#so i would have to contact a LOT of places about the updated number

[ambersky0319]

I'm debating if it would just be easier to get a whole new phone/phone number and just have my grandpa cancel my line once I get it

[fiercynn]

on ao3's current fundraiser

apparently it’s time for ao3’s biannual donation drive, which means it’s time for me to remind you all, that regardless of how much you love ao3, you shouldn’t donate to them because they HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY AND NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH IT.

we’ve known for years that ao3 – or, more specifically, the organization for transformative works (@transformativeworks on tumblr), or otw, who runs ao3 and other fandom projects – has a lot of money in their “reserves” that they had no plans for. but in 2023, @manogirl and i did some research on this, and now, after looking at their more recent financial statements, i’ve determined that at the beginning of 2024, they had almost $2.8 MILLION US DOLLARS IN SURPLUS.

our full post last year goes over the principles of how we determined this, even though the numbers are for 2023, but the key points still stand (with the updated numbers):

when we say “surplus”, we are not including money that they estimate they need to spend in 2024 for their regular expenses. just the extra that they have no plan for

yes, nonprofits do need to keep some money in reserves for emergencies; typically, nonprofits registered in the u.s. tend to keep enough to cover between six months and two years of their regular operating expenses (meaning, the rough amount they need each month to keep their services going). $2.8 million USD is enough to keep otw running for almost FIVE YEARS WITHOUT NEW DONATIONS

they always overshoot their fundraisers: as i’m posting this, they’ve already raised $104,751.62 USD from their current donation drive, which is over double what they’ve asked for! on day two of the fundraiser!!

no, we are not trying to claim they are embezzling this money or that it is a scam. we believe they are just super incompetent with their money. case in point: that surplus that they have? only earned them $146 USD in interest in 2022, because only about $10,000 USD of their money invested in an interest-bearing account. that’s the interest they earn off of MILLIONS. at the very least they should be using this extra money to generate new revenue – which would also help with their long-term financial security – but they can’t even do that

no, they do not need this money to use if they are sued. you can read more about this in the full post, but essentially, they get most of their legal services donated, and they have not, themselves, said this money is for that purpose

i'm not going to go through my process for determining the updated 2024 numbers because i want to get this post out quickly, and otw actually had not updated the sources i needed to get these numbers until the last couple days (seriously, i've been checking), but you can easily recreate the process that @manogirl and i outlined last year with these documents:

otw’s 2022 audited financial statement, to determine how much money they had at the end of 2022

otw’s 2024 budget spreadsheet, to determine their net income in 2023 and how much they transferred to and from reserves at the beginning of 2024

otw’s 2022 form 990 (also available on propublica), which is a tax document, and shows how much interest they earned in 2022 (search “interest” and you’ll find it in several places)  

also, otw has not been accountable to answering questions about their surplus. typically, they hold a public meeting with their finance committee every year in september or october so people can ask questions directly to their treasurer and other committee members; as you can imagine, after doing this deep dive last summer, i was looking forward to getting some answers at that meeting!

but they cancelled that meeting in 2023, and instead asked people to write to the finance committee through their contact us form online. fun fact: i wrote a one-line message to the finance committee on may 11, 2023 through that form, when @manogirl and i were doing this research, asking them for clarification on how much they have in their reserves. i have still not received a response.

so yeah. please spend your money on people who actually need it, like on mutual aid requests! anyone who wants to share their mutual aid requests, please do so in the replies and i’ll share them out – i didn’t want to link directly to individual requests without permission in case this leads to anyone getting harassed, but i would love to share your requests. to start with, here's operation olive branch and their ongoing spreadsheet sharing palestinian folks who need money to escape genocide.

oh, and if you want to write to otw and tell them why you are not donating, i'm not sure it’ll get any results, but it can’t hurt lol. here's their contact us form – just don’t expect a response! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[pyrrhiccomedy]

What sort of proof would you need to believe that a fundraiser was real?

I actually put in the legwork to verify one of these fundraisers today (I wanted to see how hard it was to actually vet one of these posts). It took about an hour, but I was satisfied by the end of it that the person in question exists, is who they are claiming to be, has a GoFundMe, and that the GoFundMe being spread around is probably the same one being linked to (I wasn't 100% satisfied by what I could find on that count? but I ended up in a place where I was reasonably confident). I'm happy to share my work, and have added it below.

I've gotten a lot of nasty messages since making that post accusing me of being anti-Palestine. My heart and money is 100% with Palestine, and I've given as much as I can afford, to reputable aid organizations. I believe both in a free Palestine, and doing your own research on the recipients of your money when you decide to financially contribute to a cause.

Anyway, this is the GoFundMe that I think is legit, and below is the legwork I did to reach that conclusion. While I still think it is better to give to a relief organization if your goal is improving the lot of the people in Gaza, I don't think this one is a scam.

This is the fundraiser for Eman Zaqout, who - first of all - is a real person! This is very easy to verify: Googling her name returns a LinkedIn with a complete work history (she is a molecular biologist), her profile with Unesco, and her profile with the Palestine Academy for Science & Technology. You know, the kind of stuff you'd expect to see when you Google someone. Great start.

Next step: Is the person running this GoFundMe the real Dr. Zaqout? (While I have some sources which say she is in a PhD fellowship and does not yet have her doctorate, she is listed as Dr. Zaqout at the Palestine Academy for Science & Technology, and I'd prefer to use the honorific in case it may in fact be more appropriate.)

So. Dr. Zaqout joined LinkedIn in 2014. And she does link to her Instagram from her LinkedIn, and her Instagram links to the GoFundMe. That's a great start!

However, it's worth mentioning that her contact information on LinkedIn was updated less than 3 months ago (which includes the link to her Instagram). Given the number of Palestinians whose accounts have been hacked or spoofed by scammers in order to lend their scams legitimacy, I don't love that change. That coincides with the surge in scam activity following the All Eyes on Rafah movement gaining momentum. Plenty of Palestinians have had their entire social media presences stolen by scammers.

However again - her LinkedIn (which, as established, may be compromised) also links to a TikTok account! And the TikTok account has video! And that sure looks to me like Dr. Zaqout in the video! While the photo of her on LinkedIn is no longer trustworthy since we know her account has been updated in the past 3 months, there is also a photo of her here at Palast.ps, which is a legitimate scientific organization. And yeah, sure, a dedicated scammer could have hacked that too, but there are also photos of her on LinkedIn that look like this:

It's not the best photo in the world, but it's identifiably her. Fabricating this kind of ephemera is more than I would expect of your typical charity scammer.

And in the most recent TikTok video of her, she's even talking about a GoFundMe, on 7/17! And she posted another video on 7/21 in which she is not seen, but you can hear her voice, and it does sound like her.

Today is August 2nd. The last two videos uploaded to Dr. Zaqout's TikTok are just photo collages, so they can't be used to verify that she still has control of her social media accounts. But for now, I'm prepared to say with some confidence that that woman is Dr. Eman Zaqout, that Dr. Zaqout is legitimately a Palestinian scientist, she did actually start a GoFundMe, and that she was posting about it as recently as 12 days ago.

All right all right, we are cooking folks. The last questions we need to answer: is this actually Dr. Zaqout's GoFundMe? The last scenario we need to rule out is that her social media presence was stolen in the last 12 days.

Let's start with that GoFundMe.

First of all, it's not being run by Dr. Zaqout. That's normal: GoFundMe isn't supported in Palestine, and all Palestinians will have to rely on friends or family abroad to set up their campaigns and collect donations on their behalf. This campaign is being run by a Mazin Fakak. I think that's supposed to be this Mazin Fakak, which makes sense; he is based in Quebec, and Dr. Zaqout either studied at or is in close affiliation with McGill University, which is in Quebec. He also lists Arabic as one of his spoken languages. So far this is a plausible connection for Dr. Zaqout to have. His LinkedIn profile also hasn't been updated in over a year, which makes me disinclined to think this is a recently-stolen scam account.

My one issue here is that when I Google Fakak, this is all that comes up. A LinkedIn profile created in 2014 that hasn't been touched in over a year, and two GoFundMe fundraisers for Palestinian families. And Dr. Zaqout never mentions Fakak anywhere. I would feel 100% confident of this fundraiser if she did.

But while my investigation into Fakak didn't turn up anything that confirms the connection to Zaqout, it also does nothing to disprove it, and the circumstantial evidence available to me lends credibility to the claim. So while I land somewhere around 80% on the verifiable credibility of this GoFundMe, please balance that against my 95%+ confidence in Zaqout's legitimacy, and the fact that she appears to still have control of her socials as of 12 days ago. If she posts on TikTok with another live video again (and not a photo slideshow, which can't be considered verification of anything), then I'd say this one is completely safe.

[g1rld1ary]

you never disappointed me - part two

part one part two part three part four

➻ synopsis: luke castellan x aphrodite!reader ; percy and beckendorf's plan to set you up with luke is in motion, but you're extremely resistant to any advances (10 things I about you AU)

➻ word count: 3462

➻ warnings: swearing, ooc/kind of loser!luke, ooc silena, she/her pronouns used for reader, sexual innuendos

➻ thank u so much for all the love on part 1 I am such a happy gal!!!!! also, have my first day at uni tomorrow (so pls wish me luck) and sorry if updates slow down!

TAGLIST: @myxticmoon @wicca-void @leeknows-wife @thekittyxo-blog @number-onekidqueen @instabull

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

It turned out that getting you to go out with Luke was harder than he’d originally anticipated. Eager for the whole ordeal to be over and for him to be 50 dollars richer, he’d hopped down from his spot on a fallen log and hurried to meet you by the volleyball courts when your match ended. You, unaware of Luke’s agenda, were fanning your face to combat some of the sweat that had accumulated, quickly tightening the messy ponytail you’d tied. Luke watched you in your own world, unbothered by anybody watching you, unlike the rest of your siblings. Sucking in a quick breath for confidence he approached you.

“Hey there, girly,” He smiled, “How’re you doing?” You looked up at him, inquisitive for a moment but ultimately unimpressed.

“Sweating like a pig actually, and yourself?” You were barely looking at him, skulling an impressive amount of your water bottle quickly. He stared at you, not expecting to be dismissed so easily. He recovered smoothly, not prepared to give up so soon.

“You really know how to get a guy’s attention, huh?”

“My mission in life,” You shot him a cloying smile, now giving him your full attention, unable to help being slightly interested by his boldness. “But obviously I’ve struck your fancy, so you see it worked. The world makes sense again.” You‘d figured out his motives now and had no interest, so began the walk back to your cabin. He followed, much to your dismay. Couldn’t men ever take the hint?

“So I’ll pick you up Friday then?”

“Oh right, Friday, uh huh.” You kept your eyes ahead, dodging a few younger kids as Luke trailed after you, annoyingly optimistic still.

“The night I take you places you’ve never been before,” He said, and you looked at him in disbelief. The ego on this kid!

“Right, like the makeout clearing in the forest? Do you even know my name, Castellan?” Luke could tell that you were mocking him, but he still had high hopes.

“I know a lot more than you think.” He smiled then, a lopsided thing that would have been somewhat charming if you’d actually bothered to look. Instead you were already walking away, calling out a “Doubtful. Very doubtful,” over your shoulder as you picked up into a run, presumably to go tell Clarisse about the bizarre experience you just had. Luke watched you go, dumbstruck in the middle of camp.

Percy and Beckendorf watched the exchange from the porch of the Hephaestus cabin, the latter putting his head in his hands dramatically.

“We’re screwed,” He groaned and Percy winced slightly.

“I’m sure it’ll all be fine, dude. Luke has faced a lot worse than a teenage girl.”

When you sat at dinner that night, desperately avoiding the eye contact Luke seemed desperate on initiating, you almost told Silena about your bizarre day. You’d opened your mouth to start the story when you realised that she’d only be encouraged by Luke’s antics, pressuring you into going out with him for her own benefit and quickly shut it. She’d noticed your odd behaviour and searched for meaning in your face. Panicking for something to replace the conversation, you zeroed in on the necklace sitting nicely on top of her camp one.

“Where’d you get the pearls?” You asked, already dreading the answer. Silena only confirmed your fears, claiming them as your grandmother’s with a coy smile.

“So what? You’ve just been hiding them the last three years?” You were always closest with your grandmother, and you were sure she wouldn’t leave her favourite pearls for Silena over you.

“Daddy found them in a drawer just before summer.” Silena shrugged as if you weren’t sitting across from her, cheeks a blotchy red in your upset. “Besides, they look good on me.” Your hands itched to hit her as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, knowing exactly how much she was pissing you off.

“Trust me, they don’t,” You spat, quietly glad when Silena stalked off in a huff, amongst the first to leave the meal. You didn’t know how much longer you could argue with her before starting to cry, which you really didn’t want to do in front of the whole camp. You thought you were safe for the rest of the meal when Drew began speaking instead.

“You could try being nice sometimes, you know, people wouldn’t know what to think.” You rolled your eyes aggressively.

“You forget, I don’t care what people think,” You replied, taking in a spoonful of food.

“Yes you do. Everyone does. You know, with a new look you could have some serious potential.” You ignored her last statement.

“No, I don’t,” You emphasised, “You don’t always have to be who they want you to be.” You knew that wouldn’t impact Drew in the slightest, but you hoped it might resonate with some of your younger siblings — encourage them to nurture their internal beauty rather than accept the vain stereotype Aphrodite children were forced into. You pushed yourself out of the bench you were sitting on, needing a break from your insufferable siblings. As you dumped your dishes where they needed to be you saw Luke beginning to follow you and turned to make dead eye contact. Knowing you’d only scream at him (or worse) you gave him a dangerous look, accompanied with an almost imperceptible shake of your head. Not enough for anyone else to know you’d even acknowledged him, but enough to tell Luke to back off. He was smarter than you thought, as he held up his hands in a show of surrender, redirecting his action to innocently collect up his own dishes.

You may not have had any interest in knowing the boy, but you did appreciate that he knew when to back off. Or so you thought.

You were proven not-so-free from Luke Castellan the very next morning. It was the Aphrodite cabin’s day to check all the storerooms, and you’d volunteered to do the one which held all the weapons and armour near the sword fighting arena. You knew none of your siblings would come near if they could help it, mostly against weapons and the violence that surrounded the area, so you’d get a whole morning alone. It was peaceful attending to the chore, and you were allowed to use some of your Aphrodite eye for beauty. Of course, stacks of swords and assorted weapons could only be made so pretty, but you enjoyed organising them into neat rows, making it look as nice as possible — not that you would admit that to Silena or you’d be in her vanity chair receiving an unwelcome makeover in seconds.

You were just admiring your own sword, which you’d taken the time to polish while you were taking care of the others, when you felt a presence behind you. You didn’t react, assuming it was just some camper coming for a weapon, until he spoke.

“Nice sword, vintage hilt?” You tensed as Luke’s voice infiltrated your peace.

“Are you following me?” You disregarded his statement, an unimpressed frown present on your lips.

“I was training in the arena and needed to polish my sword. I saw you come in a while ago and not leave, I came to say hi,” He explained, and you raised an eyebrow. You weren’t friends, why would he come for a chat?

“Hi.” You promptly turned back to your task, shoving the cloth into the intricate designs of the hilt.

“Not a big talker, huh?” He persisted.

“Depends on the topic. My sword doesn’t exactly whip me into a verbal frenzy.” That wasn’t strictly true — the sword was a gift from your mother, with gold twisting around a blood red ruby in the centre of the hilt. After you’d made it clear that you weren’t going to just sit around during your time at camp she gifted you the sword, her way of saying that if you were going to fight, you should at least look good doing it. You’d had several conversations with Clarisse gushing over the intricacy of it, and profusely thanked Aphrodite for the gift in your offerings. You didn’t quite care to share this with Luke, being a relative stranger.

“You’re not afraid of me, are you?” He asked, and you were somewhat taken aback by the earnest tone of his voice.

“Afraid of you? Why would I be afraid of you?” You couldn’t help the incredulous laugh that crept into your sentence.

“Most people are.” He gestured subtly towards his scar — gnarled and twisted against his otherwise tanned skin. You put a hand on your hip, resigned to conversation now.

“Well, I’m not.”

“Ok, maybe you’re not afraid of me, but I’m sure you’ve thought about me naked.” You were pretty sure Luke was going for smooth or charming, but you thought in this moment he was entirely lame. The wink didn’t help his case.

“Am I that transparent? I want you, I need you. Oh baby, oh baby.” You put on your best Drew impression, nasally and whiny, before handing him the cloth he needed to polish his own sword and turning to leave. There, quickly approaching the door, was Ethan. Seeing you he put on a disgusting smirk and blocked the doorway, effectively caging you into the storeroom.

“Gods, what is it, asshole day?” You asked, not caring that both boys could very clearly hear you. “Do you mind?” You gestured to his blocking the exit. He simply looked down at you, clearly doing his best to appear sexy (and failing miserably).

“Not at all.” His stupid smirk was going to kill you, and not in the good way. You scoffed, giving him a last chance to get the fuck out of your way. Then, sparing a fraction of a glance back to Luke pretending to mind his own business, you slammed the hilt of your sword into his foot, wishing it was the blade instead. You watched him crumble to the ground, holding his foot with both hands.

“You bitch!” He yelled, voice cracking pathetically in the middle. You forced your smile to stay contained.

“Oops,” You feigned innocence, one hands covering your mouth strategically. “You might need some ambrosia for that…” With that you side-stepped him, eager to leave the situation. If you’d have looked back, you would have seen the gleeful, disbelieving smile on Luke’s face, probably the biggest one he’d worn in a while. Although he didn’t get the date he’d entered for, he was beginning to think you were a little more interesting than you let on.

“Did you just cripple Ethan?” Silena shrieked as you entered your cabin to grab your things. “He’s a model, you can’t do that! Has it escaped your notice that you’re completely psychotic?” You pretended to think for a moment, then shrugged nonchalantly.

“Guess your long walks on the beach are gonna have to wait,” You sighed dramatically, leaving Silena to wallow in her pity alone. It wasn’t like it was really your fault — if Ethan had learned how to respond to words or learn the meaning of ‘move’ he wouldn’t have gotten himself into that situation in the first place.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Luke were having a similarly emotional conversation after Luke had — very reluctantly — helped Ethan over to the infirmary to get his foot checked out.

“When I shell out fifty, I expect results.” Luke sighed, could this boy get any whinier?

“Yeah, I’m on it,” He said through gritted teeth, resisting the urge to hurt him.

“Watching that bitch obliterate my foot doesn’t count as a date. If you don’t get any, I don’t get any, so let’s get some,” Ethan said, running a hand through his ridiculously styled hair. Luke couldn’t believe his nerve. First of all, obliterated? He would be left with a bruise for a few days, if anything. Secondly, this whole things was Ethan’s idea, Luke had never given any indication wanting to ‘get some’, especially not with someone so clearly resisting his advances. Just as Ethan left, giving the Apollo girl treating him a douchebag smile, Luke hardened his resolve.

“I just upped my price,” He said, loving the way Ethan’s eyes widened like a cartoon character. “A hundred bucks a date, in advance.”

“Forget it,” Ethan grumbled, moving to leave again.

“Forget her sister then.” The two boys stared at each other, one significantly more amused than the other. Luke knew he had the upper hand in the dynamic, something he revelled in. Then, after the intimidation tactic clearly wasn’t having any effect, Ethan reached for his wallet, Luke admiring the crisp fifty he was handed.

“You better hope you’re as smooth as you think you are, Castellan.” Luke just watched him go, confident tilt of his head conveying his outlook on the situation.

Luke had taken his usual spot overseeing combat training, but his usual thoughts were long gone. Instead, he was entirely preoccupied with you. He didn’t know how to get you to go out with him when you could barely entertain a conversation, and he twirled his cigarette between his fingers as he pondered.

Percy and Beckendorf saw his internal conflicts, slowly moving closer to him under the guise of a very chaotic fight between the two. Finally Luke gave them attention, knowing Percy’s skills would never have him running all over the place like that. He raised an eyebrow, a sign for them to get on with whatever they were angling at.

“We know what you’re trying to do, for Beauregard,” Percy said, and Luke appeared almost startled.

“And we want to help,” Added Beckendorf helpfully, shying away when Luke’s eyes bore into his.

“And why would you do that?”

“Beckendorf here has a major crush on Silena—”

“Gods, what is it with this girl? Does she sweat nectar?” Beckendorf opened his mouth to protest when Percy spoke over him, knowing it would be more beneficial to let Luke lead.

“Look, I think we can both tell that Charlie’s love is pure, well-intentioned, better than, say, Ethan White?” Luke sighed, catching on.

“I’m in this for the cash, that’s it. Who Ethan wants to bang is of no interest to me.”

“There will be no banging!” Beckendorf cried as Percy pushed him behind. He was no use in a delicate situation like this.

“Ok, Luke, it’s just that we’re the masterminds behind this whole thing. We set it up so Beckendorf can get the girl — Ethan’s just a pawn.” Luke paid closer attention suddenly, intrigued by the chess match he’d been pulled into.

“So you two are gonna help me win her over?”

“We’ll do research, find out what she likes. We can be your guys on the inside.”

“In a strictly non-mission type of way,” Beckendorf added helpfully, nervous of the legends he’d heard about Luke’s failed quest. Luke chose to simply ignore that comment, and Percy filled the silence before he could get angry about it.

“Let’s just start here: the Apollo cabin is throwing a party on Friday night, it’s the perfect opportunity.”

“I’ll think about it,” Was all Luke said, a clear signal the conversation was over. Percy and Beckendorf returned to fighting, slightly more regulated now they had gotten what they’d wanted, and Luke brought the cigarette back up to his lips, new thoughts clouding his mind.

Meanwhile, Ethan had found Silena where she was known to hang out by the rocks near the lake. He was hovering next to her, providing snatches of shade as he performed pose after pose, claiming he had a modelling job lined up when he left for the year.

“So which do you like better?” He asked, moving his hands fractionally to the left of his chin.

“The second,” Silena giggled, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “It’s more… pensive.”

“Damn,” Ethan kicked the sand softly. “I was going for thoughtful. So, you going to the Apollo party on Friday?”

“Maybe.” She produced her best coy smile, looking up at him from behind her lashes.

“Good, ‘cause you know I’ll only bother if you’re there.” Silena smiled, getting up from her spot on the rock.

“Bye.” Her voice was airy in the way she knew drove boys mad. She walked away leaving Ethan wanting more, her specialty. You scoffed, catching the end of the exchange. You and Silena made momentary eye contact, tension thick between the two of you.

As Beckendorf approached Silena, fishing for more information about you, Ethan had caught you in his sights and wasn’t going to let you go so easily.

“You sister is so cute,” His voice infiltrated your bubble in a way that made you want to hit him so desperately. “Doesn’t have your bite though, a feisty woman is so sexy.” You knew he was just trying to get a rise out of you, but it was so close to working.

“Come any closer and I’ll show you just how feisty I can get,” You snapped, braid almost whacking him in the face as you turned to face him. You could have sworn Ethan looked afraid for a second before he covered it with bravado.

“One day you’re gonna realise that all of this hostility is just your sexual repression. Don’t worry, babe, I’ll be waiting with open arms… And legs.” You almost threw up.

“Gods, can’t you just leave me alone, asshole?” You yelled, trying to push past him to get anywhere else.

“C’mon, don’t be a prude,” He whined, and you were really close to taking him to the ground — not in the way he wanted.

“You heard the girl,” A voice called from behind you, and instantly Ethan took a step back. “She wants you to leave her alone.” Luke appeared behind you, a respectful distance away whilst still making his intentions clear. Ethan shrunk back into himself, making a lame excuse as to why he had to leave, hurriedly fleeing the beach. Reluctantly, you turned to face Luke.

“I’m not going out with you just for that,” You said plainly, daring him to try again.

“You think that low of me?” He laughed, dark eyes sparkling with mirth. You forced yourself not to notice. “I don’t have to want something from you to know that Ethan White isn’t worth your time.” It was your turn to be embarrassed at that, feeling slightly narcissistic for assuming that was the purpose of the conversation (it was, but Luke sure as hell wasn’t going to ruin his chances because you were in a mood, justified or otherwise).

“Oh.” You stared at his shoes. “Well, thanks, I guess.” You moved to leave but Luke stopped you, hand not quite touching your arm, unwilling to have it bitten off.

“So you do have a heart!” He joked, signature grin on his face. You wondered why you were seeing so much of it lately when he’d been so dour since his quest.

“Ha! You wish.”

“Don’t try to hide it, Beauregard, you’re warming up to me.”

“I’d sooner fuck Mister D,” You replied, actually taking your leave.

Luke watched you go, chewing his lip between his teeth. There was more to you than you let on, he was sure of it. He wouldn’t say it was any fondness, but he was starting to have a curiosity attaching itself to this scheme, and he knew that going out with you would satisfy it. He should have known having any personal stakes involved — sentimental or otherwise — would get dangerous.

Your own thoughts had barely budged on Luke. He was still a pain in your side and you figured you knew what kind of guy he was — not the type you had any interest in. Still, you couldn’t deny that you were appreciative he’d saved you from Ethan (and the inevitable washing up duty you’d be punished with when you beat him up), so maybe he wasn’t quite as despicable as you’d initially judged him to be. Close, though.

part three

[fangirl-dot-com]

Together or Nothing

Pairing: Vettel-Reader x Carlos Sainz Jr.  Genre: Angst/Comfort Summary: Growing up with Carlos, you knew he’d be a special driver. If he asked you to follow him to the end of the world, you’d do it. But when his life in Formula 1 is in jeopardy, how far are you willing to go? 

uhhhhhhh - I was inspired and I made an imagine after the complete clown show that was last tuesday. This is an apology imagine because this week is stacked and there might not be a TDITD update in the near future. So I'm feeding you all now. Never thought that my first imagine would be fore Carlos but here we are.

You had heard the rumors. But that’s what they were supposed to be. Just rumors. 

Your dad had warned you that something big was going to be announced, but you never thought it would be this. 

Well, some rumors can turn out to be true. Your mind was swirling with thoughts as you looked at your screen. Photoshopped pictures of Lewis in red was all that you saw. Conformations, hot-takes, and edits began to follow. People praised the prancing horse for securing the 7-time world champion. Podcast hosts immediately took to talking about how Lewis would be the best teammate for Charles. Everyone seemed honed in on the two drivers. 

Yet, all you could think about was Carlos.

Carlos who had given his all to the Rosso Corsa team. 

Carlos who was the only non-Red Bull winner in 2023. 

Carlos who bled the Ferrari red, even sometimes more than their Il Predestinato.  

Carlos who was slowly becoming forgotten in a matter of minutes. 

Your heart ached for your friend as you read his short and blunt statement on his Instagram story. You could almost feel the sadness through the minimal words. 

Your fingers flew to your messages as you messaged Charles. The Monegasque had known for a while, but had tried to get the Spaniard another contract. He knew that Carlos was one of the better drivers on the grid and disagreed with Ferrari’s decision. 

You knew that Charles had so much respect for Lewis. Hell, everyone did. You don’t just equal Michael Schumacher’s championships every day. No one has even come close to it. Yes, Max was well on his way, but nothing was ever certain in the world of Formula 1. 

Charles even complained about how he might not be number 2 driver in a team that didn’t believe in “driver priority.” Years of experience and 7 World Champions would definitely give someone the upper hand. 

Swiping out of the messages with Chares, you brought up Carlos’s contact. 

Your finger hovered over the message icon and then switched to call, then back to messages before you swiped out of his contact completely. 

You fingers went to a different contact. You knew it was a hard decision, and it would take a lot of convincing, but you were determined. 

Strict words were flown between you and your father. Having ties with a specific car manufacturer got you places, but this was in the wind. No one had asked for something this big – except you. 

After the begging and borderline crying, you ended the call. Exhaustion was creeping up on you, but you had more things to do. 

Once again, you clicked on Charles’s profile and pressed the call button. 

“Hello y/n,” Charles’s voice echoed through the speaker. 

You sighed. “How is he?” 

Charles mirrored your initial sound. “He won’t pick up. I’ve tried texting, but he’s leaving me on read.” 

You nibbled on your lips. “Have you called Lando?” 

“He’s on his way here. He was in Woking for the suit fitting and debut.” 

You let out a sigh of relief. 

“Can you send me his flight info if you have it? When he gets in, I’ll pick you up, then him. We can all three go see…”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” 

An annoyed sound left your lips as you raised your voice. “Charles, be for real. If we’re honest, he bleeds red more than you do. He needs us. Needs his friends.” 

There was silence for a bit, until Charles spoke up. 

“You’re right. I’m sorry. Sending you the information now.” 

With a couple more thank-you’s and apologies, you hung up. 

Lando was supposed to land later that evening and everything was in place. 

A couple of hours later, Lando was in the back seat of your car with Charles in the passenger. The three of you sat in silence as you drove to Carlos’s place in Monaco. Lando was the first to speak up. 

“So what’s the plan. I know you Y/n and if you haven’t made a call yet somewhere then you’re have no plan and this is just pointless.” 

You rolled your eyes as Charles stared at you, waiting for some good news. 

“I made a call to dad. He says he’ll get the ball rolling. We’ll know by tomorrow if they go ahead with it.” 

Charles leaned in and adjusted himself in the seat. “And who is they?” 

You hushed him. “A girl never spoils her secrets.” 

Not long after, your car finally made it to his place. The lights were on, which was a good sign. 

Carlos was home. 

You swallowed thickly as you made your way up the stairs. Your hand lifted and knocked on the door. Charles and Lando were right behind you. 

It took a couple of minutes for Carlos to open the door, but he eventually did. The sight was almost unbearable. 

His normally kept hair was sticking up in different places. His cheeks were red, along with his nose. 

He had been crying no doubt. 

He looked tired as he slouched at the door, but straightened up when his eyes landed on you. They held a certain softness as he gazed at your face. But the softness hardened at the sight of the other two drivers. He opened his mouth to talk, but you raised a hand. 

“They’re here for you Carlos. Please listen,” you pleaded, hand now resting on his chest. He looked down and then nodded, moving to let them in. 

The three of you followed him in. You were half expecting things to be thrown everywhere and broken. Yet, the house seemed to be in perfect shape. He led you to the living room and sat on a chair. 

You, Lando, and Charles all squeezed onto the couch in front. 

A comment about school children and their principal wanted to leave your lips, but you held it back. 

The Spaniard sat in silence as he waited for someone to talk first. 

Charles inhaled sharply. His voice cracked the first time he tried to say something, but he persisted. 

“I didn’t want it to be like this.”

When Charles finally looked up, Carlos could see the tears in the Monegasque’s eyes.

“I tried,” he swallowed, “I tried to get them to keep you on. Even tried to have them do an open ended contract like mine.” 

Carlos spoke up. “Yet, you have said that you’d want Lewis as a teammate.” 

Charles looked down again, almost ashamed. 

“I half-handedly said that, and you know it. If you were asked you probably wouldn’t have said my name either.”  

Carlos looked down at his hands. Charles was right. 

He got up from the couch and crouched in front of Carlos, so they could be on eye level. Charles put his hand on Carlos’s shoulder. 

“Together or nothing, right?” 

Carlos nodded silently as he brought the brunet into a hug. The two men shed some tears as they hugged. 

You knew how hard it was going to be on the Spaniard. 

He often said that his one downfall was to love and love too quickly. 

Lando was truly his first favorite teammate with Charles coming at a close second. He got too attached in a sport that was famous for their driver swaps. 

Moving from McLaren to Ferrari had almost crushed his and Lando’s friendship. It took them months to be able to hang out without sadness hovering over their heads. 

Now, Carlos was determined to not let that happen to him and Charles. Lando also wouldn’t let it happen, and neither were you. 

The three of you stayed for a little longer, with you being invited to stay the night. Your hand was pushing against Lando’s face as he made kissy noises as he walked out the door. Your keys had been given to Charles with the promise that he’d keep your car safe. 

That night, you held Carlos as he cried and cried. And when you thought he was done, he’d cry some more. You ended up not telling him about your plan, simply because you didn’t want to get his hopes up. 

Yes, in the morning, you were being shaken awake by the Spaniard. His phone was shoved right in your face. 

“Is this real?” he questioned, voice cracking with emotion. 

There on his phone was the official announcement. 

“PORSCHE OUTBIDS AUDI FOR THE 2026 SPOT IN FORMULA 1” 

“EX-DRIVER SEBASTIAN VETTEL TO BE PORSCHE’S TEAM PRINCIPAL IN 2026” 

“Y/N VETTEL TO BE RACE ENGINEER FOR NUMBER ONE DRIVER IN 2026” 

“PORSCHE SECURED NUMBER ONE SEAT AND CONTRACT FOR SAINZ JR 2026” 

The large headlines were giving you a headache, so you simply smiled and closed your eyes. 

“Surprise,” you said, sing-singly and sleepy. 

Carlos just looked at you and you could feel his eyes on your figure. You peaked out at him before sighing, tugging the comforter down as you sat up. 

“If you don’t want it…” 

“I want it.” 

You shivered at the bluntness in his voice. 

He looked from you, down to his phone, then back to you. “You did this?” 

You nodded shyly as you leaned in closer. 

“I know you and Charles have your own ‘together or nothing,’ but I’d follow you to the ends of the earth if it were possible Carlos.” 

You waited for him to say something. Yet, he never did. He did something better though. 

He kissed you. 

“Together or nothing, mi Corazón.” 

carlossainz55 has posted

carlossainz55 to my heart, I cannot thank you enough. you've given me the second chance that I didn't know I had. Together or nothing. Te quiero

liked by charles_leclerc, porschef1, y/n.vettel, and 104,204 others

smooth_operator I'M NOT CRYING YOURE CRYING

vamoscarlos the way I could see y/n convincing her dad to get Porsche to outbid Audi

carlos55 like he could have had a chance with Audi, but y/n wanted to make sure he had an actual seat. can Carlos fight?

charlos4ever I refuse to change my username - did you see them in the joint interview??

charles16 I know right? they looked like the old Carlos and Charles - y/n or seb must have done something carlando betting that they put them both in timeout or the get along shirt

charles_leclerc let's do our very best this season. and always remember that I'll only be a garage down :)

carlossainz55 cabron, did you think that I was leaving leaving?? landonorris he was crying when he called me after you posted y/n.vettel and that was after he called my dad too charles_leclerc IN EVERY UNIVERSE FROM THIS AUTHOR I GET BULLIED FOR CRYING author is it true tho??? charles_leclerc yes.

porschef1 we know it's a season away but we can't wait for for what 2025 brings!

sebastianvettel you better keep my daughter happy or you'll loose a second seat in two seasons

carlossainz55 yes sir

carlos_vettel the way he looks at her in the first picture...when's the wedding??

y/n_sainz all I'm thinking is who is going to take what last name (please hyphenate)

TAG LIST: @fionaschicken @glitterquadricorn @laura-naruto-fan1998 @treehouse-mouse @sam-is-lost @kagatinkita @fangirl125reader @megatrilss1885 @myxticmoon @angsthology @cmleitora @agent-curt-mega @graciewrote @ashy-kit @slutofmultifandom @aexitizen-ln4 @sugarvibez @vellicora @thatgirlthatreadswattpad @cashtons-wife @hoetel-manager @xcharlottemikaelsonx @jayda12 @ilove-tswizzle @justme2042 @itsjustkhaos @nikfigueiredo @stopeatread @cha-hot @sadg3 @iloveyou3000morgan @s4turnsl0ver @alessioayla @torchbearerkyle @leptitlu @awekbachira @shreks-sugar-daddy @v1naco @stan-josie @mellowarcadefun @badassturtle13 @beskardroids @callisposts @poppyalice2001 @juniper-july19 @lizzypiastri

[drvscarlett]

About You Pt 16

Sebastian Vettel x Webber!Reader

Summary: Everyone knows about the history of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. But there's a well kept story within the paddock about Sebastian Vettel and another Webber. This is that story.

A/N: this is rollercoaster ride is about to reach its end, only 4 more to go. i wanna thank everyone for reading this. let me know what you think about this one!!

About You Series

2013, Winter break (December)

The idea of having a kid seems unreal for Sebastian. He never thought much about it before since he thinks its still something for the distant future. Yet here he is now only a few weeks away from the birth of his daughter.

Having a daughter scares him a lot. No number of self-help books or even a parent’s advice could give him a guide to how to raise a kid well. He has seen how nasty boys could be and he will be damned if they approach his daughter. It was funny that he is already so protective and filled with love for someone that he hasn't met yet.

Sebastian shakes his thoughts away as he focuses on painting the walls of the nursery.

He had been making use of the winter break to renovate this new place that he bought in Switzerland. Ever since the season ended, he had been in contact with Hanna about how to do this whole thing. Sebastian was the first to suggest to buy a house that could provide privacy for the kid. He didn't want her face to be scattered across the news or be hounded by photographers hence why he opted for Switzerland.

Hanna was not due to go there until the week before Christmas so here he was nesting the place. He had babyproofed every corner and he bought some furnitures that the baby might need. It was honestly a lot of heavy lifting and tinkering but Sebastian is slowly making a home out of this place.

The buzz of his phone interrupts him and he places his brush down. He confusedly answer the call upon seeing the caller ID.

"Mark? What's up?" Sebastian didn't know if Mark misdialled him or maybe Mark knew the things that happened. He prayed his best that this must be a misdial "Do you need anything?"

"I have been trying to message you for hours, where are you?" Mark sounds exasperated at the other line.

"I'm sorry, I’m here in the swiss alps busy painting the walls and picking up stuffs" Sebastian sheepishly admits.

There was a silence at the other end of the line. A hesitation from Mark's end to break the news to him. He hears a heavy sigh from the Australian.

"So you have no idea what is going on?" Mark asked.

"You sound like something bad happened”

“I need you to get to the winter vacation home of the Schumacher” Mark ordered “Something terrible happened to Michael and the kids are left there with Y/N. Corinna went to accompany Michael and now the kids as well Y/N are being harassed by the media for questioning”

“I’ll be there”

His hands were quick to get his car keys and he was off driving to their location. He knew that the last time that he saw Y/N he promised to give her space. However, this situation calls for something different. He has to help her even just for Mick and Gina’s sake.

He drove as quick as he legally can to the Schumacher vacation house. It was a good idea that he was just about 20 minutes away from them because the scene in front of him is catastrophic. The view of reporters with their cameras and their phones crowded the window and the door. It was a suffocating sight to see. Sebastian could only be livid at the amount of ruckus that these so called journalist are causing additional emotional stress of the kids right now.

“Get away, get the fuck away” Sebastian announced as he parked his car.

The attention immediately shifted to the Red Bull driver. These media have no sense of privacy or whatsoever and it irritated him to the core.

“Sebastian, any comments about Michael? Is he okay? Is he in critical condition?”

“What do you think would happen to Michael?”

“Is there any news or updates about Michael?”

“Just please back away and let us have some privacy for the family. “Sebastian shouted, warding them off “You are scaring the children. Get your shit out of here”

Some reporters scattered away after seeing the temper of Sebastian. Others were still staying. Sebastian made his way to the front door by typing the code and he prayed it was still the usual. The moment that it beeps open, he hurriedly went in and slammed it shut before the reporters could get a scoop of what’s happening inside.

“Seb!” Mick was quick to run to greet him “I swore I heard your voice and you're here”

The little Schumacher was immediately latched to him. Sebastian gave him a comforting hug upon realizing that Mick was hiding his face and starting to cry. He couldn’t put into words how long Mick would have been holding those tears to be shaking in tears right now.

“It all happened so fast and I couldn’t do anything.. And then these reporters came out and they were crowding everywhere”Mick continued to explain.

“It’s alright, I’m here buddy. No one’s going to hurt you”

“Y/N said Mama and Papa arrived at the hospital but Papa is not yet awake” Mick recounts “I ‘m scared because what if Papa never wakes up or what if Papa wakes up and he has no memories of us?”

“Your papa will be alright buddy”Sebastian assures.

He has seen Michael survive so long in a dangerous sports, surely this simple accident won’t bring him down. Sebastian understood how shocking the whole experience can be for the kids and so he just allow Mick to be held for a few minutes more.

“Mick, I hate to do this but I think we have to go and change your location”Sebastian pointed out “There are reporters outside your home and they won't go away. I’ll help you move into a more quiet place, is that alright?”

The sniffling Mick nodded in understanding.

“Where’s Gina and Y/N? We have to go get them”Sebastian asked

“They’re in the bedroom. Y/N has been trying to calm Gina down and I think Gina fell asleep”

Mick lead the way and carefully opened the bedroom door of Gina. There Gina was sleeping soundly on the bed as Y/N was waiting on her cellphone. The two of them seems to be crying for hours already judging by the messy state that they are in.

“Seb, you’re here”a soft acknowledgement by Y/N.

“Mark called and I couldn’t leave you three by yourself” Sebastian explained “Can you pack a bag and we can go somewhere more safe?”

The female Webber nodded. It was a good thing that they haven’t unpacked a lot yet since they just arrived yesterday morning. They can easily pick up the stuffs that they brought so they won’t waste any more time.

“Good. Let’s get some jackets to cover the face of Mick and Gina” Sebastian instructed “The media out there are like hyenas waiting to get a statement”

“I’ll handle that but Gina just slept..”Y/N replied,

“I’ll carry Gina and cover her with the jacket. You and Mick should go together”Sebastian offered.

The three launched into their plan. Sebastian leads the way with a sleeping Gina on his arms. Mick was holding Y/N’s hands tightly as he kept his head down with the oversized jacket covering his whole face. His other hand was holding Sebastian’s jacket. Y/N carried the bags.

The moment the door opened, the media could not stop their flashing lights and questions. Sebastian did his best to navigate his way back to his car. He could feel Mick’s hold getting tighther as the intrusive questions continue.

Thankfully, they made their way back to the car and Sebastian managed to drive as far as possible from those pesky media.

“Everyone good?” Sebastian checked

“Yeah”Mick answered “Can’t believe Gina is still asleep with all the ruckus”

“You’re sister can sleep anywhere because her lullaby used to be those loud F1 cars”Y/N managed to joke.

From the mirror, Mick cracked a smile. It was something rare for today and the two adults felt at ease to see him smile. It didn’t take him a long time before Mick joined his sister and dozed off. The poor kid must have been extremely exhausted with everything that happened.

 Sebastian went back to focusing on driving back home when he noticed Y/N twisting her necklace. It was unmistakable that it was the same necklace that he gifted her all those years ago. He could never forget the meaning of why Y/N continuously touch or twist that necklace.

“You don’t have to worry Y/N, everything will be alright” Sebastian comforts.

A heavy sigh escapes her lips. Sebastian knew that this was as difficult for Y/N as it had been for the kids. Y/N has always been like an honorary Schumacher especially when Mark was not on speaking terms to her. This is incredibly tough on her to stay behind and be a strong figure for the kids.

“Corinna just sounded so broken when I talked to her and I’m just scared to want to know the truth” Y/N confessed “I don’t know how much longer I could stay strong for Mick and Gina”

Sebastian pulled the car over once Y/N starts crying. He cannot focus on driving knowing that she is by his side and in tears. He gave her tissues and allowed her to cry.

“Michael will pull through. He is tough anf strong”Sebastian reassured “You have to be strong because Corinna will be looking at you for support. Gina and Mick also looks up a lot to you”

If this was old times, he would have held her at this moment. He would have assured her as he gives her a comforting shoulder to cry on.

“Can I hold you?” He hoped for a positive answer but he didn’t want to overstep boundaries. He has already been overstepping with the way that he appeared when they agreed that they should figure things out for the moment.

And it surprised him when Y/N reached out to embrace him. The silent tears were muffled by how tight Y/N have been embracing him. He just lets her and he prays that things would be alright.

2014, Winter break (January)

The fireworks outside boasted different colors in the night sky. Sebastian assumes that it was quite a distance away from his home because the sounds of the fireworks and the celebrations weren't too loud. He hums with his cup of hot chocolate as he watches the magnificent display at his window.

"Seb?" Hanna waddled in. With a few weeks to go, she was having a lot more difficulty walking around the house "I heard some noises"

"Its New Year" Sebastian gestured at the firework display.

The pregnant woman muttered a small "oh". She must have lost track of times thats why she forgot that it was a new year.

"Happy new year then Seb." she greets "Hope you have a great one"

"Happy new year hanna"

"I'm gonna go and rest but if you want some company for the new year then I can—"

Sebastian shakes his head sideways. He knew that it was difficult for Hanna to walk a lot these days and staying up late might be bad for the baby.

"You go on and rest, have a great night Hanna"

Sebastian watched as Hanna retreated back to her room. Once she was gone,his gaze returned to the view outside. He reminisces the things that happened in 2013 and who would have thought that this is how he ends up in the following year. There were plenty of things, good and bad,that forever turned his life a whole 360.

He can't help but plague his thoughts of Y/N. This time last year,they shared New Years eve together with the Vettel household. He was holding champagne instead of hot cocoa. He was still sharing dreams of a future with Y/N.

There were plenty of questions of what this year may hold to their relationship. Sebastian would like to be a positive thinker and assume that they will work this out. However,he isnt sure if it will be that easy for them to overcome. He knew his priorities would also change with his daughter.

Speak of the devil. Her name appeared brightly on his phone screen. It was a photo of them on Christmas when he confessed. The bright smiles on their faces was perfectly captured.

"Hello?"Sebastian picked up the call.

There was giggling at the other end, an obvious sign that the girl was drunk.

"I am here and im up and about hehe”

"Jesus are you drunk? Where are you?"Sebastian asked.

He was worried. Y/N was not the type of person to drink excessively, she always know her limits. Sebastian wondered if she was somewhere safe or how would she be able to get home? Was she with friends or not?

"I ammmm perfectly safe hereee in my home"Y/N slurred.

A breath of relief for Sebastian "You're by yourself?"

"Yuppp,drank two bottles of this chocolate whiskey cream thing"

Sebastian smiles at their parallelism. Even now they are still matching with their drinks, of course. The only difference Seb has the non-alcoholic version while she has the alcoholic kinds. Its weird how they seem connected even if they are not speaking to each other a lot.

"Its just so fucking difficult. Its like a shitstorm man. Like is God testing me to be his strongest shoulder because I swear I am one event being a sacrificial lamb. Just take meeee. Take meee"

There goes Sebastian's theory. Y/N would never drink not unless she has unsaid feelings. It was her way to copenwith the things she bottled in. Sebastian sits in the couch as he listens to her rants.

"First was that horrific Multi 21. Made my life shittyyyy. Second, Michael. Fuck that brain trauma is traumatizing even the children. GOD WHY IS IT UNFAIR"

All that Sebastian wanted to do was be by her side and comfort her. She was breaking down and Sebastian is helpless on the other side of the phone. He is miles away and he can’t just leave Hanna by herself. It was a complicated situation—a common occurrence to describe them these days.

“And then I lost you.. I think that sucks the most because I think I can deal with everything but then why do I have to lose you too? I know this sounds selfish but I never wanted you to go and I wanted to work this out but fuck I’ll be so selfish to deprive your child of a father. My conscience can’t handle that”

“You didn’t lose me, we’re still working this out” Sebastian reasons out “I told you I will prove myself to you right? I told you I will come back as someone worthy of you”

It was that promise that keeps Sebastian steady on his feet. He was doing his best to figure out his life and to take on this new responsibility. He made it a point that his child and Y/N will always feel like a priority, people who will always feel loved by him.

“Will this year be better seb?”

“I hope it will be” Sebastian was wistful “It’s a start of new year, anything could happen”

The skies darkened once more as the embers of the fireworks disappeared. It was only the moon out there together with the stars sprinkled like specks of dust. Sebastian remembered that old childhood tale that if he wishes on the right star then his wish would come true. Hopefully the right star guides his wish today.

2014, Silverstone Circuit

The sun was up but the weather was a bit chilly for the second day of testing. Undoubtedly, this was a good weather to see the car go around the circuit. Y/N has already found her place somewhere outside the McLaren motorhome. She have been watching the cars and familiarizing herself with the new drivers on the grid.

It didn’t take long for her to enjoy her alone time because some drivers were sneaking up on her.

“Mind if we join you?” Jenson made his presence known. He was joined in by Nico and Lewis “You look like you have a good view of the whole testing”

“I can’t shoo you away even if I tried” Y/N replied

“We know”

The drivers settled down next to her. It felt comfortable to be around the McLaren-Mercedes trio. With Mark leaving the grid, she had to admit that these three have been putting an extra effort to include her in whatever they do ever since the testing season started. It was quite wholesome for them to do that.

“How’s the car?” Y/N asked

“Could be better” Jenson shrugged “It’s kind of basic but I hope we can add something to it before Bahrain”

“But were alright with ours. It’s a car that can compete” Lewis pointed out. Nico was nodding his head in agreement “I think we may have a chance against Red Bull this year”

“You always say that every year”Jenson complains.

“Uh huh but this year is finally that year”Lewis proclaimed.

The new regulations were also starting this year and Y/N could tell that there might be a couple of shift. Besides that, there is a new Red Bull driver and no one really knows if the kid will settle to be a 2nd driver or would challenge Sebastian.

Their attention went back to the circuit. They exchanged some oohs and aahs as they hear the car pass by. However in their mind they were all assessing whats the real speed of every car or how good is the driver behind the wheel.

“That’s Daniel Ricciardo”Nico watched as the Red Bull with a shiny number 3 passed them by “The kid is going to be eaten alive by Seb”

“Yeah, I remember how often he DNFed last season. It’s a crazy gamble to put him in the Red Bull seat” Lewis agreed.

Jenson looks slightly pissed by the mention of Sebastian’s name. He wasn’t done with what Sebastian did to Y/N. Even if Y/N have tried to reason out that she will give Sebastian a chance, Jenson was not included in the forgiving Sebastian party.

“Ricciardo had a bad car last year but this year he has the same equipment as Sebastian so maybe give the kid a chance to do something great”Jenson boldly speaks.

“Jenson” a warning from Y/N. There was no need for anyone to know that they have a bad blood with one another. It was an incoming headache for Y/N if Jenson keeps this attitude for the entire season.

The two Mercedes driver looked at the situation in front of them with raised eyebrows. They have heard about the rumored altercations between Sebastian and Jenson in COTA but they were never able to find the perfect timing to ask them what’s that about. It seems like they are just granted an opportunity to ask about it.

“Sooooooooo, that’s a lot of anger for Seb” Nico tiptoed about the topic “Any particular reason why you aren’t in good terms?”

“He is an asshole” was the quick remark of Jenson.

Lewis nudged Y/N as if asking her to elaborate further. Y/N just sighed because she would rather bury herself in a hole than tell the story.

“It’s nothing, its just a minor hiccup for me and Seb”Y/N downplayed.

“Wait hold on, what is this hiccup?”

“Yeah, how long have we been out of loop?”

Jenson took it as a go signal to tell the whole story. It was crazy to see how Lewis and Nico’s reaction started to take different turns. Where Lewis was mad, Nico was getting teary eyed from the whole thing.

“And that’s why I’m still trying to convince Y/N that Sebastian is an asshole” Jenson concluded.

“Damn right she should” Lewis was quick to agree. Jenson gives him a high five because finally someone was on his side and maybe Lewis could help him convince Y/N that giving Sebastian a chance is a bad decision.

“But I think this isn’t something that Sebastian intended”Nico rebutted “He said it himself this was a one time thing and he was drunk”

“Drunk or not, you should never cheat”Lewis fought back.

“You are not thinking this through Lewis”

The sounds were drowned once more by the bickering by the two Mercedes drivers. For Y/N, it was like the battling voices inside her head have been personified by them. She had been doing her best to avoid these types of confrontation especially when there is the Schumacher family that needs her a lot. However, now that she is back at the F1 garages and the races will start soon, she can’t really escape the whole thing.

Jenson moves closer to Y/N. He opted to ignore the fighting duo as well, even if he was the reason for the argument in the first place. Jenson knows that when Lewis and Nico starts arguing then it will take a really long while before they settle anything in peace.

“You haven’t eaten anything yet”Jenson was worried. He knew she was missing from the garages since breakfast and now its nearing 2 in the afternoon but she didn’t have a bite of anything yet. “I sneaked out something for you”

A shiny red apple appeared out of the pockets of his hoodie. It made Y/N smile for the sweet gesture. Although, her mind seems to be playing a déjà vu at her when she remembered how oranges were her favorite fruit, and a certain driver would often give it to her.

If her smile faltered, Jenson didn’t notice with her gracious acceptance of the apple.

 “Thanks J,  you are an angel”

But Y/N never took a bite of the apple. It just rested in her hands, and they continued to watch the cars going around.

2014, Albert Park

Vettel warns against people invading the privacy of the Schumacher family and friends

In the first media of this season, Sebastian Vettel has made it clear that questions about Michael Schumacher will not be entertained. This comes to light after several media has ambushed interview, Y/N Webber, the assistant of Jenson Button, as soon as she arrives at the paddock. During the process, some media have harmed Y/N to stop her for questions. Y/N was the only person, outside of the Schumacher family, that has been present during the accident.

Sebastian has been very strict that the instructions from the Schumacher family were clear that they wanted privacy for the moment. He said that those who will still be pressing for questions will be instantly banned from the paddock. Jenson Button shared the same sentiments, he warned that he will not tolerate this kind of behavior and will sue those who will attempt to do this again. This has received agreements from Jules Bianchi, Nico Rosberg, and Fernando Alonso. The drivers have stated how the media has been quite tactless and did not care for the well-being of the people that they are ambushing.

There are still no news in regards to the update about Michael Schumacher's health. If there are news, the paddock is quiet about it. It is everyone's best hope that Michael is recovering from that horrific accident.

Mark Webber makes a surprise comeback at the paddock.

Hours before free practice started, the former Red Bull driver, returns to the paddock. However, this time around, he is just a casual watcher on the sidelines as he has already hung up the race suits for the 2014 season.

What makes the comeback surprising is when asked who invited him, the Australian said that he was there as a guest of Sebastian Vettel. Surely, after all the drama from the infamous Multi 21 incident, everyone can't believe that they seem close as buddies now. Mark couldn't help but agree because he was just as shocked when Sebastian called him.

"I really appreciate that Sebastian is a good person and decides to place our difference aside. I was very worried for my sister when I heard what happened to her yesterday. Seb was quick to help me reach her and assures me that she is taken care of."

2014, Sepang International Circuit

"You are a tough man to find Vettel"

All that Sebastian was to have a night for himself and get some rest at his hotel room yet Jenson Button stans before him. It seems like the universe has other plans for him tonight. With the jetlag, Sebastian was in no mood to dodge a punch.

"Can we just talk about this tomorrow? I just arrived and I want to catch some sleep"Sebastian tried to reason out.

Jenson placed a hand in front of his chest, "I just need a quick word with you and then I'll leave"

"What do you want?"

"Mark told me what you did."Jenson started "He told me that you told him everything that you did. You asked for his forgiveness. You let him punch you. You even confessed how hopelessly in love with Y/N"

Even Sebastian was surprised by his actions. Years ago, he vehemently denied that he has any romantic feelings for Y/N in front of Mark and their team principal. Now, he was ready to admit the truth. Maybe it was a helpful factor that Mark is retired and can no longer kill him in the circuit.

"Yeah and what about it?"

"Is this some kind of strategy or some trick? What are you playing at?" Jenson questioned. His tone was a warning to Sebastian that if he is trying any games then Jenson wouldn't mind a repeat of COTA last year.

"There is no game here. I'm just being honest" Sebastian admits.

"Bullshit"

The hotel lobby was quite empty and quiet. There were no one who got curious by the rising voice of the McLaren driver. Sebastian placed his bags down to explain himself.

"I get that you don't trust me and I know how much you hate me for what I did to Y/N. But I am doing my best to show her that I'll be a better person and a person who is worthy of her. If I have to crawl to hell and back for the Webber's forgiveness before being able to court her then so be it. I know that I made a mistake and this is me owning up to it. I want to be a better person because I don't know what she sees in me but she still gave me a chance. She deserves better and I'm trying to do that"

The intense gaze between the two of them prevailed.

Jenson was assessing how much bullshit was said by Sebastian however he could see how much genuine Sebastian is. After all, Mark has sent him here to verify if Sebastian is fooling around or if he is serious about Y/N. Jenson could hate Sebastian all he wants but it doesn't change the fact that Sebastian truly loves Y/N.

"Okay, I'm leaving now"Jenson curtly ended the conversation.

There was nothing left for him to say. Even if he wanted to punch Sebastian, his job is done and now he has to inform Mark that Sebastian is dead serious and most of all fully in love.

He could just miserably laugh as he realized his heart has taken another wound that could never be healed.

2014, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

Martin Brundle was walking down the grid as per usual. He was looking for someone to interview today since there was still a few hours before the race starts. The garages were filled with mechanics rolling around equipment and some VIP celebrities who are keeping their head low.

The thought of the current leader, Lewis Hamilton pops in his mind but the Mercedes driver is nowhere to be found. Martin thinks about a driver to interview when he collides with a driver in a racer suit.

"Oh sorry Martin, I didn't see you there" Sebastian apologizes. The Red Bull driver was focused on peelung the orange that he has in his hand that he wasn't looking on his pathway.

"Seb could we have a quick word for you for Grid Walk?" Martin knew that opportunities like this shouldn't be taken for granted. He was asking for someone to interview and then the Gods made him collide with last year's world champion, Sebastian Vettel.

The German driver seems to be in a hurry but he was not someone that turns down Martin, "sure, go on and ask"

The cameras have been quick to work and recenter the two of them into the frame. Sebastian grinned at the camera as he holds the microphone with his free hand.

"So what do you think of people saying that you have been in a drought for wins?" Martin asked.

It was something that may get on the nerves of the driver but Martin asked questions that people wants to know. However, the Red Bull driver just smiles and there were no ill show of feelings.

"I'm still competing and I still get my podiums. I just need to work better and we're doing our best to get better"Sebastian answered.

"You seem like a change man. You used to be so mad when you don't win"

"I still am Martin" Sebastian chuckles "However, I don't beat myself a lot as I used to. I tend to be happier and focus on what's important in my life"

"And that important thing would be?"

Now there was a coy smile for Sebastian. It was the usual teasing antics that the media has been used to, "Well that is for me to know and you to find out Martin"

"Appreciate you being here today Sebastian"Martin concludes "Sebastian Vettel everybody"

"Cheers Martin"

The cameras stopped rolling and Sebastian was quick to run to where he was going.

Martin noticed how Sebastian made a beeline towards the McLaren garage, where someone embraced him. He was usually good recognizing faces in the paddock but the woman was shielded away from the view of everybody. In Martin's thoughts, this was a clear indication that Sebastian was keeping this relationship private.

But it was clear that this woman is someone important for Sebastian to trespass garages for. Martin didn't miss how Sebastian handed the peeled oranges to her. It didn't take a lot for Martin to realize that this was the important thing that Sebastian was talking about.

"What a young love for the world champion" Martin muttered under his breath.

[rachalixie]

the best man - part I

your best friend's getting married, and you're the maid of honor. minho is the best man. you're just trying your best to not let him get under your skin. pt II

warnings: lee minho x she/her!reader

genre: fluff, friends to lovers

word count: 1.4k

one could say that lee minho was a thorn in your side, but he wasn’t enough for that. he’s maybe a bump. a small bump in the road you’ve been driving on, a constant presence but not enough to make a difference to your wheels if you drive over it. enough for you to notice but not enough for you to swerve to avoid. 

he’s friends with your friends, so naturally, he’s around a lot. ever since your best friend got engaged to his best friend, jisung, he’s been around even more. in a few short months he’s gone from someone you nod at from the bar at group outings to the person you bump shoulders with when wedding planning in a tiny kitchen. from a person who’s number you didn’t have saved in groupchats to having a personalized contact complete with emojis. with him as jisung’s best man and you as the maid of honor, you’ve frequently been on opposing sides of friendly arguments about the cake, the flowers, the music that should be played. you’re convinced that he disagrees with you just to rile you up, he’s never passionate about his side and always sways to what you and your friend want in the end, he just does it for the entertainment.

you wish you found it annoying instead of endearing. that would make things simpler.

but it was in planning their surprise bachelor-slash-bachelorette party (you knew those two would never be able to separate enough for an entire night) that you got to know him well. in between choosing the types of shots you want to serve and the perfect cheesy crowns for them to wear, you learn that he has three cats that he loves more than himself, he’s really sweet underneath his teasing exterior, and that he’s a gentleman that always opens doors for you and gives you his jacket when he sends you home at night after being there for longer than you planned for. he likes to cook and he’s a dancer who once had big dreams but found his true passion in teaching it. he likes to work out but complains about it every time and he’s kind of the biggest dork you’ve ever met.

he grows on you like moss, the healthy green squishy kind, slowly taking over your roots until he’s become a part of your day to day life. you’ve come to expect daily weather updates, selfies with his cats, and mindless banter from the time you wake up until the time your head hits your pillow at night.

the actual night of the party goes off without a hitch, with drinks flowing and sappy speeches that have you wiping your tears discreetly to not ruin your makeup. you’ve both curated the perfect playlist, invited only the essential people you know the almost-married couple would want there, and made an entire table of snacks that got devoured before you can blink. you meet minho’s eyes from across the room several times throughout the night, a hidden meaning you can’t place hiding in his gaze before he looks away every time. it leaves you with a feeling of longing that you don’t let yourself think about for too long. the maid of honor and the best man? that’s too cliche, even for you.

you don’t see him again until the day of the wedding, where you both leave your respective dressing rooms at the same time to get ready to walk down the aisle and take your places at the altar. 

“you clean up well,” you tease, running a finger down the lapel of his tuxedo. it’s midnight blue, the color that jisung has chosen to compliment the flushed pink of the bridesmaid’s dresses. it compliments his honeyed skin almost too well, the contrast making him look like he’s about to walk a red carpet instead of the off-white runner lining the wedding hall floor. the flower buttoned to his chest matches the ones in your bouquet. 

“it’s been known to happen from time to time,” his tone is teasing but his smile is soft as he takes you in, winking at you when you raise an eyebrow at him. “you don’t look so bad, yourself.”

you look down at your flowers with a small smile, still not knowing how to take his compliments after all these months. 

“shall we?” he holds his arm out to you and you take it, calming your nerves before stepping through the doors to the sea of people in the room. he walks you down the aisle, steps in line with yours despite his legs being longer, and it feels right, being there with him.

he drops you off at your designated spot and you’re glad; you’re not sure if you would have remembered where to stand otherwise. you’re both beaming as jisung walks down the aisle, steps a little too eager and smile a little too wide. it warms your heart how happy he is to be married to your best friend. the same best friend who next glides down the aisle in a show of practiced elegance, steps timed perfectly to the wedding march playing.

you meet eyes with minho once they’re situated, blown away again by him in the new warm lighting that he’s shrouded under. his hair is glinting in the afternoon sun, eyes sparkling, and his smile despite being on display for everyone feels like it’s just for you. you’re so distracted by him in his damn tuxedo that you almost miss when your friend starts her vows. by the time she’s done, both the bride and groom are nearly sobbing, and jisung has to choke out his own vows before dragging her into a watery kiss before the officiant can tell him to. the whole room breaks into laughter, softening into awh’s when he pulls back with a heart shaped smile. 

the rest of the day is a blur. you take photos, make speeches at the reception, change into comfortable shoes, eat the cake that’s just been cut, and by the time you finally sit down to watch the first dance you feel like you’ve been standing for days. is this what it’s like to get married? doesn’t seem like it’s worth the trouble.

“dance with me?” minho says, interrupting your internal monologue and making the smile return to your face. his hand is held out towards you, palm up, and you take it in yours without a second thought. a chance to dance with the most handsome guy in the room? no way you’re going to pass that up, even if your feet feel like they’re on fire.

he guides you to the dance floor, stopping a few feet from the happy couple and bumping his free fist against jisung’s shoulder before wrapping an arm around you. you twine your hands together behind his neck and smile at him.

“all this planning and i never learned how to slow dance,” you say, voice low as you try not to let the embarrassment wash over you. 

“don’t worry, darling,” he tugs you closer, the name he calls you bringing a flush to your cheeks. “i can lead you.”

and lead he does. he twirls you around the dance floor, the bottom of your dress swinging around your feet as he gracefully makes it look like you know what you’re doing. you let him move you, your limbs pliant as he sways your hips in his grip. the two of you somehow look like the most practiced couple there because of him.

the song switches to something faster and more upbeat, but he doesn’t let you go. in fact, he pulls you in even closer, whispering in your ear about how he loves the song before guiding you to dance with him again.

the night ends with the two of you in the hotel elevator, on the way up to your respective rooms on the same floor. without warning, his hand goes to hit the stop button and the elevator jerks to a still, making your heart beat race.

“what the hell?” you almost yell, too shocked to be mad. he moves into your space, placing warm hands on your cheeks.

“am i reading this wrong?” he whispers, eyes flickering between your own and your lips. it falls into place like jenga bricks, messy and out of your control but not completely unexpected - this attraction between you? he feels it too.

“no,” you whisper back, melting as he finally seals his lips against yours.

turns out the maid of honor with the best man isn’t too cliche after all.

--

part II

[writer-jamie]

| Aphrodite's Spell | Chapter Two |

Summary: Aegon was the definition of fuckboy. He didn't care about people's feelings, fucked with no strings attached and used whoever he wanted. He never got attached. Never made friends. That was until he met you online. You didn't know him, nor his family. You were an innocent his family and their legacy tainted. Someone new. Something new.

Warnings: Talks of alcohol and drugs, some slight smut, angst.

Author's note: Thank you for all the love on the first chapter of this series! I'm feeling extremely motivated to write so I will try and get as many chapters written while i'm in this motivated mood. Can't promise this will last though, but will try my best to keep to regular updates.

Taglist: @neithriddle @sab-falco @prp-butterf1y @deltamoon666 @sewmxx

Link for taglist.

Divider: @fairytopea

You squinted at the bright screen as you sipped on your wine.

EggTarg liked your post.

Who the fuck is called Egg?

You knew all your other likes, mainly your friends or the guys online who followed you to wank over your photos, but this Egg guy is new. You clicked on his profile and there wasn't much to see. His profile picture was the side of her face but you couldn't see much of his features. The thing that stood out was his striking hair.

Blonde. That explains a lot.

Your friends would describe you as a creature of habit. Always went for the blonde boys, smokers, "rat looking" as Lisa would say. You knew what you liked and there was no shame in that. So when you looked at Egg's profile picture and saw the blonde hair, you could have sworn you felt your heartbeat in your clit.

You finished the rest of your wine in one big gulp and placed your glass on your oak bedside table. Leaning back into your headboard, you pulled your laptop closer to your chest and began typing.

Direct Message - User EggTarg

Me: You have peaked my interest Egg 🥚

EggTarg: As you have mine...pretty name, pretty face, what’s not to like.

Me: Romanic as well as one of my favourite foods, I think you are a winner.

EggTarg: Winner?

Me: You’ll see...

You couldn’t help laughing from behind your screen, feeling a rush of heat over your body. He sent you a photo. Oh. No guy ever sends you photos, just wants sex or a hookup.

EggTarg: Image attached.

EggTarg: You like what you see?

Me: Well I’m not blind so yeah 🤤

EggTarg: ***-***-**** call me

That was easy. A phone number and a shirtless pic in less than ten minutes. He must be either desperate or horny. You debated picking up the phone and calling him. What if he was a serial killer or a weirdo wanting to eat your body.

Eh anything would be better than going to work in the morning.

***-***-**** added to contacts as Egg.

Calling Egg…

Buzz buzz…buzz buzz…buzz…”Hello?” A man’s voice answered the phone. He sounds Egg like. “Egg? It’s Y/N?” You could almost hear his posture shift as he realised who was on the other end of the phone. “Y/N. You called. Thought you weren’t gonna.” He sounded well educated but there was something about him that seemed off. He definitely sounded hungover. “So how can I help you EggMan?” You smirked down the phone, hearing him chuckle on the other end at the new nickname.

“You fancy hanging out? I don’t do public really well but we can go out for some food or drinks?” He heard you take a deep breath in, realising quickly how strange it sounded that he ‘doesn’t do public’. “I mean I do do public just not great. My family is kinda well known and I never get any peace and quiet when I’m out and-“ The panic in his voice obvious. Great you fucked this up Aegon.

“Egg. Egg it’s ok, I don’t ‘do’ public either. My family has a lot of drama surrounding it and I usually like to go out of town for dates or stay home. Or rent a hotel.” He suddenly felt at ease with your response. “I have a hotel room booked for this evening. Rook’s Nest Hotel. Ever heard of it?” You asked, pulling up your reservation and adding an addition person to the booking. “Meet me in the lobby at 7pm?” You suggested, pausing before clicking the save button on the reservation email.

“See you there. Wear something red.” He said with a smile and hung up the phone. Cheeky cunt. You sent him quick text with a lips emoji before laying back in your bed. “What the fuck have you gotten yourself into?” You asked yourself, running your fingers through your hair.

You adjusted your dress as you sat on the soft leather seat, nursing your red wine as you awaited Egg to show up. You looked down at your phone. 7:08pm. He's only eight minutes late, traffic is probably bad. No traffic isn't bad. He's just late. What if he doesn't show up? What an embarrassment. You debated getting up to leave, looking around seeing many couples drinking in the lobby. You knew almost everyone here by name, the staff and the regulars.

Pepper was one of your favourite bell boys. He always is the first at the door to welcome you. He has worked at the hotel since he was sixteen and he was now thirty two. You used to see him every summer when your parents would take you to the hotel for your first of many family getaways. Your father always tips well, but for Pepper he was the most generous. He saw him like a son figure, after all he only had you and God knows he wishes he had a son. Instead he was stuck with you. Even now, Pepper is the first to take your bags to your room. He never expected a tip like a lot of the other workers. He knows you give tips at the end of the stay. But normally it would be enough of a tip to feed his family for at least four months (until you showed your face again).

Denise was your favourite cleaner. She knew when you were staying and would leave strawberry chocolates on your pillow. She's also been working there since you were young. She must be pushing sixty now and definitely didn't need to work but she worked her whole life and would probably be really bored at home. She was the sweetest lady you had ever met, she felt like a grandma to you. Denise never felt a need to change her posture or attitude when she saw you or your father. She was 100% Denise and you admired her for that. Most people would stand up straighter when your father entered the room, but Denise would continue dusting or hoovering, telling your father to lift his feet or move his ass if he was in the way.

You were snapped out your daydream by Mr Mortez, the hotel manager, who placed his hand on your shoulder gently. "Miss Y/L/N. Can I get Pepper to escort you to your room? I hate to see you sat alone." You smiled sweetly at the gesture. "No thank you. I will be ok." He nodded and turned around, walking back to the reception desk, joining many staff looking at you with worried expressions.

7:28pm.

You pulled out your phone and opened up your messages with Egg.

Me: You are a cunt

The message sent quickly before shoving the phone into your bag, grabbing your wine glass and cardigan before standing up. You walked past many couples who were enjoying each others company. Not looking where you were going you bumped into a figure who was hastily walking through the lobby doors. "Oh God I am so sorry..." You mumbled, grabbing your bag and cardigan off the floor. You rised to your feet and looking the stranger with a soft smile.

"Sorry I'm late." He said with a smile, taking your hand into his and placing a soft kiss to your hand. "Egg?" You looked the man in front of you up and down, making sure this was the same man you arranged to meet mere hours ago. "Aegon. But Egg works too." You relaxed your shoulders and put your hand on his chest, seeing his shirt was now stained red with your wine. "Oh Aegon I'm so sorry! Let me take you to the laundry room and we can wash your shirt." Grabbing his hand and walking him towards the laundry room.

Pepper looked at you with a soft smile, almost checking you were ok. You gave him a reassuring smile in return.

You placed your key card to the doors lock and it opened with a click. Aegon followed you inside, impressed with this hotels facilities. You put your bag and cardigan down on the floor and opened the washer, grabbing the items from the shelves and preparing the stain remover and liquid. "Take off your shirt." You demanded plainly, hopeful this could be sorted soon so you could enjoy your evening.

"At least buy me a drink first." Aegon replied, a smirk spreading across his lips. You shook your head and walked towards him, placing your hands on his chest and began unbuttoning his shirt buttons. His sparce chest hair came into view as you unbuttoned his cream coloured shirt. "Don't push it." You replied. Aegon rested his hands on your hips as you continued to remove his shirt. The shirt came off quickly and just like that the moment was over. You threw the clothing into the machine and set it off.

"Let's hope that comes out. I don't fancy buying you a new shirt." You said with a smirk, walking back over to him and sitting down on the other washing machine.

"Red." Aegon said with a dark expression behind his eyes.

"Yeah. Do you like it?"

"How could I not?" Aegon replied, his hands wandering towards your hips again. You rested your hands on his soft chest. He had small blemishes on his chest as well as a couple birth marks and moles. He looked perfect. Something must be off.

"So what's wrong with you?"

Aegon's face dropped. "What?"

"Well you are literally so perfect, there must be something wrong." Aeon chuckled under his breath, an almost confident chuckle. "Family trauma, dead parent or sibling, abuse in childhood?" He couldn't help laughing at the suggestions.

"All the above." Aegon raised his eyebrows at you. "Does that scare you?"

"Nah, I'm a big girl. I can handle my bad boys."

The bumping of the washing machine was the only noise heard for miles. Almost like the busy hotel outside wasn't there. It was just you and Aegon at that moment. Nobody else mattered. You watched as his chest began to rise and fall quickly as you raised your hands up his chest, past his nipples and to the sides of his neck. You found the back of his hair that rested on the nape of his neck. The blonde locks that lay there were soft. He definitely used conditioner. It felt as if the oxygen in the room had been sucked out as he looked into your eyes with his. Placing your hands on his face, he leaned into your touch. He was touch starved. He loved the feeling you of your touch. He had had sex with plenty of women, sometimes the same booty call over and over again but nobody looked at him the way you did. Nobody looked into his eyes like you did, or genuinely made him laugh the way you did.

Aegon placed his thumb on your bottom lip, pulling it down slightly exposing your lower teeth. You leaned into his touch, wanting him to make the move, but not knowing if he would at this rate.

Also as if he could read your mind, he grabbed the sides of your face and pulled you in close. Lips gently grazing yours softly. He was gentle. You didn't expect that. The softness of the kiss.

Then it got intense. Fast. It was as if you couldn't get enough of each other. Your tongue danced in his mouth, fighting his tongue for dominance. Aegon pulled you closer, almost like he was trying to climb inside your body. He needed you. Gasps and moans were heard in the room. "Aeg..Fuck!" You groaned, running your hands through his hair and pulling him closer. "Don't fucking stop…Jesus." Grabbing his wandering hand and placing it closer to your inner thigh. Aegon didn’t stop. His fingers pushing your black underwear to the side and he slides a finger between your folds. You felt your stomach flip as he played with your wet entrance. “Oh darling so wet for me already? That’s so hot.” That nickname. “Call me that again..” You looked up at Aegon with hooded eyes.

He pushed a finger into your tight hole, a groan leaving your lips. “Darling..”

[dduane]

For the holidays: get Diane Duane’s whole (ebook) store for $44!

 With the Shortest Day upon us (in the northern hemisphere anyway), and the festive season in full swing, we thought it’d be nice to give folks a year’s-end chance to grab a whole pile of ebooks—more than two million words’ worth*—for not a whole lot of money.

Maybe you want to give somebody a gift of lots of reading. Or maybe you want to give yourself a present. (And why shouldn’t you? After the last couple of years everybody’s had, you certainly deserve something nice!) There’s a list at the Ebooks Direct “I Want Everything You’ve Got” page of all the goodies you’ll get... including the updated/revised New Millennium editions of DD’s award-winning Young Wizards series, and the groundbreaking (and also award-winning) Middle Kingdoms LGBTQ-centered fantasy series.  

As always, all our books are DRM-free and can be moved from device to device at your pleasure. If your computer or e-reader crashes, if you change platforms, or if you just plain lose your ebook files, we’re happy to replace them for you free. (And why not? You’ve already paid for them once. It’s not like we’ve got a space program to support or anything...) And if you want to send one of these packages as a gift, just email our support address and we’ll sort that out for you.

So if you want to take advantage of it and get our whole ebook store for $44, here’s all you need to do.

Go to the following page and follow the directions—

https://bit.ly/HolidayEBDWholeStore

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Meanwhile,thanks for your interest! (And to those who decide to avail of this offer, thanks in advance for your support of small independent online book businesses.** It’s much appreciated.)

*Oh, all right. 2,685,698 words...

**Especially from the author who’s going to have to go have a spinal MRI right after the New Year. Looks like a few decades spent in a typing chair can take their toll...

ETA AGAIN: Having bumped this.,.. please note that the discount is still in place. We’ll put something more detailed up about this tomorrow. But since @neil-gaiman was kind enough to reblog it, it seemed likely that the post would be in circulation for a while... and so we left the discount running. ...Hey, it’s still the holidays, right?

RIGHT?

:)

(....Also: if over the last few days you somehow paid $55 for the package instead of $44, contact the store (quoting your order number) and we’ll refund you the $11.)

[hisonlyreid-er]

School Girl Crush Pt 1

Part 1| Part 2| Part 3| Part 4| Part 5| A new BAU member appears and Spencer sees her as a little threat to his status of boy genius. Being unable to get comfortable with each other causes some issues within the team. Will they be able to move past it and work together?

Spencer Reid x FemBau!OC

Moving to the US was daunting. Coming from a smaller English town hadn't prepared me for the move. At only 23, I was joining the FBI. It was a dream of mine to catch murderers and profile serial killers so when I was put forward, I couldn't contain my excitement.

I first arrived at the start of the month and now, 2 weeks later, I was entering the FBI office in Quantico, Virginia. This morning, I had a big panic about what to wear. I settled on black trousers and a white button up blouse. My satchel held everything I would need. My hands held the strap tightly as I stood in the lift, making my way up to my dream job. I watched the numbers go up as I got closer and closer to my floor. My nerves were in full force as I chewed my lip out of habit.

The lift dinged, signaling my arrival. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the corridor. People bustled around me as I just stood there. The clack of heels echoed around me as I became conscious of my heavy combat boots, hidden mostly by my long trousers. The glow of florescent lights added to the intimidating feeling. Long, white hallways with many doors and framed photos of Agents killed in action. My British upbringing became very obvious as I became aware of how many guns were around me. Almost every single person had one on them. I had my own gun tucked in the holster as my side. Learning to shoot hadn't been very difficult and I gained my license to carry within a few weeks of accepting the position. It wasn't like I had no experience, I had worked with the NCA for years and knew a lot about chasing down dangerous criminals.

While preparing for the role, I had been in frequent contact with SSA Hotchner. He was my new boss so it was him I was meant to find first. A little intimidated by the agents around me, I kept my head down, letting my hair hide my face. In the center of the floor was a bullpen with a number of desks. Agent Hotchner was in charge so he would most likely have an office, with this in mind I walked towards the small set of stairs. I didn't want to ask for directions, my stubbornness was to blame for that. I felt some eyes on me as I ascended the stairs. Not wanting to be stared at, I quickly scanned the doors and spotted the one labelled SSA Aaron Hotchner. With one hand I knocked against the door and with the other I straightened my blouse. "Come in." Breathe.

I push the door open. Inside the office was larger than I expected. A large wooden desk was the main focus of the room. My eyes found Agent Hotchner sat behind the desk, stacks of paperwork surrounding him. He was a serious man, his hair was dark and his suit was neat. I felt the need to impress him, to make him proud of me. He looked up at me, placing his pen down and turning all his attention to me. "Agent Hotchner?" Why do I ask stupid questions? This man was sat in the office labelled with that name, sat at a desk with a plaque and I was asking if it was him. Sometimes I don't feel as smart as I should. "Yes. Agent Colesta I assume." As I nodded my head he rose from his seat, walking towards me. His hand extended. With as much confidence as I could muster, I shook his hand firmly.

Agent Hotchner wanted to ask me some questions and update me on everything I needed to know. We sat across the desk from each other. My leg bounced as I realised how important this was. He needed to believe in my abilities. "How are you settling in?" He didn't look up at me as he searched through one of his drawers. "Its definitely a change but I'm doing pretty well." A small hum was the only response I got as he lay a folder on the wood. My folder. I could see my name printed on the front. Lyn Colesta. I tensed as he opened it, revealing everything about me compressed onto a mere few pieces of paper.

Over the next hour, Agent Hotchner asked me questions and allowed me to ask some back. In that time, I became less nervous of his stoic demeanor. "That is all of my questions. Do you have anything else you would like to know?" I thought for a moment, running a mental check. "I don't think so. Thank you Agent Hotchner." I gave a small smile to the older man. "Most members of the team call me Hotch. It is up to you but that's the norm here." Nodding, I knew it would take a while for me to get comfortable using a nickname.

Agent Hotchner stood from his desk, leading me to do the same. Without saying a word, we exited his office and walked down the stairs to the bullpen. I became very conscious of the small group of agents at one of the desks, staring at the two of us. Unfortunately for me, Agent Hotchner led us towards them. The members of the BAU. My need for a good impression wiped my nervous fidgeting from my body and replaced it with a confident expression. As we neared the group their conversation slowed to a halt, showing they were probably discussing the strange girl who had been with their boss for some time.

Hotchner made some conversation with a blonde woman. I took this time to examine each of them. Closest to me was a tall, dark skinned man. He was perched on the side of the desk, mug in hand. He was quite muscular and by him demeanor, I could tell he was confident in his physical capabilities. There was an uncertain look in his eye as he looked at me which showed he wasn't easily accepting of new people. I would have to earn his trust. I love a challenge. The desk clearly belonged to the dark haired woman sat on the chair. She held herself with propriety, more than most, which showed she had an important role at some point. I had a feeling I would get along well with her as there was a hint of mischief on her face as she smirked. Then there was the woman talking to Agent Hotchner. It was clear she had a fairly important place around her because of the way Hotchner was listening intently to every word she said. She seemed like a kind hearted woman but also someone that I shouldn't cross. I made a mental note of all my observations.

"This is Agent Colesta. She will be joining the unit." Agent Hotchner gestured to me, bringing all sets of eyes to me. Resisting the urge to shrink under their gazes, I gave a friendly smile and a small wave. Thankfully, each of them returned my smile, settling my nerves a little more. "Its nice to meet you. I'm Lyn." My meek attitude creeping out as I greeted them. "Derek Morgan." The man gave me a sly smirk as he reached out to shake my hand. I gladly shook his hand. I turned to the dark haired woman. "Emily Prentiss." She didn't make a move to shake my hand, opting for a small nod. " Jennifer Jareau. But you can call me JJ." Now, JJ did go for an handshake. Normally I wasn't a huge fan of shaking hands, especially with strangers but I knew I needed to make a good first impression.

Agent Hotchners cell phone began to ring in his pocket, causing a groan to erupt from Agent Prentiss. "Hotchner." He answered instantly, opting to walk away from the small group to take the call in private. I was left with my new colleagues. Suck it up Lyn. Time to schmooze them off their feet. "I was under the impression that there was more of you." I feigned a puzzled expression as I spoke to them. Agent Morgan chuckled slightly. "Yeah, there is. Rossi's somewhere around here and Reid will be here in about 10 minutes." I nodded, remembering those new names for later.

Agents Jareau and Morgan excused themselves, walking over to their respective desks. I was a little unsure what to do. I didn't know where my desk was and hadn't been given any orders so I just stood by Agent Prentiss's desk. "You know, you could go meet Garcia. I'm sure she'd love to meet you and would really appreciate you going to her." Clearly I looked confused at the new person added to the mix. "Derek forgot to mention her before. She's our tech analyst. Her office is up there, right at the end of the hall." My eyes followed where Agent Prentiss had pointed. "Thanks for the advice." I was truly grateful. I needed all the friends I could get. Bidding her goodbye, I walked in the direction she said.

The hallway was fairly long and a little darker than the rest of the floor. I almost gave up when I finally spotted the last door. I had no clue how this Garcia would be. She could be completely horrible. Despite my hesitations, I knocked on the door. Some frantic shuffling could be heard on the other side as I waited patiently. After a few long seconds the door is pulled open. This woman was dressed in a bright pink cardigan, and white pencil skirt. Her blonde hair was in pigtails and on her face was a pair of statement glasses. Her eyes widened as she saw me. "Hello, are you Garcia?" She continued to stare at me before nodding aggressively. Still, she didn't say a word. "I'm Lyn. I just joined the unit." I gave an uncertain smile. Somehow, her eyes widened even more. A wide smile broke out on her face as she pulled the door wider and let me in. The office reflected her perfectly. There were little toys and knickknacks scattered about. Fuzzy topped pencils sat in a bedazzled pencil pot on the desk.

"You're Agent Colesta?" I hadn't told her my last name, but I nodded. Before it can register, Garcia pulls me into a hug which I halfheartedly reciprocate. "I'm Penelope." Penelope. I knew she wasn't an agent, she didn't carry herself like one and was much too positive to be one. "It's good to meet you, Penelope." I had a feeling we could be friends. "And you're British." Her excited squeal seemed strange to me. What's so exciting about being British?

Penelope and I spent sometime chatting. More like her talking and me nodding or giving a short response. She gave me a brief run down of everything going on around her. It was actually very helpful. Apparently her and Agent Morgan were the flirty two in the unit. She only mentioned it to reassure me if I heard any of their conversations which can get quite 'graphic' according to her. Agent Rossi was a famous author. I knew I recognised that name, I'd read his books on serial killers and the psychology behind their actions. Dr Reid was the genius of the team with an eidetic memory and an IQ of 187. That was actually quite impressive. Garcia told me that he didn't like physical contact and loved to spurt random facts at any given time. Dr Reid was only 8 months older than me according to Garcia. Hold on. I never told her my birthday. "How do you know that?" I was getting a little suspicious of this bubbly woman. Her demeanor turned sheepish. "I looked through your file." My mouth fell open as she spoke. "I'm sorry but I just got curious."

This, of course, led to me asking questions about what she can access. I was then shown through Garcia's set up. It was extremely impressive, she could access almost anything from her little office. I think I might have fallen in love with her when she pulled up the cameras from the bullpen and showed me a clip from a few weeks ago. The clip was from a late night in the office and showed Agent Prentiss tripping over a bin and then she just didn't move for a few minutes. It was pretty funny. I was glad Agent Prentiss had advised me to introduce myself to Garcia. Talking with her had relaxed me and I felt prepared to start my new job simply because of her being there.

A ping came from Garcia's system and she immediately spun in her chair to see what it was. "We have a case. To the roundtable we go." Her wording amused me. I stood by the door, watching Garcia rush around, grabbing files and other various things from around her office. Deciding she didn't have enough arms, Garcia handed me a few things off her pile and started out of the office and down the hallway. I froze for a second but quickly rushed after her. She walked quickly. The clicking of her kitten heels filled the silence of the empty space. It took a bit of effort to keep walking beside her.

The roundtable, as Garcia called it, was on the same level as Agent Hotchners office. It seemed like most of the unit was already there. From a distance I could count 5 heads and could see Agent Jareau stood at the front of the room. Agent Morgan and Agent Prentiss were easy to recognise. Agent Hotchners dark hair caught my eye as he sat closest to where Agent Jareau stood. The 2 remaining people had to be Agent Rossi and Dr Reid. Smile. Make a good impression.

As we entered the room, Garcia greeted the group, recieving a few greetings in return. "Good morning baby girl." So that's what she meant. Noted. I was directed to the seat between Agent Prentiss and Garcia. "Before we get started, this is Agent Lyn Colesta. She is now a member of the team." My head shot up at the sound of my name. "Agent Colesta, this is Agent David Rossi." I smile to the man Agent Hotchner gestured to. "Nice to meet you." He seemed nice enough. I felt like a fangirl but kept it to myself, figuring he was fed up of people telling him they love his books. "And this, is Dr Spencer Reid." My eyes moved to the last person at the table. He was clearly my age, had longish brown hair and wore a cardigan. He intrigued me. Dr Reid gave me a small wave, which I copied.

Agent Jareau started her presentation about the case. I focused all my attention on the manila folder in front of me. This was the start of my dream. Everything was falling into place for me and I couldn't contain my excitement. Profiling wasn't new to me but the BAU, they were legends in the psychology world and getting to work with them was what I wanted to do with my life. Nothing would get in the way of my work now. My sole focus would now be on this job.

[storiesbyrhi]

Witch!Reader x Bat/Vampire!Eddie Munson Series Masterlist The Grimoire The Timeline

Warnings: canon typical violence, horror genre typical violence/some infrequent gore, swearing, animal death, no beta, death in childbirth (mentioned, not described), abusive parents, suicide, spiders/bugs, grief/mourning; light smut; warnings updated each chapter.

Synopsis: No witch has stepped foot in Hawkins since 1845, but when Vecna opens the ground and poisons the town, a voice begins to call to you. Have you been brought back to this cursed place to heal the townspeople’s wounds, to save a hexed bat that always finds its way to you, or to redefine your history with a reunion 150 years in the making?

Chapter Summary: Life goes on. 2994 words.

1986

The calendar looked the same as it had five minutes ago. Yet, you found yourself back in front of it, staring at it silently. If Eddie was home, you would have pretended you were at least there to get something from the fridge the calendar was stuck to. But you were alone to space out and look at the numbers and lines as if they meant something different.

A knock at the trailer door eventually pulled you away from the month of October.

“Oh. Hi!” The boy looked shocked to see you.

“Hi, Dustin…”

“Sorry. Hi. Um. Hi,”

“Hi,”

“Hi. So… How are you? How have you been?”

You looked him up and down. He was as you remembered him, though less sad, but not entirely happy yet either. You stepped aside. “You wanna come in?”

Dustin looked around Forest Hills with hesitation. Neighbours were out enjoying the cooling breeze. The heat of August was gone, September had just finished ushering in just a taste of what October would offer.

“Lots of witnesses seeing you come in. You’re safe,” you told him.

The kid looked back up at you. “Is the…”

You knew what he was asking, but instead of putting him out of his misery, you just raised an eyebrow.

“The vampire. That’s what he is, right? Nancy and Robin told me-”

“He’s not here,”

“Oh. He’s out? But it’s daytime?”

“Yeah. I can turn him into a bat. He’s immune to all that when he’s the bat,”

“Is that a good idea?”

“Are you a vampire expert now?”

“I mean… I am an expert in a lot of the, you know, monster type situations that happen here,” Dustin countered, putting his hands on his hips.

“So I hear. Come on. What do you need?”

Dustin followed you inside the trailer. “I, ah, love what you’ve done with the place,” he quipped as he drew a smiley face in a pile of dirt on the kitchen bench, then picked the leaf next to it up, spinning it between his fingers.

“Don’t touch that!” you squealed too late, grabbing Dustin’s hand and healing him before the Dendrocnide moroides had a chance to take effect.

Dustin’s eyes were wide, the panic sweeping across his face. “What was that?! Am I gonna die?!”

Letting him go, you examined his hand. “No. You just would have been in a lot of pain,”

“Like poison ivy?”

“No, like an excruciating pain that feels like being burned with acid. And it can linger for months. Flare up after years,”

“And you have it just laying around?”

“Well, Dustin, it has no effect on me or Eddie. And I don’t get a lot of visitors.”

He nodded sheepishly. “Sorry… Sorry. I didn’t mean to- I’ll… keep my hands to myself,”

“For the best. But the couch is safe. Sit.”

Dustin sat, picked up a throw pillow and hugged it to himself. He said nothing and avoided eye contact.

“Can I make you a cup of tea?” You added, “Not magic tea,” before he could ask.

He nodded.

You brewed chamomile and honey, took a mug of it to Dustin, and sat next to him with your own. “So, put my mind at ease; no new monsters for me to worry about?”

“No. Nope. Hawkins is… safe,”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

Dustin laughed out a strange cackling sound.

“…Dustin?”

“Sorry. No. No more monsters. Nancy and the others keep telling me it’s done. Finished. Even El says so…”

“But you don’t believe them?” you asked gently.

“I want to. I want to be happy that everything is going back to normal. But…”

“You’re scared. I get it. I really do. I know what it’s like to have the war end and be left to… you know, live. It’s hard. But he’s gone, Dustin. Whatever he was. There’s nothing left here of him. The gates are closed. There’s no way between there and here,”

“But what if there’s someone else? What if there is another way? Not now. But one day. What if we all grow up and have kids and they have to do this all over again?”

Dustin’s hands had begun to shake. You placed the mugs of tea on the coffee table and took his hands in yours.

“If we get stuck mapping out all of the ‘what ifs,’ we never get to move forward. And there are no guarantees. We don’t know if Hawkins gets to be safe forever. We can watch over it. We can hope. But other than that… We just have to figure out how to be okay.”

The boy nodded, tears rolling down his face. You pulled him into a hug.

“I miss them. I miss Steve,” he cried.

“I know. The grief never goes away. It becomes easier to carry though,”

“Can you make it go away?”

Clenching your jaw, you shook your head. “It’s better to remember. You don’t want to forget what love felt like. You don’t want to forget them. If this grief is the price, we have to pay it.”

You held him until he could take a shaky but mostly controlled breath.

“Do you… Do you know if you’re staying in Hawkins?” Dustin asked.

“Ah, yeah actually. Something about being here feels right,”

“If something happens then…”

“I’ll be here. For you and your kids,”

“Are you like, really old?”

You laughed. “Yes. I am. And, I have some other really old friends coming soon too. There’ll be a few of us to keep watch,”

“More witches? Or vampires?”

“Witches. Eddie is the last of his kind.”

Dustin nodded, considering the information. He wiped his face on his sleeve and picked up his mug. He liked the tea; you could tell.

“You can always come here, Dustin. Maybe not literally here here. But to me,”

“Where are you going?”

“Well, can’t have a coven of witches sharing a trailer, can I?”

Dustin smiled wide, toothy, and happy. “A coven?!”

“Yep. My very own,”

“They can come too,”

“Come where?” you asked.

“That’s why I came, actually. But being here reminded me of… Steve…” Dustin fished a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to you.

When you unfolded it, a black cat with bright green eyes greeted you. It was carving a jack-o-lantern. “Black cats can’t wait to meet you… Golden pumpkins agleam… Owls and bats guide you… To our party Halloween,” you read. A place, time, and date were listed.

“Will and his family are throwing it,” Dustin told you.

“To be honest, I’m surprised all your families decided to stay. Long ago, when my kind fought an enemy here, we left once it was done." 

Dustin shrugged. “Most people don’t know what really happened. Government handed out some pretty big cheques,”

“Most towns are built on graveyards, I guess,”

“Well, on that cheery note…” Dustin stood.

“You’re okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I guess… You should come to the party. And your… friends, if they’re here,”

“What about Eddie?” you asked, almost just for fun.

Dustin walked down the trailer’s steps, looking back at you. “He’s one of the good guys, right?”

It could have been a coincidence, but it was far more likely to be Eddie’s sense of drama. He came swooping by Dustin and you, landing on the coffee table between the mugs of chamomile and honey. You rolled your eyes.

“Is that…?”

“Yes. King of theatre himself.”

Dustin looked at the bat. “Um. Hi. You can come… to the party… but maybe… not like that.”

Eddie chittered and you knew the demand. You cast him back.

“Jesus, man!” Dustin screeched, shielding his eyes. “A little warning!”

You and Eddie both smiled stupidly at each other.

“I think that’s a crime! Public indecency!” Dustin continued as Eddie casually strolled naked to the bedroom, avoiding the burst of sunlight from the open door.

“He’s in his own home,” you shrugged.

“Fine! Child endangerment!”

“Yeah, he’s got you there,” you said over your shoulder.

“I’m going now,”

“Bye, Dustin,” you farewelled.

“Goodbye, Dustin! Nice to meet you, Dustin!” Eddie yelled.

Dustin was on his bike and on his way out of Forest Hills before you even closed the door.

“To our party Halloween,” Eddie read, picking up the invitation. “Well, that’s cute,”

“It is. They’re resilient, aren’t they?”

“All humans or specifically yours?”

“All of them, I guess, but these ones in particular. They just keep going,”

“They do… Will you be attending this celebration of All Hallows Eve?” he asked, letting his voice dip into a Vincent Price impersonation.

“I don’t know. Halloween is so far away. I have so much to do before then,”

“Speaking of, I scouted the whole area out near the forest gate. Not a house or paved road in sight,”

“Yeah? Cool. It might work then…”

…

It would have been a harder task if Hawkins had not recently had major groundworks and construction happening.

“We had to map out everything from here to bloody Fort Wayne!” the woman at New City Hall, Nell, had said. “So, you came at the right time. Now, which part did you want to know about?”

“Over here,” you pointed to a map Nell rolled out. “Near this forest, then out beyond that,”

“Oh, jeez, honey. You don’t want to be heading out there. Nothing good out there,”

“What do you mean?”

Nell sighed. “Well, Merrill Wright was all set to buy some of the land. Expand his pumpkin patch and whatnot. But after all that hullabaloo with the poisoning, then the earthquake… Don’t think he’s thinking on expanding. Take a lot of work to make that land good again… But… Looks as though you’ll be wanting to talk to the Klines…” The way her sentence tapered off suggested talking to the Klines was going to be a difficult task.

“They own all of this? One family?”

“Klines have been in Hawkins as long as Hawkins has existed. Guess they just… claimed it at some point.”

You couldn’t recall any Klines from before, when Hawkins was referred to as ‘the flatlands.’ Rightfully, the land belonged to the Native American peoples, those that coexisted with the land before British and French rule. How the Klines came to own the land was probably another lesson in displacement and colonisation.

“Where can I find them? The Klines?”

“Ah, well, Larry Kline is…” Nell covered her mouth and whispered the next part – “…in the slammer.”

You nodded and tried to look scandalised.

“He had some shady dealings with some… Let’s just say… unsavoury characters. Some bad comrades, if you catch my drift,”

“No!” you hissed, as outraged as Nell expected you to be.

“I know! Poor Winnie… When it all came out, she found out he was cheatin’ on her too. With his secretary no less! She moved right after. Not sure what happened with the land… Probably still sitting in Larry’s name… Maybe the government took it when he was locked up?”

Following Nell’s directions, you drove across town to a law firm that had once represented Larry Kline. They confirmed that all the land his family once appropriated now was property of the U.S. Government.

“And that’s a good thing?” Eddie questioned when you returned home and filled him in on the findings.

“It's... good and bad. Either they won’t sell it privately, and we just use some stronger wards and protections for now. Or, they do sell it to us and we can return ownership to the Native Americans and ask permission to base our coven there,”

“Can’t you just… make them… sell it to you?”

“I mean…”

Eddie knew what the debate in your head was. “A good witch wouldn’t make them,”

“Probably not, no… But, I don’t know if I am a good witch anymore, right?”

“Right. You’re better. You don’t tie yourself to archaic notions of a moral right and wrong,”

“Sure… I’ll think about it. They might do the right thing themselves,”

“They? The government? Of the United States of America? Have you fallen ill?” He pressed his palm to your forehead. “Are these visions from another dimension plaguing you?”

You laughed and pushed him away. “The drama never ends,”

“I prefer the term showmanship. The showmanship never ends,”

“Okay, showman, well let’s get the cards out and see what they say about magically forcing land back, yeah?” An hour later you were laughing at Six of Pentacles and The Chariot. “Can’t get any clearer than that!”

…

The room you were led into was sterile but still had a thick air of toxic masculinity. A family photo of the man, his wife, and children was up high on a bookcase. Dusty and never looked at. A crystal decanter half-filled with bourbon sat on the corner of his desk. No artwork on the walls. A pen with a picture of a pin-up girl wrapped around it, when the cam was clicked, her naked form appeared. He said it was embarrassing, claimed was a gag gift from the 1985 office Kris Kringle, yet never got rid of it.

“We received your proposal. That’s a lot of land you’re looking to buy.”

Resisting the urge to say ‘I know,’ you smiled and nodded.

“What’s a girl like you want to do with all that land?”

What, exactly, is a girl like me like? 

“The land is relatively untouched at the moment. There are neighbouring farms and a few private roads, but it is mostly just woodland and open plains. Hawkins has seen a lot of devastation over the past couple of decades. We would like to see the land taken care of. You know, returned to its rightful owners. Any deforestation or development staved off.”

You knew it was risky mentioning the ‘rightful owners’ of the land but you wanted this man, in all his white-collar sweatiness, to have a chance to do the right thing.

“Hmm… And the ‘we’ is you and your…”

“Collective. We are kind of like a non-profit. A charity. We all have other jobs, but dedicate our free time and resources to helping people and the environment,” you answered, reciting the proposal that he very evidently did not read.

“How does a group of…” He flicked through the pages. “…women. A group of women raise enough cash to make this kind of offer?”

“Campaigning… Bake sales. That kind of thing.” You shrugged and batted your eyelashes. It was a stupid and obvious lie but it fit into the man’s preconceived idea of the economics of women, so he brought it.

“Still… We’re more in the business of innovation. Indiana needs to keep up with the East and West coasts, you see. And, we like to see our proposals a lot more financially sound. There’s no clear way for you to make the repayments,”

“You’re not a business though,”

“Sorry?”

“You’re not a business,” you repeated. “You’re the government. Specifically, the part of the government that is meant to do the right thing for the people and the land, by deciding what happens to the land. Your objective isn’t to make money,”

“Right, but-”

“And, as far as you are concerned, the proposal is financially sound. The money to buy the land is there. What we have free and clear, then the rest in loans not owed to you. So… you’re paid. The hypothetical debt we get into and the repayments don’t concern you at all. That just seems like an excuse to not approval the proposal,”

“Miss-”

“No. Absolutely not,” you interrupted again.

“Miss, I’m going to have-”

From the moment you sat down, your hand had been in your pocket ready for the moment. You curled your fingers to your palm, collecting the dust. “Actually, I’m going to have to do this,” and you blew it in his face. The man froze in place. He couldn’t even blink.

“Okay, you can come out.”

You opened the lid of the backpack carefully sat at your feet. Eddie crawled out and looked around. He flew up and perched on the man’s desk.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you with a bat attack or anything,” you told the man. “He’s just here to watch… And don’t worry about not being able to move. I’ll fix that before I go. We just have some business to attend to first,” you said with a grin that would haunt the man for the rest of his life.

It wasn’t dark magic. It was… morally grey magic used for the greater good.

The man felt compelled, entirely committed, obsessively in support of your proposal. He felt like if he didn’t hand over the land at an insanely reduced price he might die. He would die. Everyone could die.

When you freed his body from your hold, tears rolling down the man’s face from lack of blinking, he coughed hard. He looked at Eddie with a frown.

“Who’s this?” he asked.

“Who’s who?” you replied.

“The…” but your face told him that you couldn’t see Eddie… Maybe he was going crazy. It was the cursed Hawkins land. He had to get rid of it. To you. Yes. Yes, perfect. Sell it off cheap. Get rid of it. And to a charity? Well, everyone would think he’s a hero! A true American hero! Maybe he’d even get a bonus. Yes. Sell it. Sell it. Sell it. “I think I can make you an offer…”

On the drive home, you pushed The Head on the Door tape into the deck and sang along with Robert Smith loudly. When the sun set and Eddie swooped through the open window, you turned him back and laughed when he refused to put on pants.

“Out of curiosity, little witch, would that freezing spell work on… say… you… or me?”

You looked over at him and his sly grin. “Is your mind in the gutter again?”

“It’s always got a foot there. Care to join me?”

End Note: Click here to see the inspo for the Halloween party invitations.

Also, I forgot to say this last time: the reason that Mel, the music journalist coven member, is haunted by Steve is because my IRL bestie @kookygranger (who the character is based on) reblogged a chapter and added her own little blurb to it. Kind of like fanfic of my fanfic hehe. You can read that reblog here. She has now expanded it to be its own entire fic (read here). It deviates from what my characters are doing, so it’s pretty much a Burning Yarrow AU. Obsessed.

As always, I hope you are all well and I'd love to hear your thoughts and feelings. xo Rhi

Fic Taglist:  @paranoidmunson  @idkidknemore @paprikaquinn @stardustworlds @loz-brooke @wyverntatty @vintagehellfire @dark-academia-slut @scarletwitchwhore @becks1002 @mrsdollardog @heyndrix @luceneraium @rosaline-black @devilinthepalemoonlite @goldencherriess @iamwhisperingstars @wiltedwonderland @blueywrites @breezybeesposts @jadehowlettthewolf @spikesvamp79 @foreveranexpatsposts @tortoiseshellspells @wingedpeachjudgegiant @stardustmunson @live-love-be-unique @fangirling-4-ever @reanimated-alice @b-irock @gh0stlybunnie @myown-worstenemy-2003 @woozzz @cyberxlust @hiscrimsonangel @buckysbarne @m00nlight101 @word-wytch @spicysix @briasnow-blog @goth-cowgirl-03

All Eddie Taglist: @solomons-finest-rum @ruinedbythehobbit @sweetpeapod @thorfemmes  @corrodedhawkins @grungegrrrl @lilzabob  @averagemisfit03 @ches-86 @ilovecupcakesandtea @onehotgreasymechanic @hazydespair @mel-the-fangirl @eddies-hid3out @siren-lungs @aheadfullofsteverogers @hiscrimsonangel @dashingdeb16 @cultish-corner

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

Missing Moments I Want to Know About in 1x09/1x10

The show leaves us to fill in a lot of blanks for TK and Carlos during season 1. I always want to know more, but I think the blanks I want filled in most are the ones that occur in 1x09 and 1x10. Here are the ones I think about the most:

1.How does Carlos find out that TK is awake?

Does he find out through the first responder grapevine that the firefighter who was shot is going to be ok? Does someone from the 126 (Paul maybe?) call him? Does TK call or text him himself?

If I had to guess, I'd go with Paul letting Carlos know. Maybe before Carlos leaves the hospital he gives Paul his number and asks him to update him if anything happens.

2. What is TK told about Carlos after he wakes up and how does he feel about it?

We see TK's reaction to Owen asking about how long he's "been seeing the cop," but we don't see any further than that. I think TK can assume from Owen's comment that Carlos was at the hospital...otherwise how would Owen know about them? But does anyone say anything more to TK? Does Owen/Paul/Marjan/Mateo/Judd mention how upset and worried Carlos was or ask TK if he wants them to call Carlos to let him know he's ok? How does TK feel once it sinks in that Carlos, his "boyfriend who he doesn't even really know is his boyfriend boyfriend" was sitting by his hospital bed?

I see TK in this post-coma moment as being very much in crisis, and not just about the question of his relationship with Carlos. TK feels lost and confused about where his place is and what he wants to do with his life. I like to believe (though we don't actually have much evidence of this since there's no Tarlos interaction between 1x05 and 1x10) that TK was starting to come around and let his walls down a bit more in the time leading up to him getting shot, but then, post-coma, his crisis makes him take a step back from all that until he figures out where he's supposed to be. I think TK probably felt things when he found out that Carlos sat by his hospital bed, but I think he shoved those feelings down while he dealt with the crisis at hand.

3. What led them to the juice bar in 1x10 and how did they both see the situation at the time?

Whose idea was it to go there? Did TK call or text Carlos or was it the other way around? Had they been texting or talking back and forth at all since TK woke up or was this their first contact? What was said in the conversation that led them there? What were their expectations?

TK seems to be the one most passionate about boba so that makes me think he chose where to go. Or maybe it was a place they were planning on going together before he got shot, like TK had mentioned it in passing weeks ago and Carlos remembered and suggested that as the place they could go.

I wonder if TK thought from the beginning that he'd be essentially breaking things off with Carlos. Perhaps that perceived inevitability was why he filibustered a solid 6 minutes on boba? I get the impression that they both knew there would be a conversation about their relationship because when Carlos brought up the "elephant in the juice bar," TK immediately knew what he meant. Also, in hindsight, it is HILARIOUS that Carlos calls TK out here for avoiding talking about something. Oh, Carlos.

Side note: I wonder what Carlos' reaction would have been if TK had said that he liked Carlos and wanted to continue hooking up but still didn't want anything more. Would Carlos have said that wouldn't work for him? Because I really think at that point it wouldn't have. After the strong feelings he felt while sitting beside TK's hospital bed, could Carlos have continued being casual? Or would he have agreed to it just to keep TK (HIS SOULMATE) in his life even if it would have caused him pain?

4. What happened between the juice bar and the firehouse hug?

I feel like it's obvious that we're missing a pretty big conversation in there. The best evidence for this is the way Carlos goes face first into TK's neck when he shows up at the firehouse. That is not a man who isn't sure if they're even a "we" or who is solemnly accepting that they might not be meant to be. So what happened?? There's some great fic exploring this moment (SEE BELOW), which is where a majority of my headcanons on it come from.

I think it's clear that TK had to reach out first here. Both from Carlos' attitude at the end of the juice bar scene and from what we know about Carlos in general, there's no way Carlos was going to push any further without TK making it clear that's what he wanted. HOWEVER I could possibly see Carlos going to the hospital to check up on TK as he got his stitches fixed. I don't think he would go with any motive of getting TK to agree to a relationship with him. It would solely be about making sure that TK was alright. Even then, I'm not sure if he would do it. He certainly would have wanted to, but he might have held back based on TK's attitude at the juice bar. Carlos likely would have felt that TK might not want him there. I've definitely enjoyed fic that has him doing this, though.

Probably the most likely possibility is that Carlos simply went home after the juice bar/solar storm incident. His heart was surely shattered after being essentially rejected by his soulmate after putting his feelings out there in the most direct way he'd done so far. We know so much more about Carlos now and it just makes it even more apparent how much it took for him to sit there in front of TK and tell him how he was feeling like that when he thought it might not be reciprocated! And then, when it wasn't (at least from Carlos' perspective in that moment)...HEARTBREAKING.

Ultimately, I believe that TK had his epiphany and reached out to Carlos wherever he was (either at the hospital with him or Carlos' house or somewhere else). The conversation they had is something that I would like to see more than perhaps any missing moment in the entire series. Imagine the look on Carlos' face when he realizes what TK is telling him! As his previously-shattered heart is mended in an instant 😭 I want to see it so bad! Thankfully I have fic to fill the void. Speaking of, here are just a few excellent examples of fic that fills in this and some of the other moments I've discussed here:

silver in the night by @reyesstrand

the elephant in the juice bar by @taralaurel

Simple and Plain and Not Much to Ask from Somebody by @howtosingit

Steady up ahead by @paperstorm

Still Waters Run Deep by @welcometololaland

Just Let Me Hold You by tkstrands (is this writer on tumblr?? If so let me know and I'll @ them!!)

[juni-ravenhall]

updated these since the old ones were from 2020. not much is different, erased with white a bunch of options to make it easier to look at for me, changed some minor numbers that dont rly matter bc its not that easy to put those numbers down anyway.

some talk thats mostly about their relation to me and stuff about me instead of stuff about them below ⬇ (actually i should fill one of those out for me myself too. that could be fun)

i adjusted junis brother a bit focusing on just how hes like at the moment of having been rescued to jorvik, rather than thinking about his potential "real personality" if he was able to heal and become a more developed person instead of just full of trauma. i do want to eventually do something with the concept of what if he healed, or what if he hadnt been abandoned in pandoria to begin with? if hes intj like me (his behaviour is based on how i am when im completely broken down, which sadly has happened a lot in my life) then what would it be like to see him healthy and happy? its stuff id like to think about more eventually

also filled in that juni is enfj. back then i wasnt so sure what parts of her were different than me, over time i developed it and she really clearly became enfj. we both share high Ni aka my dominant function as intj but her dom Fe plays into the whole constantly being in contact w ppl thing - im also very caring and loyal, and i genuinely want to save everyone on earth and want everyone to be healthy and happy. i want society to be fixed (and ive got the ideas) and i want ppl to be kind and loving to each other. me and juni share that. but for me, i cant really handle talking to normies much bc their reality is just too different than mine. juni has no problem socialising with anyone, even if she ofc also has ppl shes the closest to and others who she might not get along with as much, its still easy for her bc Fe just has that harmonising feelings thing with others that i dont have (and being a dominant extrovert function, and not being ND, shes also not as exhausted by socialisation).

for me with low Fi i just dont really get much out of socialising for socialisations sake. its part of why i cant handle being on discord servers and stuff like that. i dont "vibe" with people in that way, i want to actually have interesting and intimate conversations and learn more about my friends, their backstory, their problems (can i help them?), their deep and genuine feelings (not stemming from copying others and peer pressure, group-think is extremely irrelevant to me and i dont view people differently if theyre supposedly in-group or out-group - im interested in everyone as an individual). for my whole life ive just been too different and for many reasons not been part of normie's society, so its just really alien to talk to normies. (as in, the abuse and isolation, the disability, the ptsd and depression, the queerness, and also just being intj, not really having a normal brain. i often wonder if the ppl who say bad things about mbti - besides the obvious "job and school mbti use is bad" yeah it is - have known what its like to just not be able to relate to almost anyone around you ever when it comes to personality. even online, even in a nerdy group, even in a place with ND people, even with queer people, even with disabled people, youre still different. you still cant relate. for me, finding out that im just a weird personality type was really important, and then i was able to study other ppl's personality types and now i actually get why people behave the way they do and why society functions the way it does for better or worse. which is a great thing to understand imo. the "omg mbti bad bc jobs and school and the tests are dumb" is one thing, but studying the functions and really truly diving into how other people function and how theyre different from you and how you all work and how the human history of the world has happened, is beautiful to me.)

as a low Fi person, with a focus on 1-on-1 connection rather than groups, i focus on talking intensely to the beloved weirdos on my computer, or posting my rambles and reading you guys rambles in return. u guys prob dont even realise, but for a lot of u, i remember like... u posting about ur job or school one time. what u posted about that u wanted to do or what ur upset about. i think about what ur ocs symbolise, why u write them that way, what part of ur personality and your lived experience, your feelings, makes u project this or that on characters. i think that a lot of ppl treat social media as a more shallow and "a drop in the ocean" type of thing, but for me, even ppl ive not talked to much on my dash, if youve been my mutual for some time, i think about you and remember things about you. if you post music i listen to it both to see if i might like the song but also bc im interested in what you like. i like learning things about people around me, the same way i like learning things about the world in general and spend obscene amounts of time studying and analysing the world both in its current and past. its an intj thing because its about my dominant Ni function, which loves analysing patterns and taking in information to process. but i dont mean that in a cold way, its an intimacy and friendship to me to learn things about you and understand you. not to "vibe" but to really know someone and see the puzzle pieces of their life. im very much about all the puzzle pieces that makes you You. im not saying its wrong to vibe and chill instead of analysing your mutuals like puzzles, just that this is something thats very different from how i am, and its been hard for me in life to relate to the way most people are.

idk if anyones reading this but some of you also prob noticed that i will pop out of nowhere and talk to you about some random thing you posted thats interesting to me, or send you a message of support if youre going through hard times. i remember when you posted that you were really sad and i notice that youre having a hard time when you post that youre sad again a month later. idk, its hard for me because im not always very emotional in a way that other people understand. i can come off as cold or quiet which in turn can come off as disinterested. but i just wanted to write it somewhere, to put out into the cosmos, that actually i care a lot about the little creatures on my dashboard and i hope that you notice even if my personality and behaviour is a bit different than what people are used to. people project mean things on me sometimes because im confident, for example, or because i stand up against things i think are harmful. because im not "loyal" if i tell a friend that theyre being rude, or im "rude" if im saying capitalism is bad. i can be projected as controlling (telling people "no" when theyre mean) or self-important (being confident in my skills and analysis) and other negative traits which is really unfair to do to someone just bc theyre different. to me i view everyone equally and i will tell off a friend if i have to, without meaning anything unkind by it. idk. ill stop rambling now bc its too much again (high Te will also do that) but i just have feelings and thoughts about that my beloved mutuals dont even know that theyre beloved and that my way of expressing myself is weird and its hard to live in society based around ppl who are very different than me in many ways. but learning mbti / jung functions was really great for me to feel understood and to understand others.

[kikokeya]

Lucky Wednesday

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 1,660

Warnings: Fluff

Summary: You fell for Bucky Barnes as he dined in the restaurant you work at - Izzy's. You decide to call him up to ask him out on a date as it leads to everything you've ever imagined it to be and more.

A/N: This is the Bucky apology fic that I've been writing after publishing my 'Hello, I'm Back' Announcement and Update Post. I hope you guys enjoy it because I certainly do. I love how sweet I portrayed Bucky to be and it is slightly canon to what happened in TFATWS. Here's to me wishing this can actually happen so that I can manifest shifting and have a normal relationship with James Bucky Barnes. The 'Steve Rogers Bday 4th of July' fic will have to wait, I'm so sorry but it's past 12am my time and I'm tired so I'm going to retire. Goodnight :))

"Hello, can I speak to James Barnes? O-oh, hey, how are you doing uh...I feel kinda silly doing this but uh, this is Y/N, the waitress from Izzy's. You know the one w- well the only waitress." You picked up the phone after your shift ended at 10 and called Bucky's number after saving it that one time from when he called about a delivery.

Well, that's at least what happened yesterday after you finished your shift at 10 like you always do. For some reason, you actually had the guts to pick up the phone and call him. At least that was better than telling it to him in person and embarrassing yourself knowing how red your cheeks would have gotten from the feeling of being flustered.

Ever since Bucky walked into Izzy's and you laid eyes on him, you couldn't help but feel a sort of luring attraction about him. Something was telling you that this man had gone through a lot and indeed he has since you recently came into contact with Sam Wilson - The Falcon as he entered Izzy's and asked if Bucky had entered here. One thing led to another from Sam wanting to know the whereabouts of Bucky's location to you wanting to learn everything you can about Bucky before asking him out on a date.

So that's how you knew what you needed to know about Bucky as Sam gave you a pep talk to ask him out while warning you about how he's a "grumpy and lonely staring machine".

You felt bad for the man honestly after all he's been through. Most people would probably have a hard time trying to see past the wrongs that Bucky did but you were able to accept him as he is instead of holding him accountable for what he did.

Anyways, jumping back to the present moment where you were still working and trying to pass the time by putting your head in the game as you served your customers while cleaning up the bar as well. A few hours passed before you know it and because there wasn't anyone left in Izzy's, you decided to close up early and clean up the restaurant before calling for a pizza delivery.

You headed into the back of the house restaurant passing through a 'Noren Curtain' which separates it from the rest of the restaurant where the customers dine as you changed into something presentable and did your hair up into a loose bun with your hair feelers framing your face.

You heard the bell hanging on the front door go off as you peeked your head out from behind the Noren Curtain before landing your eyes on Bucky as you smiled at him and headed out.

"Hey- wow... that's like the most adorably old-fashioned thing anyone has done." You greeted him before seeing the bouquet of flowers and chuckling softly to yourself as you made a comment about it before taking the flowers from him, "Thank you Bucky."

You smelled the flowers and placed them in a vase on the bar where Bucky would usually sit.

"Just grab a seat and I'll be done in a few. I'm just cleaning up the place and setting it for whoever's opening tomorrow." You continue to clean the tables before bringing whatever needed to be brought back behind the Noren Curtain as Bucky nodded and sat down by the bar.

Just then there was a knock on the door as you told Bucky to get it, "Bucky, do you think you can get that please?"

Bucky got up from his seat and went to the door as he opened it and collected a box of pizzas, "Hey um did you order pizzas by any chance?"

"Yep, I did, just place them on the bar." You came back out with beers in your hands before placing them on the bar as well as you opened two - one for yourself and one for Bucky before placing it in front of him.

The date went as normally as it could with you joking about how old Bucky is since you found out about it from Sam. You did tell Bucky that Sam was looking for him to which his expression turned from a smile to a frown. You apologised for ruining the mood not sure if he was trying to avoid Sam in general or just upset with him altogether.

You described the date to yourself as perfect however as it went from beers and pizzas to a game night as you kept games on the shelf for when the shifts got a little too boring.

You were both playing Battleship which is a favourite game of yours as you exchanged conversations along the way while getting to know one another. Bucky did however have to drink the remainder of the 3rd beer bottle he had as you won the game before you called it quits since it was getting pretty late already. You kept the game and cleared out the pizza box as well as the beer bottles before wiping down the bar counter.

You took your things from the room hidden behind the Noren Curtain as you came back out and found Bucky waiting for you with cash in his hand as you tilted your head unsure of what his intentions were with the cash in his hand.

"Oh it's for the pizza and the beer earlier on-" Bucky read the expression on your face and assumed what you were questioning about in your thoughts as you cut him off.

"That's fine. it's okay, really, you don't have to pay for it."

Bucky nods and walks towards you as he places the cash in your bag pocket before looking at you as your faces were close to one another, "Keep it, I insist."

You nodded and smiled at Bucky as you went to take the flowers he gave you earlier on. He left the shop first waiting outside for you as you turned off the lights and walked out of Izzy's before locking up the restaurant.

Bucky offered his hand for you to take as you wrapped an arm around his arm. He asked for your address as you told him where you lived before he proceeded to walk you back home. You both talked more about each other as giggles and chuckles were shared between the two of you.

After some time, the two of you approached your front door after taking the lift up to your level in the building. You opened your front door before turning around to face Bucky as he took your hand in his and kissed it. You smiled feeling really happy about how the date went and blushed a little.

"Thank you for tonight, Y/N. I really appreciate it. I would like to have a second date with you but it's just- everything's just uh- j-just uh..." Bucky trailed off as he felt your hand touching his arm and making its way higher up as he got distracted from what he was saying.

You nod and tried to comfort him with your touching as you explained to him, "I understand. Everything's messy right now and I would love to have that second date with you as well but if you need some time then I'm okay with that."

You smile at Bucky before tiptoeing and kissing his cheek as you balanced yourself from holding onto his arm. As you pulled back, however, he pulled you in for a gentle kiss that left you melting into it as you've been wanting to do that after your second bottle of beer seeing as your alcohol tolerance isn't that high to begin with.

You pulled away from the kiss slowly while blushing and looking flustered while slightly tipsy as you smiled sheepishly before yawning.

"Alright doll, let's get you into bed then..." Bucky chuckled as he picked you up and walked into your apartment before shutting the front door with his leg.

You held on to Bucky with your bag still slung around you and flowers still in your hands as you gently buried and nuzzled your face into his neck before closing your eyes and falling asleep.

Bucky carried you into your room before placing you down gently onto your bed as he carefully and cautiously removed your sachel without waking you up as he placed it on the ground next to your bedside table. He took the flowers still in the grasp of your palm as he went to find a vase or any holder to put it in before filling it up with water so the flowers last longer.

Bucky came back into your room to turn the fan on for you as he looked between you and the fan to see if its noise would wake you up before discovering how much of a dead sleeper you are. He smiled and chuckled softly to himself before removing your shoes and placing them on the floor as he tucked you in under your blanket which you snuggled into and held on to it while stirring slightly.

Bucky kissed your head before taking your shoes and placing them by your main door. He noticed a pair of fluffy slippers and smiled as he took the slippers and went back into your room placing them by the side of your bed for you. He took your phone from your sachel before keying his number into it and putting a cute name for himself in your contacts as he plugged it into the cable and left it on your nightstand.

Bucky kissed your head once more before leaving your apartment as he sighed. He knows that you're an ordinary civilian and you're practically too perfect for him but he'll keep to his word on calling you for that second date the moment he figures out how to solve whatever he's going through in life.

[purpleturtle9000]

it may be a bit angsty of an idea, but in that moment before his death when Lastimosa links BT7274 to Jack, his last saying "Take care of him", I like thinking that both BT and Cooper took it as if Lastimosa talked to them in that moment, about the other. it'd be interesting if it'd come up between them at any point. Jack: okay, but he was talking to me?? BT7274: negative. it's the titan who should take care of the pilot. it's in the derictives Jack: Jack: --listEN HERE, U DUMMY--

you have perfect timing cause I was just talking about Jack coming up with Protocol 4: protect the Titan

update: all further Titanfall stuff is going to be on my new Titanfall sideblog! best-titan-7274

“You know,” Jack says, “you really should be more careful.” 

“Request clarification.” 

“Well, there’s gotta be a limited number of Titan parts around. Only so many times you can be repaired.” 

“Correct. There will someday come a point when Titans’ physical forms can no longer be repaired. However, with the current availability of raw materials, machinery, and skilled workers, I estimate that appropriate repairs for Titans will be available for another 174 years, without factoring in future availability of new materials and workers.” 

Jack really should have seen that coming. BT can be a little too literal at times, and even with how long they’ve been together now, Jack can still be wrong about how to be clear with him. 

“I meant that I don’t want to see you get damaged. I don’t–” Jack looks down at his hands, at the grease-streaked rag twisting between them, over and over. “I don’t want to lose you again.” 

“It is unlikely that I will be heavily damaged in combat again. Adequate repairs will be provided. The deployment of another SERE kit should not be required.” 

“It shouldn’t have been required the first time,” Jack mutters. He tosses the rag onto the rolling tool cart next to him and paces away. He’s never been great at emotional talks, he knows – but it’s different when he saw BT die. When he was never supposed to see his Titan ever again. 

“I sense that you are in emotional distress.” 

No shit. But BT gets quiet when Jack snaps at him. It’s stupid to compare a huge war machine to a kicked puppy, but it’s the thought that keeps coming to Jack’s mind, whenever they argue about something. 

Besides, he never did like arguing with his friends. 

“I’ll be fine, BT. Don’t worry about me.” 

“Pilot Lastimosa told me to take care of you. Protocol 3 is extremely important.” 

“Wait, what?” Jack turns, confused now. “He told me to take care of you. To make sure that you were okay. After two and a half years together, you meant the world to him.” 

“Negative. I cannot dispute Pilot Lastimosa’s affection for me, but it is the Titan who is required to protect the Pilot. It would be ineffective to fully place the Titan’s safety in the Pilot’s hands.” 

“Gee, thanks.” 

“You are welcome.” 

Ah, right. That literal mind again. Usually Jack just finds it funny, but at times like this, it can be a little frustrating. BT doesn’t always understand the way his words can be interpreted. Jack’s not sure if he even tries. 

Does it really matter, either way? 

“Look, I just want to keep you safe,” Jack says. “I know you’re a Titan, and there’s not a lot that can cross you, but you pretty much died. Twice. Humans get kind of upset by things like that.” 

“Humans are often illogical about the destruction of non-organic objects.” 

“Yeah, but you’re as much a person as I am. Maybe not literally, but when it counts, you and me, we’re a lot alike.” 

“Incorrect. There are a significant amount of large differences between us.” 

“I’m trying to protect you, dumbass! Protocol 4 is a thing!” 

BT crouches down for a better look at him, and Jack tilts his head to keep eye contact. Kind of. Staring at that glowing blue dot is the closest thing. 

“I am unfamiliar with any further protocols beyond the three assigned to me.” 

“Protocol 4,” Jack repeats. “Protect the Titan. Everything you do for me, I do for you. Deal?” 

For a second, he’s not sure what BT thinks of him, or the new protocol, or anything – and then BT gives him a thumbs up, and he knows everything’s right in their world.

[shenglingyuan]

title: a lesson in adolescence (ao3) pairing: togame jo/sakura haruka summary: “So, what was your problem this morning? Did you get sick?” “I think so. I never experienced it before.” Sakura’s fist curls at the hem of his sleeves, obviously having a hard time disclosing his concern. “This morning…when I woke up…my…down there…” Down there?! Togame chokes on air, belatedly realizing the issue at hand. “Don’t laugh at me!” (Sakura learns an important lesson every boy usually does in their teenage years.) *** explicit content: hand job (an attempt to write it, at least...)

Nirei Akihiko: Today 10:31 AM        Togame-san! We need your help! 10:31 AM        Sakura-kun isn’t in class this morning. 10:32 AM        He hasn’t answered our messages and our calls so we’re worried! 10:32 AM        But we still have classes, so maybe you can drop by his house to check on him?

Togame’s phone is bombarded by consecutive messages from one of Sakura’s friends in the middle of a Friday morning. After the big fight, the smaller boy – Nirei – had also asked for his contact number in case of emergencies. Turns out, it’d be useful now that he and Sakura are a thing.

10:33 AM        [Location pin sent] 10:34 AM        Please update us! Unit 201. 10:34 AM        Thank you, Togame-san!

The boy didn’t even wait for Togame to confirm if he can go or not. But it’s not like not going was a choice in the first place. Togame likes the message as acknowledgment and hurriedly makes a quick trip to the grocery store before heading for Sakura’s place. It's a good thing he isn't busy that day.

He later arrives at a rundown apartment. It looks barely livable that he almost thought he got sent the wrong address. But Nirei had even told him Sakura’s unit which he easily spots from the gate. He takes the stairs and walks towards the door of what should be Sakura’s place.

Before he can even knock, the door opens, and the familiar black-and-white hair pops out from inside.

“The heck?” Sakura’s eyes are wide in surprise, “What are you doing here?”

“Nirei messaged me. Did he tell you I’m coming?”

“No, I could hear your footsteps from the stairs.”

“They were worried since you didn’t go to school today.” Togame shows the plastic bag of food he brought with him. “Have you eaten? I got food here.”

“I’m fine.” Sakura looks away. A tinge of red stains his cheek. “Just had a problem this morning.”

At this point, Togame is already used to Sakura reacting like this. He just needs to prod a little bit more. “You can tell me about it, you know. I’ll help you with it as much as I can.”

Though they’ve made great progress in their relationship, Togame notices that Sakura still keeps a lot of things to himself. Not that he wants to pressure Sakura to tell him everything, but he hopes that more than a fighting body, Sakura can also rely on him with more personal matters.

“Well, I guess if it’s you, you would understand.” Sakura finally says. “Do you wanna come in?”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

The room is small and severely unfurnished. It’s been a few months since Sakura has moved to town, but it doesn’t seem like he has made a home out of his apartment yet. There isn’t even a dining table or a chair. At least there was a small stove he spots on the limited kitchen space. He places the bag of food next to it.

“That Nirei, always sending people here for no reason.” Sakura grumbles.

“Can’t be helped if you’re giving them reason to be concerned – hey, Sakura, do you just wear that when you’re at home?” Togame finally notices that Sakura only wears a boxer with his shirt, baring his legs in plain sight.

“It’s just me here, anyway, why bother with pants?” Sakura crosses his arms across his chest defensively, “Besides, I do wear something when people come around.”

“Ah, so this is a special treatment for me then?”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“So, what was your problem this morning? Did you get sick?”

“I think so. I never experienced it before.” Sakura’s fist curls at the hem of his sleeves, obviously having a hard time disclosing his concern. “This morning…when I woke up…my…down there…”

Down there?! Togame chokes on air, belatedly realizing the issue at hand.

“Don’t laugh at me!”

“I wasn’t!” Togame coughs to clear his throat, gathering his thoughts as he did so. “You know, Sakura, that’s something that happens to almost every boy. It’s normal.”

“You think I’m an idiot?” Sakura snaps, his forehead contorted in a frustrated frown. “I know it can get hard in the morning! It’s different this time…it’s…it’s wet. Of course, it’s not piss!”

Togame freezes. Sakura just had his first wet dream, and he didn’t even realize what it was. He runs a hand down his face, feeling the colossal weight of the situation. “Do…you remember what you were dreaming about before you woke up?”

As if on cue, Sakura’s whole head turns to a deep shade of red. Even if he is unable to answer, Togame gets an inkling of what and who it was about. A small grin can’t help but form on his lips.

“Ah, how do I say this…at times, when you get a lot of pent-up emotions, and you don’t release it in any way, the body conjures up this dreams forces you to release those pent-up emotions while asleep.”

“What do you mean pent-up emotions?”

“Have you been thinking too much about me the past few days?” Togame asks teasingly.

“You!” Sakura jumps at Togame at an attempt to hit him, but Togame easily catches is fist with a laugh. “It’s your fault! You’re the one in my dream!”

“Heh, should I teach you how to deal with it, then?”

“You know how?”

“Of course, I’m older than you, remember?”

Suddenly, Sakura is genuinely curious, pulling away his hand to listen. “Tell me.”

“Hmm, it’s not that simple. You’ll have to let me touch you so I can show you how.”

“Let you touch me?”

Togame uses the term Sakura did. “Down there.”

“Ha?!” Sakura’s hand flies over his crotch, shielding it from whatever Togame is thinking about.

“It’s just a suggestion,” Togame shrugs. “You can say no.”

For a moment, Sakura’s eyes dart between Togame and his own hands, like a million thoughts are running through his mind and he can’t grasp a single one of them. Not wanting to stress Sakura even further, Togame resigns to ruffling his hair.

“Don’t think about it anymore, yeah? I’ll send you something later you can check in private.”

To his surprise, Sakura suddenly grabs his wrist, his expression turning persistent. “No, show me now.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s…it’s something couples do, right?”

“Well, yeah, normally, if they’re both comfortable with each other already.”

“Then it should be fine.”

Togame scratches the back of his head, suddenly feeling like he bit off more than he can chew. But since he’s the one to bring up the idea anyway, and not to mention that he’s the reason for Sakura’s dream, he should at least take responsibility.

“Okay then, let’s go to your room?”

Without further delay, Sakura leads them to his bedroom.

It’s as bare as the living room-slash-kitchen, with a single futon on the middle of the floor. Fortunately, there are curtains at least that can give them privacy. Togame draws them to a close, dimming the surroundings, only the minimal daylight illuminating the room through the flimsy curtains. He then sits on the futon and pats the spot right in front of him, motioning for Sakura to sit. Sakura follows without complaints, already used to claiming the space in front of Togame’s body with his, and sits with his legs crossed. In this position, Togame both has clear access to Sakura and an unobstructed view of his face.

Most boys learn this part with their friends, or in the privacy of their own rooms as they explored the internet or whatever. Sakura had neither until recently, so Togame would ideally want to take this slow and let the experience at least be good and educational for him.

“You can tell me if you don’t want it anymore, okay?” Togame puts a hand on Sakura’s waist reassuringly.

“Just get on with it.”

Taking it as consent, Togame slides down a hand towards Sakura’s crotch and feels his length on the fabric of his boxers. Sakura’s breath hitches, the hand he rested on Togame’s thigh curls, and his body’s reaction is almost instantaneous. Togame pulls down Sakura’s boxers to let his cock free, already half-hard.

Carefully, Togame wraps Sakura around his hand and starts stroking, slowly at first, getting a feel at how Sakura reacts to his touch.

“When you do this, think back to the dream you had.” Togame instructs in a low voice, his lips mere inches away from Sakura’s ear. “You can close your eyes; it helps in imagining things.”

Sakura obediently follows his advice. His body relaxes as he did so, his lips parting open slightly, and his breathing picking up. Togame starts varying the rhythm of his strokes then, responding to Sakura’s own movements. Sakura bucks his hips in instinct, meeting Togame’s strokes halfway. And with his movements comes the sound —

Sakura is, surprisingly, quite loud.

His whimpers easily fill the small space of his bedroom and drills their way inside Togame’s mind, stirring at the pit of his groin. Togame pumps harder as pre-cum leaks from Sakura, wetting his length. Sakura’s jerks become even more erratic, his legs spreading fully, his body leaning back completely onto Togame as Togame holds his waist for support. The futon is not made of the softest material, yet Sakura doesn’t seem to mind, his hips lifting up, hitting the wooden floor underneath with a light thump at each contact.

Sakura’s almost there, Togame can tell, with the way his whimpers turn to whines, and his fingers and nails dig into Togame’s thigh. Though the apartment complex looked empty when he arrived, Togame doesn’t want to play it too safe. In anticipation, his hand that was on Sakura’s waist comes up to cover Sakura’s mouth —

Sakura becomes undone under Togame’s touch, his loud moans muffled underneath Togame’s palm. Sakura spills onto his thighs and sheets, arching his back, then slumps onto Togame, limbs twitching from the sensation he has just experienced.

For a moment, their ragged breathings are the only sounds in the room.

Naturally, Togame is affected, too. His own dick is hard underneath his loose pants, demanding to be attended. But Togame endures, willing himself to calm down. This moment is about Sakura, he can deal with himself later.

With his clean hand, Togame strokes Sakura’s hair gently, letting him take his time to recover. He also takes the chance to grab the soiled sheet and wipes himself and Sakura clean. “You okay?”

Sakura nods, still panting hard. “Does…it always feel this…good?” He asks hesitantly, their eyes meeting. His cheeks are flushed pink, quite different from all the times he gets flustered. Perhaps it’s the lingering sensation from the orgasm, but Sakura’s expression looks so alluring right now. It takes all of Togame to not jump on him right then and there.

In the end, he resorts to leaning down and planting a kiss on Sakura’s cheek. There’s always proper timing for everything.

“Yeah, but don’t do it too much, okay?”

(Togame wakes up the next morning to a phone call from Sakura, “Can you come over?”

“What’s the problem?”

“Can…can you do it again?”

Ah, he might have started something that can’t be stopped anymore.)