#she prays to him at dawn every morning

[anoras]

tegan keeps her faith to herself, as a general rule. it's not that she hides that she worships lathander (she'll tell anyone if asked, it's no secret, there's no reason for it to be), but she prefers to keep it private. her relationship with her god is special to her, something she takes comfort in her faith in him, and in the small moments of acknowledgement she's received. :)

[honeyedclementine]

darling, come back to sleep

sevika x f!reader, fluff, post-s1/no s2 spoilers, established relationship (one shot, 1k words) ageless blogs, minors & men dni

reply to be added to my tag list ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

sevika has slept less and less since taking over for silco. even when she did make it home to your shared apartment—usually long after your day had ended, she would pace around the living room, muttering to herself. on a rare night would she make it to bed, tossing and turning against your sleeping form.

you understood the stress of the job, you yourself had worked beneath the man, though your job for him was never as important as sevika's. you kept fairly normal hours, usually just manning the books until you had everything orderly enough to call it a day. sometimes, on an easier day, sevika would sit in your office while you pored over a ledger, reading glasses low on the tip of your nose. these days, though, she was more often than not locked up in silco's old office, lamenting the mess he left behind.

you even took it upon yourself to fix her arm for her—with a bit of jinx's input, of course. you figured it would be a small comfort for your girlfriend, another thing she didn't have to worry about.

this was a rare night she actually made it to bed. you were just on the verge of falling asleep when she sunk down into the soft sheets, a weary sigh passing through her lips as she laid down with her back to you. without hesitating, you rolled over and wrapped your arm around her waist, tugging her closer to you. you felt her tense for a brief moment—even though you'd been together for what seems like forever, she seems to have her moments where being on the receiving end of affection is a surprise. after a brief moment, though, she relaxes into your touch and you wonder if tonight will be easy.

however, something causes you to stir long before the rise of the sun. you reach over to the other side of the bed, finding it empty with the sheets still warm. well, at least she hasn't been up for long, you sigh to yourself, rubbing sleep from your eyes and sitting up. you listen for the sound of her meandering—sometimes she paces through the living room or pours herself a drink. when you hear nothing, though, you climb out of bed and head for her small office.

you were originally against the idea of her bringing work home with her, but after a few nights where she didn't come home at all, you decided this was a well enough compromise.

sure enough, as you stand in the doorway, wrapping your arms around your torso to combat the cool chill of the season, you find sevika poring over something on her desk. there's no light in the room except for a dim table lamp that casts a green glow among her face; expression contorted into one of confusion and frustration.

"darling, please come back to bed," you sigh, hating how desperate you sound. it's not that it makes you angry or sad to not have her at your disposal, you just hate watching her burn herself out. "if it's not getting solved now, it can wait until morning."

"everything is time sensitive these days," sevika grumbles. at the very least, she doesn't have a glass of whiskey in her hand. so, it is a better night than most. "smeech is on my ass, i need to figure this out."

you're almost about to give up—to return to your empty bed and pray she makes it back by dawn, but something in you is tired tonight and misses her warmth. you approach her desk, noting the way her soft gray eyes flick up to you, watching your every move. you place your hands against the wood, eyes flitting down to the papers she's looking at, but you're too tired to comprehend what she's working on. you can see her exhaustion in her eyes.

cautiously, you bring a gentle hand to her chin, rubbing your thumb lightly over her scarred cheek. "you know why you can't figure it out right now? because you haven't slept in weeks. get some rest, look at it with fresh eyes in the morning."

sevika looks up at you, expression weary, but you can tell she's close to giving in. she leans into your palm, tilting her head and kissing the soft flesh. you take the moment to brush your fingers through the nape of her neck—a spot you know will hit just right for her.

"come to bed, baby," you try again. "i'll kill smeech myself if i have to, i miss sleeping with my girlfriend."

"i'd believe you if you let me train you with anything other than a butter knife," she retorts, grabbing your wrist and pressing one more kiss to it before tugging your hand away. for a moment, you think she's going to keep working and you prepare yourself for the disappointment.

"it's not a butter knife, thank you very much, we can't all have big scary metal arms as a default weapon," you tease. she surprises you by rising to her feet, towering slightly over you, and reaching for the lamp. the room goes dark and you reach for her flesh hand, thumb going over her pulse the way you always do—you like to feel it beneath your fingers, a reminder that through it all, you're both still here.

"come on," she nods towards the door, letting you tug her along back to your bedroom.

you continue forward with a satisfied smile on your face, dragging her back under the sheets. this time, she reaches for you and lets you settle against her chest, your face in the crook of her neck. with your weight on her, you can hear the steady beat of her heart and feel the pace of her breathing.

determined not to let her get up again, you wait for her breathing to even out, tracing out soft patterns on her skin as you do so. as soon as she's asleep, you let your eyes flutter closed.

sevika gets a little bit better at coming to bed after that.

[gratelove]

I Can’t Lose You

Kenny Liu x Reader

You head out to do a perimeter check before darkness falls. Night comes too quickly and you find yourself stuck, having to hide to survive. Kenny is worried sick all night, thinking he may have lost you. When morning comes, Kenny realizes life is too short to hide his feelings for you.

The night came faster than you anticipated. What had started as a quick run to check the perimeter of an abandoned house on the edge of town turned into something far more dangerous. The door you had come through was jammed, and the other exits were either boarded up or too risky to try without attracting attention from the creatures that roamed outside.

You were trapped.

Your heart raced as the sounds of the night grew louder, the telltale signs of the monsters creeping ever closer. You had no way to get back to the station. No way to let Kenny know what had happened. And he was expecting you. You had promised him you’d be back before dark, and now…

Now it was too late.

You curled up in the farthest corner of the room, your flashlight flickering as it threatened to go out completely. You weren’t sure what scared you more—the monsters outside or the thought of Kenny thinking the worst. He’d worry. You knew he would. But all you could do now was wait for morning, praying the creatures wouldn’t find you before then.

Kenny paced the station, his anxiety twisting tighter with every passing minute. You should have been back by now. The sun had long since set, and the darkness outside was alive with danger. Every sound made him jump, imagining the worst. What if something had happened to you? What if one of those things had found you? What if you were hurt, trapped, or worse…?

He slammed his hands down on the table, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He had to find you.

Grabbing his rifle, Kenny made for the door, his mind racing with a single thought: Find her. Now.

But as he reached for the handle, Boyd stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “Where do you think you’re going?” Boyd’s voice was stern, but there was an understanding in his eyes.

“I have to find her,” Kenny snapped, his panic rising. “She’s out there, and I can’t just stand here—”

“Kenny, you leave now, and those things will kill you before you even get halfway across town.” Boyd’s voice was steady, but firm. “If she’s alive—and I believe she is—then you need to be here for her in the morning. Going out there now won’t help her.”

Kenny clenched his fists, his body trembling with frustration and fear. “I can’t just do nothing, Boyd. I can’t just sit here and—”

“You need to stay calm,” Boyd interrupted, his voice softening. “If she’s smart—and we both know she is—she’s found somewhere to hide. She’ll make it through the night. But you need to be here when the sun comes up. If you go out there now, and something happens to you, how do you think she’ll feel?”

Kenny’s breath caught in his throat, the truth of Boyd’s words hitting him like a punch to the gut. If something happened to him, if he didn’t make it back… He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving you behind. Not like this. Not without…

He sighed, dropping his head, his heart still pounding in his chest. “I just… I can’t lose her, Boyd. I can’t.”

Boyd placed a firm hand on Kenny’s shoulder. “You won’t. But you need to be patient. Wait for morning.”

Kenny nodded, though every fiber of his being screamed at him to run out the door. But Boyd was right. He had to wait. For you.

The night dragged on, every creak, every distant sound twisting the knot in his stomach tighter. He barely slept, his mind racing with all the terrible possibilities. What if you didn’t make it? What if this was your last night in this cursed town, and he hadn’t even told you…

Told you how much you meant to him.

As the first light of dawn finally broke through the dark, Kenny didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his jacket and bolted out the door, his heart pounding as he raced through the town, calling your name. He didn’t care if anyone heard. He didn’t care if he looked desperate.

“Where are you?” he shouted, his voice raw with panic. “Please, answer me!”

The pale light of morning filtered through the cracks in the boarded-up windows, and you let out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. You had made it through the night, somehow. You didn’t dare move until you heard the faint sounds of life stirring outside, the nightmare of the night beginning to fade with the daylight.

You pushed your way through the stuck door, your muscles aching from the cramped position you had stayed in all night. Stepping outside, the cool morning air hit your face, and you took a deep breath, grateful to see the sky again. But as relief washed over you, a familiar voice cut through the quiet of the morning.

“There you are!”

You turned just in time to see Kenny sprinting toward you, his face a mixture of panic and relief. Before you could even speak, he was there, his arms wrapping around you in a tight, desperate hug that knocked the air from your lungs.

“Kenny—”

“I thought I lost you,” he murmured into your hair, his voice trembling. “I was terrified. I thought… I thought you were gone.”

You could feel him shaking, his grip on you tightening as if he was afraid you might disappear if he let go. Your heart swelled at the intensity of his emotions, and you hugged him back just as fiercely, your own relief spilling over.

“I’m okay,” you whispered. “I’m here. I’m safe.”

He pulled back just enough to look at you, his eyes searching yours as if he needed to see it to believe it. His thumb brushed across your cheek, and for a moment, the world seemed to fall away, leaving only the two of you standing there in the morning light.

“I can’t do this,” he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. “I can’t keep pretending I’m okay with all this—pretending I don’t care. I care about you. More than I’ve ever cared about anyone.”

Your breath caught in your throat as his words hit you, your heart racing in your chest. “Kenny…”

“I lost my dad,” he continued, his voice urgent, like he needed to get the words out before they escaped him. “And last night, I thought I was going to lose you too. I can’t keep waiting. Life in this place… it’s too fast, too uncertain. I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I never told you how I feel.”

You stared at him, overwhelmed by the depth of his confession. The pain, the fear, the love—it was all there, raw and real. And in that moment, you realized you had been holding back too, afraid of what might happen if you let yourself feel too much in a place like this. But now, standing here with him, there was no more holding back.

“I feel the same way,” you said, your voice barely a whisper. “Kenny, I’ve felt it for a while now. I was just too scared to admit it.”

His eyes softened, relief washing over his face. He let out a shaky breath, and then, without another word, he pulled you into a kiss. It wasn’t hesitant or unsure—it was filled with all the things you both had kept inside for too long.

When you finally pulled away, breathless but smiling, Kenny rested his forehead against yours, his hands still holding you close.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen next,” he said softly. “But I do know that I want to spend whatever time we have… with you.”

You smiled, your heart full. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

And in that moment, with the sun rising behind you and the horrors of the night fading into memory, you felt hope. Maybe not for the town, maybe not for everything, but for you and Kenny. For whatever came next. Together.

[newkatzkafe2023]

So I had an idea. Inspired by Elden Ring's St. Trina- HEAR ME OUT! PLEASE! You don't have to know much about the lore cause I honestly won't mind. Just gonna give some basics. So, for genderbend. Male y/n is, like, a deity of sleep. So he can go into dreams, to soothe nightmares, make them good dreams, soothe troubled minds this way. He could also make people fall asleep with mist and things like that. He's, like, the true embodiment of compassion. In the real world, he's almost constantly sleeping. When awake, he's in that cute, half-asleep state, constant cuddles and things like that. So, one night, he enters the Monkey Queens' dreams. Soothes any nightmares, and just talks to them, sings lullabies. (free therapy!) This happens multiple nights in a row. The Monkey Queens are so charmed by this, that they try to find out where y/n is outside the world of dreams. And when they do find y/n, they just snatch him up like: "You're mine now sweetheart 😤" (courtnap of the sleep deity XD)

Sweet Dreams SleepHearts😴🥰

(Lmk Wukong) She was so under your spell from the very beginning that you treated her with such care of her. You entered her nightmare one night and found her crying, so you dispelled the nightmare that tortured her. She would lay her head on your chest as you offer comfort and love, and after everything that happened to her for centuries you were a source of joy and happiness for her. Your love lullaby songs that would bring a blush and tears to her eyes and face, but you would wipe her tears away gently at cooing her. She felt deeper and deeper into your sleepy love spells, she just had to have you. So when she woke up she immediately went to find you, wanting you as her immortal husband. A month and many sleep dates later, she found you asleep in your nimbus where she courtnapped you. Your hers now sleepheart🥰

(MKR Wukong) It was love at first dream for her, as you destroyed the horrible nightmares that plague her in her sleep. You were so kind and Compassionate always there when she needs you, and every night was the same. Your lullaby like love songs and sweet touches and cuddles, wiping away the tears she didn't know she had in her eyes. Wukong was under your spell and couldn't go to sleep enough, it was your sleepy first kiss is when she made the decision to courtnap you for herself. During the journey when she had free time she would go to look for you, and she found you napping at the temple, her master prayed in. So she secretly took you with her, and made you her sleepy loving husband Her wonderful sleepheart.

(HIB Wukong) She's never been so relaxed ever since she saw you. You've been nothing but kind and caring of her. You would sing softly to her whenever she's in a really dark state and cuddle her close to you, offering nothing but comfort and support. You became her whole dream world as you came into her dreams every night to offer a sacred kiss. You would shower her with compliments of her beauty and then one night you told her you loved her, is when Wukong promised to find you in person. The next morning she had pigsy babysit and looked for you, and after a few weeks she found you in the next village over. She gently woke you up, seeing your tired smile made her chirp and bought you right home.

(NR Wukong) Her nightmares quickly became wet dreams when you got in her head. She would have occasional nightmares, but that's when you always come in. You would enter her dreams and dispelle the nasty dreams, Serenading her with beautiful lullabies and dreams cuddles full of comfort. She's always waiting for you in her dreams as you took good care of her, but one particular night the exchange was soon heated with you on top of her making her moan and scream your name until the crack of dawn. After waking up hot and ready in her bed after that especially wild and Intense dream she needed to take you home😉😏 So with her every connection she found that you sleep in the slums of the city and she was quick to courtnap you home. Her little sleepheart🥰

(Netflix Wukong) you've been singing lullabies to her whenever she had a especially nasty nightmares. In her dreams you would come down and safe her from the scary monsters, and you would comfort her and wipe her tears away. You would cuddle her and kiss her neck and face Giving her your endless affection, filling the loneliness in her very being. Wukong was quick to grow obsessed with you as you bring her love and company in her time alone, not Judgment and scolding just your sweet sweet love and patience from you. Wukong woke up in bliss and she Realize she wanted you forever. So she began her search to find you, wanting to courtnap you before someone gets wise and a month later found you sleeping soundly by the waters. She took her little sleepheart right back home with her.

(BMW Wukong) She refuses to admit that she has nightmares, I mean she knows their not real so why should she be stress and afraid for?? Though that was until she was suffering from a particular dream where she was back in that mountain alone, vulnerable and afraid Trying so hard not to cry until you came into her dreams. Suddenly her cold harsh prison became a soft comfortable cloud, she saw your pretty sleepy face for the first time and she was floored. Every night with a sexy lullaby and a dream message from you relaxing and biting her lips under your gentle touches. Wukong fell in love with you hard, you offer nothing but care, comfort, and support also warm comfortable cuddles. Wukong couldn't get enough of you and your visits which is when she made a choice, she prepared herself to courtnap you and join her in holy matrimony. She found you a week later sleeping in a tree by a river, so she took you her little sleepheart right home to flower fruit mountain.

(Destined one) She met you in her dreams one night at first she thought you weren't real, but when she would find you in her sleep at some point She felt there was something different about you. The Destined one would hear nothing but lullabies in her sleep as you would sing softly in her ears, and helping her relax with cuddles. The Destined one would whisper to her aunt Bajie about the monkey sleep deity men of her literal dreams, she fell deeper and deeper under your spell her wanting you to herself. As you continued to visit her in her dreams with your handsome sleepy face, she made a choice to go and find you in person. She found you a few weeks later napping on your nimbus by a peach tree, after lightly kissing your lips, she took you right along with her. Her brand new sleepheart she couldn't wait to show Auntie Bajie.

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG😴

[slytherizz]

Bludgered - Sebastian Sallow x Female!MC/Reader

Summary: Sebastian never really knew what his friend saw in Isaac Cooper but he never questioned it - he made his friend happy. That is until a Quidditch match goes quickly awry and he realises his feelings for her may go far deeper than simple friendship.

Prompt from @monismateos Quidditch Seb x Slytherin Seeker F!MC. Thank you for your patience with this one lovely!

Word Count: 8.3k

Warnings: 18+, aged-up characters, 7th Year, explicit sexual content, smut, mild violence, love confessions, semi-public sex, first time

You can find all the tags on Ao3

Condensation fogging the inside of Sebastian’s goggles made it almost impossible to see his frozen fingers clasped around the handle of his broom; let alone the Quidditch match itself. His hair was slicked down his forehead and he could already feel a splinter working its way under the skin of his palm.

He’d have to ask her to help him squeeze that out later.

Rain lashed in oppressive sheets as Sebastian circled the pitch diligently. He rolled his shoulder as much to keep the blood circling as it was to keep pace with the veering gusts that would knock a smaller man from his broom.

Sebastian hadn’t even wanted to try out for the blasted Quidditch team he grumbled inwardly as he swerved out of the line of the chasers keeping an eye on the skies to ensure their path was free of a hurtling bludger.

He’d only intended to watch and support his friend try out for the Slytherin Seeker position. Reyes had taken one look at him stuffing himself into the narrow stalls beside Ominis and declared he had a ‘beaters build’. Before he could protest she’d manhandled him onto a broom, forced a bat in his hand and next thing he knew he was being dragged out at the crack of dawn every morning in the baltic Scottish winter.

Anne had always been the Quidditch player not him – slight and nimble she’d taken great pleasure in outpacing her brother in front of Madam Kagawa. 

Merlin, he missed the library.

He could be warm and dry watching the game from a respectable distance inside, book in hand. The cold stiffness in his bones seemed to creak in mourning because at that moment they felt like he’d never be dry again.

But he hadn’t wanted to disappoint her.

She’d looked so pleased when Reyes had offered them both a spot on the team. She’d flung her arms around his neck crowing with delight while Sebastian’s stomach had dropped like a stone. But with how her wide eyes had shone at him, small hands squeezing into his biceps, smile so wide and crooked like a crack of lightning; excitedly waiting for him to return her jubilation he hadn’t the heart to tell her that the absolute last thing he wanted was to be on the Quidditch team.

He'd never been particularly good at saying no to her.

So with a coil of despair tightening in Sebastian’s stomach, he muttered a silent goodbye to his books and his bed and returned her smile praying he didn’t look like a man walking to the gallows.

With how often Anne had badgered him to help her practice during the holidays when she was a Chaser; Sebastian consoled himself with the knowledge that he was a fair flyer. Better than a lot of the Gryffindor team evidently with how their Keeper practically wept every time he saw Rayes’ raven hair streaking towards his goalposts and as a Beater he could at least help keep an eye on their troublesome Seeker.

She was scouting high above him, robes burdened and sopping with water – it was a marvel the weight of them hadn’t made her sluggish. In fact, she barely seemed to notice the cold or the rain at all. Just as alert as she was at the beginning of the match. Floating ominously overhead she kept her silent vigil; like a hawk waiting for a rustle of prey in a dense forest. As impressive as it may be, Sebastian’s constitution was not as robust, and he just hoped she would catch the bloody snitch soon so he could pack it in.

“That’s Reyes with another 10 Points to Slytherin – Puddlemere United will have their hands full with that one next year!” Lucan’s crackly amplified voice shouted over the howling wind.

The thumping of feet heavy enough to break the rickety rafters and a roar of approval from the emerald-cloaked stands answered the chorus of groans from the scarlet that surrounded the pitch.

Tapping his bat against his boot in an inaudible clap Sebastian looked smugly up towards the Gryffindor stands as they jeered at Imelda who seemed as unbothered by them as a speck of soot on her cauldron.

“Eyes on the game, hound!” Imelda barked as she streaked past. Sebastian rolled his eyes at the nickname his captain had bestowed upon him which to his dismay had caught on with the rest of their team. 

As he began to turn his attention from the crowd a flash of black stood out against one of the scarlet banners. Obsidian and vibrating with its internal rage Sebastian caught sight of the bludger rocketing through the fog towards their Seekers. All other thoughts evaporated, and he pulled up the handle of his broom jolting up into its path.

He searched wildly through the dark skies for anything to redirect the screeching little devil away from her. His eyes landed on a scarlet figure with a bat in hand - Sebastian found his target. With all the strength his frozen joints would allow, Sebastian raised his arm and smacked the bludger with a resounding crack from his bat, sending it hurtling towards Isaac Cooper.

He’d apologise to his friend later if he put her boyfriend in the hospital wing.

A lopsided smile tugged at his lips. Sebastian leaned back slightly on his broom. Feeling rather pleased with himself he turned to grin at her hoping his quick reactions would break her concentration momentarily and earn him a flash of a smile no matter how fleeting; it was one of his few moments of pleasure in this infernal game – but she was gone.

“The Seekers have spotted the snitch!” Lucan shouted, “It’s Slytherin in the lead – come on Ogspire, knock her off her broom if you have to!”

“Lucan!”

“Sorry, Professor.”

Sure, enough like an arrow released from its quiver she was streaking towards the ground. Cutting through the rain, neck and neck with the bludger hand outstretched as she hurtled towards a flash of gold behind Cooper's left ear.

Nelly, the Gryffindor seeker had also spotted it from below. If she didn’t have such a sizable lead, Sebastian was sure there would be a head-on collision, a mess of broken bones and blood splattered across emerald and scarlet. 

Sebastian’s head whipped around to the only other person not intently watching the seekers – Cooper. He’d seen or heard the bludger Sebastian had sent his way a split second before it was too late…for him.

Sebastian felt like he was watching in slow motion. Raindrops hovered in midair like glittering jewels, her emerald robes flapping in the wind like wings, bludger far too close to her head and Cooper poised to strike. A hunter with his gun ready to shoot her from the sky.

Cooper swivelled quickly on his Nimbus, strong arm reaching up above his head as he swung. Wood connected with iron as he followed through redirecting the angry bludger hurtling towards her.

Sebastian screamed her name.

So loud it clawed at his throat. A desperate plea for her to get out of the way, forget the bloody game - but his voice was silenced, stolen by the storm.

If it wasn’t for the clap of thunder and the hammering of rain, Sebastian knew he would have heard the sickening crunch as the bludger connected with bone.

Even if her hands had been tightly clutching her broom, she wouldn’t have been able to grip it after her head was bludgeoned to the side. Every muscle and tendon which had been coiled tight as she surged for victory slackened.

She wobbled and slid silently sideways off her broom.

***

Somewhere overhead even over the deep rumble of thunder, Sebastian could hear Imelda screeching out commands to their team, signalling desperately to Kogawa on the ground below. But Sebastian could barely register the words over the blood roaring in his ears.

Pressing hard on the handle of his broom Sebastian tore towards the ground, rain buffeting his face a harsh sting on freckled cheeks. His vision had tunnelled as he narrowed in on the spot she was falling. He could catch her. Stop her from hitting the ground, if only he could push himself faster. Harder.

She was falling like a star crashing to earth that never should have been stolen from the sky.

Bile was in Sebastian’s throat, harsh and sour. Twenty feet from the sodden earth. Faster. His stomach lurched. Ten feet. Just a little further. A futile hand outstretched.

Just as he was certain she was going to hit the ground limp limbs sprawled and broken in the grass like a rag doll she was suddenly buoyant – airborne once more.

Professor Ronan had his wand outstretched from the stands slowing her descent to Professor Weasley who had already been waiting on the ground. Her mouth pinched in a thin line as she surveyed the sickly parlour of the witch's face and the blood now matting her hair.

Sebastian was the first player to touchdown. Throwing his broom away, abandoning it like he would anything else as long as he could get to her. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear the other players circling down to earth but he was consumed. Soley with thoughts of her.

Professor Weasley flicked her wand, muttering a barrier charm shielding her from the unforgiving elements. Sebastian was hot on her heels to follow when Kagawa stepped in front of him putting a firm hand on his shoulder in warning to not interfere.

“She will be fine, Sallow!” said Kagawa sternly. 

“You must be joking. She’s clearly not fine! I can help. Just let me go with her and-”

“Professor Weasley and I will accompany her to the hospital wing immediately. You will only get in the way. You can see her for yourself. Later. Be sure to relay that to the rest of the team,” she said with conviction but it did not ease the twisting in Sebastian’s stomach. Kagawa nodded tersely and strode briskly towards the castle. 

Sebastian balled up his fists, jutting out his jaw as he took in a heavy breath through his nose. 

He wasn’t cold any longer. Sebastian was burning. Burning from the inside out; with a white-hot rage…and fear. Letting it scorch at the shame he felt that he had let this happen, it had been his fault, he had not been enough to take care of her as he’d promised himself. 

Mud splattered as he turned on his heels stomping towards Cooper. Channelling the last of his fraying self-control into not reaching for his wand and hexing him on the spot into his feet. Cooper’s face was pale, eyebrow knitted and mouth curling down with worry but it did little to quell Sebastian’s fury. 

What right did Cooper have to be worried? 

Cooper’s eyes found Sebastian, his grimace contorted into a glare. Narrowing his eyes, a sneer wrinkling his nose and the twitch in his jaw that seemed to be reserved especially for Sebastian. A face so unpleasant, that he had never been able to put his finger on why everyone in this school regarded him as so handsome. Being half-decent on a broom was hardly a reason to fawn after anyone. 

Why someone as brilliant as her, with everything she had achieved, would fawn after him too had remained a mystery.

Sebastian never really knew what she saw in him, but he never questioned it - Cooper made his friend happy. Thought he’d made her happy. So the two young men largely ignored each other despite their significance to her unless an interaction was absolutely necessary. 

But this betrayal was not something Sebastian could ignore. 

“You could have killed her,” Sebastian shouted with such venom that not even a howl of wind could soften his tone. Sebastian shoved an accusatory finger into the other man's chest. Which was promptly smacked away in disgust.

“You heard Kogawa. She’ll be fine!” 

Cooper pushed back his ash blonde hair sodden and hanging over his eyes. Averting his gaze to the direction Professor Weasley had whisked her out of the stands and towards the hospital wing. Sebastian clenched his teeth, his jaw twitching at his blatant disregard.

“What the hell were you playing at? Was killing your girlfriend really less important than losing a bloody game or has too many bludgers to the head rendered you a feckless moron?”

“Don’t think I didn’t see you hit a bludger at me. It’s part of the game, Sallow. She knew what she signed up for.”

“That’s bollocks and you know it.”

“Bludgers are an occupational hazard.”

“Couldn’t stand the fact she’s a better player than you - Is that it? Gryffindor chivalry my arse!”

“Unlike you, I'm not that insecure," Cooper blustered "I would have done the same to anyone else.”

“But she’s not just anyone else,” Sebastian shouted incredulously. Anger was pooling in his gut, ripping through him at the thought of Cooper or anyone daring to think so little of her. “She’s your girlfriend!”

Cooper scoffed and his eyes raked down Sebastian. Sizing him up for all he was worth. The two men stepped towards each other. 

Never one to back down, Sebastian squared his shoulders to the challenge. Cooper wasn’t much taller than Sebastian and certainly not as broad but he used every last inch to stare down his nose at him with a mocking sneer.

“Exactly. She’s my girlfriend. Not yours.” 

“I know that-”

“Do you?” he chortled. “Some of us were starting to think you were as thick as you are pathetic.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sebastian spoke through gritted teeth, acutely aware of the heat rising in his face staining his ears pink. 

“It’s fucking embarrassing,” Cooper continued. “The way you carry on after her. Dragging her to the library every night, sending her owls - You don’t even like Quidditch! But you’re at her beck and call like a love-sick cruppy-”

“I’m her friend.”

“Her friend,” Cooper scoffed. “Give it a rest, Sallow. You think you have some sort of claim over her just because you’ve been following her around since fifth-year but never had the nerve to do anything about it.”

“I don’t have a claim on her-” he spluttered. His cheeks redden further and not just from the biting chill. 

“No you don’t, because she’s mine-”

Crack.

Sebastian’s fist connected with Cooper’s jaw before he’d even realised he’d swung for the arsehole. Perhaps not as hard as a bludger but the cut it wrought would sting with far more malice than enchanted iron. Taken off guard expecting a wand drawn between his eyes long before a brawl, Cooper was sprawled out at Sebastian’s feet in the steeped grass. 

Cooper stared up at him dumbfounded from the floor clutching his cheek. Sebastian’s breath came out angry and ragged, fogging the air in uneven pants. Cooper did not move to get up or reach for his wand. Despite his love for books and clever spell work, Sebastian in that moment was glad of the years of working the fields outside of Feldcroft that made him more physically intimidating than someone so scholarly rarely was. Because if Cooper had moved one inch, he wouldn’t have hesitated to hit him again. He wanted to hit him again. Partially for her, but mostly for himself because Cooper had made him feel small. Powerless. And he’d sworn to himself years ago that he'd never be powerless again.

Powerless as Cooper clearly felt. Crimson cheeked glaring up at him like the intensity of his gaze could set Sebastian on ablaze even in the torrential gail. The prickle of eyes gawping at them, making the heat rise in their cheeks and the hairs on the back of their necks stand to attention. 

“Stay away from her. She’s not yours anymore. Not anyone’s. And if I catch you in a broomstick’s length of her again after what you did today - I swear on Salazar’s grave, you will be the one sleeping in the hospital wing next time.”

Cooper’s only acknowledgement of his threat was a glob of scarlet blood spat onto the grass. But he didn’t try to rise to his feet and continued to glare at Sebastian. The tips of his ears were as scarlet as his cloak in rage or embarrassment to be laid out in front of Merlin knows how many students that were still packed into the stands. Circling vultures who would undoubtedly, pick apart his humiliation and spread it through the castle letting it grow more outlandish with each retelling. 

Let them say what they want, about Cooper or himself, let them pick them apart - they could make themselves sick on it for all he cared. He only cared about one thing at that moment.

He turned to head for the castle, ignoring the route for the changing rooms where his dry robes waited intent on striding straight for the hospital wing. 

“Sallow! What the fuck do you think you're doing?” Imelda shouted barging past the group of quidditch players standing well back from the scuffle. Her black hair was sodden and her ponytail limp, her signature scowl she wore when addressing just about anyone looked forced with the corners of her eyes creased with concern.

“Finish the match without me Imelda-” he grumbled. She stepped into his path blocking him as he attempted to push past her. 

“It’s already over. Ogspire caught the snitch and had the good sense to look sheepish about it when she realised what happened. Or the crowd would have seen two seekers knocked off their broom when I was through with her – but that doesn’t matter.”

“No, it doesn’t matter! Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to see to the only thing that does.”

Reyes placed her hands on her hips and looked him up and down, assessing him with an amused quirk on her brow - Sebastian wondered how such a tiny thing as Reyes could be as terrifying as a Hungarian Horntail like she could strip the flesh of your bones with a look. 

"Do you know why the rest of the team calls you ‘the hound’?"

"I assume it's because you told them to treat me like some sort of dog. Now if you’ll excuse-"

"You're not a good quidditch player, Seb."

"Cheers Reyes."

"Luckily Carrow is a decent enough beater to look after the rest of the team. But we keep you for one thing. You're the hound. Her guard dog. On and off the pitch. That's why she went down like a sack of shit,” she grimaced. Reyes despite her callousness, Sebastian could see how her shoulder stiffened with suppressed anxiety for one of her few close friends and it settled the anger that was still threatening to spill over. “She's potentially the only seeker in history to never be hit by a bludger. She doesn't even look for them anymore. As I said - you’re not a good quidditch player, Sebastian. But while she’s my Seeker and Carrow doing the heavy lifting…I’ll happily take a bloody guard dog over a half-decent beater. Just don't beat yourself or Cooper up about it."

“No promises about the last bit,” he griped. Averting his eyes, hoping Imelda thought the flush creeping over his cheeks was from the chill and not from the knowledge that even his own teammates shared the opinions of Cooper and his friends when it came to Sebastian’s feelings for her - which felt jumbled with both worry and speculation. 

“Go check on her. Blainey will have a fit if the whole team shows up,” Imelda said softly. She negated her uncharacteristic kindness with a firm punch to Sebastian’s arm. Her eyes glinted viciously as she looked past him to Cooper who had pushed himself off the ground dusting off his robes. “Besides…I want to have a little word with Cooper myself.”

***

A puddle had formed under Sebastian’s chair as it had dripped from his sodden robes until Madam Blainey had ushered him into the lavatory. Sebastian hurriedly stripped, cast a drying charm on his clothes and pulled them back on. Forgoing his shoes as he hopped lopsidedly out the door. Hastily pulling up the breeches which stuck against the wet hairs on his legs. Blainey wrinkled her nose at his display but left him to his vigil, being far too familiar with the pair and how persistent they could be when it came to remaining by the other's hospital bed. 

On more than one occasion she’d sent the other packing only to be greeted cheerily the next morning by a smug-faced teenager who’d tampered with her locks and wards to sneak back inside to keep the other company. After almost three years of this, she left them, albeit reluctantly, to it.  

She was curled up under white starchy sheets; a draped knit blanket barely covering her knees was sliding to the floor where she’d squirmed. No longer chilled to her bones, the colour had returned to her cheeks. Sebastian rested his head on his palm, elbow braced against his knee. He’d been in this position far too many times than was preferable but it had become familiar to him; the twinge in his neck, the ache in his arms as the hours of the vigil dragged on. Not that he minded, being beside each other was second nature. 

She shifted; eyes blinking sleepily back into focus as she rolled onto her side. Sebastian stretched rubbing the back of his neck smiling at the softness of her sleepy gaze. 

“Seb?” she sighed dreamily, her voice thick and curdled with potions Blainey had more than likely forced down her neck. 

“Who else,” he grinned. Blainey had long since satisfied her need to poke and prod at her ward and headed up to bed. And he doubted anyone had the bollocks to go against Imelda if they’d forbidden them from seeing her tonight. “You gave me a bit of a fright there, pet.”

“It’ll take more than that for you to get rid of me…” she said sitting up more jovial than he expected. “But…whoever came up with the idea of bludgers is a sadist.”

“Or a masochist. Some of us are gluttons for punishment,” Sebastian argued, pulling at the collar of his Quidditch jersey exposing the jagged scar on his shoulder. 

Faded white, the remnants of one of their summer duels. With no Blainey to patch him up in seconds, the skin had puckered and scared but he was rather fond of how it cut through the freckles. 

“If you recall, you were the one who insisted we practice severing charms after five pints in the Broomsticks.”  

“In my defence, with the amount of practice you get, I thought you had better aim when you were drunk,” he chuckled. “How are you feeling? You seem to be fairing better than I was that morning.”

“I’m made of sterner stuff. No hungover wailing over a little scratch for me,” she jabbed before grimacing rubbing the side of her head where it had struck. “Not going to say it was pleasant - nasty little buggers aren’t they. But Blainey patched me up. Made me drink that foul grey sludge for the concussion but a couple of spells for the wound and I was good as new. Honestly, the sleeping draught seemed like overkill but I think she’s just sick of catching me roaming the halls at night.”

“If she thinks that’d stop you! Don’t think I’ve ever seen you sit still for this long, you menace.”

“Or you for that matter,” she grinned, patting his hand affectionately. Moonlight spilled in from the ornate windows over the vacant hospital wing, she peered past him down the rows of empty beds. “Where’s Isaac? I thought he’d want to see me-”

Sebastian bristled, her disappointed frown souring his cheerful mood. He brushed the bruised swelling on his knuckles from where they’d connected with Cooper’s jaw. 

“What you’d rather see your ‘brave’ Gryffindor boyfriend - than me? Who’s been here.” 

Who’s always been here.

Maybe Cooper was right. Perhaps they all were and Sebastian really was pathetic. Pathetic for assuming she’d still want to wake to Sebastian at her bedside now that she had Cooper in her life. That their friendship could compare to what he could offer her. 

“No, I’m glad you’re here,” she said crossly. “But…I thought he’d want to at least check I was alright.”

“You shouldn’t want to see him after the stunt he pulled today! He’s the reason you’re in the hospital at all, might I add. Decided you were less important than a stupid game. I told him to stay the hell away from you for good.”

She blinked at him incredulously for a moment before the heat began to rise in her cheeks and she clenched her jaw. 

“How dare you! Who do you think you are deciding what I do? You have a lot of nerve, Sebastian.”

“I thought I was saving you the trouble but if you want to scurry back to him, be my guest!” Standing so abruptly his chair screeched across the floor. “Keep doing everything for everyone else when they wouldn’t give a fraction back. No matter the cost to yourself, like you always do. You can be so bloody naive!”

“I know you don’t like Isaac - you don’t even try to hide it. But you can’t dictate who I see. And I hoped you thought more highly of me to think I’d stay with him after the shit he pulled today. But, if that’s what you really think of me, you can bloody join him” she snarled.“I tell everyone they don’t know you like I do, but maybe I am naive. Seems I’m surrounded by tossers trying to knock me down. Why do you even care, as clearly you think so little of me?”

“Of course, I care! Even though you’re seemingly incapable of caring about yourself. You barely even let me. You’re infuriating! What’s more ridiculous is what someone like you would see in him. He’s not good enough for you, he never has been! You give yourself over to people who couldn’t give too shits about you and now look at you-”

“Oh, so what? My boyfriend turning out to be a complete and utter prat is somehow my fault?”

“No! Of course not,” he flustered, carding his fingers through his hair. All the words in his head felt jumbled and he could tell by the dangerous look in her eyes he’d let his temper dig himself into a hole once again. 

“Don’t hold back, Sebastian,” she spat through gritted teeth. “Did you just come here to insult me or is there something you’re trying to say?”

“What I’m trying to say is you should you should be with someone who fucking cares. If it was me, I wouldn’t be risking your safety to win a stupid game! Merlin, if I was your boyfriend I wouldn’t risk you for anything. I thought I lost you once and it was one of the worst days of my life. If someone had tried to take you away from me I would have fought back. Fought for you. If we were together-”  

His voice died abruptly in his throat when she was no longer fixing him with a deadly eye but staring at him. Wide-eyed her mouth hung slightly a jar. He'd built up a barrier around himself and as close as he was to her, probably closer than anyone he’d still kept her at arm's length. Once again he let his temper get the better of him but instead of solidifying those walls, he’d exposed a little too much. Exposed something he’d vehemently denied to even himself.

Shone a light on a corridor in the labyrinth of their friendship and feelings he had for her he’d never explored. One he perhaps always knew was there but until now had dutifully tried to ignore lest he lose his way and not be able to make it back to the well-travelled paths of simple friendship.

“But we’re not together…” she said cautiously. As if she could tell Sebastian was a startled animal, and once the shock of his confession wore off he’d bolt. Which quite frankly he was considering. 

“No. We’re not," he responded voice clipped. Sebastian was more surprised it even worked at all with how tight his chest felt. 

“But if we were…” she said it like she was stepping out onto thin ice wondering if it would hold or she’d plunge into the unforgiving water below. “What would you do for me?”

There was no use hiding it any longer. He sighed, looking into her eyes resigning himself to that first step into the unknown.

“Anything.”

Her breath caught and Sebastian knew she could see the truth they’d danced around painted across his face and laid bare between them. Feel the finality of his words like Pandora opening the box and swarming the carefully curated distance between them with truth never to be recaptured.

Sebastian reached for her, fingers entwining in her hair tilting her chin up so she could see him. Perhaps truly for the first time, exposed and raw. Her soft lips parted as if to protest his confession but as she searched his face for the lie she found none. Sebastian was done with hiding, with pretending. The realisation that his feelings went beyond that of a companion and he didn’t care if anyone thought it pathetic. In truth, it was liberating to drop the charade he played with his own heart. 

He kissed her. 

Claiming her lips firm, not holding back the wave of desire that ignited any semblance of decorum and dignity he had left. Any whisper of a reason he’d concocted in his mind for why they couldn’t - shouldn’t be together going up in smoke. Pulling her towards by the nape of her neck, like he hadn’t realised he’d been starving until he tasted her. 

There was a desperation in the way he cupped her chin, tangled in her hair longing for acceptance. He brushed his tongue lightly against her bottom lip.

Just like that barrier between them crumbled for her too and she was kissing him back. Mouth moving against his with such a fiery intensity he thought he might catch alight. Like she too had stifled any spark she’d felt between them; kept it bottled away for so long with no chance to grow that now it was fed it devoured her.

It was not soft, nor tender – perhaps it was because neither were they.

His tongue delved into her mouth hungrily, exploring brushing against hers. He stifled a wanton moan into her mouth. 

“I think I need to break up with my boyfriend,” she said breathlessly between kisses.

“I already took care of that for you.”

For a moment, Sebastian thought she might break off their kiss and start shouting again. But she nipped at his lip satisfied with his answer. Her hand was in his hair, wrapping around his neck. Pushing up on her knees to press her chest against his. Muffled moans slipped from her lips which made Sebastian’s head spin dizzy with desire. His own strangled, desperate groan when she slid her tongue past his lips to brush tentatively against his own. Every flick of her tongue drove him further into the heady fog of desire. 

The overwhelming need to be closer. To drown in her embrace. Sebastian's knee found purchase on the bed between her parted legs. His hand ghosted down her back settling on the small of her back. She groaned as her spine curved towards him as he impressed down upon her. Still clinging to him as she fell backwards. Sebastian tumbled after her. Not caring about how his weight rested heavily upon her. She seemed to revel in the closeness, in the way Sebastian bore down on her. Desperate to be closer to her. Cocoon himself around her. Be the barrier to shield her from harm. 

But she wanted no barriers. At least not between her and the sanctuary that was Sebastian. She tugged up the hem of his jersey, eager fingers stumbling. He let his lips briefly leave hers, sitting back to pull it roughly over his head discarding it carelessly to the side. 

It wasn't as if she hadn't seen him shirtless before when they'd spent sun-drenched summer afternoons swimming in the river by Feldcroft or when errant spells had ripped or burnt the clothes from his back. But never had she looked at him like she was now - or if she had he hadn't noticed. Eyes darkened with desire raked over him hungrily as if she wanted to tear into his flesh.

She explored the breadth of him that was now exposed to her. The sparse hair on his chest, the marred skin on his shoulder the scar she’d left; a claim she’d staked on his skin long before he knew every inch of it was hers. 

His hands explored her in turn. Running along her ribs, the curve of her hips, and the dip of her waist. Committing this side of her to memory. Unbound, lustful. Still every bit the wild thing he knew her to be but with an endearing nervousness to her inquisitive touch. 

A side of her that until now had remained a mystery to him. A restricted section of a library he’d been too afraid to read from lest he be thrown from its doors entirely; on he intended to consume entirely.

“I didn't know you wanted this - Merlin, I didn't know I wanted this," he murmured between kisses.

"A life-threatening blow to the head can really knock things into perspective." 

He tilted her chin to access her neck, nipping at the sensitive skin below her jaw. She let out a startled little yelp as her body jolted in surprise. Sebastian chuckled and pressed his lips more softly against her quivering pulse, letting the tension ebb from her tightly coiled muscles before sucking a brand into the delicate skin. She groaned as her back arched towards him, breast brushing against his chest through her thin nightdress. The sweet trembling whimpers as he soothed the ache so intoxicating he felt drunk on her cries. Kneading the flesh of her breast in his palm, coaxing more delightful sounds from her lips as he tweaked the bud between his fingers. 

"I'll have to thank Isaac for-"

"Don't say his name-" Sebastian pleaded. Disliking the way any name sounded in the breathless quiver of her voice besides his own. "From now on - No one else's. Only-"

She cut him off cupping his face, prying him away from his ministrations on her jaw. She touched her lips to his gentler than the last had been, understanding the desire in his incoherent rambling. 

"Sebastian."

And she said it was the only name that mattered. He groaned deeply, burying his face in her hair. Breathing in the faint lingering scent of mallowsweet not even the storm could wash away entirely. Sebastian grasped her hip through her thin nightdress dress so he could roll his own against her core. He knew she would feel the growing need hardening in his between his legs.

Slipping under her skirt he slid a hand purposefully up the inside of her thigh. Her fists balled in the sheets as he brushed against the soaked fabric of her knickers. She shivered and certainly not from the cold, as he tentatively traced her folds. 

“Say my name again.”

She complied and he pressed his thumb against the bundle of nerves. She whined at the contact and it called to something primal within him. That doggedness, that impulsivity a part of him he tried to damper, and contain lest it consume him completely as it had done in the past - perhaps this was why he'd built a wall between her and his heart. Because once he surrendered this part of himself to her, anything he had done in the past would pale in comparison to the everything he would do for her.

Shifting the fabric to the side and dragging a finger through the slick coating her folds to press against her clit. Coaxing out mewls of pleasure with every tantalising circle of the nub. Her breath was hot against his neck and a flush had spread from her cheeks down her chest. She writhed in search of more friction as he teased her open with his fingers. Sebastian emitted a low throaty groan when he felt how silky and keen she was for him. Her breath caught in her throat and his own became more ragged as he pumped and curled his fingers inside of her. Working her open, pliant to his touch. 

His cock was strained against his Quidditch breeches twitching eagerly against her stomach with every muttered curse and keening mewl she released. Her whine into his mouth, a plea for Sebastian to give her more than just a tentative caress. Her hands which until now had been stroking along his spine and tangling in chestnut curls ran along the curve of his ribs and down his stomach. She palmed his hard length and began pulling the laces to free him from his trousers. 

Rumoured dalliances were one thing and those were bountiful. Gossip spread like wildfire whether there was truth to it or not. But if it were to be discovered Sebastian had had her completely - it could damn her. There would be no going back, no changing her mind about their feelings for each other. Not that there would be any going back for him. Not now the floodgates had opened try as he might he would not be able to close them.

He’d submitted to it. To be hers. And he knew his stubborn heart could not be turned. 

A crease formed between his eyebrows and he pulled back from their kiss. Sebastian had burned for her for longer than he knew and now his heart had begun to splutter with nerves. She smoothed the lines etched on his brow, tilting her chin up to kiss him with a soft longing. A silent affirmation that this was not a moment of madness or revenge.

“This really isn't the place, pet," he tried to reason but he made no motion to move away from her embrace. Instead, he peeled the silken nightgown over her head which she wriggled out of gratefully. Bare and laidf out below him his mouth felt dry, as she looked at him through her lashes. Chest heaving, his friend transformed into a goddess under the soft lamp light. 

"You don't think the hospital wing is romantic?"

"We could get caught?"

"We're both rather adept at getting out of trouble."

"You're sure?" 

“About you?” He nodded nervously. Her eyes softened and the words came to her easily as if somehow she'd always known it would be him. "Since the day I met you.”

Sebastian heart rattled as she undid the laces, and helped her shuck the material down his hips. He kissed her and he wondered why he tried to evade the inevitability that was her. She wrapped a hand around his cock and he bucked almost embarassingly into her grip. 

He helped her guided his cock towards her entrance, shivering as he dragged the head against her slick folds. He kissed her deeply. Passionately. In reverence to her and all she meant to him; even when he'd been too blind to see it. 

He sank into her tight heat. The noise rumbling from deep in his chest was more akin to a growl than anything human as his girth stretched her inch by inch. 

Muscles tightly coiled with nerves but a tremor of pleasure electrified her as Sebastian pressed his thumb gently to her clit soothing her delicate whimpering. Fingernails etching grooves into his shoulders he knew should sting but gods - his mind had been completely overcome in the bliss of her warmth.

"Ah- Fuck." 

Sebastian wasn't sure which one of them had uttered it the moment he bottomed out inside her. Dropping to press his forehead against hers. Hot breath disturbed her unruly hair which he had tangled, a blush staining her cheeks and lips swollen, Sebastian didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone more beautiful. 

The last thread of his control was dwindling with how tight her walls fluttered around his cock, how perfectly he fit inside her; like he belonged buried in her. But he stilled himself. Letting her adjust despite how desperately he craved the claim her to make her scream his name until she could speak no other. 

Sebastian wasn't known for his exercises in control, but he tried. For her. 

Moving his hips working himself into her with tentative shallow thrusts. Her appreciating shallow panting like blissful music. He stole a look down to where their bodies were connected. Almost coming undone completely at the sight.

"It's like you were fucking made for me," he rasped. Still circling her swollen nub admiring how each stroke strained her breathing into short needy pants. Coaxing more of her slick to coat his shaft. 

"Funny," she choked a devilish smile spreading over her face. Her eyes flicked up to his from they too had been trained on their union. "I was going to say the same thing about you."

He dared a deeper thrust. Pulling back before pushing back in with a languid roll of his hips that made her groan, wanton and needy. Her back arching skyward he slid his free arm under the space she left. Wrapping around her waist to embrace her tighter.

Her hips bucked towards him, with every deep steady thrust. Cursing a string of profanities and praise the new angle allowed the head of his cock to stroke along her sweet spot. Filthy things that would have made even him blush but if it was possible they only made him rut into her more possessively. Mouthing brainless at the curve of her jaw, as she accepted him deeper.

There was a familiarity in the unfamiliar. The way the scent of mallowsweet wrapped around him had never smelt so intoxicating. The lilt to her voice when she said his name never sounded so reedy and desperate. 

He'd been trapped outside the gates of Elysium and now indulged fully in its pleasures. Sebastian groaned, peppering kissed into the crook of her neck, spreading her knees open to take him deeper. His thumb still teased her clit with every thrust making her legs tremble. The hair on his chest and freckles across his skin did little to hide the flush of colour on his skin. Sebastian clung to her desperately, her skin soft and plush in ways he’d never let himself imagine. 

He felt her climax building around his cock. Clawing at his back as she whined, teetered on the edge of ecstasy. Desperately clinging to him, to prolong the moment neither of them wanted to end. But his own release was impressing on him fast. Coiling tightly in his gut as he began to pound into her harder his pace becoming erratic with every deliberate thrust into her tight heat. 

“Fuck. Fuck- Please, darling. Come for me,” he pleaded. Barely recognising the desperate gravelly rumble of his voice. 

“Seb- Sebastian, I’m so close!”

“I can feel you. Fucking incredible. You’re incredible, taking me so well. I can’t- I can’t hold back anymore.”

Her climax broke, with a shuddering cry of his name. Spasming and contracting as she sucked him in impossibly deeper into her cunt. Sebastian doubted there was any greater pleasure in this world than the feeling of her completely unravelling, pulsing around him. 

She was calling out to him breathless, like his name was the answer to a question her soul had been asking and he was filling in the gaps of what she never knew was missing.

His vision narrowed, until she was all there was. Blushing, dishevelled a fucking exquisite mess writhing against him - because of him. With a final uneven snap of his hips, he buried himself inside of her to the hilt. Groaning her name over and over like a mantra as he came, hard. Harder than he ever had. Hips spluttering as he spilt inside of her grinding out his release deep in her channel. 

He loosened the arm coiled around her waist allowing her to slump boneless onto the mattress. He kissed her, capturing her sweet dulcet whimpers as he coaxed her slowly down from her bliss. Letting her ride out the last of her shaking climax with gentle circles on her clit, still buried inside of her.

They stayed like that for a while, his head pressed into the crook of her neck, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Humming contentedly as rocked into her. A little gasped when he at last pulled his softening cock from inside of her. Mourning the loss of being intertwined with him completely.

Hardly big enough for two, he pulled her half draping her soft body over him so they both fit. Head resting on his chest she hummed contentedly as he pressed his lips to the crown of her head. They were silent, the only sounds were their laboured breathing and the occasional satiated sigh.

"I love you," Sebastian’s voice broke the silence. 

And it felt too big and too small all at once; like it didn't capture the enormity of what he was feeling but now that he did he could never love anyone else. Never feel the warmth of another and for it to feel like home. “I just- I want you to know in case it wasn’t obvious. You don’t have to say it back-”

“I love you too. In fact, I think I’ve loved you for a long time.”

She tilted her chin up to kiss him and the world seemed to tip on its axis. Sebastian resigned to the knowledge he would fly through a thousand more storms just so he could bask in her warmth.

***

Luxuriating in the afterglow of a perfect evening rarely lasted forever. However, Sebastian didn't anticipate his to end quite so abruptly or by being shoved out of bed by the witch he loved. Landing clumsily on the tiled floor he glared up at her disorientated. If she wasn't roughly pulling her nightdress over her head to cover her bare breasts he may have thought last night was a rather vivid wet dream.

"Blainey's coming. You need to hide," she hissed. “Quickly. Under the bed.” 

"So? She's used to it. We always stay here together-" Sebastian yawned in protest. Reaching up to fix her dishevelled hair brushing his thumb against her cheek. If possible, she blushed even more wildly than she did last night when he’d been buried between her legs. As if the affectionate hand from the man who loved her was somehow more intimate.

"Yes- but usually fully clothed! Oh for Merlin's sake-"

She snatched her wand up off the table, pointing it dead between Sebastian's eyes she muttered a disillusionment charm. Sebastian felt it trickle over him and just as his hands disappeared from view the door to Blainey’s chambers swung open. The matron shuffled into the hospital wing bee-lining for her solitary ward’s bed who was quickly stashing her wand under her pillow. Sebastian despite being little more than a trick of the light, scooted further under her cot to avoid discovery.

"Good morning, dear! How are you feeling?” she greeted her cheerily. Stopping at the foot of her bed her sensible shoes the only thing visible to Sebastian. “...You look a little flushed."

"Much better, Miss. Truly-”

"Look at the state of your sheets. Tossing and turning all night, I’ll bet," Blainey tutted. Sebastian clapped his hand over his mouth to stifle a snort of laughter. "Glad I kept you in. I knew you needed a good night's rest."

“Ah. yes- slept better than I have in years,” her voice wavered unconvincingly. Terrible liar. The bed springs straining as she squirmed uncomfortably.

"You have a visitor,” Blainey said, fussing with her pillow. Sebastian tucked his feet in tighter into the cramped space. “Your boyfriend, Mr Cooper."

Sebastian stilled, his jaw tensing as he resisted the urge to charge out of the hospital wing in all his naked glory and tell the Gryffindor to piss off.

"I think Isaac is mistaken, Miss. He is certainly not my boyfriend any longer.”

Sebastian may be naked, tailbone throbbing and hunched under a hospital bed in the most undignified position anyone could possibly be discovered in - but Sebastian felt far from pathetic. Smug was probably a better word with the grin that had stretched over his face. 

The blow to the face may have hurt Cooper’s pride but it would be nothing compared to the gut punch awaiting him when he discovered how their roles had reversed. When he saw what he squandered had been entirely to Sebastian's gain. 

"Or perhaps he has taken too many bludgers to the head or he would have gleaned from his conversation with Sebastian that I don't have a boyfriend,” she said loudly enough for Cooper's prying ears likely eavesdropping on the other side of the door. 

Sebastian frowned. Snaking his hand up quickly to deliver a hard pinch to the soft flesh of her arse. She squeaked in surprise, swatting into thin air as she searched blindly for his invisible hand. He knew she’d be blushing madly and he’d probably get an earful about that later. Although he now had a lot more creative fantasies about making it up to her. 

"Something wrong, dear?" Blainey turned to her concerned. 

"Nothing!"

But, something was much indeed wrong.  

'I don't have a boyfriend' he almost gave himself away with an audible scoff. 

Sebastian would have to do something about that immediately.

[xx-riffraff-xx]

❆ ~ settled in the silence after ~ ❆

premise; Zayne deals with a mass casualty incident at the hospital. You pick up the pieces afterwards

warnings; HEAVY ANGST, death, hospitals, skipping meals, fainting from skipping meals, dissociation, guilt, self-doubt, evol backlash, hand-wavy doctor jobs

a/n; i went insane on call with a friend and wrote this monster. enjoy. (p.s. this post is pretty this time!)

friend's note; HE COOKED!

Zayne wakes before his alarm, as usual. The gentle light of the coming dawn drifts through the blinds. He gently brushes a strand of hair from your face. You were snoring softly. You’d deny that you were if he mentioned it to you. The two of you would “argue” about it until Zayne softly admitted that it was one of his favorite parts of his morning to know you were sleeping soundly. You’d blush and reach up to kiss him. He had to wait until after his shift at the hospital to play this game with you again.

He kisses your forehead softly and allows himself an extra couple minutes to burrow his nose in your neck. This is what he needs to face the day ahead of him. He crawls out of bed and sets about getting ready for the day. You’ll be greeted by the scent of coffee and breakfast on your nightstand when you wake up and no memory of the last gentle kiss he plants on your temple before he leaves. He takes the lunch you left for him in the fridge last night.

Akso Hospital is nothing out of the ordinary when Zayne first arrives. The hours tick by slowly, spent seeing patients and filling out paperwork. Then...

6:37 P.M. The ringing of a phone call from another hospital in the city disrupts his peace. The hospital is in shambles. People are dying. The Hunter’s Association is already on scene, instantly his mind flits to you. Second, to the influx of transfers soon to hit the floors of Akso Hospital. Zayne springs into action, communicating and organizing the response. They’ve got a big storm coming.

6:59 P.M. The first patients from the attack flood the hospital. Nurses and doctors and surgeons sprint through the halls. Ten patients in critical condition, their hearts in danger of stopping any moment. Zayne works quickly and effectively. The thoughts of the bodies still waiting to be saved settle heavy on his chest.

7:30 P.M. There are now thirty, fourty, fifty new patients in need of immediate medical attention. Zayne prays you aren’t hurt. He’s performed more sutures and blood transfusions than he can count in the span of half an hour. Under the harsh operating room light, another patient’s heart beats feebly in his hand.

8:41 P.M. Akso Hospital is out of beds. Zayne resigns himself to a long night. Yvonne calls other neighboring hospitals to see if they have hands or room. There’s nothing. Every hospital in the area is stretched thin. The Wanderer attacks continue.

9:18 P.M. A Wanderer breaks into the waiting room of Akso Hospital. It is frozen before it has the chance to attack anyone else, but Zayne doesn’t know for how long. There are more patients than there are beds. Victims crowd the waiting room despite the Wanderer. You are the hunter to respond to this particular attack. Zayne forces himself to focus on the task at hand, fights through his desire to fold you into his arms and forget this ever happened. He hasn’t eaten today. You’d be upset at him for that. He can’t help it.

10:43 P.M. The Metaflux fluctuations are finally under control. The flood of patients stems, but the system is still overwhelmed. Neighboring hospitals are swamped. Asko’s supplies are running out. There is so much pain. The suffering in the building seeps into Zayne’s body. He needs rest, but he has to keep going. It’s not over yet. The patient under his care does not make it. She is not the first.

12:45 A.M. The flow of injuries is neverending. Zayne has seen so many near-deaths in the past six hours that they blur together. Evan Mullaney, Jane Bridgers, Beatrice McCarthy, Kye Ingram, Oliver McCarthy... tens of others whose names he never got to know. Countless others who never made it to the hospital in the first place. Breaking the news to families is devastating every time. He has to keep going.

3:27 A.M. The urgency has slowed just enough that he can swap places with other nurses and doctors so they have the chance to sit for a moment, get something to eat, or close their eyes for twenty minutes. There are still tens of patients waiting for beds to open up, their condition steadily deteriorating. The weight of their families’ worlds threatens to crush him where they’re settled on his shoulders.

5:00 A.M. Zayne pauses for ten minutes. He cannot allow himself to stop for longer than that when there are so many people who need him. The first thing he does is check that you’re okay. The lunch you packed for him is finally opened. He can barely bring himself to stomach any of it.

8:56 A.M. Akso is working with little to nothing. Zayne uses his evol to cauterize wounds. They’re out of suture kits. He doesn’t know when they’ll get more.

12:27 P.M. The neighboring hospitals are at capacity, but stabilized. Zayne does not stop.

1:43 P.M. Zayne is nearly forced to stop. His vision swims as he walks down the hallway, pausing briefly to hold onto the wall for support. His blood flows icy cold in his veins. Frost creeps up his collarbones. He cannot stop. He has to keep going.

3:12 P.M. Dr. Greyson brings him something to eat and suggests he drink some water. A patient crashes before he can even refuse. Pain and suffering and despair permeate the walls. If he ever leaves Akso, he doesn’t think he can scrub it from underneath his skin. The hospital’s staff are exhausted. It does not get better. It only gets worse.

5:13 P.M. Zayne collapses. He’s out on the hallway floor for barely a minute. Dr. Greyson and Yvonne fret over him. They’re both as exhausted as he is, if not more. He eats to appease them. He cannot stop, there are still patients who need him. His fingers are frost-bitten.

8:34 P.M. The tension eases. Neighboring hospitals can accept patients for transfer, slowly. Zayne can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. Almost.

12:19 A.M. Things have calmed down at Akso. There are extra hands on the way, but they won’t arrive until morning shift. Zayne will fill that space until then. Yvonne sleeps for a few, precious hours. Dr. Greyson has a full meal. Dr. Zayne is salvation for everyone in the hospital. His joints are stiff with cold. He cannot stop. He has to keep going.

7:09 A.M. After forty-eight hours straight of tragedy, the delirium is setting in, even for Zayne. Astra-sent help and supplies finally arrive. The waiting room slowly empties. Low-risk patients are cared for and sent home. Zayne tends to his regular patients as their primary care physician. He supresses his shivers. The tragedy is over, but he has to keep going.

4:45 P.M Paperwork, so much paperwork. Death certificates, discharge papers, treatment plans. He had no time to do any of it. There were at least two hundred victims that he cared for or helped care for. The stack of paperwork is inches thick. It hurts to hold his pen. His handwriting is atrocious. He writes anyway.

6:02 P.M. You show up in his office.

Time no longer matters, because you are there. The rest of the world fades back in around you. He’s so tired and hungry. He missed you, he missed you so much. The lunch you packed him is still on his desk, mostly untouched. All that matters is that you aren’t like the pallid, bloodless, lifeless faces he’s seen in the past thirty-six hours. You are blessedly alive.

He’s so caught up in the euphoria of missing you that he doesn’t register your reinforcements. Dr. Greyson and Yvonne enter behind you. You rush over, immediately checking him over. He brushes you off. “I’m fine, I’ll be home later tonight. I have to finish this paperwork.”

Dr. Greyson introjects. “Zayne, you’ve been awake for over two days straight. Go home. The paperwork can be finished another time.” He is promptly ignored. Distantly, he hears Dr. Greyson and Yvonne leave. A hand is placed on his chest.

“Please, love. Come home. You’ve given enough.” You plead. Your resonance slowly warms his joints. You are so warm. And under that warmth, he caves. An exhausted nod is all the permission you need. You take his keys from him and guide him downstairs. Zayne thinks he hears snide remarks made at his slumped form. The guilt claws his insides until he sees the faces he couldn’t save trapped under the rubble of his soul.

He blinks and he’s home. With you. The guilt grows greater. You settle him on the couch, bringing a bowl of soup to him. “Please eat.” You say softly, settled on the couch with him. The gentle act nearly shatters him. He gathers you in his arms and sets you on his lap, clinging to you like it’s the last moments before the world explodes. Or perhaps, he’s settled in the silence after. He tucks his cold nose into the crook of your neck.

“You need to rest, love.” You whisper to him as you nestle a kiss in his hair.

“Please. Just... Can we stay like this?” His voice breaks. Your heart breaks with it. This self-sacrificial, overworked idiot is going to be the death of you.

“Of course, love.” You are mindful of how much time passes so he doesn’t have to be. You made sure his soup was extra hot when you put it in the bowl, you knew this would happen. You saw the Wanderer attack first-hand. There was no way he could’ve saved everyone, but Astra knows he tried.

You count fifteen minutes before you try to convince him to eat some soup, twenty-five before you actually manage it. You draw him a bath. He’s exhausted, his coat is splattered with blood. You gently wash his hair and face. Zayne had thought the pain and suffering couldn’t be scrubbed from beneath his skin. Yet somehow, you made it seem effortless. The guilt doesn’t fade, but it... eases. Settles.

Soon, you’re snuggled in bed together. You hold him close and whisper sweet nothings into his hair. You expected him to pass out the second his head hit the pillow, but instead he’s tense.

“I have to go back. They need me.” Zayne states. There’s an undercurrent of desperation to his voice, but he doesn’t seem to be able to let go of you.

“Love, you are exhausted. You can’t save anyone until you save yourself.” You run a hand through his damp locks, resonating to melt the ice creeping up his neck. “Dr. Greyson told me you fainted. Do you know how worried I was?”

“I didn’t have time to stop. There were so many victims...” He trails off, gripping you tighter, curling further into you. “I tried. I promise, I tried.”

“I know, you did everything you could with what you had available.”

“It wasn’t enough.”

“Zayne... you are talented and capable, but there’s only one of you.”

“I could’ve done more. I’m sure of it. Do you know how... agonizing it is to look someone in the eye and tell them that their loved one is gone?”

You’ve walked this path before. Zayne blames himself for every patient he can’t save, every patient who has to endure waiting long hours in pain. “I know. I’ve seen Wanderers rip apart families. I’ve seen the hurt and suffering that comes from it.”

The crook of your neck is damp. You pretend not to notice, as you always do. “It wasn’t your fault, Zayne. You did everything you could with the resources you had available to you.” Zayne doesn’t say anything else, but you feel the weight of the world relax off his shoulders. You stay pressed together until morning. You both have a busy day of nothing to get to tomorrow, after all.

[luunaz]

can i request headcannons or a fic or everything you prefer about peter pevensie with a so that is caspian’s sib? it can be fem reader if u prefer, likee how would he act towards her and how would caspian act when he started to notice things? and lucy would notice that for sure too!! thank uu so much

Thank you for your request! I hope you like it. If something is wrong, I can write something else.

[Caspian's Sibling] Peter Pevensie

pairing: Peter Pevensie x reader

type: fluff 🌸

Masterlist

Getting to know Peter

Perhaps if you had met Peter under different circumstances, he would have treated you more favorably

But your acquaintance happened just at the moment when there was a very small feud between Caspian and Peter

Peter definitely noticed that he was attracted to you and would like to get to know you better, but still was in no hurry to get closer

Your older brother also tried to keep the two of you at a distance

But circumstances are stronger than Caspian's desire to shield you from all men

(actually, Lucy did her best here, haha)

She immediately noticed how you and Peter look at each other, how gently you smile when you manage to talk to each other, and she also heard you talking about Peter with Caspian

That's why Lucy tried to casually leave you alone, she asked Peter to help you with some things

And every time she cheered and giggled when you two smiled shyly

When Peter was going to fight Miraz, you were very nervous

It's not that you doubted Peter, but you were worried about what might happen

You prayed that Lucy would find Aslan as soon as possible

«Caspian, I think you should go get Susan and Lucy!» — you squeezed your brother's hands and looked at him pleadingly

Caspian thought about it himself, so he immediately went to help the girls

You didn't sleep until the morning, just thinking about the battle you're going to have. You were thinking about Lucy and Susan, about whether Caspian helped them, and you were thinking about Peter You decided to go out into the fresh air to take a little break from gloomy thoughts and meet the dawn

What was your surprise when you saw Peter. He was standing with his back to you and looking into the distance. The first rays of the sun softly illuminated his silhouette. Noticing your presence, Peter turned around

«Can't sleep either?» — he asked

«Yes. Caspian went to get the girls, but I'm still worried. And I'm worried about you.» — you blushed a little at the last sentence

Peter came up to you and touched your chin so that you could look at him

Your gaze fell on his lips

It took just one moment for Peter to close the distance between you and touch your lips with his

A soft, sensual kiss that was so natural that it seemed like it wasn't the first time you were kissing him

At that moment, you didn't need words to convey everything that is in your heart

But after that it became so calm?

A little bit about relationships

Being Peter's girlfriend means always being surrounded by care and love

And also his siblings! They adore you. You spend all your free time with them

And Peter breaks into a smile every time he sees you playing with them, having fun, and just talking

But in the evening you completely belong to Peter: passionate kisses, hugs

But first he has to make sure that your brother is not around, haha

What does Caspian think about this?

In fact, Caspian has always thought that Peter is a great match for you

He respects him very much as a king and as a friend

It's possible that you don't notice it, but Caspian is incredibly happy for you when he sees Peter holding your hand or laughing at your joke

He knows for sure that Peter will take care of you

(and Peter himself has great respect for Caspian, so he is also not against the prince's relationship with Susan)

[deathbxnny]

Hiya! Can I request Lynette, Kaeya, and Ayaka with a sibling!reader who sleep talks in their sleep?

I was inspired by my sibling who sleep talks the most random stuff in their sleep. We both shared a room together when we were younger, so I had heard some of the stuff they say. While my sibling never said if i myself sleep talk but apparently my assigned roommate yesterday told me they possibly? heard me sleep talk.. I wonder if it's genetic?

context:

Write however you want but please make what reader say either funny ("seelies taste like mist flower core") or heartwarming ("I'm so glad we're siblings -insert chosen character-")

Hope you have a lovely day/night!

-Flower Anon 🌸

Genshin characters with a sibling that talks in their sleep. | Kaeya, Ayaka, Lynette x Gn!Reader

Hello Flower Anon!! Thank you for your great request, I had a lot of fun writing this!<33

Content: Sibling reader, platonic relationships, unserious, sfw

Reader has no set pronouns!

((Not proofread))

》KAEYA

Said man was used to your rather odd sleeping habits since you were children in the dawn winery. Sleep talking was the norm for you, and whilst it usually was only a couple of words, it was still hilarious every time. This time, however, you actually spoke in whole sentences in your sleep during a sleepover at his humble home.

"... I want to eat snow so I can grow taller..." You whispered in the dead of night whilst he was busy completing the last of his paperwork. His head tilted to you in confusion, your back turned to him as you spoke. Were you asleep? He was unsure. "Hm? Why's that?" "Milk... makes you taller... and snow is white... so it's milk." Ah, you were definitely asleep. And quite responsive at that! Snorting, he put down his pen and crossed his arms, body leaning back in absolute amusement. "Oh? I didn't know that." "Many don't... no one can know this secret..." "I see, who told you about it though?" "... The snowmen. They are watching."

Kaeya raised a brow at the ominous message yet it took everything in him not to burst into laughter. You certainly wouldn't remember saying any of that in the morning... but he would for sure.

》Lynette

"If I drank all the sea water in Fountaine, would the fish float in place?" Silence overtook the bedroom you shared with your sister, who was very much unamused. She just wanted to sleep, and yet, your mind didn't let her even in your sleep. Deciding to ignore you, she pulled the blankets over her head and prayed you'd stop soon. But alas, you still had a lot more to share. "I think they will, because they can actually fly and are lying to us..." More silence, and the girl had to realise that you were in a better mood than usual. It wasn't abnormal for you to talk in your sleep but this was getting ridiculous!

Taking a deep breath, she lowered her blankets and gave your sleeping form an unimpressed glance. "Stay quiet and go to sleep properly." She muttered, but you clearly didn't seem to hate her properly in your dreams. "And you know what...? If the fish can fly... then Freminet can probably fly, too... oh my god, he can-" You were shaken from your deep sleep by a door slamming shut, as your sister fast walked down to another room with her blankets in hand.

You had the nerve to ask her why she left in the morning, clearly not remembering what happened, but she simply ignored you as a response with a tired huff.

》AYAKA

The one time you and Ayaka were sleeping in the same room, it definitely took her by surprise to see you sleep talking. It was certainly not common in the family. But what worried her the most were your ominous words. "What-" "-The birds... are walking towards us." You hummed into the darkness of the room, making your sister sit up in confusion. Had she accidentally left the door to the outside open? No way... she would've noticed the strong wind seeping in. She couldn't make out your form in the dimness of the room and therefore assumed that you were awake at first. "Uhm... where are they?" "They are on my head now, all three of them... and they can sing... but they are also red, so they shouldn't be able to."

Blinking, Ayaka slowly turned to your form next to her and out a hand on your shoulder carefully. Leaning forward, she could only barely see your closed eyes, which confirmed that you were indeed sleeping. Ah, so that was it... you were somehow sleep talking? "Oh... well, tell them you have to sleep." "Okay..." With a small hiccup, you relaxed back into a deep sleep, and the silence was deafening.

She definitely brought it up to an awfully amused Ayato the next morning, who reassured that this was normal for you. Expect to be teased about it, too.

[amberjazmyn]

oh my god we're having a baby! 🫶

pairing : charles leclerc x fem!reader

summary : all the moments leading up to the birth of baby leclerc 

warnings : mentions of herve leclerc and jules bianchi, pregnancy, happy tears, some dodgy french translations in tiny italicised text, reader has a name (lilia)

a/n : this is for sure a one-shot i'm also going to do for carlos just because i love the idea of c2 as dad's lol - anyways, enjoy my lovers and don't feel shy about putting in a request or a comment

finding out about the pregnancy

lilia leclerc felt like shit. for the last two weeks she had been waking up at the break of dawn, sprinting down the hallway and straight to the bathroom. puking her guts up for an hour only to lose the nausea and disgusting scent and taste of vomit for the rest of the day. thankfully, this had been happening during the summer break so charles wasn't away racing since he was a well-known formula one driver for the scuderia ferrari. 

"...mon ange my angel, are you okay?" charles' morning voice his wife found so attractive came up from behind her

"sorry, did i wake you, bebe baby?" lilia whined, lifting her head up out of the toilet as charles breathed a sigh of relief 

"no, i've been awake for a couple of minutes. are you sure you're okay?" charles lowered himself down to reach his wife, a comforting hand on her back 

"i still feel bad that you're awake, charlie! it's summer break, you should be relaxing! and, honestly, i've been feeling like shit the last two weeks..." lilia trailed off as her eyes widened and it seems as though charles' did as well 

"...two weeks this has been going on? bebe, when was the last time you got your period?" charles asked, remembering that it had now been an entire year since she had her birth control implant removed 

her eyes widened even more, "umm, the last time i got my period?" charles nodded his head, "i...i don't know? i can't remember the last time i had my period..." lilia was now slightly worried that she was now pregnant 

not because she didn't want to be pregnant. of course she did. it was her biggest dream to be a mum. in the same way it was charles' biggest dream to become a dad. however, with him now as the number one driver for ferrari, she was worried that maybe right now wasn't the right time. they hadn't even been married for a full year yet and the topic of babies hadn't been mentioned since lilia had went to get her birth control implant removed because her and charles were wanting to start the journey of trying for kids. however, during that period, every time lilia missed a period or thought she had morning sickness like right now, all the tests she and charles excitedly took always came back negative. so, they gave up and just decided to stop trying so hard with the hope that maybe, the one time that they weren't trying so hard, that they'd get a positive. 

"...bebe, do you still have any pregnancy tests left from months ago?" charles then questioned after silence as lilia nodded her head, the nausea suddenly disappearing in the same way and at the same time like it had been the last two weeks 

"umm, yeah, i think so. they should be in the top shelf next to the basin," lilia sat up more, leaning against the wall, charles taking a proper look at his wife 

and it was clear that like every other day the past two weeks, the nausea was gone and she was no longer pale and sweaty. at this point, there was no other explanation other than lilia being pregnant. in charles mind, this was the worst bout of morning sickness he had ever seen her go through. even during all the negatives when they were actually trying to get pregnant, all the signs and symptoms they thought were because of pregnancy were never at this extreme. 

so, charles grabbed the pregnancy tests and gave them to his wife. only hoping and praying that a miracle would happen. at this point, with charles job being so hectic, it was clear that now he was married, he was beyond ready to start the motions of slowing down and building a life outside of formula one. and, he had already completed the first step by making lilia his wife. now, his next step was making them maman and papa. 

after lilia had taken three of the pregnancy tests, now it was the waiting game for mr and mrs leclerc. and it was agonizing. the waiting was the worst part of it all. charles and lilia were usually patient people however, when it came to waiting for the results of something as life-changing as a pregnancy test, it was brutal and excruciating. they just wanted to know if they were going to be parents or not. it didn't make sense to them that they had to wait an entire three minutes to see if the pregnancy tests had come out as positive or negative. 

and three minutes later, their life was forever changed. with her phone recording every moment of this, the best moment of the video was when it had been captured that all three pregnancy tests had come back positive as well as the reactions of lilia and charles. lilia had unknowingly been pregnant for an entire trimester when she and charles went to visit her ob/gyn just to make sure the positives weren't false later on in the week. 

"...oh my gosh...charles...i'm pregnant!" lilia whispered, her hands shaking as she handed him the three tests that all read positive - the iphone camera still recording

charles' eyes immediately welled with tears as his hand covered his mouth, "je suis tellement heureux! nous allons être parents, chérie!" his voice cracked, tears streaming down his cheeks as he pulled his wife in for a hug i'm so happy! we're going to be parents, darling

not caring that this video of him crying over finding out his wife was pregnant would eventually be made into a youtube video and put on the internet, charles was overjoyed with emotions that he didn't care that he was crying his eyes out. at this point, he was now just waiting for the moment that he could shout this secret out to the world. 

announcing the pregnancy

and thankfully, charles and lilia leclerc wouldn't have to wait too long before they could announce the exciting news for the whole world to see. after doing a cheeky photoshoot with the help of charles' brothers, arthur and lorenzo, the married couple posted the photos to their instagrams in a joint post. using that as their announcement to those that they couldn't tell in person. having only told charles' family as well as lilia's in person. sadly, the rest of the f1 grid, because it was summer break, found out over text in their cheeky little f1 group chat that they have together. but, to fully announce it publically, they decided an instagram post by the both of them would be their best bet. 

liked by arthurleclerc, leclerc_pascale, maxverstappen1, scuderiaferrari, carlossainz55, pierregasly and 12,000k others

charlesleclerc and lilialeclerc well, how has your summer break been everyone? this has been ours, the leclerc's continue to grow 

view all comments

arthurleclerc do you know how hard it's been to keep this secret for? 

charlesleclerc arthurleclerc how do you think i feel? 

leclerc_pascale my babies are having babies! 

lilialeclerc leclerc_pascale we love you maman, we can't wait for baby leclerc to meet her grand-mère

maxverstappen1 congratulations you two! you'll be amazing parents! 

lilialeclerc maxverstappen1 thank you maxie! we cannot wait!

scuderiaferrari cannot wait to meet the little leclerc! making all the baby ferrari merch as we speak

lilialeclerc scuderiaferrari and we'll be the first to purchase the merch!

carlossainz55 congratulations, baby leclerc will be the most spoilt baby in the world! 

lilialeclerc carlossainz55 thank you carlitos! and yes she will and we cannot wait to shower her with all of it

pierregasly congratulations to you guys! i call being godfather! 

lilialeclerc pierregasly thank you pierre and don't be announcing things too early!

finding out the gender of the baby

the next exciting milestone for baby leclerc after announcing the news was finding out the gender. even though charles and lilia wanted to wait until birth so it could be a surprise, which is what they had told the technician at their last appointment and she respected that. but, it was at their most recent appointment that when it was offered to tell them the gender, that they couldn't wait any longer. they just had to be told now that the ob/gyn had mentioned it that she could absolutely tell them the gender of their baby if they had changed their minds about waiting until the birth. 

"...lilia and charles, from the looks of these scans, baby looks amazing which is always what we want to hear. and now because it's gotten to the point where we are absolutely confident about the gender, if you guys have changed your mind and no longer want to wait until birth, would you like me to tell you guys the gender of your baby?" the ob/gyn asked, her smile bright and her voice soft and calm 

with her head trying to look over at the ultrasound screen so she could see the baby, it was clear that the husband and wife were done with waiting and were wanting to know the gender of their baby. 

"i know we said we wanted to wait but, is it okay if we get told the gender? i don't think we can wait any longer!" lilia giggled in embarrassment, her face flushing a sweet pink colour as the technician nods her head and smiles back 

"*giggles* i can absolutely do that for you, lilia and charles! so many mums, first time ones especially, think they have the patience when it comes to knowing their baby's gender but they never do. so, this happens majority of the time however, i think by the time you get to your second or third, you become more comfortable with having the patience to wait until the birth to find out the gender," the techncian giggles which causes lilia and charles to giggle as well 

their 'guilt' of not being patient enough dwindles away quickly for the leclercs as the technician quickly prints out two pieces of paper. one that shows the gender of the baby on a printed out ultrasound photo and another one that has the colour to indicate if the baby is a boy or a girl.

but, before giving them the documentation and the little coloured square, she tells them, "so, if you just look here, at the screen, lilia and charles, i am happy to announce that you guys are having a baby girl..." the technican announces, a soft smile covering her face as she notices the tears that had welled up in the eyes of charles had made their way down his cheeks, lilia's face not too far away from being identical to her husbands 

"...oh wow..." charles' voice breaks, his lips trembling and his shaky hand that wasn't squeezing his wife's shoulder was over his mouth to cover his shaking smile that took over his entire face

lilia could only smile at how emotional her husband was getting at the news of them having a baby girl. however, if she had looked at the image on the ultrasound screen of their baby girl, she too would have cried the same exact way as charles currently was. 

"...oh, bébé, ne pleure pas. c'est bon!" lilia giggled, her voice lightly emotional as she brushed her hand against charles' chin as his tears weren't stopping, the ob/gyn now out of the room oh, baby, don't cry! it's okay

"j'essaye mais je ne peux pas m'arrêter de pleurer!" the husband and wife giggled, charles' tears really weren't stopping, even with the amount of tissues lilia had given to him in an effort to stop them i'm trying but i can't stop crying

finally, five minutes later, charles's tears did eventually stop and after notifying their ob/gyn, lilia got cleaned up from the gel that was used for the ultrasound and after getting some additional information about when their next appointment was, their current appointment was finished. and then they were allowed to leave their appointment with an extra exciting piece of news that their baby leclerc was a girl. now all they had to do was announce in some sort of other interesting way that they were having a little girl. and, the way they did that was with a gender reveal cake that they had done together. since lilia's mum and sister were bakers, she asked them to make the cake, telling them it was a girl which was a very sweet moment. 

then, announcing it to everyone else, with that cake, charles and lilia with their two plastic wine glasses, dug them into the cake and out to reveal the pink buttercream icing that was in the middle of the all white loveheart cake. 

liked by francisca.cgomes, maxverstappen1, leclerc_pascale, kellypiquet, pierregasly, carlossainz55 and 21k

charlesleclerc and lilialeclerc baby leclerc is a girl 🩷

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francisca.cgomes i'm still crying! baby girl is going to be so loved and spoilt by her aunty kika! 

lilialeclerc francisca.cgomes don't cry you'll make me cry! baby girl loves her aunty kika already!

maxverstappen1 baby leclerc's now going to be even more spoilt 🩷

lilialeclerc maxverstappen1 of course she is! wouldn't expect anything less from her uncle maxie!

leclerc_pascale cannot wait to meet my first granddaughter 🩷

lilialeclerc leclerc_pascale she can't wait to meet you either, maman 🩷

kellypiquet having a baby girl is wonderful! you guys will be amazing girl parents 🩷

lilialeclerc kellypiquet we truly cannot wait, kelly! 

pierregasly this little girl is blessed with the best parents and aunties and uncles! 

charlesleclerc pierregasly you just made lilia cry! 

carlossainz55 charles as a girl dad is for sure what i expected 🩷

charlesleclerc carlossainz55 another comment that has made my beautiful pregnant wife cry

the birth of baby leclerc

since finding out the gender and before lilia went into labour, it was coming to the end of the summer break before the season started back up again. and because lilia was pregnant, it had felt like summer break had just come and gone by the click of a finger when really, to the other wags and drivers, it felt like the summer break had started to drag on towards the end. but, because lilia wasn't too far away from giving birth, fred vassuer, ferrari's team principal, had actually very sweetly, given charles early paternal leave so he could at least be in monaco when lilia gives birth. which meant that ollie bearman, the reserve driver for ferrari who was still driving for f2 was once again brought in after he had his debut whilst carlos had his appendix taken out at the beginning of the season. however, all the drivers had kept the leclerc's in the loop about what was going on and how midseason training had been progressing since charles had been exempt from that as well since lilia was so far along that it was now a matter of when not if to the date of her falling into labour during the first week back of the season. 

and it seemed as though no one was more ready for the day that lilia fell into labour then charles. it had been a quite slow, lazy day for the family of two until it had become obvious that they were now hours from becoming a family of three. 

lilia had been feeling as though the little baby had dropped even lower in her womb as though the little girl was ready to be welcomed into the world. however, it wasn't until she tried to move herself off of the exercise ball and her waters broke that she realised it was finally time for the baby to be born! 

"...charles...i think my waters just broke..." lilia's voice came out as shaky and it was the first time she had sounded so scared, her eyes huge and frightened at her husband who shot up from his spot on the kitchen counter 

"...okay...it's okay bebe, just breathe alright? we'll be fine, we know what we're doing, i'm here, you're here! everything that we need is in the car so all we now need to do is get ourselves into the car and down to the hospital! just keep on breathing baby, you are doing perfectly well!" charles' voice came out as strong, confident and completely sure of himself and what he was doing 

it broke his heart to see the tough exterior that his wife had put up throughout her entire pregnancy finally falter at the exact moment of her waters breaking. whilst it wasn't obvious to everyone, not even fully obvious to charles since she wasn't one to let anyone know, but it was clear to charles just from this interaction as they got into their car to drive to the hospital, that lilia was utterly terrified to actually get to this stage of the pregnancy and give birth. everyone that knew lilia knew she hated showing fear but, if she was to show fear about any place or anything, it was the hospital. to her, the hospital meant bad things. to her, the hospital meant death and despair. because for lilia, every time she had been in a hospital, it ended with her on the sterile floor in hysterics because someone she loved had died. 

with charles' strength and confidence on the way to the hospital that everything was going to be okay, it was clear that that strength wasn't going to stay for the entire duration of the labour and delivery of their little girl. because, like every other to be father before him, charles was always confused why so many new fathers would be crying whilst watching their wife/significant other give birth. it made sense if their partner was crying since it was them doing all the hard work of growing the baby for nine months and then giving birth to the baby. however, what charles was yet to realise was the reason why the new fathers would be so emotional. it wasn't a lie that it made charles upset to see his wife in so much pain. it was agonizing for charles whenever he had to bear witness to his wife being in pain or in tears. however, he didn't realise just how upset he would be to see his wife in the excruciating pain that she went through whilst giving birth to their baby girl. 

from the very beginning of the leclerc's arriving at the hospital in monte-carlo, it was obvious that this labour wasn't going to be an easy simple one. it was going to take hours and it was going to be painful and excrucitating. at first, they had hoped that lilia would be able to have a natural birth however, it had been discovered quite quickly that a natural birth was not going to be happening. so, they had to unfortunately induce lilia and have the baby delivered via c-section and the entire time, charles had to watch helplessly whilst his wife was put under, having no clue what was going on and that their little girl had been born. 

the entire time that his and lilia's little girl had been delivered via induced c-section, charles was inconsolable. he was crying more than he was the last time they had an appointment about baby leclerc. the midwifes and other doctors and nurses that were in charge of taking care of his wife could tell just how much agony and grief this entire situation had put charles through but they couldn't do anything more than offer him comforting words and comforting hugs whilst they assured him that both his baby and his wife were fine and that as soon as baby was out, that lilia would be taken out of the induction and would be woken up again. 

however, those words of comfort and sweet hugs only did so much. it wasn't until the cries of his little baby girl and of his wife were heard, announcing to the world that both baby and mum were okay that charles would finally breathe. now the tears pouring down his cheeks weren't tears of agony, fear and grief but of relief and utmost joy that he was finally a dad to the most gorgeous looking baby he had ever locked eyes with. 

with his head resting against the hospital bed, his hand tangled in lilia's hair and the other one hovering over the back of their little girl, charles was in heaven. he finally understood why new fathers got so emotional when their partners gave birth to their children. it all made sense to him now that it had happened to him. not only were the tears there because it was excruciating watching his wife in so much pain but also because it now settled in that he was now a father himself. the tears no longer tears of grief and agony but of pure happiness and joy. he was now the parent of this little miracle that was laying atop her mother's body, their breathing intertwining into one whilst charles kept his focus on his two girls. tears still streaming down his cheeks, quietly this time, the sobs no longer present as he was now as calm as the little girl that was fast asleep on the body of her mother. 

finally, lilia spoke up in their native french, whispering, "...même si j'aime le calme, nous devons choisir un nom pour notre petite fille, char..." the look on his wife's face as she said that was never going to leave charles' mind as he smiled at her as much as i love the quiet, we need to choose a name for our little girl, char

"...et juliette marie antoinette harriett leclerc? jules pour faire court?" charles whispered back, his voice sounding light like a feather as lilia smiled at the name choice what about juliette marie antoinette harriett leclerc? jules for short

"juliette marie antoinette harriet leclerc...c'est un personnage parfait." lilia smiled sweetly, her lips kissing his cheek, not able to reach his forehead due to the way she was inclined in the hospital bed juliette marie antoinette harriet leclerc...it's perfect char

wiping away one of many tears from her husband's cheeks, she then picked up little jules and wordlessly gestured if he wanted to hold their little girl. since he still hadn't done that yet since there was so many things going on that he hadn't yet had the chance to even get his first skin to skin with his daughter yet. 

"tu veux tenir jules, char?" lilia questioned, her voice getting tired as charles didn't hesitate in nodding his head you want to hold jules, char

and magically, as if lilia's midwife had powers of some sort, just as the husband and wife were getting ready to do the safe handover of baby jules from mum to dad, the midwife entered the hospital room. 

"mum, dad? sorry to bother you but, there are some guests that are itching to meet the little one...but, first, does dad want to hold her and does the little one have a name?" the midwife, emilia, smiled, slowly walking into the room and closing the door behind her as the new parents smiled up at the health professional 

"hey, you aren't bothering us at all, emilia, and we'd love to have the guests come in but, yeah, charles is wanting to hold her since he wasn't able to earlier because of everything that had happened. and, yeah, we have actually just finished up the name conversation, little leclerc finally has a name," lilia giggled as emilia smiled, walking over to the computer so she could input the name into the birth certificate that was to be printed out 

"amazing! i'll let the guests in soon after we give daddy and baby some skin to skin which i'll help with so, no worries there. but, now that you've mentioned that you've got a name for the little one, i'll be happy to hear it!" emilia smiled excitedly with a cheeky giggle as they quickly decided that inputting the name first would be the better option and then have emilia show and help charles in holding their little girl

 "thank you, emilia! and baby's name is juliette marie antoinette harriett leclerc," lilia announces as emilia's face scrunches up, a hand on her heart as she types it out on the birth certificate 

"any meaning behind the adorable name?" emilia asks as she finishes typing before sending it off to the receptionist printer 

"juliette for charles' godfather jules bianchi, marie because it was my mum's name, antoinette for one of charles friends who we lost during an f2 race, anthoine hubert and harriett is what we're saying the female version of charles' dad, herve who sadly has also passed away," lilia explained as charles nodded his head, the joy in his eyes not going way even at the mention of the fact that every single name of his daughter was in tribute of someone he's lost in his life, with the exemption of lilia's mother, marie

emilia smiled softly, "that's a perfect name and i'm sure jules, marie, anthoine and herve are bursting at the seams with joy from wherever it is they are watching from. baby jules is going to be so protected. well, the birth certificate has now been sent for printing at the receptionist printer but whilst we wait for that, lilia if you could give me juliette, i'll now be able to assist charles in his first skin to skin with her," emilia moves away from the computer and to lilia's bed and without hesitation, lilia happily hands baby juliette over to her 

emilia then holds baby juliette easily as she waits for charles to take off his shirt and figure out whether or not he's comfortable to stand for his first hold of his baby or if he'd feel more comfortable sitting down. deciding to sit down first, just to be safe, emilia easily hands baby juliette over to her daddy and instantly, baby juliette just curls into her dad's body with ease. as though she was her dad's missing piece. holding his baby girl felt like heaven and earth had finally joined together like a jigsaw piece. because he never imagined he'd have this moment. to charles, having a baby was a heavenly thought, a dream, that he thought he'd never get in his life because he was so focused on his job with formula one. however, for charles, formula one no longer felt like his only purpose in life. his new purpose in life was now this little baby girl, little juliette, that was sleeping soundly in his arms as tears rolled down his cheeks. it seemed as though charles' tears would overflow the hospital because it seemed as though ever since arriving at the hospital, he hadn't stopped crying. and of course, with the help of emilia, charles and lilia were able to have photographical and video evidence of just how emotional charles had been the entire time. but, it wasn't something that charles was ashamed of. how could he when all this emotion was all due to this beautiful little girl that rested on his bare chest, his wife who had just given him this heavenly gift of their little girl, meters in front of him.

then, it was time for the rest of the family to meet little leclerc. the grandparents had already met little juliette and when lilia and charles told them, especially pascale, juliette's name, it was obvious just how meaningful her name was to them. however, those weren't the guests that emilia was referring to earlier. the guests that she was referring to was charles' f1 teammates. they had all been buzzing with every emotion under the sun as they waited for the moment them to finally get permission to meet their niece. 

f1 grid meeting baby juliette

charles was still having skin to skin time when emilia had allowed in the first influx of f1 drivers in the room to meet the little baby. with the permission of lilia and charles of course, the first group to meet baby juliette was pierre, carlos and max. their girlfriends francisca, rebecca and kelly had also joined in but were at the hospital bed next to lilia whilst the guys had gone straight over to charles before coming back to congratulate lilia as well. 

"...hey guys, come in!" charles whispered, lilia's face lighting up as she saw who it was that had walked in as he stood up, juliette still asleep in his arms 

max, pierre, carlos and the girls' faces all softened when they made eye contact with the newest arrival to the f1 family. all the emotions suddenly coming up, moreso from the girlfriends then the drivers. 

max being the most comfortable and composed one to speak up, "oh my gosh, charles, lilia, she's gorgeous and so tiny! what's her name?" he questioned, his eyes showing an emotion that was very rare to be seen by anyone as charles smiled at his childhood friend 

"thank you max, thanks guys! her name is juliette marie antoinette harriett leclerc," charles smiled, his voice still shaky from the tears he had finally stopped crying

at hearing the name of the little girl, the room fell into a silence, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. the looks on the faces of each of the drivers and their girlfriends were immediately the same as the faces made by the leclerc's when they had been told the name of little juliette. it was obvious to lilia, from one look at the drivers, pierre specifically, that those middle names, especially antoinette for him, was more meaningful than anything else. 

"that's a gorgeous name you two. and she suits the name as well." max whispers as his head tilts as he looks at the sleeping newborn, his finger lightly brushing her forehead as she smiles at the touch 

the drivers and girlfriends all look at one another after that touch. it seemed as though from that touch and smile response that juliette and uncle max were going to have a special bond. however, whilst that would be true, it wasn't until carlos came over, lightly brushing his lips against her forhead that she woke up. her eyes locking with carlos' and smiling at him. 

that very moment, charles and lilia knew that they had to have carlos as juliette's godfather. which was another thing that because of the whirlwind of emotions, the husband and wife had forgotten to discuss. however, it seemed as though it didn't need a discussion because it seemed like baby juliette knew for herself that uncle carlos was also going to be her godfather. with maybe uncle max as godfather number two or the godfather to her future sibling. 

whilst you'd think there would be a lot of talking between the group of nine, there really wasn't. it was a calm and serene quiet as each of the drivers and their girlfriends got to quickly hold little juliette with charles taking photos of each of them with their little niece. however, the one that they wanted to be printed out was carlos'. they wanted to announce to him, once they had gotten everyone else out of the room, that he was juliette's godfather. 

godfather carlos

saying their final goodbyes, the group of six drivers and girlfriends were now leaving charles, lilia and juliette, thinking that another group of drivers was going to be allowed in to meet little juliette. however, just before carlos could leave with rebecca, lilia and charles stopped him before he was fully out the door. 

"...carlos...wait, can you stay, for a minute? we want to ask you something..." lilia calls out, just before carlos could leave 

nodding to them, he then lets the other five know that he'll catch up with them later. giving a quick hand squeeze and kiss to rebecca, he then walks back into the room and closes the door behind him. 

"...yeah, i can stay, is everything okay? what do you want to ask me?" he questions as he notices charles and lilia, it was as though they were communicating with each other without speaking 

they then look back over at carlos and they ask him to sit down, which he does. now that he was seated, charles and lilia felt more comfortable telling him just in case he fainted or his legs turned into jelly. charles then asked if carlos wanted to once again, hold juliette, he accepted of course and holding her ever so carefully, waited patiently for what lilia and charles were going to ask him. 

"everything's perfectly fine, carlos, we just wanted to ask if you wanted to be juliette's godfather..." lilia asked softly as carlos' eyes widened as his grip on juliette tightened slightly but not too much to cause concern 

"...are you serious?" carlos' voice shook, his emotions now coming out now that it was just the three of them plus juliette - carlos not really one to cry in front of a lot of people 

"we're dead serious, carlos. you saw the way juliette seemed to latch onto you seconds after she did similar to max. we did think of making max maybe godfather number two *giggles* however, i think we'll make him godfather to baby two when we decide to have baby number two. but, right now, we seriously think that you're the right choice for juliette's godfather and we know we can trust you fully with her if anything god forbid was to happen to us before she's old enough..." lilia assured as carlos' eyes became watery and his lips started to quiver 

charles and lilia became a little worried when he didn't respond for a little bit. carlos' head had dipped down to rest on juliette's (which, in all honesty, nearly made charles and lilia cry at how sweet it was and before either forgot, they made sure to capture a quick photo) as his body started shaking. it had now become clear to the husband and wife that the simple question of them wanting carlos as juliette's godfather had hit an emotional chord for the spaniard and it also struck an emotional chord with them. 

sniffling, carlos finally lifted his head up and nodded his head, "...i'd be honoured to be juliette's godfather you two! i promise i won't let anything bad happen to juliette for as long as i am able to," carlos sniffled, his tears hitting his shoulder as his head was resting there in a bid to not get any of his tears on his goddaughter 

and seeing that image was priceless for charles and lilia. they both adored carlos and they really treasured their friendship with the spaniard. i think the reason why carlos was so emotional was because of everything with him leaving ferrari at the end of this season was now starting to hit him. and now that halfway through his final season with his teammate and with ferrari, the kid decides to have a baby himself, it made him even more emotional because he thought he'd never get a proper relationship with little leclerc because of his departure from ferrari. however, no matter where carlos would be in f1, whether that was alpine, mercedes, audi, charles and lilia would always look for him first when it comes to juliette. the baby now born before the end of their last season together. now it made sense why carlos had been so quiet when he had first come in to meet the baby with pierre, max, kika, kelly and rebecca. carlos was holding back all of this pent up emotions that were now coming out when asking him to be godfather. 

"we trust you carlitos. that's why we asked you. and it doesn't matter that you're leaving ferrari at the end of the season. no matter where you end up on the grid, whether it's mercedes, alpine, audi, we will always and we mean always look for you first when it comes to juliette. we love you carlos and you leaving ferrari doesn't change that. we really want you in our lives after this and that means you being a vital part of juliette's life!" lilia was adamant in getting carlos to believe that they really wanted him as their baby's godfather 

and, it finally seemed to be working. nodding his head and wiping away his tears, carlos held juliette ever so securely as he allowed the two parents to take more photos of them together. 

because, after that, it would be the announcement that everyone that was all caught up in the bubble of the birth of baby leclerc was hanging for. the announcement that baby leclerc has been born and introduced into the world. so, that's what they did. 

announcing baby juliette

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charlesleclerc and lilialeclerc introducing juliette marie antoinette harriett leclerc 🩷

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leclerc_pascale parfaite petite juliette 🩷 perfect little juliette

arthurleclerc juliette is perfect you two 🩷

maxverstappen1 uncle maxie loves you juliette. she's beautiful you guys🩷

kellypiquet the sweetest baby girl ever! you'll be beautiful parents 

carlossainz55 godfather carlos loves you, juliette, forever and ever🩷

pierregasly i've only just finished crying, mon dieu my god

scuderiaferrari isn't she just a precious little thing? can't wait to meet little juliette 

landonorris she's gorgeous, i'm actually going to cry when i meet her! 

francisca.cgomes i still can't get over her name! it's so beautiful 🩷

forzacarlos oh my gosh, juliette's name is all in tribute to those the leclerc's have lost! jules, herve, marie (lilia's mum) and anthoine, i can't i'm actually sobbing! 

fewarrifwends forzacarlos oh my gosh, you're right! that's actually so sweet and now i'm crying too! 

fin

this was a completely different format than i normally do but honestly, i love it more than i thought i would! i know i said in the authors note at the beginning that i'd do this for carlos as well but, now i'm actually really considering it because i loved this charles version so much! and, yes, i came up with baby juliette's name all on my own and i'm actually kind of proud of it! i truly do think that whenever charles and (possibly) alex or whoever he's with when that happens, decide to settle down in that regard of having kids, i do think no matter if it's a boy or girl, he'd pay tribute to jules and his dad herve in some type of way. and this was my version of it with the edition of anthoine hurbert and the fictional mother of lilia because i also feel like people forget that charles was also friends with anthoine, not just pierre so, i just wanted to honour that as well in the best way i could. 

©⠀amberjazmyn's original work. do not translate or steal any of my fics. 2024

[solivagant242]

losing you pt.7

remus lupin x f!reader

warnings: strong angst, losing a relationship, minor swearing (?)

pt. 1 pt. 2 pt. 3 pt. 4 pt. 5 pt. 6 pt.8

amberly is used as the MC here since i used to write a lot of fanfics with her, but feel free to self-insert or use whatever name you’d like <3

________________________________________

Amberly is fighting what feels like a losing battle.

She’s stopped trying to reach out. Stopped trying to talk, to hang out, to make plans. Every day the shell she’s built around herself gets a little thicker, a little harder.

She gets up in the morning. Early, which hasn’t changed at least. She goes for a walk by herself, her only company the fat gray squirrels chasing each other over the brown leaves in the gutter. She doesn’t kiss Remus’ forehead or ask him if he’d like her to warm some bread or start the kettle for tea. She makes him a plate of food, placed neatly under another one in the oven so it will stay warm, and then takes a shower and dresses in clothes she lay out the night before. Gone are the days of sleepy cuddles, of clinging to each other in the early morning hours, curled into each other like tired cats.

By the time Remus is out of bed, she tries to be gone and out of the house. Her job as a high-school math tutor has gone fully remote, as most of the students in the district are just starting school, so she’s taking calls from kids across the country or even the world. She takes her laptop, charger, and headphones to the little cafe down the street and curls up in her favorite window seat that overlooks the entrance. 

She heads back around four every day, so that she has time to make dinner and warm it up for him. After that she makes herself scarce. Heads to the library, headphones on, buries herself in a book or writing so that she doesn’t have to think. Loses herself so well there’s always a slight shock when she looks up and sees the dimming light around her.

And at night? Amberly keeps to her side of the bed. Curls herself around her pillow, hugging it to her chest, teetering on the very edge of the mattress with her back to Remus if she can help it. She doesn’t hug him. Doesn’t touch him or reach for him in her sleep. The nightmares that used to plague her are back, back with a vengeance now that she doesn’t have the solid comfort of Remus’ warmth against her. More often than not she finds herself leaving the bed in the gray hours of dawn, teeth chattering in the early chilliness of the house, to plaster herself against the soft plush of the couch and close her eyes, praying for the bad dream to end.

She doesn’t feel…anything? Maybe that’s not accurate; she knows she should feel something. Anger, like Lily had suggested. Or sadness at the rapidly growing pit that had once been their relationship. 

But all Amberly can feel is numb.

Every time she wants so, so so badly to reach out to Remus, to pet his hair or ask for a hug or rest her head on his shoulder, she just remembers that bitter, hateful rage behind her eyes when he spat those words at her.

“I don’t want you…”

And she wraps herself in gray silence like a cloak, the weight of unspoken words heavy on her tongue. 

Remus feels like he’s losing his mind. 

What’s worse is that he has exactly what he wanted. But now he doesn’t want it, not unless Amberly is there. 

He wanted to be left alone. He wanted for her to stop clinging to him, always asking if he was okay, if he wanted to do something together. He wanted some space to breathe, neglecting to realize that the only reason Amberly had been in his space was because she was trying to take care of him.

Well, now he has that.

She doesn’t text him anymore. Well, she does, but not like she used to. She’d send him good morning, i love you, i had a CRAZY dream about a bunny rabbit mixed with a Niffler…

Now he gets a morning, love you, food is in the oven.

She used to answer him right away. Always there, always ready- do you need me to make you that herbal mix for your bath? How about I fill you a hot water bottle? Love, would you like some popcorn or is your headache too bad?

He’s lucky if he gets a response within two hours now.

For the first time he knows how she felt. As it turns out, seeing the response ty to have a good day today love really, really hurts. 

She doesn’t hug him anymore. Well, she does, but not like she used to, wrapping her arms around him and burrowing into the crook of his neck like a sleepy cat. Her warm embrace has become a one-armed, uncomfortable bump together that she always stiffens at and leans away from as soon as possible. 

Amberly used to rest her head on his shoulder, grab his hand and interlock the fingers, hug him from behind, curl up in his lap. Now she barely touches him, and if she does, it’s quick and very plainly not wanted. She doesn’t look at him that much anymore either. That beautiful light from her brown eyes that he’d loved from the moment he met her is now dulled, maybe even extinguished completely.

Her presence in the house reminds him of a ghost. She dodges in and out like autumn mist, timing her leaving and arriving with his. He can’t remember the last time they sat in a room to have a conversation. Fuck, he can’t remember the last time they even talked, outside of short, brief exchanges: dinner’s on the table. I got your meds, they’re on the dresser. Already locked the door.

But through all that growing blackness, all he can think, a dull pulse in his ears, is this is exactly how you treated her, and you were stupid enough to think it was okay.

Amberly can feel herself fading. 

She’s lost weight. She doesn’t know how. Maybe when the whole thing had gotten really bad, when she had entirely lost her appetite for anything at all. Sleep. Physical affection (she cringed at the thought, imagining what Remus’ mind was probably on when he touched her- does she ever leave me alone? Why does she have to be around me, clinging to me, every second of the day?). Food. Water. 

Her eyes have shadows under them. In dim light, they look like bruises. As if she’s some weeping, scar-faced ghoul.

The only thing that she wants to do is watch the sunset. Watch the sky, and remember happier times. Even though that just makes her sadder with the memories that might have been but now probably never would be. 

She closes her eyes, curls around the pillow, and slips uneasily into a jerky sleep.

Remus stares at the ceiling next to her. 

He can feel it. Can feel his girlfriend slipping away from him, shutting down more and more every day. 

His eyes burn at the memory of those hateful words. Of what he’d said to her.

You fucking ruined things with the one person who cared more about you than themselves. All because you couldn’t just admit that you needed her.

And now she’s gone.

The guilt sloshes in his stomach. He can still see her brown eyes in front of him, puddled with tears. He can still hear the little noise she’d made when he spoke the words that broke her. As if a part of her had been suddenly, irreparably shattered. 

How could I have said that to her?

He turns to peer at Amberly, sleeping next to him.

She’s curled into a little ball around her pillow, and his throat swells with tears as he remembers how she used to cling to him. How she’d cuddle into his shoulder with a happy sigh, and he’d kiss her hair and tell her how much he loved her, how much he wanted her.

Now she doesn’t even want to look at me.

Remus closes his eyes.

I fucked up.

[grogwrites]

The Sound of Sunshine - L.N. 4

Part Two • Navigation

Summary: Lando vacations in Hawaii for the first time over the winter break, where he meets a carefree surfer who turns his world upside down

Pairing: Lando Norris x Female OC

CW: so much fluff that you might get a cavity, mentions of being hungover/vomiting, very slight swearing if you squint hard enough

A/N: 🌞💛 Divider by @enchanthings-a • Full Fanfic Soundtrack can be found here ✨

Word Count: 1.8k

* DISCLAIMER: I do not know any of the people in this fanfiction personally, these are all just the works of my imagination.

As the bright, Hawaiian sun filtered through the curtains in his suite, Lando groaned in annoyance. His head was throbbing in pain. He sleepily covered his face with his hands in a poor attempt to block out the light. He regretted his drinking yesterday, especially without any water. As he recounted his poor decision making skills, he was hit with a beautiful reminder:

Kiki.

He quickly dropped his hands, then clumsily fumbled for his phone on his nightstand. Even without the liquid influence in his bloodstream, Lando’s little crush was definitely still bubbling inside of him at the thought of the girl. When he turned on the device, he saw her familiar name flash across his screen:

Kailani: is the celebrity too busy for a bike ride later today? ;)

The lack of modern emojis made Lando laugh under his breath. Something about her made his adrenaline pick up speed, and crave for more. Like a damn drug. His thumbs quickly got to work, as they slid across the phone screen to type out a response.

Lando: Never too busy for you. What time?

As he locked it again, the realization dawned on him that he probably needed to make an attempt to cure his hangover—throwing up on a bike ride with a pretty girl was not something he wanted on his agenda for the day. He climbed out of bed, beginning the motions for his morning routine: shower, brush his teeth, get dressed, and continuously check his phone for any texts back. It was mildly embarrassing, having felt like he was a teenager all over again. 25 years old, and this hippie music teacher was driving him insane…in a good way, of course. In a great way. He had to remind himself that texting back on a flip phone took longer than it would on a smartphone, but god he was an impatient man.

Once he pulled a t-shirt on over his head, he grabbed the keys to his rental car and hotel room, then made his way towards the small restaurant in the resort—silently praying that they had something greasy for a hangover remedy. When his phone buzzed again in his pocket, he excitedly reached for it.

Kailani: school gets out just a little after 3. pick you up at 3:30?

Lando: it’s a date x

He wasn’t actually sure if that was her intention, but he wanted her to know that he had every intention on pursuing her. If there was anything he wanted to accomplish on this winter break, it was getting to know her. Lando was riding that vacation-situationship high, and he was going to ride the damn thing to the grave.

.

Kailani attempted to steady her breathing as she watched anxiously for Lando. Inviting him for this bike ride was a long shot, considering he was pretty far gone when they met yesterday. She wasn’t sure he would still be interested, or even remember her for that matter. She tugged at the straps on her overalls, finding literally anything to occupy her energy.

The weather was perfect today—not a cloud in the sky, or a breeze in the air. Kailani planned to take Lando through town to hopefully swing by her favorite smoothie bar, but it just depended on if he could bike that far. Sure, he said he was a race car driver, but she didn’t have anything in her disposal to back up his claim. She had her work computer, but with the Christmas program a few days away, she barely touched the thing within the last few weeks. Trying to wrangle over eighty kids in one small gymnasium was…a lot.

“Hey, stranger.”

The familiar British drawl pulled her from her thoughts, as she turned to find Lando sauntering over to her. Kailani was never very good at hiding her feelings, but why would she want to? Life was too short to try and beat around the bush—she made a promise to herself three years ago after treatment ended that she was going to live every day as if it were going to be her last. So, she smiled at him. She was going to continue to ask him on dates if he’d allow her, and she was going to make sure he knows that she’s interested in him. If you don’t swim, you’ll drown.

“You’re sober!” She happily observed, which elicited a laugh from him. His dimples alone could’ve killed her on the spot.

“If I knew I’d be meeting you yesterday, I probably wouldn’t have gone so overboard,” he replied with a shrug. He looked down at the two rental bikes that Kailani had propped up behind her. “Where’s your truck?”

“At home,” she explained while walking around the bikes. “I usually walk to work.” Lando frowned, then met her gaze again.

“How did you get these here?”

���I walked,” she repeated as she kicked the stand up on one of the bikes. She grabbed ahold of the handles, then swung her leg over to sit on it. “Now, are you done asking me questions, Romeo? I wasn’t aware that walking was such a controversial topic.”

“It’s not,” Lando laughed once more, holding his hands up in defense. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She watched as he climbed onto his bike. “You just…continue to surprise me.”

Kailani felt her heart flutter. Lando could say anything to her, and she’d swoon, she thought.

As they began their bike ride, they kept a comfortable pace, riding side by side. This was what she enjoyed the most about leaving her car at home: feeling the sun on her face, smelling the ocean, seeing the tourists and her neighbors walking through town…she loved life. She loved living. It took a lot of downhill slopes to get to where she was, but it was worth it—so beyond worth it. It was why she got rid of her phone, her TV, and her computer. It was why she often walked or biked around the island if the weather allowed—because it reminded her to look up at the world around her. She never wanted to miss a day, or a chance, or a moment ever again.

“So, Kiki,” Lando finally spoke up, breaking their comfortable silence. “Other than music and surfing, what do you do?”

“A lot,” she admitted. “Having no electronics has permitted me to learn a lot of different things. I crochet, sew, paint, make jewelry…sometimes I think I have too many hobbies.”

“You make jewelry?” Lando laughed. “Like what?”

“Mostly necklaces,” she smiled, glancing at him briefly. “I use shells that I find at the beach to make them.”

Kailani led them down a small side road, which she considered to be the scenic route to the smoothie shop. It took them through a small cobblestone path that was surrounded by palm trees, and beautiful plumeria trees. She could see Lando’s face light up at the different colors they passed, which made her chest warm. She wanted to do anything she could to make him smile like that again. She slowed her bike down by one of the trees, with Lando following in suit.

“Tell me more about your racing,” she requested as she propped her bike on its stand again. She began to pick a few plumerias—the orange ones were her favorite.

“Oh,” he paused. “Well, I began karting when I was seven. I’ve been in Formula 1 for almost six years, now.” Kailani looked over to him. She made her way back, handing him the plumerias she picked.

“So what exactly brings a race car driver to Honolulu?” She hummed as he tentatively accepted the plant from her. She watched the corners of his mouth twitch as he delicately held the orange flowers in his hand.

“Ah, a break,” he finally responded, meeting her gaze again. “We just won the Constructor’s Championship. I’m off until March.” She raised her eyebrows at him as she climbed back on her bike. He quickly followed, sticking the plumerias behind his ear.

“So does that mean I get you for a whole three months?” She teased as they turned back onto the main road. Lando smiled next to her.

“You can have me as long as you’d like.”

.

As they walked back to the resort, Lando had completely lost track of time. He didn’t even realize the sun was setting until they left the smoothie bar. By the time they returned the rental bikes, the sun was gone completely. He watched as Kiki happily chewed on her straw, observing their surroundings intently. Lando had noticed today that she was particularly intuitive to the world around them. She was emotionally present in their conversations, while also soaking in every ounce of energy that was around them. He could tell she loved where she lived, but he couldn’t blame her. It was beautiful here, and he was only three days into his trip. Despite knowing Kiki for a short twenty four hours, he somehow knew that leaving was going to be incredibly difficult. But he didn’t want to think about that. Not now, anyways. Not when things felt so…perfect.

“Can I give you a ride back to your house?” He offered. She looked up at him.

“If you would like to,” she sighed happily. “I’m used to walking at night, though.” Lando internally fought with himself on the decision to wrap an arm around her, before making himself pull the move. Much to his surprise, she seemed to reciprocate the gesture as she nestled herself closer to him. He could feel himself blush, and thanked god it was dark outside.

“Hmm,” Lando looked at the resort ahead of them, “I would like to give you a ride. I’d feel better about it, plus it gives me more time to spend with you.”

“How chivalrous,” Kiki teased, lightly nudging his chest with her elbow. “Lando, would you have any interest in joining me at the school tomorrow?”

“Am I even allowed to?” He laughed, looking down at her. He hadn’t even realized she was laying her head against him until now, which practically skyrocketed his heart into space.

“Of course,” she shrugged before taking another sip of her smoothie. He finished his drink ages ago, but he noticed she’s a rather slow consumer. “You could be my classroom helper for the day.”

“Wow, that sounds like a lot of responsibility,” Lando smirked as they stopped by his rental car. Kiki stepped out of the embrace, then looked up at him.

“It is,” she stated firmly, though her tone wavered with a hint of sarcasm. He could tell she was trying to hide her smile as she spoke. “So don’t mess it up, Romeo.”

“I won’t,” Lando held his pinky out to her. “I promise.” Kiki gave into the smile as she interlocked her finger with his. He held on to her hand for a moment, letting the simple gesture sink in. Who knew that something so small would eventually mean the world to him.

.

* None of my writing is available for reposting on other platforms. Reblogs, likes, and comments are appreciated.

©️ grogwrites, 2024

Taglist:

@lilaissa @cabbyhabs @gogeroni @fat-meh @xivilivix @henna006 @hadids-world @i-need-to-be-put-down @gigicisneros @ash88-yep

[fangdokja]

She lived for her God; he lived to see her fall.

❤︎ Synopsis. He claims to hate her, but his obsession says otherwise. A deadly game of spite and desire unfolds as enemies collide, and lines between hate, love, and possession blur in the most dangerous ways.

♡ Book. A Heart Devoured: A Dark Yandere Anthology

♡ Pairing. Yandere! Divorce Attorney x Fem. Reader

♡ Novella. Skin of the Saint - Part 3

♡ Word Count. 906

The church had become his arena—a battleground masked as a sanctuary.

When he returned the next morning, he lingered at the edge of the nave, leaning lazily against a stone pillar. From where he stood, half-shrouded in shadows, he could see you at the altar, oblivious to his presence. Your hands moved with a precise grace, adjusting candles, smoothing cloth, cleaning away dust as if every gesture was a word in a silent prayer. The stained glass filtered dawn’s light in muted colors across the floor, and yet you worked without pause, like time itself was irrelevant.

It bothered him—how you were always here.

It gnawed at him, that unwavering dedication you poured into this place, as though your entire existence had been reduced to servitude for a silent God who refused to acknowledge you. The thought alone set his teeth uncomfortably on edge. People like you shouldn’t exist, and yet you did. Right there. Living proof of a belief he had long since discarded, and that made something burn deep in his chest.

It wasn’t curiosity, he told himself. It was contempt.

Still, he watched.

“Doesn’t this get old for you?” His voice shattered the quiet, ricocheting through the stone walls and chasing away the morning calm.

You turned slowly, the faint glow of dawn catching on the edge of your veil as it framed your face. There was no surprise in your eyes, no sharpness, just an unshaken indifference that cut sharper than any blade.

“Why are you here again?” you asked. Your voice was soft, cool, and impossibly steady, as though he weren’t worth raising it for.

“The case.” The lie slipped from his mouth too swiftly. Maybe it wasn’t even a lie anymore. He couldn’t tell.

Pushing off the pillar, he strode toward you, his boots echoing across the stone as he crossed the distance in just a few steps.

“Most people would’ve told me to get out by now,” he said, that signature smirk twisting his mouth. “Guess you’re one of those turn-the-other-cheek types?”

You didn’t flinch. You barely seemed to register him at all as you returned to your work, your hands as steady as before. “I don’t waste time arguing with men who refuse to listen.”

“And what exactly are you doing that’s so valuable?” His tone sharpened with mockery. “Scrubbing floors? Praying to empty air? Polishing halos that don’t exist?”

Your hands paused—just for a beat—before you set your cloth aside. You turned to face him fully now, your expression calm and detached, though your gaze could have cut through steel.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh, I understand perfectly,” he shot back, venom coating every word as he closed the distance further. “You’re wasting your life on a fantasy. On a God that doesn’t answer, doesn’t give a shit—something that doesn’t even exist.”

“And yet you’re here,” you replied, a flicker of steel beneath your calm tone. “Why is that?”

The question made something snap in him. His smirk faltered, his jaw tightening as if your words struck a nerve he hadn’t realized was raw. He stepped closer, his presence looming now, a weight pressing down on the air between you.

“Maybe I enjoy watching you delude yourself,” he sneered, his voice low and dangerous.

“Or maybe,” you said quietly, your words cutting sharper for their softness, “you’re afraid I’m right.”

The accusation landed like a blow, one he wasn’t prepared to take. His fists flexed at his sides, twitching with an energy he couldn’t release. He didn’t like the way you looked at him—unmoved, unshaken, as though he were nothing but noise in the vast stillness of your world.

“You’re weak,” he scoffed, his voice a low mocking snarl. “Clinging to your faith because you’re too scared to face reality head-on.”

“You think devotion is weakness?” you asked, tilting your head slightly, the faintest edge of amusement breaking through your composure.

“I think it’s stupidity,” he spat.

“And yet here you are.” The words came softer now, but they hit harder for it. “Why do you keep coming back?”

His teeth ground together. He couldn’t answer that—or maybe he wouldn’t. Instead, he took another step, close enough to catch the faint warmth radiating off of you. Close enough to shake you if he wanted, to demand the reaction you refused to give him.

“Don’t pretend you know me,” he said, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly warning. “If you did, you wouldn’t be talking so freely.”

Your gaze didn’t waver. “And yet you’re still here.”

Turning away from him with infuriating calm, you picked up your cloth again, as if he no longer existed.

Something about it made his blood roar in his ears. He hated the way you dismissed him, hated the unshakable stillness you embodied. He wanted to tear it apart—to break you, to see what lay beneath the surface.

But as much as he loathed you, as much as he wanted to see you falter—he couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not with his pride on the line.

But worse yet, he couldn’t stop watching.

[eastwindmlk]

We are starting off @jilytoberfest with a little continuation of a Jilyweek drabble. Don't worry you don't need to go looking, it is right there with it.

Prompt: 🎶 “Before the dawn I hear you whisper in your sleep, ‘Don’t let the morning take him.’” 🎶 - Judas Priest - Before the Dawn.

Word count: 467

TW: Blood

“Move!” She yells, her hip slamming into his painfully as the green bolt of light flies right past him. Just a fraction to the right. If he had not staggered, if she had not pushed him, it would have connected easily. The smell of signed leather filled his nostrils and nearly made him gag.

Fuck. He thought, an arm grabbing onto Lily’s waist when she would not stop pushing. Leaning into him. There it held firm until he felt it. Slick and warm, slipping down her exposed skin. And for a moment he recalled their conversation from earlier that night.

About crop tops and distractions. Joking about wandering eyes and roaming hands on an uneventful stakeout. A night of whispered conversations and stifled laughter.

But she was slipping. From his grip and from consciousness. The weight she’d used so deliberately to save him from harm now sent him stumbling. Clutching onto her as best he could. If only he could find a moment of balance, a heel coming down hard and the sharp pain of a pinched nerve turned everything white for just long enough to find his focus.

James gripped Lily tight, find a clear picture, twist and… Pop!

Before this moment James never considered how far the apparition point was from the emergency entrance. Now, with Lily in his arms, the blood still hot and tacky on his hands he realized it. His feet were loud against the flagstone pavement, echoing through the night and ringing in his ears.

“Lily, stay with me okay? Just stay awake. Please, please, please stay,” he pleaded with her through strained vocal cords. His voice cracked and stumbled with every other word.

The lights lining the streets looked like starbursts through his tear-filled gaze, his steps staggering for a moment before he turned into the alleyway. “You’re going to be alright. We’re almost there,” he promised, no louder than a whisper.

James could almost see the light in the loading dock and he cried out for help his voice hoarse and grating. He doubted it was loud enough to reach more than a few steps in front of him. The entire earth quaked beneath his feet when a rush of green hurried his way.

Lily is pried from his arms and he catches a glimpse of her arm dangling limply off the side of the stretcher, her skin a sickly pale even under the yellow street lamps.

He didn’t know how to pray, but he’d seen Lily do it many a time. His trembling hands clumsily mimic those motions now before curling over his heart. James did not know if he should say something, or ask for someone in particular.

All he could do was beg, whoever was listening, not to let the morning take her away from him.

[thequeenofthewinter]

Work-in-Progress Wednesday

Hi, hi. It's been a while since I have posted my Idiots since I have been (and still am working on more Emmrich brainrot.) However, I thought it would be nice to get back to my roots and share with you what Ulfric and Dahlia are up to.

Tagging: @oblivions-dawn, @dirty-bosmer, @hircines-hunter, @skyrim-forever @bougainvillea-and-saltwater

@pocket-vvardvark @firefly-factory @illumiera @hannah-heartstrings @vivifriend

@theoneandonlysemla @sylvienerevarine @umbracirrus and anyone else who wishes to share. <3

23rd of Sun’s Dusk, 4E 203

Dearest Dahlia,

It has been so strange and too quiet with you not in the castle to fill the empty space between my thoughts. When I wake up every morning, I almost expect to find you next to me to tell me to, “stop thinking so hard” as you can “almost hear my worrying”. I promise you that this much has not changed, but that I am also trying to take care of myself.

Sylvi is doing just fine. Lydia and Narile have both taken it upon themselves to look after her most of the time. At least when I don’t have her. Normally, in the mornings I take her into my offic,e and she helps me with the endless mountains of paperwork there. (Don’t scowl at me. I’m teaching her young as she is the only heir we have.)

As for our “friend” downstairs, as promised he has been released, but under the tightest surveillance, and true to his word he has told us of other “problems” we might encounter here in Skyrim. I have dispatched some of the guards left here to help deal with them discreetly. I’ll be sending our friend out to Hammerfell with you and Galmar once this business is done. Lord Corolius currently rots in a cell in the Bloodworks as he waits for his execution date.

I pray to Talos every night to keep you safe.

Yours,

Ulfric

2nd of Evening Star, 4E 203

My bear,

Truly, it is good to hear from you as being so far from home has been rather difficult for me as well. Ralof was not joking when he said that Hammerfell is entirely unlike Skyrim. Not long upon crossing the border, we found ourselves in seas of sand and sun, endless heat following us everywhere we go. There is no escape from it. I miss the snow. I miss Windhelm. And more than anything, I miss you and Sylvi.

As for myself, I am holding together the best that I can…and trying to keep Galmar sane as well. Did you know he frets in his sleep just about as much as you do? Before you get any ideas, his tent is pitched right next to mine, so I can hear him very clearly. I’ve offered to have one of the mages make him a tonic, but the stubborn man refuses—much like you would were you here.

It is likely in the next few days that we will find a spot to make a more permanent camp. According to our sources, Queen Riyah’s sand riders are only a couple of days ride from where we currently are. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as much as I can.

…if I don’t melt first.

All my love,

Dahlia

17th of Evening Star, 4E 203

My heart,

I cannot begin to describe the feeling of complete and utter uselessness I hold when I think of you and our armies out in the field while I sit here and slog through meaningless paperwork. None of this matters in the grander scale of things. With each hour passing, my fingers itch more for the hilt of my waraxe than for that of the quill which I currently hold. 

Or perhaps it is that they yearn for the softness of your skin.

Forgive me for being an old fool, but your presence has been sorely missed in my bed. And before you go getting ideas, it is not only the intimacy I miss, it is your warmth more than anything that I long for. In these trying times, comfort is more valuable than gold, and you are my treasure.

Sylvi is doing well, so you need nor worry for her—even if I know you will still do so despite my reassurances. Recently, she has started crawling around the bear rugs we lay down for her in the Palace. She babbles as she tries to find more troubles to get into. Just like her mother, or at least that is what Lydia says as she chases her around the room. I’m inclined to agree with her, although I would say neither one of us are good at sitting still, so perhaps that comes from both of us.

Yours,

Ulfric

[starogeorgina]

Violent delights

Warnings: Swearing, violence, mentions of SA, character death

Pairings: Jacaerys Velaryon/oc

1.13

Dragons soared in the skies above, guarding Dragonstone, while you made your way towards the throne room. The lump in your throat became more painful; you’d never felt so guilty before. Your heart sinks when you finally see your mother sitting on the throne with tears glistening in her eyes and your husband standing by her side. His hands were classed behind his back, his jaw clenched tightly shut.

“Mother, Jacaerys.” You try to sound confident, but your voice is meek, making you sound like a child. “I don’t even know how to start. I’m sorry for leaving and going to the keep without telling you, either of you.”

Jace’s response was a mere hum.

“I’m glad that you’ve come home,” your mother says, a faint smile on her lips. “But praise tell us, how in the gods did you manage to leave Dragonstone, get into the keep, and get back on your own?”

You were confused by her question at first, but until it dawned on you, Daemon never told them the plan after you left, like he promised. But before you can say anything, Jace snaps, “How could you think that was a good idea? Do you have any idea what we went through? How would a mother have felt receiving a raven saying her daughter has handed herself over as a hostage to the same people who made her life hell?”

“I’m sorry.”

Tears shone in his eyes. “Not once has my loyalty to you ever been faulted. I love you unconditionally, and yet you didn’t trust me enough to tell me what you were planning.”

The look on Jace’s face broke you. It was never your intention to hurt him so much. All you wanted to do was keep your family safe. You attempt to reach for his hand, but he backs away. “Jacaerys, please.”

He storms out of the room without looking back.

You lock eyes with your mother, and mentally, you pray for her to understand what you have to say. "I was trying to do the right thing and protect my family.”

Your mother was starting to lose her patience. “It was admirable but incredibly reckless; you could have been killed. As your mother, I’m overjoyed to have my daughter home safely, but as your queen, I forbid you from leaving Dragonstone again without my permission. From now on, you are not to leave Prince Jacaerys' side, and if you do, there will be consequences.”

Tears spill from your eyes. “He won't want to be around me right now.”

“You left without telling anyone, Lyarra; how did you think Jace would react? We’re lucky the raven arrived when it did, as Jacaerys and Daemon were making arrangements to send out every dragonrider they could to look for you.”

“Daemon did?”

“Yes,” she says, taking in your surprise. “Why wouldn’t he?”

“I only went into the keep to allow assassins Daemon hired into the castle.” You were shaking with a mixture of adrenaline and anger. “He knew where I was the entire time. He said he’d inform you and Jace of the plan in the morning.”

Her gaze burns into you; you've never seen fury in her eyes like this before. She licks her lips. “What plan?”

You explain in full detail everything that happened from the moment you left Dragonstone to returning. You expected her anger, but for her to look so disappointed in you.

Your mother's expression hardened. “You may go and find Jacaerys.”

“Thank you, your grace.” You go to leave, but turn back to look up at your mother, who was fighting to hold back tears. “Is my grandmother really dead?”

She looks up and nods. “Princess Rhaenys died a true dragon rider's death.”

Your lip trembles as you leave the throne room, but instead of following your mother's orders, you go looking for your stepfather to demand answers.

—

You find Daemon in his study, holding his head in his hands as he stares down at the map in front of him. His forehead creased as he no doubt thought about what his next move would be. He lets out a sound of annoyance. “Did you do as I asked?”

His question left a sour taste in your mouth. Daemon didn’t even turn his head to look at you or ask if you were actually okay. “Yes, I kept my word, but why didn’t you? Jacaerys thought I had been kidnapped, and my mother was beside herself that I was gone!”

“You did leave,” he says plainly.

You storm to the opposite side of the table as him and slam your hands on top of the map, which causes him to finally look at you. “Jace looks up to you as a father; how could you not tell him?”

He cuts you off; his tone is sharp and authoritative. “Jacaerys' anger would have been directed at me, not the greens. He would have lost focus on what is important.”

“Nothing is more important than family! I could maybe understand not telling them right away, but you were going to allow Jace to send out the very few dragon riders to look for me!” Feeling warm and flustered, you remove the thick black cloak you’d yet to remove since arriving home and toss it over one of the chairs.

Daemon practically snarls at you, “Why are you wearing a green fucking dress?”

“Because Aegon wanted me to wear it and have my hair styled like Alicent’s for when he decided to visit the bedchamber I was being kept in.”

Disgust crept into his features as Daemon thought about how disturbing it was that Aegon wanted you to look like his mother. “I let Jacaerys and Rhaenyra focus on you being taken because it was the distraction I needed.”

You didn’t understand Daemon’s reasons for doing things, but you did know he loved his family, and the loss of two sons and a daughter would have broken most men but not him. He was going to fight with every fiber he had to defend his house until the end. “The only way we can win this war is if there are no more lies and secrets between us. I’m going to tell Jacaerys everything, including things that I haven’t even admitted to myself.”

“I shall do the same with our queen; I just hope she is a little more merciful than I imagine the prince will be.”

—

Your eyes sting as more tears fall from them. All you wanted was to keep your family safe, if only your husband would fully let you explain that. Since arriving in your bed chamber, he has given you the cold shoulder and only spoken when necessary. Jacaerys would often need to be alone to process things properly, but he no longer had that option. Neither of you spoke as the ladies prepared a bath for you; the first time you speak again is when you thank them as they leave.

“Fuck,” you hiss when you finally start to remove the horrid green dress. The tight fabric rubs against your breasts, which have become increasingly swollen and sore due to not being able to nurse your son.

Jace, who was sitting on the bed, let out a deep sigh and uncrossed his legs. He mumbled something before leaving the room.

Frustrated, you end up ripping the dress off before quickly throwing on your robe to make your way to the bath in another room within your quarters. You hear footsteps behind you but don’t look, assuming that Jacaerys has returned. It’s not until a figure steps out in front of you that you realize how wrong you were.

“I’ve been waiting hours to get you alone.”

“Ja—” you try to scream for your husband but are stopped when Aemond wraps his hands around your throat and begins to squeeze.

“You’ve made a fool of my brother for the last time.”

You try to fight him, but it’s no use since he’s much stronger than you. Jacaerys had probably left to go speak to your mother or Daemon, so he wouldn’t be back for some time. He wouldn’t be back in time. You would never see your babies again. Gods, Jace would return and find you dead. Black spots appear in your vision, and memories of your children, your sweet children, flash before your eyes, but then everything is a blur as you abruptly land on the ground with a thud. It takes a moment for your vision to return to normal, and you see Aemond lying in a puddle of his own blood with a sword sticking out of his back.

You try to scream, but nothing comes out. When you feel someone touching your shoulder, you try to lash out at them until you notice it’s Jacaerys. He pulls you into his arms and says, “You're safe now; I’ve got you.”

You sob into his chest. “I didn’t think you were coming back. I thought I’d die without getting to tell you how sorry I am. I should never have left without telling you.”

“None of that matters now,” he says. Gently, he tilts your head back so he can inspect your neck. “It’s bruising already.”

Jace promptly stands and lifts you to your feet. You glance down to see that your uncle's blood was spreading across the ground and had just reached where you were sitting seconds prior.

There’s a soft knock at the door, then it’s pushed open. “I’ve brought the tea to help relieve the princess’s pain that you asked fo—”

Elinda Massey, one of your mother's ladies in waiting, dropped the tray of tea in her hands and began to scream at the sight in front of her, causing the knights who were guarding the halls outside your quarters to rush inside.

“Tell the maester to come immediately; the princess has been attacked!” Jacaerys orders. “The queen and prince Daemon must be informed of what’s happened at once!”

—

You reposition the cold compress that’s loosely wrapped around your neck to help reduce swelling. Elinda insisted on having another bedchamber prepared for you and Jacaerys to sleep in, but you declined and announced you’d be spending the night in the nursery so you could feel close to your children.

Jacaerys kisses your forehead, your nose, and then your lips softly. “I was only so angry because I was scared.”

“I was terrified I’d never get to see you again,” you confess. “And I don’t think the gods will ever forgive me, as no man or woman is as accursed as the kinslayer. But I’d do it again; I’d do it a thousand times over and over because I love you and our children.”

“Why did it need to be you, though?” He whispers.

“Anyone else would have been slaughtered on sight,” you say, taking his hand in yours as tears roll down your cheeks. “Aegon told me how he wanted to torture you. He said he’d find Aemma and take her from us, then kill our other children. He said he’d have Ser Criston hold you down as he and his brothers took turns forcing themselves on me before sending our heads to our mother as a gift.”

Absolutely sickened by his uncle's words, Jacaerys didn’t know what to say to comfort you, so he held you close as you waited for your mother and Daemon to arrive.

[rosella-writes]

solavellan rivalmance things

since I'm replaying Virelan's file and she and Solas are actively hostile to one another in Haven, I thought I'd write up my idea of how it'd go if the da2 rivalmance system stayed in place and was better

the only two elves at the heart of chantry forces in the middle of a mage rebellion for how long? surrounded by people who assume they'd get along by nature of their matching ears? just adds insult to injury that Varric jokes about their conflict from the very first instant they speak (they're not Fenris and Merrill, Varric, please I'm begging)

they're drawn together by familiarity that's on this side of wrong, more willing to sit together and fight than be alone and at peace

the nights grow longer and so do their arguments, which turn into debates, which turn into stories, until it's almost dawn and neither of them have slept

Lavellan calls him 'flat ear' — he curses them in elvhen so old that their Dalish dialect can't parse it apart

Lavellan clings to Dalish tradition and prays the prayers every morning in camp, just to spy Solas regarding them with something like pity, or grief

he corrects their elvhen pronunciation and grammar — they call him 'hahren (derogatory)'

"I saw it in the —" "Elgar'nan, we know!"

Lavellan dismisses blood magic as evil and spirits as non-persons but they keep asking questions, more and more questions, and Solas isn't sure if they're asking because they're curious or because they want to mock him

he doesn't stop answering though

Lavellan notices at first that he only looks at their vallaslin when he speaks to them... and by the time they close the Breach, he glares into their eyes

Lavellan protects him, like they promised, and they shout at him to be more careful

Solas heals their wounds and scolds them under his breath… but it sounds suspiciously like worry

Lavellan tells Solas to go when Corypheus attacks Haven, pushes him towards the Pilgrim’s Path and doesn’t let him follow as they distract the dragon alone

He searches for them in the snow in the aftermath, a mournful, enraged wolf howling in the storm — why could they not have listened?

Lavellan’s alive

The sensible choice is to lead them to his home, his heart, where he held the sky back — he feels it too as Skyhold falls in love with Lavellan and their Inquisition

They find him in a dream, and things are easier for him in the Fade

“You’re the one who started with tongue” “I did no such thing!”

I mean I could go on lol