#make him beg Sophie!!

[thekatebridgerton]

That is the fic I want to see. The tons bicycle not being able to preform.

I want Benedict to suffer from involuntary abstinence and I'm glad I'm not the only one. It would be divine justice if this guy, after spending 3 seasons literally F'ing around finally hits the 'find out' stage of life. And if Sophie is the one to deliver that divine justice then more power to the people.

I want this woman to be unreachable for his Dick. Harder to get alone than the queen, I want Sophie the-maid Beckett to have so much experience escaping the attentions of sleazy rich men she automatically positions herself in the middle of a crowded room whenever Benedict seeks her out to seduce her. Give me a Sophie that makes it so hard for him to sleep with her that Benedict is forced to develop a personality. He goes back to his painting, fencing, boxing, swimming, all that to channel his sexual frustration that Sophie refuses to satisfy.

I want his equipment to stop working in orgies, I want his previous paramours to ask what's wrong with him that he can't get it up and I want the camera to switch back to Sophie innocently helping out in the kitchen. Give me a Benedict that yearns obsessively for a lowly maid who has too much self respect to sleep with him. I want the pain to drive him insane, give me the sex dreams, the daytime hallucinations, the staring at Sophie mouth for too long only for Sophie to put him in his place and refuse to give him so much as a glimpse of her ankles.

I want this man to work so hard for Sophie to sleep with him that he doesn't realize he's inlove with her until he's on his knees begging her to show mercy on him and his poor abstinent D.

And I want Daphne, Anthony and Colin to have a silly chuckle Everytime they see him about to tear his hair of because of how sex deprived and frustrated Sophie makes him feel. Who am I kidding I want his siblings to make fun of his newfound impotence.

I want a whole season of Benedict being cockblocked and mad about it

And that's the tea

[rachdalysworld]

Request: I was wondering if maybe you could write about a single mom situation where both Leah and the reader are adapting to moving into the same house with a 5-6 year old kid who is like doubtful but Leah reassures her.

Content Note: Fluff, adjustment to a blended household, gentle emotional reassurance, and lots of warm moments.

New beggings

The house was alive with the buzz of newness—boxes stacked against walls, a faint smell of fresh paint lingering in the air, and the occasional thud of a pan or plate being unpacked. Y/N stood at the kitchen counter, organizing utensils, but her attention kept flicking to the living room, where Leah was trying to coax Sophie into conversation.

Sophie, perched on the edge of the couch with her stuffed bunny in a death grip, had barely said two words all afternoon. It wasn’t unusual for her to be shy around new situations, but Y/N couldn’t help the knot of worry tightening in her chest.

Leah, crouched in front of Sophie, glanced back toward Y/N, as if sensing her unease. She smiled—a small, reassuring curve of her lips—before turning back to the little girl.

“Hey, Soph,” Leah said gently, sitting cross-legged on the floor to seem less intimidating. “Whatcha thinking about?”

Sophie fidgeted with Mr. Floppy’s ear, her eyes downcast. “Are you really gonna live here now?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Y/N froze, her hand hovering over a drawer of silverware.

Leah’s expression softened. “I am,” she said. “If that’s okay with you.”

Sophie’s gaze darted to Y/N for a moment, as if checking for confirmation. Y/N set the utensils down and walked over, kneeling beside Leah to get on Sophie’s level.

“It’s a big change, huh?” Y/N said, her voice warm and gentle. “It’s okay to feel unsure, baby. We’ve been just the two of us for a long time. But Leah wants to be here—with us. And I think she’s pretty special.”

Leah reached out, placing her hand lightly on Y/N’s back, a grounding gesture as much for Y/N as for Sophie. “Your mom’s right,” Leah said, her voice steady but full of emotion. “I’m here because I love her, and I love the life she’s built with you. I know it’s a lot to get used to, but I promise I’m not going anywhere. Not unless you both want me to.”

Sophie’s lips twitched, her small brow furrowed. “But what if you don’t like it here?” she asked. “Or what if I make you mad?”

Y/N pulled Sophie into her lap, stroking her hair softly. “Sweetheart, everyone gets mad sometimes. That’s part of being a family. But Leah’s not the kind of person to run away when things get hard. Right?” She glanced at Leah, her eyes searching for reassurance, too.

“Never,” Leah said firmly, her gaze locking with Y/N’s before returning to Sophie. “I chose this. I chose you both. And nothing’s going to scare me away—not messy rooms, not tough days, not even burnt toast.”

That earned a small giggle from Sophie, though she quickly smothered it, still clutching her bunny tightly. “Even if I make you really, really mad?” she asked again, her voice small but insistent.

Leah leaned in, her tone soft but steady. “Even then,” she said. “Families stick together, even when things aren’t perfect. And I’d really like to be part of yours—if you’ll let me.”

Sophie stared at her for a moment, her little face serious as she considered Leah’s words. Finally, she held out Mr. Floppy, her grip hesitant. “You can hold him,” she said shyly, “but only for a little bit. He doesn’t like new people much.”

Leah accepted the bunny with exaggerated care, cradling it like it was precious. “Thank you, Mr. Floppy,” she said solemnly, making Sophie giggle again—this time without trying to hide it.

Y/N watched the exchange, her heart swelling. She leaned her head briefly against Leah’s shoulder. “See?” she murmured to Sophie. “She’s pretty good, huh?”

Sophie nodded slowly, snuggling closer to Y/N. “She’s okay,” Sophie declared, as if reaching a verdict. “She can stay.”

Leah grinned, slipping her arm around Y/N’s waist and kissing her temple. “Thank you, Your Honor,” she teased.

Y/N laughed softly, resting her cheek against Leah’s shoulder as Sophie began to chatter about where Mr. Floppy should sleep in the new house.

In that moment, surrounded by unpacked boxes and an uncertain but growing bond, they felt the first glimmers of what their life together could be: messy, imperfect, but absolutely filled with love.

A/N: i hope you guys enjoyed it, my first fic in a long, long, looooong time. Requests are accepted! i’ll do a masterlist too so you guys can find my works there too. Big love, the love of your life.❤️

[f0point5]

I think I have sent this same request some time ago but I still would like you to write something about Emilia and Max hanging out with Victoria’s children and maybe thinking about their own future kids. But really anything with Max and Emilia would be great!

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this one, but tumblr eats asks sometimes 🤷‍♀️ but it’s too cute so here you go! I am keeping these short but I hope you still enjoy it!

✨Set during summer break 2024✨

I’m having his baby (…) no, I’m not

You take a sip of your rosé as Victoria comes to stand beside you. You’re lurking in the doorway of the lounge, watching Max sitting on the couch with his baby niece in his arms. He’s bobbing her in a gentle motion, his hands looking huge around her tiny, swaddled body.

“God, I remember when we used to say our kids would get married,” Vic says beside you, and you laugh.

You did say that. As little kids you would wish to be sisters, and somehow the only way you could think to make that happen would be for your children to marry each other. Like in that Flintstones movie you used to love. You’d draw pictures of the two of you sitting on the porch of a large house, watching your children get married.

Now you wonder if your mums thought the same, during those summers in Italy, as they watched you all play. They swear now that they did, that the mother’s intuition told them you and Max were tied together by some invisible chord that chafed on both your wrists. “A mother always knows,” Sophie said to you when she saw you last, “you will know, too”.

“And now that would be illegal and dangerous for our grandkids,” you say, shaking your head. “Crazy,”

“I like it better this way,” Victoria says, putting her arm around your shoulder and squeezing you into a hug.

“Me, too,” you agree, your eyes fixed on Max and Hailey. He’s whispering to her in Dutch, her eyes fluttering closed every few seconds as she yawns in his face, which only makes him smile. He’s utterly mesmerised by her. And you’re mesmerised by him.

I swear I can actually feel my ovaries right now.

“He’s so good with kids,” Vic says. “Even with Jaye I remember he was so gentle,”

“Yeah,” you agree, only half hearing her as you take another sip.

“Gives you baby fever, huh?”

You choke on your wine. Was that Victoria or your subconscious talking?

Vic, are you in here? No, of course she’s not in here. She’s just being nosey. Act natural.

“Are you okay?” Max asks from the couch. You look over at him as you wipe your mouth, coughing once as you nod. Even as he looks at you in concern, he never stops the gentle bouncing motion of the baby in his arms.

You go to answer, but Vic beats you to it, blunt as ever. “I was just saying, you will be having one of your own soon, yeah?” She smiles, nodding at Hailey.

If Max is panicking as much as you, he doesn’t show it, just shrugging. “I mean, ye-“ You can feel your eyes widen, and he stops when he sees your face. He tries again. “May-“ he frowns at you, silently begging for help. “No?” You nod gently, and Max turns to Victoria. “No.”

She looks at you in mild disbelief. “No?”

“No,” you emphasise to both Verstappens.

You love them dearly but genetics are a crazy thing - they both share a chronic disregard for timing. They want it all, and they want it now, in any order, all order be damned.

“You’re not getting any younger,” Victoria says, nudging you.

“That is just rude,” you tell her, and she just smiles unapologetically.

“Oh, come on,” she implores, reaching up to wind her finger around a lock of your hair, “a little baby with Max’s eyes and your hair?”

“And both of our tempers,” you say with a chuckle. “Can you imagine that? Besides, we can barely make cereal, and you want us to raise a baby?”

You look at Max for support, but he’s no longer paying attention. He’s looking down at his niece like he’s holding water.

Maybe a baby can live on cereal, if her dad looks at her like that.

“I’m going to go put Hailey down for her nap,” Vic says, jerking you from your thoughts.

She goes over to take a sleepy Hailey from Max’s arms, and he looks loathe to let her go. She looks so much bigger when held by her mother, and her so much more fragile.

“When I get back, we can start on dinner. I’m going to make cereal,” Vic teases in a whisper, winking at you as she passes.

Max snorts with laughter, and you shoot Vic a glare as she starts to hum, shuffling her way out of the lounge towards the bedroom.

You join Max on the couch, falling onto it beside him with a heavy sigh.

“So glad I’m an only child,” you say, rolling your eyes. When Max doesn’t respond, you glance over at him to find him staring at his hands. You nudge him gently. “What?”

“You do,” he starts, leaning back as he turns to you. “Want kids, someday, don’t you?With me. I mean…you don’t think I’ll be, like…”

“No,” you answer quickly, when you understand what he’s getting at.

You silently curse yourself for that joke about tempers. For ever making him think that’s something you worry about. You know there’s a heaviness in Max, in both of you. You know that he is so much more than his father’s son. But you also know that the weight on his shoulders will keep him crooked until he can see that for himself. You hope knowing you see it will be enough for now.

“I want your baby, Max. Someday. There’s no one else I would ever do this with besides you and not just because I love you, but because I know you’ll be an amazing dad,” you tell him honestly, and even that small platitude seems to relax his shoulders. “But can we at least get to one year of baby making activities before we start painting a nursery?”

Max nods, letting out a husk of a laugh. “I’m shit at painting anyway,” he says, looking at you from under those eyelashes that you secretly envy.

Maybe she’ll inherit those, too.

“Free practice?” You offer with a smirk, holding your hand for his.

Max looks at your outstretched palm for a moment before taking your hand in his. “Free practice,” he agrees, using his grip on your hand to pull you forward so that your chest is pressed against his. “I’m looking forward to FP2 later,”

[theofficalnarrator]

pleaseeeee a fic for sophia x f reader that isn't angst i'm begging u TT

SOPHY/N MOMENTS

Summary: Just some moments of Katseye's leader and her favorite introverted member.

Also please let me know if you guys want a pt.2 and pls give more ideas bc I'm running out ;-;

---

Y/N was much more reserved. Besides Megan (who doesn't really count), she was the only other member in Katseye that was an introvert. With her soft-spoken voice and tendency to avoid eye contact, she often comes across as reserved and unapproachable. Despite her timid demeanor, Y/N has always been a talented singer and dancer, and Eyekons had come to adore her for her gentle and sincere personality. However, Eyekons weren't the only one. All the Katseye girls were in love with Y/N's personality. But one Filipino leader was probably one of Y/N's biggest admirers.

---

During the IHeartRadio interview, Y/N had only introduced herself and nodded along to the others as they answered questions. Sophia noticed this a ghost of a smirk appeared onto her lips, one that caught the attention of Y/N. She gave the leader a questioning glance that was never answered as Sophia grabbed the mic as the interviewer asked another question. No one seemed to think it was out of the ordinary. That was until Sophia spoke.

"Actually I don't think there's anyone who can speak more on the choreography and lyrics better than our Y/N here". Y/N's head snapped to meet Sophia, her eyes widening slightly as the Filipino thrust the mic into her hands. Y?N awkwardly held the mic, caught off guard. She looked Sophia, then at her members and then directly at the camera as if signaling SOS with her eyes. She could hear the other snickered as she started. "I- Well, uhm yes, being the uh, main dancer and also... uhm. Writing some of the lyrics, I did work closely to make sure the chores matched the expression of the words." Y/N was B.S.ing at this point but what else could she do. She nodded without another word and pushed the mic into Dani's hands who started talking to save her from the lasting embarrassment. Y/N turned her head, furrowing her eyebrows slightly and glaring at Sophia, as the latter quietly laughed, clearly amused by the ordeal. The interaction didn't go unnoticed by the cameras, nor Eyekons.

---

"Sopppphhhh, please.....", Y/N begged as she pushed her hands deeper into the pockets of her jacket. Sophia had forced convinced her to sneak out with her while they were in Manila. Sophia had promised to take Y/N to her favorite restaurant. Yet, right now, the two were walking down busy streets filled with vendors and people, dimly lit by fluorescent lights from buildings as they fought the wind and cold.

"Come on, I know it's somewhere around here..." Sophia says as she pulls Y/N by her hand. A jolt of something goes through Y/N's body, causing her stomach to jump and her cheeks to flush a bit. Thankfully, the colors form the nearby vendors and lighting hid the redness on her face. It was a little weird that Sophia ONLY asked her....

"Here!," Sophia says excitedly, pulling Y/N again towards a small corner vendor advertising under a tent. The restaurant was light well inside, and the smell could be smelt from three stalls away. Sophia made them sit down on some picnic tables, as a middle-aged man walked up to them. He was wearing a simple tank top that enunciated his pot belly, and sweats, yet the smile on his face made him welcoming enough to Remind Y/N of her own father. The man greeted Sophia in Tagalog, to which she responded with a laugh and a few words of her own. She motioned towards Y/N and spoke again as the man accessed her, nodding and giving her a smile of her won. Y/N smiled back shyly as Sophia continued this time in English," This is Mr. Angelo. We all call him uncle." Y/N nodded again, smiling again at the man. He spoke some more with the leader and than left.

"... where are the menus?" Y/N asks.

"Oh, uncle already knows what I want? And I already told him what you'll like..." Sophia says with a smile. Y/N raises an eyebrow in a questioning manner and shakes her head, giving nothing away, instead diverting the conversation.

10 minutes later, Uncle comes back with food, placing it on the table in front of the two pop stars. As Y/N looks down, she gasps slightly.

"No way, Sop-"

"I remember you sending a reel in the groupchat," Sophia says as she pics up her utensil ," about wanting to try ube. Well, here it is."

Y/N smiles, shyly as she pics up her how utensils, the girl digging into her ube cake, unaware of the other's eyes on her.

---

"Anyways, and I feel like I should get a ruler..." Sophia mumbles on live. She's currently aligning stickers onto her laptop, and as she looks around for a straight edge, a knock on the door makes her look up. Standing at the doorway is Y/N all dressed up, her usual baggy Adam-Sandler style clothing long gone. Instead in its place are some flair pants and a crop top that showcases enough of her abdomen to leave little to the imagination.

Sophia's hand flings to her mouth as she gazes up and down. Y/N giggles at the Filipino's action, moving farther into the room.

"Can I join yo-"

"Where are you going," Sophia asks abruptly, her mouth wide.

"I just came back," Y/N giggles again as she sits down next to Sophia, finally in view of the camera. She waves and smiles, her counterpart's eyes never leaving her torso. The comments come in quicker than usual at Y/N's entrance, most describing Sophia's exact thoughts. Y/N smiles shyly as she catches some of the comments. Y/N looks over at Sophia, snapping her fingers in front her face in a "Earth to Soph?" motion.

".... you look gorgeous ," The words come out of the dark haired girl's mouth before she can stop them. Y/N smiles, thankful that the lights are dimmed and purplish from the LEDs, otherwise her red cheeks would be much more transparent.

"Thanks..." Y/N responds, turning her head back towards the phone avoiding the leader's eyes on her. A beat of silence passes over them.

"Stop staring."

"No."

Y/N groans and starts to get up, Sophia only pulling her down once again by her wrist. Another beat of silence, with more avoided eye contact before Y/N mutters a name loudly enough for both Eyekons on live and Sophia to hear.

"...perv." Sophia gasps at the name.

"How dare you! I'm looking, respectfully," the Filipino says, her eyes make contact with the toned lines of Y/N's stomach.

"... Soph, my eyes are up here."

"Yah!!"

----

Chat, I tried really :3

[xiao-come-home]

Thinking about.. sleepy alhaitham in the morning,,

A/N: idk man I think I like writing about sleepy men is this healthy?? Let’s find out in another episode. Also I listened to “can’t find this feeling” by Sophie ellis-bextor so idk maybe you’d like to feel that vibe too go ahead 🧎‍♀️

Alhaitham’s peaceful sleep is interrupted by your movement - the sun rays kiss his face oh so gently, making him groan under his nose quietly. When he finally opens his eyes, his emerald pupils travel and look for their destination - you.

He still hasn’t woken up fully yet; his eyes, although looking at you, remain half-lidded, almost giving in to the sweet temptation of falling into deep sleep yet again. You can’t help but cradle his face and press a delicate kiss on both his cheeks - there’s something irresistible about him when he merely lays down with bed head, the sun adorns his face with just the perfect angle, how his eyelashes flutter when he tries to get a better look at you, letting you do anything you want.

This time, you feel movement - one time you were ready to leave the bed, sitting up - and now you’re trapped in Alhaitham’s embrace.

He shifts closer to you and wraps his arms around you, his head nestled against your stomach, begging you silently to reciprocate the affection. He nuzzles his face into you, whining in content when he feels you playing with his messy hair. Alhaitham whispers softly something about it being too early to wake up, but his morning voice seems to catch your attention more than what he has to say.

He turns his head to the side a bit, so that now you’re caressing his cheek; you can’t see it, but his eyes are still heavy with sleep. He blinks slowly, absorbing the moment before it vanishes just as quickly. Hidden below snowy white duvet, he wishes he could stay like that forever.

Alhaitham closes his eyes yet again and goes back to snuggling against your tummy. He places a few kisses on it, murmuring to stay in bed just a while longer.

Perhaps it’s not a bad idea.

[ssweetleaf]

hi i’m sophie! would i be able to request anything about riding gator for the first time? maybe he’s real big and you need some encouragement 🫣

SMUT 18+ below

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Your thighs were flush against his, knees digging into the mattress, aching already from your constant hovering— not yet breaching the distance between you two because of how nervous you were. 

Gator’s cock was heavy against his stomach, twitching every so often, impossibly hard and ready, already leaking pearlescent little droplets of pre-cum that had you mindlessly salivating when you caught sight of it.

And it wasn’t that you weren’t turned on, you absolutely were— your slick arousal slipped down your thighs as proof, soaking his skin and your poor clit was throbbing, just begging for attention, like the mere touch of the rough pad of his thumb.

He was just so big.

“What is it, hon?” he hummed, a big hand reached out for you, smoothing against the supple skin of your ass as a sort of comfort. “Can see ya thinkin’ too hard.”

You bit the skin of your lip, casting your gaze downward, trying hard to keep the sight of Gator’s too big cock out of your vision.

“You’re just—” you hiccuped, hands slipping from his shoulders and making their way to your sides before he grabbed your wrists, keeping you there, wanting you to stay flush with him, to feel your skin on his and to quench his thirst for your touch. “Just so big.”

He hummed in acknowledgement, cocking a brow at you, trying hard and miserably failing to keep his smirk at bay.

“S’not funny, Gator— you might split me in half!” You pouted, smacking at his pec, huffing at the now constant pull at the corner of his lips.

“Baby, I’ve fucked you before, remember?” He mocked, hand still smoothing over your skin, your back this time.

“That’s different,” you whined, pout still prominent and you nuzzled your face into his neck, breathing in the intoxicating scent of his cheap cologne before sighing out. “M’scared I won’t be able to take you this way, daddy.”

Gator tried to ignore the jump of his cock from your little nickname for him, carding his fingers through your hair and shushing your silly thoughts of getting split in two.

“Of course you’ll be able to take me, honey,” he cooed, “you’re my best girl, remember? Ya always take me so well, even when I rough ya up a little.”

Your hips shifted at his words, cheeks searing in a flush, and the tip of his cock bumped at your clit from your movements, a soft whine escaping the confines of your throat at the act.

His voice was low, heavy on the shell of your ear.

“Daddy’ll guide ya, hon— no need to worry.”

send me asks/my inbox is open

[charlesslut16]

-christmas market-

summary : you and your husband sebastian are visiting the christmas market with your two kids

PAIRINGS : husband!sebastian vettel x wife!reader

WARNINGS : none

note : I hope that you like it.... Love you guys more than anything

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The crisp December air nipped at your nose as you stepped into the bustling Christmas market, Sebastian’s hand warm in yours. Twinkling fairy lights crisscrossed the square, casting a golden glow on the cobblestone paths dusted lightly with snow. 

Stalls lined the edges, their wooden frames adorned with evergreen garlands and red ribbons. The smell of roasting chestnuts mingled with the sweet scent of mulled wine, making everything feel like a postcard brought to life.

“Papa, look!” Leo’s voice cut through the loud chatter and songs. Your son’s blond hair poked out from under his knit hat as he pointed excitedly to a stall selling candied apples. “Can we get some?”

Sebastian laughed, his voice warm and happy. “We just got here, Leo. Let’s explore a little first, hmm?”

Leo made a face but quickly shrugged it off, distracted by another nearby stall. His little sister, Sophie, clung to his hand, her small feet skipping to keep up. She was quieter than her brother, her wide eyes darting between the lights and the crowds, taking everything in with the awe only a child could manage.

Sebastian squeezed your hand, pulling you a little closer. “Think they’ll ever run out of energy?”

You smiled, leaning into him. “Not a chance. Especially not here.”

The four of you strolled through the market, stopping here and there to admire handmade ornaments or tiny figures carved into snowmen and angels. At a stall selling steaming mugs of hot chocolate, Sophie tugged on your coat.

“Mama,” she said softly, her rosy cheeks glowing in the light of the nearby lantern. “Can I have one?”

“Hot chocolate already?” Sebastian teased, crouching to meet her at eye level. “We haven’t even found the crêpes yet.”

Sophie pouted, her big eyes melting him instantly. “Please?”

He laughed, standing back up and turning to you with a knowing smile. “She’s good. She’s wonderful.”

You shook your head, chuckling. “She gets it from you.”

Two cups of hot chocolate later, one for Sophie and one for Leo, whose enthusiasm for whipped cream resulted in a drop on his nose—you found yourselves at a crêpe stand. 

The line was long, but the smell was irresistible: butter sizzling on hot pans, mingling with the sweetness of melted chocolate and caramel, It was as if it called for you all.

Sebastian ordered two crêpes, one filled with Nutella for Leo and one with strawberries and whipped cream for Sophie. The kids sat on a bench nearby, happily devouring their treats, while you and Sebastian shared a quiet moment to yourselves. You watched them, their cheeks flushed from the cold, their laughter light and carefree.

“This is what it’s all about,” Sebastian said softly, his arm brushing against yours. “Forget the gifts, the stress, all of it. Just… this.”

You looked at him, your heart swelling at the contentment in his eyes. “Yeah,” you said, your voice matching his quiet tone. “Just this.”

A little while later, Leo spotted the ice rink at the far end of the market. The strings of lights above it twinkled like stars, reflecting off the smooth surface of the ice. Families and couples glided across it, their laughter mingling with the faint strains of carols from a nearby choir.

“Can we go, Papa? Please?” Leo begged, his excitement spilling over.

Sebastian glanced at you, his eyes dancing. “What do you think?”

You smiled. “I think we’ll be here for hours if we say yes.”

Sebastian turned back to Leo and Sophie. ��Alright. Let’s do it.”

The kids squealed with delight, their hands already reaching for yours and Sebastian’s as you led them toward the rental booth. Once their skates were on—Leo’s slightly too loose until Sebastian retied them with his practiced hands—they shuffled toward the rink.

“Careful, Sophie,” you called as your daughter wobbled on the edge. Her skates clinked against the ice, her tiny legs moving tentatively.

“I’m okay!” she called back, though her grip on the wall suggested otherwise.

Leo, on the other hand, dove straight in, his confidence outweighing his actual ability. His arms flailed as he tried to stay upright, but he was laughing the entire time. “Papa, look!” he shouted, waving before nearly toppling over.

Sebastian chuckled, leaning on the railing beside you. “He’s fearless, isn’t he?”

“Wonder where he gets that from,” you teased, nudging him.

He smiled, his gaze soft as he watched Sophie let go of the wall and take a few tentative glides on her own. “And she’s so careful. She thinks everything through.”

“She’s like me,” you said, pride lacing your voice.

“And Leo’s definitely me,” he added, laughing when your son attempted a spin and ended up flat on his backside.

For a while, the two of you just stood there, watching the kids. The lights above cast a warm glow over the ice, and the laughter of skaters filled the air. Sophie grew braver with each lap, her smile widening every time she managed a smooth glide. Leo, despite his tumbles, was unstoppable, determined to master skating in one night.

“They’re incredible,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

Sebastian nodded, his arm slipping around your shoulders. “They are. And they’re ours.”

The weight of his words settled warmly in your chest. In the hustle of everyday life, it was easy to forget how fleeting these moments were—how quickly the kids were growing up, how these simple, magical nights wouldn’t last forever. You leaned into him, your head resting on his shoulder, grateful for this little pocket of peace.

Eventually, the kids tired themselves out, their energy finally giving way to the exhaustion of the day. You helped Sophie unlace her skates while Sebastian tended to Leo, who was regaling him with a dramatic retelling of his “epic” near collision with another skater.

“You should’ve seen it, Papa,” Leo said, his hands gesturing wildly. “I was going so fast!”

“Fast, huh?” Sebastian replied, clearly amused. “Maybe a little too fast?”

“Nah,” Leo said, grinning. “I had it under control.”

Sophie, on the other hand, was content to lean into your side, her eyes drooping as you wrapped her scarf a little tighter. “Mama,” she murmured, her voice sleepy. “Did you see me? I didn’t fall.”

“I saw, sweetheart,” you said, pressing a kiss to her temple. “You were amazing.”

Sebastian joined you, his hand finding the small of your back as the four of you walked back through the market. The kids, now thoroughly worn out, held onto your hands, their earlier energy replaced with a calm, happy contentment.

The market was quieter now, though the lights still twinkled, and the faint hum of carols lingered in the air. As you passed the towering Christmas tree in the center of the square, Sebastian pulled you close, his voice low.

“Best night yet?” he asked, his green eyes searching yours.

You smiled, your heart full. “Best night yet.”

And as you walked on, your family bundled together under the glow of the lights, you knew that these were the moments that would stay with you forever.

You loved your little family more than anything.

[auggieblogs]

From mine to yours | Max Verstappen Instagram au

Max Verstappen x fem! reader

* ੈ✩‧₊˚ Max does not hide his blatant favouritism!!!

Author's note: HAPPY DIWALI TO EVERYONE CELEBRATING!!! I hope all of you are doing good. This smau is a service to all my brown girlies, (and @maxiepinkz) consider it a Diwali gift. Also, my non-brown girles, all of you can read it just for the funnies (I like to think I am hilarious). Anyway, I love you all so much. Happy reading, my loves🤍

―୨୧⋆ ˚masterlist

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris and 124,789 others

yourusername Happy Diwali🪔

tagged maxverstappen1

comments:

username parents if I may

username MAX VERSTAPPEN IN A BLACK KURTA THIS IS NOT A DRILL HSJAHDSG

username me and who

landonorris Diwali is my favourite festival actually

maxverstappen1 We'll send over the leftover sweets Lando, don't worry landonorris good because Oscar was worried oscarpiastri EXCUSE ME WHAT THE ACTUAL- yourusername It's okay Osc, we know it is actually Lando landonorris NUH UH

username Y/N, meri jaan<3 (Y/N my beloved)

username this could be us but you don't even know what is Diwali

username dear god when I get to hell please let me bring Y/N and Max

username Everyone should thank Y/N for getting Max out of his rbr merch bc he looks fucking delicious in that kurta

username Thank you Y/NNN username Thank uuuu, Y/N you're doing god's work username we owe you Y/N😭 yourusername You're welcome my bacchas mwah😘 (You're welcome my babies)

maxverstappen1 I love you kaafi zyada (I love you a lot)

yourusername more than redbull sugar-free? maxverstappen know your limits (yes)

username damn this making me feel a different typa lonley

martingarrix Sick party, sick music and I WON THAT GAME OF CARDS

yourusername Martin puh lease🤚🏼🙄

charles_leclerc I need that party playlist Y/N I'm begging

lewishamilton +1

lilymhe omg me too!!!

yourusername anything for my favourite lady🫶🏼

username Y/N making all the firangis (foreigners) dance on desi music like yessss queen reverse colonisation or something

username ik my goat

maxverstappen1

liked by yourusername, danielricciardo and 450,314 others

maxverstappen1 Happy Diwali, from mine to yours❤️🪔

tagged yourusername

comments:

username this is heartwarming awh!!!

username snshsj I love them

sophiekumpen Beautiful, Y/N💕

*liked by maxverstappen1 and yourusername*

yourusername Thank you so much, Sophie🥰

username I absolutely adore the Diwali vibes✨

username he posted 6 pics and 3/6 of them is Y/N I AM ON THE FLOOR

username down horrendously

username can you blame him though???

username I genuinely understand.

yourusername I love you, Max. Kaafi zyada. Bohot zyada. HADD SE ZYADA. (I love you, Max. A lot. Like A LOT. Beyond limits)

maxverstappen1 And I love you usse bhi zyada (And I love you more)

yourusername sharm aa gyi mujhe hehe🤭 (I’m blushing)

username Max learning Hindi for Y/N can be something so personal

username his side quests are getting out of hands

username bro probably did it to impress the in-laws

yourusername he knows 3 languages, what’s one more?😼

maxverstappen1 I am a romantic like that actually😊

username pretty pretty

username nahh this mf keeps winning on and off track annoying asf🙄👎🏼 ( I love them so much)

username oh to celebrate Diwali with my white boyfriend😭🙏🏼

username jokes aside, I want to know what max looks like up close with that kurta on

yourusername rishta material fr🤤 (marriageable)

danielricciardo It's the way we all were at the celebration and you managed to post just Y/N.

maxverstappen1 I do not hide my favouritism

username my desi girllll

username Y/N is living all my f1 driver x desi reader fantasies and I love it for her

redbullracing Hopefully we're invited to the Diwali party next year😁

landonorris nahhh no way after the ladoo incident

alexalbon Y/N is going to pull out her hair😭

yourusername uhm I'm actually conflicted tbh.

username WHAT IS THE LADOO INCIDENT?

Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is a Hindu festival celebrated with great enthusiasm across India and various other parts of the world. It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. Diwali typically involves lighting oil lamps or diyas, decorating homes, exchanging gifts, and enjoying festive meals with family and friends. The festival holds cultural, religious, and social significance, promoting the spirit of joy, unity, and hope.

A ladoo (also spelt laddu) is a popular and traditional Indian sweet. It is a round-shaped sweet ball made from various ingredients, including flour, sugar, and ghee (clarified butter). Ladoos are often prepared during festivals, celebrations, and religious occasions in India. They are considered a symbol of good luck and are distributed as a gesture of joy.

Needless to say, it's my favourite time of the year😁

[fbs-fc-ur-mommy]

Mature themes, use of drugs, shotgunning, intercourse, and mention of smoking and drinking.

--------------------------------------

You went to your usual meting site, an abandoned house near the train tracks. Simon was waiting there, he texted you after you finished your school.

You were exited to meet him there, maybe he could share his cigarettes with you again or better some sweet alcohol.

As you arrived there you entered the house, seeing two figures not one, it was Simon and someone you didn't knew but looked familiar. The brunette looked awful to Sophie. His outfit was an black one with white lines and the text EA 45. The man looked at you then turned to Simon.

-I'll leave, call me anytime when you want you know.

-Alright old man. Simon said, playfully tapping the man shoulder.

After he left you asked who that was.

-Oh, Him? His name is David, he sells drugs, I wanted today you to try it out.

-Drugs? You asked with a little fear. Simon you know that it's almost night time, if my parents sees my high they -

-You can stay at my house today, I'm alone for a few days - he cut you off.

He grabbed you hand and guide you to the stairs where you two would've use them as chair. He lighted up the joint and smoked, inhaled it and then exhale it with an smirk. He gave it to you which you looked at him with fear.

-Hey, [Name ] if you don't wanna do it-

-It's not that Simon! I never did this before, I'm a little afraid...

Simon looked at you with sympathy, you, an person with good monthly income, good grades and respectful reputation. Someone like you shouldn't hang out with someone like him, yet you did it. He knew he will fuck you up, destroy you. Your parents always warned you about him. He always told himself to stop hanging with you. To stop before it's too late. He already fucked up by teaching you how to skip classes, steal, smoke and drink. Stop it before it's too late. He thought about it night and day. Yet your eyes begged him to not leave you, to teach you and maybe more fucked things.

An idea crossed his mind and shared it to you.

- You want to try - shotgunning? What's even that? Simon do you plan to kill me? You asked him sarcastically, but it was true that you didn't know what was shotgunning.

Simon blushed at the idea of explaining it, yet he got the courage to do.

-It's basically blowing smoke via the mouth into another person.

-You want us to that?

-I mean only if you're comfortable...

You thought about it, it's basically kising right? But maybe Simon was just nice to help you... There was always an small tension between you two but maybe it was all in your head. You nod and Simon smiled to you. He put his joint again to his chapped lips and dragged an much longer drag than usual. Damn you Simon, you want to put me in the fucking hospital don't you?

While you were thinking you gasped when Simon hand grabbed your chin, then he lowered himself to your soft lips. His cold touch making you shiver, his rough lips to your soft ones maked you go feral, hardly controlling yourself from actually kissing Simon for real.

The hot smoke blowed into your mouth and eventually into your lungs maked you immediately light headed, the burning sensation in your throat maked you tearing up tears. But overall it was an nice felling.

Simon looked down at you, smirking he then drag again from the joint, not giving you an change to adjust to the felling. His lips joining you again. His hand who rested to your chin, his thumb started caressing your cheek.

He pulled away admiring your flurstrated form. You looked like thinking, staring and making holes with your eyes into the floor beneath. Suddenly he felt an hand grabbing the back of his neck, soft lips chasing his rough one's.

You pulled away in fear when you realised what you did. He looked shocked. He didn't even kiss back. He only flinched back when you kissed him. That's it. He's gonna tell everyone that you sexual harrased him, your parents will hear about it and the worse - will kick you out.

-Simon, I'm so fucking sorry - you thought of an excuse, was this because of you being high?

-[Name]...

You feared the worst.

-I was only surprised...

Then two hands grabbed your face, lips crashing into each other, tongue already exploring each other mouth's.

You didn't knew when your bottom clothes disappeared, but the only thing you knew was your face being pushed into the wall in front of you, the brutal truths making your legs shake, your tears leaving an uncomfortable felling on the face, salty taste from the tears in your mouth.

-S-Simon please! Slow down! - you begged, over stimulation making you cry and cry.

Simon looked down where your bodies would meet , your ass cheeks being red from his hands abusing them, his palm print being so pretty there. He wanted more skin to feel so he brought you up, his chest to your back and your head resting back to his shoulder. He bought one of your leg up, the position making him enter more deeply. He stayed inside you an little, not wanting things to end too soon. His left hand grabbing your face to kiss you, which you thought it would be an affectionate gesture, which wasn't when Simon suddenly started fucking you again, more brutal than before, making you cry into his mouth, more tears wetting his face too.

He finally came inside with an grunt, your legs giving up, which he allowed both of you sliding down into your knees to take breaths. He was soo tired too that he didn't bother to pull out. Only breathing could be hear, Simon clothed body hugging you from behind, defending you from the cold night air. You wanted to say something when an train passed by, muffling any noise so you waited.

-Simon if this was only an one night stand please leave and never see me again if it wasn't stay with me.

Simon was shocked by what you've said but happy at the same time.

-[Name]... - he groaned like he was tired to talk too. What you want us to be?

-Simon, let's be lovers.

When Simon heard that he knew the he fucked up, fucked you up too. He knew that your relationship would be forbidden. He knew that someone will leave broken. He knew all. Yet he decided to risk it all and have you.

----------------------------------------

Repost from my ao3 acc

[anthonykathanibridgerton]

Simone Ashley being cut from S4 really doesn’t sit well with me. It legit makes me so sad as a fellow brown girl. It’s like we never matter as much even when we prove ourselves to be the best or the most popular. She seems to be begging to return, she legit said she would come back at any point. 😢 Especially since Anthony is coming back it’s like they used her to be celebrated for diversity but her story isn’t actually important enough to keep around. Or now that they have another Asian lead they don’t need her anymore. Like there isn’t room for them both to exist and thrive together?! Sophie and Kate together would have been incredible!!

It wouldn’t be so obvious if Anthony wasn’t returning but the fact that he is and they didn’t think her character was important enough to also return makes me sick. Especially since Anthony being without Kate makes no sense story wise. Like they will have to make some huge excuse for him being anywhere without her because in his own words and actions he cannot breathe without her. I’m so devastated and sad but unfortunately not surprised.

[loveemii]

𝔓𝔬𝔫𝔶𝔟𝔬𝔶 - 𝔑𝔞𝔫𝔞𝔪𝔦 𝔎𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔬

“Baby, I’m home.” Nanami announced as he placed his briefcase by the penthouse front door. Y/n quickly came out of their shared bedroom in a sexy lingerie set. It was black unlike her cute sets with flowers and lace on them.

Y/n wore black leather thigh high boots with a leather thong and a very thin leather top that only covered her nipples. Nanami cleared his throat and adjusted his tie, “What’s this new look? You wanna try something new, don’t you?” He asked and rolled his blue sleeves up.

“Mhmm…” Y/n nodded and slowly walked closer, her tone sultry. “I have a new toy I wanna try out.” She added, and Nanami’s eyes widen slightly but he grows even more confident stepping closer and lifting her chin up to look at him thinking the toy was to be used on her.

“Oh really? What kind of toy hm?” He grabbed her cheeks and leaned in to her ear his hot breath giving Y/n goosebumps. “You’ll see soon enough.” Y/n said and grabbed his hand from her face and led him into their bedroom.

———

“Hold still for me, ok?” Y/n said as she placed the medal bit into his mouth and wrapped the leather buckle behind his blonde hair. Nanami was blushing insanely as she did so, his ankles were tied to a chair too, not to mention his wrists also tied at the rests of the chair.

“What is this thing again?” Nanami asked with the bit in his mouth, “People use these for horses normally but I bought one made especially for a human. I thought you’d look really good with it.” Y/n said as she slowly removed her thong. “And you do.” she added before she began to slowly stroke Nanami’s hardened cock, his pink bubblegum tip leaking with precum as she spread it over his length.

Nanami groaned in pleasure as he threw his head back and moaned slightly the silver bit in his mouth showing. Y/n then climbed on his lap and teased her wet pussy with his tip, rubbing her clit with it and slapping it against her flesh.

“You’re enjoying seeing me like this aren’t you?” Nanami asked as he groaned. “Mhmm, I am enjoying this.” Y/n bit her lip as she lowered her pussy onto his cock and she slipped it inside making them both moan. “F-Fuck..you’re so hard I can feel you throbbing inside me.” Y/n began to bounce on his cock.

Nanami groaned and bit the bit, he tried to move his hands to grab her tits but forgot his wrists were tied to the chair so he strangled and Y/n stopped bouncing. “Move again and I’ll stop.” she whispered in his ear and he seemed embarrassed but exited.

“Fuck me, Y/n please…” Nanami begged with his bit, Y/n placed her hand over his cheek and pet him almost before bouncing in his cock again.

———

After an hour and a few minutes Nanami’s cock and balls were drenched in their cum, his face still flushed and fucked out. Y/n’s mouth dripping with saliva and his cum.

“So sticky..” Y/n stroked his sensitive cock and it twitched making his body jolt but the restraints over his ankles and wrists held him down. “Damnit…” Nanami bucked his hips slightly as he came again in her hand coating it with his white sticky cum. She licked some off her hand and teased his tongue with hers and the taste of him.

hello! ^-^

this was my first time writing for nanami so i hope it’s good lol and this was based off the song | Ponyboy- SOPHIE |

please excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes, thank you.

[guvmy]

one thing abt Keeper that I'm shocked no one rlly talks about is how the Keeper crew and the neverseen main members low-key parallel eachother in different ways,

Like Tam & Linh w/ Ruy. All of them traumatized and hurt from the treatment of Exilium and Elvin Society. The humiliation forming a hard defense that comes when they feel stinging again.

Maruca & Alvar are both motivated by family whether it be love or hatred. Both want to valued more, Maruca wanting to help more, knowing the hurt her family went through & Alvar wanting to destroy more after learning what his family has done.

Brant and Fitz and their unfiltered rage whenever someone hurts someone they love, its blinding. But it comes from the desire to help others, to find a answer thats been prolonged. They both hold this but one manages it and one basks in it.

Biana and Giesla, strong hardworking beautiful, yet majority of their lives were spent overshadowed by the men in their lives. Biana fought to be seen while Gisela stood down to downplayed. being underestimated was a constant for both of them.

Sophie and Trix being torn by the people they love, wanting to let out the frustrations, Their power is what makes people fear them and is prevents most from seeing whats underneath. People not only restrict their power but also their emotions causing them to slowly spiral into insanity and stress.

Fintan and Keefe are both desperate for something to fill the gaping hole in them, Fintan insane from the voices begging him for just one little spark while Keefe is begging for a voice, to guide him to assure him it'll be alright

ill add more later but for now this is good

edit- Y'all can talk you aren't on mute

[justwinginglife]

After All This Time

Have yall seen the gorgeous man that is Howl Jenkins Pendragon? I had to make it NSFW, I just had to.

Howl leads Sophie out to the balcony for yet another romantic kiss, awash in moonlight.

You think you might barf. That, or claw out your own heart. You can’t tell what’s more distracting, the acid threatening to rumble up your throat or the aching in your chest threatening to consume you whole. You almost feel guilty for just how heartbroken you feel whenever you see them together.

They’re a cute couple. Much cuter than you would ever be with him. The whole time you’d known him, he’d been searching for her. He would repeat to you the same story about how she had appeared to him, almost like in a dream, asking him to come find her. She was all he’d ever wanted, even before he’d even known her. And why wouldn’t she be? She was kind, even to you. Made your favorite foods whenever you were down, taught you how to tie bows in your hair. And yet, all you could do was despise her. You felt like shit.

But some part of you, some wretched part you’d hidden deep inside your darkness, though apparently not deep enough, felt like Howl belonged to you. He’d met her first, but only for a few seconds before she’d vanished into thin air. It hardly counted as a meeting, in your opinion. You met him soon after; you’d run away to get lost in the meadows and the mountains after your family had renounced you, and that’s when you caught sight of his raven black hair fluttering in the wind as he picked flowers without a care in the world. That was honestly probably the moment you fell in love with him, though you denied it until it was too late.

You remember you laid in the field with him for hours that day, plucking petals, talking secrets and aspirations. You didn’t care that he was some stranger you’d just met, you were a kid, and he was your savior. He offered you a home and you offered him your life, said you’d help him find the girl he was searching for. Really, you would’ve done anything just to stay by his side.

Your most comfortable nights were when he snuggled in bed beside you, keeping your nightmares at bay with his sweet words and intoxicating scent. He’d read you stories to pass the time, and you’d fall asleep in his arms, listening to the familiar rumble of his voice in his chest as you snuggled up against it. Sometimes he’d tell you stories about his own life. Your favorite one was the day he met you. You’d beg him to tell you that story over and over, and though he’d laugh and tease you because you already knew the story having lived it, he’d cave in and humor you anyway, each and every time, without fail. He could never resist you (though sometimes he tried, because he thought it was cute when you pouted.) When he’d finally start telling the story, you’d smile the biggest smile and he’d wonder why he ever stalled in the first place, when he had such a sight to look forward to. Sometimes he’d change up details of the story just to make you laugh, say you flew in on a spaceship, say he was 10 feet tall the day you’d met. It wasn’t hard to make you laugh. Howl loved your laugh and you loved to make him happy. You gave every part of yourself freely.

You weren’t always the best influence on him, but you were his perfect match. One weekend, the two of you didn’t have enough money for food, so he stole a loaf of bread from a merchant he hated. When he sheepishly admitted his crime to you, ready to defend himself with his growling stomach as hard evidence, you smirked and uncovered a basket full of pastries you’d stolen from the same baker. He laughed so hard he fell into the fireplace and you had to rinse ashes from his hair. The two of you toasted your loaves of bread and munched on them together, giggling and nudging each other the rest of the night.

The “partner in crime” act continued when you decided to pursue magic together. You almost got yourselves kicked out of your training because the two of you would play pranks on the rest of the class. Sometimes they were justified and sometimes they were not, but they were fun either way. One time, a bully jeered at Howl’s jet black hair and you turned him into a worm. Unfortunately, that was also the day Howl had started to dye his hair blonde, though he claimed it was unrelated. You made every effort to tell him you adored the way he looked before, and it broke your heart that he wouldn’t listen. He’d say you were just like his sister and it was your job to lie to him and tell him he looked good. You didn’t have the guts to tell him that you’d always loved the way he looked, that you’d always loved him. You didn’t have the guts to beg him to see you as something different, to beg him to see you as something more.

When your first Christmas with him started quickly approaching, you used the only skills at your disposal to make him a pink coat with blue diamonds patched onto it. He loved it so much that he wore it everywhere, and when he finally started to outgrow it, he begged you to make him the same jacket a size larger. And then another size larger. And another, until he was fully grown, fully handsome, and still wrapped in the evidence of your secret love for him.

For the longest time, it was just you, Howl, and Calcifer in his castle. And for the longest time, you wondered if he could just let go of the Sophie thing. You were happy the way things were, why couldn’t he be happy too?

You even thought he might have started to love you back at some point. He’d blush when your shirt would ride up. He’d freeze when you’d brush up against him, even though you had spent many nights sleeping in each other's arms when you were kids. He’d compliment you more, every word carefully handpicked, like he’d spent time thinking about all the ways he adored you.

But then he found her. And he remembered the one thing he wanted.

He’d spent so long looking for her, it didn’t seem right to quit now, though you would’ve happily persuaded him otherwise.

And when you met her, when she was talented, when she was generous, when she was spunky, your heart crumbled to pieces. She was the perfect woman. His perfect woman. And suddenly the weight of your hopes, of your dreams, of your love, came crashing down on you, leaving you devastated in the aftermath.

So tonight, you choke back more “what if’s” as you gaze into the glow of the fire, wondering if you can just feed yourself to Calcifer. Of course, he’d never do that. He was rooting for you. He was the only one; you’d given up on having Howl, at this point.

You hear the door open but don't move from your spot. You think you vaguely hear Sophie mumble a shaky “goodnight” to you, but it’s in between panted breaths, and you almost puke again thinking about just how much oxygen he must’ve sucked from her lungs with that kiss. You say nothing, biting your lip until it bleeds. She goes to bed.

You hear the door open again, and find yourself increasingly more interested in the embers, not wanting to look over at him, not wanting to see his love-drunk expression.

He plops down beside you, sighing happily. There’s that puking feeling again.

You don’t say a word and he nudges you with his shoulder. “Can’t sleep?”

You shake your head.

He raises an eyebrow at you. “And can I ask why you can’t sleep?”

You shake your head again.

“Can I at least ask why I can’t ask?”

“Nope.”

He rolls his eyes. “C’mon. It’s me. You know you can tell me anything.”

“No, thanks.”

He sighs, exasperated. “You barely talk to me and when you do, it’s not more than two words. What is going on with you tonight?”

“Nothing. Just can’t sleep.” Then you smirk. “See- I said more than two words that time.”

He laughs, glad you’re back to joking with him again. “Gods, you’re stubborn, you know that? And a bit of a jackass.”

You laugh at that. “It’s a good thing you love me anyway.”

He blushes. “Bold of you to assume I love you.”

You nudge him with your shoulder. “You better love me at least a little, we are best friends, you know.” You hope he can’t hear the tone in which you say the word love, like you’re not holding your breath, waiting for a confession after he’s just sent his girlfriend to bed.

“Right. Yeah. We are best friends. I do love you, of course I love you. Because we’re friends.” He stumbles on his words and you have the audacity to find it cute. His girlfriend is waiting for him to come to bed, and you’re sitting here, coaxing the word love from him, like you’re not going to purposely misinterpret it later, like you’re not going to go lie in bed after this, staring at the ceiling for hours, just dreaming about the way he says he loves you. You thought you knew better than this.

Apparently you don’t. You answer like an idiot. “And I love you too. As a best friend.”

The blush crawls up his face and tinges his ears red. “Yup. Friends. Best friends.”

The sight makes you choke on your laughter, and for a minute you almost forget just how serious this moment is. “Howl, why are you being weird?”

He scoffs at you. “I’m not being weird. I’m being normal.”

You pinch his cheek. “You’re being so awkward, what gives? It’s just me.” You nudge his shoulder as platonically as you can, but you know it’s just because you’re dying to touch him somewhere, anywhere.

He makes a strangled noise. “You’re being embarrassing, that’s all.”

You rest your head on his shoulder, ignoring the thumping in your chest. “And how am I embarrassing you, Howl?

He sighs, your close proximity to him somehow relaxing him and making him tense up at the same time. “You’re being so touchy… and you say you love me… but as a best friend.”

“And are we not best friends?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Yes, we are. But somehow I get the feeling that you mean something else when you say that. When you say you… love me.”

“And what do you want it to mean?” You know this is a mess of your own making. You know you’re just daring him to confess. But you can’t stop now.

“Well. Just tell me what you mean when you say it.”

You go back to shaking your head and he groans.

“Why won’t you just tell me? I want, I need to know your answer. It’s driving me crazy.”

“What’s the issue? You have Sophie. You don’t need me.”

He rolls his eyes. “Sophie has nothing to do with this. Right now, this is just about you and me.”

All your nerve leaves you when you think you might finally have to confess. “Howl. I’m going to bed.” You get up to leave.

He grabs your wrist. “No. You can’t. I’m not done.”

You yank your wrist away. “I’m done. Goodnight, Howl.”

You lock the door to your room thinking the conversation has ended, thinking you can finally let the depression swallow you whole. But he bangs on the door over and over, so much so that you start to feel guilty for Sophie who’s sleeping soundly a couple rooms away. You yank the door open and tug him inside, closing the door behind him. He had wanted to come in, but now that he’s standing alone in your room with you, he’s suddenly silent, the weight of this intimate moment sinking in.

You sigh and drag him over to the bed, pulling him down beside you, and snuggling up against him.

He freezes up.

“Stop acting like a stranger, we used to sleep together all the time.”

He coughs. “Yeah, when we were kids. It’s been awhile since we’ve done this.” He says that, but he slowly puts his arms around you anyway, resuming his usual position on your bed.

“Yeah well, that’s cuz you went and got yourself a girlfriend.” And maybe it’s because it was the middle of the night and you’re sleep deprived -if he asks, that’s what you’ll blame it on- but you suddenly blurt out, “And I’m offended, by the way.”

He huffs, amused. “You’re so dramatic, you know that?”

“Well you know what, maybe I should go get a boyfriend then.”

He tenses up again. “Wh-why’s that?”

You shrug. “You have a girlfriend, why can’t I have a boyfriend?”

“B-because! You don’t know what men are like. They might take advantage of you.”

“So who should I date then?”

He swallows. “No one.”

You don’t actually intend to get a boyfriend, you’re too far gone for Howl, but suddenly his words stir some fire in you that you didn’t know existed. He has the audacity to not love you and then claim you can’t love anyone else? The balls on him.

He can feel the air shift because he suddenly tries to make light of the situation. “Besides, I don’t like sharing my best friend with anyone anyway.”

You glare at him. “Well that’s bullshit because I have to share you with Sophie. It used to be just the two of us, don’t you remember?”

He sighs, guilt creasing his face. “I know, I know. But you’re still important to me. She’s just… she’s my everything.”

You wince and pull yourself out of his arms, turning to face the opposite direction.

He groans. “Come on, don’t be like this. Talk to me. I don’t like when you’re upset.”

“I’m not upset, I’m just tired, I want to go to bed. Go to your girlfriend, Howl.”

“Please. Please just talk to me.” He begs, desperation staining his voice.

Suddenly you snap. “She’s your everything, but that used to be me.” You hadn’t intended the words to sound bitter, but they leave a sour taste in your mouth on the way out.

He winces. “I… yeah, I know. I know things are different now, but the way I feel about you hasn’t changed.”

“That’s the problem.” You whisper to yourself so quietly he’s left straining to hear. When he doesn’t answer, you realize he didn’t hear you after all, and you don’t have the energy to say it again. You wrap yourself up tightly in the blankets. “Your girlfriend is going to worry if you keep her waiting much longer. Go to her.”

He sighs. He wants to keep talking with you but he knows you’re right. He doesn’t want to worry Sophie. He promises he’ll talk with you in the morning and takes his leave.

In the morning, he finds that all of your things are missing and you’re nowhere to be found. He panics and races outside in his pajamas, hoping to catch a glimpse of you. He sees your head bobbing down the street, bags in your hands. He almost collapses a lung trying to chase after you.

“What are you doing??” He yells as he runs.

You flinch at his voice, recognizing it instantly, but you keep walking.

He catches up to you and wrenches your arm backwards. You drop a bag and he quickly picks it up but holds onto it.

“Why do you have all your things? Where are you going? Why are you going? You can’t just leave me like this!” His words are rushed, like they’re flooding out, like he doesn’t even know what he wants to say, just that he wants to say something, just that he needs to make you acknowledge him, to make you stay.

You reach for your bag and he yanks it back. “Howl-”

“You- you can’t leave me, damnit!” He snaps and you realize it’s been a long time since he was this mad at you. You almost smile at the thought that your departure causes him so much displeasure. It’s sweet.

“Howl, I need to go.”

“No, no, you don’t. You need to stay with me. What ever happened to best friends? What ever happened to I love you?”

“Howl.”

He doesn’t listen. He keeps rambling.

“Howl. Howl!”

His eyes snap up to yours.

“I love you, Howl.”

He shuts the fuck up.

“I’m in love with you.” You say again, letting the words sink in. He’s still reeling from the shock of it all.

You continue, “I love you, so I can’t stay. I can’t be close to you like this. I can’t keep third wheeling, I can’t keep lying awake at night, dreaming about you, listening to you sleep next door. I can’t. It’s time, I need to go.” You muster up your best smile for him. It’s much easier to grab the bag from his hands now that he’s frozen in place.

You hear him weakly mumbling things like “But I still need you” and “But you can’t leave me” and you wince, but you turn to leave anyway. He weakly grabs onto your arm again, but he’s so shaken, it’s easy to slip out of his grip.

You sigh as you take in the sad sight of him in this miserable state. “You don’t need me. You’ll be fine. You have Sophie. Everything will be fine. I wish you both happiness.” You don’t, but you say it anyway, you reassure him, because that’s what you do when you love him.

When he continues fumbling for you, his words a jumbled mess, you realize he’ll just keep coming after you, even in this weakened state, so you speak up again, “Old friend. Will you do me a favor?”

Life slowly flickers back into his eyes, as he thinks of how he can be of use to you. “Yes, anything. Anything for you.”

“Close your eyes.”

He bites his lip but hesitantly closes his eyes anyway.

You want to leave now. You want to bolt while he’s not looking. But your greed gets the better of you. You hesitate before finally making the decision to kiss him on the cheek, and you know you’ll keep that moment with you forever. You’ll hold on to the feeling of his cheek on your lips until the day you die, because you know you’ll love him until the day you die.

Then you walk away, picking up the pace as you continue down the street, hoping he doesn’t open his eyes, hoping you saved him the pain of having to watch you leave.

Many years later, you’re running errands, walking down the street at a leisurely pace, just enjoying the sun on your skin. You look up at the sky, taking in the fresh air and basking in the sunlight.

Not watching where you’re going, you crash into someone. You immediately think to apologize, but your words get swallowed down when you catch a glimpse of jet black hair.

“H-Howl?”

He blinks. And then he blinks again, this time trying to hold back tears. “Is…is it really… really you?”

A smile spreads across your face. “Hi.”

He reaches out to touch you and then he stops. You intertwine your fingers with his before he can pull his hand away. His fingers lock into place as he draws closer to you, sinking into your touch.

“You’re here.” He whispers.

You ruffle his hair. “You went back to your natural color. I like it.”

He blushes and he absentmindedly reaches up to touch the place where your hand just grazed his hair. “You… you always said you liked it better.”

You smile again. Then you let his hand go, much to his disappointment, and start looking around, looking for her. Your brows furrow in confusion when you don’t see anyone nearby. “Where’s Sofie?”

He swallows, looking down. “She, uh, she’s not… not here.”

You raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“She… we…um. We broke up. Awhile ago. Wasn’t meant to be, I guess.”

You choke on your spit. “You what? Oh you poor thing, let me get you a drink.” You start dragging him away before he can properly process what’s going on.

He thinks you’re taking him to a bar, and he’s surprised when you lead him into your house, ushering him onto one of your bar stools. He looks around while you mix up a drink for him. He realizes this place looks oddly familiar, even though he’s never been here before.

You realize he’s trying to piece together where he’s seen this place. You crack a smile. “I modeled it after that house we stayed at, in the countryside. Seems you remember it well. You like it?”

He nods, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Before he can make any proper commentary on the house, a child runs up to you and throws his arms around your leg.

You laugh and ruffle his hair. “Hey, sweetie. What’re you doing down there?”

Howl swallows, watching this interaction with bated breath. He wonders if that’s your kid. It has to be, it’s your house.

You hand Howl the freshly mixed drink and he takes a sip.

He’s about to comment on how good it is when he hears the kid say, “Mom! Up!” and he chokes on his drink.

You pick the kid up, resting him on your hip before giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Silly. What would your mother say if she heard you calling me mom? It’s auntie, remember? Now go run along and help your mom out with the laundry, okay baby?” You set the kid down and he nods before running to the backroom.

When the kid is gone, you burst into laughter. “You should’ve seen your face. I thought I was gonna die, you looked like you just had a stroke. You thought he was my kid, huh?” You turn to Howl and poke him on the nose.

He rolls his eyes and swats your hand away, seemingly unfrozen now. “Well, can you blame me?”

“He doesn’t look a thing like me,” You tease, nudging him with your elbow.

“Well he could’ve taken after your husband!” He exclaimed defensively.

“Well I don’t have a husband.”

Howl blinks. “No husband.” He repeats.

“And… no boyfriend either.” You say slowly, watching him process this information.

“And no boyfriend either.” He repeats, each word softer than the next.

Suddenly you’re interrupted by your sister waving at you as she takes her kid and her freshly done laundry out the door with her. You wave back and when you catch Howl’s shocked expression, you explain to him that you reconnected with some of your family. He’s happy for you. He always is. Your wins were always his wins. You always loved that about him.You wonder if you can dare to love him some more. If you can dare to dream.

“So… do you have anywhere to stay tonight?” You ask nonchalantly.

He bites his lip. “N-no. Just kind of been… wandering aimlessly.”

You perk up. “Well perfect, I have spare rooms.”

He blushes. “You’d let me stay here? Even after all this time?

You hop into a seat next to him. “Well yeah, aren’t we best friends? That doesn’t just go away, you know.” You nudge his shoulder. Then you dare to rest your head on it.

He freezes but then he relaxes. “This drink is pretty good, by the way.”

“Better be. I put your favorite flavors in it.”

He sits up straighter. “You remember?”

“I remember everything.”

He goes silent, lost in his thoughts.

You want to cheer him up. “Bet I can drink you under the table.”

He snorts. “Like hell you can.”

You spend the next few hours chugging drinks, laughing, catching each other up on everything non-Sofie related. She’s not important right now. Part of you hopes she’ll never come up again. Actually, most of you hopes that.

Eventually it’s time to retire, and you say you’ll draw him up a bath with his favorite scents. He smiles at you, “I’ll toast to that!” and he lifts his cup to you as you disappear into the bathroom.

You reappear to tell him it’s ready and he flushes bright red when you tell him you’ll just be right next door, taking your bath, if he needs you. He begins to soak in the tub, his mind swimming with thoughts of you. He can’t stand you being so close and yet so far away. And taking a bath. Naked, no less. Just behind that wall. He gulps and sinks deeper into the tub, trying to drown out his thoughts.

Then you call out to him and he snaps out of it. “Howl. I forgot my towel in there. Could you bring it to me?”

His eyes widen and his heart thumps in his chest. Is this what cardiac arrest feels like? He pulls himself out of the bath and shakily grabs your towel before making the trip next door.

You think he’ll just leave it outside so you get up to grab it but then he opens the door right as you step out of the bath, the water dripping down your fully naked body.

His eyes rake all over your body and he almost drops the towel in shock. But he can’t stop looking. His blood is burning in his veins, but he can’t stop looking. His lungs feel like they’re ablaze, but he can’t stop looking. You look so perfect, so heavenly.

You break the silence. “I-I thought y-you’d leave the towel outside the door.” Your cheeks flood with red.

He lets out a strangled chuckle, as his eyes continue to roam. “I… yeah, I was just… I’ll just…”

You bite your lip and it shoots his heart straight into the stratosphere.

He takes a hesitant step towards you.

You swallow.

He takes another step, taking in every inch of you.

You can’t help but do the same, admiring his bare body.

He takes another step, finally finding himself directly in front of you. “I just…” He continues and then trails off.

“Yes?” You lean in closer to him, but that’s all you do.

You’re so close to him, your breaths begin to mingle with each other.

“J-just…” He finds himself staring at your lips. Of all the parts of you to be staring at, that’s what he’s settled on. He swallows. “Just… can I…?”

“Yes.”

It only takes a second for him to swallow up all the tension between you, closing the distance, and claiming your lips in a desperate kiss. His hands wander the smooth expanse of your body, memorizing every curve. His kisses are possessive, like he needs to make his mark on you before he wakes up and finds this all a dream. His tongue moves urgently through your mouth, like he might find heaven in the back of your throat.

“Howl…” You whine.

He groans at the sound, gripping your hips tighter and pulling you flush up against him.

“Fuck. Howl, don’t stop.”

Lust flares in his eyes at your words. “I wouldn’t dream of it, I can’t get enough of you,” He pants, eager to claim your lips again.

After a couple more dizzying kisses, you murmur in a daze, “You taste better than I imagined.”

He sucks in a sharp breath. “Fuck. You imagined me?”

You trace the length of his bare back, your slender fingers eliciting shivers from him. “All the time. All the damn time.”

He pushes you against the wall and you gasp at the cold tile on your back. “Howl, that’s cold!”

He smirks. “I promise I’ll warm you up.” He traces hot kisses down your neck, down your breasts, stopping to suck on a peaked nipple, before trailing his kisses further down your abdomen. He kneels in front of you, eyeing your dripping cunt. He’s waiting for permission.

“Are you gonna gawk all day or are you going to taste me?”

He chuckles at your bold words. “I’ve never heard you talk like this before. I like it.” And without another word, he brings his head in between your legs, hungrily lapping at your wet heat. Every whimper and every whine he coaxes from your lips makes him eager to taste more of you. The rough strokes of his tongue dragging itself up and down your slit overwhelms you and you think you might just come on his face. Then he jams his tongue inside you, moaning as your depths envelop him, your slick drizzling down his throat as he swallows. And you do come on his face, fist in his hair, as you moan his name.

He groans as your orgasm floods into his mouth.

You’ve not even finished all the way, the evidence of your desire still trickling down your legs, when suddenly he pulls away from you; before you can complain about his absence, he shoves his bulging erection deep inside your swollen cunt, gasping as your slick coats his cock.

“Howl!” You dig your nails into his back as you adjust to the new sensation.

He sighs, the sound filled with ecstasy. “If you keep saying my name like that, I won’t be able to last much longer.”

“I don’t have a problem with that,” You gasp out.

He shakes his head, grunting as he thrusts into you. “I do. I want to enjoy every second of this.”

His fingers carve canyons into your hips as he steadies himself against your skin.

“Howl…” You groan again, letting your head fall back against the wall. “I want you. I need you.”

His eyes darken as he soaks in the sound of your whines. “I’m right here, darling.” He picks up the pace, though still restraining himself.

“And you feel so good inside me,” You bite your lip, “I bet you’d feel even better pumping your seed into me.”

He swears under his breath, but he can’t muster up the strength for anymore words, all his strength has been poured into resisting you, into resisting the urge to let go. But his strength dwindles quickly at the sight of you flushed beneath him, at the sounds of your moans echoing against the tiled walls. He slams his cock deeper and then finds his release with his tongue in your mouth, swallowing down your pleasure as he fills you up.

You both don’t move for a moment. You just stand there, shuddering, panting, holding each other for support.

Then you start to laugh and he laughs with you.

“You may as well take a bath with me since you’ve already seen me naked,” You tease, jerking a thumb towards the tub.

He grins widely. “Well, if you insist.”

“Oh, I do.” You say devilishly, leading him towards the bath.

You both slide into the tub, sighs escaping your lips, as the warm water envelops both your bodies. You snuggle up against him, soaking in the beauty of the moment.

“You know,” He says thoughtfully, “I think I’ve been waiting my whole life for you.”

You lift your chin up to meet his gaze, raising an eyebrow at him. “Don’t you mean Sophie?”

He shakes his head. “I thought that’s what I wanted, but you were right there, right in front of me the whole time. I’ve only ever needed you. I…” He hesitates, but the feeling of you snug against him gives him courage, “I love you.” Then he grins. “And not just like a best friend.”

You laugh and kiss his chest. “Well how about that? I love you too.”

He beams. “Even after all this time?”

You kiss his cheek. You kiss his forehead. You kiss his lips. He sighs, savoring the feeling of your lips on his skin.

You nuzzle up against his ear and murmur, “Especially after all this time.”

[the-way-astray]

The Keefe Sencen Infantilization Argument (because I've seen people say that saying he infantilizes Sophie is a bad-faith argument):

(Note: This post is a repost. I had my thoughts scattered out over a few posts, so I wanted to put them all together in one cohesive post. If you've already seen all the original posts, then aside from like two sentences being reworked and the format being better now, there's like nothing new here for you. Sorry.)

Examples of Keefe infantilizing Sophie and my explanations as to why this is infantilization and not okay:

Lodestar, chapter 4. What I originally said: “There you go, rocking the whole adorable-when-you’re-angry thing. I think that’s what I’ve missed about you the most.” Keefe infantilizes Sophie by saying she’s cute when she’s angry. She is trying to express her feelings, and all Keefe can do is be all Awwwwww. Isn’t that so cute? She’s angry! How adorable. It’s a form of invalidating someone’s feelings, by treating them like they’re just entertainment or by brushing them off like that. It’s some of the most manipulative behavior out there. It also saves Keefe from having to actually take Sophie’s feelings into account. His infantilization of her also shows up in his incessant need to protect her. It’s icky and gross, and authors should stop encouraging this behavior.

Sophie and Keefe are having a mental conversation and Keefe starts talking about Sophie's love triangle/square situation and Sophie doesn't want to talk about it. Not a fan of this, because Keefe butts into Sophie's personal business, then when she gets worked up, he heavily implies that he thinks it's cute. But this one isn't particularly bad compared to the others. Don't get me wrong, I still think this is infantilization, but the best I can say about it is it's not the worst example.

Lodestar, chapter 46. What I originally said: “You’re so cute when you worry, he told her.” More classic Keefe infantilization. He once again invalidates Sophie’s feelings by dumbing them down and acting like they’re this cute, quirky, inconsequential thing.

Sophie is obviously incredibly worried. Keefe clearly knows this. And his comment is to be like Yeah, but don't you know that makes you sooooo cute??? Like, sir.

Lodestar, chapter 65. What I originally said: “Is this going to be another one of those nights where you spend the whole time yelling at me to come home? Keefe asked, making her sit up straighter as his thoughts filled her head. Because as much as I love it when you get all feisty on me, now’s really not a good time.” God, Keefe is so subtly invalidating. He treats Sophie like she’s just his personal worry machine, not a person with valid concerns and ideas. The flippant way he talks about her worry for him makes me so mad. He takes her worry for granted and throws it back in her face, without a care for how it would affect her mental health. He brushes her off and invalidates her because he thinks he’s so much smarter than everyone else. Not to mention he calls her worry “feisty” and further infantilizes her feelings and ideas.

This one honestly stands alone. Context doesn't really do anything to it. The infantilization for all these quotes is in the quote itself, because it is invalidating to treat someone's outburst of negative emotions as entertainment. Keefe basically just says that he finds it cute when she insists he comes home because she's worried about him??? He's like, yeah, Sophie's worried about me, tearing up her mental health over me, but like. She gets feisty when that all becomes externalized and she begs me to come home! Again, it's just a way he's able to brush Sophie's feelings off and disregard her opinion entirely.

When I say Keefe acts like Sophie is his personal worry machine, I'm saying he acts like her worry only exists for his amusement. He doesn't see the deeper feelings behind that worry (or if he does, he certainly doesn't respect them), and only see it for what he sees it as: something cute and adorable.

Nightfall, chapter 24. What I originally said: “‘I know! Our little girl is growing up and getting so snarky!’ Keefe pretended to wipe his teary eyes. ‘I’ve never been so proud.’” “Our little girl” . . . that totally isn’t creepy or infantilizing at all. The way Keefe talks about Sophie here is genuinely so gross, even if it is a joke. 

This is a joke. 100%. But it's a joke that sat very poorly with me because of the way Keefe verbalizes this. The problem for me is in the quote itself, again, because I feel like saying these sorts of things constantly is just so weird.

Nightfall, chapter 32. Wouldn't say what I originally said adds anything new, so I'm just gonna move past that. The larger problem here is 100% the fact that Keefe is clearly trying to joke to deflect Sophie's anger away. My argument isn't about that. My argument is that saying that someone's anger is adorable is textbook infantilization. In context, Keefe uses it as a way to deflect or joke. But the simple act of saying that is a form of invalidation where Sophie's emotions are made out to be some silly, inconsequential thing.

Anyway, about this quote in particular. Sophie is obviously freaking out, and she is clearly and seriously trying to tell him that his joking behavior is unacceptable. Keefe responds, not by listening at all to what Sophie said or what she's feeling, but by instead saying this. This invalidates Sophie's very real feelings as well as saves Keefe from having to confront what Sophie's telling him. And yes, this is a product of his deflection, but my point here is that saying someone's anger or worry is adorable or cute when they are trying to be serious is textbook infantilization, because it treats that opinion they have as a silly, child-like tantrum. "Awwww, isn't that anger adorable???" is what you say about a tantrum-throwing toddler who just got their favorite toy taken away, not someone your age presenting a valid, serious opinion. My issue is with the statement "Your anger/worry is adorable/cute" itself, not how Keefe uses it to deflect. It also presents Keefe, subtle as it may be, as the only one with valid opinions on things because Sophie's adorable little feelings get in the way of her rationality.

And before you say Sophie calls him out on this, yes, but he doesn't change. I'm not going to talk about it at length here, but Keefe apologizes to Sophie in the Nightfall scene after his bed rest more out of a desire to make up with her than a desire to change his bad habits. You can see this because he continues to do it into Unlocked.

Nightfall, chapter 34. Again, I don't think what I originally said adds anything relevant, so I'll skip that here.

The famous scene. I do admit that Sophie calls Keefe out this time. However, as I've already said, this doesn't stick, so it hardly matter. Keefe continues with this behavior through the series and into Unlocked, where he doesn't necessarily say these things out loud, but you can see he still thinks them.

Nightfall, chapter 70. What I originally said: “‘Much as I’m enjoying this sudden overflow of adorable Foster-rage—it’s not worth it.’” Ah, more of Keefe infantilizing Sophie and invalidating her feelings. If someone finds your anger or worry “adorable” and acts like it’s this cute little quirk, then that’s never a good thing. Especially if they enjoy it. Someone who cares about you should never enjoy seeing you angry or worried.

Sophie's having a serious, key word here is serious, discussion (we'll call it a discussion, even though that's not particularly correct) with Cassius, and even though her rage isn't aimed at him this time, Keefe telling Sophie her rage is adorable when she's being serious is still dumbing down her emotions to that of a toddler throwing a tantrum, not a grown-up (at least relative to Keefe) having a very valid reason to be angry. Just because he agrees with her anger, doesn't mean he can't still infantilize her.

Flashback, chapter 1, page 12. I think what I said in my original post just about sums it up: “‘You’re so adorable when you worry. I’ve told you that, right?’” (12) Yes, you have, and saying it more doesn’t make it any less icky and gross and infantilizing. It’s like he’s dumbing Sophie down to this object who only exists to entertain him with her adowabuw wittle feewings, instead of a person with very real, very complex emotions.

Keefe fans the air, so we have physical evidence he knows exactly how worried Sophie is. And his response is to be like, so cute! So adorable! Once again, this is serious, and Keefe is acting like Sophie's worry exists only to amuse or entertain him. I don't know else to communicate that that isn't a good thing. Someone being worried usually means they have something they're worrying about, worry doesn't just manifest out of thin air for entertainment's sake. Sophie also responds poorly to his writing her off, with what and the glare and all.

(Side note: When I was looking for that quote, I found a quote where Fitz says the exact same thing, I'm talking word-for-word "adorable when you worry" stuff. Like I mentioned in my disclaimers, I'm not saying he's more right for this and I'm not letting him off the hook. It's icky when Keefe does it and it's icky when Fitz does it. But I'm solely focused on Keefe, which is why I'm not bringing that up. It's also worth it to note that Fitz doesn't say this over and over again, the way Keefe does.)

Flashback, chapter 17, page 304. I think I'm just going to copy-paste exactly what I said in my original post because it's exactly what I'm trying to say: “‘Hear that, Ro?’ he interrupted. ‘She’s giving me her serious voice.’” (304) Another example of Keefe infantilizing Sophie and dumbing her feelings down for the sake of a joke. Awwww, isn’t her serious voice so cute? She only does that when she thinks she has something important to say to us grown-ups! Awwwwwww. 

Apparently, people don't get why this is a bad thing, so: acting like someone isn't being serious when you can literally feel their emotions and know they're being serious just because you don't like what they're saying is not just invalidation, but infantilization, because you are dumbing their emotions and the complexities behind them down to that of a child attempting to be serious.

I'd also argue that this shows Keefe's true colors: he only really listens to her opinions and respects them when he agrees with them. Disagreeing with someone is all fine and good, but you can still respect the other person's opinion and not dumb it down and act like it's lesser than your own. If Keefe said "Sophie, I hear you, but I think you're wrong" (in Keefe jokester language, obviously, not word-for-word what I wrote) then I wouldn't call this infantilization, I'd call it respect. My problems arise from when Keefe acts like Sophie's opinions are stupid because Sophie is the one saying them with that adorable little pouty voice.

Flashback, chapter 21, page 355. What I originally said: “It’s always fun when you get feisty.” (355) I’ve said this about a gajillion times, but Keefe’s infantilization of Sophie is so horrific, it’s like he doesn’t care about her at all. He just sees her emotions as amusement for himself.

This is a sad scene, and Keefe has every right to be emotionally . . . off in this scene. But it still doesn't change the fact that he calls Sophie's anger "feistiness" and then says it's fun when she gets angry. You could say that's not exactly what he said, but it's likely that's what he meant given the past few quotes I've shown. Keefe has demonstrated a pattern of thinking Sophie's anger is amusing or adorable or fun. Anger is a negative emotion. When Sophie feels anger she doesn't feel good. And Keefe is like, yeah, but it's cute! Do you see how that's not the greatest thing to say? It says a lot about his internalized beliefs about Sophie, and is essentially confirmed by Unlocked. And even if that didn't represent the way he saw Sophie inside, that's still a really shitty thing to say because it still carries the invalidation.

Legacy, chapter 3, page 70. What I originally said: “‘Tell me why you have that cute little crease between your eyebrows.’” (70) You already know what I’m going to say. Keefe finding Sophie’s worry cute is textbook infantilization. But also, if he finds her worry and anger so adorable, what’s he gonna do when the Neverseen are defeated and Sophie doesn’t have as many things worrying her?

So, the crease between the eyebrows is obviously because of worry. So by saying he finds it cute, Keefe indirectly says he finds Sophie's worry cute, though I'm sure I don't have to spell that out because he's already flat out admitted he finds Sophie's worry cute several times. I'm going to sound like a broken record if I repeat what I've been saying this entire post about why this is infantilization, so instead I wanna talk about that last paragraph there. Keefe literally knows how queasy Sophie's worry can make her sometimes, and he has expressed this before, as well. So he knows exactly what Sophie's going through when she worries. And still, he acts like her worry is amusing, funny, cute, or otherwise a quirky little thing. I don't understand how Keefe can be so invalidating, having had firsthand experience with Sophie's emotions.

“But I was only half listening because she gets this cute little crinkle between her eyebrows when she’s trying to be serious, and it makes me want to reach up and smooth her forehead with my fingertip—and I’m betting she’d think I was super weird if I did that, since it’s not like she’s my . . . ” (Unlocked, very first paragraph of Keefe's diary entry, 481)

Don't have an e-book of Unlocked, unfortunately (boooooooo). So the context is that Keefe is giving us (or himself???) an intro to what he's doing here, which is writing about his drawings. He explains that Sophie gave him the idea and gives a general overview of what she said to convince him. Then he says this quote.

Here's what I said, which I stand by: I hate the way Keefe talks about Sophie. She’s just this soft, kind of ditzy, child-like sort of figure in his head. He admits that he doesn’t care what she has to say, he just cares about how adorable she looks while she says it. This is a textbook sign of a toxic relationship. You should care about what your partner/crush says, because that shows that you see them as a person, not as your personal cover model. Also “trying to be serious” paints Sophie as this impudent little child who’s trying to get the attention of the older, more experienced adults and it very much implies that Sophie is not serious, but awwww, look how cute she looks trying to be serious, isn’t it adorable? Except Keefe and Sophie are the same age. So this is another case of textbook infantilization.

Personally, I think I made it fairly clear why I think this is infantilization. Keefe did not listen to the latter half of what Sophie said because he was too busy imagining how adorable she must've looked as she said it. I don't know how to make it more clear that Keefe does not respect or care about Sophie's opinions. He did what she asked, sure, but he did not actually listen to her. Again, implying Sophie was not being serious when she was is infantilization. It takes away the weight of what Sophie is saying and makes it out to be a thing of like, Oh well, Sophie told me to, so I guess I'll humor her adorable little wishes and give it a shot, but let's get back to what's more important here, which is how cute she probably looks! I don't know how else to explain that that's not an attitude you want in someone who claims to listen to you and respect you.

Addressing some other things (Keefe calling Sophie herself cute [1], Keefe's deflection [2], Keefe praising Sophie's prowess [3], Sophie not seeming bothered [4], and The Real Problem [5]):

I don't think Keefe calling Sophie herself cute or adorable by itself is infantilization. That's just a cute, fluffy teenage crush. 100% cool with that. My problem is with Keefe dumbing Sophie's negative emotions that have complexities behind them down to something cute or inconsequential by calling them adorable. There's a quote in the diary entries where Keefe describes Sophie's blush as adorable and proceeds to describe it in vivid detail. I don't like it for personal taste reasons, but I would never argue that this is infantilization. Because. It's not. There is no dumbing down of emotions here, no shrugging off experience or maturity. There's just a kid with a crush.

As for Keefe's habit of deflecting stuff through jokes, yes, it's a flaw and yes, some of the times Keefe infantilizes Sophie, he's using it as a joke to deflect. Yes, that's the larger issue. But the point still stands that the way in which he thinks of Sophie's worry and anger is infantilization.

There are moments where Keefe talks nonstop (sometimes in a very unnatural way, in my opinion) about how powerful and amazing and brilliant and talented and spectacular Sophie is and how he respects her choices and whatnot. I don't see this as particularly contradictory to his infantilization. Keefe can dumb Sophie's emotions down to cute, inconsequential little playthings while also insisting that he thinks she's amazing and powerful. I do think he does think that she's incredibly talented, but he also invalidates or disrespects her choices because he sees her emotions as adorable and unserious. Sophie is objectively powerful and talented and smart, I'm not really sure how saying those clear facts out loud changes the fact that Keefe still sees Sophie as very juvenile in his head. He can respect her prowess and capacity for talent while still disrespecting her opinions and emotions. The two can coexist. This is why I say Keefe pedestalizes and infantilizes Sophie simultaneously.

As for saying this doesn't bother Sophie (except in that one instance where she glares at him), I'd hardly say it matters. People can be the object of toxic behavior without realizing it. Sophie doesn't really seem to care past a handful of seconds when Keefe reads her emotions without her permission (on purpose, with intention), but I think most of us would agree that that doesn't make it acceptable. And Keefe's infantile views of Sophie say more about him than they do Sophie, which is the argument I'm trying to make. My point is that Keefe sees Sophie's emotions as inconsequential little things that don't need to be taken into account. This is all mapped into how he sees her internally. Again, just because Sophie doesn't seem bothered by Keefe's comments, doesn't mean they're acceptable, especially considering it gives us a view into the way he truly sees Sophie. And if Keefe thinks of Sophie is such an invalidating way, how are we supposed to believe he'll respect her when she argues with him, instead of just writing it off as "that adorable rage"?

And last but not least (as this is literally the reason people are annoyed with Keefe, regardless of what flaw you're talking about): the infantilization isn't the problem. Not really. What the problem is is that it is never called out by the narrative and when it is, it lasts two seconds, doesn't stick, and Keefe continues with it having not learned a thing. He doesn't change, and I can give you a thousand explanations for why Keefe may be so prone to infantilizing Sophie based on his childhood, trauma, and everything else, but none of that is an excuse. And I'm certainly not a fan of the way we're constantly told that Keefe respects Sophie when he's clearly so ready to undermine her emotions or dumb them down. If you're going to have him say things like this, it should be understandable that it's not a good thing.

I think it all comes down to this: Imagine you were trying to get a very serious point across to someone or otherwise feeling very emotional over something and then you look over and the other person's reaction is like, Aw, you're so cute when you're all worked up trying to be serious! Anger so adorable! Worry so cute! I love it when you get feisty! Wouldn't you feel like they don't respect what you're saying? Is that not incredibly icky and weird?

Here is the definition of infantilization. I think it's very difficult to make an argument that Keefe is not doing this to Sophie. And if you think that's bad, oh boy, is it so. Much. Worse. In the actual Unlocked novella. It's very difficult to deny that Keefe only sees Sophie as an adorable little cute thing that amuses him when you read it. But I'll get there . . .

Anyway I'm leaving it off with this because these are the vibes I get from Keefe every time he makes an infantilizing comment about Sophie (minus the yelling, Keefe doesn't really yell):

[squishi-bunni]

🎬Movie Night Romance🎬

Sean Diaz x fem!afab!Reader

WARNINGS: smut, 18+, nsfw, light begging, light praise kink, first time, fluffy

AU where everything is fine and both Sean and the reader are 18 and seniors in high school

Y'all are watching Howl's Moving Castle btw

His brown face is tinted blue by the laptop screen in front of us. He's completely engrossed in the movie I've been wanting to show him while I'm engrossed in his cute face. I'm completely curled up against his chest, looking at his sparkling eyes; he smiles when Sophie, with her beautiful starlight hair, tackles Howl into a hug as they both laugh; he looks down at me and laughs as he meets my eyes. "You're not paying attention to the movie, (Y/N)," he teases.

I roll my eyes. "I've watched this movie a thousand times - I can watch you instead."

He blushes and kisses me tenderly at my temple. "Considering this is your favorite movie of all time, I'm flattered you chose to watch me."

"I just like looking at my handsome boyfriend's face."

He laughs and buries his head into my hair. "Shut uuuup!" he whines, gripping my back flusteredly.

I giggle at his silliness and roll onto his stomach so I'm lying on top of him. I cup his face with my hands and force his honey eyes to meet mine. I squish his cheeks and give him a soft peck on the nose. "You're a cutie," I tell him.

His eyes dart downwards and he smiles bashfully. "You're cuter. . ." he mumbles.

I giggle and kiss him softly on the lips. He sighs closes his eyes, relaxing and pulling me close. He grabs at my hoodie and rests his hands on the small of my back. He holds me tenderly while kissing me gently; he holds me like glass and savors my touch.

We pull away and he smiles at me sheepishly. I see stars deep in his dark eyes, and the creases around them from how much he's smiling. He pulls me back to his lips and sighs into me again, as every touch from me gives him bliss. My heart feels like a fizzy soda and I gently push him down so he's lying fully on his back.

The end credits play as Sean and I become lost in our own world. I run my hand through Sean's hair and he moans softly into the kiss. He pulls away from my lips and starts trailing kisses from the corner of my mouth, across my jaw, and to my neck. I sigh contentedly as he kisses and nibbles my skin. I gasp when he finds the spot right under my ear and nibbles and sucks at the skin. I feel him smirk against me and he starts to bite and suck harder. I make a soft high sound, knowing he's leaving a mark. He pulls away and kisses the mark he left. I smile at him and fall to his side, reattaching our lips while I let my hands travel his body. He rubs his hands down my back and hips as I venture down his torso. I drag against the plush of his hoodie until I reach the hem and reach under to touch his warm belly with my fingertips. He hisses as my fingers make contact with his skin, sensitive to my every touch. I graze his stomach and then start to fiddle with the elastic band of his sweatpants.

I pull away and look at him. Our eyes dart down and back at each other. "Um…" I bite my lip as his eyes lock onto mine, hanging onto my every word. "Is it okay if I. . . touch you?" My face feels warm under his gaze.

He nods slowly "Yeah! Uh, yeah, you can-- I would um, like that."

I smiled and kissed him. "Okay."

I slip my hand under the waistband of his sweatpants and the elastic of his boxers. He gasps when my hands find his cock, hard up already, and warm to the touch. I grab him firmly yet gently and begin stroking up and down. Sean moans out, then covers his mouth with his arm, looking away. I take his arm away with my other hand.

"I like your sounds," I tell him "They're cute."

His entire face goes red as he whimpers against my touch. I watch his face while my hands work on him. He's panting and whining, and I feel him buck against my hand a few times. He squirms slightly as I touch him, and whenever he makes eye contact with me, his eyes dart away. He is so cute and shy, and his sounds and squirms at my touch make my stomach bubble up with warmth because God he is so fucking hot.

I kiss him against his jaw when he turns his head and gasps into my hair.

He pulls me off him and brings my lips to his. His hands grope and squeeze at my ass before he brings them to the waistband of my pants.

"(Y/N). . ." he says against my lips. "Can I touch you too?" He gulps as his eyes meet mine.

"Yes. . . please."

He nods and gently tugs my pants and panties down; I kick them the rest of the way. He slides down and lays his head on my chest; he urges my legs open and caresses my folds with his fingers. He blushes and grins to himself at the wetness he feels before slipping his fingers in. I gasp as he goes in deep and thrusts in and out. I feel bashful as he watches me, his honey-brown eyes wide with arousal as he stares at me. I feel shy, but I also love having him watch me. He's devouring me with his eyes, and when something he does gets me to moan louder, he adjusts his movements to keep me going.

"Does it feel good, baby?" he asks.

"Yes- mmnh! it-it feels good."

He pushes my hoodie out of the way, stopping at my breasts. He kisses my belly languidly as I whimper for him.

"Sean. . ." I sigh. "I'm, uh, I'm on the pill. . ."

His face flushes. "It's okay if I. . . fuck you?"

I nod. "Yes, I want that-- I want you, Sean."

He smiles at me sweetly and kisses my cheek. "Okay, amor; as long as you want it too."

He pulls his fingers out of me and guides me on top of him. He takes all of his clothes off as I yank off the rest of my hoodie.

I feel myself become more shy as he stares at my bare body. He rubs his hands up my sides and rests them on my hips. "Eres tan hermosa, (Y/N)."

I blush, "So are you, Sean."

He smiles and pulls me into a kiss. I whine as he grabs and grinds against my hips.

I pull myself up and position myself above him. He guides his cock into me and I sink down. We both moan as I lower completely onto him. He stares at me breathless as I sit on top with his cock inside of me.

When I feel ready, I start to move up and down. "Fuck!" Sean gasps. "Fuck. . . (Y/N), baby, please don't stop." I start to bounce faster and moan when his cock hits my sweet spot.

His nails digging into my hips cause me to look down at him; he's beautiful. He pants and gasps under me, mouth agape in bliss looking up at me dreamily.

Sean grabs my hips and slams me down on his cock, causing me to moan louder than I had wanted to. He covers my mouth quickly. "I love your sounds baby, but we can't wake anyone, okay?"

I nod.

He grabs my hips and starts slamming me down against him. I gasped and whined, trying to keep my volume down so no one would hear. I lean forward to bury my head into Sean's shoulder; I taste the salt of his sweat as I try to muffle my sounds into his skin. His moaning and grunting is even more audible now, right against my ear.

"Fuck!" I gasp. His arms wrap around my waist as he rams into me.

"God, you're so hot baby," he moans, "fuck, you feel so good. . ."

"Sean," I moan into his ear. The reaction to his name causes him to thrust harder, the bed frame creaking under us.

I feel a tightness in my core as he continues to ram and struggle to keep my noises down as I get closer and closer.

"Sean I- fuck-- Sean I'm close--" I whine.

"Fuck please cum for me, baby," he begs, "be a good girl and cum for me."

He bounces me until I come around his cock, and my body collapses and twitches atop him. I tug his hair and whine into his shoulder as wave after wave of pleasure pulsates through my body.

Sean doesn't last much longer after me, having a few more thrusts before finishing inside of me.

We lay there for a second to catch our breath, the scent of sweat around us.

Sean eventually lifts me off of him and to the side. He kisses me on the forehead before sitting up.

"I'm going to get a warm towel to clean us up," he says. I hum in response while he puts on a pair of boxers and a T-shirt and takes a short trip to the bathroom.

He comes back a bit later, a warm hand towel equipped. He cleans me up and gives me some of his clothes to wear. They're baggy on me, but I don't mind because they smell like him.

He snuggles us under the blanket and holds me close. I nuzzle my head into his chest.

"I love you, (Y/N)."

"I love you too, Sean."

[introspectivememories]

#i kinda get the feeling that Bernard is very involved in the local lgbt community#like going by things he's said#you know he joins rallies and protests#but i also picture him doing other things too#like cooking classes for disenfranchised youth#pop up free kitchens for homeless queer youth#like runs an ad hoc food bank specifically to help this marginalised community#yes i am running with#chef bernard dowd#but really thinking he's like heart of the community#Tim doesn't yet know this#because he's too busy cheating on Bernard with Robin#the Marina community tolerate RR but also want to shank him#several then point out to Bernard that that Mr Reddington Hood is a stand up protector of the disenfranchised#and he's likely single via @arcticlutra

THE MARINA TRYING TO HOOK BEAR UP WITH JASON.....

BERNARD GETS THE MARINA IN THE DIVORCE CANON!!!