long as it usually did. Normally, they would have a lot to discuss about the feature race, but since his was cut short, there wasn't much to talk about. His team did advise him to clear the air with Ollie, since the Brit seemed very upset about the collision.

The Monégasque driver didn't have a huge interest in speaking to his younger friend, but at the end of the day- Ollie was his FDA teammate and also friend, he didn't want there to be conflict between the two of them. Yes, he wanted to kill the guy for speaking to his sister like that, but that was something for the couple to resolve.

Arthur went straight from the DAMS hospitality to the area where all the F2 drivers resided, on his way to discuss what happened with the Prema driver. He didn't put any haste behind his steps, not looking forward to meeting eye-to-eye with him.

The youngest Leclerc brother waited a few moments before knocking on Ollie's door, appreciating the calm before the expected storm.

His three knocks came out louder than he had intended, scaring himself a little by the noises. Arthur heard a faint ''Come in'' and opened the door, being confronted with a rare sight.

A crying Ollie.

''Hey, mate.'' The young Brit greeted him, rubbing his eyes and leaving a red colour behind. Oliver stood up from the chair he was sitting on, but Arthur insisted he sat back down with a simple wave of his hand.

The older one grabbed a nearby chair and sat himself next to him, observing the youngster's puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. ''Hey, are you okay?''

Ollie nodded his head, but the emotions on his face told a different story. ''Yeah, uhm, sorry about the race- I reacted a little heated, it was no one's fault really.'' He rambled, the words coming out of his mouth at a rapid pace.

''It's alright, we've all been there,'' Arthur brushed his apology off, understanding it was the heat of the moment that made him respond like that, ''but, uh, you know, my sister is really upset about what happened.''

The Prema driver looked down at his hands upon hearing Arthur's words, a tear falling from the corner of his eye onto his knuckles. ''I- I- I know, I was a fucking asshole- I was just very upset about the race, but I shouldn't have acted like that. I'm really sorry, Arthur.''

''No, I understand, but you shouldn't say sorry to me, you know?''

The DAMS rookie's anger had wittered and was replaced by sympathy. Arthur still didn't like how Ollie had acted towards his sister, but seeing how much it affected his former teammate almost broke his heart.

''Yeah, I know.'' The tears started flowing again and soon enough the bottom of Ollie's sleeves were covered with damp tears. ''I just- is she gonna break up with me?''

Arthur immediately shook his head. ''No, no, no! I think she's just sad with you right now, but she won't break up with you, Ollie! Are you crazy.'' He assured him, chuckling the last part.

''Good,'' Ollie sighed out of relief, ''I don't know what to think or do. I've never been in this situation before.'' He admitted, an attempt to confide in his girlfriend's older brother.

''I get that, but don't worry too much. Y/N is a very understanding person, and if you explain to her, she will forgive you- just give her some time to like… calm down.'' Arthur advised him, knowing his little sister would accept his apology as long as he proper;y explained himself.

Ollie carefully listened to each word that left Arthur's mouth, nodding along. ''Okay, yeah… but like- how much time is that?'' He asked him.

Arthur shrugged his shoulders. ''I don't know. Maybe send her a text, saying that you would like to talk whenever she feels ready to talk.'' He suggested, offering him a solution that always worked whenever he and Carla had a disagreement.

The Brit nodded again, pulling his phone out of his pocket. ''Yeah, that's great, actually. Uh, so I just send her that?'' Ollie sought out assurance again, afraid he was doing something wrong.

He felt relief once again when Arthur nodded his head. ''Yes, I don't know if she will respond right away, but I think she'll be happy that you want to talk.''

With Arthur's confirmation, he typed away on his phone.

ollie 🧸: hi ❤ whenever you feel ready to talk, just let me know x

ollie 🧸: i was being an asshole, I'm really sorry :(

ollie 🧸: hope you're okay, love x

Ollie showed his friend the texts, tension leaving his shoulders at his nod. ''That's good, I know she'll appreciate that. She can't stay mad at you.''

The younger one smiled at that, cheeks heating up. ''I hope so, I don't like the thought of her being upset, especially if it's with me.''

A grin appeared on Arthur's face. ''Oooh~ so cute!'' He bumped his shoulder against Ollie's, teasing the younger guy. ''But seriously, Ollie- she likes you a lot and this will be forgotten in a few days.''

''Yeah… we're fine, right?'' Ollie wasn't too sure where he stood now with the Monégasque, concerned this might affect their friendship.

Arthur snickered at the visible worryness on his face. ''Of course! I mean- I came in here to punch you in the face, but then I saw you cry and I felt bad.'' He joked, although it wasn't that far-fetched.

''Y/N always says that the three of you like me, but sometimes… I don't know, you guys look at me like you want to kill me.'' Ollie said it with a chuckle, but it had been a legitimate concern of his ever since he started dating the youngest Leclerc sibling.

Arthur sighed and put his arm over the Brit's shoulder. ''We like you, Ollie. It's just this big brother thing, you know? This is her first real relationship, we don't want her to be heartbroken over a boy,'' he calmly explained, understanding where the younger one was coming from, ''but we really like you and we want the best for you. Enzo and Charles even check on your races and stuff, they wouldn't do that if they hated you.''

The Leclerc brothers truly had grown fond of the young Brit over the last months. They had seen the positive effect he had on their sister and that was more than enough for them to ''approve'' their new brother-in-law. At first, they were apprehensive about the fact that he was a fellow racing driver, but the 2 teenagers seemed to handle everything well- comforting their worries.

''They really do that? Awesome.'' Ollie smiled to himself, honoured that Lorenzo and Charles caught up on his race results and standings.

Arthur threw him the infamous Leclerc wink. ''Don't worry so much, you're a great gay.''

''I'm a what?'' Ollie's eyes widened as the words left the older one's mouth.

Arthur speaks English with a heavy French accent, causing him to pronounce certain words differently. The most famous example, the way he says ''guy''.

The Monégasque copied Ollie's expression as soon as he realised what he had actually told him. ''No, no! Guy, you're a great guy!'' He pronounced it more clearly this time, making sure the 18 year-old didn't misunderstand him.

''Oh, okay. I- I was confused for a second there.'' Ollie awkwardly laughed it off, glancing at Arthur. ''You should be a bit more careful with your pronunciation, you don't want to get in trouble.''

''Isn't June the gay month? At least I won't be in trouble then.''

''You mean pride month?''

there won’t be a part 2 as this is more arthur x ollie focused! pls don’t ask for a part 2 in the comments or my inbox, I will just ignore it! 🤍

• • • • • • •

taglist :: @missskid @maxiel-jpg @glitterquadricorn @stillbreathin @obsessed-fan-alert @booknerd2004-blog @kageyamama-hinatatata @reblog-princess-blog @maezenin12 @gly-exe @lighttsoutlewis @topguncultleader @jaydensluv @nora_moon @erinisrightheree @7leb-kakaw @theamazingsimp @lovelyxlily @princessmiaelicia @mehrmonga @champomiel @rowansshit @mbappebby @maemaesthoughts @g4ns3y @im_mi @gracesferrari @67-angelofthelordme-67 @harrysdimple05 @ijustwantavacation

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[kyeomkuppie]

Rooftop.

Pairing: Wonwoo x gn!reader

Genre: I honestly don't know but let's just say crack and a pinch of angst

Warnings: Wonwoo thinks reader is about to commit suicide

Synopsis: You were just trying to get a better look at the sky, but someone misunderstood and tried to save you.

You valued your peace of mind and the best way (in your opinion) to clear your mind was to look at the stars. At the edge of a rooftop.

Yeah, not the smartest idea but who cares!

Technically, anyone was bound to see a random person standing at a rooftop, misunderstand the situation, then call for help. Something you didn't exactly take into account.

And bingo as you had guessed, not only did someone see you, someone was at the same rooftop thinking you were about to jump, and you being at the edge didn't exactly help either.

Out of nowhere, you felt yourself being pulled backwards. Your back was now against the chest of a random stranger, and to make matters worse, on top of him.

"Uh, excuse me?" You were baffled and you didn't really know how to explain without him thinking you were lying "Can you let me go, please?"

No answer.

Oh shit. Is he dead? I don't think I'm that heavy though. You were thinking of the endless possibilities of you being charged for involuntary manslaughter. Great.

You finally feel the person who you thought you murdered move. "Are you okay? Why did you pull me like that? You could've been hurt!" You turned around only to be left awestruck. At least he was handsome.

His eyebrows were furrowed and his breathing was heavy, yeah it isn't the time for flirting. "How could you treat your life like it's something to be toyed with! You can't simply choose to end it because things are getting rough." His tone was stern and angry— but wait.

What? Your mind short-circuited for second. He thought you were doing what!

"What about your loved ones and the people who would blame themselves for your death? At least think about all those variables before treating your life like-"

"Excuse me?! I was just standing like a normal person, looking at the damn sky. I wasn't toying with my life, I was enjoying it!" You were starting to get riled up as well, couldn't he at least wait to hear what you had to say about yourself— and wait, what does he even have to do with it?!

"You shouldn't lie about things like this! If you need help, say it."

There's was no convincing this man. "Listen here stranger, if I needed help I would in fact ask for it. But can't a person watch the fucking sky in peace." You huffed "Why are you even making a big deal out of it? It's not like we know each other."

You pushed his hands which were gripping you away. "At least try to understand, I mean it's not the smartest thing to do, to stand at the edge of a rooftop I mean, but I assure I wasn't trying to do anything you were thinking of."

You had an idea! Not the smartest either but good enough "Want to grab a meal?" If he didn't say yes, you'd bury yourself alive, but you wouldn't have to see him again. If he said yes, you'd resolve that misunderstanding and you could go your separate ways.

He suddenly realized that his body was so tense and his body was still on the ground.

You gulped as he proceeded to get up. His features became more clear. His face had a soft expression but his eyes were sharp, so was his jaw. Yeah, you were right, he was one handsome fellow.

He was weirded out by your spontaneous personality. One moment you were all angry, and the next you were asking him to grab dinner? Yeah, not normal.

"Fine. I'll pretend that I believe you, and we'll go grab dinner. But for the love of god go stargaze anywhere but at the edge. I had the ambulance ready." He scratched his neck.

"Okay Mr. Overdramatic." You laughed, it was a peculiar day, not the peaceful kind you usually preferred, but definitely a day to remember.

"Wonwoo."

"Hm?" You tilted your head in confusion.

"If we're going out for a meal, you might as well know my name." He shrugged.

Yeah, he had split personalities, you were sure of it.

"[name]." You extended your hand "It was nice meeting you here— wait what were you doing up here?!" Your eyes widenened.

"I was stargazing."

"Yeah, no shit. I'll pretend that I believe you." You mimicked him from earlier.

Inspired by that one scene in true beauty.

Reblogs and comments are appreciated!

[pastel-peach-writes]

Caitvi x reader who just goes along with things and doesn't state their opinion or how they feel,but they do get quiet or tense when they're uncomfortable or pick their nails. But if your alright with angst maybe they get overwhelmed or hurt or both,but still refuse,so they force it out of them,and they're hurt like "why didn't you tell us?.." or something,it's comfort.if it's a little to dark I'll ask something else😭 sorry if it is

Hi! It's not too dark at all. To let it be known, I'm fine with writing angst! If you're curious about how much is too much, you can simply message me! I hope y'all enjoy the fic.

"You Can Tell Us." | CaitVi x Reader

╰┈➤ PLOT: In the household where you grew up, expressing your opinion wasn't tolerated. Hell, expressing your emotions wasn't tolerated either. To keep the peace, you learned to not say anything in stressful situations, even if that means sacrificing your well-being.

╰┈➤ WARNINGS: Yelling, Co-Workers Being Assholes, Name Calling, Hurt/Comfort(?), Pet Names, Cursing, Not Proofread

⍣ ೋ Enjoy!⍣ ೋ

A/N: I HOPE THIS IS WHAT YOU ASKED FOR. THIS KINDA GOT AWAY FROM ME LMAO

Your whole life you were the person who kept the peace. You were someone who bit their tongue to avoid getting yelled at or offered solutions to problems that had nothing to do with you. If there was a solution to a problem or a way to avoid conflict, you were the person who chose those options.

So, why did this have to happen to you?

At your place of work, you were minding your business. You finished some paperwork earlier than planned and decided to take an early break. Then, four of your team members rushed into the break room.

"Do you think you can sit here and have us do all the work?" "You have some nerve making us look like the bad guys." "You're a lazy piece of shit. I don't know how you even made it this far."

The words pierced your skin and heart like darts to a board. You didn't dare to say anything back. Stunned in the moment, you took a sip of your water. Your eyes focused on the plain wall behind your teammates.

"And look, now they're spacing out like we're not even here," a co-worker buzzed. He scoffed. He leaned down in front of you and waved his hand in your face. "Hello? Anyone home?"

When he didn't get a response, he knocked on your skull.

You gave them nothing. Tears stung in your eyes.

"Wow, shocker! No one's home," he laughed. The rest of the team followed. Fulfilled, the man hummed. "Guess that's what happens when you hire an airhead who's probably having relations with the boss." the man put his hand on the table, cornering you in.

Your eyes remained on the wall. You weren't having an affair with the boss, but you didn't feel the need to say anything.

He shifted himself into your eyesight. A sinister smirk tugged on the corner of his lips. He took the tip of his finger and tipped the bottom of your cup. The cup fell over, the clear liquid soaking through your shirt and lap.

The laughter roared.

"Oops!" he feigned a gasp. He pulled away from you, his hand on his chest. "Guess you should've been more careful. It's okay," the man gave a fake smile, "holding cups is hard."

A cackle ripped through him as he leaned his head back. He shoved his hands in his pockets then turned around and left. The others flocked after him like ducklings to a parent.

Hot tears ran down your cheeks when they were out of sight. You forced yourself out of your chair and dragged your feet towards the paper towels.

Sobs scratched your throat at your pathetic attempt to dry your shirt. You were drenched through and it was cold out. Only six more hours left.

-

Home and on the couch, you stared at the wall to calm yourself down. With your nervous system still on the rocks, chews on your lips and nails, and an unfocused gaze, the attempt was a failure.

"Vi, that was completely inappropriate and not needed!" Caitlyn scolded as the two of them walked into the house. In the right mindset, you would greet them and ask how their day was, but because of today's earlier events, you didn't hear them come in.

"Oh, come on, Cupcake," Vi spoke. A chuckle followed her sentence. "All I did was curse him out a little and threaten him." the pinkette threw off her boots. Caitlyn carefully slipped her feet out of her own. "Don't act like you didn't like it," her tone was sing-songy.

The bluenette's cheeks were dusted pink. She put her hands on her hips, watching Vi's smirk grow as they kept eye contact. "I-It... It was fine, but it wasn't needed."

"Come on!" Vi threw her hands up. She hopped and spun on the balls of her feet as she entered the living room. "Muffin," Vi gave you a playful pout. She sat beside you on the couch, her arm resting on your shoulder. She gave you her signature puppy eyes. "Am I the bad guy for telling one of Caitlyn's employees to get their shit together or else their job is on the line?"

"That is not what you said," Caitlyn rebutted. She found her place on your other side.

Vi hummed, shrugging. "So, maybe I paraphrased a lil'. What's the harm?"

"The harm is you're trying to sweeten up your side of the story to be more appealing," Caitlyn narrowed her eyes toward Vi. Vi only grinned in response.

Vi put her gaze back on you. "Is it workin', Muffin?"

You're far gone. You haven't moved and the chewing on your nails got worse. You haven't blinked in so long, your eyes were producing tears to regain moisture.

"Muffin?" Vi leaned closer to your face. The tears now slid down your cheeks and your chest heaved up and down. Vi glanced to Caitlyn who was already scanning you to see if there was something physically wrong.

When she couldn't find anything, Caitlyn shook her head to reassure Vi of your physical safety.

Nothing was wrong physically which meant something emotionally or mentally was bothering you. Vi frowned. She placed a hand on your shoulder. "Muffin. Hey." Her voice was clear and firm. She was sure her voice had no hint of sadness to not push you over the edge. However, if you looked into her eyes, you would find them glassy with dilated pupils.

Caitlyn's eyes were similar. Her blue irises darkened in concern, fear, and anxiety; all the words she could use to describe how disheveled she was feeling.

Not seeing you move, Vi shook your shoulder. "Muffin. Snap out of it. What's going on?"

Caitlyn brought a hand to your thigh. She gave your thigh a gentle squeeze.

With another squeeze to your thigh from Caitlyn and a squeeze on your shoulder from Vi, you finally blinked. The moisture in your eyes made a reappearance. You looked between the two of them, pulling your nail out of your mouth. "Huh?"

"You've been staring at the wall. Cait and I came home a while ago and you haven't said a word," Vi whispered. Her grip on your shoulder turned into comforting rubs.

"Oh, I'm fine," you force a smile. Caitlyn deadpanned. She pulled her gaze to Vi who wore the same unphased face.

"You're not fine. It's okay to not be fine, dear," Caitlyn stroked your thigh. Her eyes were filled with sadness, the same with Vi's grey eyes.

"I promise, I'm fine."

"Bullshit!" scoffed Vi.

"Violet."

"No, they're not fine. That's obvious!" Vi removed her hand from your shoulder. Instead, she got up from the couch to resume her sentence. "I should've known you weren't okay. You didn't do that cute greeting of yours when your face lights up and you squeeze us like you haven't seen us in years."

You shifted in your seat, a frog in your throat. Tears well up in your eyes again, but this time, these tears are from sadness. You scratched your palm with your nails.

Caitlyn sighed. "I, too, should've noticed the change in your behavior. I guess we were too wrapped up in our own drama to notice," Caitlyn took a glimpse of Vi's expression.

Her eyebrows were furrowed, the skin between them creased. She'd squeeze her hands into fists and then let go repeatedly as a fidget.

Caitlyn took Vi's anger as a sign she should resume speaking. "We're not trying to force you into telling us, but if you're not okay, you can. We're here to comfort you, be your rock when you can't be your own." Caitlyn shuffled to squat in front of you. She doesn't force you to look at her, but you can see her worried eyes in your peripheral vision.

"Being with the two of you taught me it's okay to depend on others," Caitlyn admitted. "I want to be the person who can have anything under control and can come off as collected, but keeping all my frustrations inside or innermost thoughts can be challenging."

Vi calmed herself down enough to sit on the floor. She rested her head on your knee and put a hand on Caitlyn's leg.

Gaining comfortability, you slid down the couch. You sat between them with your back resting on the couch's edge. Vi's head repositioned itself to your shoulder and Caitlyn's moved to your other knee.

With her sitting adjustment, Caitlyn continued. "I don't want you to feel like you have to be the strong one. I don't want you to feel like you can't be vulnerable with us or even disagree with us."

"Yeah, Muffin," Vi's voice broke as she spoke. "Disagree or angry, we're going to love you the same. Confrontation comes with life." Vi dragged her hand down her face. "It's shit sometimes, but you gotta work your way through it, yanno?"

A heavy sigh escaped your body. You threw your head back onto the cushions and covered your face. You sobbed behind your hands. Your heart sank; your chest tightened. That frog in your throat grew into a toad. You babbled about this morning's events and how helpless you felt.

Anyone who wasn't familiar with you wouldn't be able to decipher what you muttered behind your hands. Luckily for you, your girlfriends know you inside and out. Even if it takes them a bit to notice when something's off.

The two of them pulled you in a tight embrace. They didn't speak or make efforts to shush you as you spilled your guts to them. Vi made a conscious decision not to let her anger get the best of her.

Although, those guys had no clue what was in store for them tomorrow morning.

Caitlyn also thought about making a visit to the office, but to complain to HR about the events. Not to find the culprits and make them pay. She was sure Vi had that handled. (Caitlyn would also have to handle her later.)

When your sobs calmed and your breathing evened, Vi spoke first. "They're a couple of dicks."

Caitlyn didn't feel the need to scold her.

"They should know how to treat a human being. Guess you can't do that when you're a shitty human, huh?" Vi chuckled to lighten the mood, but there was no joy behind her laugh. Only pure rage. "I'll fuck them up for you, don't worry." Vi placed a tender kiss on the side of your head. "I'll run you a bath, mkay? You should wash the day off of you."

"What about you and Cait's argument or whatever?" You peeled your head off the cushion to look at them. Everything was blurry behind your tears, but you could make out their frames and silhouettes. "Don't you need help?"

"Taking care of you is much more important than some silly fight," Caitlyn whispered. She smoothed the area on top of your head. Her delicate fingers brushed against your ear lobe as she brought them down. Her polished fingernails carefully traced the outside of your lobe. "Vi and I are big girls. I'm sure we can figure it out."

Vi grinned. "Hey, what fight?" she winked at the both of you.

A sad chuckle left your body. For a moment, relief washed over you. Once your chuckle finished though, the heaviness came back.

"Hey," Caitlyn's hand ran down your cheek. She wiped your tears with her thumb, Vi copied. "How about we get food from your favorite restaurant? I can go pick it up while Vi prepares your bath."

"I think that's a great idea," Vi used the back of her hand to soothe the skin on your cheek. "What do you think? Does that sound good, Muffin?"

You gave them a meek shrug.

"That looks like a maybe." Caitlyn giggled. "What if I add in dessert? would it be a yes then?"

"Oh, Muffin, say yes! Say yes! She's offering dessert!" Vi grabbed onto your arm. She shook you like a kid begging their parent for ice cream.

A genuine laugh came from your throat. Finally, all the pain is released from you. You don't know what made it leave. Maybe the sound of dessert or Vi's childlike begging. Or maybe it was the fact that Caitlyn and Vi cared for you enough to sit down and work through whatever problem you were facing.

For the first time in your life, you felt safe. Truly safe. You felt as if you could freely speak your mind without the underlying fear of rejection. You could say what you want.

"Okay," you gave the both of them a slight smile. "I think that sounds nice."

"Oh, yes! I love you, I love you, I love you!" Vi wrapped her arms around your body and pulled you on top of her. She gave you a bone-crushing squeeze.

"Vi!" you laughed.

Caitlyn laughed as well. She stood up and went to put her shoes and coat on. "Don't hurt them, Vi."

"Could never, Cupcake," Vi said from under you. "Now, hurry on and fetch us our dinner, woman! Mama's hungry."

Caitlyn scoffed, smiling. "Mama? Woman? Who are you talking to right now?"

"Oop," you muttered, grinning at Vi. "You're in trouble," you taunted in a whisper.

Vi playfully narrowed her eyes at you. She glanced at Caitlyn with an innocent and playful grin. "The tallest, cutest Cupcake in the world?"

"Right," Caitlyn dragged out the word. She opened the door. "I'll be back soon. You two stay out of trouble." and with another laugh, Caitlyn left the house.

Vi hummed. "I think she secretly liked being called 'Mama'."

You perked a brow. "Sure, she did, babe... Can we go draw my bath now?"

"Can I join you?"

WC: 2,285

[mapoeggplant]

skip to loafer chapter 62 analysis // spoilers

skip to loafer reiterated its message of "i love you as a person" in a soft and fun chapter. and with that, takamatu-sensei prepares us for a new arc that promises to be full of unforgettable moments.

(since the translation is still very fresh, i'll try to focus more on using the raws not to spoil anyone. i hope you understand that!!)

honestly, i find light chapters like this the hardest to analyze on their own, especially ones like chapter 62 that brings back several loose ends in order to tie up another knot before continuing the journey. so, instead of analyzing the chapter itself, i'm going to bring back some old debates and fit them into this new phase of each character.

even though friendship was the main point of the chapter, in my opinion mika also deserves her own spotlight since, in one way or another, she basically served as a bond between the two groups.

in the case of the boys, her name is brought up when shima reveals that he invited her to his travel group, without much thought of the consequences. this causes a certain amount of anger in mukai, who was the person who witnessed very closely mika's reactions before and after the confession (and even later, when she was talking to nao by the beach). however, he’s also one of shima’s oldest friends, so he knows exactly what he been through, which is te exactly reason why he acts impulsively. 

it's as if he were between two different oceans, not knowing which way to go, since both are too turbulent for him to navigate. it's hard for mukai to completely side with his friend, since mika's feelings are still very vivid to him, but he knows all the difficulties that shima went through regarding her own internal terrors, that’s why he holds himself back to not curse him or anything. what he ends up choosing is the safest rote, which is to scold him with an open heart, making sure to show that what he did was wrong. in the end, he won’t explain it to shima the exact reason why he’s mad because he knows he doesn’t have the rights to speak for mika, that’s why the message gets a little confusing for shima, who’s still learning and growing (and honestly, the reacting of stop to understand where mukai was coming from is actually a big step for him, which i appreciate). 

in the case of the girls, mika is also the only one who, up until now, knows about the events before and after the confession. she can see the sincerity and kindness behind shima, who continues to respect and see her as a friend, but it's hard not to assume a protective position when the new person to be affected by the same feelings is mitsumi, someone who she became so important to her. and that's where her growth as a character is slowly revealed.

mika has always created her own barrier and has had difficulty opening up to the girls. and that didn’t start recently, since she have been dealing with her insecurities for as long as she can remember. mika spend most of her childhood alone and had a hard time to make friends when she started her teenage years, which led her to have a very abrupt start when she met mitsumi, yuzu and makoto. for her, it has always been very difficult to see herself in a group of friends and to be comfortable with herself to the point of expressing her mind clearly. 

as the story go by, we can see how comfortable mika is now with the girls, but old habits are hard to erase. even with all her conversations with nao and the peace she feels around her friends, there are still a lot to be unfold and a lot to grow. 

however, for her to grow, she needs to keep trying. and that’s when she choses to shine in this chapter: she finally manages to open up to mitsumi and reveal the secret that corrupts her so much. 

ever since mitsumi confessed the relationship she and shima had, mika has been struggling with indecision about whether to open up or keep the event forever as a bad memory from the past. it's hard for her, since she doesn't want to lose mitsumi's friendship or the other girls', but she also needs to accept what happened in order to finally say goodbye to them. it's not that she doesn't have her feelings cleared up inside her or that they still have a chance to blossom again. what really hits her is the fact that she's hiding something she considers important from her best friends, which might results in a awkward situation later on. 

the moment mika admits out loud that mitsumi is much more important in her life than any past crush, mika is finally saying goodbye to this weight she's carried for so long and can finally start another chapter in her life. now, she no longer has anything hidden or needs to walk on eggshells — the love she embraced and the love she receives are enough for her to stand tall. 

the development of skip to loafer's friendships is indeed something that needs to be celebrated. throughout the narrative, we are constantly reminded that the story itself is built on the idea that love doesn't need to be romantic to be true, it just needs to be felt. loving someone is accepting their flaws and understanding their scars, like mukai and shima; loving someone is being vulnerable, like mika and mitsumi; loving someone is going out together to buy clothes for a trip they've been waiting for.

it's beautiful to see how the girls care about mitsumi and her feelings, but still root for her happiness and are excited for her. it's beautiful to see how they're always together in difficult times, whether they're big or small (or even medium, like what's the right outfit to wear on a date. that's very important for a teenage girl). 

and for shima and mitsumi, it’s cute to see how shy they are around each other and how they are allowed to slowly understand their feelings. the narrative doesn’t force them to anything at any point or rushes them to a resolution, what it does is explore the nuances and difficulties of dealing with your first ever romantic love, specially when you were never allowed to explore your own feelings in the first place (like shima), and the fear of losing a best friend that you cares so much (like mitsumi feels). 

i don’t think this is the calm before the storm, but i do believe takamatsu-sensei is getting us ready for what’s coming next. i do believe this will be a very decisive arc for a lot of characters, but it will also birth many more plots for us to explore.

thank you so much for reading 💛 don't forget to support the author if you can and also thank the translation group!!

and if you're interested, i wrote a while ago an analysis about skip to loafer's "i love you as a person" message. just click here to find it!

[mattslolita]

psycho killer - c. sturniolo ( 002. )

in which ... a killer is terrorizing the town of boston and charmaine soon realizes she's the final girl in his twisted game.

ghostface!chris x black!fem oc

warnings ; blood , gore , death , eventual smut , angst , ghostface!chris , final girl! oc

"𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆, 𝒊'𝒎 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒓𝒆!"

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ ꒰

madison and charmaine shared a look with each other, both girls with furrowed eyebrows — madison went towards the landline and picked it up, causing charmaine to bite her lip worriedly. the filipowicz girl turned to charmaine, holding the phone out to her. "he wants to talk to you."

with a shaky hand but now an angry expression, charmaine took the phone from madison's hand and held it up to her ear. "look, i don't know what your problem is, but you really need to fuck off."

"or else what?"

"i'll call my boyfriend to beat the shit out of you," charmaine spoke into the phone, glancing over at madison. madison raised her eyebrows at charmaine, shrugging.

"well see that's funny, because i happen to know for a fact you don't have a boyfriend."

charmaine's blood ran cold, and she looked over at madison desperately, seeing the other girl bite her fingernails nervously. "huh, guess you know wrong, then. i do have a boyfriend. his name's..."

charmaine looked over at madison for help, but she shrugged her shoulders, so charmaine racked her brain — nick? absolutely not, he didn't even like girls. sure he'd probably beat the crap out of the loser, but that's just wrong. matt? he was like a brother to charmaine — there was only one boy left who she could think of, and the guilt was already eating her alive.

"his name's chris sturniolo, and he doesn't play that shit," charmaine said, causing madison's eyes to widen, "so if i were you, i'd hang up and fuck off!"

charmaine was met with nothing but a stunned silence on the other end, and a shocked, but pitiful expression from madison — oh but of course she knew her best friend was in love with her other best friend's boyfriend. and in madison's opinion, chris should've chosen her instead.

"oh, dollface."

a chill prickled down charmaine's spine — however, it wasn't due to fear; in fact, she was concerned for her lack thereof, and found herself cursing inside for finding the person on the other line so damn attractive. "i'm gonna be patient with you and your little friend, but i'm afraid there's not much to be said for morgan maldonado."

"how do you..." charmaine choked, panic filling her eyes as her heart beat wildly, "how do you know her name?"

charmaine looked at madison, to see the girl's eyes widened with fear, looking past her and at her window in the living room. her hand immediately flew over her mouth, and tears filled her eyes as she struggled to continue standing. a small whimper left charmaine's mouth as her body went rigid at the sight of her, the phone still tightly in her palm.

"turn around, charmaine."

needing to be strong for madison, charmaine turned around and was met with a horrible sight — morgan was tied up to a chair outside on the patio, blood trickling down her face and on her clothes. her eyes brimmed with tears as she reached behind her to feel for madison's hand — but when she turned around, she was nowhere to be found. 

"what the fuck?" charmaine whispered to herself, turning back towards where she last saw morgan.

but when she turned around, a man in a scarred, rubber mask was staring back at her — his face was fixed into a permanent scream, and he held a butcher knife up to morgan's throat. a choked sob threatened to escape charmaine's lips as he tilted his head at her tauntingly. without a second thought, the ghostface killer raised the knife and brought it down to morgan's throat, slicing it. an ear piercing scream left charmaine's mouth as blood seeped and poured out every which way. ghostface held the knife up and wiped the blood off, and charmaine's hand flew to her mouth.

when she turned around and was about to run to phone the police, she was met with yet another ghostface. a horror struck expression was permanently stuck to her face, as the ghostface killer in front of her tilted his head at her, mirroring the expression of the other one. charmaine took a step back, but the killer took a step towards her mockingly. then charmaine quickly ran backwards towards the other side of the living room, the ghostface hot on her heels.

she reached the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the counter, still continuing to run away from the ghostface. "easy now, pretty girl," she heard his hoarse voice say, and something about it sounded only vaguely familiar to her.

she ran in a circle she realized, and only then did she see madison coming from upstairs looking dazed and confused — the sound of police sirens in the distance was enough for ghostface to give charmaine one last taunting head tilt and make a run for it, before either of the girls could try and figure out who it was. madison's face was streaked with tears as she hurriedly came down the stairs and pulled charmaine into a hug, the evans girl dropping the knife beside her and holding onto madison tightly.

both of the girls turned to look back out where the patio was, seeing morgan's body tied up on the chair on display. when charmaine looked closer, she caught a glimpse of the masked killer's mask hurriedly running away into the night.

"i-i called the police..." madison sobbed, as tears spilled from both girls' eyes, "there's two, i think. he grabbed me when we both saw morgan and..."

"fuck, i'm so sorry that happened, madi," charmaine cried, putting madison at arm's length and looking down at the girl, "i saw one of them...stab m-mor-"

before she could choke out another word, the police burst through charmaine's door, and both girls turned to face them with fear stricken faces. "this is officer levine, i need backup at the evans residence!"

charmaine wondered briefly about two things that night — one of her best friends was murdered. and whoever this was, somehow knew charmaine and clearly had it out for her.

💌 lil

i'm curious, who do y'all think the second ghostface is ?🤭

@muwapsturniolo @luverboychris @guccifrog @prettiest-poision @mrssturnioloo @mattsturniolosleftnut @mattsivy @e1ias3 @eyeliketoeatpoosay @breeloveschris @l0akkzz @summerssover

[warblogs17282]

Look, I like reading Stolago fanfics and all that, but I'd be lying if I said that Stolago shippers don't come out with some of the worst takes I've ever seen in regards to Stolitz, so allow me to weigh in my opinion on this.

Short Answer: Stolago would not work in canon.

Long Answer:

Point 1: The 'is Stolago an incest ship' debate.

We don't know. It's implied that Paimon has given birth to a lot of children and can change animal forms, making it very possible that Stolago is an incest ship, but at the same time, that doesn't automatically mean that Vassago is biologically related to Stolas, so I can't make a judgement on this point until we know more about Vassago's character.

Point 2: But Stolas went with the BTB guy!

Pay close attention to Stolas and Blitz after the BTB guy asks Stolas to dance with him, notice how Stolas was basically silently asking Blitz for permission to dance with the BTB guy, and Blitz also silently gives permission for Stolas to dance with the BTB guy. So it's not like Stolas just went 'oh cool this guy wants me, fuck you Blitz I'm fucking dancing', and that silent act of asking for permission proves my point.

Also, Stolas was very drunk during this section, and we know people who are drunk don't tend to think very clearly, so I really cannot blame Stolas for having that dance with the BTB guy, especially when we factor in the cocktail of everything being emotionally heavy for Stolas, and Stolas generally feeling alone and isolated during most of the party.

Plus, Stolas has no history with the BTB guy at all, so even if it does turn into a one night stand for Stolas, there's not gonna be much emotional connection between them. One of the main reasons Stolas fell for Blitz like he did is because of their shared history, all those years ago at the circus.

What was the point of me mentioning all of this exactly? The point is that Stolas and Vassago also have no shared history with each other to what we know, plus, Stolas quite literally says in s2 e1 "my first ever friend!". Plus, it expresses my dislike of the 'Vassago could be a rebound for Stolas' that I've seen float around a few times.

Point 3: Stolas has moved on/will move on from Blitz.

Ah yes, this Stolas?

The same Stolas that silently asked Blitz for permission to go dance with the BTB guy?

"would be an indicator I didn't want to talk right now."

"Seeing you right now is hard!"

Notice the phrase of "right now" that's used twice?

Stolas at no point said he never wanted to talk to Blitz again, only that he wasn't comfortable with doing so right now, because the emotions associated with that night are still very heavy and hard to process for Stolas.

This fact is further backed up by the fact that Stolas never blocked Blitz's phone number.

one more, this Stolas? for the car trip home.

Point 4: "Blitz is just an asshole who feels no remorse for the things he's done to others."

I could dive deep into Blitz's character to disprove this point, but I'll let the examples do the talking for me.

Moxxie: Do you remember what you said to me after my first day with the company?

Blitzo: ...Not really.

Moxxie: I remember. You told me I did a good job and that you were proud to work with me. I feel like you wanted to say something more judgmental, but... you said that because I needed it... And it helped.

Blitzo: Look, I'm hard on you, because I know what you're capable of, Mox. You care too much about what everyone thinks except for... me, because, y'know, my opinion is correct, but just... keep doing a good job. 'Kay? You shoot 'n kill good, you escape things easy... you can be strategic and cold-blooded when you need to, aaaand don't expect any more compliments; I'm maxed out.

Moxxie: Thank you, sir.

Blitzo: You know my name... Use it.

Moxxie: Thanks, Blitzo.

This Blitz?

This Blitz?

This Blitz?

THIS BLITZ??????

There's plenty of other examples I could put here, but I'll leave it here.

Point 5: "Blitz will just move on eventually."

Do you all seriously think that Blitz saying "your boring as fuck monogamy" wasn't foreshadowing Stolitz happening?

The Blitz that's angry that the BTB guy is 'stealing' Stolas?

The Blitz that admits the only person he actually wanted to sorry to was Stolas?

The Blitz that lets Stolas dance with the BTB guy without causing much of a scene, despite how much it hurt him to do so?

Plus, not to mention all the times in the past where it's been shown that Blitz cares for Stolas, including his wellbeing.

Point 6: "Stolitz has no chemistry"

I'm not even gonna bother covering this point, you clearly haven't been paying any attention to the show at all if you unironically think that Stolitz has no chemistry.

Point 7: "What about a love triangle?"

lost-romantique has already made two great posts on the matter, go check that post out.

Finally, I'd like to briefly talk about how Stolago being canon would undermine the plot of helluva boss by quite a bit.

Stolitz is one of the key relationships in the show, and the show revolves around Blitz, including his relationships, so naturally Stolitz is one of the key things for Blitz's character growth, so ending Stolitz for Stolago permanently would stunt Blitz's character growth quite significantly, undermining the plot of the show as a result.

Not to mention it'd also undermine Stolas' character growth as well, considering one of the main things that Stolas needs to work on is the classism, and rebounding to another prince won't help with Stolas unlearning his biases and such, overall making Stolago a rather bad idea for the plot as well.

Plus, even if Stolago was to become canon, it most likely isn't lasting more than an episode anyways, because this scene in the trailer could imply to us that Stolitz is getting a new beginning.

Another thing is that we know nothing about Vassago at the moment, and the things we can imply about him in regards to his title of prince points more to Vassago being a support figure/friend for Stolas (something Stolas badly needs atm) rather than a rebound for Stolas.

I will repeat, I enjoy Stolago in fanfiction and such, but can you all at least admit it's a bad idea in canon and to stop hating on Blitz so much and accept both Stolas and Blitz for the fact that they're both lovable and flawed characters please?

[stormblessed95]

Watching Are You Sure?! EP 7

A reminder of how I do these reaction posts as I watch things. I just write my reactions and thoughts down literally they happen. Think more of a bullet point format. I'll include links when I can to videos, thanks to the people who twt who upload clips. And at the end, I'll do a better wrap up of all my opinions. I hope everyone enjoyed the show so far!!

Not this show starting off with a mistaken identity trip!! Lol Jimin saying that he only went snowboarding once before and it was with JK. And JK was so confused. You could see him searching the files in his brain lmfao. Jimin's oh wait! I went with your friends 😂😂 okay, just hanging out with JKs friends on your own? It's giving couple. I can't lie. I'm sorry. What in the best friend?! 😂😂 I loved the facial expressions and the way Jimin buried his face into Jungkookie there too

Jimin listening to hate you. And JKs why are you listening to that? Jimin: because I like it 😳 lmao I agree Jimin, it was abrupt 😂😂

Their appreciation for their crew is 😍😍

Jk dozing off to Jimin's softly singing. It's giving the same vibes as that one run episode that he dozed off to Jimin's ASMR. Idk what that's giving exactly.... But it's giving *something* and you know what it is

"this is our last moment of relaxation. I love it" 😭

Not JK just chopping at his hair like that. Oh baby lol don't look at me like this is my fault!! It's okay, fucking up your hair and needing to make it much shorter than originally planned is a life right of passage lol

Not JKs haircut transporting Jimin back in time 10 years 😂😂😂

The staff giggling and immediately taking photos 😂 BTS are their babies lol

Jimin hurting himself and shouting oh shit 😂😂 the subtitles trying to sensor him without bleeping his actual words 😂🤣 subtitles should be accurate above all else people! Cmon! Lol

Jimin moaning and groaning while transferring tubs, sitting on the edge, etc and JK just looks like he is enjoying the show the whole time. There is so much ass on display in the shorts they are wearing in this whole scene. Where is the decorum?! Lol!

Turning off the cameras to shower together before the Jacuzzi. Very innocent, but sounds like it could be so not 🤣😂

JKs faces when trying to handle to cold tub 😂😂

"feel how cold I am" better translated to "just hug me once" and the immediate hug and the hand placement to feel the cold? Yeah okay 🤣

Anyone remember the emojis over the barest slips of tummy during anything? Now they are showing them wash themselves and rub their own muscles in a cold tub and show off flexing to the camera. What the fuck Hybe 🤣🤣🤣

Soundproof Sauna to their matching PJs and eating a whole feast 🥰

The way they giggle together is my favorite thing

JK watching Jimin making his this crab is so good video so endeared 🥰😂😍

Jimin insisted on JK trying the shrimp too because it was so amazing instead of eating the last of the shrimp even though he loved it so much. And JK sharing half his urchin with Jimin because it was so yummy. Cute. They are so precious to each other

Jimin wants seconds, JK says it's a bad idea. They order seconds 😂😂😂

I both love and hate watching them eat. Because I think watching people eat is gross and I stand by that. Lol but they love it so much and look so happy, I also just enjoy seeing them enjoy themselves. It's a complicated mix of emotions I experience 😂

The trend continues of brushing their teeth together. Jimin, the mischief maker, kicks JK during their teeth brushing?? Lol and takes a selfie of them too. Share it please?

"I'm going to pass out after this, especially if we get massages" JK " we are getting massages?!" No lmfao you silly goose, that was 100% Jimin hinting at wanting a massage 😂🤣😂🤣

Not them being super sleepy, yet still annoying each other on purpose by flashing lights at each other 😂

Jimin asking JK if he is too hot, probably knowing already he gets too hot at night. But instead of changing the temperature when he did wake up too hot, knowing Jimin was comfy with how it was, JK just moved to the living room. And Jimin waking him up by so softly petting his head 🥺🥺🥺

Are they advertising sunscreen? Lol it worked. I wanted to go get some 😂😂

Jimin fighting for his LIFE in the shower. Wtf was happening?!! Lmao and JK finishing up his breakfast before going into the bathroom to shower while Jimin was still in the shower it sounded like. Lol ALRIGHT. Hope you both enjoyed said shower I guess 😅😂🤣

Why are we play fighting while getting dressed boys?! Lmao

Jimin starting a pretend photoshoot with the ski jacket and gear. Absolutely, yes please

Jimin is such a good boyfriend bringing JKs jacket back out to him

Jimin just enjoying sitting in the car while JK goes in to order 😂😂 good for him! JK telling him he only ordered food for himself and none for Jimin, only to say "here is our food" when it arrived 😂 what a jokester lol

Jimin feeding Jungkook while he is driving 🥺

Jimin joking about an AYS OST. Please please please give it to us though for real

Singing random love songs for a game! Where JK interrupted Jimin singing the line "the person I love is gone" to sing "I love you" three times lol okay got it

The way JK always stops to just stare at Jimin until he gets his reaction to whatever he is doing or wearing is always so cute. Especially because he always smiles so cutely after Jimin gives him his desired compliment 💜❤️

JK adjusting Jimin's googles for him 🥺

The way that JK checks in on Jimin first to make sure he is actually okay before teasing him about being scared lol it's sweet and cute

The hysterical cut of JK shredding down the slope to Jimin laying in the snow 😂😂😂😂 Jimin and his staff member literally falling over each other 🤣🤣🤣 I'm dying lmao!

Jimin ditching his helmet with how often he falls is stressing me out lmfao he looks gorgeous though!

Skiing would be fun too he says, turning to Jimin with a hopefully sparkle in his eyes that he knows Jimin can't say no to. Camera cuts to them on skis 😂 JK, I love and adore you. Never change

Wrap up thoughts:

They showered/bathed together 3 times in one episode and thats insane. Lmao whatever guys 😂 this was just an excellent episode showcasing their closeness, their intimacy, their silliness, their individuality and their soft spoken nature with each other. It showed the way they consistently consider each other, what the other wants and needs. I don't think I have anything to expand on from what I've already said above. I really loved this episode. Fully plan on the last episode making me cry.

All purple links in my post go back to @dstdes with video clips of the moment being talked about. I did use a few twitter clips as well, sorry. Thanks for reading!

[betasquadx]

I’ve always loved you - Niko Omilana

Summary : You and niko were childhood friends, and as you grew older and Niko became more and more known, he found it harder to keep his true feelings from you.

Warnings : light smut

——

VERY HEAVILY inspired by @betasquads “Forgotten” fic, please check them out its so good, actually love it sm!!

——

Niko’s Birthday

March 4th, 2019

——

Standing at the doorstep of the Beta house, anticipation bubbled within you as you held gifts for Niko's birthday. "I'm coming!’ his voice echoed from inside, a familiar rush of footsteps approaching. The door swung open, revealing Niko with that oh so familiar grin on his face.

‘Happy Birthday!’ Your laughter filling the air as you stepped into the house, carefully setting the wrapped gift on the floor. Niko's arms enveloped you in a warm embrace, both of you giggling excitedly and losing composure fast despite only seeing each other yesterday.

‘Thank you,’ he said, his smile widening as he looked you up and down, that familiar spark he felt the very first time he met you resurfacing within him. "Do you want to go upstairs and watch YouTube?" he suggested, an inviting tone in his voice.

Niko was a YouTube man. It didn’t matter what day it was, he’d enjoy nothing more than sitting down with you and bingeing YouTube videos. ‘Sure’ you responded with a giggle, following him upstairs making sure to bring his present with you.

——

It would’ve have to have been your 12th video when you and Niko burst out into laughter again, clinging onto each other, your stomachs aching in amusement. He carefully settled his laptop down onto the ground, ensuring it remained unharmed amidst the chaos.

As the laughter died down, you observed Niko launching into a passionate rant about the video, offering his opinions on its humor and his insights on how it could’ve been better. You loved listening to him rant, it was comforting yet hilarious the way he described things, never failing to make you laugh and nod in agreement with him.

However, it was here that you acknowledged his intelligence that shone through in these moments. It was evident Niko was made for this, and you knew with his personality and determination, he’d be going places.

‘You know your gonna be big like them one day’, you whispered, watching his face light up with excitement as he glanced at you. "Never," he playfully whispered back. "I know you will," you insisted. He chuckled, giving you a playful push, both of you laughing. "No genuinely, I know your gonna be big one day, just you wait.’

‘Sure, sure,’ he teased, his gaze lingering on you as you sat across from him on his bed, taking in your every feature. In his eyes, you were breathtaking, flawless. ‘Do you want to open your gift now?’ you suggested, snapping him out of his thoughts. ‘Oh yeah!!’

As he unwrapped the gift, his cheeks flushed under your gaze, but soon his eyes widened in shock. ‘No way you got me this,’ he gasped, lifting up a professional camera. ‘Well, you know, I thought you needed one to use instead of your phone,’ you explained as he looked over at you, his shocked expression unable to be contained.

‘I- How much was this? I swear I'll pay you back,’ he stammered, clearly overwhelmed. ‘Niko, it's your birthday,’ you hushed him, gently patting his shoulder. ‘Besides, you're going to need it if you're going to be famous someday.’ Instantly, he wrapped you in a tight hug, your giggles eliciting butterflies within him. ‘Thank you, so much,’ he whispered, the smile evident in his voice.

‘No problem Niko’ you replied, sharing a quick gaze before breaking the silence. ‘Anyways I should get going, I have a long shift tomorrow and I don’t wanna be home late’, he nodded, standing up with you as he scratched his neck, still too shocked after the gift to process anything. ‘Yeah yeah, no of course!!’ He replied hurriedly, both of you making your way downstairs as you put your shoes on, preparing to leave.

He observed you putting your jacket, a smile lingering on his face as you stood up and looked up at him. ‘I'll text you when I'm home,’ you assured. ‘Alright, thanks again,’ he replied. ‘No worries,’ you laughed, departing from the house, the sound of the door closing behind you, echoing in the quiet night.

For a moment, he stood there, absorbing the past hour and a half, lost in thought. Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him and swiftly glanced around. It was Chunkz, grabbing his shoulder. ‘She's the one, bro.’

——

2 years later

April 2nd, 2021

——

As you sat on the couch, a chuckle escaping you, watching Niko's announcement about running for London mayor, he sat beside you, eagerly observing your reaction with a contagious excitement.

Smiling, you sat the phone down and met his gaze, but immediately lost composure as laughter escaped both of you. ‘You know, when you first told me you were running, I thought you were joking,’ you managed to say amid the laughter, sharing the moment of amusement.

He grinned, saying, ‘You know it's after blown up, everyone's talking about it!’ with evident joy. ‘I can see why!’ you replied casually, as if it were obvious. ‘No sane person does that,’ you teased, feeling his arm wrap around your shoulder as he burst into laughter once again.

His gaze met yours, both of you absorbing each others presence. ‘If I win, I'm retiring you,’ he declared. You shot him a look. ‘You say that like I'm not younger than you?!’ he smirked, watching as you grabbed a pillow initiating a pillow fight. He quickly took coverage in the couch as laughters echoed through the house, luckily empty that day.

——

A month later

May 8th, 2021

——

You waited in the Beta house with all of Niko's friends, having just seen the news that he secured 5th place. It didn't take long for the lanky man to walk through the door. All his friends gathering around, offering hugs and congratulations to celebrate the outcome.

Locking eyes with you, he walked over, embracing you in his arms and lifting you up, both of you bursting into laughter. ‘You did it,’ you whispered. ‘I did it.’

In less than an hour both of you were running upstairs to his bedroom – him in tracksuit bottoms and an un-ironed shirt, you in jeans and a crop top.

Closing the door behind him, you and Niko exchanged smiles, both unable to contain your excitement. Settling on his bed, you snuggled up in his blanket, reading the comments on his recent Twitter post.

‘I can't believe you came 5th, you know,’ you whispered, attempting to contain your excitement as it was late. ‘I KNOW!!’ Niko, on the other hand, didn't seem to care. ‘Woah, be quiet, it's literally past midnight.’ You advised. ‘You can't shush me after I basically just won mayor of London,’ he gasped dramatically.

‘And you know what will ruin that? A noise complaint,’ you shot back playfully. ‘Fair enough,’ he replied, raising his hands in defeat. He glanced at you, a faint blush tinting his cheek as your eyes met. ‘Will you help me edit my video, please?’ he whispered. ‘Of course... in the morning,’ you replied. He rolled his eyes, ‘Fine...’

Both of you snuggled up in his blanket, still giggling but trying to keep it hushed. You rested your head on his chest as his arm enveloped you, your eyes shutting. Niko then finally realized the situation – you were in his bed, sleeping with him. It had happened before, but this time, something felt different.

‘I- are we going to get changed into our pyjamas...?’ he whispered softly. ‘It's fine, who hasn't slept in a suit once in a while?’ you reassured. He chuckled, nodded, and slowly shut his eyes. ‘Night, night,’ he whispered, but upon hearing your faint snoring, he knew you were already asleep.

——

1 year later

May 15th 2022

——

Seated on the counter, swinging your legs as you watched Niko's views skyrocket on his recent video, "I Pranked America's Most Racist Man," he sat beside you, that same grin you always loved plastered on his face.

‘I can't believe it's hit 10 million views in just two days, man,’ you said in awe, looking over at him. He stared back at you, his eyes meeting yours as he looked down. ‘Neither can I,’ he whispered, the weight of the achievement sinking in.

You did the same, looking down, realising that your best friend made it. You were so incredibly proud of him, and so glad at the recognition he was finally getting, and you were going to show that in any way possible.

‘I'm so proud of you,’ you said, his gaze immediately meeting yours, causing butterflies to flutter in his stomach. ‘You deserve this so much,’ you whispered, both of you locking eyes, sharing a moment of admiration.

He pursed his lips, attempting to withhold the words threatening to escape, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. ‘I love you,’ he confessed. Blushing, you intertwined your legs together to stop them from swinging anymore. ‘I love you too, Niko,’ you replied.

‘No, really, I love you,’ he muttered, your breath almost catching in your throat as you tried to maintain composure. ‘You've always been there for me and stuck by my side. I genuinely love you so much,’ he whispered, soft yet loud. Getting down from the counter, he held your hands in his. ‘Nikolas?’ you asked, almost giggling.

He locked eyes with you, then looked down, alternating between the two. ‘You’ve never left me, my ups and downs, highs and lows, you've been here. So I really...’ he paused, contemplating whether to say it now. ‘I really would like to spend the rest of my life with you,’ he finally let out, his gaze locking onto yours.

Your mouth opened slightly as you couldn't help but smile, overwhelmed with emotions. Niko quickly began scrambling to save himself, just in case you didn't feel the same. ‘I- I just meant, like, if you want, obv— you don't have to, you know, like—‘ he rambled on. You grinned, leaning in to shut him up, but this time, it was with your lips on his, doing what your words couldn't.

His eyes widened as you slowly pulled away, leaving him standing there in shock. Unable to process it, he went with the flow, his hands finding their way around your waist as he kissed you back. Feeling your smile, he giggled, caught up with the tension in the moment.

Your arms found their way around his neck as he pulled you closer, both of you alternating between pulling away, gasping for breath, and clinging onto each other.

Your hand caressed his hair, lightly pulling on it, making him groan into the kiss. He reciprocated by trailing his hands up and down your waist, the simple touch leaving you breathless as you pulled away again.

He took this as an opportunity to leave a trail of kisses all the way from your jaw down to your neck, a mix of sucking and gentle kisses covering the areas. It didn't take long for you to release a sound—a sound that Niko longed to hear, a sound that quickly became addictive to him.

Smirking at the sound, he sucked harder, his hands moving up and down your waist soothingly. ‘Niko..’ you let out, the call of his name making his chest fill with pride. His hands then found their way to your thigh, rubbing gentle circles on it.

You couldn't help but give him what he wanted, the small gasps, calls of his name, and the pretty sounds he loved so much. Smiling, he suddenly stopped, locking eyes with you. ‘Can we go to my bedroom?’ He asked as you nodded quickly, following him upstairs, the door slamming shut as he began to show you what yous both have wanted all these years,

so so much.

——

I like love this but also like feel like the ending could have been better from me, overall proud w it tho.

Its now the longest fic i’ve ever made help.

But yeah, hoped you enjoyed!!