#she only knew that her friend was in such distress that he physically made himself trash

[iguessitsjustme]

Me to Atom when he sat beside the trash can instead of getting in it

[maretinelli]

SINCE ALWAYS

Lewis Hamilton X physiotherapist!fem!reader

Summary: Lewis and Y/n were like they were attached at the hip. Ever since they were kids, the two of them were there for each other, supporting, caring, and celebrating. But the truth was that they had been in love with each other since they were teenagers, and Lewis's invitation for her to be his fake girlfriend at a wedding made their feelings come to light.

Words: 9.6K+

Warnings: Best friends to lovers, fake dating, cute, a little distressing because they don't say their feelings right away haha, mentions of sex, confessions of love.

Author: English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes that may be made. And I love reading fake dating stories, so I think writing them is cool too hahaha.

MASTERLIST

Since they were little, Lewis and Y/n were inseparable.

They grew up on the same street in London, attended the same schools and shared dreams and insecurities.

Lewis always said that he wouldn't be a pilot without Y/n, because she believed in him before anyone else. And she also said that she only managed to survive college because of the motivational messages and the coffees he delivered to her dorm door when he had time off.

That for her, Lewis achieved the impossible.

When Yin graduated with a degree in physiotherapy and a post-graduate degree in sports physiotherapy, Lewis was keen to help her join Mercedes, saying the team needed someone as talented and dedicated as she was.

Now both living in Monaco, their friendship had only grown stronger. Y/n used to joke that Lewis spent so much time at her apartment that they should split the bills.

He always laughed, saying he only went there for Roscoe, the bulldog who seemed to love the physical therapist almost as much as his owner.

Deep down, both Lewis and Y/n knew there was something deeper between them, but neither of them had the courage to say it out loud.

To Lewis, Y/n was more than just his best friend; she was his rock in the midst of the chaos of his career. She knew exactly what to say when he lost a race, how to cheer him up on his bad days, and most of all, she always believed in him. He loved her smile, the way she wrinkled her nose when she was focused, and even the little scoldings she gave him when he forgot to stretch or took bad care of himself. But admitting that? He couldn’t risk it. Not when she was the most important person in his life.

That afternoon, Lewis parked his car and went up to Y/n's apartment. He had a key, just like she had to his apartment. After knocking on the door and getting no answer, he went inside, calling out to her.

"Y/n? Are you home?" His voice echoed through the apartment.

"I'm in the shower! I'll be right out!" She shouted from the back.

Lewis smiled and gave a quick command to Roscoe, who trotted down the hall with him.

In her room, Lewis flopped down on the bed, taking in the familiar space. The shelf beside the bed was filled with mementos, photos of them together at races, from trips, and even a small 'best friend' trophy that Hamilton had given her as a joke years ago. He started to sort through the things, feeling completely at home.

"What brings your divine presence here?" she teases, calling out loud from the bathroom, her voice muffled by the door.

"Walking around, Roscoe wanted to see you." He replied, chuckling as he heard her laughter in the background.

"Oh, sure. Roscoe, the main reason, right?" Y/n scoffed. "Lewis, do me a favor? Hand me the sweatpants that are on the bed?"

Lewis picked up the piece of clothing and walked to the bathroom door, which opened just a crack. Y/n reached her wet arm out and grabbed the pants, thanking her before closing them again.

Minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom with wet hair and wearing a gray Tommy Hilfiger sweatsuit. Lewis noticed immediately.

"You only wear this when I'm around, just so I think you really like it." He teased, laughing. With a case of her glasses in his hands.

Y/n grabbed the towel she was holding and threw it at him.

"That's a lie! I love this gift as much as I love my job."

Lewis chuckled, setting the towel aside as she took an object from his hand and put it back in its place.

"You're going to break my glasses," she says, as if he were a child.

Lewis, with a quick gesture, took her glasses from inside the box before Y/n took them and put them on her eyes, widening them and taking them off quickly.

"Holy shit, Y/n. You're so nearsighted you're blind." He holds out his glasses to her.

Y/n rolls her eyes and puts her glasses on her face. Not wanting to change them for the lenses she had in the bathroom.

"Huh..." She mumbles, making Lewis smile.

She walks into the bathroom again, picking up the towel Lewis had thrown and holding it out, then starting to brush her wet hair.

"Seriously, what brings you here?" Y/n turns around and sees her best friend leaning against the doorframe of her large bathroom. "Because you're a jerk. I know you. You just show up out of nowhere, start going through my stuff like a child, and have that stupid smile on your face. You're about to ask for my help."

Lewis throws his head back and holds back a laugh.

"Roscoe. I already told you." He tried, but the smile gave away there was more.

"I know... Everything poor Roscoe" She came out of the bathroom, petting the dog that was lying on the rug in her room. "Isn't it, boy?"

Roscoe lifts his head and wags his tail.

As Yin asked if he wanted something to eat and they walked down the hallway from the bedroom, Lewis saw an invitation on the living room table. He recognized the invitation before he even read the name; it was from his sister.

She would be getting married in a few weeks to that scoundrel she called her fiancé.

"Hey, my sister invited you to the wedding too." He takes the invitation and walks to the kitchen.

"Of course. Your family loves me more than you." She teases, making Lewis laugh and roll his eyes.

"It's weird that her fiancé let her call you..." He sits on the counter. "He's very controlling with people."

Y/n fills a kettle to make tea and leans on the counter, looking at her best friend.

"Yeah... he's kind of weird, don't you think?" Lewis nods. "Remember the time we went to visit your mother in London and they were there, your sister seemed so excited to see us, and he had that... idiotic look on his face?" Y/n says, making a face and Lewis laughs. "When your sister told me she was engaged, I already expected that I wouldn't get the invitation because of him, but this caught me by surprise."

"He really is quite strange. The last Christmas I spent with them, he didn't say anything, didn't comment on anything, he just scolded my sister for talking too much and not wanting to give details about their life as a couple." Lewis frowns a little.

He really didn't like his brother-in-law, and had told his own sister as much. But he got a simple reply: 'Stop being a pain in the ass, he's just a reserved guy.'

The pilot deeply hoped that his sister would be happy with the 'reserved guy'. Because if not, things would be terrible for him and the one who would solve that was Lewis himself.

"Actually...I actually came here to talk about this..." He holds up the invitation that was now on the counter.

Y/n frowns, placing two mugs on top of the sink.

"Are you thinking about not going to the wedding?"

Lewis shakes his head. "No, no! It's something else."

"Do you want me to help you choose a tie?" Y/n interrupts.

"No, no!"

"What?"

Lewis doesn't speak, he just looks at his best friend, gathering the courage to make that proposal.

Meanwhile, Y/n had one hand on the stone counter and the other on her waist, anxiously waiting for Lewis to say what was on his mind. But her heart somehow accelerated.

Was he bringing someone with him and wanted to tell them? Was he dating someone and wanted to introduce them to his family? What did she have to do with it? Of course, she's family too. Don't forget.

Y/n had been feeling something for years. Lewis wasn't just her best friend; he was the guy who was by her side through every important moment in her life. He believed in her when no one else did, he opened doors she never imagined she would go through, and he never let her feel alone. The way he smiled at her, the way he pulled her into a hug for no reason, or the way he seemed genuinely interested in her everyday stories made her heart race. But she knew she couldn't ruin it. Lewis was Lewis.

It was her Lewis, and she wasn't about to share it with anyone. As childish as it sounded.

"I want you to come with me to the wedding." He says it as if it were simple, but the question isn't complete yet.

Y/n laughs. Feeling relieved not to hear anything like; girlfriend and Lewis in the same sentence.

"I'm going anyway." She smiled, then placed the tea bags in both mugs. "But if you want me to be your date, we'll tell your sister..." She didn't finish speaking when Lewis interrupted.

"Yes, I want you as my date, but there's one more thing..."

Y/n stops filling the mugs with hot water, frowning again and slowly placing the kettle on the stand.

"Lewis...you're scaring me like this..."

He blinks a few times.

Lewis took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the moment.

"It's my sister's fiancé, Y/n." He began, rubbing his hands on his knees nervously as he spoke. "He has this habit of... well, poking fun at me whenever he can. Every time we see each other, he makes some comment about how 'funny' it is that I'm successful at everything but relationships. As if the fact that I'm single is some kind of personal failure."

Y/n raised her eyebrows, surprised by the tone of irritation in Lewis's voice.

"And what did you do?" She asked, finishing filling the mugs with hot water. And then her eyes widened. "Oh my God, did you punch him?"

Lewis laughs, feeling the weight of the question lift for a few seconds.

"No, I didn't hit him or anything."

Y/n lets out a relieved sigh.

"I told you I wouldn't be single at the wedding. That I'd be bringing my... girlfriend."

She stopped immediately, her hands frozen in midair, the kettle still leaking a faint trail of steam. She slowly placed the kettle back on the stand, turning to face him.

"What?"

He blinked a few times, trying to gauge her reaction.

"That's it. I kind of... made up that I had a girlfriend."

"Okay..." Y/n crossed her arms, waiting for further explanation.

"And I thought..." Lewis hesitated, looking directly at her now, his expression as if he knew she was about to ask something absurd. "That you could be my girlfriend. For a weekend. Just for the wedding."

For a moment, silence filled the room. Y/n frowned, absorbing the request, but soon burst into genuine laughter, throwing her head back.

"That's a good one, Lew. You almost had me."

When she saw that he wasn't laughing along, her laughter slowly died down. "Wait, are you... serious?"

Lewis just nodded, a wry smile appearing on his lips.

"Do you think this will work?" She asked, still a bit incredulous. "Lew, I've practically been part of your family since birth! They know us like the back of their hand. They won't believe we're dating overnight! Both your family and mine!"

Lewis leaned forward, his hands gesturing as he tried to convince her.

"That's where our friendship comes in! No one will suspect because everyone already knows we're close. It won't be that hard to pretend. It's just for a weekend, Y/n. And honestly, it'll save me from hearing the Same speech as my brother-in-law about how I'm doomed to be alone forever."

Y/n narrowed her eyes at him, clearly assessing how crazy he looked.

"Lew... this is crazy."

He shrugged. "Maybe, but you're the only person I trust with that."

Y/n felt her heart skip a beat in her ribcage and she could already feel butterflies starting to fly in her stomach.

"Are you sure about this? Because if we're going to do this, it's going to take a lot more than 'we're best friends' to convince someone."

Lewis smiled confidently.

"So, does that mean you're going to do it?"

Y/n stared at him for a long moment, before taking a sip of her tea and muttering, "I can't believe I'm actually going to go through this madness with you..."

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Travel day.

"I still think this is crazy," Y/n says, looking over her shoulder as she walks in front of Lewis down the aisle of the plane.

He just laughs and puts a hand on her shoulder.

The weeks had passed quickly, and Y/n and Lewis dedicated themselves to creating the perfect story for the relationship they would present at the wedding.

During the nights they spent together, surrounded by papers scattered on the floor and notes in Y/n's notebook, the atmosphere between them oscillated between lightness and something that neither of them could name.

She jotted down the details as he threw out ideas with ease, as if it was all just another one of their adventures together. But for Y/n, every shared laugh and every exchange of glances as they planned made her heart beat faster.

Lewis, in turn, hid his restlessness behind his laid-back charm. The idea of pretending to be Y/n's boyfriend was something he proposed out of necessity, but secretly it was also the fulfillment of a desire that he didn't dare admit even to himself. Being close to her, even in a false setting, made it seem like what he had wanted for so long could, for a brief moment, come true.

"Where was our first official date?" Y/n asked once with the pencil in her mouth, interrupting the silence.

"In that Italian restaurant, after the Monza GP." He answered without hesitation, a slight smile on his lips.

She nodded, taking notes, but felt her face heat up. No matter how much she tried to rationalize, planning every detail made the fake seem more and more real.

Now, two weeks later and his sister's wedding day even closer, the scene repeated itself.

Sitting side by side, Y/n held the notebook on her lap, while Lewis adjusted the headphones around his neck. The two were silent, but tension hung in the air. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it carried something indefinable. Something they both felt, but neither of them dared to mention.

"Okay, last review." Y/n opened the notebook, turning over some marked pages. "First date?"

"Italian restaurant, after the Monza GP." Lewis replied immediately, with a small, smug smile.

"And what did you order?" She arched her eyebrow, testing whether he had actually memorized the details.

Lewis tilted his head, pretending to think. "Mushroom risotto."

"Great, but you have to remember I ordered lasagna." She pointed her pencil at him, laughing.

"As if I would forget. You even made fun of me because I ate half of your dessert afterwards." He laughed, leaning back against the bench and crossing his arms, relaxed.

Y/n closed the notebook. "And how did we start dating?"

Lewis smiles, pinching her nose a little. "I asked you to be my girlfriend at the race in Brazil. It was just the two of us in the Mercedes garage and I realized I couldn't spend another second without you by my side."

Y/n bit her lower lip. Totally hooked by the words Lewis had just spoken, her heart raced, her hands began to sweat, and then she had to look down at the closed notebook on her lap, giving an awkward smile.

"Alright, Hamilton. I think we're ready then."

"We are!" He noticed her rosy cheeks, but he didn't want to say anything, he just smiled and hugged her sideways. "We'll make this work, I promise..."

Just as Y/n would respond, the announcement that the plane was about to take off filled the speakers. She smiles and pays attention to her messages.

Between the detailed planning of the fake relationship and the rehearsals to make sure it all sounded convincing, they were both invested down to the last bit of emotional energy.

However, Y/n decided that she needed to add something extra to make their arrival at the wedding even more exciting.

A few days before the wedding, she sent a message to Lewis’s sister. Claiming to be overwhelmed with last-minute appointments, she said she would not be able to attend the wedding. The pilot’s sister responded almost immediately, sad but understanding. Despite her disappointment, she said she would look forward to seeing Y/n at her new home after the ceremony.

Y/n felt a pang of guilt sending the message, but knew it would make her arrival that much more memorable.

Meanwhile, Lewis, who was well aware of his best friend's dramatic ideas, took advantage of an afternoon when he was at Y/n's apartment, and called her family while she was by his side. During the call, Lewis casually announced that he would be bringing someone to the wedding - someone special, someone they definitely needed to meet.

Even though you already know it.

Y/n, who initially just helped Lewis keep his tone light during the conversation, ended up joining in. Even without speaking directly, she caught his words and laughed softly at the implications.

The mischievous smiles on both their faces were the only clue that there was more than it seemed.

When they arrived at London airport, the air was thick with anticipation. Y/n pulled her suitcase along while Lewis, sunglasses on his face and an easy smile, walked beside her. They exchanged knowing glances when they realized that no one from their family was there to greet them - everyone had already traveled to the wedding venue in the countryside.

It was a relief, as the chaos that could be caused if someone saw them together and the news of their 'dating' spread around the airport was the last thing they needed.

In the parking lot, they rented a large, comfortable car, ideal for the road to the countryside. Lewis took the wheel with his usual confidence, while Y/n organized the GPS on her phone to guide them. The trip started smoothly, but they both knew that the real challenge was yet to come: convincing their families that they were really dating.

The landscape gradually changed, with buildings giving way to green fields and small picturesque villages. However, even with the beauty of the scenery, nervousness hovered between the two as they chatted to distract themselves.

"Okay, important question we forgot to discuss." Y/n looked at him. "What if someone asks why we haven't told the public and your fans yet?"

Lewis, without hesitation, responded as if he had been preparing the answer for years. "Simple. Let's say our relationship is a secret. We don't want to tell the public because we are prioritizing our privacy."

Y/n tilted her head, considering the answer, before nodding with a small smile. "That's a great plan, actually. I think it'll work."

Lewis raised an eyebrow and, with a smirk, added, "And if nothing works, we can just run away and hide in the field. Who's going to find us here?"

Y/n let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "Great plan B, Hamilton. You really thought of everything."

"Of course!"

Despite the joke, they were both aware of the weight of the situation. Their nervousness increased as they approached their destination, as they knew that both the Hamiltons and the Grays would be there.

It wasn't just a challenge to deceive one family, it was two. They had to be on the same page in every detail, but they also had to hide their own conflicting feelings that seemed to threaten to collapse the theater they had created.

The road to the wedding venue was a picture-postcard scene. After miles of green fields and quaint villages, the large, rustic wooden gate finally loomed ahead, flanked by colorful flowers that swayed gently in the wind. Lewis slowed down, and as he passed through the gate, the sound of tires on gravel echoed down the driveway.

The music playing on the car radio made the moment even more perfect.

They drove down a narrow road lined with tall palm trees that created a natural corridor. The sun filtered through the leaves, casting dancing shadows across the hood of the car. In the distance, several small wooden houses appeared, their rustic roofs and balconies adorned with hanging flowers. A small lake glistened to the right, reflecting the blue sky and surrounded by well-tended lawns.

Lewis stopped the car in front of the group of cottages, the engine turning off with a soft rumble. The sound of gravel under the tires was replaced by birdsong and leaves rustling in the wind.

He noticed how restless Y/n was, her fingers playing with the fabric of her long dress. Without thinking twice, Lewis placed a comforting hand on her leg, smirking.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice calm. "If you don't want to do this, we can back out now. Just say the word."

Y/n took a deep breath and gave a nervous but determined smile. "No, I do. I'm just... a little tense. I think it's because I'm officially being promoted from 'best friend' to full-time 'girlfriend'."

Lewis chuckled, squeezing her leg lightly. "You're going to rock. Besides, they already love you. And how could they not, right?"

She rolled her eyes, trying to hide the growing smile. "Are you convincing me or yourself, Hamilton?"

While Lewis got out and opened the trunk to get the bags, Y/n stayed inside the car, observing the little houses more closely. It wasn't long before the excited voices of the families got closer.

The group of people emerged from the entrance of one of the larger cabins, the Hamiltons at the front, followed by the Grays, all smiling and waving.

Lewis's cousin ran up to him first, hugging him warmly. "Lewis! I'm so glad you're here! And... How's Y/n? We were so sad she couldn't come..."

Lewis gave an enigmatic smile, adjusting one of the suitcases on the floor. "Oh, about that..."

Before he could continue, his mother hugged him tightly, grinning from ear to ear. "And who is this special person you wanted us to meet? Are you hiding your game, son?"

He looked at her with a smile that was a mix of amusement and anticipation.

"Actually...you already know her."

At that moment, Y/n got out of the car, adjusting her clothes and walking to stand next to Lewis. Absolute silence took over the two families as everyone's eyes fixed on her, confused and surprised.

Lewis, noticing the nervousness that was beginning to show on Yin's face, gently pulled her by the waist, wrapping her in a side hug. He leaned in a little, whispering close to her ear.

"Relax. You look perfect."

Y/n smiled, the genuine gesture lighting up her face as she returned Lewis's warm gaze.

Finally, surprise began to give way to joy. Lewis's sister was the first to react, letting out an excited scream.

"Wait... you two?! Are you serious?!"

"You said you couldn't come!" One of them says, smiling at Y/n.

"Yeah... surprise..." Y/n smiles, raising her arms. "It was all part of our plan."

They are left open-mouthed with surprise and happiness.

"So Y/n. My sister. Is that the secret person you brought to the wedding?" The physical therapist's brother asks Lewis, still in shock.

Lewis laughs, agreeing with him.

Y/n's parents exchange glances with Lewis's mother. They were surprised but happy with the revelation.

"Why didn't you tell us before?! This is amazing!"

"Oh, you know how the media is, right?" Y/n shuffles her foot uncomfortably on the floor, giving a shy smile.

"Well, I must admit we've been waiting for something like this for a while now." Says Anne, Y/n's mother.

Y/n's father nodded, crossing his arms. "You two have always been so close. It was only a matter of time, wasn't it?"

Carmen laughed softly, excited. "I knew it! I always felt like there was something more between you two, you've been close since you were little. But you hide it well, huh?"

Lewis kept the smile on his face, even though he felt a slight tightness in his chest.

"We thought it would be more fun to reveal the truth when we were together in a special moment like this." He replied, keeping his tone light.

Y/n, although shaken by the families' words, managed to respond in the same tone.

"We wanted to keep things to just the two of us for a while. But with everyone here, it felt like the right time." She says, still hugging Lewis sideways, while squeezing his shoulder even tighter. "And we only ask for one thing, we don't want you to post photos or anything like that on the internet. We're still hiding from the media" Y/n smiles.

"Sure, sure!" Some say together.

"My mouth is a tomb" Y/n's brother says and they laugh.

"We'll keep it just in the family. We promise," Leo, Y/n's father says, placing his hand on Lewis' shoulder. "I'm so glad it's you."

Lewis smiles, his heart clenching even more. For a moment, he wanted all of this to be real, he wanted to admit his feelings to Y/n here and now. But he couldn't.

They both exchanged quick, knowing glances, trying to align themselves emotionally while they digested the weight of those reactions.

The families’ words, so full of affection and anticipation, created a bittersweet feeling. They were happy to see their loved ones so excited, but the weight of the lie hung between them.

Suddenly, Lewis' sister's fiance appeared from behind the group, as they congratulated the newest couple who brought together families that had been close for years, with a smile on their faces.

"Wait, wait, who's our pilot's girlfriend?" As he approached and finally saw Y/n, he stopped in place. His eyes widened as he processed the scene. "Are you... serious?" He looked at Lewis, then at Y/n, and shook his head with a smile of disbelief. "I just can't believe you two are together! Childhood best friends... who would have thought it would end like this?!" He hugged the couple at once.

Lewis frowns a little, not expecting this reaction from the man who made the most fun of his love life.

As the families continued to react, commenting on how they had always waited for this moment, Y/n and Lewis felt their hearts heavy,

The words of support and the looks of joy were genuine, and it shook them in different ways. As much as it was all an act, they were both realizing that the lie was becoming much more emotional than they had anticipated.

The Hamilton and Gray families couldn't contain their excitement as they guided Lewis and Y/n towards the cabin where they would be staying. Excited comments, laughter, and questions flowed in all directions, creating a warm and chaotic atmosphere.

Lewis, carrying the two suitcases, calmly followed the group, occasionally casting an amused glance at Y/n.

She, in turn, answered the questions naturally, following the script they had agreed upon, but her smile revealed a slight nervousness that only Lewis seemed to notice.

"So, Y/n, how did you finally get Lewis to commit?" His aunt asked, laughing.

Y/n smiled, pretending to think. "Ah, it was hard. He's a serious case, but in the end, who can resist, right?"

Laughter echoed through the group as Lewis shook his head, feigning indignation but with a smile on his face.

When they finally arrived at the little house where they would stay, everyone stopped for a moment to admire the place. The people stayed there, only the couple's mothers and Lewis's sister went up the stone stairs with the couple, to the small house where they would stay.

It was a small but incredibly cozy cottage, with light wooden walls and large windows that offered a stunning view of the lake next door. Colorful flowers decorated the path to the entrance, and the soft sound of water completed the tranquility of the environment.

Lewis's sister was the first to speak, handing the key to her brother with a mischievous smile.

"Here it is! You two are going to love this place. And honestly, I knew this day would come. It just takes time..."

"Shut up," Lewis interrupted in a whisper, giving her a sharp look, but with a slight hint of humor. The sister laughed, as she knew her brother had feelings for her best friend.

But the thing she didn't know was that the relationship was fake.

Lewis’s mother interjected softly, turning around with a warm smile. Anne was beside her, smiling too. They were so immersed in a conversation about flowers that they didn’t even hear the two brothers teasing each other.

"We'll leave you alone to explore the cabin. Take the opportunity to settle in and rest a little."

"Thank you" Y/n smiles.

The two of them were silent as they watched their mothers and sister walk away, giving each other expectant looks and knowing smiles before disappearing down the path.

When the last one disappeared from sight, Lewis handed the key to Y/n.

"Your turn," he said, with a smile.

Y/n took the key and opened the door, revealing a spacious and tastefully decorated room. The bed, large and comfortable, was adorned with a cute kit, a bottle of wine, two glasses and chocolates and rose petals spread across the entire surface. The windows looked out over the lake, with the reflection of the sky creating a soft, almost magical glow on the water.

Y/n chuckled as she saw the decor, walking slowly around the room as she took in the details.

They really went all out for a couple in love...

She thought, amused by the irony of living this with Lewis.

Lewis followed close behind, dropping his bags by the door and chuckling at the sight of the room. "Well, they've definitely gone overboard on the romantic thing. I think they're expecting an engagement announcement tomorrow."

Y/n chuckled, giving him an amused look.

"You think? I think we forgot to include that in the script."

Lewis watched her reaction, the sincere smile that lit up Y/n's face, and took a few steps towards her.

"You know we can deny anything at any time, right? You just have to say the word, and we'll be done with it.

He was so close that Y/n felt her heart race. When he reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, the gentle touch made her breath catch for a moment.

Y/n sighed lightly, trying to regain control, and gave a nervous smile. "And miss the chance to see more reactions from our families? No way."

They laughed together, but deep down, Y/n knew the truth was different. Being there, pretending to be something more with Lewis, made her feel something different, as if, for a weekend, she could experience what it was like to have him not only as a best friend, but as something more.

The thought made her look away for a moment, while the smile remained on her lips.

They came back to reality when several knocks on the door interrupted the silence, with two soft children's voices.

"Uncle Lew! Uncle Lew. We heard you're dating Aunt Y/n!!" The knocking continued, making the fake couple inside the room laugh. "Open up! Open up! We want to see her!"

Lewis and Y/n laugh, walking away and the pilot walking to the door.

"Are we going to have to lie to your nephews too?" She whispers, walking to the door as well, a pout on her lips.

"Unfortunately, dear." Lewis smiles and then opens the door, with the two children entering and running to hug Y/n. "Hey, what about me?"

The children laugh.

••••••••••••••••••••

Next day.

Lewis and Y/n's first day as a fake couple in the presence of both families was a constant test. Between forced smiles that gradually seemed natural and rehearsed responses, the two needed absolute harmony.

Early in the morning, while they were having coffee together with their families, someone asked how they divided up the house. Y/n hesitated for a second, but Lewis, without missing a beat, replied that she was responsible for meals and he was responsible for breakfast.

She gave him a surprised look, but soon joined in the joke, laughing and saying that he overdid it with salt. The lightness of the moment drew laughter from her relatives, but inside, their hearts were racing.

Later, while walking in the countryside with their cousins and childhood friends and Lewis's sister, the subject turned to their first kiss.

Y/n tried to hide it, but Lewis held her hand and gave her a knowing look. He began to describe exactly how they had agreed weeks before, even adding something extra as he spoke excitedly, as if it were real. She followed his story, laughing inside at how he could tell something so convincing.

There were also nervous moments, like when Y/n's grandmother suggested, "You guys should start thinking about having kids. With a connection like that, the kids would be beautiful!"

They both laughed nervously, trying to change the subject, while feeling the heat rise to their faces.

But as challenging as it was, spending the day together as a fake couple also made them realize how much they knew each other and how compatible they were.

The shared laughter, the exchanged glances and the ease with which they dealt with delicate situations only reinforced what they were both afraid to admit: this was starting to feel frighteningly real.

Night came, and in the cabin, Y/n finished applying her makeup in front of a mirror while Lewis sat on the edge of the bed, adjusting the laces of his white sneakers.

The room was lit with a soft light, and the open curtains revealed a view of trees lit by small lanterns scattered across the field.

"I finally got John to stop interrogating me." Lewis commented casually, looking at Y/n in the mirror.

She smiled as she put away her lipstick. "That's because you basically implied that I won you over with my irresistible charm."

"It wasn't a lie," he whispered, looking at the floor with an amused smile.

Y/n stopped for a moment, she had listened. And then, he pretended to roll his eyes to hide the blush he felt. And he decided to ignore it and make another comment.

"But you know what..." She puts her makeup back in her bag. "Today at lunch he was looking at us like he knew something was wrong."

"John is suspicious by nature," Lewis said, standing up and releasing his braids from their updo. "But I think he's starting to accept it. Maybe he's even jealous." He stops at the mirror for a moment, next to Y/n, to fix his braided hair.

"Yeah, because dating you is a prize," Y/n joked, winking at him.

"And isn't it?" he retorted with a smile.

She rolls her eyes, pushing his silhouette away, making the pilot laugh.

"Come on, Hamilton! We have to leave now, so we don't get late." She walks to the bedroom door.

It should also be noted that it was their first night sleeping in the same bed as a fake couple, a fake couple. But still a couple.

Although it wasn't the first time they shared a bed, the circumstances were different now. As children, sleeping in the same bed was something innocent, nights at each other's houses after playing late, or even family trips where improvising a shared bed was part of the fun.

More recently, the comfortable intimacy was still there, as in the time when Mercedes forgot to reserve a room for Y/n during a Grand Prix. Without hesitation, he offered his room, and in the absence of sofas or extra beds, they ended up sleeping together. At the time, Y/n jokingly piled pillows in the middle of the bed, saying it was: "A security barrier to keep you from invading my space, Hamilton." He laughed, but respected it.

Now, though, things were different. They weren't kids anymore, nor were they innocent best friends sharing a space out of necessity. There was a new layer between them—the game they were playing, pretending to be a couple, and the pent-up feelings that seemed to be growing with each interaction.

When they were ready, the two left the cottage where their room was, and walked through the illuminated field. The dew-wet grass shone under the lantern lights.

Lewis, realizing that they were about to enter a place filled with happy looks from both families, stopped and extended his hand to his crush.

"Hold my hand. There's no point in us arriving separately."

Y/n frowned a little, but soon intertwined her fingers with his. The touch was warm and comfortable, and even though she knew it was part of the plan, she felt a tightness in her chest.

"You really take this seriously," she teased, giving the pilot's hand a gentle squeeze.

"I just want to look convincing," Lewis replied with a smile, but his eyes betrayed a deeper feeling. And Y/n noticed.

As they walked hand in hand, Y/n couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if this wasn't a theater.

The large space where the bride and groom's dinner would take place was stunning. Shades of cream, green and gold decorated the space, with tall floral arrangements on round tables and small lights hanging from the ceiling, creating a magical atmosphere. The colors of the wedding invitation were present in every detail, from the napkins to the chairs decorated with bows.

Y/n was wearing a long black and white crochet dress, with firm stitches so that no part of her body was visible and this highlighted her curves in the right way, matching perfectly with her heels. Lewis, on the other hand, looked impeccable in a formal suit, a white button-down shirt, dress pants and a pair of classic sneakers on his feet.

When they walked in, hand in hand, all eyes turned to them. Family and friends of the bride and groom, who had arrived that morning, began to smile.

"They're perfect together," Hamilton commented.

"I always knew this would happen," Y/n's younger brother whispers to his girlfriend.

Y/n felt heat rise on her skin as she heard the comments, while Lewis lightly squeezed her hand. They both exchanged quick glances, almost as if trying to confirm what the other was feeling.

"They really look like a couple in love," Anne, Y/n's mother commented to Carmen, who agreed with a proud smile.

Y/n and Lewis heard enough to feel the weight of the words. The comments were sweet, but they carried with them a truth that they were both beginning to face and for a moment, the desire to confess how they felt grew.

However, silently, they both decided to keep everything as it was, at least for now. After all, the confusion in their hearts was already enough to deal with without adding new layers to that delicately constructed lie.

Lewis and Y/n walked through the room, hand in hand as if they were a long-time couple in love, until they found their designated table. There were Carmen, Y/n's parents and brothers, beyond the space reserved for them.

The conversations at the table died down for a moment as the couple approached, and everyone's eyes turned to them.

"You both look radiant tonight," Anne commented with a warm smile. "As if the paths were set in stone from motherhood."

Literally. They were born in the same maternity ward, with Y/n arriving into the world a week apart from Lewis.

Carmen, sitting nearby, nodded as she studied the two. "Seriously, son, I've never seen you this happy. And you, Y/n, look stunning. We're lucky to have you officially in the family now."

Y/n felt like she was going to cry at Hamilton's mother's sweet words, while Lewis, always confident, just thanked her with a smile.

However, the look they exchanged immediately afterwards was full of meaning, a half-smile of complicity, mixed with something that not even they themselves could admit.

A short time later, Lewis's sister, who had been walking around the room greeting guests, stopped behind him, placing her hands on her brother's shoulders.

"I knew this moment would come. You've finally officially united our families, and not just because of your friendship. I'm so happy." With a wide smile, she looked at Y/n.

The families around laughed, agreeing with comments of joy and satisfaction. Y/n gave Lewis a quick glance, and he returned the gesture, both smiling sideways, with the pilot's hand on her knee, as a comforting way, but with their thoughts racing.

As comforting as it was to see the happy families, the weight of the lie and the intensity of their own feelings were starting to become difficult to ignore. What had once been just planned theater was becoming something more complicated and emotionally challenging.

Dinner was lively, with impeccable dishes being served while conversations flowed around the table. However, for Lewis and Y/n, the evening began to become a mix of fun and tension. They talked, laughed and even told the story they had rehearsed weeks before about how they started dating, when someone at the table asked.

As the glasses of wine and champagne were emptied, the emotional barrier between them seemed to disappear. They both knew they were drinking more than they should, perhaps as a way to numb the feelings that were becoming more and more evident.

Between laughs and long glances, they let out small gestures that seemed genuinely in love, even though they knew they were exaggerating for the audience around them. But deep down, maybe they weren't just pretending.

By the time dinner was over and the music started playing, Lewis and Y/n were both drunk. He pulled her closer, mumbling something about how beautiful she looked that night, while Y/n, unable to contain herself, laughed and replied something equally affectionate. They were both openly flirting now, under the guise of drinking and pretense.

But of course, with all the alcohol they had consumed, something was bound to get out of hand.

Now, hours and hours after dinner was over and everyone had returned to their rooms, the fake couple's room was filled with mess, pillows, cushions and clothes they had used before, thrown on the floor.

Y/n was wrapped in a blanket, staring at the wall in front of her. The large tattoo she had on her collarbone was on full display, shining beneath the dim light of the room, while her hair was a mess. Because the pilot made sure to run his fingers over every inch of her body.

Lewis, on the other hand, had the blanket around his waist, his arms crossed on his lap, while the tattoos on his bare chest were also exposed. He looked at the clothes scattered on the floor, absorbing everything that had happened in the last few hours and how he had had sex with his best friend. I mean, the love of his life. Of course.

They were still slightly drunk, but they were sure to remember this event the next morning.

"That was crazy," Y/n says quietly, turning her head to look at Lewis.

The pilot turns around, but still leaning against the headboard. "Crazy. But good...very goooood. Great!" He emphasizes and Y/n widens her eyes, slowly nodding.

"Definitely," she says, pulling the sheet up. And biting her bottom lip.

They look back where they were looking before, until Y/n turns to him, with a questioning look now.

"Do you want to go again? I feel like I'm still a little drunk to ask the question."

"Of course!" He says without a second thought, pulling her into a hot, passionate kiss.

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Lewis's sister's wedding day.

Y/n woke up with the first rays of sunlight hitting her face. She opened her eyes and felt an arm around her waist, while a hand was stuck in her hair and her legs were tangled with Lewis's.

Then she lets out a sigh, remembering the night before. She had slept with Lewis. And not in the lie-down-close-your-eyes-and-sleep sense. In the sense that they had sex. Drunken sex.

An involuntary smile left her lips, even though she thought it was wrong.

She got up quickly, trying not to make any noise so as not to wake Lewis. The wedding was late in the morning, and the women of the families had already arranged to get ready together.

She put on whatever clothes were in her suitcase and left, ignoring her dress lying on the floor next to Lewis's discarded clothes as well.

The pilot woke up some time later, alone. Y/n's side of the bed was already cold. He ran his hand over his face, feeling his head a little heavy, and looked around. Their clothes were thrown on the floor, a reminder of the night before. He lay back on the bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling, as flashes of the night before passed through his mind. Y/n's laughter, the intense looks, the touches, the kisses.

The line between fake and real had definitely been crossed, and that left something undeniably different between them.

And Y/n seemed to do her best to avoid Lewis.

Whenever he came near, she found an excuse to leave, her face flushing slightly as she remembered what they had done. Despite her calm exterior, inside, she was a whirlwind. The idea of being so close to Lewis now made her nervous, not in a bad way.

While she was being made up, Lewis finally found her alone, waiting for the make-up artist, who had gone out to get something. He walked into the room with a somewhat hesitant but determined expression.

"Hey!" He smiles.

Y/n opens her eyes and leans back in her chair, seeing Lewis there. And then, her heart starts to race faster and faster.

"Hey!" She smiles, trying not to look nervous.

"The day dawned beautiful today for the wedding," he says relaxedly, trying to make the tension go away after what happened last night.

"Yeah. Your sister must be happy with the sun coming out." Y/n looked at the green robe she was wearing and lightly poked the fabric.

Lewis nods and looks at the woman. He sighs deeply before finally speaking.

"About yesterday..." He began, looking at her.

"We had too much to drink, Lewis. It was crazy," she says quickly, but never hinting at regret.

Lewis shakes his head. "Sure, that. It was crazy." He says gesturing with his hands.

The two remain silent for a while, looking at each other and remembering what they did last night. They would confess some time later, that that night was the best they had in their lives.

"Okay. I'll be going then. You need to put on your makeup and I need to get ready too." Lewis says and Y/n nods, swallowing hard. "See you at the wedding."

"Sure, sure. Yes." She says trying not to sound nervous, but clearly failing. Lewis smiles at that.

"See you later, doll" He winks, leaving Y/n completely dizzy in the room.

She leans back in her chair again, sighing and biting her lower lip as her mind races through memories of Lewis roaming her body.

They both knew that this was more than just the effects of the drink. They had crossed the line between friendship and theater, and that was something they couldn't ignore.

When the wedding finally arrived, the setting looked like something out of a fairy tale. The altar was set in an open field, surrounded by flowering trees that swayed gently in the wind. White chairs were arranged in perfect rows, decorated with small flower arrangements that matched the palette of the invitation.

The guests took their seats and the groomsmen and bridesmaids walked down the aisle. Lewis, as his sister's best man, walked in with one of his cousins, flashing an easy, confident smile.

However, as he passed by the row where Y/n was sitting, his eyes found her. The passionate look he gave her was impossible to ignore. Y/n, feeling the impact of that, smiled back, showing a look full of affection and love. She winked with one eye and Lewis laughed lightly, walking to the altar.

The bride appeared next, causing the guests to gasp. She looked radiant, and the groom, visibly moved, was waiting for her at the altar. When the ceremony began, the environment was permeated with an almost palpable energy. Y/n, sitting among her family, couldn't hold back her tears as the vows were exchanged. She wiped her tears casually with her fingertips, but Lewis from the altar noticed and couldn't help but smile softly.

During the ceremony, Lewis and Y/n's eyes met more than once. It was as if they were having a silent conversation, full of feelings that could not be expressed there. At a moment when the vows were especially emotional, Lewis leaned a little to the side and, almost imperceptibly, whispered:

"I love you."

The words were spoken with such sincerity that they hit Y/n hard. She felt a lump form in her throat as more tears welled up in her eyes. Pretending to still be emotional about the ceremony, she lowered her head to hide it, but her heart was beating fast.

And of course, when the bride and groom accepted the engagement, Lewis couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if it were him and Y/n there at the altar. She in a beautiful and expensive white wedding dress, with tears streaming down her face as he placed the ring on her finger and declared all his love for the girl - now woman, who he had loved since they were children.

And they both knew that this was beyond acting, and maybe it was finally time to stop pretending.

The bride and groom’s reception was as enchanting as the ceremony had been. Under a blue sky with clouds, a vast open space in the countryside hosted the celebration. Rows of flowers hanging from wires softly highlighted the surroundings, creating a magical atmosphere. In the background, the lake reflected the brightness of the sun’s rays.

Y/n was deep in conversation about her work with some of Lewis’s aunts and cousins. They seemed fascinated by her stories and asked questions, while she responded with a warm and excited smile, gesturing to emphasize her points.

Meanwhile, Lewis watched her from afar, with a soft smile on his face. The pilot approached and lightly touched her arm, catching her attention.

Y/n turned around, smiling when she saw him.

"Hey, could I borrow my Y/n for a little while?" He asked, his voice light but his eyes filled with something deeper.

Lewis's cousins smiled knowingly and nodded quickly. "Sure, we'll talk later, Y/n," they said, leaving the couple alone.

Y/n agreed smiling, watching them leave until they were far away from her and Hamilton.

The Mercedes team physiotherapist turned her gaze to Lewis, the smile still on her face, but her heart already starting to race as she noticed how stunning he looked in that impeccable outfit.

She sipped some champagne from her glass and joked, "What do you want from me, Sir Lewis Hamilton?"

He rolled his eyes slightly, laughing.

"I want to talk to you," he said, his voice lower, almost hesitant, but carrying an intensity that made her alert.

She nodded, her eyes scanning his face as he stepped closer. His unmistakable scent invaded her senses, and Y/n felt a warmth grow in her chest.

"But... away from people," he added, giving her a quiet smile.

Y/n frowned slightly, puzzled, but tried to appear calm. She set the glass down on the nearest table and followed Lewis. He held her hand firmly, his fingers intertwined with hers, gently pulling her through the flower field.

They walked towards the lake, where a small wooden bridge spanned the serene water. The structure was decorated with small arrangements of white flowers, reflecting in the lake like stars dancing on the surface.

Y/n felt her heart beating fast, both because of the scenery and because of Lewis's presence beside her. He stopped in the middle of the bridge, slowly letting go of her hand and leaning against the railing, looking out at the water. She stood next to him, leaning against the railing too, feeling the cool breeze caress her skin and his eyes meet hers.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked, her voice shaking slightly, trying to maintain her composure, but already beginning to imagine what would come next.

Lewis took a deep breath, his gaze so sincere and vulnerable that it made Y/n hold her breath. He knew it was now or never.

His gaze was more intense than ever, as if he was gathering the courage to say something he had been holding back for a long time.

"Lewis??" She asked, but he held up his hand, as if asking for a moment to speak.

"Just listen to me for a minute, okay?" He took a deep breath, looking away from the lake for a moment before turning back to her. "I've thought of a thousand ways to say this. Actually, I've tried not to say it. I've tried to convince myself that this was a stupid idea, that it could ruin everything, but..." He paused, laughing humorlessly. "After last night... I can't pretend it's not happening anymore. I've never been good with words when it comes to you. But you've always been more than just my best friend, Y/n. Ever since we were kids, I felt something about you that I didn't know exactly what it meant, but then when we reached adolescence, I realized that I loved you. I loved you as more than a best friend... I was already crazy about you. And I tried to put it aside because I thought it was the right thing to do, because you were too important to risk. But now... Now I'm here, in the middle of this bridge, and all I can think is that if I don't tell you how I feel, I'll regret it for the rest of my life... Y/n Gray, I love you. With every fiber of my being, I love you. And I'm not saying this as a friend, I'm saying this as someone who wants to cross that line, who wants to be your boyfriend, fiancé, husband and father of our babies. And if I'm messing this up, just slap me in the face and yell at me, and I'll understand too..."

Y/n laughed at the last sentence and bit her lips, as if trying to stop the tears from falling violently from her eyes. God, she had been waiting for this confession for years, and lately she thought it would never come, but here they are, declaring their love for each other.

"I'm not going to slap you or yell at you." She laughs, wiping away her tears. "On the contrary, I'm going to tell you that I love you too. Because yes, I love you, Lewis Hamilton. I love you beyond friendship, beyond everything we've been for 35 years. I love you romantically, and I also hope to be your girlfriend, fiancée, wife, and mother of our babies." She smiles, now with Lewis smiling and tears falling from his eyes. "And I confess that I tried to ignore that too. For years. I convinced myself that you deserved more, that our friendship was enough, that it wasn't worth risking." She laughs softly, the sound almost sad. "But I think last night took away all the excuses I had... That we had."

He lifted one hand, cupping her face gently, his thumb tracing a gentle path across her cheek.

"So maybe... we can stop risking everything by just being friends."

She laughed, a lone tear escaping, and Lewis quickly wiped it away. "Is that your way of saying you want us to stop pretending?"

"It's my way of saying that I don't want to pretend with you anymore," he replied, leaning in slowly.

Y/n closed her eyes, her heart beating so fast it seemed to echo in the silence around her. And then, his lips met hers, warm, soft and full of everything they had kept for years. It was a kiss that didn't need words, a different kiss than the one from the night before. Less drunk and rushed.

Y/n smiles between the kiss, when she feels Lewis's hand move further down her back.

When they pull apart, Lewis sees Y/n's loving gaze. "Well, is it too early to ask you out for real?"

She smiles, shaking her head.

"Okay then," he kneels down. "I don't have a ring here right now, but Y/n Gray... Will you date me? Officially? No rehearsed lines or plans in a notebook?"

Y/n laughs, crouching down a little. "Yes, Lew. I accept!" She smiles.

Lewis quickly gets up, picking Y/n up and spinning her around in the air, giving her several little kisses on the face before placing her on the ground and pulling her into a tight hug. With Y/n's face buried in the pilot's neck.

"You know what?" Lewis asks and Y/n questions. "The sex yesterday was good!"

She stands up, looking at him in disbelief, while having a mischievous smile on her face. Y/n lightly hits her boyfriend's chest.

"Hey, can you stop ruining cute moments like this with dirty comments?" She teases, making Lewis laugh and pull her into his embrace.

And after years and years, the two finally felt complete and with a weight off their bodies. They finally belonged to each other.

[rafesfavoritegirl]

where currents collide

chapter 2: escape

𓂃⋆.˚ Viv, John B’s younger sister, just wants to escape the chaos of the pogues for a little while, after John B decided she can't come to a Kook party. After a night of tension and betrayal, she seeks some peace on her own, but it’s never that simple when you’re surrounded by the Pogues. What starts as a quiet moment alone on the beach turns into something unexpected when old wounds and new faces collide.

word count 1.1k

Content Warning: Mild language, emotional conflict, sibling dynamics, mentions of substance use, and tension-filled situations.

Trigger Warning: Mentions of family trauma (loss of a parent), emotional distress, mild substance use (marijuana), and moments of secrecy and betrayal.

As I watched everyone leave the house, I accepted defeat with humility. They were always going to perceive me as a little girl. I was disappointed in Jj most of all. He never used to choose sides. But now, knowing how he really felt, it stung to realize he was just like the rest of them. It all left me mentally and physically drained, pushing me to take a nap and escape for a little while from everything that had happened.

༄ ༄ ༄

I woke up feeling dehydrated, still unsettled by everything that had occurred earlier tonight. In an effort to clear my head, I decided to build a bonfire. I do not often get the house to myself, so I figured it was the perfect chance. Stepping into the yard, I spotted the hammock that Jj, John B, and I had put up when we were kids, still hanging from the tree. I grabbed some extra firewood to revive the ashes from the bonfire a couple nights before and headed back inside for a lighter, my phone, and my headphones.

Once I was back in the yard, I started to light the fire. When the flames finally caught, I settled into the hammock, slipped in my earbuds, and blasted my favorite playlist. The cool breeze brushed against my face, and for a moment, I realized maybe it wasn't so bad to have missed out on the chaos of tonight.

Just as I started to get comfortable in the silence combined with the arguments that happened previously, I did not hear the infamous sound of the half-broken twinkie entering the front yard, muffled by the music still in my ears. Once settled in, they made their way into the backyard, and suddenly, I could not ignore the look on their faces. They sat down, unintentionally crashing my bonfire, their eyes landing on me in my relaxed state.

"See? Told you staying home wouldn't kill you," John B said with a smug grin, clearly pleased with himself.

It only fueled my internal anger, making it burn even deeper. How could they sit there, knowing I was still upset? No apology, just laughing and reminiscing about the greatest night they have ever had, like nothing was wrong. Seeing my best friends ignore my existence, continuing to smile and laugh while I sat there in utter silence.

Hearing them all talk over one another, what caught my attention was Kie's voice: "Dude, when Jj brought the gun! I swear we were gonna get arrested," she said, and the rest of them laughed, agreeing with her.

I pulled off my headphones, cutting in. "Wait, what gun? What happened?" I asked, concern and curiosity creeping into my voice.

Kie dismissed me with a casual wave. "It was nothing," she said, laughing as she spun around, her back turned to me once again.

That was it. I stood up abruptly, my frustration boiling over. "Fuck this," I muttered, walking off without another word.

I headed to my room, shutting the door behind me, and sat down. For a moment, I just stared at the wall, my mind racing, trying to figure out what to do next. It took a moment, the silence giving me too much space to think.

༄ ༄ ༄

The bright white full moon shined through my window, and suddenly, an idea sparked. I needed to get to the beach—just to clear my head. I knew everyone was asleep by now, either in the living room or in John B's room, given the lack of space in our house.

That thought reminded me of how I would get there? The idea hit me out of nowhere, like a sudden rush of clarity. I could just take Jj's weed and the keys to his dirt bike. I needed a way to get out—escape, even if just for a little while—and the bike would get me to the beach in no time. Jj would not even notice, right? It was not like he was gonna miss it tonight, or even notice it was gone. Fixating on the thought, I convinced myself I would be back in time.

I knew where he kept everything—he always kept his stash of marijuana in that jar on the communal nightstand, and the keys to his bike were usually tossed carelessly on the dresser. I could not even explain why I was doing it, but it felt like the only way to get some space.

With that thought in mind, I quietly crept toward his room, my heart racing, but my mind set on the plan. I quietly opened Jj's door and paused for a moment, glancing at him as he slept, admiring how peaceful and cute he looked. A rush of guilt hit me—doing this behind his back felt wrong, but I could not shake what he had done. I knew he would be furious if he found out, but I had to go through with it. I tiptoed over to the drawer, quickly sorting through his mess, finding condoms and loose jewellery, until I found his dirt bike keys, weed and rolling paper. I left the house swiftly, starting up the bike, the engine roaring to life. I glanced back at the worn-down house, checking the window to see if I had woken anyone up. Coast clear. I grabbed the items I needed, then rushed out of his room, with everything at hand, I knew there was no turning back now.

༄ ༄ ༄

The moon reflected off the blue ocean as I parked the bike and made my way down to the beach—the same one the Pogues had visited not too long ago during their rioting. A few kooks were still hanging around, but I paid them no mind. I spread out my blanket and got ready to roll up.

I sat there, the mix of marijuana and saltwater breeze filling the air. For the first time in a while, I felt at peace, the worn-down headphones that I had earlier playing softly as I drifted into a stoned calm.

The kooks from when I had first arrived were packing up. Their infamous jeeps slowly rolled off the beach, and a part of me did not care, but another part felt relieved to be completely alone now—no talking, no people. Just silence.

That was until I saw a tall, shadowy figure making its way toward me. I did not think much of it, assuming they would just pass by. But then, without warning, the figure sat next to me. I was confused—though, in my stoned state, it did not register right away. I glanced to my right and froze. It was none other than Rafe Cameron.

Follow the wattpad, this fanfic will be posted consecutively every week with new chapters! : https://www.wattpad.com/user/rafesfavoritegirl-

[discoscoob]

YOUNG DONNIE BARKSDALE HEADCANONS

ִ ˙ ✩°˖🍂⋆｡˚ Note: contains upsetting and distressing themes involving teen suicide, murder, abuse and parental neglect. This is angsty as hell, fellas :(

Note ii: I do not intend to romanticise or excuse any of the following, these are merely thoughts and ideas inspired works of fiction. I do not support or defend men like Donnie in the real world. If you think the following will be upsetting or triggering, I strongly advice not reading. You are responsible for your own choices. Thank you!

I’m using Keanu’s character Matt from the film River’s Edge as inspiration and a template for my headcanons for young Donnie Barksdale.

Family Dynamics

➤ Donnie never had a proper father figure in his life growing up and he never knew his real father.

➤ His mother suffered with alcoholism, leading to her neglecting him and his younger siblings.

➤ She would drift between different relationships, often with toxic boyfriends that Donnie would frequently get into verbal or physical fights with in an attempt to defend/protect his mother and younger siblings.

➤ As the oldest sibling, he felt responsible and pressured to fulfill a paternal role for his younger sister and brother.

➤ Prematurely stepping into this paternal role, without any healthy or positive guidance to draw from, meant Donnie didn’t possess the emotional maturity needed in order to fill that role properly.

➤ Donnie received little to no experience of healthy discipline himself growing up, which resulted in him mimicking the only discipline he ever experienced, which came from his mother’s toxic boyfriends.

➤ His first experience of using violence and aggression as a form of control and punishment began with his younger brother.

➤ When his younger brother started heading into a rebellious and reckless phase, without any sign of growing out of it, Donnie attempted to take control of his behaviour by using violence and aggression.

➤ Donnie’s softer side came out towards his little sister, the youngest sibling. He tried to be more protective and nurturing towards her. Despite his intentions being good natured, his attempts to overcompensate for the emotional and physical neglect she faced from their mother, lead to his protectiveness over his sister to become increasingly more controlling.

➤ This overprotectiveness would later extended to his romantic relationships with women and evolve into more possessive and controlling behaviour.

➤ Because Donnie never had a proper, healthy role model to look up to, he was never taught how to properly manage his emotions, leading to an inability to manage conflicts healthily.

His Friends Influence

➤ Donnie’s high school friend group became the only male influences in his life he had any positive association with. His friends were the only thing he had to fill the emotional voids within his life, this made the sense of brotherhood he felt he had developed with them incredibly sacred to him, something which he would protect no matter what.

➤ His loyalty to his friends was put to the ultimate test when one of his friends, John, murdered his girlfriend, Jamie. Donnie was pressured by his friend group to stay quiet in order to protect John.

➤ This had an everlasting detrimental impact to Donnie’s moral compass and desensitise him to violence, especially violence against women.

➤ The fear of losing the only sense of belonging he ever had on top of his fear of abandonment was enough to convince him to overlook John’s crime.

➤ This is the point in Donnie’s life where loyalty vs betrayal became more important to him than right vs wrong.

Prospects and Substance Abuse

➤ Struggling in school would often lead to Donnie skipping class or not showing up to school altogether. His poor performance in high school, on top of the poor amount of opportunities in his rural town, left Donnie with very few options.

➤ Donnie was already pretty disillusioned by life at a relatively young age, due to the lack of opportunities in his rural town and any dream of escapism he had seemed unattainable.

➤ He would smoke weed with his friends when they skipped school and when Donnie became older and accepted any, usually low-paying and physically demanding, job he could find, he would turn to alcohol and other harder substances as a coping mechanisms and a form of escapism.

➤ His drinking and substance abuse would only contribute to his violent and abusive behaviour.

His Sister’s Suicide

➤ Matt was in his mid to late twenties when his little sister took her own life. She was still only a teenager. She was struggling to cope with her own issues that developed from growing up within her toxic and dysfunctional family dynamic.

➤ At this point in his life, Donnie was already struggling with alcoholism and substance abuse as a coping mechanisms for his unfulfilling life, but it would become far worse after losing his sister.

➤ None of his romantic relationships were ever healthy, thanks to a combination of factors such as his abandonment issues, his relationship with violence and his inability to handle his emotions in a healthy manner (to name a few.)

➤ Most of his relationships failed because any potential threat to the relationship or lack of control triggered his anger and insecurities, usually caused by his jealousy or controlling behaviour.

➤ But losing his sister only worsened his toxic and unhealthy behaviour within his romantic relationships.

➤ He would cling tighter to his partners than ever before and that would manifest as manipulation and control. He would isolate his partner from their friends and family, forcing them to be completely reliant on him. Any hint of disloyalty or emotional distance from his partner would trigger violent outbursts.

➤ Donnie views his sister’s death as another one of his failures in life. Blaming himself for not protecting her enough, even though his protection of her had already developed into something that was toxic and overbearing, unknowingly contributing to the number of issues his sister was struggling to cope with.

➤ Donnie always perceived his intentions towards his sister to be good natured, as that’s how they began and honestly she was the one person he genuinely loved the most. Although he never learnt how to nurture and maintain healthy feelings and emotions, resulting in them all becoming warped and toxic. In his mind, he never hurt his sister or contributed to her turmoil.

➤ Therefore, when she took her own life, part of him saw it as a betrayal after all the sacrifices he made to protect her.

➤ The fragile relationship Donnie developed with masculinity, due to the major influences from his high school friends, his mother’s toxic boyfriend’s and the old rural town’s dated attitudes, left him unable to process his grief in a healthy manner—perceiving sadness as weakness. His grief would instead be channelled in bouts of uncontrollable anger and deep, depressive episodes.

Jamie and Jessica parallels

➤ When Jessica’s body is pulled from Donnie’s lake, it gives him flashbacks to seeing Jamie’s body at the river’s edge.

➤ When Donnie becomes a suspect and later charged with Jessica’s murder, questions about his involvement in Jamie’s murder resurface.

[blueberrypancakesworld]

You got me simping for Vaegon…

First of all thank you so much for reading it and omg yes Vaegon is just so cute and his decision to become Archmaster has saved him such an icon in his family…even though you didn't ask for it anon I thought this might do another simp some good enjoy reading ;)

Prince/Achmaster Vaegon Targaryen in a relationship SFW/NSFW

°You met him when he still held the title of prince of the realm. One of many princes and princesses but a young man who had already suffered losses of his own blood. The deaths of his siblings and yet this did not seem to bother him, he attended the funerals and mourning ceremonies and kept to the prescribed time of mourning and yet. She had never seen a single tear in his violet eyes or a look of distress. On the contrary, the more deaths that happened, the more everyone mourned, the more often his gaze seemed to settle on her. Since those times of mourning, they seemed to be more and more united. He gave her his cloth handkerchief and even sent her a cup of tea to lift her spirits, ,,With best wishes from Prince Vaegon," her servant had told her.

°The paths of the two often crossed in the castle, a courtesy always towards her, and she thought she saw something like true joy in him when she was with him in the library, they met there almost every day, she kept him company more and more. She turned away from her friend and princess Alyssa to spend her free time with Vaegon. ,,You can go to the hunt, the others will be waiting," he had once said when she had preferred to read and study with him in the castle garden instead of attending the royal hunt. It was the first time she put her hand on his and saw the smile on his fine lips and it was the first time he came closer and gave her a kiss.

°It was the first time he neglected his duty and gave in to his feelings as his sisters did. ,,By the Great Citadel, I've wanted to taste you for so long," he confessed as his delicate hands held her, not roughly but gently, yet she sensed a power slumbering in him, his violet eyes always watching her. That this beginning was a time of love, trust and secrets. When she was with him, he laughed a hearty laugh, an honest laugh, something that made her heart beat faster. When he was with her, he allowed himself physical contact with her, cuddled with her in his chambers and read her the most beautiful poems he had composed.

°He was the only one who allowed her to ride out with him, telling her everything he knew about the animals and plants with a curious gleam in his eyes as she rode beside him, a sweet smile curling her lips. ,,Your knowledge is your beauty, Vaegon," she had said and giggled as she saw his pale blue cheeks turn pink and he looked away. But when she tried to give him a kiss, he returned the favor and kissed her faster. A day that ended in even deeper love in the forest. A day that had started with blood when he was cut with a sword by his older brother during training and angrily left the yard only to be slowly helped by her when he understood that she cared, that she had always seen him, that he was not overlooked as he had been by his parents. ,,I always take your concerns seriously, my prince," she confessed and finally pulled the fresh bandage around the wound and was about to turn away when he took her hand and squeezed it gratefully, ,,And for that I am bound to you my dear love".

°But as love blossomed, it also became clear that with the royal couple becoming parents and the death of his siblings, it was more tragic than ever that he was eligible for the Thorn. A fact that involved power and danger, ,,I don't want a throne if it increases the likelihood of losing you, my love," he had made clear one night as they sat together in front of the fireplace, the books set aside and his hand resting on hers. Her uncertainty about this, however, was extinguished when she saw the stubborn glow in the violet when he had to fight his enemies in the castle courtyard. When they humiliated him and he withdrew, he knew no, she knew just as he knew that he would never want to be king…but they both knew that a prince cannot shirk his responsibilities. Even if she came from a noble house, she was no Tyrell, Hightower or Lannister, it would not be enough for a marriage.

°But his decision and his father's permission brought new sides of love and soon she found Vaegon in front of the Citadel again knowing that it was actually a farewell, that he would lose his status, that he could pursue his destiny forever, ,,I will find a way…I will find a way to love you forever…even if it means breaking duties". A promise which he sealed with a kiss and deeds because as prince he arranged for him to have his personal servant and septa, a woman who would take care of his everyday affairs without notice. A matter that was settled when she put on the white robe and pinned the dragon's brooch to it almost with pride. ,,So everyone will see that you belong to me and are mine," she heard his whispered words as she was with him in his private room and thought she saw the madness, the madness of dragons, in his violet eyes for a moment in the semi-darkness …. but it was surely her imagination as he engaged her in another kiss.

NSFW

°The days at the citadel were long and exhausting, the knowledge had to be transferred and learned, chains had to be forged and the camp had to be managed. Rules, duty and order and a single woman among hundreds of men. But there was pride in her gaze, she did not duck away, she seemed to become like him, dutiful and yet with a hint of haughtiness that she knew, no actually everyone knew, what she was doing behind closed doors, what sounds came from the prince's room as his fingers slipped under the white dress. Peeling the fabric from her body, he almost greedily took what was rightfully his, his own dragoness nien better than what his shiwsters had ever had. ,,You are the precious treasure of House Targaryen, not the throne or the crown," he murmured to her as he kissed his way along her skin until he could finally touch her again.

°He marked her, trailing his kisses along her skin that was otherwise protected by the fabric, biting spurs over which he ran his fingers throughout the day. ,,Your beauty is indescribable gods," he sighed as his fingers massaged her breasts, gripping the flesh of her thighs, praising her, longing for her praise as she clung to him as he penetrated her, moaning her name, keeping the sounds of lust through the corridors at night in the darkness of the sacred place.

°He turned to painting with various fabrics and colors in the course of his studies, ,,You as my muse are the only thing beautiful in these halls," he had said as she sat down on the armchair, his demands animated with lust, his violet eyes seeming to turn a dark purple as she gradually released the fabric from her crown and spread her legs. He saw her swallowing, humming something to himself, and he had to restrain himself from throwing the painting away and taking her. He came up to her hungry for her sweetness for more of her when he knelt down in front of her his way up her leg trailing kisses on it to finally let his tongue wrap over her center. Studying his body from her beautiful example and learning to receive her praise.

°But even during the day in the citadel, she felt the other's gaze on her, felt his touch on her body like a gentle breeze. But she also helped him when she "helped" with all the things, pulling her hand onto his, pulling him into chambers. This time it was his lascivious noises that echoed through the corridors. Vaegon tried to suppress them, a shaking hand on his mouth or hiding his head in the books, but his redness was clearly visible to her when she looked up at him. His fingers tangled almost gently and needily in her hair, praising her. The hours of their love always took place in the free time and then until late at night but most of all their time together was safe from the throne and the battles outside the citadel where their love and lust could blossom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

masterlist

[vxlepop]

This fiction is for the amazing @someone1348 , they have hit 400 followers! How fucking awesome is that? I'm writing this to celebrate their marvellous achievement, I'm so proud of them <3! We're all so proud of you, K!

A funny matter.

As you know, this is a special fiction for a wonderful friend of mine. We all love our disaster twins. Leo is making jokes, as per usual. But what's that? Did Donnie really find a joke of Leo's funny?

Ler!Leo and lee!Donnie

Warnings: Some swearing. But that's it!

It was a regular day in the lair, well night. The family was sound-asleep. Even April decided to spend the night in the sewers with them, but she got to sleep in her own room that the turtles made for her. You could hear Raph's snoring, it never failed to make Leo laugh.. that's because Leo was awake. Leo quietly snorted hearing his older brother snore. Everyone was asleep apart from him, so he thought.

Donnie too, was awake. Leo as a red-earred slider turtle, only required 5-6 hours of sleep. For which, he already got that sleep. Donnie was working on his battle shell, to make it as good as possible. As many knew, his shell was quite the vulnerable area for the turtle. So in order to protect himself just a little more, he thought making a few upgrades sounded like a good idea. Donnie was careful. He avoided any mutant birds, since he's prey to them. And he'd never fight without his battle shell.

Leo tip-toed into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee. It was 4 o'clock.. in the fucking morning. It was a daily routine. He'd get his required sleep, then have a coffee at ungodly hours in the morning. He took a sip of said coffee, before hearing a distressed "fuck's sake!" That was the soft-shell turtle alright. 'What in the pizza supreme hell is he doing up?' Leo thought to himself, before making his way to Donnie's room. Something had to be bothering him.

With being sleep-deprived, Donnie struggled to succeed in inventing new inventions without some sort of fail. He'd make a couple more errors than usual when he didn't get enough sleep. Poor Donnie, he accidentally cut the wrong wire, making him throw a screwdriver across his room. "Oh for fuck's sake!" He cursed. Donnie slammed his elbows into his desk, holding his head into his hand.

"Hey buddy, trouble sleeping?"

"What's with the interrogation, Leo? Everything's fine I said!" Donnie snapped.

"Uh huh, can tell." Leo placed his cup down on Donnie's desk, before sitting on his brother's bed. Leo patted the space beside him, signalling Donnie to sit with him. The older sighed, but got up and sat beside his younger sibling. The older let out a sigh.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Leo offered, but the other shook his head in response. Donnie struggled with his emotions, especially with expressing them or being able to communicate with them. Despite Donnie not being the biggest fan on any physical contact, he rested his head onto his brother's shoulder.

Leo was practically in awe. It wasn't every day you saw Donnie being physically affectionate. It was such the sight. All was silent. Too silent, for Leo's liking. The atmosphere was rather heavy. Leo had to lighten the mood up. But how?

"Hey D. I've done some research on some science jokes–" Leo couldn't even finish his sentence.

" 'Nardo, please don't." Donatello interrupted.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN - THE LEO SMIRK. THE LEONARDO HAMATO SMIRK. The smirk that makes you think, 'oh shit'. The smirk that makes you flush. It's all such a tease. The smirk that makes you realise, he's about to tickle the ever-living-shit out of you.

...

"What do you call an acid with an attitude?"

"... Go ahead, I suppose." Oh dear, how bad was this going to be? He loved his science, but how smart was Leo to be telling a joke about science.

"Amino acid!"

Donnie removed his head from Leo's shoulder as he placed his face into his hands. Donnie thought it was sly, but it wasn't. Everyone knew that it meant Donnie found something funny.

"You're doing it again, hermano~."

"What?"

"When you find something funny."

"... I-I aham not finding anything funny." Well done, D. Super convincing! The almsot-emotionless turtle letting out a snicker? Who, what, when, where, and why? Of course, little did Donnie know, Leo was finding this more amusing than beating his brothers at the lair games.

"Well, maybe I could help with that.." THE TEASE WAS IN HIS VOICE, EVEN DONNIE KNEW HE WOULD HE SCREWED. Donnie looked up, eyes widening when looking up at his brother. Leo was already wiggling his fingers at the soft-shell turtle. With that being said, the soft-shell turtle was gone. He scooted back on his bed. He had nowhere to go. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The red-earred slider turtle scooted closer to the elder.

As a reflex / defence mechanism, Donnie had his arms across his chest in an 'x' form.

"Oh my beloved hermano, I'm gonna getcha! And quite frankly, there's nothing you can do about it~."

"Leo, I will personally murder you in your fucking sle– EHEHEP!" That was it. Leo targeted Donnie's thighs and knees, hoping it would bring his brother's arms down ( for which it did ). Leo kept squeezing at a rapid pace at Donnie's knees as Donnie kicked his legs and tried pushing Leo's hands away with barely any effort.

"I hahahate yohohou so much!"

"Awh, don't be like that. You know you love it. Tickletickletickletickle!"

Donnie threw his head back and kicked some more before Leo targeted Donnie's stomach. The soft-shell turtle's laughter increased in pitch as his giggles became more frantic.

" 'NARDOHOHO, FUCK OHOHOFF!"

"Well, that's not very nice, mister!" Leo put on a fake scowl before lowering his head down to nibble on Donnie's sensitive stomach.

" 'Om nom nom!"

The noises were so stupid that it made Donnie laugh more. Bloody hell, it tickled so much!

"THIHIHIHIHIS ISN'T AHAHAHA FUNNY MAHAHAHATTER, LEHEHEO!"

"It is not? But you sure are finding something funny. You're laughing your shell off! Is someone's cute, wittle twummy that sensitive? Awh." Leo put on a baby voice, making Donnie's face flush a crimson red.

"Is lwittle Donnie bwushing now?" Leo smirked, now gently tickling under his brother's chin.

"Y-You're thehe wohohorst!" Donnie smiled from ear-to-ear, scrunching his shoulders up and flapping his hands ( happy stims ).

Leo noticed, making him smile softly, too. Looks like his job was done. He made a grumpy Donatello into a happy Donatello. Before finishing his attack on his brother, Leo tickled up and down Donnie's arms ( his melt spot ), skittering his fingers around his wrists up to his muscles.

"Ehe! Yohohohou better sleheheep with one eye ohohohohohohopen, Leo!" Donnie pretended he was mad, but he gave up on squirming. His melt spot made him limp to the attack.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You love me really." And with that, Leo stopped his playful assault. Donnie, the poor turtle, was a flushing mess. The sight it was! How often do you see a ticklish Donatello blushing?

Leo layed down as he signalled his brother over by patting his chest. Donnie complied as he crawled over to Leo as he slowly lowered his head down onto the slider's chest. The red-earred smiled, noticing almost immediately his brother was falling asleep. The tickles really had tired him out. Donnie looked peaceful and at ease instead of being stiff and tense. Not even ten minutes later, the soft-shell was softly snoring. Following that, Leo began to fall asleep, just knowing his Donnie was relaxed.

°°°°°

Hey guys! Again, this fic was for the spectacular @someone1348 for their amazing achievement of reaching 400 followers! We're all so proud of you, K! <3

I have seen other requests you guys have sent me, I am working on them! Please be patient with me, I've got a lot going on at the moment.

( ￣▽￣)

Tags: @someone1348 @sunsetsandsunshine @mythica0 @tastybluesprite @blahhhhhhhohmigosh @alfi-always-writes @anxious-lee @leosmasktails .

[lavender-romancer]

He's So Pretty 

Jim Kirk x Reader  CW: distress, angst, romance 

Kirk had no idea you felt the same way for him as he did for you, as you plan to leave Starfleet. Is it all too little too late for the two of you? 

”*°•.˜”*°•. ˜”*°•. ˜”*°••°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”˜

He felt dead inside, Kirk wouldn't show it but he couldn't stand the fact you were leaving and it hurt even more that he'd never gained the courage to be honest with you. His plan was to have a meeting with you as a farewell in his Captain's quarters before you left the enterprise when they docked in Yorktown to refuel in a few weeks. But he didn't know if he could wait that long, he'd been holding this in for so long it felt like it was begging to be let out. You were too good for him and he knew that his feelings were real because he hardly ever bit his tongue but he was terrified you wouldn't feel the same as him. The only person to ever get his tongue tied, the only person who he would always be looking for in a crowd, it was unexplainable how much he cared about you. But now... now you were leaving and fuck, he wished you knew everything going on in his head. 

"You're gonna kill yourself with guilt if you don't say something," Bones said in a matter of a fact way.

"I am aware, Bones." Jim grinned because he knew how dumb and high school it all was.

"Just tell the damn girl!" Bones exclaimed.

"Oooo. What girl is this!" Both the men jumped at the sound of your voice walking into the bar, they both went silent "Awh come on, is this a boys club conversation?" You put your hands on your hips and Kirk laughed. 

"Something like that, dumbass," Kirk looked up at you and you rolled your eyes before punching his arm.

"You love me really, no matter how many times you insult me. You're gonna miss me!" You reached over the bar and grabbed some vodka making yourself a quick mixed drink. 

"More than you know," Bones muttered so only Jim heard and gave him a look. 

"Right, drink up Cap!" You cheers' with Jim and then both downed what was in your glasses. 

"No cheers for the doctor I see," Bones rolled his eyes and you shook your head 

"Absolutely not letting you run free! I'm just pouring another drink my dear doctor." You poured a vodka shot and looked at Bones who was regretting speaking up. 

"Cheers to that I s'pose!" You and Bones clinked glasses before knocking your heads back. Kirk just looked at you in awe, his eyes looking up in adoration. Bones noticed it first and smiled to himself. 

"What's with the puppy eyes, Kirk?" You teased and Jim very slightly blushed. He thought he hid it well but you couldn't help but think about how pretty he looked. 

The following week, Kirk was mentally planning when to have that meeting with you, he had two weeks left till they docked. That wasn't that much pressure but he'd been holding in these feelings for nearly 6 years and didn't really know what to do if you didn't see him the same way. Kirk had absolutely no idea how you thought of him, he knew you were friends and maybe a bit flirty from time to time but nothing that couldn't be explained by being close friends. I mean Jim flirted with everyone, he was an Aries through and through so it didn't surprise him that regardless of gender he was going to be a bit playful. But with you, he had actual physical reactions and it was like being a teenager with a pathetic crush. You gave him butterflies, you made him nervous blush and hide his face and pretend he hadn't noticed your hand on his arm. 

Kirk couldn't help but believe you knew what you were doing but it seemed so unlikely because you were so confident, you were afraid to tell someone how you felt. Why would you keep your feelings towards him hidden if they were there? 

"Y/n, you've been asked to the Captain's quarters," Nyota told you with a friendly smile. 

"Oh lordy, what kind of going away malarkey has been prepared, I wonder." You grinned at your friend and she raised her eyebrow.

"Oi you, get that mind out of the gutter," you rolled your eyes. "I'm sure it's sweet , he's always been very thoughtful when someone leaves the ship." 

"Oh I'm sure it's very personal…" she winked and you covered your mouth so you didn't laugh. 

"What merriment have you two clowns got into then?" Bones asked as he walked past with some new equipment he'd been testing. 

"You have to be nice to me, Bones. Leaving orders say so," you narrowed your eyes at him, he stopped 

"Oh is that so, Sunshine?" He raised an eyebrow "And on whose authority is that?" 

"The Captains of course, I've been summoned to his quarters for what I can only hope is an attempt to celebrate my leaving without sounding too excited," you laughed and Bones said nothing. 

"Cat got your tongue?" Nyota asked Bones, folding her arms with a smile. 

"Oh not at all, I'm just holding it so I don't gossip like some old woman." Bones raised an eyebrow and you looked at him, puzzled. 

"Well what does that mean then?" You paused and he said nothing "Bones? What are you talking about?" 

"I mean if I can get in on some gossip where Bones is involved then I'm all ears." Nyota let one side of her mouth turn up. 

"You two are out for trouble, look it's not my secret to tell so you'll just have to find out eventually yourselves." Bones gave Nyota a knowing look and you looked between the two of them till Bones looked away. 

"Well what the hell was that?" You exclaimed looking at Nyota. 

"Well now I know you have to go and see Kirk right this second," Nyota leant against the corridor wall and had to put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. 

"You," you pointed at Nyota, "you are a troublemaker." You laughed and headed off in the direction of Kirk's quarters. 

You had no idea what Bones was on about but deep down you hoped. You'd been pining after Jim for so long it felt like an age, you had known each other for so long that you really didn't think there was any way Jim could've gone this long without revealing his feelings. You got drunk together so often and had never even kissed, he'd never revealed any secrets about his feelings whilst inebriated. Being realistic if Kirk hadn't revealed his feelings whilst being drunk it was unlikely he had those thoughts in his head, he was so easy to get secrets out of when drunk. But you couldn't help thinking about the weird interaction between the three of you a minute ago, what did they know that you didn't? 

You knocked three times of Jims door and held the sides of your skirt with your thumbs pressing against your fingers through the fabric. It was so damn frustrating how nervous you were when you could just be walking into a normal and civil meeting. Getting your hopes up was a dangerous activity especially when it came to heartbreakers like Jim Kirk. 

"Y/n!" Jim exclaimed, opening the door with a big smile, he stood back and let you step in. 

 "To what do I owe the pleasure." You looked around the room you'd been in often and considered that you might never see it again. 

"Come sit," he gestured to the sofa with a bottle of wine on the table and two glasses. "Your departure has made me think about a lot of things." As you sat down Jim began pouring. 

"What kind of things Kirk?" You narrowed your eyes. 

"It's hard to determine, I mean definitely thinking of the past" Kirk carried on for a while, talking in what you would call filler but you weren't listening. He looked so fucking pretty, his eyebrows moving every now and then, his hair a bit ruffled after he had got changed. Jim was so so pretty and you didn't know how to focus on anything else, watching his lips move you just wanted to shut him up and kiss him. 

"Y/n?" You snapped out of it "Do you know what I mean?" Kirk asked and you had to think for a moment about what would be a neutral reply so a question you hadn't heard any of. 

"....yes?" You said in a curious tone and Jim laughed. 

"You weren't listening were you," he smiled and you giggled. 

"Not my fault you look so pretty," you mumbled into your glass as you took a drink, you thought it was quiet enough but Jim had heard and he almost choked on the wine in his own mouth. 

"Was that a compliment I just heard?" Jim tried to play it cool but his voice cracked on the last word and you burst out laughing. 

"Okay well now you deserve no explanation if you can't even get through puberty properly." You smiled at him and he raised an eyebrow.

"Well I'm not the one who thinks I'm pretty, am I. Hmm?" Jim teased. 

"Well, I'M not the one who can't speak without sounding like a pre-teen." You shot back, jokingly narrowing your eyes at him. 

"You're a little shit, you know that?" Jim asked, placing his glass down. 

"Well you won't have to put up with it for too much longer will you," you joked and a silence fell between the both of you, joking like this had made Kirk forget about that fact "Are you okay, Kirk?" 

You looked deep into his eyes and it took all his willpower not to take your face in his hands and kiss you. Instead he stood up and walked around the room, hands on his hips he sighed. 

"Well now I know you're not alright," you paused and stood up, there was a distance between you both and you were slowly closing it down "What's wrong?" You asked at almost a whisper.

Kirk turned around and you were only a few steps away from him, his eyes were unreadable but looked deep into yours. He closed off the gap between the two of you and took you into a deep hug, you were caught off guard but didn't stop him. Instead you wrapped your arms around him just as tightly and leant your head on his shoulder. Closing your eyes the moment felt like forever and you didn't want to let go because it would mean you leaving him was something real. Kirk's hand went up to the back of your neck and slowly stroked your hair. The affectionate action could have made you cry if you weren't so determined to not reveal to him how you felt. 

"There's something I need to tell you, Y/n." Kirk said near your ear and you drew apart, still holding onto his arms

"What is it?" You looked into his eyes and tried to read them, glancing down at his lips you bit the inside of his cheek. 

"I've loved you ever since I've known you, Y/n. I can't help it and- and I've tried to show it but fuck, you won't let me. I can't think straight when you're around me and I've been pining after you for so long it doesn't even feel real that you're leaving now," Kirk's eyes held so much emotion you feared you might fall into them. How…how was this real? 

The silence had been considerable now and you didn't know what to do, your mouth slightly open and staring into his eyes. You couldn't find the words so you just hugged him again, closer than before. Jim held the back of your head, scared you'd slip away forever. You mumbled something against his shoulder and he perked up. 

"What was that?" He whispered and you turned your head to lay your cheek on his shoulder. 

"I can't believe this has happened, I- fuck. I wasn't expecting it," You whispered and it made Kirk so anxious that he just held you until you'd eventually slip away. 

"You can leave whenever you want," Kirk told you and you really did feel like you could but you didn't want to. Kirk may have been holding you but only because you allowed it to be so. 

"What if I don't want to?" You asked, slightly pulling away from his shoulder and looking into his eyes with a smile. 

"What?" Jim whispered, not believing what you were saying.

"What if I don't think what you're saying is crazy," you let your hands run down his arms till you were holding his hands "I don't know what you know about how I feel o-or how I…" you trailed off trying to find your words "But my feelings aren't so far from yours."

"You're making me fucking hope for something now," Kirk grinned. 

"Oh shut up, talk like the normal Jim, please. I'm not used to you being all soppy." You teased, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek. 

"You mean say something like how fucking highschool this all is?" Jim gripped your hands before looking down at your lips and back to your eyes. 

"I mean I'm not surprised you come neatly packaged up with some drama." You raised an eyebrow and he just rolled his eyes. 

"Oh do shut up," he let go of your hands and put them on either side of your face before leaning forward and kissing you. 

You rested your hands on his forearms, leaning into the kiss as a warmth spread into your stomach. It was almost unbelievable that this morning neither of you knew how the other really felt and honestly you found it extremely endearing how honest Jim was. 

"All the planets, places and people to see but all I wanted was you," Jim whispered when you drew apart and leant your foreheads together. You smiled and looked at him, he looked so lovely, all happy and pink cheeked. 

"You're so pretty," you paused and he laughed "No I mean it, just so pretty." You trailed off and looked into his eyes, you could only imagine what they would look like in between your thighs…

"Someone's getting distracted by a thought, you've got that glazed over look." Jim narrowed his eyes. 

"Ohhhh, nothing…" you turned around and pulled his hand with you "Just how much prettier you'd look going down on me. You know, nothing that exciting." You sat down on the sofa and held your wine in your hand as you crossed your legs. Bringing the glass to your mouth you raised an eyebrow and Kirk ran his tongue along his top set of teeth, thinking. 

"I mean I can't say what it would look like from your point of view, but seeing you like that would be angelic," he walked towards you and knelt down Infront of you.

"Guess you'll just have to prove it won't you," You were teasing him now but Jim didn't seem to mind. 

Jim was running his hands up your thighs until he met the hem of your dress, moving his hands inwards till they met the crossover of your legs. 

"We could test your theory, you know, for research." He gave you a shit eating grin and you uncrossed your legs, leaning down to be face to face with him. 

"Come on then pretty boy, prove your worth to me." You whispered and he looked so damn excited he could burst, you always suspected Kirk had a submissive streak. 

[mana-jjk]

spoilers for freaky (2020), slight spoilers for jjk characters?

tw: death mention, serial killer movie xoxo, there is blood and murder but this is also jjk so side eye, and bullying of course because it’s yuuta idk

watched freaky last night because i'm in love with kathryn newton and physically could not stop thinking about yet another inuokko au

nerdy okkotsu yuuta in the festival planning committee who everyone walks all over because he learned to defend himself.

his only close friend is his childhood friend rika and his more recent friend, maki, who he met after she yelled at a group of students trying to offload their work on him, then proceeded to yell at him for not standing up for himself, then yelled at the bystanders staring at them

he isn’t the most popular at school, with students like kashimo constantly ribbing on him, and teachers like naoya (my favorite person to be on the chopping block) always doing his best to publicly humiliate him.

his home life isn’t the worst after moving in with his new guardian, gojo, even if he enjoys telling him to do inane and strange things like joining him to do food runs at 3 in the morning or going to a musical on a festival yet not even removing his sunglasses. yet he can’t help but to feel a strong obligation to the man who took him and his sister in. it’s no small feat to take in the teenaged orphan, several times removed, cousins in on such short notice. that’s why whenever someone asks him about his next steps after graduation, it isn’t something he can easily answer.

just like he can’t really honestly answer why he joined the festival planning committee, specifically when it comes to explaining why he hangs around the garden area, has been caught staring at maki’s friend group several times, and why he’s always taking as much work as possible.

while he may be a lowly base volunteer, there’s always a chance to interact with the quiet and kind student secretary of the committee, inumaki toge.

his crush on the violet eyed boy is an open secret, especially between his friends who are always trying to convince him to say something. yet the most courage he could ever summon was slipping a poem in his shoe locker then proceeding to avoid eye contact yet still sneak glances in their english class. it’s a little too easy to convince himself that the one time they made eye contact and toge smiled, it wasn’t directed at him.

of course that changed when a serial killer stabbed him in the shoulder and the next day he woke up in an abandoned building surrounded by jars filled with brains and an excessive amount of dismembered body parts.

he screamed a little. maybe a lot.

navigating life in the body of kenjaku, even for a few hours, is the most distressing experience of his life, and he did in fact cry a little when megumi’s dogs tried to bite his face off and nobara threw a cup of boba at his face.

meanwhile, kenjaku in yuuta’s body has attempted to stab his sister (and was intercepted by gojo who had an alarming lack of concern), stole gojo’s leather jacket and practically burned yuuta’s sweater vests, brushed off both maki and rika despite the respective threats and confusion respectively, flirted with toge in the middle of class while ignoring utahime’s incredulous face, and may or may not be behind the disappearance of more than one student and teacher.

after scaring the crap out of rika and maki, and also getting the crap beaten out of him, the real yuuta hesitantly agrees to get yuuji, who’s guardian is an officer (nanananamin lol), nobara who was with her girlfriend by default, and megumi (who they didn’t want to leave out), and panda (who knew where kenjaku and the other committee members were), in on what was happening.

thus the shenanigans of the movie ensue, featuring:

• yuuta kind of admiring how kenjaku styled his body but being a little mortified too

• gojo talking to yuuta through a changing room door (100% fucking with him) while he’s hiding from the police

• yuuta and kenjaku trying to convince toge that they’re the real yuuta while toge is slowly backing out of the room

• “I Am Not Yours” poem scene that yuuta memorized because he’s a simp “I am not yours, not lost in you. Not lost, although I long to be.”

• kenjaku tied up in nobara’s apartment - “why is yuuta tied up in our kitchen chair?” “…i’m straight.” “you are a lot of things but straight is not one of them.”

• “let’s kiss when my hand isn’t bigger than your face.”

•yuuta finally growing a backbone and getting his man

idk just see my vision y’all and agree with me immediately

[the-light-finds-its-way]

A most sincere thanks to everyone

So I mean this for both this blog as well as those who are on my main @dwarf-vader-of-middle-earth

I wouldn't have fucking made it through 2024 without any of you.

TW for a very long post below the cut involving mentions of suicide (not regarding me, but others), lots of general death, and abuse.

For those who didn't know me from the beginning of '24, this day last year I was sobbing as I waited to hear if my mother was alive or not.

Back during the summer of '23, my mother was having back pains and got an xray done. 2 days later she received a call saying the xray showed she had a calcified heart valve. Thus began her journey to schedule open heart surgery and get a valve replacement.

But that Thanksgiving, she suffered a sudden heart attack. I was panicked, terrified, worried sick as hell.

She came home from the hospital the next day, and thus began a very long spiral of hell which became the absolute worst fucking year of my life.

A few days before Christmas, my mother went in for the valve replacement. When she got up, the surgery was successful. But on Christmas day her heart stopped entirely and she almost died.

I was broken. My mother has been my biggest and often sole supporter in my life. She's the only person in my house who helps me medically and mentally, who advocates for me mentally and physically even against my own father, she's been my biggest and greatest ally.

And I almost lost her.

I felt like my life was over because I couldn't bear to live with my horrible father alone, no mother there to help keep his ass in place.

When my mother got the pacemaker in, she was in the hospital a few more days but home for New Year's Eve.

Then she was out by 9:30pm and being rushed to the hospital again. This time she got airlifted to another hospital and endured more surgery.

Several more surgeries in just a 3-day span.

The first day of 2024 I was fucking lost and terrified. I had no idea or way of knowing if she was alive. But that same exact day? I was supposed to go into work until someone I live with asked to borrow my phone. And they didn't say why, I just knew they were distraught as hell, and their phone was taken by police.

That wasn't like this person at all. I had no clue what was happening.

I didn't see them at all that day, really. Turned out that person's partner at the time had been arrested for some VERY abhorrent shit that deserves to have the idiot imprisoned for life.

I didn't get my phone back until later that day and so I never got to call into work and let them know I couldn't come in because I was trying to keep this individual ok and myself ok and I was sick to my stomach about the fact that I had no way to know if my mother was alive or not.

By 11:30pm that night, a good friend of mine had been on a rooftop and turned off his phone after saying he didn't want to be here anymore. I called the hotline, and the guy didn't take any action despite me giving him a huge breakdown of days and actions taken on those days and things that had been said on those days. This friend had a huge history of wanting to end himself but because I had nothing recorded for the last month, the hotline kept refusing to take action until I outright BEGGED them. I ended up having to call the police in this friend's town many states away, half the damn continent away.

Said friend lived.

But I was incredibly fucking distressed because when I called the hotline? They thought I was the person who used my phone earlier in the day.

That person I lived with was about to end themselves earlier, my mother was very possibly gone, and a friend of mine nearly ended himself for certain this time.

And a few days later, I was fired from my job after they cut me down from 5 days a week to just 1 or 2 on limited hour shifts.

So my father became a fucking abusive monster who would not give me any phone or internet access at all until I got a job. But I couldn't get a job without either of those, and my world felt so incredibly small. I felt hopeless to say the very least. I lost contact with all friends and outside help.

I couldn't get any help.

And I got ready to actually run away in the middle of the night to my friend's place to live with her without ever letting my house know, all because I couldn't mentally handle living here anymore.

Eventually I was turned down for that because said friend's mother got injured and the family ran into many major issues.

Thusly, I figured out ways around the wifi blocks at least. My technological skills alongside many open-source projects and secondary devices allowed me back doors to gain what I had lost and made it absolutely hopeless for my father to keep my internet off in any capacity.

And through the friends I had, that one friend who almost ended himself?

It turned out, when a very close mutual was talking to him with a licensed psychologist in the car and he didn't know, he was toying with a gun and manipulated our friend saying he was just doing all this for attention. Everything he did, all the "attempts", he openly admitted word for word were just him trying to get attention, several times, because he wanted her to be his girlfriend.

He wound up in inpatient for 2 weeks, and I haven't spoken to him since March. I can't forgive him. I never will. The fact that I endured the worst day and night of my life and that the majority of it was due to him just wanting fucking attention and I legitimately thought I would lose him and 2 others close to me all in one day?

I am glad to say I haven't spoken to him since March, and I've blocked all forms of contact. I won't hear from him again, nor will he hear from me. As it should be.

But the following 6 months were spent with me helping my mother full time to recover. Many more trips to the hospital ensued, and several mornings I even had to drive her in for various things just to stay the day or 2 days.

But as things went on, I had no job still. I became disabled and lost my insurance several times over. I was starving without much food at all to eat. Many days I literally had nothing but ingredients that couldn't make a meal, such as a few sauces and some spices but no actual food.

And it was you guys who helped me TREMENDOUSLY in this regard.

You folks paid for commissions from me which funded my meals and medication. You bought my artworks and gave me money for gas to go get food, or have food delivered.

One kind stranger from the other end of the country even paid for a bunch of groceries for me and had them ready for pickup at my local Walmart because she'd been in the same position herself years ago.

I struggled. A lot. I really did, and I did go hungry on a few occasions.

But I made it.

Midway through the year, I got a part-time job, and my mother was finally home to stay.

And needless to say, I'm far better off now than I was before. I've not gone hungry once since then. I'm now on medication that has virtually eliminated my arthritis pain after 15 years of suffering and not walking at all only limping.

I can walk.

That's right. I had to teach myself how to walk, at 24 years old, and damn it was weird. One leg was stronger than the other, and just the movements? Awkward.

I actually attended a ton of Renaissance faires to get myself motivated to learn how to walk. Those places can be intense with many miles gone in just a few hours. Limited seating so I was made to stand and strengthen my legs. Plus when you add heavy plate armor on top of everything? Yeah it gets pretty intense lol, but gives a ton of strength. It's like carrying cool body weights that are decorative!!

And as my physical health improved with my pain gone?

I no longer needed my mental health medications.

I'd been on pysch meds since midway through high school, but I graduated 7 years ago. Not a day passed where I wasn't a depressed and stressed hot fucking disaster.

It's been about 10 months without mental health meds because I have concluded with my doctors' assistance that I no longer need them.

I actually look forward to most days now, and being happy to experience them. I hardly take depression naps, my nightmares and night terrors which were a nightly issue for a decade have virtually halted save for the stressful nights.

And I'm well for once.

Thanks to the help you all provided me through the last year with kindness, supportive words, lending an ear to hear my worries and hate, giving financially, and just generally being here for me.

I'd literally not have made it through the year without all of you. :)

You're truly the greatest people I could have ever hoped to know. I'm eternally grateful for each and every one of you in ways you'll never know.

I owe you all EVERYTHING! And I mean that.

So in the new year to come, I want you all to know I'm rooting for each of you. I'm here to offer kindness and love if you need or want it. And I'm hoping all of you have the most wonderful year ever to come.

You never know where things will lead whether for better or worse, but time goes ever onward regardless.

This, too, shall pass.

And we will endure this journey together. :)

[sillyromance]

Duties (Vincent Nor)

WARNING: fatal vore, unwilling prey (yet the pred is sympathetic), mild angst.

- Please, settle down. It will be much easier for you this way...

Vincent's stomach let out a long, sick growl. Another hard kick made the prime minister wince; he almost spilled his tea on the report he had been writing which pulled a tired sigh out of his chest. With visible struggle, pushing at the desk, Nor stood up and headed to the couch. His body went splat over its soft surface, one hand holding his distressed belly. Round lamps were moving restlessly beneath the clothes, accompanied by muffled swearings and unhealthy, angry growls of indigestion.

Vincent brushed wettened hair from his forehead. He was worn out. His insides had been throbbing for hours, yet the prey within didn't seem to become any less active. Nor hated feisty ones; the reason wasn't even the pain - he believed it was a necessary inconvenience, a price for taking lives of others - but a heavy stone of guilt crushing his heart. He couldn't be even mad at them for fighting - it was their right for, as any creature, they wanted to live. But as a traitor, they had to take punishment, and Nor, assigned to be an executioner, gave them what they deserved. No matter if he wanted it, or not.

Nor's hand gently pressed at his sore stomach, drawing wide, slow circles in attempt to soothe both the unluckly prey and himself.

- Get off me, you jerk! - An especially well-aimed shove tore a quiet whimper out of Vincent's throat. - I'll get out of here, you'll see!

- Poor fool... - Nor replied, regret and pity ringing in his voice. - When will you finally understand that it's pointless? You can deny it, you can get me bruised, but you're not leaving this place alive. I'm sincerely sorry, and I'm not enjoying this either. But you had to think better before doing anything... Again, I'm sorry. It's over now. The sooner you accept it, the better.

Nor's speech didn't seem to impress the human inside; spitting venom and calling him names, they only doubled their efforts. The prime minister grit his teeth in turmoil.

They never listened.

He was glad Marcella departed that morning to meet with a friend in the Gallery. The woman mentioned she wouldn't return till evening, so there would be enough time to finish everything before she came back. His precious lark must have been having fun... What a blessing. Once that angel on Earth entered his life, swallowing people only turned harder. She didn't judge, but every time he had to return home with a victim still alive, Nor couldn't help but noticed a look of fear and anguish darkening her pretty face whenever his wife's eyes would fall on his abdomen. It was a torture much worse than any physical pain.

Still, at times she asked if he needed help. Him, help!... God, he didn't know what a predator like him had done to be able to marry such woman and win her love.

Meeting his prey's wishes, Vincent left his stomach in peace and closed his eyes; he had so much work yet to complete, but his state wouldn't let him to, so Nor chose to give up. All he could do was wait. Eventually, his body would do its thing; the prey, not matter how ruthless they were, would succumb to the will of his stomach and he would relax at last. But then and there, he was doomed to suffer for what he knew deep down in his soul was right.

Performing duties is never easy.

[shejustcalledmeafish]

you know me, you put amnesia on the list and i'm gonna ask for it

Idk why I’m spoiler warning for something no one gives a shit about but us anyway this takes place after the bonkers shit that happened in dark gallifrey three so

It took John a while to realize what had happened. He had far more immediate changes to deal with. With all of time and space in his head, he didn’t notice the absence of his personal history. He was far more concerned with exploring the changes to his body, and exploring them with his new lover, who had all the same knowledge in their head, but had yet to explore any of the universe.

John was delighted to show them everything good about a bit of bravery, and about pleasure on a physical level. On a psychic level, however, John had to admit he was the student. Not that it was hard to complain, not when they fell into each other and something was filled he could have never realized was missing. His lover had missing parts as well, the internal architecture jettisoned by the Master, and he could feel their pleasure at the melding, together being more than they could be alone.

But it couldn’t stay perfect forever. Eventually, with the power of the place they did not discuss fading, he settled into a sort of hybrid state. The time traveling ability remained, which made sense given how often he had traveled through the vortex. But his body became simply human again, if far more durable than before, and his omnipotence faded, at least within the four walls. But his lover’s examination had revealed no signs of further aging. John was both disappointed and relieved. This new form, he could love, it was himself after all. But there was a strange disconnect now from his lover.

It helped when they took on a permanent human form, feeling the same distance, wanting to remain close. John had kept his opinions as to the specifics of that form to himself, his lover was beautiful no matter what form they took, their first meeting had proved that. Although in a few years he would be renegotiating the mustache.

They only had each other after all, so few TARDISes existed now after the Time War, a world John had always existed in, one that his love was surprised to discover. But they made do. They kept hidden from the Doctor, from the Master, from anyone who would care about a rogue TARDIS and TARDIS-lite running about. John didn’t care. There was no one in the universe for him to care about except his lover.

It wasn’t until his lover pointed out to him that humans had a past in the way that TARDISes didn’t that John realized that maybe something had happened. It had been easy to forget given his transformation, but before his lover had changed his body, the Imbomination had tried her best to take his mind.

And she has succeeded. When John sat down and tried to actually think about his past, it was only semantics. He had knowledge of places and times without knowing why or how. As far as he could tell, his episodic memory began when he had first heard of… you know. He’d gone to Braxiatel University, enrolled in Benny’s course to begin a slow seduction of the lovely and knowledgeable archeologist, and then well. Those memories he had in technicolor.

But parents? Old lovers? Friends? He had no clue. All the sexual techniques he’d taught to his lover as soon as they’d escaped, they were in his head divorced from any individual experiences. It was deeply unsettling, and he could see his distress in his lover’s face, their practice in showing human emotions impressive as much as it was only making John feel worse.

He had known it all once, but only now that the power had left him did he know he should have sought it out. But he did the second best thing, or maybe the worst thing. He asked his lover to give him the facts of his life, to try and restore his past to him. It was a mistake.

John knew he hadn’t been a good person. But to have his life laid out of him in this way, like he was watching a film, unable to access what the fuck he had been thinking as he saw himself kill again and again. He knew he wasn’t above violence, and murder. He’d shared that with his lover, and they’d found times and places for it, the benefits of having all of reality.

But there was so much of it in his past, and so much of it for the love of one man. A man he didn’t know existed now. He had never felt that love for this so-called Jack Harkness. All he could see was a pretty face, and hear the words exchanged between them. But this man was key to his history, that much was clear.

He didn’t mean to travel without his lover. But he closed his eyes obvious and opened them again to stare at Jack Harkness’s shocked face. And he glowed in a way John knew he couldn’t have loved before because only his new heritage actually let him see what a living fixed point looked like. Even so, he was exquisite. He knew how he could have loved him.

“John? How did you get in here? Did I hear a TARDIS?” And then they both heard it again as John’s lover followed him, landing at his side and shooting him an exasperated and nervous look. “Who’s this? What’s going on?”

“It’s a long story,” John said. “But you might be able to fill in some of the blanks.” But even as he said it, he doubted his words. What he wanted, even a TARDIS couldn’t give back to him. His past was gone. Devoured. But he felt his lover at his side, their hand coming to rest on his shoulder. What he’d lost didn’t matter. What mattered was what he did now. And Jack Harkness was looking like a very good option for something to do.

[pikatrainer99]

(SPOILER WARNING! GO WATCH ON NETFLIX FIRST IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS!) So I watched an anime movie called Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop...

...And the male lead, Cherry, is SO AUTISTIC CODED and I relate to him so much!

This is him...first off, the headphones around his neck aren't used AT ALL for listening to music. He uses them SOLELY for blocking out loud noises and to give himself the APPEARANCE of listening to music just so people don't talk to him. I do this often as well, though I do also use mine for music if too much noise gets through. He gets visibly overwhelmed and is quick to put on his headphones when it gets too loud (so am I), like in this scene where Mr. Fujiyama is talking too loud for him.

You can see that he's clearly distressed by this, and when it happens again later, he even TELLS Mr. Fujiyama that he's too loud after he quickly puts his headphones back on. When he meets Smile, he bluntly points out her braces (I watched the sub, and he just stares at her braces and says the word 'braces', I don't know about the dub), which causes Smile to run away since she is self-conscious about her buck teeth and braces. Cherry also doesn't make eye contact as much as a "normal" person would, speaks with a quieter, more monotone voice than the other characters, and talks as little as he possibly can, because he is not good at talking and gets extremely anxious when he has to talk to people he isn't comfortable with. When Smile calls him to find her phone after their phones accidentally get switched, Cherry freezes up and can't speak, he can't even ANSWER the call because of his anxiety, leaving his friends to do it for him. This is just like me, I freeze up in social situations all the time, and I am physically incapable of talking on the phone without freezing up to anyone but my grandma and my mom, my mom has to do all the phone stuff for me because I have panic attacks over making phone calls.

(He's so anxious about the call, just look at him freaking out...he's seriously just like me, I freeze up on the phone too.)

When he has to recite his haiku in front of everyone, he also freezes up and takes several deep breaths before reading it as quickly as possible and then saying that haiku is a WRITTEN art form, and that it shouldn't have to be read out loud, before putting his headphones back on and sitting down, clearly embarrassed...and that's only two situations where he gets anxious. Also, when he's nervous/embarrassed, his WHOLE BODY turns tomato red.

(You can't see it in this image, but he is actually red like this ALL THE WAY DOWN TO HIS FEET!)

Speaking of haiku, Cherry writes haiku in order to better express himself, and it seems to be his special interest, as he is knowledgeable of haiku poets and their work, and lights up when he talks about it in a scene where Mr. Fujiyama recites random haiku to kinda quiz Cherry...? At least, that's how I interpreted that scene, and Cherry was correct in his answers. He keeps a haiku dictionary in his phone case, which makes it look like a brick in comparison to everyone else's, and the dictionary belonged to his dad originally, but, because his dad supports Cherry's love for haiku, he gave it to him. His mom also supports his haiku writing, and even likes all the haiku he posts online, much to his embarrassment. He also uses it to confess to Smile at the end of the movie, while still being incredibly anxious and his whole body still being that same tomato red color, it is a very sweet scene and for me personally, it was cuteness overload. He confessed to her in a very socially awkward way, using his special interest of haiku to recite some he made about her, and I know some people might find it a bit cringe, I thought it was adorable watching him struggle initially, but eventually build up the courage to express his love in the only way he knew how. I relate to this as I have always been much better at expressing myself and communicating through creative writing than actually speaking, I use creative writing to process basically anything...from things that happen in life to my own complicated emotions (I have alexithymia, which is sometimes referred to as emotional blindness, meaning 99% of the time, I have no idea how I'm feeling about anything, and this also extends to not knowing how other people are feeling as well...this is why I watch anime, because the expressions are much easier to read due to the much more expressive character design, particularly the eyes). Creative writing can help me figure out the emotions I'm trying to process, as well as just help me get my point across in a much clearer and easy to understand way...just like how writing haiku helps Cherry understand his feelings and express himself better.

(Look at him, he's trying his best and it's honestly adorable in my opinion.)

We see Cherry grow closer to Smile over the course of the movie, and I personally knew he was comfortable around her when he was finally able to take off his headphones when around her, because I'm very much the same way. If I take off my headphones around someone, it's a sign of trust, security, and affection, and it seems to be the same for Cherry. One day while walking with Smile, she points out that he's not wearing his headphones, and he replies that he doesn't need them anymore. I thought this was adorable and a good way to show that Cherry feels comfortable around Smile.

Throughout the movie he tries to tell her that he's moving away, but is either unable to bring himself to tell her or gets interrupted by someone or something else. Eventually, Smile finds out anyway and is very upset since she wanted to see the fireworks at the festival together with Cherry. Cherry obviously is DISTRAUGHT when Smile sadly continues the walk back home alone with only a "Take care", and as she walks away he tries to reach out one more time, but can't speak anymore and the world gets louder and louder until Cherry finally puts his headphones back on to make it all stop. He holds his hands over his headphones as he sinks to his knees right there where he's standing and completely breaks down shaking and crying...it's like he's having an implosive meltdown...and as someone who has both explosive and implosive meltdowns myself, I can definitely say that my implosive ones do at times resemble Cherry's breakdown in the movie, as I will also hold my hands over my headphones and put more pressure on them, and/or curl into myself or go completely into the fetal position and cry.

(He's trying to reach out, but can't and he's clearly frustrated with himself...)

(And here comes the breakdown...poor Cherry 🥺)

This scene broke me...hearing everything get louder and louder until Cherry put his headphones on and it all went quiet, and then hearing nothing but his cries for the rest of the scene with the volume increasing as it went on...yeah...I felt that to the core...the sensory experiences with the sound design in the movie really made me feel what Cherry was feeling, and it was so relatable too.

I think that's enough now, I've gone on long enough as it is, and even though I jumped around through the movie scenes in this post, I hope you can still understand it okay. This is my first attempt at a headcanon-supportive character analysis (and actually a character analysis in general), so I hope I did alright. I just wanted to express my love for my new comfort character, Cherry, because he's adorable and relatable and I love characters like that. Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop can be found on Netflix. Personally, I think it's really underrated and it's a very sweet slice-of-life movie about two insecure teens and how they spend their summer together. There's nothing TOO heavy in it and I like the characters, the animation, and the color palette is very interesting and fun. All in all, it's an easy one for me to watch, and having a comfort character in it in the form of Cherry just adds to its appeal for me.

I hope you don't mind how different this post is from my usual Pokemon-related stuff, but I just had to make this because I relate to Cherry so, SO much. I'll be back with more Pokemon stuff next time though, so don't worry 😅

[stuckinuniformdevelopment]

@albertbutyoucancallmebert

(Previous) Bert came down from his panic as he learned that, no, Teddy did not just escape a blood sacrifice in a demonic ritual. Still, it pained Bert more than anything to see how beaten down, weary, and scared his dearest friend was. And he was sick of seeing him like this. He sorted out the details in his mind to make the situation clearer for himself. So Teddy is basically their new tailor, he’s making that scumbag’s mitre since Commander Peepers shot it off his head, and once he finishes it, then there’s going to be a big ritual. Okay. That didn’t exactly explain his arm, but Bert could guess that he got thoroughly beaten up. By who and what for? Bert shoved a pile of wires resting on a stool onto the floor and brought it over to Teddy to sit next to him. He desperately wanted to provide comfort, but wasn’t sure how. He thought about maybe following Teddy’s example of physical comfort, the way he gave really nice hugs, but… With how injured he was, hugging him wasn’t a good idea. Plus he was trying to not be overly intimate with him… So Bert awkwardly but gently patted him on the head, and spoke softly. “I’m really sorry it’s been so rough… I wish I could do more to help but it feels like even the slightest move that comes from me would only rock the boat.” Bert leaned his head into his hand. “May I ask who did this? Anyone I know…?”

Teddy allowed himself to decompress as Bert’s gentle pats and soft words brought him back from the verge of tears. Nothing had changed. Yet he allowed himself to enjoy the illusion of safety for a moment.

“This helps,” It still bothered him how Bert’s comfort came at the cost of distressing him but... What could he do? He knew for a fact that he hated being kept in the dark more.

Answering his questions— including those which remained unasked— was the least he could do. He shook his head as he answered the easiest of all with, “Probably not.”

It took a bit for Teddy to compile his thoughts. Eventually he hesitantly said, “...There’s this one Glornist named Thomas I’ve been worried about. He’s just too...”

Teddy paused to sigh. “...Nice. Nice enough that there was only one reason to keep him alive...” Then he kept his eye shut as he rested his head against his good arm.

“Somehow I was still arrogant enough to think that I could save him... Except I put it off because its hard to approach a guy you usually avoid to go,” He scowled and swapped to a sarcastic tone as he grew more agitated.

“Hello! If you don’t either dirty up your act or fake your death you’ll be ritually murdered! Here’s how I, known natural shady creep, can help!”

Teddy glowered at a stray beaker left on the desk. “So I tried to earn his trust first, but that..,” He sighed as he closed his eye. “...only made it worse...”

The air became dead as he recalled how even Thomas, one of the most naïve people he knew, couldn't believe that he had good intentions. “Eventually I just cut to the chase and it, well...” His voice quickened and he started to idly rub his finger against the counter.

“I heard him pray to Grop after I made him cry so I tried to give him contact info for them and urged him to leave but then he showed up Slornday anyways and I didn’t know that Sam and Cyrus were already investigating him for being a Gropist and for a bit I thought they heard everything and Sam was gonna accuse me of being one too and-”

Teddy was forced to stop working himself into a panic just long enough to take a breath and pressed his fist against his forehead to ward off an oncoming headache. “It was just Thomas but I still had to use my backup plan before our meeting came out under torture and they sacrificed me too so I told everyone that I was working with them and claimed that I was trying to set him up so he’d find other Gropists on the ship but I told him about Eve because I found out she became a Gropist after what happened to Dawn when I was in the medbay and I may have sealed her fate too and-”

Another sharp inhale. “But I didn't know that Sam was trying to frame Thomas as an infiltrator taking down the Glornch becausethat'slikewanderbeingaslysndcraftygenius so they got mad that they couldn't use the dramatic presentation they prepared but... I think Thomas bolted before they could start because... he thought I was the evil... mastermind anyways and-”

That was as far as he got before he lost the wind for a long-winded rant. While he was recovering he searched the room as well as he could without lifting his heavy head.

Where was Sherri Jr? Because he could really use the big lug right about now...

[ask-healthy-light]

As they pointed to the different described events in the books, Light continued, and told them that though this Darkness was evidently only in the Unseen, in the Spirit Realm, all the affected Ponies were eventually physically taken over by this darkness, and turned into a different being, one more great and terrible, which wanted to spread more darkness around the land for reasons they knew not.

Both of their associates scoffed and started to explain to them why this was so, but they could not utter more than a few words before they stopped themselves, for they had realised they did not know why; after this, Light asked Discord why he made the land so colourful and chaotic during his rule, to which the Draconequus boastfully replied he wanted to make all the land his very own playground.

That, Light loudly exclaimed, was the key difference between the beings who had been Plagued by the Darkness, and Discord himself, for they served a greater goal: to darken Equestria, to drain all of its lights, and spreading their corrupting influence over greater areas and more free peoples; yet, Discord's complete takeover of the land and its subsequent chaotic transformation, was for himself.

Because of this, not only did they think that Discord was not borne from any being that was plagued by the Darkness, but this Darkness was created by some foul master with some dark goal in mind, who had created the plague in the Unseen, becoming invisible to all but the most powerful beings in the land, though one could only guess who this evil creator was, or why they tried to attain this goal.

Silence fell in the Hall as the trio considered Light's thoughts, until Discord quietly whispered a moment later that this could be the reason why out of all the villains, be they Pony or not, he was one of the few who was redeemed; all the Ponies who had been Plagued were either utterly destroyed, cast into Nothingness, or had returned to their true selves, even if there was a remnant remaining.

The Lord of Chaos turned away from the two to tell the group in the Spirit Realm of their findings, whereafter he asked them if they knew of anybody in history who would have the power, knowledge, or intent to create such a terrible plague; in the Spirit Realm, as Discord spoke with Nox through the Amulet, she passed on the message from the Waking Realm to the others, and repeated their question.

To their relief, their close proximity to one another greatly increased their capacity to repel the Shade and its apparent Master, who ceased their attacks on the Aura for some time, giving both Grim and Starswirl much-needed time to regain their strength, as well as the opportunity to discuss what their allies in the Waking Realm had told them about all the Affected or Plagued Ponies in history.

As Luna quietly turned away and sat down closer to the border, Cadance nestled herself in Shining's embrace, and Starswirl held his Wizard's hat to his chest, while the others in the group spoke with each other; the Pillars, the Mane Six, and all the Ancients knew at least something about every one of the affected Ponies, yet none of them knew of anyone who was vile enough to create such a thing.

None but Celestia noticed that her Sister, her Niece, and her Mentor were in quiet distress, as Nox was too busy acting as a gateway between the Realms, and it took but a moment for her to understand wherefore they felt like this; so when the Shadows crept closer again, all the Pillars and Mane Six leapt into action, while Celestia asked Nox to send a message to their friends in the Waking Realm.

As almost all of the wisest were too busy to discuss with her, either facing off against the Shade, or dealing with a great internal struggle with which she hoped she could help, she had to make sure the others knew her thoughts; before her Sister's banishment, Discord's petrification, the Empire's disappearance, even before the Pillars vanished, there was another great threat to the whole World.

"Look to the Northern Mountains… I hope the legends are true, yet I also hope they are not…"

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

Send an ask or request! | Start at the beginning! | Next part!

Featuring: Nox Lunarwing from @nox-lunarwing

[walker-extended-universe]

Best Cassie & Cordell Scene Analysis

Being partners, Cassie and Cordell get a lot of screentime together. Because of this, picking just one great scene of them together isn't an easy task. However, I have to agree with the consensus on this poll that them talking and planning what to do about Cordell's current situation at the convenience store in 3x15 is one of the best.

Following the explosion at the safe house, Cordell is on the run from the rangers, local law enforcement, and the FBI. Being suspect number 1, he can't exactly go home or talk to any of his friends at ranger HQ, so he fled the scene of the explosion and drove until he ran out of gas. He knew he needed to hunt down Kevin and bring him in if he wanted any hope of proving his innocence. But Cassie, being the great partner she is, wasn't about to let him do that without backup, so she tracked him down behind the FBI's back. She found him at a gas station and they went into a convenience store to talk about what happened and what they needed to do from there.

Ignoring all the dialog for a moment, I cannot get over all the touches in this scene. This is the only scene in which Cordell and Cassie are equally touchy with each other. Usually Cassie is the only one doing the touching or at the very least, she's initiating them. Cordell tends to be more reserved with his physical affection, only reaching out when one or both of them is in some kind of distress (still freaking out about how he cradles her whole hand when taking the keys to the lockbox from her in 3x05. You know, when they think it's a bomb and they're about to die.) In this scene, there are times when he's practically clutching onto her, though whether it's for comfort or because he's running purely on adrenaline is up for debate.

(Also I have to laugh a little at how hard it is for Cordell to hide here.)

Now, getting into the meat of this scene.

Cordell and Cassie are both shaken up by what happened earlier (in more ways than one). Cassie is mostly concerned for Cordell and where his head his at. The first thing she asks is what he was thinking when he ran off and he has to explain everything Julia told him, how she died, and how he found out they made him suspect number one. It's difficult for him to talk about it, stuttering every few words, and we can see the anger dripping out of Cassie as she turns more sympathetic and understanding. She knows how this looks; it looks like a corrupt ranger killed the journalist that was about to blow the whistle on him.

Which brings them both to the horrifying realization that it seems like Kevin plotted all of this from the beginning. He inserted himself into their lives just for this moment to happen.

This prompts Cassie to ask what Cordell's next move is. She wants to help but she also knows he needs to be the one calling the shots. Kevin is trying to ruin him and Cordell needs to be the one to stop him because they won't get help from anyone else.

The only thing she contradicts him on is that he's fine. She knows he's not fine. Ignoring the emotional distress, he was in close proximity to an explosion. Her big concern now is his physical wellbeing and how badly he needs rest. Thankfully, he listens to her and Cassie takes charge from there, buying prepaid phones for them to keep in touch so he can tell her his next move.

And then, she has to return to ranger HQ. She tells him to be careful and that she'll let him know if she finds anything else out. She seems reluctant to leave, but she doesn't have any other choice. They can't be seen together and she needs to do what she can to keep the FBI off his trail.

This is such a rough moment for both of them. They're both still reeling from eveything Kevin did to them but they don't have time to stop and process. They have to keep moving or he'll get the upper hand, again. But Cassie is there for Cordell and she won't let him forget it. And that's probably what I love most about this scene, how she refuses to let him be alone (or more than six inches away from her).

This is also another great example of how these two are able to keep themselves calm for each other. Similar to the Luncheon scene, where Cassie goes from spiraling over seeing Kevin again to keeping it together to support Cordell when he sees Julia, she's able to tamp down her anger to support Cordell during his time of need.

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Interval Chapter 1

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Will was having a fairly pleasant dream that night. He had been whisked away back to his childhood, coming home from the store with a new toy. The world of the dream was incredibly odd and the toy could have only existed in the dream, but Will did not care. He was happy and that was all that mattered. Just as he was about to arrive home and wake up, something changed.

The happy-go-lucky atmosphere was replaced with a foreboding and ominous haze of uncertainty. Will could feel how wrong things had become, the bizarre sensation of not being able to wake up filling him with dread. The wind howled past him, chilling him to the bone as he found himself in a field of cracked ground and dead grass. Turning around, he saw what looked like a ghost in the distance. Its details were too vague to make out at first, but it quickly did not matter as it started to run towards him. Feeling an intense wave of fear overwhelm him, Will ran away as fast as he could.

Running in the dream was easier said than done. No matter how far he ran, the ghost was always on the verge of catching him, on top of the dream having bizarre physics. Screaming and maniacal laughter rang out all around the two, drowning out any call for help Will made. All of it was a truly unbearable experience. Will could feel his legs about to give out, but he kept going. A precipice was upon him and he prepared to jump… only to miss the other ledge and plummet into the abyss below.

Naturally Will was making a great deal of commotion and this was sensed by Kyu. Kyu was a strange, child-sized, alien humanoid. The ribbon-like antenna that sat atop his head of pink hair knew something was wrong. Opening Will’s door startled him when he saw his best friend thrashing about, unable to wake up. He immediately went to Sam’s door, pounding on it as hard as he could.

“SAM! HELP!” He called out.

Opening the door was Samantha Devilfay, Will’s girlfriend. She was still in her pajamas (pajama pants and a T-shirt) and her long, brown hair was quite messy. Sam had also heard the commotion and was just about to go check on Will.

“Kyu, what’s going on!?”

“It’s Will. He’s having trouble waking up. Come on!”

Seeing Will in that much distress was a harrowing sight for Sam. “Oh God!” She tried to shake him awake, but it was difficult and ineffective. “Hold on, I got a spell for this!” Sam said an incantation to herself and formed an orb of energy in her hands. Just as she was about to bring it to Will’s head, his arm flew up and knocked it away, ruining her concentration. “No, the spell!”

Kyu groaned in frustration towards the entire situation, but then had an idea. “He’s not going to like this…” What looked like a stinger emerged from the dorsal side of his hand. “But it’s all I can think of.”

“Kyu? What are you doing?” Sam asked, a bit worried.

“This!” Kyu held down Will’s arm and jammed the stinger into it.

The ghost had jumped after Will, not even giving him a break as he fell to his figurative death. Fortunately things changed again, but it was not exactly pleasant. Will felt a sharp, burning sensation in his arm. It then spread all over his body. Unable to take the pain anymore, he was jolted awake.

“OW OW OW!!” Will shouted while trying to catch his breath. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?” It was unclear if he was referring to the dream or the bee sting.

Sam went and hugged Will as tight as she could. “Will! Don’t worry, everything’s alright now…”

“Sam? Sam!” He hugged back just as tight. “It was horrible, Sam. There was… it was… a gh-ghost… there was a ghost and…”

“Easy, Will. Easy,” Kyu said, trying to calm him down. “Take a breath first, ease your nerves, then talk.”

He did as he was told. “Guys, a ghost was chasing me and I couldn’t wake up. I think it hijacked my dream…”

Sam looked very concerned. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, that was too vivid to be a coincidence…”

“Well that’s not a good sign…” Kyu said to himself. “I’ll go get Antonio and the others.”

Upon Kyu leaving, Will took a moment to explain the dream to Sam. She was unsure what to make of it, but was sympathetic regardless. The apparent fact that Will could not properly explain what the ghost looked like was a massive roadblock. To say it exacerbated Sam’s concern was an understatement.

Working up his nerves, Will cautiously stuck his head out into the slightly narrow hallway. It was lined with bedroom doors on both sides and silent, as usual. With Sam by his side, he made his way to the stairs on the far side and went downstairs. The two were greeted by the smell of breakfast being prepared. In the kitchen (which lined the interior of the front wall) was Antonio Pari, their close friend and landlord.

“Will! How are you doing? Holding up alright?”

He exhaled. “Alright, Antonio…” Will replied as he sat down on the couch in the living room, opposite the kitchen.

“I’d give you a hug, but I’m in the middle of making breakfast,” Antonio said as he brushed his red hair aside. It was a little messy. “Sam, hug him for me.”

“Will do!” she happily obliged.

“Buster and Olivia woke up late, so they’ll be over in a minute,” Antonio stated. “I also called Randalph, but it sounds like he’ll be late.”

Will nodded. “That’s fine.”

“Was the dream really that bad?”

“Yeah…”

Antonio began setting up food on the dining table, which was out in the open next to the kitchen. “I knew this area was haunted when I bought these houses, but this is a little ridiculous.”

Will nodded again and looked out the living room window. Across the road was Antonio’s house. They all lived out in the countryside atop a great hill, so they were on their own for the most part. Seeing Kyu coming back with Buster and Olivia made Will feel better. They entered the house as he was getting some pancakes and bacon.

“Will!” Buster exclaimed. “Are you alright?” Buster was a plucky journalist with brown hair and purple eyes. There was always something strange about him, but the group could never place it.

“We’re here for you, Will,” Olivia added. She was also a journalist, with natural silver hair in a bob cut and scarlet eyes. Normally she preferred to put on some light makeup in the morning, but this was a bit of an emergency.

Will swallowed his food and drank some orange juice. “Thanks, guys. Don’t worry, I’m doing better now.”

“He’s still a little jittery, but better,” Sam confirmed.

“Alright, Will,” Kyu said as he got his food. “Tell us everything you can about the dream and…” he paused. “Randalph still isn’t here?”

Just as he said that, someone entered the house. “Sorry I’m late, everyone! Tusk and his boys needed some help with an alchemical experiment.”

Randalph went about his usual greetings and then went for some food. He was quite the odd chap as he was essentially a humanoid goat. Randalph looked close enough to a human, but had upwards horns coming from his head, was covered in dark purple fur, and goat ears curved up from the sides of his head. Specifically he was a Goatman from Limbo, albeit his people had long since moved to the Unlight. Of importance was that he was a seasoned alchemist and a good friend of the group.

Once everyone was ready, Will explained his dream in full. “... and then Kyu stung me and woke me up. Ow…”

Randalph stroked his chin. “I see… was there anything else? Did anything happen before you went to bed, perhaps?”

“Well… I did catch a glimpse of Umuka again. You know, that weird black and purple ghost that’s been following me around as of late?”

This was cause for alarm, especially with Olivia. “Will, dear? You’re not going to be fond of this, but I really think you tell Antares about this.”

Will groaned. “I’d rather not…”

“What’s the matter?” Randalph inquired. “The Liger Brigade is more than equipped to handle a petty ghost. Something like this is a regular Tuesday for the paranormal squad.”

“I haven’t been filing reports like I should…” Will admitted.

Kyu sighed, with the others not being surprised. “I’ll go get your communicator” he said as he went upstairs.

“Will, you really should call Captain Briggs,” Buster reasoned. “If this isn’t an emergency, then you’ll at least get some peace of mind.”

Will knew what was going to happen. “He’s going to reprimand me, I just know it…”

Randalph straightened out his indigo coat. “Will, in the immortal words of Douglas Adams, don’t panic. I’m sure it’ll be fine. And just to be safe with this situation, I’ll go fetch some friends of mine. I’ll be back in a flash, Antonio.”

“Alright then, see you soon,” he replied as Randalph left. “Olivia, be sure to tell your cousin to take it easy on Will,” he requested with a chuckle.

Kyu returned with a compact, cell phone looking device. The cover of it was engraved with the insignia of The Liger Brigade. The brigade themselves were a freelance, military organization that helped keep the world safe, albeit they leaned more into the anomalous and magical threats. Will and Antares were good friends, with the latter drafting the former into the brigade years prior. Antares did not want his friend going into U.S. military service.

Will turned on the communicator and entered a special number that opened up a secure channel. He felt his heart drop when the call was almost instantaneously answered. “Ca-captain Briggs?”

“Private, you’re three reports overdue.”

“I...I know. Antares, this is going to sound really awkward, but I had a bad dream last night…”

Antares did his best to hold back a laugh. “Well normally I’d say this is Ellen’s forte, but I’ll assume it’s pertinent to us given that you contacted me. Private, who are you with right now?”

“Everyone but Randalph.”

“Antares?” said Olivia. “I was the one who suggested the call.”

Antares paused. “I see. So what happened in the dream, Private?”

Will gave him the rundown of everything. Thankfully the others reminded him of Umuka when he nearly forgot to mention him. He then hesitated. “Antares, there’s one more detail to mention, but it relates to file XB-047…”

“That’s not good. Everyone? This is confidential information we need to discuss. Since I trust all of you, do you swear to secrecy on this matter?” Antares waited as everyone accepted. “Alright, go ahead, Private.”

“Now I'm not completely sure about this, but I think the ghost potentially resembled Bethany.”

While Antares took a second to process that, Sam realized something. “Wait, Boyo, did you lie to me?”

“Sorry, Sam. Like he said, this stuff is confidential. To be fair, I wasn’t sure initially…”

“Private?” Antares cut in. “If that’s the case, we’ve potentially got trouble on our hands. I’m not sure what to do right this second, but I’ll open a case for this. Keep me posted and call me with the emergency line if anything else happens, and I mean anything.”

“Roger that, Captain.”

“Very good, Private. And the same goes for all of you. Captain Briggs, over and out.”

Will closed the communicator and took a calming breath. “Well, that went well…”

“So who’s this Bethany person?” Antonio asked, a little worried. “Is she dangerous?”

“Possibly,” Will replied.

“For now, let’s just say she’s an ancestor of Antares and mine,” Olivia elaborated.

Antonio gave a light groan. “I’m starting to regret leaving my demon side back in Inferno…”

“Should we bunker down, maybe?” Buster suggested. “You know, fortify the houses or something similar? Aggressive ghosts are a bit of a new one for me.”

Kyu chuckled. “Well I don’t know how well that would work given that she could walk through walls and whatnot. For now let’s keep our eyes open and don't do anything stupid.”

“No more bee stings?” Will interjected.

“Well it worked, didn’t it?”

Will hesitantly nodded, looking at the slightly red spot on his arm. “Yeah…”

Sam patted him on the back. “Don’t worry, Boyo. I got your back. In fact, I’m going to go tell Ellen while I get dressed, okay?”

“Sure, just keep the Bethany stuff on the down low unless she already knows about it, okay?”

“Of course,” Sam replied as she went up the stairs.

Buster started to head for the front door. “I guess we better go get ready for the day then. Coming, Olivia?”

“Indeed. Don’t worry, Will. Everything is going to be alright, especially now that we have Antares on the case,” she reassured as the two left.

Antonio began cleaning up. “Don’t fret, Will. I’ll keep you safe no matter what.”

“Thanks, Antonio,” Will said as he got up to stretch. 

Kyu’s antennae went wild for a second. “Oh, hello? Just who did Randalph bring with him? Devils? Faustus?”

“You don’t have to knock…” Randalph’s voice said from the other side of the door.

“I’m knocking anyway,” an unfamiliar voice replied.

“Huh, well that’s slightly out of the blue…” Antonio remarked as a knock was heard at the door. “Come on in!” he called out.

Next: Chapter 2

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)