#sorry I feel like I rambled about Nico more than will

[gardenof--eden]

What do you Will and Nico's love languages are?

Teehee I love this question so much.

Nico, my poor darling dear child. His main love language is physical touch. WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY HE DOESNT LET PEOPLE TOUCH HIM/GET CLOSE TO HIM!!! (He’s so me) And it’s not like big gestures and hugs and kisses or whatever. Casual touch, an arm over the shoulder while walking, knees touching while sitting and talk, leaning against each other- the really small touches that are so casual, the other person doesn’t see them as anything big. It’s mind blowing to Nico that someone could do casual be like that around him. Makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So of course he refuses to even let people close to him, because he doesn’t want to mistakenly feel appreciated. 1. No one actually values him like that, so he might as well not let himself get hopeful and, 2. he doesn’t deserve these people’s love, he’s not worthy of it (my poor confused kiddo). Nico is also a very big acts of service person. He is The Helper (as seen in: everything he’s ever done). That’s how he shows his love to others. Make sure shit gets done, take charge and lead a situation if someone can’t, literally always, ALWAYS be there to help.

Will likes words of affirmation. People telling him he’s loved and valued? Telling him that all his hard work actually paid off? He could cry. Will does NOT get enough recognition for everything that he does, so when someone takes a moment to praise him and thank him, it’s means so so much. As far as giving love, I’d say probably physical touch? Will is generally such a lovey person to his friends and family, it’s almost like everything he does for them is done with love. But what seems to be more noticeable is the physical touch. Ruffling his siblings’ hair, giving the kids piggyback rides, holding hands, sitting close- it’s like he does it without even realizing.

[puckinghischier]

I can just imagine doing a “soft launch” with Nico and him not understanding the concept of it and posting just a picture that’s very much you and the teams gc blowing up giving him shit

when you opened the burst of notifications suddenly flooding your phone, you’re confused. sure, you had just posted a soft launch of nico on your account, but you didn’t expect this kind of reaction to it, most of your close friends and family already knowing about him.

when you open the instagram app, though, you see none other than a post from your oh so sweet boyfriend, your smiling face next to his looking right back at you. his comments are full of fans talking back and forth about who you are and where you came from. you noticed the sudden influx of followers to your account, quickly switching your profile to private before any more make their way through.

the two of you had discussed doing a soft launch last night, agreeing that now is the time to do it, seeing as you’re getting pretty serious. you thought nico understood the concept, but bless his heart, he didn’t.

he had posted one of the most recent pictures the two of you had taken together. you were standing nestled close to him in front of the large tree at rockefeller center just across the bridge, big, loving smiles on both of your faces. the icing on the cake, though? he tagged you in the picture.

you noticed a few of his teammates in the comments, cheering the new relationship on and congratulating him for making it social media official.

ones such as timo, jack, and jesper, however, were poking fun at him. the three of them were the first of nico’s teammates you ever met, so you feel a bit closer to them than some of the others. you had actually crashed their lunch yesterday, joining the four hockey players for a quick cafe meal in-between practices.

they were included in your conversation, asking them their opinion and if it was too soon. when they all gave you their approval you continued the conversation with nico later that night, setting the plan into motion.

jack’s comment read “wow cap, this launch was about as soft as a rock,” while timo’s was along the lines of “soft on the ice, but not on the launches.”

jesper’s was a bit more to the point, simply stating “you’re not supposed to tag her, dumbass.”

before you could read any further comments, your screen was taken over by an incoming call from none other than your new instagram official boyfriend.

“sweetheart, i fucked up. i’m so sorry. i should have asked what you meant last night, but i thought we were just posting about each other. i had no clue it was supposed to be secretive and clever. you should have just told me what to post, now-“

“nico, neeks, calm down. take a breath, it’s fine,” you laugh at his rambles, interrupting his spiral that started the second you answered the phone, not even getting to say hello.

“you’re…not mad?” he stops mid-sentence, confused at your lack of fury at his mistake.

“no, i’m not mad. even if it did cause my phone to nearly crash because of how many notifications were coming through, it was cute,” you smile through your sentence, even though he can’t see you.

“oh…well….i guess i didn’t need to leave practice early then, huh?” he tells you, right as you hear the door open to your apartment, nico standing there with the key you gave him in hand.

you hang up your phone, standing from your couch and walking over towards him.

“why in the world would you leave practice early for something as silly as this?” you stand with your hands on your hips, looking at him disapprovingly.

he doesn’t meet your eye, seeming bashful all of a sudden. “well…if you were going to yell at me i would rather have had you do it in person, that way i could kiss you and tell you i loved you in person instead of over the phone,” he tells you honestly, looking like a little boy getting scolded by his parents.

rolling your eyes at him, you walk over and run your hands through his hair, letting your hands stop at the nape of his neck, arms resting on his shoulders as he looks down at you.

“well i’m not mad, but you can still kiss me and tell me you love me, since the entire state of new jersey—well, the united states and most of switzerland, probably—knows now,” you poke fun at him, scratching the bottom of his scalp while his arms come to circle around your waist.

smirking down at you, he meets your lips in a sweet kiss, barely able to savor it before his phone starts buzzing like crazy in his pocket, distracting both of you.

“now listen, i know i don’t have that many followers to freak out about my new hockey star boyfriend, so who’s blowing your phone up?” you pull back from the kiss, looking down at where his phone rests in the pocket of his sweats.

he pulls the device out, bringing it over so both of you can look at it. you see the messages continue to come through, the same name being seen on all of them: “the handsome devils”.

“that’s your groupchat name? the handsome devils? how original” you laugh at the team’s lack of creativity.

“it was jack’s idea,” nico shrugs, the explanation making perfect sense.

you can hardly read the messages because they’re coming in so fast, but you catch a few.

“nico, do we need to host an instagram class in lieu of practice one day?” dougie offers his admin skills to his captain.

“cap, even i know that soft launch means partial, not a full face shot,” followed by “i didn’t mean that the way that sounded, jack, don’t laugh,” from curtis, and then a “HAHAHA” from jack.

“does this mean i have to start calling her mom?” from luke was the last one you saw before looking up at nico, his furrowed brow showing his annoyance with his teammates.

you reach up to smooth the wrinkle between his full brows, leading him to look up at you instead of his phone.

“nico, they’re just poking fun. they all mean well,” you assure him, taking the still buzzing phone from his hands.

he pouts at you anyways, huffing out a sigh. “i just…felt really bad about all of this and they were all laughing at me when i was rushing out of the locker room, worried you were about to break up with me.”

you can’t help but let out your own laugh, finding it comical he actually thinks you would break up with him. his pout deepens at your laugh, crossing his arms and tucking into himself, yet again looking like a child.

“nico, i’m sorry, i’m not laughing at you, it’s just funny you think i’d break up with you over being too excited to tell people we’re dating and posting one of my favorite pictures of us on your very public instagram,” you assure him, untucking his arms from themselves and placing them back around your waist.

he lets himself relax a bit, getting comfortable in his hold on you again. “it is a really good picture of us, isn’t it?” he asks, looking down at you.

you nod your head yes, humming out a “mhmmm” before standing on your tip toes and pressing a kiss to his nose.

“now, why don’t we go make ourselves comfortable on the couch, order food, and think of snarky comebacks to send to your teammates for making fun of you?” you suggest, causing his face to light up.

“i knew i loved you for a reason,” he says enthusiastically, taking your arm and dragging you over towards the couch.

[star2fishmeg]

Can I get an ANGST 110 with luke please 🙏

Thank you for requesting <3 - Happy New Year!

ANGST #110 "I'm not jealous, fuck off."

📞 dialling…

Hand gripped around his wrist, y/n dragged Luke into Nico’s empty kitchen, the bright lights in stark contrast with the disco lights in the living room. He didn’t protest, he followed like a dog to the furthest corner away from the doorway. 

“Angel, I’m sorry-” he began, nerves choking him, but he deserved it. He knew he deserved her irritation, the fire two seconds away from tearing through him.

They stopped and she spun around to face him, dropping his wrist and she folded her arms over her chest with a wild, icy glare in her eyes and eyebrows knitted so deep it surely ached. It was his fault, though. They wouldn’t have been there if Luke had just dropped it but no, he couldn’t. Luke ran his hand over his face, glancing at the ceiling before back to her and he sighed. Deeply.

“-What are you sorry for? Do you even know why you’re apologising? Or are you just saying that, so I’ll forgive you and move on?” she snapped, trying to keep her voice low. Her heart thundered in her chest, practically feeling adrenaline surge through every individual vein as angry heat prickled up her neck. 

He almost winced when the sharpness of her tone left her mouth. Y/n never raised her voice at him, no matter how many times his career got in the way of plans or their lives. His stomach twisted in a way he could only describe as a thorn in his side prodding at him, a tightness in his chest and regrettably, he raised his voice back, “He was flirting with you, I know how guys flirt, y/n! I flirted with you. Excuse me for showing him that you’re in a relationship but he clearly couldn’t see the necklace with my initial on.”

‘May Nico Hischier sleep with cold pillows for making the music loud enough to muffle out voices.’ That’s what they thought as they exhaled in unison, y/n pinching her nose bridge before pointing at his chest firmly, but not touching him. It was his fault and only his, deep down he knew that but the pride that he wore like a crown refused to let him accept that. All it took for his instincts to kick off was another guy and y/n to click instantly, easily, laughing and flowing through conversation as if they’d been longtime friends. Then Luke intervened, and suddenly eyes were closing in on them.

“I don’t need you to do that! I would have rejected him anyway, Luke.” She exasperated. Luke’s scowl deepened, but his heart ached. “I didn’t need you to be a diva about it. I don’t know why you think I’d accept his advances; did you really think I leave you like that?”

“Was not a diva,” he pouted slightly, scoffing, “and no. It’s got nothing to do with you! You’re never the problem-”

Her face softened, moving her weight onto one hip and lips pulled into a smirk. The way he pouted, his eyes shifting to the side and how the aggression in his tone had fallen into a sulk, almost, a snarky sulk.

She interrupted him, “-Lu, are you jealous?” 

“I’m not jealous, fuck off. Why would I be jealous of him? My curls are way better than his and he’s not even that tall or whatever. Bet he couldn’t make you genuinely laugh even if he tried.” Luke rambled, the snark in his voice slowly fading the more the words tumbled from his mouth and the insecurity he tried to swallow rang through her ears loud and clear. It wasn’t the first time he’d tried to push something back, soldier through his feelings.

“Oh, Lu, c’mere.” Y/n opened her arms and wrapped them around his waist, pressing her ear to his chest and gradually, ire seeped out and vanished into thin air, the security of his arms around her body replacing it with the love that belonged there. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, my love. I’m all yours and I love you. What’s really the matter?”

He exhaled, body getting that floaty feeling once back in her arms again and the anger gone. He sniffed, holding her tight to his chest and voice quiet and rumbly, “I love you too. I don’t know, I’ve never felt this way and I…I don’t know, got scared that you’d leave me for someone better because you deserve the best. Saw how easily you were talking and wished that was how we were in the beginning, but I was such an awkward dumbass. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for being a dick.”

“You were my awkward dumbass, though. I don’t want anyone but you, okay? There’s no-one better than my Loverboy and his cute smile and curls that are way better than anyone else’s. So, thank you for apologising.” 

A slight movement caught the corner of Luke’s eye. The cause for his little green demon to make a fool of not only himself, but y/n too. Pulling back slightly, he dipped down to her level, pressing his lips to y/n’s tenderly with his hand sliding to cup her cheek - his other situated on her waist and thumb rubbing the fabric of her top. He kissed her slowly, passionately and little sparks of excitement tingled to her chest and down to her stomach, hands gliding down his waist to his hips, where fingers hooked around his beltloops to tug him closer.  

“Hey, y/n, they’re playing beer pong and- oh shit, my bad.” The guy from earlier stumbled in, eyes widening at the sight and he awkwardly backed away. 

“You saw him coming, didn’t you?” she mumbled into Luke’s lips, only to receive a grin as his answer, “Oh my God, you’re such a dumbass. C’mere.”

[lovecla]

© property of lovecla, nhl masterlist, nico hischier x you:

FAKE IT ‘TILL YOU MAKE IT, game plan:

➴ chapter warnings: none <3

➴ word count: 1.5k

💌 from me to you: and here’s the first chapter of fake it ‘till you make it! posting this sooner than expected in honor of last night’s game. can you guys believe we have nico hischier as our captain? how lucky are we? anyways! i hope you all like this! (the posting schedule will be just like TYPA, every other day!) ♡

𖧷

WHEN YOU tell people that being friends with a hot, young NHL player isn’t at all that great, all they do is look at you like you’re batshit crazy, and give you one hundred and fifty four arguments trying to make you, someone who’s been friends with a guy who’s been a NHL star player for the past few years, see how wrong you are.

You love Nico Hischier. You really do. You met him when you were just eighteen, being friends with his sister, Nina, and immediately locking in with Nico. He’s the sweetest, kindest and most loving man you have ever met in your life, and now that you’re twenty-three, almost twenty-four, you can see how rare men like Nico are.

But now that he’s a famous player, captain of an entire team and known for being one of the hottest men in the NHL, you sure feel like you’re paying a high price for being in his life.

Not in a bad way, though. It just sucks to see the amount of women throwing themselves at his feet, and what sucks even more, is knowing that he won’t even blink an eye at them because he’s head over heels for Nora Ellis, a crazy girl he met two years ago at a party.

Nora is beautiful, you’ll give him that. And usually, you wouldn’t be upset with him having a crush. In fact, you and Nina are always encouraging him to engage in new relationships and meet new people, so that he isn’t only worried about his job.

Nora. She’s the most beautiful black woman you have ever seen. She’s intelligent, she’s funny and she knows things about Hockey like no one else— being the daughter of one of the most talented coaches in the NHL does that to you, you guess.

The only problem with Nora Ellis is the fact that she only cares for men who are in a relationship.

Married or dating, she doesn’t care. Her only goal is to make them give up on their partner to be with her, and once she gets tired of them, she finds another mission to busy herself with.

Nico doesn’t seem to notice that. To be fair, no one really does. She can be very subtle and discreet, and the only reason why you caught up on that in the first place is because every party you go to, you try to blend yourself with the walls, so you don’t get too much attention on yourself.

Nico always tells you to stay by his side and mingle with his friends, but by the end of the night, you’re always sitting near the bathroom door, with a drink in your hands, watching the party unfold with attentive eyes.

And turns out that a lot can happen in the bathroom of a party full of NHL players and Nora Ellis.

So you know she’s not good for him. You’ve tried to talk him out of it more times than you can actually recall, but it’s a dead end. Nico’s in love with her, and has been for two years now. He won’t give up on her unless something really drastic happens, but since Nora is really good at what she does— destroying relationships for fun—, nothing will ever rise to the surface.

“She’s so… pretty,” Nico sighs, sitting on the couch beside you, making you sigh and put your book down, not forgetting to mark the page you were in. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.”

You smile, touching his cheek, watching with awe as his dimples appear. “It’s fine, Dimples.”

He rolls his eyes as he always does when you call him that, and continues.

“You’re the only one who still listens to me ramble about Nora,” he pouts. “Nina said that if I talk about her one more time, she’ll fly to Newark and personally destroy my phone so I can’t call her anymore.”

You laugh loudly, perfectly picturing Nina saying that.

“And Luca?” you ask, raising your eyebrow.

“Luca just says I need to move on.”

“Well, he’s always been more patient than Nina, that’s for sure,” you nod, placing your book on Nico’s coffee table and bringing your knees close to your chest, resting your head on them. “But… he’s not wrong, y’know?”

Nico gives you the puppy eyes, as he always does whenever someone mentions that he should get over Nora, and you sigh again.

Seeing him like this sucked in every way. And you’ve tried everything— get him on dating apps, blind dates, normal dates, pointing at a pretty girl at a party, literally everything.

And still, he’s not budging.

“I wish she would just look at me. I’m handsome, right?” He looks at you, brown eyes filled with despair.

You spend some seconds analyzing him, as you often liked to do. His brown, hazelnut eyes that shined bright everyday, his hair that’s now a little bit longer than usual, his legs and arms which are absolutely huge— when did he get that big anyway?— and his perfect, charming smile and dimples.

“Emma?”

“O-oh, yeah, you’re… fine, I guess,” you shrug, trying to hide the fact that you were checking him out. Weird. “It’s not about you, Nico, I’ve said that before.”

“Okay, but why won’t she pay attention to me, then?”

Because you don’t have a girlfriend, is what you want to say.

Wait.

“Oh my God!” you jump in your seat, scaring Nico who lets out a loud scream and jumps out of the couch with you.

“What the— Emma.” He puts his hands on his hips, trying to look scary, but you brush him off.

“I know how to make her fall in love with you,” you smile, walking around in circles, trying to organize your thoughts inside your head. Nico. Nora. She thinks she’s in love. Nico’s happy. They get together. She’ll leave him after three months or so. Nico’s sad. But! Nico’s moved on. “God, how did I not think of that before?”

“What are you talking about—”

“We have to date.”

Nico stares at you like you’re crazy, his eyes big and confused. He opens his mouth a few times, probably trying to think of something to say, before closing it and inhaling the air.

You wait for him to say something, but when it’s obvious that he won’t, you continue:

“I know it sounds crazy, and I know what you must be thinking, but hear me out,” you step closer, looking up at him. “Girls sometimes don’t pay attention to guys because… well, because they can’t really see them. Like, for example: there’s this one guy in my office which I don’t care about, he’s just my coworker and nothing else.”

“What does this have to do with—” you put your index finger over his lips, shushing him.

“Wait,” you say. “So, he’s there and he isn’t anything. Until, one night, I had a dream that he’s dating me. And suddenly, I wake up and go to work, and I can’t see him the same way I did before. I start noticing how nice his hair is or how tall he is. Do you understand it now?”

Nico smiles, scratching his forehead with his finger.

“No, Emma. That doesn’t even make sense.”

You snort. “Because you’re a man. But trust me on this one, Nico. The second Nora sees you with someone else, she will notice you.”

Mostly because she’s a whore, but we’ll keep that to ourselves for a while.

“Do you have… like… a crush on me or something?” His face is now red and he gets closer to you, placing his hand on your shoulder while he looks like he’s trying to comfort you. “Is that why you want to do this?”

“What— No, what the hell!” you can feel your face getting warm and you step away from him. “No, I don’t have a c-crush on you. I just can’t stand you talking about her anymore. I’m your friend, so I will help you.”

Nico sighs, relieved it seems, still looking unsure.

“You don’t have to do it, if you don’t want to,” you say, closing your eyes for a few seconds. “I know it sounds crazy and I know you probably think I’m trying to get something here but in reality—”

“I’ll do it.”

“What?!” you can’t hide your surprise, almost shouting with how loud you spoke.

He smiles, sitting back on the couch, spreading his thighs and stretching his arms. “I mean, you’re never wrong about these love related things. You did get my sister an amazing boyfriend and you did manage to convince my brother to ask that girl out, and now they’re married. So it’s probably my turn to accept your love advice and shit, right?”

You’re starting to feel bad about this whole thing, because you know Nora will probably break his heart in thousands of little pieces, but what else can you do?

It’s the perfect plan, you think to yourself. It’s flawless, and it will work.

“I try my best,” you give him a half-smile, crossing your arms in front of your chest. “But you have to promise me something.”

Nico nods. “Anything.”

“If this doesn’t work out, then you'll move on.”

“Emma—”

“It’s not healthy for you to be thristing over someone for this much time,” you sit on the couch next to him and place your hand on his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. “We will fight, and we will fight hard, but if there’s no results in three months, and I’m being generous, we’ll move on. Okay?”

Nico stared at his hands, biting his lips before looking at you again.

“Okay.”

𖧷

<next chapter>

[itsblasttothepast]

Hey I know this is random af but I just recently found your deep-dive lore of Checo as his fan, if you don't mind me asking is there any deeper relationship between Lewis and Checo as driver since they never really become teammate to begin with? As new checo fans I feel like I missed a lot of his lore

Oh anon, you have no idea what you've done. You opened the door to a rambling from ages ago, so fasten your seatbelt, because it will be a wild ride my friend, as I'm getting into this mode:

Checo and Lewis' story started with the first podium of my adorable Mexican: Malaysia 2012. He was P2, Fernando Alonso won, and Lewis was P3.

Look how happy my boy was, so excited for his first podium, next to the big honcho (Alonso back then). As Checo was just starting in F1, honestly I didn't know much about Lewis before that moment, but he always looked reserved and aloof, too cool for this bunch (nothing against Lewis, I like him, but he gives me that vibe even now).

In the press room, we all noticed Lewis looking at Checo like this, it was like 'what is this guy even doing here, with a SAUBER?' (Sauber was a middle-low table team).

We thought then that we would hate Lewis forever and ever for giving the evil eye to our boy, but to our surprise, they seemed to get along just fine... even more than just fine, if you get my drift.

They always seemed to gossip in the interviews and press conferences, and to be honest, they were fairly touchy feely to each other.

But the year I feel they were the closest, and I can't say if they had something bigger than a friendship because of course we cannot know that, but they were close for sure, maybe good friends, was 2015... oh, 2015...

They shared a few podiums, and they were so smiley and touchy, like in Russia:

Or... the thing that BROKE US back then (and still, honestly), México 2015 Grand Prix... a video of Lewis being a DJ in a club, with Checo next to him.... I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, alrighty?

Happy and relaxed (and Checo was drunk as a skunk. Lewis apparently doesn't drink, or he does not drink excessively, that's why he made a non-alcoholic tequila, a sacrilege for me, as mexican) (also, I must admit that Checo parties hard, making him super idiotic and sleazy. I mean, I love the man, but he has his flaws). Anyways, here's the video if you want to check it out:

Sorry anon, I didn't find it on youtube.

So, naturally, all the fangirls (I'm a girl, BTW, too old for this DTS croud) were making crazy stories about a bromance-romance, that increased because we remembered this tweet:

Roscoe is Lewis' pet, so adorable and famous like his dad. He jumped into Checo's car, and Checo took this picture and tagged Lewis. Something usual between them, tagging each other with things. So as other fans had pointed out, not only Roscoe knew Checo and his car, but felt comfortable enough to jump into it and chill there.

Also, in a team dynamic with Max, Checo remembered the tweet and clarified that Roscoe doesn't travel that far when Max suggested the picture was taken in Australia, and also knows that Roscoe is vegetarian.

This was the moment when we felt like this:

We thought they were going to be the BFF of the F1, they seemed to be chillin' outside the grid and they seemed closer... but then... brocedes happened.

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were besties, we all know that (therefore the ship/frienship name). When they became teammates at Mercedes... oh boy, things got ugly. I believe that their friendship being in decline was something that influenced the closeness between Checo and Lewis, but that's just my opinion.

2016 was the year that decided everything. Lewis focused all his energy in beating Britney (sorry, I had to use that nickname at least once, I know Nico hated it, but I couldn't resist), and his friendship/whatever else was going on with Checo faded away.

Nico won the championship (but honestly, it was brutal, it destroyed their friendship), and he retired, and Lewis seemed to regain balance and focus again. But it was never the same with Checo, and if we hoped for something to revive, 2021 ended those dreams, when Checo was brought to RedBull to help Max win the championship, and that meant blocking Lewis path as long as he could. I don't want to enter to the whole 'Lewis was robbed' discussion, but it was a riot.

Additionally, on a side note, Checo also had a good relationship with Nico Rosberg, so it was like he was in the middle of their breakup.

Still, they seem friendly nowadays, Checo keeps making small talk with Lewis, and honestly, and I clarify, IN MY OPINION, Lewis always looks very fond of Checo, and he smiles differently with him. Again, in my delusional opinion.

Like for example:

So, in conclussion anon, even when they WERE close back then, now they seem friendly and fine with each other. When they get together in the interviews, they always gossip and smile, and Canada 2024 gave us little Chewis crumbs (this was the ship name, until Charles Leclerc joined the party and now is also the name of the Charles/Lewis pairing).

Phewww, sorry anon, I know you didn't expected this rambling, but I hope you made it this far and I could answer your question.

And I'm glad to see more Checo fans around here, I was feeling like this all the time.

Oh, and please, pleaseeeee, consider this my take on things, my opinion and fangirl delusions, if you don't agree and you think I'm crazy, that's fair, but no need to be nasty about it or call me names.

Who wants me to ramble about Checo/Nico next? O Checo/Esteban? Ohhh, that would be wild!

[thewritingofspencerrose]

Little Lady Masterlist

Just the Two of Us

This might be my favorite chapter yet... almost entirely because my babies get to finally be a couple <3

age twenty

Bang bang bang!

Bang bang BANG!

"Oh my God," Is all I can manage to groan, pulling the sleeves of my hoodie over my hands and curling in on myself as I move out of the warmth of my bed, just to hear the knocking once more.

"J! Please get the door, I need to grab some headache medication," I grumble, pulling up my hood as I make my way into the hall, Jack's voice meeting my ears.

"Mag's can you come here?"

"But medsss," I groan, still waddling my way to the door. And I wish I hadn't when I see who's there.

Trevor Zegras, standing with a grocery bag and flowers, smiling awkwardly as every minute of last nights conversation comes back to me.

Sure, Trevor and I have flirted for years, but last night I threw any self respect out the window and told him everything.

"I'm going to go grab breakfast with Nico and Dougie," Jack speaks up, grabbing his jacket and hat from the hanger. "When I get back, I want to be completely filled in and to remain not an uncle," He adds, his body out the door before I can even give him hell for his comments.

And then it's just Trevor and I, him still placed sturdy in the entry.

"Um, you can come in Trev," I invite, stepping back to make room for him to enter.

"I- you sounded pretty drunk last night, so when I got off the plane I grabbed some excedrin, gaterade, and some pancake mix," He rambles off, slipping off his snowy boots and gently setting the grocery bag on the counter to his left. "I uh, also got you these."

He's holding out the flowers like I might hit him with them or that he's apologizing, neither of which is necessary.

"I wanted to get you peonies since I know they're your favorite, but it's apparently not the season for it, so I got carnations instead."

"Trevor, you really didn't have to do all of this," Is my whispered response, just now looking up to meet his gorgeous eyes as I take the flowers, hugging them to my chest. "I'm sorry for bothering you last night."

"I flew from California to Jersey to see you and you think you bothered me with a call?" He gawks, having the audacity to laugh.

"I just know I was a lot," Is my reasoning, walking away to put the flowers in a vase in the kitchen. "And I brought up you asking my brothers about me even though that was years ago. I'm just trying to say I'm sorry."

His movements are faster than I'm expecting, his body suddenly not feet from me but instead with his arms on either side of my body.

We've been close before. But never with this look in his eyes.

A look that makes me feel that even though I'm in a hoodie, that I'm not realizing is Trevors from my last visit, and leggings, I'm the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Stop apologizing."

"Z-"

"Margaret Hughes, you are never a lot. You are never a bother," He adds. "You were right last night. I did ask your brothers permission to ask you out. Years ago. You were never meant to over hear what your brothers and I were talking about that night, cause God I could never imagine actually telling you how I felt. I mean, why ruin things?"

"How you felt?" That one word. Felt. Past tense.

His hand comes to the side of my head, cupping my cheek as his thumb rubs over my cheek.

"Feel," He mumbles. "How I feel."

I may need to take my pulse. I'm not sure. I may be dead.

"How do you feel, Trevor?"

Oh my God. Why did I ask that. Do I even want the answer?

"Mags," His voice is soft. Soft like the day he sat with me in the hockey rink for the last time. "I have been in love with you since we were 18. I never said anything because I didn't want to ruin things. I never wanted to risk not having you in my life. Next to your brother and Alex, you're my best friend. I couldn't ruin -"

"You could never ruin us, Trevor," I can't help but interrupt.

"Even by telling you that I'm in love with you?"

He looks so fragile, so anxious. Gone is the ever confident Ducks hotshot and here is a boy who is genuinely worried about what I say next.

"Trevor," I whisper. "I've been in love with you almost since we met. Not once has it not been you."

And then the world around me is blank except for the feeling of his lips on mine and my mine on his, his hands moving from the counter and to the back of my neck, mine linking over his shoulders and pulling him closer.

It starts slow, like we're exploring a new town like we had when he moved to Anaheim or I moved to Jersey. He's so close to me that every minute breath that leaves his nose brushing over my face.

But then it's faster, years full of love being expressed with every time our lips touch, him nipping my lips with his teeth as he pulls away.

And our foreheads touch, just like in every romance novel I've ever read, but none of those could imitate the kind of joy, the kind of love I feel right now.

"Why didn't you tell me you were into me?" Is the first thing he asks, his most charming smile on full display.

"Me?!" I can't help but yell, him jumping back as I lightly shove his chest. "You literally had my brothers approval and said nothing!! For years!"

"Okay, so I should have said something..." He agrees, "But I said something now? That counts right?"

I can't help but nod, pulling him head back down to my lips with a smile. "You have some time to make up for, but yes, that absolutely counts."

"If I saw I love you again do I get extra points?"

We both laugh at this, because we've said those simple words so many times, joking little goodbyes or on nights of drinking to bother my brother.

But now they hold so much more weight.

"You may get a few extra points," I offer with a chuckle.

His lips meet mine once more.

"Maggie Hughes, I love you."

"Trevor Zegras, I love you right back."

[nicohischierz]

our summer: nico hischier x player! reader 

quinn didn’t say anything as he and nico drove to his parents house. he had messaged his mother on the way that he had a guest on the way. 

when he arrived ellen gave nico a small smile before directing him towards the guest room she made up for him. “you guys will figure this out,” ellen told the boy, squeezing his hands. 

that night, nico researched the best ob/gyn in new jersey and asked some of the team for their recommendations.

nico spent the whole night talking to erik about how to prepare for a babies arrival. when asked if you were pregnant nico declined.

his response was “we just want to prepare ourselves for the future”

no one really believed him but they knew you’d tell them when the time was right.

nico wasn’t mad. no he was excited to be a father but he was disappointed in himself for not noticing how you felt back in switzerland.

because if he did then maybe you’d be cuddled into him and discussing baby names instead of sleeping on two different beds in two different places.

when quinn came back home you were in the kitchen, a jar of pickles open in front of you. “where did you go?” you asked, taking a bite of the sour vegetable. 

quinn thought about possibly lying to you but he decided against it. “nico stopped by,”

you faltered, almost droppping the pickle. but instead you just smiled at quinn and nodded. “i dropped him off at my mothers, you can talk to him tomorrow,” quinn offered.

“the coffee shop, at 10:30,” you mumbled before heading off to your room.

nico was at the coffee shop before you arrived. he pulled out a chair and made sure you had everything.

“i’m sorry,” he started.

“i’m sorry that i made you feel like you had to leave and do this one your own. i should’ve payed more attention to you, my mum told me you weren’t acting like yourself but i thought it was because of the contract,”

nico leaned across and grabbed your hands, enclosing them in his.

you didn’t say much.

you just stared at him.

“i want to keep it,” you managed to get out.

“jack said i can stay with him and luke. nico, i’m not going to force you into taking care of the baby if you don’t want to but i want this,” you rambled.

nick squeezed your hands.

“i want to do this with you. if there was anyone in the world that i was going to start a family with, i’d want it to be you,” he answered.

that evening, nico moved his bags into your room and quinn and jack’s lake house. the three brothers gave nico a lecture on how to act.

when the two of you were getting ready to go to bed, you called your coach and told him you were pregnant. he congratulated you and then informed the two of you that you’d have to go speak to hr about what the plan was.

the next people to find out were alex turcotte, trevor zegras and cole caufield as they arrived at the lake house soon after you and nico. to your surprise, ty smith showed up at the door and you broke down.

the group all looked towards a frightened ty and then to a laughing jack. nico also tried smothering a laugh but it didn’t work.

“i’m sorry, it’s the hormones,” you excused yourself to grab a tissue.

alex caught onto it first. despite your attempts to hide alex managed to make out the little bump you had growing.

“no way!” he exclaimed, running over and giving you a hug.

the other three just looked at you and alex in confusion. it wasn’t until alex asked to put his hand on your stomach did they understand the situation.

“you’re pregnant?”

“you two are going to be parents!”

“congratulations!”

they all exclaimed clambering to give you a hug. you welcomed all of them, holding onto ty a bit longer than the others.

“listen right now you guys and the organisation are the only people who know. so please, i am begging you not to say anything until i announce it,” you pleaded.

they all nodded.

trevor kept staring between your stomach and your ankles. “did you know your ankles swell up,” he blurted.

[writingonleaves]

things you never said (things you'll never say to me) - nico hischier

pairing: nico hischier x original female character

warnings: swearing, sadness, angst, not my traditional fluff folks, very little dialogue, kinda a ramble disguised into a piece lol, google translated german, projection?? is that a valid warning

inspired by + title: "things i wish you said" by sabrina carpenter

word count: 2.8k

author's note: got into my feels randomly for this (incredible) song and decided to write something with it. also a part of @wyattjohnston 's lowkey loverfest 2k24!! hope you all enjoy this melancholy ride and please let me know what you think <3

*****

Nico Hischier has always been a leader. 

You ask anyone in Naters or Bern who knew him growing up and they would say the same thing — he’s a polite, young boy with so much talent and a sensible mind. He may be the youngest of three, but everyone’s always turned to Nico for guidance. With a calming voice paired with a warm smile, it’s rare for Nico to steer anyone wrong. 

And he sees it in himself too. Even when he was a rookie, when the C stitched into his jersey was only a blurred dream, he still felt like he had to lead by example. No one was expecting that of him, he knows that now, but he was a first overall pick, the weight of a losing team’s hopes on his shoulders. If he crumbled, those supporters’ hopes fell with him. His own hope would fall with him. 

It took a few years, a pandemic, another first overall pick, a shit ton of roster changes, a new coach and other things to walk into a locker room that wasn’t used to losing. And Nico prides himself as being a leader in that transition. C on his jersey or not, he would’ve done it. Because he doesn’t know how not to.

Leanna always said he didn’t know how to turn it off. 

When Nico had first met Leanna Spritz, it honestly was one of the worst first impressions he’s ever given. It was the morning after a brutal 6-1 loss against the fucking Flyers. The final score itself was bad, but the fact that it was against the Flyers rubbed more salt into the wound. He knew Lindy was gonna bag skate them all to hell and back the morning after and he just really wanted his cappuccino before to take away some of the bitterness. 

All up in his head, he had crashed literally into Leanna. Before they both could comprehend, her cold brew had spilled. Somehow, Nico got away with an unnoticeable splash on his hoodie and no spillage from his own drink. But Leanna wasn’t so lucky. Her brown sweater wasn’t dark enough to hide the fact that half of her cold brew was on it while the other spilled to the ground. 

“Fuck,” Nico had exclaimed, eyes widening and darting between her now coffee stained sweater, the empty cup on the ground and her red hair that only glistened with the sun rays. “Shit! I am so sorry. That’s totally my fault.”

Leanna had waved him away with a small chuckle as she dug into her purse for stray napkins. Far too nice for someone who now had coffee all over them because of him. “It’s okay. Mistakes happen.”

Nico looked at his watch and grimaced. Shit. He was going to be late to practice. And that would be even worse than usual with their horrible performance the night before. “Listen. I really want to buy you a coffee to make up for my clumsiness, but I’m gonna be late to work and-”

Leanna had nodded in understanding, lips quirked up. “Don’t worry about it. Promise. Go. Don’t be late for work.”

He had been so frazzled that all he remembered doing was blurting out another apology before practically running away, partially from embarrassment but also because he really did have to go. 

A week later, Nico went back to the coffee shop. In the back of his mind was the redhead who he still owed a coffee to. But Nico’s also realistic and he knew he’d probably never see her again. 

While he was patiently waiting in the long line, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He braced himself to interact with a fan, but turned around and was pleasantly surprised by who he did see. 

“I thought that was you,” she had said, pink beanie over her hair and a twinkle in her eye. “Not going to spill coffee again on me, are you? I’m wearing white today.”

Nico swallowed before his brain turned back on and he grinned. “Good eye. And no. I promise I’ll be less clumsy today. And I’m less in a rush.” They were next in line to order and he ordered first before turning to her. She had tried to deny him but he just raised an eyebrow until she gave the barista her order. 

“I’m really sorry again,” Nico said as they had shuffled out of line to wait for their drinks. “I hope the sweater didn’t stain.”

Leanna waved him off with her bright smile. “That sweater has been through too much for some coffee to ruin it. You don’t need to worry, Captain.”

Nico had been shocked that she knew who he was, which, in hindsight, is dumb. He’s not Jack, but he gets recognized a good amount around New Jersey still.

He cleared his throat. “Nico is fine.”

She smiled. “Okay, Nico. Well, I’m Leanna. Thank you for paying for my coffee. You didn’t have to, by the way, especially to clear your conscience.”

“That’s not why-well, it is. But I also, uh, are you in a rush?”

Nico remembers that day so well still, his English failing him despite living in North America for over five years as he basically asked Leanna on their first date right there and then. He remembers being thankful that she took some pity on him with her sweet smile and led them to a table. He probably would’ve stood there stuttering like a fool if she didn’t cut in.

“Nico?”

Nico blinks himself out of his memories as Jack walks into his living room. Sometimes he questions if he should’ve given Jack a key. 

“Hey. What’s up?”

“We have skate,” Jack gives him a look. “Dude, take a shower. Quickly. Or we’ll be late.”

“Right,” Nico says, stumbling over to the shower. As the water’s warming up, his eyes stop at a purple bottle tucked in the corner of the sink. Hair oil. Leanna always joked that she couldn’t live without it. His hands twitch to reach for the bottle just so he can smell the grapefruit scent, but he forces himself into the shower instead. 

He can hear Nina’s voice so clearly. Throw it away, she’d say in their mother-tongue that realistically Nico will never not be fluent in but sometimes is scared will slip away. Nina liked Leanna a lot, actually, the one time they met when she came to Jersey to visit last year. But Nina is also Nico’s sister, and cursed her name many times when Nico called her crying, waking her up in the middle of the night. She had stayed on the phone with him for three hours, letting him cry.

He forces himself to take a shower. To wake up a bit and shift his focus to the upcoming skate and game tonight. They’re playing the Rangers, which is just always a grind. He needs to be all in.

Nico keeps to himself while getting ready for practice, putting on his gear quietly while his teammates chatter about something or another around him. He speaks quickly to the equipment team about his skates and smiles in thanks. He catches a whiff of the perfume of their head of PR as she walks past in the hallway, and Nico swallows. 

Realistically, he knows it’s not the same one. But it’s floral and smells like jasmine, so it might as well be. 

As he’s driving home, he has the radio down low. He was never the one to fuss about putting his music on in the car. Because the world just works like that, a song that he doesn’t know the title to comes on. He hums along, because Leanna always played this song.

Instinctively, his fingers twitch to reach out to someone who won’t ever be in his passenger seat ever again. He can hear her voice, her thigh under his palm. It’s not safe to drive with one hand, she’d say with an amused laugh interlaced in her voice. He would always roll his eyes before giving her thigh a squeeze and keeping his hand there for the majority of their journey. 

He remembers that sentence bringing him comfort when they were driving to her sister’s house in upstate New York. He was scared shitless to meet her whole family for the first time to celebrate her cousin’s birthday. It was below freezing point outside, but his hands were so clammy that one would’ve thought it was summer. 

Leanna had put her hand in his hair at the nape of his neck. He had immediately calmed down. 

He swears if he focuses hard enough he can still smell the green tea shampoo Leanna used. It was always interesting to him, because the first thing he would think of when he saw her flaming red hair wasn’t green tea. It deserved something more bold attached to it. Like orange. Or vanilla. Or coconut.

Because Leanna was exactly that. Bold. Bright. Crashing into the lives of everyone in her path with her bright smile, loud laughter and a personality that sucked you in. 

Nico stops at a red light and absentmindedly looks to the right. His breath catches at the sight of a woman walking a beagle. Leanna always said that once she was more settled down, a beagle was the kind of dog she wanted to get, just like the dog she had by her side throughout her whole childhood. 

At one point, Nico had thought she meant settling down in Jersey. Never did she give the indication while they were together that she had meant London. 

He couldn’t force himself to unfollow Leanna on Instagram after the break-up. He catches himself way too often seeing if she still follows him. She does. And she even likes his posts most of the time. He checks.

Nico shouldn’t be surprised. Even though she cried so much when they broke up and he couldn’t handle it, through tears, she wished him nothing but the best. Even as she was actively breaking his heart.

As he pulls into the parking garage for his apartment complex, he kills the engine and just sits there. He should be focusing on the game tonight. Focusing on how they need to stop taking stupid penalties. Focusing on their positioning in the offensive zone. 

You think too much, honey. Leanna would say, kissing his forehead twice, something she started doing to calm him down. You just need to play hockey. Least that’s what you always tell me. Everything else will follow. 

And he would never admit it out loud — especially to Jonas — but he still repeats those words in his head. He’s not sure if it works, but it’s like a mantra. A routine. And hockey players know more than anyone how important routines are and how difficult they are to change. 

It’s been two months and three days. It’s annoying that Nico can still hear her voice in his head, clear as day. He hopes one day he’lll never be able to remember. But he also dreads the day that he’ll forget what she sounds like. 

He walks up into his apartment and pours out a glass of water, downing it in one go. The sun’s out for the first time in two weeks, and a small smile spills on his lips as he admires the sunlight through his glass windows. His eyes shift to a spot on one of the tables by the window on the right, where it seems like something is shining. His curiosity takes over and he walks over, a reminder popping into his brain that he needs to dust his apartment. Why does dust accumulate so quickly anyways? 

His stomach drops. One of her combs placed nonchalantly behind one of his plants. The shine is coming from the light hitting the red hair caught between the bristles. 

What the fuck?

Nico closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before hastily grabbing the comb and tossing it into the trash. She never officially moved in with him, but she was around the apartment enough to leave some things lying around here and there. He thought he had thrown everything out. Or more accurately, he trusted Jesper, Timo and Jack to do it for him during a particularly bad Saturday afternoon two weeks after everything fell to shit. 

He checks the time and sighs. He needs to nap or else everything will be thrown off. Checking his phone to make sure no one needs him, he plugs it in to charge by his bedside, ignoring a text from Nina he’ll answer when he wakes up.

It’s a text she sends a few times a week when she senses that her younger brother’s having a harder day. From almost 4,000 miles, she still knows. Nico’s always loved his sister, but he’s never felt more grateful to have her as he has in these last few months. 

eins zu zehn?? ❤️

One to ten, it translates to. On a scale of one to ten, how shitty or good are you feeling about it today? 

Nico sighs, responds back with a 6, and wills his mind to rest. 

Somehow, he wakes up decently well rested to his alarm. He stays in bed a few extra minutes, getting his mindset ready for gametime. He chooses to wear the gray three piece suit tonight. One of his more fancier fits. It is the Rangers, after all. 

It was Leanna’s favorite suit of his. She always joked he “ruined the look” when he slapped on his beloved white beanie. I love your hair. I wish you’d show it off more, she’d say.

He digs out the beanie from his clean laundry. 

He always leaves an hour or so to himself before he has to go to the rink. He usually spends it tidying up or doing things around his place to clear his head so he can come back after the game and just crash. 

Today, he replays the breakup in his mind. Or what he remembers of it, since he blocked a lot of it out. 

When you picture your future, do you see me in it at all? He had choked out, holding Leanna’s hands in his for what was the last time. 

It hadn’t helped that she had also been crying as she said her next words. Neeks, baby. It’s not you, it’s me. And I hate that I’m pulling that out, but it’s true. Maybe this isn’t the right time for us. 

Why can’t it be? Nico had said. Why can’t we make it work?

Maybe in the future, if things are different. She had said, biting her trembling lip. But even then, Nico knew they were empty promises. She’s too stubborn of a person to not bend the world her way. She just doesn’t want Nico to be a part of that world.

It’s not fair, he knows that realistically, but oftentimes he wonders if she ever loved him at all. That thought especially rode his mind after he saw her post a story on Instagram earlier last week. It was clearly a soft launch, with her hand in the hand of some faceless guy over dinner. Nico ended up scoring two goals that night out of sheer adrenaline and anger. 

Because all he’s ever wanted was for Leanna Spritz to be happy. Even now. Even after all of this. Even if it’s not with him. 

But fuck, she’s clearly moving on. Why can’t he?

He blinks, collapsing on his couch in the living room and staring at the wall. The last time he heard from her was a month ago, when he had gone down after a rough hit during a game against Minnesota. He ended up only being out for the next two games, but the hit hadn’t been pretty. His chest had taken the brunt of the damage. Everyone, including him, had been relieved that it wasn't more serious.

While he was getting checked out by the trainers the next morning, his phone had buzzed and he almost threw up. 

Leanna Spritz✨

I saw the hit last night. Hope you’re okay. Listen to the trainers. 

Nico was angry. What right did she have to text him that? 

But then, he just felt sad. That bottomless pit in his stomach opened up. He felt nothing but emptiness. 

His phone buzzes, this time with a text from Timo, and Nico takes a deep breath. It’s game time. No more crying over his ex-girlfriend. 

As he’s sliding on his beanie in the bathroom, he catches sight of the hair oil again. He picks it up, smells it, before throwing it in the trash. It lands on the bottom of the can with a final thud. He clicks all the lights off, makes sure he has everything he needs, grabs his key off the hook and shuts the door. 

Two hours later, everyone’s getting hyped up. He gives a mini impromptu speech, Jack slaps his back way too hard and Nico smiles, dimples and all.

He takes a deep breath before his blades touch the ice.

[willsimpforanyone]

Soooo. This is extremely specific but could you write for the Percy Jackson boys having a friend who just broke up with somebody and the ex states “I really only wanted to know what your body was like” and the boys help reader with the emotional trauma that comes with that and they end up dating and it’s all super cute at the end?

if not that’s ok. Btw I LOVE your page

whenever anyone puts a super specific request in i'm always like are u okay?? did this happen to u?? i'm so sorry if that happened to you irl have some pjo boys to help u

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

Percy Jackon

First of all, is fucking outraged that someone would say that about his friend, his loyalty kicking in hard. When he chills out and realises you might actually need help with this, he is constantly talking about your other traits that isn't just your body. How smart you are, how creative, how kind, how funny, he will ramble about you for as long as it takes for you to smile.

Jason Grace

Confused.com, truly, truly doesn't understand how anyone could say that. Will wrap you up in a hug and reassure you that you deserve so much better than your ex. Less angry, more upset that someone upset you, and will try to distract you as best he can through any method just so he can see you feeling a little better.

Leo Valdez

His face is calm and concerned about you, but his hands are on fire. This kid doesn't understand how to be serious in almost any situation, but he will read your ex to absolute filth, sassy comments and funny judgy facial expressions just to make you smile. He's not necessarily protective, but he will offer to burn down their house if you just say the word.

Frank Zhang

Another one who does not understand how someone can be so mean. That's just cruel, and he's hurt on your behalf. You're such a wonderful person, how can someone be so awful to you when you're the light of his life? He's one to sit with you and let you cry while holding your hand or hugging you until you feel a bit better.

Nico di Angelo

Internally immediately plotting revenge. Another one that wouldn't necessarily know how to deal with the negative emotions but would quietly let you know that he's here for you. Turns up at your house with cheap takeout and the promise to sit with you for hours and hours for moral support while you rant about your shitty ex.

Will Solace

Wraps you up in a hug protectively, genuinely upset that someone was so cruel to you. Talks and talks and talks about how amazing you are, filling your head with compliments to combat the negativity planted there by your ex.

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

i hope you enjoyed, thank you for requesting!

[hulknussen]

So I feel like you are really good at understanding and analyzing relationships, and I wanted to get your take on Nico and Kevin's relationships with their different teammates and how they interacted.

I know it's maybe too much to ask and a big question, but it was mostly because I stumbled upon this old video with Nico and Carlos. And the way Nico acts here with Carlos is just very different to me than what we have seen with Kevin.

I know it's old and all of them were younger and acted differently. But the way he talks to Carlos here seem to me like someone who is very aware of their age difference. Maybe I'm reaching. But as far as I know Carlos is only 2 years younger than Kevin. But I couldn't imagine Nico calling Kevin a sweetie pie like that... Am I talking nonsense?

Also can we talk about Jolyon, who was teammates with both of them. I've heard him talk a lot about Kevin, but I don't remember hearing him talk about being teammates with Nico.

Sorry for the ramble 🧡

definitely don't feel like you have to apologize, I am more than happy to talk about this topic

you're completely right that nico calling kevin sweetie pie (esp the way he did in that video you linked to... damn, nico) would seem quite odd. and I don't think just now, when they're both 30+, fathers, married, etc; it would have also seemed odd if they were teammates in 2018. which, fun fact, is something that was actually on the table for a while, if I recall correctly. which was also the second time a nico/kevin partnership was being considered by a team before haas did it, the time before being by force india.

many a (ni)carlos fan will be quick to point out that their one year and then some tenure as teammates was carlos' only time as the younger driver of a pairing in his entire career. it was also the closest thing nico ever got to having a rookie teammate, and at least from media and pr appearances, both of them seemed to embrace that dynamic quite thoroughly.

on top of that, I think it's important to consider that carlos really wasn't a threat to nico. at all. he'd just gotten let go from toro rosso, leaving him high and dry outside of red bull's revolving door system without getting a shot at the top team, and nico spends almost the entire 2018 season comfortably outscoring carlos. even by the halfway point of the season, when this was filmed, it was evident that nico was the stronger of the two drivers (at least when he didn't retire the race--but then, you could say him still outscoring despite having had four retirements to carlos' single retirement only brought the point home further) within the context of the renault team in its 2018 state.

so, nicarlos overall seemed happy to have nico calling carlos a sweetie pie, be that as a term of endearment, or also as a way of humiliation (to a degree) and establishing dominance. LISTEN: I just think, do not put it past nico inherently. especially not 2018 nico.

context also matters, and in this clip, he is calling carlos a "sweetie pie" for quote: "having feelings for his mechanics", which I will take as a "I like them and would consider having dinner with them" lol. he's also since gone on the record to say that he considers carlos quite the romantic, and that it's (again quote, though not verbatim) "that spanish blood of his" which to me is a clear indication that nico thinks of carlos as more emotional and that therefore a cutiefying--for lack of better word--term like that may be more intuitive to fall back on. something something macho metrosexual masculinity of a high-adrenaline sport.

on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, kevin and nico were pretty much inherently built on conflict and respect. kevin's first season immediately put him into the midfield as a true contender for it, and while the years after that he was often in the weaker car and delegated to finish a little bit further down the order than nico, I still think that by 2018 they were at least established as a real threat to each other in each other's minds. then, paired with a by-then somewhat established reputation of someone who isn't opposed to roughousing, I do not think nico would have taken to calling kevin something like that as easily. it also simply would not have been fitting; kevin is far more closed off, and while not an unemotional man by any means, he also has yet to get described as "lightly brushed by melancholy" by a sports journalist, lol. that is to say, the inclination to even use such a term for kevin, would be far less present, if at all, just based on who kevin is as a person.

as for jolyon, he did a podcast episode talking about nico about four months ago at the time of writing, where he describes nico as a "career killer" of his teammates. I do think it was cope from his end to a degree, because their time as teammates was. well, it sure was something! I don't remember too much, but I do remember that content they did together was horribly awkward in its undertones. jolyon really did not seem to be having a good time, while nico was closer to being a bully than anything else. he was always quick to point out that he was the better driver of the two, often using backhanded compliments or subtly jiving against jolyon even in his presence. boy, did 2017 nico know how to have catfights. I want to say: something something macho metrosexual masculinity of a high-adrenaline sport again, but that's kind of inherent to any analysis of nico's dynamics at this point. also, nico really didn't "end" (as much as another driver even can, but that's a different topic--just always good to consider nuance when talking about this) that many of his teammates' careers. really just jolyon's in my opinion

hopefully this was something! thank you for the ask. I will say though that I haven't given jolyon and nico much thought beyond when that episode aired back in september

[chock-and-bates]

Hi! First of all, just saying that you are an incredible writer. I’m relatively new to the F1 lore; I’ve watched the races since I was a kid, but not really with much passion. I think the last one I watched before the pandemic was a while ago, until I saw Charles "the Sun of Maranello" Leclerc winning in Austin at a restaurant. That’s when I fell hard for this little menace—not in a sexual way, but more in the sense that I’m completely endeared by him. He gives me the same rollercoaster of emotions I felt as a kid reading the last Harry Potter book... you know? That point when you want Harry to win so badly because the kid has suffered enough. The same goes for Il Predestinato—I need him to win more than I think is healthy, considering I don’t really know him and he’s a stranger, but god, he has my heart.

Anyway, since November, I discovered Lestappen, and you are one of the best pillars for me. Your Max (a total heartthrob) is EVERYTHING I want for Charles. I’m in love with the love your Max has for your Charles (who is a total babe), so THANK YOU for your gift.

Now, regarding the game (which is why I’m writing this)… I’m really intrigued by "miserable man (that does what he can)" because the narrative has always been that Max is going to retire first. However, if I think about it, Charles drives for his papa and for Jules (even Anthoine) more than he drives for himself. I feel like, of all the drivers, he carries the most self-imposed weight on his shoulders because there is a legacy (Jules) and a promise (papa), and I even feel like he feels guilty for making his parents favor his career over Arthur’s. So when you put all that weight on his plate… if Charles wins a single WDC, and if it costs him too much in terms of his mental health, he’ll leave. He’ll fulfill his promise and leave. I know he’s the hungriest on the grid right now, but I don’t know… I think now that he has other hobbies, he might take a step back and leave the narrative behind... dissapear for a year, buy a studio in Paris and produce award winning albums with Sofiane and maybe come back for Le Mans with his pal Tonio.

Sorry, just rambling. You’re amazing! Bye!

I need to thank you for this amazing, insightful ask because I had a terrible afternoon at work and then I read this and started grinning. Thank you!!! Please stop by and ramble any time.

You GET exactly where I'm coming from with Charles, and that makes me so happy. I can't remember exactly what inspired this fic, but I realized that I could actually see Charles potentially pulling a Nico and retiring after winning a WDC for exactly the reasons that you laid out above. I like flipping around narratives, and everyone always assumes Max will retire first, but WHAT IF Charles beat him to it? There aren't many fics that explore that (though I believe there are some out there), so I wanted to take a stab at it- I think it would be really interesting to see Max deal with losing his longest rival, especially if Max also assumed he would retire first..

Anyways!!! The fic is based around the five stages of grief and the following quote- "I am afraid I will love you forever, and we will never be in the same room again." (Clementine von Radics)

I don't have a good snippet yet, but here's some dialogue from an early section:

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought about it," Charles paused, suddenly looking hesitant, "I wanted to, actually. But… I didn’t even tell Pierre or Seb. I didn’t know how to explain that I told you and not them...”

[imeanitplsmorenamifics]

Hi, guys! I'm back, trying to get out of my writing slump. I have two requests that I'm working on currently since they've been sitting in my inbox but I had the inspiration to write this first so here we are! Was this needed? Absolutely not. Was it done anyways? Yep! 😘 I hope you all love even more angst. This is part two of Good Luck, Babe! This part is based on Subway 👀. Enjoy some more pain and suffering. Part 1 Flower Asks Hozier Asks Taylor Swift Asks Masterlist Rules Taglist Request Characters: Nami, Fem!Reader, Sanji, Straw Hats (mentioned), Nico Robin, Arlong (mentioned) Pairing: Nami x Fem!Reader, Nami x Sanji (one-sided), Nico Robin x Fem!Reader TW: Comphet. There may be more but that's all I can think of. Tell me if there's more!

Subway

.·:·.✧ ✦✧.·:·.

Being in love with someone you feel you shouldn't be in love with is hard. It's even harder when you realize they were exactly what you needed. If there was one thing that Nami wished she'd done different, it would be how she dealt with you.

She was scared. She knew how people felt about a girl being in love with another girl. She knew it was the ramblings of people who didn't truly understand, but somewhere inside her, it still felt wrong. She internalized those words she heard and couldn't let them go even when there was no reason to keep holding on.

Never was there a moment where Nami felt like she was in love with someone. Sure, she flirted with men to gain things she wanted. But that was never love, far from even liking. That changed when she met you. You were so much different than anyone she'd ever met. You were such a free soul and that was something she aspired to be. She admired you in a way. You felt how she wanted to feel. She was stuck with Arlong for so long that she didn't know how to let go. But you did.

That admiration turned into so much more. It grew after Arlong was defeated. She no longer felt like she couldn't get close to anyone. She pushed herself to be closer to you. There was a feeling in her chest and stomach that felt like the fluttering of wings. It felt good. She chased that feeling.

It didn't take long for her to realize just what the feeling was. As soon as Nami realized that she was in love with you, she couldn't fathom it. She knew that one day she would fall in love, she just never thought it would be with another girl. When she found out she was in love with you, she was terrified. Not just of what you would think but about what other people may think. It wasn't something that was celebrated in some places. All those words she heard from other people about how bad it was for a girl to love another girl or a boy to love another boy had dug itself into her mind and put a stain on her heart that she couldn't scrub off no matter how much she wanted to.

To hear how she felt from you... It felt earth shattering. She didn't want to face the truth. So she denied it over and over again, even if she knew it hurt you. She just couldn't admit it to herself.

Men became more of a focus to her after that. She needed to prove to herself that what she was feeling was nothing more than feelings a friend had toward their friend. Nami needed to prove that she wasn't in love with you. Maybe things would be different if she were a boy or if you were. Neither of you were. In her mind, that meant nothing could happen.

Seeing you so sad hurt her. It killed her. Nami couldn't stand it. She wanted to rush over to you, let you know that she wasn't telling the truth. She was just scared and she was so sorry for lying and hurting you. But she couldn't. She knew that could never happen. It was soon after that she forced herself into a relationship with Sanji, anything to get her mind and thoughts away from you.

If anything, it only amplified it. She'd see you come into the kitchen and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She'd be out on the deck because she couldn't sleep and wouldn't be able to take her eyes off you whenever you walked out on the deck for some fresh air as well. Her mind told her that what she was feeling was wrong but her heart was saying something different. She didn't know what to listen to anymore.

"Aren't you so happy for them?" Sanji asked.

No, it was the exact opposite. Nami grinned at the blond man, "Yeah," She moved her gaze back to what she was looking at. It was you and her. Nico Robin. Somehow, the two of you ended up together. It felt like you were rubbing it in her face. Showing her what she missed, what she couldn't have. "Good for them." Why couldn't that be her?

Somehow that one moment caused problems for her. Sanji was an idiot sometimes, but he wasn't entirely stupid. He caught onto Nami's feelings toward you. There was one night when he and Nami were in the kitchen and he couldn't hold back anymore.

"Let's break up." The statement came from nowhere.

Blinking, Nami looked up at him with surprise, "What do you mean?"

He gave her a smile, though it was more forced than anything, "I don't like playing second best," Nami looked confused by his words. "Come on, I've noticed. I know how you feel about her."

"I don't feel anything toward [Y/N]."

"I never said her name."

That was the end of their short relationship. That was also the turning point for Nami. She realized that she couldn't let you go anymore. She needed to try to get you back.

It was dark on the deck of the Going Merry. Nami and you sat in silence. That's how it usually was after everything happened between you two. When you were left alone together, you would either exchange small talk or you both would sit in an uncomfortable silence. You had a feeling that this time was different.

You had no idea what to think when Nami suddenly said, "Be with me."

Your head whipped around to look at her, "What?" You felt breathless. All those times you wished she'd say that to you and here she was no, saying it. It felt unreal, like this was a dream. No, it was a nightmare.

"You can't be serious about Robin," Nami leaned forward, looking you in the eyes with intent, determination. "It's just a ploy to get me jealous, right? You don't actually like being with her."

You couldn't believe you were hearing this. You crossed your arms with narrowed eyes, filling with question, "And what if I am?" Nami wasn't sure what to say. She was expecting you to break. Come out with the truth and the two of you could live happily ever after. Not this. "Nami, you had your chance. Multiple times. You were the one who said you didn't like me. You have to live with the consequences." That was all you wanted to say. You started to walk back to your cabin.

Before you could even get three feet away, Nami called out, "So this is all about punishing me then?" You turned to see her staring at you still. She looked upset, there was a hurt in her eyes that she tried to not let show on the rest of her face. "You want me to say sorry for rejecting you the first time? Well, guess, what? I'm sorry. I really am. I just didn't want to admit that I could like-" She couldn't finish the sentence.

It was then that you fully turned to her, "Say it." You knew she needed this more than you.

"I didn't know I could like... a girl. You know?" Nami pursed her lips, waiting for whatever reply you gave her.

It felt invigorating to know you weren't crazy. You finally knew that she felt the same way you did back then. You knew you weren't misreading signals like she said. You couldn't bring yourself to smile at this. It was just another stab of pain in your heart. Another stab caused by Nami.

"I'm happy for you," You nodded slowly. "You can finally admit it... And I hope that whatever girl you get with is very happy. But it's not gonna be me." You left with those final words.

Nami would live with the pain of knowing you were the one who got away.

.·:·.✧ ✦✧.·:·.

Taglist: @3v37773 , @marvellousdaisy

[melonteee]

Happy to see some Robin discussion and some Post TS Robin love on the dashboard for sure!!

I guess to continue the Robin love, I really love thinking about how at peace she is with the Straw Hats and also how her dream plays into her story and I'm really excited to see how that wraps up for her. I find hers particularly interesting, because it isn't even really HER dream (to know the void century), but she took on the dreams of those who no longer could. I'm sure she had some level of curiosity as a child for sure, but it can really be inferred that a lot of her interest in the Void Century (at first) was her desire to be closer to the Archeologists and her mother specifically. When she meets Saul, she tells him she just really wants to ask her mom to take her to sea, but she knows her mother is traveling in search of the Poneglyphs, so she learned too. At the heart of it, she just wanted to be loved and be with people who loved her, and looking into the Void Century was the means to that end until the Buster Call. Saul told her to find her friends at sea, and she clung to that hope. Her dream turned into carrying the burdens of those lost, rather than her own, but they both kept her going. It wasn't until that moment on the tower where Luffy coaxed it out of her like only he's capable of - she didn't just say she wanted to live, she said she wanted to go out to sea. Robin is now at sea, surrounded by the people who love her, and it really shows through every moment she's in Post TS. I know everyone wants to see her fight more, and I absolutely would never complain about seeing her more, but I find every time she's just in the background smiling to be some of the most rewarding moments for her. Her dream of finding out what happened in the Void Century is going to happen I'm sure, and I feel like it's going to be so interesting regardless, but I personally thing her true dream was fulfilled that day she asked Luffy to take her to sea with the Straw Hats. I could be way off base and wrong, but there's no rule that says you can only have one dream and be done with it - I mean heck, Luffy has two (being the pirate king and the one we don't know). I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have any! Or I'm sorry if I rambled lol. I just love Nico Robin, I'm not sure if you know this...

It's why Zou is one of my favorite arcs honestly. She's so happy. She's so, so happy!!

(Also I am sorry if my reply to a post stoked any hurt for Robin Anon, it's all Robin love here and I understand where both of you were coming from, I should have been more considerate)

wahahah hello my Robin mutual!

Do not worry about the robin anon stuff! Me and the kind anon managed to come to an understanding haha.

BUT! Honestly? I have nothing to add! You summed everything up! Because I also love seeing Robin's happiness these days. I love seeing that she can express herself fully, and that she can find peace and comfort amongst the Strawhats without ever worrying about being stabbed in the back. She truly feels like herself in the timeskip, and truly feels like she's able to find herself and grow into someone so caring and authentic in her love for her family.

Egghead especially was so sweet because...she cried in joy! Not in fear or distress, but in joy! How many times would that have EVER happened to her?! She's really finding so much happiness now and it's warm my heart sm 😭😭

also side note I love how evil Nami looks here LMAO

[giggly-toybox]

now that you're writing for One Piece, if you don't mind, u could share some general tickling thoughts/headcanons on the series? (hcs of characters, scenarios between them etc) if this is too broad u can feel free to ignore, thanks!

HI OKAY SO!!!! I was literally so excited to make this bc this show has absolutely taken over my brain AAAAA

But here we go! For now, we’ll only be doing MY personal favorite characters! If you want a character that isn’t on here, let me know when requests open up again!

Also note: I am in the middle of the Marineford arc (and might have cried a little bit) meaning I am nowhere near up to date with some of the newer stuff!

Basil Hawkins:

EASILY my favorite character. Me and my mutual have been rambling about him for days. So far he’s only had like eight minutes of screen time so don’t know why I like him so much, I just do. My silly babygirl. My borblo Right off the bat, he’s feather ticklish

Like, really. Feathers affect him more than actual fingers

I think he has a very gentle and soft laugh most of the time, but it can get loud if you hit a bad spot

I think his worst spots are his belly, neck, and chin

If you use a feather on any of those spots he will die

EXTREMELY squirmy. He will buck, kick, shove, squirm, whatever he has to do to get away

He’s a really gentle ler most of the time

He’ll just hold you close with an arm while he mindlessly traces his finger on your belly, reading his cards like nothings happening

If you want to get away he’ll let you

But if you tickle him first, that gentleness is thrown out the window and he immediately targets your death spots, scribbling his gloved fingers all over your squirming figure

He doesn’t do it for long tho, and he’s nice enough to get you some water afterwards :)

Perona:

MY GIRLLLL! I love her so so much she’s easily my favorite female character! I just love her style sm, I need her outfit! I love her little ghosts and her aesthetic as a whole, she’s just so pretty!

Persona just oozes sister vibes, both big and little. So I would say she’s an even 50/50 switch

She’s probably ticklish all over, but I would say her worst spot is her belly, specifically her belly button

She doesn’t shut up when being tickled. She’ll scream, beg, plead, complain, or try to distract you

Either that or she’ll send her ghosts to make you depressed

She would be such a brat after being tickled tbh 😭

She would pout and scold you before eventually moving on and floating away

She only tickles things she deems cute, so if you’re not cute in her book, you’re safe

But once she has you in her sights, she’ll playfully tackle you and absolutely wreck you

She likes your cute laugher :3

Crocodile:

My boy Crocodile! Gosh he’s just so cool. I didn’t like him too much in the Alabasta arc, but he got a lot better in Impel Down and Marineford! I just really love the way he looks, and his sand powers :3

Yeah…In all honesty I don’t think this guys really ticklish at all

As much as it pains me to admit

The only spot that could really make him laugh is his neck

Even then all you would get are a few chuckles

He’s not sensitive enough to wreck sorry 😔

He doesn’t really participate in tickling either

He thinks it’s childish

Nico Robin:

The best Strawhat. I do not take criticism. She is my girl and I love her so much. Her “I want to live” made my heart ache! And she easily has my favorite devil fruit

We love a canon ler

Gosh her ability is so well for tickling as we’ve seen in the show twice!

Like she can summon two arms to hold yours and then two to tickle you silly

She’s a nice ler most of the time tho, she won’t torture you for too long

As a lee I think she’s one of those people that are ticklish on most of their body, but not too ticklish

Like no matter where you tickle her, tummy, neck, feet, she’ll giggle but that’s about it

As I’ve said before I think her worst spot are her sides so that’s where you’ll get the most reaction

She’s a bit louder but other than that there’s not really a lot of difference

She had a lovely laugh though <3

Jewelry Bonney:

Another supernova! I really like Bonney, I find her devil fruit really interesting! I can’t wait to see more of her Ticklish thighs. I don’t take criticism she’s definitely weak there

She also has pretty sensitive armpits, but her thighs are a bit worse

Her laugher is kinda rough, and she definitely snorts

If you’re really close to her, she doesn’t mind being ticked by you

But if not you’re getting kicked in the face

Since she’s a big foodie, I see her favorite tickling methods to be things like nibbling or raspberries

I would say licking too but I’m super uncomfortable with licking tickles

X Drake:

X Drake! I love him so much, my dinosaur boy. He easily has the best animal devil fruit so far (I forget what the type is called)

While I do think he’s ticklish, I think he has a lot of tolerance for those kind of things

I mean he used to be a rear admiral he definitely has some endurance

He doesn’t actually squirm around that much. He’ll flinch and shove a bit, maybe kick his legs a few times, but for the most part he just takes it

But he does have one weakness: raspberries

If you blow one right on his belly, like on the middle of the bottom of the huge X on his torso, he’ll laugh louder then the sea

He’s definitely more of a ler. I see him tickling people in his dinosaur form

Like he’s carrying them like a doll and tickling them all over

Or holding them by the ankles and wrecking their soles

Human or dinosaur form, if he’s tickling you you’re not escaping until he lets you go

[thesungod]

their theme is so inconsistent like at the beginning it feels clear, being who you are and accepting each other’s darkness, but the way its done is 😬 and then it switches up to being literally budget toa saying “well everything can change yk??? don’t stay in the darkness” but in a horrible fashion and they’re acting like this is what they’ve been trying to tell me in the past 400 pages when it ISNT dont LIE to ME

i don’t think EITHER of them was reading the book as they write they were just mashing words together bc im watching a book promo for it rn and rick’s saying that will likes nico bc he likes nicos ““darkness”” and how intrigues him and mark’s saying neither of nico or will wants to change that core part of the other. which explains away him in BOO trying to tell nico that nobody disliked him—being that will was projecting his own feelings about nico onto others—and also relates will to apollo even more with their need to reach out to outcasts and love them. but then they didn’t write that they literally wrote that will doesn’t like it and he wants to fix it. thats my STEP SON and they did that to him.

rick did not want to write this book at all, and mark probably projected their nico stanisms onto the other characters without justifying the stanisms. you can really tell when rick has a passion for writing something and when he could not care less. the subtle toa promo in one of the gorgyra scenes and apollo’s updated glossary—he wants you to read toa so bad he could not gaf about this book. and yet apollo is never mentioned positively like give him back to me.

speaking of mark i think this is just a consistent issue they have when writing. i read reviews of one of their books (anger is a gift) and some were very negative about the way the narrative made the protagonist the most righteous person ever and completely revolved around them. ifl that issue bleeds into this book as well.

i saw people (including the writers) say this book is darker than a lot of rick’s other books and i really need them to shut the fuck up; THO literally had kids tied up in crucifixes to be burned at the stake 😭

ok sorry for the ramble i see the letters tsats together and i go on a rampage

you absolutely ate this up!!

also laughing at you calling it “budget toa” because that’s exactly what i said to a friend about this book once. i felt almost offended over the authors trying to fit the “everyone can change!!” narrative last minute and make Nico the symbol of re-invention after five whole books of ToA. i was very “how dare you stand where he stood” about it which is childish but alas.

i’ve also mentioned several times how will and nico’s conflict in the book was not intriguing to read about because it was inconsistent. not to mention that according to the timeline they’ve been together for a year!!! an entire year!!! and the book still has Will acting #shocked that Nico, idk, likes darkness.

the Mary-Suing of Nico literally the worst thing to ever happen to me. i’m usually all for my faves winning, but that’s after they’ve been through the mortifying ordeal of losing, yk. and i get that Nico has been through a lot but the book was basically a 400-pages-long ass kissing and i couldn’t do it.

i couldn’t even feel particularly moved or vindicated by Bob pledging loyalty to him in the end because it wasn’t cathartic at all. i was like we get it dude lol

same with his “friendship” with Piper tbh. not everyone needs to like Nico😭 i would have totally loved it if the book had shown a friendship progress organically through their grief for Jason or common interests (even if just briefly narrated through a recollection!! i’m not saying we needed chapters of flashbacks or Piper as a third main), but Nico does not mention her once ever. they didn’t even like each other in HoO!! then at the end of the book he calls her and he is all like “of course she wouldn’t be angry at me for not calling after Jason died <3 she understands that grief is complicated <3”

my king Piper isn’t angry at you for not calling because she dgaf about you. why would she. who are you to her

another thing I’ll never get over re: Nico and Will’s relationship is how, per the book, Nico encouraged Will to come out and was the first one of the two to do so, when every. single. thing written about them in the Hidden Oracle suggests the opposite.

why the fuck is Nico so reticent and embarrassed about admitting to be Will’s boyfriend in the first book of ToA if it’s Nico who came out first? IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CAMP might I add?

because i get that coming out to someone doesn’t necessarily mean being comfortable coming out to everyone, but Nico announced his crush IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CAMP. and asked Will out. and Will wasn’t out at the time. so whyyyy is their dynamic on THO literally the opposite of this? with Will pushing Nico to be more open about their relationship while Nico plays coy? because Apollo is Will’s father? idk, maybe i guess😭

but it’s pretty obvious the change in the dynamic was established later on and that the impression we were supposed to have while reading THO is that Will was the one more comfortable and in tune with his sexuality. like, come on.

[theballadofthesunandthestars]

Question: How did you decide to do a Ballad AU rather than the original trilogy?

Hi! Thank you so much for your ask!

It was several reasons, honestly! For one, it was something I hadn't seen done before; the Hunger Games AUs that I've seen are all so fucking cool, and while I wanted to add mine to the collection of all the incredible ones, I wanted to add a sort of twist to it.

Secondly, I thought the themes of a Hunger Games AU fit better for Percabeth, while the themes for a Ballad AU worked a lot better for Solangelo. In my mind, certain AU's work super well for different ships. A Ballad AU lets me play around with a shit ton of different themes that fascinate me endlessly. I thought it was a great way to really play around with the characters of Nico and Will and explore what makes them tick as characters. I can discuss it more in length once the fic is complete, but with a Ballad AU, I found a way to really craft character arcs for Will and Nico that I found incredibly interesting and compelling.

Now, for a more personal anecdote; I had started writing a one-shot that was in the Percy Jackson universe, in which Will played La Vie En Rose for Nico on an enchanted guitar. The music caused a Tangled-like effect where Will was surrounded with gold swirls and stuff like that, and that combined with my hyper fixation on the character of Lucy Gray Baird led me to combining the two in my head, with the added bonus of the gold in the story leading to the inspiration for the fancy shirt Will wears. I ended up abandoning the one-shot, and I wrote a one-shot that entailed Will's introduction in The Ballad of the Sun and the Star. From there, it was obvious that I wanted to complete the story. There are a fair number of interesting character parallels between Lucy Gray and Will that really gave me the freedom to play.

The role of Snow was the hardest to adapt for Nico. I waffled a lot between Sejanus and Snow for Nico, but he didn't fit neatly into either category. AUs are fun because you get to figure out how a character would act in a different world, and after a lot of studying Nico lore and playing around with different ideas, he ended up as a sort of blend between Sejanus and Snow. Internal conflict is my favorite kind, and I loved the idea of Nico battling between his life in the Districts versus the life he lives in the Capitol. Bianca is the person that keeps him the most tethered to his past life in the Districts, but he's surrounded with people that have fully been groomed by the Capitol, so he's at a strange place where he's aware of the injustices in place, but he feels powerless to stop it, and has resigned himself to going through the motions.

That is, until Will comes along. (Hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge.)

Sorry for the rambling lmao, I could talk for hours about the themes in this fic that exist in my head.