#now i need to go back and fix that I guess

[nightingale-prompts]

Health Code Violation- DC x DP prompt

"Hold on there. You're not permitted beyond this point." The floating teenage boy said as he tucked his clipboard under his arm.

After a battle with another world-ending villain Superman was killed in action and after a short debate the decision to revive him using the Lazarus Pit was made. However, the league members who were carrying his body to the pit didn't expect it to be blocked off with caution tape. A teenage boy with stark white hair and wearing a hard hat and orange construction vest.

"What are you doing out here kid? And what is with the tape?" Barry asked shifting Clark's heavy ass body from crushing him.

"I'm here to take a look at the leak." He said pointing a thumb in the direction of the green pit.

"The leak?" Diana echoed in confusion.

"Yeah, your planet has a leak. A few actually. Our realm hasn't been managed well and now that the old king is gone we need to fix some things. Right now the leaks need to be sealed." He said. "Also what's with the dead guy?"

"We were bringing him to the Lazarus Pit to revive him." Barry said blankly.

The teen shook his head in astonishment almost dropping his clipboard.

"You are what?! With the what?!"

"The Lazarus pit...?" Hal laughed nervously his face in a half-quirked smile.

"You call it a Lazarus Pit? Guys this is a pool of contaminated ectoplasm. Basically sewage. This thing is full of dead people juice. All those leftover emotions and obsessions are stewing in there. You toss that body in these pool and you'll make a revenant full of anger. It doesn't even have an ecosystem to cleanse it. It's like stagnant water." The teen said waving his pen around before pausing "Wait a minute....you people have been using it? No wonder it's so polluted! What is wrong with you?! Are you trying to contaminate your planet? Do you want zombies?"

It was kind of weird to be scolded by a kid, for everyone but Bruce. He thought of a more pragmatic approach. He didn't like the pit but he acknowledged it's usefulness.

"I understand. But we do want to save our friend and the only way is to use the pit."

"That's a big ask. The pit is one thing but bringing back the dead willy nilly? ...But I guess that's my domain now.. "

The teen mumbled to himself before sighing.

"Look, I want to help. I really do. But the pit is unstable and there are many more on this planet with the same issue. We can't risk an apocalypse and the chance they get into the wrong hands. This is for the safety of your planet." The teen said as mannerly as possible as he dismissed the heros.

"Come on, please. Our friend is dead. You don't want our friend to die." Barry said pleadingly.

"Very mature of you. A bit of shame might help you...alright fine but don't badger me again." The silver-haired being said taking out a small syringe and taking a sample of his own blood.

"It's diluted compared to the pure stuff but 10x stronger than the stuff in the pool. It's safer and once he's kicking again it'll drain out of his system." He tossed the needle to Barry and returned to taking samples of the pit. "This biohazard requires an ecologist. I'll have to import some blob feeders to clean up the toxins. Then either seal this up or link it to the network. But these dumb mortals are just going to keep dumping bodies into it."

The teen mumbled to himself as he tried to find a solution.

A week later all the Lazarus pits had disappeared. The Al Ghuls were scrambling as the source of their powers dried up.

Clark was alive and feeling better than ever. No pit rage at all.

Eventually the boy returned.

"I had a talk with the ancients and they agreed to let you have one ecto pool. Only one thought and it has to be managed by me. As long as you don't try abusing it by going into it while alive or not asking permission I'll allow you to use it. Also, be mindful of my cleaning wisps, they work very hard to keep the natural flow of the ecto cycle going." The teen said holding up a green little ghost blob and petting it.

[gs29]

Mama’s Boy: Jun Ho’s Jealous Moment

Squid Game Master list It was another calm morning in the household, the early sunlight filtering through the windows and casting gentle rays across the room. Jun Ho had just finished his shower, the sound of water dripping from his hair as he stepped out into the warm, quiet space. He moved slowly, enjoying the peaceful moments before the world started demanding his attention. The baby, who had been asleep in his crib, was stirring, his soft babbles filling the silence.

Jun Ho smiled as he walked over to the crib, his heart swelling with affection. The baby—his little boy—was now wide awake, his big eyes searching for someone to give him attention. When Jun Ho leaned over to scoop him up, the baby, who usually loved his dad’s warm embrace, did something unexpected.

“Nooo!” The baby’s tiny arms flailed, and he immediately reached for the other side of the crib where Y/n was already sitting up, rubbing her eyes and smiling gently at her son.

Jun Ho froze, surprised. He tried again, holding out his arms in that way that always made his baby’s face light up. “Come here, buddy,” he cooed, his voice soft and full of affection.

But instead of coming to him, the baby turned his head away, clearly preferring the warmth of his mama’s arms. A soft whimper escaped his lips as his tiny hands reached for Y/n, his eyes wide with trust and a bit of desperation.

Y/n couldn’t help but laugh softly at the scene, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Looks like someone’s already picked their favorite,” she teased, holding the baby close as he snuggled into her, his little face content as he rested against her chest.

Jun Ho stood there for a moment, the warmth of the moment washing over him—but then something else settled into his chest: a soft pang of jealousy. He hadn’t expected it. He wasn’t the type to feel jealous, especially not of his own baby. But the way his son was so content in Y/n's arms, completely turning away from him… it stung.

He tried to shake it off, telling himself that the baby was just in one of those moods, that this wasn’t anything personal. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little left out.

“Come on, buddy,” Jun Ho said again, trying to keep the smile on his face, but there was a little hint of disappointment in his voice. “I’m your dad, remember?”

But the baby, clearly oblivious to his father’s internal turmoil, turned his face further into Y/n’s shoulder, humming softly in contentment. It was like Jun Ho didn’t even exist at the moment.

Y/n looked up at him, her smile softening when she saw the subtle sadness on his face. She reached out, gently rubbing his arm in that comforting way she always did. “It’s okay,” she said, her voice tender. “He’s just really attached to me right now. I think he’s in one of those phases.”

Jun Ho let out a sigh, sitting down on the bed next to her. “I know. It’s just… I miss the way he used to always reach for me. I guess I’m being silly.”

“No, you’re not being silly,” she reassured him, glancing down at their baby, who was now happily sucking on his thumb, completely content in his mama’s arms. “I know it’s tough when it feels like you’re not needed, but trust me—he loves you more than anything in the world. It’s just that right now, he’s really attached to me.”

Jun Ho leaned back against the bedframe, his eyes still fixed on his son. “I know, but it’s hard not to feel like a third wheel.”

The baby, oblivious to his father’s jealousy, let out a small giggle and kicked his legs, his eyes still locked on his mama. It was a cute sound, but for some reason, it only made Jun Ho feel even more excluded.

Then, as if sensing his father’s longing, the baby suddenly let out a little whine, followed by a gentle whimper. His small hands reached out again, but this time, they didn’t go to Y/n. Instead, they stretched toward Jun Ho, his eyes now looking up at his dad with an unspoken plea.

Jun Ho’s heart did a flip as he saw the baby’s hands reaching for him, his little fingers grasping at the air, desperate for attention. Without thinking, Jun Ho immediately reached down and scooped him up, cradling him against his chest.

“There you are,” Jun Ho murmured, his voice thick with emotion as he held his son close. The baby’s little face pressed against his chest, and he let out a contented sigh, curling into his dad’s embrace.

Y/n smiled softly, watching the scene unfold. “See? He just needed a little reassurance. You’re his whole world.”

Jun Ho’s chest tightened as he held his baby, who was now calm and settled in his arms. The jealousy he had felt moments earlier melted away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude.

“I guess I got a little jealous there,” Jun Ho admitted with a sheepish smile. “But I get it now. You’re right. He just needed a moment with you.”

Y/n reached over and gently caressed Jun Ho’s arm, her eyes soft with understanding. “It’s okay. It’s natural. But just remember—he’s always going to need both of us.”

Jun Ho nodded, looking down at the baby, who had now wrapped his little hand around his dad’s shirt, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I know. I just want to be the one he turns to, too.”

“You will be,” Y/n promised, her voice full of warmth. “You’re his dad. And there’s no replacing that.”

As the morning continued, Jun Ho held his son close, the baby now content in his arms, and the little one even allowed Jun Ho to rock him gently, just as he used to when he was younger. It wasn’t that the baby had abandoned his father—it was just a phase, a moment in time. And as the day wore on, Jun Ho understood that every phase had its purpose.

And when the baby finally rested his head on Jun Ho’s chest, content and secure, the feeling of jealousy seemed so distant. Instead, there was only love for both the baby and his amazing wife who made every moment more beautiful than he could have ever imagined.

Y/n leaned over, kissing Jun Ho’s cheek. “See? All better now.”

Jun Ho smiled, looking down at their son with a contented sigh. “Yeah. All better.”

[setmeatopthepyre]

WIP wednesday enabled/tagged-ish by @peapodbond & @geddyqueer <3 really felt like sharing this slice of antarct-fic. enjoy!

-

Katie slides the bottle towards him. “Drink up, kid. The rations don't carry over.”

Buck happily obliges. They drink in companionable quiet for a while, Katie occasionally providing commentary on the people coming and going or doing the rounds, telling Buck who they are, how long they've been coming to the Ice, pointing out the winterovers and the ones with interesting stories.

They're watching two pilots (“That's Hisham, helo pilot, third timer. Girlfriend's a kiwi, she's at Scott base. Other fella's one of the Canadians with Ken-Borek. Loïc, think it was. Fixed wing pilot. They tend not to get along.”) get into an argument that both men seem too tired to actually escalate, when Buck speaks up.

“Katie, have you ever been in love?”

She dangles her bottle from between her finger tips, eyes still on the argument unfolding. “Sure.”

He props his head up on his hand to look at her. “What happened?”

Katie levels her steely gaze at him but something she sees makes her soften a little. Shrugs. “She ran off to go study insular dwarfism in Madagascan chameleons. Left me behind.”

Buck's eyebrows raise along with the corners of his mouth. “Oh. S-so you're--”

She nods, taps her bottle against his. Leans in and mock-whispers, “There's more of us than y'think, kid. Even out here.” Considers it. “Perhaps especially out here. The Ice tends to attracts people like us.”

Buck watches her take a swig of her drink and lets the words sink in. “Wait, what do you mean, 'people like us?'”

Her pale eyebrows inch towards the edge of her bandana. “What do you think I mean, Buckley?” She gestures at herself. “The gays, the dykes, the-- whatever you are. You know. The queers.”

“Oh.” Something uncomfortable twists in his gut. “I-I'm not--”

Katie leans back, genuine surprise written across her face. “Well I'm sorry, kid. I could'a sworn last night you spent all of three beers waxing poetic about your helo guy.”

Buck makes a face. “W-well. He-- he's not my... but--”

“You're in love with this man, yeah?”

And he can't help the lovestruck smile that's tugging at the corners of his mouth, dips his head. “Yeah.”

“And you're a guy.”

“Uh, o-obviously.”

“So you're...” she gestures and Buck realizes he's supposed to finish the sentence. He shifts in his seat, discomfort gnawing at him.

“Yeah, I, uh. Yes, I-I guess that would make me...” he trails off, looks at her pleadingly, not sure if he wants her to give him all the answers or just drop the subject entirely.

“So, what, are you homophobic?”

Katie's raspy voice still carries, and Buck casts a panicked glance around the bar. Thankfully, no one seems to have heard her. Or they're really good at hiding it. “No! No. No, of-- of course not. I-I'm... I've always been an ally.”

She raises her eyebrows. “An ally who's in love with a man but can't even say out loud that he's... what? Gay? Bi?”

He gives her a desperate look from where he has his face practically pressed against the tabletop. “Right? I-I should know, shouldn't I? How-- How can I-I not know?”

He's whining. That was definitely a whine.

As if by some miracle, Katie looks less unimpressed with him than she usually does, which doesn't say a whole lot, especially considering the fact that she's not even looking at him right now. She's staring off into space as she takes a long swig from her bottle. When she speaks, her voice is uncharacteristically gentle.

“You came all the way out here to follow the guy you're in love with,” she says, slowly, as if trying to explain something to a particularly dense but, arguably, loved child. Then she sighs, puts a calloused hand on his. “Look, kid, you don't need to choose from a whole bunch of labels. Hell, the only labels I knew 'til well into my thirties was dykes and fags.” And Buck tries not to flinch, but she clocks him anyway if the roll of her eyes is anything to go by.

She pats his hand. “You don't need any labels at all if y'don't want them. God knows they probably never think about it.” She gestures at the other bar patrons with her bottle. “But there's not needing a label, and there's bein' ashamed of what that label means, and a lot of us older folk used the former as an excuse for the latter for a long time. Claiming that label means something to us. It doesn't have to, for you, but if your guy spent any time in the closet, it might mean a whole lot to him.”

Buck takes a moment for the words to sink in. “What, so he thinks I'm... ashamed of my feelings for him?”

She pats his hand twice more before removing hers and leaning back. “Hell if I know, I'm not a mind reader.”

-

no pressure tagging @ambernotember @sugarpenchant @geddyqueer @beanarie @epiphainie @leashybebes @iphyslitterator @rcmclachlan @trombonechurchill

[iscdisc]

I didn't want all these screenshots that I gathered to go to waste, so I'm going to make an additional attachment to this theory post with the screenshots that I didn't get to use- Lmao

These were some of the image examples that I was going to use when talking about April being okay with his caring gestures and close proximity / him being close to her feeling like something she's genuinely okay with now-

Also the image in the middle being yet again from Season 5 and how we've never gotten on screen interactions / depictions of April and Donnie in this way before this Season in my opinion- (Like I said in the original post though, I completely understand if this is just the writers doing a shitty fix for the issue that was these two and their relationship super late into the series- That's not surprising at all, especially given the, "Ice Cream Kitty Music Video" dropped around this time and that probably was their way of trying to further explain how these two "made sense" canonically. 💀 || I'm not trying to hate on anybody who enjoys these two romantically or platonically- I fully respect your opinion ! But I personally can't bring myself to like them,, I just feel like the canon story between them ruined that dynamic for me and I just don't enjoy seeing it any capacity- 😭👍)

This was another example of the point I was making in relation to moments of grief or stress and "fake" Donnie not hovering over April like I feel the real Donnie was prone to doing in similar situations-

(Which, sorry to go on a bit of a rant about this specific thing, but I used to hate it when the show would have Donnie go out of his way to comfort April over something that I felt he shouldn't have needed to or it shouldn't have been about her-?? Since this image is in relation to Splinter's passing, I'll use the example of the Season 2 finale when Raph / Mikey / Donnie / and April witnessed Splinter get thrown down into the sewer system by Shredder and Splinter's survival was being questioned. That was HIS Father, yet he's comforting April / putting her first over what they just witnessed-?? As if he shouldn't be the one grieving or dealing with his own complicated emotions about seeing that-?? Like, that's nuts to me. 🙃 || So I honestly really appreciated that during this funeral service Donnie wasn't coddling April or giving her some kind of comfort / attention, since this should be about him and what he's feeling along with his brothers. 👍)

To circle back to their better dynamic pushing towards a more romantic context, moments like these (From, "Requiem" and "Owari"-) also reinforce this sort of changed perception April has towards Donnie post, "The Power Inside Her". Donnie's concern for April doesn't have the same obsessive nature to it like it used to (In my opinion anyway- Not to mention the fact that this is another instance where April went out of her way to call him for help-) and the way Donnie protects April and then proceeds to act defensive over her during their fight with TigerClaw gets an interesting reaction from April (in my opinion) during this scene? Which again, would make sense if April (unintentionally) "created" / physically manifested a version of Donatello that she actually likes.

And these were just some examples of "fake" Donnie's regressed dynamic with Casey. How in the earlier half of Season 4 ("The Moons of Thalos 3"), we see that more solidified friendship really clearly. Which again, I mentioned this in the original post, but despite Donnie still having some negative moments with Casey, it felt more obvious that they were genuinely friends at this point. But then it feels like we get this harsh contrast from that to how we see them in Season 5- Where ("fake") Donnie has this clear bias and underlying disdain towards Casey yet again. Like all that progress just got ruined in the matter of an episode,, 😭

So yeah !

I guess I just wanted to include these screenshots in some way so that they didn't completely go to waste in my gallery- Thanks for reading my annoyingness-! 🥲👍✨

Anyone who's familiar with my content on Insta / TikTok most likely already knows about this theory (But I guess you could consider it an AU of sorts??) that I have with 2012 Donatello post, "The Power Inside Her" (And yes, the only reason why I drew this / am talking about this is because of my previous post about Za-Naron, okay- Lmao) ! But because I haven't brought this to Tumblr, I'm talking about it again- 👍✨

Before I get into it, I want to preface this whole thing by saying that I fully acknowledge that this all could just be writing issues / faults with the writers and their lack of properly explaining anything or giving prior context to certain relationships / dynamics. I just want to get that out of the way immediately, since I understand some people brushing these things off as one of 2012's many notorious writing issues-

BUT.

I wholeheartedly believe that it's entirely possible that the Donatello we follow after the events of, "The Power Inside Her" is not actually the real Donatello at all and the real Donatello that we have been following before this episode legitimately perished. And let me explain why I say this- 👀

First of all, I want to establish some foundation for this possibility by pointing us in the direction of the episode, "Bat in the Belfry". During this episode, Mikey (Alongside Casey-) end up giving Wingnut and Screwloose temporary sentient life (With this only being temporary given the events of the episode-). Wingnut and Screwloose are previously established in this episode to be comic book characters / fictional characters, they were never real to begin with. Yet despite the fact that they have no prior existence physically or in any capacity of reality, the Aeon's power (Za-Naron's power-) was able to fully give them life and an established sense of self. We see throughout the episode that Wingnut and Screwloose fully believe that they're alive and well, not understanding when Mikey and Casey constantly try to inform them that they are just comic book characters and aren't actually real the way that they perceive themselves to be real. We also see the Aeon crystal / Za-Naron give sentient life to one of the villains from the same comic (Which is why I included a picture of that as well-), and we too can see that this villain acknowledges its existence, since it carries out it's normal activities as if nothing is strange about its situation at all.

I'm laying this as the foundation for this theory, because my main point with bringing this up is that the "fake" (you could say) Donatello would have no reason to question his existence or believe that he is not who he is. You know what I mean?

Another reason why I believe "fake" Donnie wouldn't question his existence is because the Aeon Crystal doesn't exist anymore by the time he comes into the picture "once again", which is another point that I'm going to get into right now.

The only reason why Wingnut and Screwloose became aware of their predicament / fully accepted the fact that they weren't real is because they were exposed to the crystal and its seemingly overwhelming energy. As you can see in the picture I provided, they became very distorted and deranged after being exposed to this. But with this "fake" Donatello, there's nothing Aeon related for him to be exposed to.

During the last minutes of, "The Power Inside Her", we see April use what was left of the crystal (Since she had broken it prior as a means of freeing Za-Naron / freeing herself from Za-Naron's control-) to bring Donnie back into existence. But that's exactly why I have this theory?? Not only is bringing somebody back to life an almost impossible feat, even for April (Which I know the show says that Donnie was simply molecularly scattered and not actually GONE gone, but I don't buy that for a second / I feel like they only said that to make the situation a little more "kid friendly". in my opinion, that dude perished, okay. LMAO), but I don't even think that the Aeons abilities are even capable of something like that. Returning life or performing resurrection is such a complicated issue, and I feel like the Aeons themselves would acknowledge that it's not as simple as just "bringing somebody back".

So because I don't think this is something that falls under the scope of what Aeons are genuinely capable of doing, on top of the fact that we've seen the crystal give sentient life to things that technically did not exist before this episode, I fully believe that the Donnie that we see get "brought back to life" by April is not actually him- Instead, this is a physical manifestation of how April remembers him being or essentially a Donnie that was "created" from her memories of him / experiences with him.

Point number three as to why I think this is not the real Donnie and instead of "fake" Donnie. April's relationship with Donatello drastically changes after this episode (At least, in my opinion-). Going back to when she "brought Donnie back to life", I wouldn't be surprised if she was envisioning all of the more positive interactions that she's had with him in the past and a lot of the attributes that she enjoyed from him, rather than the negative ones (i.e. Him disrespecting her boundaries a lot, him disrespecting her autonomy as a person, him stalking her, him constantly getting in between her and other people /primarily Casey but I digress- /, him feeling entitled to her as a person, him giving her pet names that made her uncomfortable and she clearly expressed that / Which this is kind of a niche example, but during one of the Xbox / PS3 videogame titles for this series, there's a dialogue cutscene where Donnie calls her his, "Chinchilla" for the first time I think?? But April very clearly expressed discomfort with that and asked him not to say that about her. Which it really pisses me off that he does it again in Season 3 when she's UNCONSCIOUS, and this game came out either during Season 1 or when Season 2 was airing- Like it's an old game. 💀 /, etc.), especially given that what caused her to break free from Za-Naron's control was Raph telling April to remember Donnie. During that montage, there were a lot of happier moments with Donatello.

I don't think it would be far-fetched to say that she essentially created her "perfect" or ideal version of him as a person-?? And I feel like this is heavily reflected through their dynamic post this episode.

April's not off-putted by some of his kind / caring gestures (Like the image example I provided above, such as him putting his hand on her back-).

During moments of intense grieving and stress, Donatello is giving her space and not hovering around her like he was more prone to doing in the past (In my opinion-).

Instead of it feeling incredibly forced by the writers, April being in close proximity to Donnie feels like a choice she's actively making or okay with. Prior to this, (to me) it felt like the writers would just put April in the same space as Donnie simply because they were pushing this romantic narrative between them. The numerous times that Donnie would have April in his lab during Seasons 1-2 gave off a vibe like he either pressured her to be there or it just felt difficult for her to decline-? Especially since there was a lot going on with her Father during both of these Seasons, and instead of that feeling like a reason she would want to be there on her own, it felt like an excuse to force her to be there- Does that make sense? Not to mention Donnie always being by her side coming across like he was crowding April instead of her actively wanting him there.

Donnie is more actively giving April her space at the same time too / not reacting when Casey is in closer proximity to her than himself. I'm not saying that this technically didn't occur before the aftermath of, "The Power Inside Her", but it just feels different now- I don't know how else to explain that.

I'm telling you right now, this moment from, "When World's Collide (Part 1)" is the first time I've seen them on screen acting this way. There has never been a moment like this one before, where April is joking around and laughing with Donnie and just being overall silly?? 2012 has never done something like this with these two on screen.

All of these instances lead me to believe that April (unintentionally) created her most ideal version of Donatello as a person. Taking away all the things that she didn't like or (rightfully) felt uncomfortable by, and only leaving the characteristics that she did enjoy about him. Which would obviously result in her having a much healthier / drastically improved dynamic with him moving forward.

There's also was only one moment that I feel Donnie was "weird" towards April again like he was in the past, but it didn't last long at all and it only happened once during Season 5 ("The Curse of Savanti Romero"-).

Another thing that I feel supports this theory is his relationship with Casey. From Season 3 to 4, it really felt like Donnie and Casey were forming a much better dynamic / their friendship had a steady progression. Sure, Donnie would still get annoyed with Casey from time to time, but it felt obvious that he viewed Casey as more of a friend / ally than a rival / "threat". Casey would also actively go out of his way to be around Donnie physically more, which I feel was a good sign of their friendship moving in a more positive direction. But then we get to "Tokka vs. The World", which takes place almost immediately after the events of, "The Power Inside Her" and it suddenly feels like Donnie's friendship progression with Casey just vanishes-?? Their dynamic feels like they're back in Season 2 again, minus the constant arguing about April (At least, from Donnie's perspective-).

A lot of the moments that we get with them during Season 5 kind of reinforce this for me. Donnie's reaction to Casey suggesting they get their hands on a couple of tanks during, "Scroll of the Demodragon", Donnie and Casey essentially arguing about how to deal with Kavaxas during, "The Forgotten Swordsman", Donnie's response to Casey in regards to his ghostbuster rip off inventions and how Donnie went out of his way to say everyone will get one except Casey during, "End Times"- Like, it really does feel as if their relationship regressed after the events of, "The Power Inside Her"- And while that does upset me, since as you all probably know by now I love those two to death, it does make complete sense in relation to this theory of this Donatello being "fake".

All of the progress and dynamic / friendship development Donnie and Casey went through? April was not privy to that. Like, at all. If my theory holds up and April did (unintentionally) "create" or manifest a version of Donatello from her memories of him using the remaining power of the Aeon crystal, then it would absolutely make sense why Donnie is treating Casey the way that he is during Season 5. I'm not saying that April didn't notice or acknowledge that they had a better relationship before the events of, "The Power Inside Her" happened, but she didn't know where that better relationship came from. So if April doesn't know, then obviously the Donnie that she (unintentionally) "created" wouldn't know either- Therefore, there wouldn't be a reason for him to have a better relationship with Casey / there would be no reason why he wouldn't continue viewing him in a similar way to how he did during Season 2. AKA, when he first met him / when Casey first came into their lives.

There are other parts of this theory that are definitely more speculative on my part, such as Donnie not having any memories of events that April wasn't there for- So for example, if the brothers are reminiscing about the Mousers predicament from Season 1, the "fake" Donnie would be confused and not know what they're talking about because April wasn't aware of that situation / probably only heard it through word of mouth if anything- Clearly nothing like this happened in late Season 4 to early Season 5 to support that kind of thing, but there also isn't any evidence to disprove it either. I just think it would be interesting for that to be one of the biggest tells as far as everyone else having their doubts about whether or not the Donatello they see before them is actually the legitimate one-!

This theory also makes me really sad as far as Casey and Donnie goes, because it really does feel like Donnie had to sacrifice one developing friendship for another. Like sure, his dynamic with Casey is all fucked up. but at least he has a better one with April now- 💀 Lmao || There could totally be some holes in this theory, I'm not going to deny that ! But so far, I think it kind of holds up and I just thought I'd share that today- 👍✨ Lmao

(There were so many more screenshot examples that I wanted to give, but I didn't know you can only include 10 pictures in a post- 😭)

[hywonuka]

already pulling me in | jww

every step that i take is another mistake to you, chapter 3

Sypnosis: With the sudden appearance of Chan, Wonwoo has realized something: is time for man up and actually talk to you. And, with a bit of hope, even get to spend some more time with you

Pairing: college!wonwoo x college!fem!reader

Genre: college au, falling for a bet or dare trope, slow burn

Warnings: wonwoo is a pathetic loser AND oblivious, a bit of jealousy

Word count: 2k

chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4

“And you still keep your glasses tapped?” Vernon laughed at Wonwoo’s spec, holding for dear life by the tape Y/N placed at them. “Well, I have no time to go get them fixed!”

Seungkwan had dragged Wonwoo from his bed to come eat breakfast with him and Vernon. But literally. He almost broke down his dorm door, slamming it so Wonwoo would get out of bed. Mingyu, Wonwoo’s roommate, was laughing his ass off at the scene, while the one with glasses sent him deathly glances as he didn’t defend him from Seungkwan.

“God, it feels like it has been ages since I last saw you!” Seungkwan said, returning to the table they were sitting with his and Vernon’s breakfast order.

“Cuz it has been. Wonwoo has been locking himself up in his dorm since last Sunday” Vernon chimed in, taking his coffee and doughnuts from Seungkwan.

“It is not that I have been locked up, c’mon!” Deep down, he knew he was. He was avoiding any sort of social interaction since he fell in front of her and Chan. Just remembering that moment made him feel awkward as hell, wanting to run back to his dorm and stay there until his hair turned completely white.

“Liar. You haven’t even gotten your glasses repaired, or a new pair!!!” The tallest one rolled his eyes at his effusive friend, even if he knew Seungkwan was right. He lowkey didn’t want to get them repaired. After all, she repaired them…

They kept chatting, until Seungkwan excused himself to go to the bathroom, leaving his boyfriend with Wonwoo, which didn’t ease the one with glasses at all. He knew his friend was plotting something, and he didn’t like the smirk on his face. At all.

“So… you still keep those Spongebob boxers, right?” Wonwoo's expression was of pure horror. He needed to win this damn bet, otherwise he would be walking around campus only wearing his stupid underwear.

꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.

[wonwoo]: yo

[wonwoo]: u are in dramatic arts right?

[tiger wannabe]: it was about damn time you learnt my major dude

[tiger wannabe]: but yeah, why?

[wonwoo]: yk chan??

[tiger wannabe]: eeeeh….. that kiddo a year younger than us that has his hair dyed yellow??

[wonwoo]: guess so?? idk his age

[wonwoo]: he is y/n friend

[tiger wannabe]: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH

[tiger wannabe]: yeah is the guy im talking bout

[tiger wannabe]: why u ask?????

[wonwoo]: can i ask u a favour?? plz

[wonwoo]: :(((((((

[tiger wannabe]: sure tell me

[wonwoo]: could u tell him to practice this afternoon or smth??? just to maintain him occupied

[tiger wannabe]: what the hell, sure

[tiger wannabe]: is for the bet i suppose

[wonwoo]: she brought him over last time

[tiger wannabe]: uuuh

[tiger wannabe]: got ur back buddy

[tiger wannabe]: go kiss that girl rawr

Wonwoo chuckled at Hoshi’s text. At least one of his friends wanted to help him. Between Hao’s judgement and Vernon’s teasing, he was slowly losing his mind. He packed his stuff, as he was at the library while he waited for Y/N’s lessons to end and go continue helping her. She texted him this morning, right after he ate breakfast with his friends, and saw this as an opportunity. It was now or never.

As he walked towards her building, he couldn’t help but to think of what he would say to her. He decided to have a whole conversation with her today. Not more small talk, that was it. It was about damn time to man up, has he been telling all the way towards his destination.

When he reached the front door of her building, he quickly stared at himself through the reflection of the glass door of the building. He looked great, except for his broken glasses. He had to go get them fixed or buy a new pair before the weekend. Well, mostly like he needed it. They were starting to feel uncomfortable. He looked away and pushed the door, being welcomed by the colourful lobby, where art students were loudly chatting with each other, discussing over some exhibition they had recently visited. Wonwoo wouldn’t admit it out loud, but since he knew Y/N was an art major, his interest on the subject had peaked, and he found himself paying more attention to it. Damn, he even found himself reading about history of art, or different artists she would mention when their friends hung out. But he would never let her know that, of course. He couldn’t even talk to her properly, without getting utterly nervous, but that would definitely change today.

He finally reached his destination. A small auditorium, in which he has spent a few hours this last week, and she was already there. She was focused on some papers she had on hand. Wonwoo held his breath. How could someone be so effortless pretty? Just the sight of her, standing in the middle of the room, absorbed in whatever she was looking at, made his legs tremble. She has always had that effect on him, but lately it has been getting worse. Maybe because Wonwoo has finally started talking to her, even if it is just a couple phrases. Or maybe it was just the bet, that’s what he told himself. It was just the bet. Nothing else.

“Hey,” he said, startling her. The tall one chuckled at her reaction, finding it… cute? Yeah, definitely cute. “Didn’t mean to scare you, sorry… What were you looking at?”

“Oh, just some notes from class…” She seemed confused, which Wonwoo completely understood. He has never seemed that open to talk to her. “Chan won’t be joining us today, he told me he had to rehearse.”

“Was he supposed to join us?”

“Well… he is part of the play so, as I told you, I thought it would be nice if someone who was implied in the play would join us, so we can know how to better arrange everything” she explained, putting her notes on one of the chairs, and walking closer to Wonwoo. He could feel his heart beating faster, and how nervous he was getting.

“Hoshi is also part of the play and you don’t call him to come over” damn, did he sound jealous? He had no reason to be jealous, not at all.

“Well… I’m much closer to Chan than Hoshi, that’s all”

“How close?” He asked, readjusting his glasses, which made the girl focus on them. “I’m either getting them repaired or getting a new pair this weekend, don’t worry about that”

“Oh, great… and, well, about Chan, we know each other since high school actually!! Asher, him and I were in the same class!!”

“And you are still friends with him after all those years?”

“Well, you and Jeonghan have known each other since kindergarten and are still friends, am I right?”

“Good point”. His glasses were about to fall down so he took them off and placed them on a table next to him. Why was he acting like that? Why did he care so much about Chan and Y/N’s relationship? God, he was about to lose his mind.

“Wait, did you just say that Chan and you were in the same class?” Wonwoo asked, leaning his hands on the table where he left his glasses.

“Uhm, yeah, I did…” she said, confused as the topic had resurfaced.

“Wait… are you 21?!” Wonwoo said, clearly surprised, which made the girl in front of him laugh.

“Of course I am!! Not everyone in the friend group has to be a dinosaur, you know?” she said, laughing at him, which only made him blush for some reason. “Oooh, now you are blushing!! Wonu, did you really think everyone was your age?”

Wonwoo nodded, still perplexed. “So… you are the same age as Vernon and Seungkwan too?”

“Yeah, pretty much… by the way, it's the first time I have heard you talk this much!!” she said, smiling widely. God, could she stop? And she was getting closer and closer…

“I’m not really the talkative type, you know…” he said, moving a bit uncomfortable due to the sudden attention.

“Why do you always wear glasses, by the way? Haven’t thought of wearing contacts?”

Wonwoo could feel his cheeks burning at this point. Why was she paying so much attention to him out of nowhere? Is this what he got for trying to actually talk to her? “M-my eyes are way too dry… I prefer wearing glasses because of that…”

A look of understandment crossed through her face, leaving him some space again, and focusing on her notes. Wonwoo took the hint and started working again, connecting his computer. He had a long afternoon ahead.

꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.

As hours passed by, he found himself picking up his stuff, until he glared at her. It was now or never, he said to himself. “Hey, Y/N, are you free this weekend? I-I was thinking about going t-to the arcade and I was wondering if you’d like to join or something…” He said, trying to look at her, even if he was fighting the urge to look away. He could see her surprised expression, and expected a rejection from her, but nothing could prepare him for her following words. “Yeah, sure! Who is going?”

“I-it would be just us…” Ok, there was the rejection he was waiting for. He could see it coming.

“Oh, sure! When and where are we meeting up?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” The tall one stopped talking, his eyes wide opened in confusion. Did she really say yes that easily? “Wait, did you just say you are up to it?”

Y/N chuckled at Wonwoo’s expression. Was it endearment reflected on her gaze? No, Wonwoo was definitely dreaming now. “Well… Asher is spending the weekend with Minghao and Chan is on a trip with his family so… I don’t really have any other plans this weekend, so it might be funny!!”

꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.°.‧ ꩜‧.°.𖦹 .°.‧꩜ ‧.°. 𖦹.

“YOU DID WHAT?!” Mingyu screamed as Wonwoo threw himself to his bed. He could feel his face blushing under the intense gaze of his roommate, who was way too close to start jumping of excitement.

“It’s just a friendly outing, Mingyu…”

The tallest one jumped from his seat. “Just a friendly outing MY ASS”. Mingyu started walking around the room, yapping about what Wonwoo should wear, how he should act… Wonwoo decided against listening to him, in order to keep some of the mental health he had left. He lifted his head from his pillow, and took his phone. To his surprise, he had tons of notifications, but none of group chats. What has gotten into his friends’ mind? Disoriented, he unlocked his phone, but he quickly regretted it.

[tiger wannabe]: MAAAN U WASTED NO TIMEEEEE

[vernon 🥸]: YO IS IT TRUE?!?!?!?! SHE SAID YES?!?!??!?!?!

[hannie :)]: JEON WONWOO U GOT A DATE?!!?!?!?

[hannie :)]: god im so proud of u

[hannie :)]: #overcomingfears

[minghao psycho]: no fucking way u got the guts to ask her out

[minghao psycho]: better treat her right during that damn date or ill be ripping ur head apart heard me?

[cheol (??? hannie)]: congrats on the date, BETTER TELL ALL THE DETAILS CUZ WTF

[woozi music]: u dating wasnt on my bingo card

[woozi music]: maybe i should update it?

[happy guy]: IM SO SO SO HAPPY U GOT A DATE

[happy guy]: AND WITH Y/N FINALLY YAAAAY

[he likes tangerines]: hmmmmmm thank u??

[he likes tangerines]: u have been GONE for days, i invite u over for breakfast AND U GET A DATE?!

[he likes tangerines]: better gimme all the details cuz the fuck

There were more messages, but as he was getting more overwhelmed per second, he threw his phone aside, making it fall to the floor, which made Mingyu stop his yapping session. How did all of them know?! It was impossible, after helping her he went straight back to his dorm… He hadn’t talked with anyone… Except for… “Kim Mingyu!!! What have you done?!”

“Me? Just updating all our friends from your love life? It’s something that never happens you know!”

“MINGYU!!”

A/N: omg its been so long since i last updated im so sorry😭😭 i got caught up in a writing block + depressive episode and got no strength to write a word… i had this chapter planned since i posted the last one (and next chapter too hehe) i hope yall enjoyed it!! dont hesitate to let me know your thoughts hehe

Taglist: @adonisbtch @mydearhangel @wonvsmile @wonuilu @peachyaeger @minwonwoozi @syluslittlecrows @divigo @coupsgfsstuff @jennwonwoo

[2am-writing]

Need a Hand? Steve Harrington

Pairing: Steve Harrington x fem!reader; Y/n's perspective

Summary: You’re new to Hawkin’s currently moving into the new town. You’re on your way to your new apartment when your car runs out of gas. Little did you know how this shitty situation could turn around. 

WC: 1.3k

A/n: Hi!! My name is Jes and this is my first ever “fanfic” “imagine” type writing ever. I really hope you enjoy it. I have always wanted to start doing this but I never had the motivation, I usually am just a quiet lurking reader. I would love to have some moots, and I would love to keep writing. Feel free to message me ideas or even if you just want to talk!! I hope you like this. (: This is also my first post in 5 years so ahhhhhh

Of course the day I choose to move into my apartment in the small town Hawkins, Indianan just happens to be a dark cloudy rainy day. The rain was coming down relentlessly hammering against my windows, turning the town that absorbed it dull and bleak. 

This wouldn’t have caused me too much of an issue due to the insignificant amount of boxes I had in the back seat.. That is if my car didn’t start sputtering. 

‘Just great’ I thought to myself, I was about 10 minutes from my apartment and now I’m pulled over on the side of the road stranded. I glanced at my gas meter- My car has been causing me trouble recently but I thought it would make it through this move, then I was going to get it fixed. I guess not because 5 minutes ago it read that I had half a tank of gas, and now it’s on empty.

I stay sitting in my car for a moment watching my surrounding environment as I contemplate what I should do next. 

‘I could walk and get gas, I definitely can’t push my car, I could call a tow truck- No I can’t afford that… I could just stay here,’ I go over in my head.. None of these options I wanna do. I just wanted to get to my apartment, rent a movie from the Family Video store across the street, order food, and fall asleep to a crappy movie. My big plans have now been delayed. 

A few minutes went by, and I decided to start my treacherous journey to find a gas station in this dead ended town. I grabbed my purse and keys then slammed the door shut as I embarked on my adventure.

I was about 3 minutes into my walk down this straight dead road, my hair and clothes were already drenching wet as they were sticking to my skin, my face flushed from the cold. That’s when I heard the sound of an engine approaching nearby.

A maroon BMW slowed down next to me as the passenger side window rolled down revealing a handsome man, dark expressive brown eyes, gorgeous thick messy chestnut hair, he looked to be around my age, I was captivated by him, he was without a doubt beautiful.

“Hey,” He called out to me putting his car in park, “I’m assuming you’re not walking in the rain by choice.. Do you need a hand?” Typically I would call stranger danger and tell him to piss off, but something about his vibes felt like I could trust him- Though my judgment could also be clouded due to the fact that I no longer want to be walking in this rain, but oh well..

We make eye contact as I reply, “I actually could, my car ran out of gas and I have no clue where I’m going,” I chuckle out. 

“Hop in,” The mystery man replied back to me as he opened the passenger door from the inside. I don’t hesitate to come in and sit down, 

“Thank you so much, I’m so sorry about your seats I’m drenched-” He cuts me off before I can ramble on further,

“It’s okay, I knew what my seats were getting into when I invited you in.” He smiled at me laughing a little, “I’m Steve, Harrington by the way,” He said, holding out his hand. 

“I’m y/n, y/l/n,” I smile, shaking his hand back, “It’s nice to meet you Steve,”

“I’m assuming you’re new to town? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before”

“Oh yeah,” I reply, “Today’s my move in date.. And well, as you can see I’m not off to the smoothest start” I laughed a little, 

“No kidding” Steve chuckled to him a bit, “Well I have some gas in the trunk, I’ll take us back to your car and you’ll be on your way I guess.” I nodded in agreement, smiling at him once again before breaking eye contact.

Little did I know Steve was absolutely captivated by me, how I was still smiling and seeming so positive after everything that was going on. He wanted to get my car running again, but he wanted to keep talking to me, he wanted to get to know me, why I moved here, why I didn’t get my car fixed before the move, and why was I so willing to get in the car with him, he wanted to know every detail about me. He didn’t know why he felt this way, but something about me intrigued him, this felt different than any other interaction he’s had and he wanted to keep exploring it.

He drove us back to my car and parked behind mine, “Stay right here I’ll go fill it up real quick” I didn’t have time to protest before he left the car leaving me alone in the passenger seat, the rain singing to me as it bounced on the hood of his car. 

A couple minutes later a soaking wet Steve came back in the car, “Man it was pouring hard out there. Your car’s all full though” He commented.

My heart feels like it’s melting and all I can do is let out a small chuckle and smile at him- Why was he being so nice to me? Why wouldn’t he just make me fill up my own car? He really just let me hop a ride, gave me his gas, and stood out in the pouring rain to fill my car. I guess it doesn’t seem like an extreme gesture from an outside perspective, but from my perspective those gestures meant everything. I came from a place of nothing, grew up with nothing, absent parents, fake friends. It’s sad to say but this small moment with Steve I would cherish forever. 

“Thank you so much Steve, I seriously owe you one” 

Steve’s heart felt like it skipped a beat at those words, “It’s no problem, really. Can’t let a gal as pretty as you walk to destination of nowhere in the rain.” 

My face heats up at his comment, and I look down shyly smiling. He quickly follows up, “I’ll take you up on you owing me one though,” I make eye contact with him once again, curious with what he could possibly want from me,

“Yeah, what do you need, anything” I reply my face still burning up from this interaction, 

“Uh- Coffee would be great- But I don’t wanna bombard you with moving in you know- so whenever you have time-” I could tell he was nervous, but that made me feel good. I cut him off before he could continue blabbing, “Coffee would be great. This weekend? Saturday morning?” I stutter, he doesn’t hesitate to reply,

“Yeah- uh- that’s perfect,” He says, falling over his words. I grabbed a piece of paper from my bag before scribbling down my apartment address and phone number before handing it to Steve, “Here” I said not holding back my smile, 

“Thanks y/n, I will see you this weekend then” Steve replied holding the piece of paper tight in his hand but careful not to get it wet, 

“Thank you again Steve, for the ride and the gas, and again I’m sorry about your seats” I laughed a little. Steve took in my smile and laughter, he loved the way I said his name. It sounded natural when it came out of my mouth. To him it was such an innocent pure moment, he thought I was beautiful and kind, he wanted to spend more time with me but he knew I had to get started on moving in, and well, he didn’t want to push any boundaries with us just meeting and all,

“Anytime really, I’m just glad I could help” He doesn’t want to break eye contact, but it has to end eventually. I got out of the car, walking quickly back to mine before closing my door. Steve waited until I successfully started my car and drove off before he too left where we were parked. 

The whole way to the apartment he wouldn’t leave my mind, his kind gestures, his compliment to me, him wanting to see me again. Maybe this move wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

[pickingupmymercedes]

Your future was Ferrari - 3 / ?

Chapters - 1 / 2 / 3

summary: Some rules are meant to be followed—others were made to be broken. And they were breaking them all.

pairing: Lewis Hamilton x Ferrari Engineer!Reader!

warnings: alusion to mature content.

wordcount: +3K

a/n: Let's head into the season then, each episode is probably going to cover 2 gp's, except for the more important ones.

As always, I'm open for feedback, come say hi!

MILD CONTENT UNDER, -16 PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

______________________________________________________________

It was your first Sunday after a real GP weekend and the garage hummed with the controlled chaos of post-race analysis.

The sharp scent of burnt rubber and fuel still lingered in the air, a stark reminder of the battle fought on track just hours ago. You sat at your workstation, eyes flicking between the telemetry data on the screen and the notes scattered across the desk.

The tension in your shoulders refusing to ease, even as you forced yourself to take slow, measured breaths.

Carlos’s podium was a win for the team, a much-needed morale boost, but Leclerc’s brake issues gnawed at you like an unsolved equation.

You know the motto, every fraction of a second on F1 it’s a universe on its own

And honestly, if you had a dollar for every time Ferrari found a new and exciting way to stir up Charles’ race, you could probably afford your own kart by now.

That was your job now though, make sure those mishappens were reduced to none, if possible.

Your phone buzzed beside you, lighting up with a familiar name.

Dad.

A small smile crept onto your lips as you answered. “Dad, before you start, yes, I saw the race. Yes, I know the exact moment Charles started having those brake issue. And no, I don’t need you to tell me we should have pitted him earlier.”

Your father chuckled on the other end. “I raised a sharp one, didn’t I? You sound tired, though.”

“Not tired, just over-caffeinated and slightly delirious”

You glanced around the garage, watching as engineers worked through their notes, tweaking simulations for next week. “It’s just… Charles could’ve been on that podium too, but the brake issues ruined any chance of fighting.”

Your father hummed in understanding. “You always did hate problems you couldn’t fix.”

“Tell me about it” You leaned back in your chair, rubbing your temple. “Carlos did an amazing job, though. I should focus on that.”

“You should.” He paused, his voice turning softer. “And you should also enjoy this, Y/N. You’re in Ferrari, at the track. You dreamed of this.”

You swallowed past the sudden lump in your throat. “Thanks dad.”

Your father sighed. “And I know you, which means you’re probably stressing about something else, aren’t you?”

You exhaled sharply, rolling your eyes. “Can I get through one phone call without you playing therapist?”

“Not a chance” he quipped. “Now, tell me, have you met Lewis Hamilton yet?”

You nearly dropped Your phone. “Dad!”

“Oh, come on, kid. He’s my favorite. I also know how much the media has been circling around his struggles. And if I had to guess, I’d say you’ve been paying attention.”

Y/N’s grip tightened around the phone because you had been paying attention.

Too much if you ask me, but you’ve always ignored warnings, so go ahead, do Mercedes’ job as well, why won’t you?

But it wasn’t just the headlines dissecting his performance or the murmurs in the paddock. It was the way your stomach twisted every time you caught a glimpse of him, the way you couldn’t let go of that night in Abu Dhabi.

You cleared your throat. “He’s not my concern. I have to go though, call you later okay?”

Your father laughed. “Not yet buddy, not yet. Talk later then, love you.”

As you hung up, you heard a familiar voice behind you.

“Talking to your secret boyfriend?”

You turned to find Charles leaning on the counter beside you, arms crossed, an amused glint in his eyes.

“Just my dad” you replied, raising an eyebrow. “I’ll let him know you think he’s my secret boyfriend, though.”

Charles smirked. “Well, tell him I said hi. Now, what’s the verdict?”

 “Those brake issues cost you more than I’d like to admit.” You sighed, gesturing to your screen.

Charles groaned dramatically. “Tell me about it. I was fighting that car more than the others drivers.”

“Oh, trust me, we could tell.”

Charles rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide his grin. “Welcome to Ferrari, we love to keep things stress-free and simple” he quipped.

Carlos, who had just walked into the room, scoffed. “Where’s my analysis?”

Y/N grinned. “Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Podium. You did great.”

Carlos rolled his eyes but a grin tugged at his lips. “That’s the spirit.”

Carlos nudged Charles. “Hear that? I’m the favorite now.”

Charles scoffed. “For one race. Let’s see how long that lasts.”

Before you could reply, a voice called out from across the room.

“Y/N!”

Fred stood by the entrance, giving you a small nod of approval. “Good work this weekend.”

It was brief, but it meant everything. You nodded back, feeling a swell of pride. Maybe you did belong here.

As Charles and Carlos continued their playful banter, you let yourself enjoy the moment. Because for the first time in a long time, despite the chaos, despite the ghosts of the past, you felt like you were exactly where you were meant to be.

And if you just so happened to check Lewis’ latest interview later on? Well, that was nobody’s business, right?!

By the time the Saudi Arabian GP rolled around, you had found your rhythm.

Meetings, data crunching, strategic planning—it was a symphony you were beginning to conduct effortlessly.

“Kid’s got guts.” you muttered, watching the Ollie’s onboards. “Thrown into the deep end and still holding his own.”

Leclerc nodded beside you. “He reminds me of someone.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“You. You acted like you belonged here from day one.”

You chuckled. “Fake it till you make it, right?”

As the race unfolded, Bearman’s performance cemented his place as an impressive stand-in, but your attention, no matter how hard you tried, kept slipping toward the Mercedes garage.

Toward Lewis.

His struggles were written all over the timing screens. The frustration in his radio messages, the dissatisfaction on his face—it gnawed at something.

Get a grip, Y/N. His problems are not yours.

You’d been hoping for a quiet night at the hotel. You just wanted a cup of tea, something to wind down after a long day at the track and podium celebrations afterwards.

But I could always count on the universe, ever the comedic genius, to shove him directly in my path.

He was sitting at the hotel bar, fingers absently tracing the rim of a half-empty glass. He wasn’t talking to anyone, no entourage, no Mercedes engineers hovering around.

Just him. Alone.

Abort mission. Walk away. Nothing to see.

But before you could turn on your heels and make a clean escape, Lewis looked up, and his gaze locked onto yours.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” His voice was quieter than usual, lacking its typical confidence, the easy charm that was him.

You considered lying. Saying you just happened to be passing through, had a Zoom call, an emergency meeting—anything but admitting you couldn’t sleep because your brain refused to shut up.

But lying required energy, and you had none left.

“Something like that,” you admited instead.

Lewis motioned to the stool next to him. A small, barely perceptible invitation.

This is how things started last time. A drink, a conversation. Next thing you know, you're waking up in a tangled mess of sheets again.

And yet, you sat down.

For a moment, there was only silence. Not the awkward kind, but the weighty kind, like the air between them was filled with unspoken words neither knew how to break.

Lewis sighed, shaking his head slightly before speaking. “It’s funny,” he murmured, more to himself than to you. “We spend our whole lives trying to be the best. Always pushing forward, always chasing something. And then one day, you wake up and wonder if the thing you’re chasing even exists anymore.”

Your fingers curled slightly around the edge of the bar. You recognized that look in his eyes. Not self-pity. Not even frustration.

It was doubt. Self-doubt.

Your first instinct was to wave it off, to remind him he was Lewis Freaking Hamilton, and if anyone was born to win, it was him. But something stopped you.

Because this wasn’t about his ability. He knew he was good. He knew he was one of the greatest to ever do it. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was… what if being great wasn’t enough, not anymore?

And you got that. You really did.

So instead of feeding him some empty platitude, you decided on meeting him halfway—being vulnerable too.

“I know my world isn’t the same as yours” you said carefully. “But I get it. The uncertainty, the constant pressure, the feeling you don’t belong in the place you fought so hard to get to”

Lewis turned to you, his full attention snapping into place, and it nearly made you regret opening your mouth. Nearly.

“These past two races, they were my tryouts for Ferrari’s trackside team,” you admitted. “And when we get back to the factory tomorrow, I have to give them an answer. Stay or go back to the factory.”

Lewis’s brows lifted slightly. “And?”

You exhaled. “I like it, being out there. It’s exhilarating. But… there’s so much I’d have to leave behind. My family, my life outside of this.” You shook your head. “If I follow the team around the world, I won’t see my dad as much. I won’t get to just… go home when I need to.”

Lewis studied you, nodding slightly. “You’re giving me the pros and cons,” he said after a beat. “But what does your gut tell you? What do you really want?”

Your mouth opened, then closed.

Oh, he’s good.

You hated how easily he saw through you, how he cut straight to the core of your hesitation. Because deep down, you knew the answer.

You let out a quiet breath. “I really like it here.”

Lewis’s lips curled slightly, like he knew you had always known but just needed to say it out loud.

Then you narrowed Your eyes at him. “You’re good at this.”

His smirk widened. “At what?”

“Making people admit to things they don’t want to but deep down need to.”

Lewis exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable. “Just so you know, that voice, telling you’re not good enough, never really goes away,” he admitted. “Not even after seven championships.”

Y/N let out a breathy chuckle, shaking your head. “Great. Something to look forward to.”

That made him smile, but there was something else in his eyes now. A quiet kind of appreciation. Like he hadn’t expected you to understand, but you did.

And instead of dismissing what he felt, you had met him there.

He leaned back against the bar, watching you for a long moment before a small smirk pulled at his lips. “I had one night with you, and I’m already breaking every single one of my rules.”

You couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, playing along despite the sudden flip in your stomach. “Rules?”

His smirk widened. “I don’t open up like this.”

Your lips twitched. “Well…you were my first one-night stand, so I guess we’re even.”

Lewis blinked, looking genuinely caught off guard. “What?”

You shrugged, picking up a cocktail napkin and folding it absently.

For a second, he just stared at you, then let out a real, genuine laugh. The kind that cracked through the tension in the air and made something inside you ease.

“That makes this even more ironic.” he murmured, shaking his head.

Silence stretched between you two again, but this time, it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was fragile.

He looked away for a moment before speaking again. “I don’t even know what I want anymore. I think.”

You tilted your head, curiosity tugging. “You think?”

Lewis hesitated, then finally admitted, “I guess I just don’t want to feel like I’m chasing something that might not exist anymore.”

The honesty in his voice knocked the breath from your lungs. You had never seen this side of him before—unguarded, unsure.

You swallowed, then offered, “Maybe it’s not about chasing the same goal though, but finding something new worth fighting for.”

Lewis studied you for a long moment, a unreadable gaze “And for you? What’s worth fighting for?”

You hesitated, then smiled softly. "This dream… it isn’t just mine. My dad, my family—they sacrificed so much for me to be here. And I feel like if I don’t make it, I’m letting them down too."

Lewis nodded, understanding settling in his eyes in a way that made your chest tighten. Because you knew his story.

"I know what you mean," he murmured. " But sometimes, that weight… it gets heavy, doesn’t it?"

A small smirk tugged at your lips. “It does.”

The air between them shifted again, a thread pulling tighter, a connection neither of them had anticipated but couldn’t ignore. And for once, neither tried to fight it.

A sharp vibration startled you as your phone alarm went off, signaling the ungodly hour you had set to remind yourself to get some rest before the next travel day. You groaned, reaching to silence it before rubbing your temples.

Lewis glanced at you "Early flight?"

You nodded, stretching slightly. "Leaving tomorrow morning with the crew, heading back to the factory."

He hummed, taking a sip from his drink before setting the glass down. "Good luck on your decision"

You stood, smoothing down your shirt, trying to shake off the odd weight in your chest that came with the realization that whatever this moment was, it was ending—for now. "Guess I'll see you around."

Lewis looked up at your, his gaze lingering. "In Melbourne."

You gave him a small nod, and as you walked away, you found yourself wishing the same thing.

God help you. This man is going to be your end. And might even be mine.

______________________________________________________________

TAGLIST

@palefacestudentlove @omgsuperstarg @sltwins @lh44girl @freyathehuntress @irisesinthegarden @ncrsbrg

If you’d like to be added to my taglist you can leave a comment or send me a dm/ask.

[skz143me]

Jealous idols

In which Bang Chans girlfriend gets jealous of how much time he’s spending with BLACKPINK’s, Lisa

Bang Chan x reader

DISCLAIMER: no hate to any of the idols, this fic was written in pure fiction!!

Bang Chan was the biggest green flag Y/N had ever met. When she had first auditioned for Stray Kids, she didn’t have much hope of getting in. Most of the mentors said she didn’t speak enough Korean, or that a girl didn’t fit into the place of a boy directed group.

When she met Chan, all of that changed.

He was the sweetest person ever. He coached her and comforted her. He was everything she needed.

When Skz finally debuted, Y/N ended up being one of the most biased members by STAY.

Eventually, Y/N pursued a romantic relationship with Chan, and the two were happier than ever.

They had been together for about a year, with barely any problems, and it was great.

Y/N had been friends with Lisa for a while now. They bonded at a red carpet, after both being voted two of the most successful female idols in the industry. Y/N knew that Chan would hang out with Lisa sometimes, and at first, she didn’t mind it at all. But, eventually, things got a bit out of hand.

It seemed as if Chan was with her everyday, whether it was posting videos on social media, or just hanging out. Chan had even attended Lisa’s concert. Despite them both insisting it was just a deep friendship, Y/N wasnt very convinced. So, she decided to talk to her boyfriend about it.

Chan walked into the house, seemingly exhausted from a long day at the studio. The other members were already asleep, so Y/N took this as the perfect moment to share her concerns with Chan.

“Hey, Chris?” He turned his head, his tired eyes meeting hers.

“Yeah?” He said, sounding genuinely concerned in what her next words would be.

“Did you hang out with Lisa today?” She asked, keeping her voice as nonchalant as possible.

Chan pored himself a glass of water and nodded. “Yeah, we met up. Why, baby?” His eyes were back on Y/N.

“Chris..I’m just going to be honest with you”, Y/N felt her hands shake a bit, some anxiety overwhelming her. “I’m a bit concerned about how much time you’ve been spending with Lisa.”

He looks up at her, looking confused and a bit shocked. “Wait, why?”

She took a breath and spoke again, “I just feel like you’re spending a lot more time with her than me, and well, I don’t know I guess I’m jealous.”

Chans lips turned into a frown. “Y/N, Lisa is just a friend. I mean, we’ve known each other longer than I’ve known you. So please, can we not talk about this.”

Y/N is hurt by his words, so she gently nods and walks away. She feels her cheeks heat up, tears pricking at her eyes. She doesn’t know what to do, so she goes to her one safe space. Her best friend.

Y/N walks into the room and flops onto the bed, not bothering to say anything.

“Um, hello to you too?” Felix says, in a half chuckle. “What’s going on?”

Y/N sits up and rubs her eyes. “Chans mad because I told him he was spending to much time with Lisa”.

Felix nods slowly, trying his best to come up with something encouraging to say. “Want me to talk to him?”

Y/N shakes her head, “No. I don’t want him to get anymore upset than he already is.”

A few moments later, Y/N hears her phone buzz. She takes it out of her pocket and sees a new text from Lisa.

LALISA <3

Hey Y/N, Chris told me what happened and I just wanted to let you know I’m so sorry for making you feel like that. You’re a great person and I’m always going to try and be there for you. I want you to know, you can always come to me and tell me things like that. I’m so glad I know now so I can help respect your boundaries. I hope we’re okay. Anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow at brunch pretty girl 💗🖤

Y/N couldn’t help but smile at the message. Felix saw this and smiled to himself.

So she had resolved things with Lisa, which took a huge weight off her back. But she still needed to fix things with Chris-

Another buzz from her phone interrupts her train of thought. She looks at her phone again to see a message pop up from Chris.

Channie 🐺🤍

Baby, I’m so so so so so sorry for making you feel sad 😔

I love you so much and I want to show you I any way I can. I’m always going to be there for you. I love you. 💗

You smiled again. Maybe this would work out after all.

[tabbi-mysteries]

Look. I skim through episodes for Ran references. I skip through minutes worth of stuff if I'm confident Ran's not about to change outfit. But I am also only focused on Ran all the time. Which means I'm sorry animator who thought nobody would notice this single second frame of Ran missing her foot. I found it while trying to work out what shoes she was wearing. I was not expecting no feet at all but fair game you caught me out.

[j-esbian]

maybe the real voltron was the friends we made along the way

[brionysea]

for the record I'm keeping my #arcane and #arcane critical tags separate because 1) it's rude to go into a show's main tag to complain about it and 2) this way I can still go into the arcane tag on my own blog to enjoy season 1 stuff without being perpetually disappointed by season 2

[dawnthefluffyduck]

New game interest unlocked

(crow in bottom right belongs to @patchwork-crow-writes)

[icewindandboringhorror]

currently at That Point which occurs once every few months where one briefly begins pacing around the house teary eyed contemplating selling their own organs or becoming an online scammer or getting on anxiety meds so you can bear the risk taking required to be a hitman or so on and so forth.... why must everything so Expensive... Surely all would be healed in life if only I had one big plate of lasagna and a simple loan of $40,000 ... auoughhh....

[microknifeyuri]

uh. vent art. or something. losing yourself and losing everyone who you cared about as a result

[monstermoviedean]

at the end of my fucking rope with "conversations" about k12 chronic absenteeism.

[ironmanstan]

afflicted with some sort of evil girl disorder where i feel stressed constantly and do everything in my power to make it worse