#sorry it took so long to respond by the way
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ellecdc · 2 days ago
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i absolutely LOVE the winter games idea it’s so cutesy ☺️☺️
could i have ☃️ “hey, look.” ¹ “aw, they’re so cute when they’re asleep.” ² with the lions (poly!marauders + lily; still haven’t found a good name for them yet but it is my all time favorite ship. lots of love to go around 🥳)
LOVE YOU MAMA ELLE 💋💋
aahhh thank you Evie!!! <3
poly!marauders + Lily x fem!reader who waited up for them [692 words]
CW: Lily scolds the boys, they mostly deserved it, Snivellus reference, fluff
The Slug Club’s holiday party ran late tonight, which meant that so did James and Sirius’ detention. 
“Can’t believe I’ve managed to make sure I was never invited to the bloody thing and I still had to attend.” Sirius grumbled as he loosened his tie.
“Be swotty like Rem and Lils, get invited. So we do the opposite-”
“Now, I wouldn’t call flooding the Slytherin bathrooms the opposite of being swotty.” Remus contested with a smirk. Lily didn’t find it nearly as funny. 
“And we still get invited!” James continued as though he’d not been interrupted. 
“Again… I wouldn’t call serving detention by serving hors d'oeuvres-”
“We can argue semantics all night,” Lily muttered as she shouldered on ahead; legs shorter than any of the boys’ yet forcing them to speed up in order to keep up with her, “the bottom line is that we were supposed to meet up with Y/N after the party; and whilst two of us were there on purpose, the two of you could have spent the night with her and not left her waiting.” 
The four of them were approaching the portrait hole by the time Lily turned to see three rather contrite boys hanging their heads in shame. 
“Sorry, Lils.” James murmured, Sirius nodding quickly. 
“I’m sorry too.”
“Me…too?”
“No, Rem.” Lily sighed around a smile, and she let out a reluctant breathy chuckle when his shoulders fell in relief. 
“Sorry,” he offered with a shy smirk, “force of habit.” 
The common room sat vacant; all students having either attended the Slug Club Party, attended the much more popular and heavily attended anti-Slug Club Party for those who weren’t invited and felt rather jilted by the matter, or long gone to bed.
“She’s not here.” James surmised aloud which saw Remus placing a comforting hand on his shoulder at the sad lilt of his voice.
“Do you think she went up to the dorm?” Sirius asked, and Lily fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. 
“Probably went back to her own common room; tired of waiting ‘round for the lot of us.”
Sirius grimaced at what he could tell was ire still being directed at him as Remus let out a sad hum.
“Should we go find her?” 
“It’s late, Jamie.” Sirius responded as he made for the stairs towards the boys common room. “I say we-”
“Hey, look!” Remus whispered loudly as he halted from where he’d been following after Sirius.
Lily came around the corner of the sofa to see you - wrapped snugly in a Gryffindor throw blanket - sound asleep. Exactly where you said you’d be waiting for them. Her heart was both broken that they’d left you hanging and so warm at the sentiment.
You’d waited for them. 
“Awe!” James cooed, causing Remus to snort at him as he pinched his side chidingly. 
“She’s so cute when she’s asleep.” Sirius commented as he leaned his weight on his forearms against the back of a chair to watch the steady rise and fall of your chest.
“You take that back, Sirius.” James scolded. “She’s so cute all the time.”
“I’m going to be the opposite of cute if you two wake her up.” Lily threatened sternly, gently lowering herself to her knees in front of you and brushing gently at the skin above your eyebrow. 
The four of them took a moment to appreciate the view; you looked so warm and so content bathed in the warm glow from the fire whilst the candles in the Christmas tree behind the sofa backlit you in a way that made you look ethereal and otherworldly. 
“Can’t believe I had to offer Snivellus pigs in a blanket when I could’ve been here snuggling her.” Sirius pouted, earning a commiserating sound from the back of James’ throat. 
“Why don’t we get her upstairs, hm?” Remus offered, causing James to jump to attention.
“You guys go, I’ll carry her.”
“No fair! That just means you’ll get to snuggle her first!” Sirius whined as Remus ushered him in the direction of the stairs.
“Fat chance.” Lily argued. “If anyone gets to cuddle her first, it’s me.”
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giannaln4 · 11 hours ago
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Sorry Won't Fix This
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lando norris x fem reader
summary: Lando makes the biggest mistake of his life, bigger than any apology, and you both hoped there was a way to fix it. Unfortunately, you both wished it at different times. (5.5k words)
warnings: angst, cheating, mentions of sex, manipulation, mede up characters, use of Y/N
a/n: I FINALLY WROTE MORE ANGST! This is a long one and I held nothing back. I really did try to make it as hurtful and dramatic as possible and ngl I was inspired by 'Don't worry darling' for a tiny part of this (you'll know when you read it) but anyway, this one does NOT have a happy ending so please let me know what you think!
Check out the original request here!
↺ back to navigation — send me a request!
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You had a terrible feeling, but you were too scared to look into it, terrified you would be right. 
Truth is, you started feeling like that just a few weeks ago, when you went back to Lando’s apartment to surprise him with lunch and found an empty room and the bed unmade from somebody sleeping on it. Any other day that would’ve been completely normal, but you had stayed with him the night before and made the bed as soon as you both got up to get ready for your separate plans for the day, leaving a perfectly made bed to come back to. 
Before that day, you would’ve never in a million years thought that Lando would cheat on you. He had always been so loving and caring, even before you started dating, and once you officially became a thing, he would constantly remind you how much he loved you, and on special days he was the most romantic person ever, and you always thought that you would spend the rest of your life with him, but now... you didn’t want to think about it, but you couldn’t bury the thought of him with someone else after it crossed your mind briefly while looking at the messy bed.
Later that night you asked him about it, trying hard not to sound like you were accusing him of something, but his excuse just made you feel worse, your suspicions growing.
“What do you mean?” He asked as he inspected his bed, unsure of what was wrong with it. 
“Well, you know, I made the bed this morning before we left, remember?”
“Oh, uh- yeah, I came back to- to take a nap,” he stuttered, not even looking at you. 
But it kept happening, a few more times.
Things started to change after that; he cancelled the plans you made for when he came back home, he suddenly was too busy every day and your presence might be a distraction for all the things he had to get done for the next race, he was so tired at night he didn’t have the energy for anything, and he even asked you to go back to sleep in your own apartment, claiming he just needed to sleep on his own to be comfortable, even though you were used to sleeping together.
Long story short, he was distant; he was never around anymore, and even when he was, you felt like you were missing him. He was just... different, and you were beating herself up wondering what had changed.
He, on the other hand, didn’t miss you, seeing he didn’t make an effort anymore and he could go days without answering a text or returning a call, ​​and it was not because you took a long time to reply; you would always respond in a heartbeat if it was him. If it weren’t for all the times you visited him at his apartment when a news outlet brought up that he was back in Monaco to make sure he was doing okay, you wouldn’t talk to each other at all.
But today you were feeling hopeful. It was your anniversary, and you had a date night planned — a date he didn’t cancel, so you took the entire afternoon to do your nails, your hair, and pick a beautiful dress to wear, his favourite dress. Your makeup took a while, but you still managed to be ready on time for the wonderful night you had ahead, so you made your way to him, your palms sweating when you knocked on the door.
“Y/N? What are you doing here?” Was the first thing he asked, wiping her smile off of her face.
“I thought we would go out tonight,” you replied, looking down at your hands to hide your clear disappointment.
“Oh- I guess I forgot to tell you but I remembered I have an important meeting tomorrow morning, so I’m not gonna make it." The door was barely open, and he was standing where the crack was, blocking his apartment as he held the door with a strong grip.
“Okay,” your voice was so faint you barely heard it yourself. “Do you need anything? I could stay here for a couple of hours.”
“No, don’t worry about it. I think it’s better if you leave.”
Tears pricked your eyes, swallowing the small lump forming in your throat. “Why?”
“Well, I’m busy with a few things. You know, I have a really early day tomorrow, and you can’t really help me with a McLaren meeting, can you?”
You shook your head slowly “I guess I’m leaving then.”
The tears you had been holding started to fall as soon as you turned around; you could feel your mascara clumping on your eyelashes and forming black streaks down your cheeks, ruining the contour and highlight you applied in hopes of impressing your boyfriend. You ran back to your car and let it all out once you closed the door. You really thought things would be different tonight, but you were wrong.
You started driving to your best friend’s house, desperate to vent about how terrible your relationship was going since you had been keeping a secret from everyone; the last thing you needed was the media to get in the middle of this. 
“Oh my god, Y/N. Are you okay?” Mia asked you when she saw the mascara tears.
You shook your head as you stepped inside, small whimpers leaving your lips as you tried to stop the crying.
“What happened?” She took your hand and guided you to the couch.
“Lando.” 
“What about Lando?”
“I think he’s cheating on me." You had never said that out loud, and saying it broke your heart even more. “I wish I was crazy, but the signs... I know he is.”
“I’m not trying to defend him or anything, but what makes you think that?”
“Everything, Mia. He has been acting so... distant. Ever since-” You stopped yourself. You never told anyone your relationship with Lando wasn’t doing so well, making up excuses to cover his. You just wanted to hold on to everyone else’s idea of you two, thinking you were the perfect couple.
“What? Have you guys been fighting?”
You took a deep breath before saying, “Remember the last time I stayed over at his apartment?” She nodded in response, “Well, later that day I went back to surprise him with lunch, but he wasn’t there and the bed was a complete mess, and you know I always make the bed when I wake up. He said he went back to take a nap, but he was supposed to be with Carlos all morning, and it didn’t make sense he had time to come back, take a nap, and then leave again, so I asked Carlos, and they didn’t meet at all that day. Is that insane?”
"No, Y/N, of course not.” Mia didn’t know what to say; she wanted to comfort you but she didn’t know how. “And he’s been acting weird since then?”
You nodded, wiping your tears away. “Yeah, he’s been pushing me away since that day. Telling me he doesn’t have time because he’s so busy with the season, which I understand, but not even answering a couple of texts? And cancelling every date we had planned?”
“Is that what happened today? I thought it was your anniversary.”
“It is.” You were nibbling on your lip profusely, looking up so tears would stop falling. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”
“Have you told him how you feel?” You shook your head again; you hated confrontation, and you were hoping you didn’t have to do that. “I think you should go talk to him.”
“Right now?”
“If not now, then when? You say you’ve been feeling like something’s off for a while, but you haven’t said anything to him.”
“I don’t know Mia-”
“If he is cheating on you then you need to break up with him, you don’t deserve to be in that situation, and you deserve to know the truth.”
You inhaled as you considered what Mia just said. She was right, but to be completely honest, you weren’t ready yet. “I really want to know, but I can't.”
“Why not?”
“Because what if he is?” Tears started rolling down your face again, Mia hugging you tight as soon as it happened. “I love him, and... I just want things to go back to normal.”
“I know you do, but believe me, it’s better if you know.”
You stayed there for a while, but ultimately decided to go talk to him, but you needed to put yourself back together before confronting him. Mia helped you to wash your face and fix your hair, comforting you and offering to stay with you once the two of you were done talking. You accepted; you didn’t want to be alone, and Anne, your flatmate, had been going out of town a lot recently, so your apartment was empty, and you knew it’d be a long night.
Once you felt better and ready to talk to him, Mia drove you to his place as you repeated in your head everything you wanted to tell him. You knocked loudly and didn’t stop until he opened. He looked annoyed, and you stormed inside as soon as he opened the door.
“What are you doing?”
“We need to talk.”
“About what?” 
You blinked at him twice. Did he not think you needed to talk? “About us, Lando. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Okay, now you were mad. “Lando, you have been ignoring me for days, and I understand if you’re busy, but it doesn’t explain you pushing me away at all times.”
“I’m sorry if you feel that way.”
There was a moment of silence, both of you staring at each other as you tried to remember the questions you were supposed to ask, but none of them seemed to make sense now that you were standing in front of him “That’s all you’re gonna say?”
“What do you want me to say?” 
“How about you tell me exactly what’s going on?”
You were both raising your voices, but Lando especially. “I told you already, I’ve been busy with the season-”
“I could’ve stayed here with you or gone with you to races if that meant spending more time together, like we have done before.”
“But why would you want to do that?”
“To keep you company, maybe?” 
“But all you do is stand around while I do my job.”
“Lando, do you know how many weeks I’ve spent away from home just so we can be together? And you don’t even care anymore, you didn’t even care to say thank you.”
“I never asked you to come,” he mumbled.
You scoffed before shaking your head. “I wanted to, you know I worry about you when you stress yourself out about a race, you tend to overwork yourself-”
“I. Never. Asked. You. To. Come." He interrupted you, his tone punctuated with each word. “I would’ve been fine without you, I don’t need you in my hair at all times." His eyes hardened, his mouth opening to speak again. “Don’t you have better things to do?”
“I just- I’m your girlfriend, I guess I thought you liked to be with me.”
“I do, but you don’t have to be so clingy all the time.”
You didn’t say anything, hoping you heard it wrong or that he’d apologise, but he didn't. “What?”
“You know, we do everything together and-”
“No, we used to do things together, not everything." You corrected him.
He took a deep breath, as if he was done dealing with you. “Right. Look, I’m tired, we can talk tomorrow.”
You nodded, holding back the tears as you walked towards the door. “Happy anniversary,” you said before slamming it closed and running back to Mia’s car.
Lando sat on his couch with his head between his hands for a moment. How could he forget? He took a deep breath as he got up, looking for a ribbon and a gift he bought for you who knows how long ago.
He made his way to Mia’s flat; he assumed you would be there, and your car parked outside confirmed his suspicions, so he knocked on the door a couple of times before saying, “Baby, I’m sorry. I was caught up in all the things I have to do before leaving, and I didn’t realise what day it was." But he got no response. “Y/N please, I know you’re here. Will you please talk to me?”
“Go away, Lando.” Mia was the one to yell, making Lando realise he would not be able to fix it, not tonight anyway. 
“Okay, I’m leaving this here. I- I love you.”
You called in sick for your job the next day, your sore eyes and pounding headache being the only things you could think about. Well, that and Lando.
You were staring at the gift he bought for your one-year anniversary — what you were supposed to celebrate the day before. It was beautiful, and you couldn’t believe he remembered you mentioning it on one of your first dates ever, but it was the letter inside that broke your heart. It looked... unfinished, like he didn’t even care enough to give it a proper ending, so you were wondering how long ago he stopped working on it.
The days after that were rough, long nights of wondering what you could have possibly done wrong, but even then you didn’t talk to him. He tried to, a couple of times, but you needed a little bit of time.
A couple of weeks went by, and you found yourself alone at your apartment, catching up on the work you missed for calling in sick so many times.
It was your birthday, and Mia insisted a million times you go out and celebrate, clear your head, and forget about Lando once in for all, but somehow it felt wrong; you had made plans with Lando a few months back to bring your family to a race so they could finally meet him, but obviously that wasn’t happening anymore, so what was the point of celebrating? You just needed to focus and get things done anyway.
You were thankful that Mia had been for you through it all; you really were, but sometimes crying alone did more for you than having someone tell you ‘everything's gonna be okay.' You were tired of hearing that.
Hours later, you found yourself with a cup of coffee to finally catch up on the last project. It wasn’t really that much of a workload, and you didn’t need to stay up all night to do that, but you were going to anyway. Perhaps you just wanted to be productive, or maybe that was you trying to occupy your mind from the possibility of your boyfriend cheating on you.
You looked at the clock; it was 11:30 PM. You sighed, typing away whatever you were supposed to on your laptop, your eyes sore from staring at it for too long, when a text message interrupted you.
Unknown [Attachment: 1 photo]
Unknown: I heard they have been at it for a while.
That text message induced such a great shock on your tired, worn-out body, tears falling down your face as soon as you read it. You didn’t want to open it as you were sure of what this was about, but your curiosity got the best of you.
Tapping on the notification, you prepared yourself mentally to confirm your terrible suspicions. And they were confirmed.
Your vision was blurry from the tears, but you were able to see Lando standing next to his new Ferrari, and he was with someone else, except you couldn’t see who it was, the big jacket and a beanie protecting her identity. He was smiling down at her, eyes full of... love? Those green eyes you thought he reserved for you only, but clearly you were wrong. His big hands were around her waist as hers went around his neck, and his lips were stained with lipstick.
You broke down crying, curled up on your bed as you wore one of Lando’s hoodies that still smelt like him. You now knew what the truth was, but you didn’t want to accept it. What happened to you two? When did he stop loving you?
It was like your heart was ripped from your chest; all that time you spent together down the drain like it was nothing, like it all meant nothing to him.
You didn’t know for how long you cried the night before, but it was now 1 PM and you were just waking up, so you probably cried for hours. There was nothing left you could do to save your relationship, so you made up your mind to break up with him as soon as he came back from the American triple header.
Y/N: We need to talk, just let me know when you’re here.
The message was left unanswered, as usual. You rolled your eyes and put your phone down, returning to your video call with Mia.
“Do you know who that is?”
“No, sorry.” 
You sighed as you sipped your hot coffee “What about the number? Do you know who sent the picture?”
“What’s the number? Maybe I can ask around to see if any of my friends know.”
You sent her the phone number, along with the picture of Lando and the other girl. “Thanks. Don’t show anyone that picture thought. I’m already embarrassed as it is.”
“Embarrassed? Y/N, he should be the embarrassed one, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Maybe I did-”
“No, stop doing that to yourself. We both know it’s not your fault.”
You nodded. “I can’t help it. I just don’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Was I not enough? Why did he need to find someone else?”
Mia hated to see you going through that, how you felt like you were not enough or that it all ended because of you, and she hated Lando for causing all of that. “I know it’s hard right now, but I promise you’ll understand that none of this is your fault. Y/N you’re amazing, and he’s an idiot for not realising.”
Talking to her made you feel better, but all those terrible emotions came back whenever you looked at the picture again, a million questions invading your mind. How long has he been doing this? Who is she? Does he still love you? What did you do wrong?
A couple of days later, Lando finally replied to your text.
Lando: Just got back. I’m in my apartment
Your heart sank at the notification; you didn’t want to talk to him; you didn’t want things to be over. There was still a part of you that hoped everything was just a misunderstanding, hoping he wasn’t cheating on you and she was just a friend. But deep down you knew the truth, and the possibility of it being a mix-up was down to zero, and after he made it clear that he didn’t want to be in a relationship with you anymore, you decided to fulfil his wishes.
It was a long drive to his home; it felt longer than usual, but maybe you were just dreading the conversation you knew was about to happen.
You took a deep breath before knocking on the door, Lando opening it almost right away.
"Hey,” he said faintly, worried he got caught.
“Hi.” You entered the apartment you once thought you would move into and looked around. You had been there a million times, and so many of those times were special little moments you shared together, but right now it felt like you were disconnected from the space. “How was the triple header?”
“Not great- I don’t know. It was messy, I guess." He tried to give you a smile but stopped himself when he noticed your stare full of fury. “What did you want to talk about?”
Seriously? “I’m breaking up with you." Your voice was weak, but you did not dare let a tear slip past your waterline; he didn’t deserve to see you cry. 
“What?” The shock in his eyes looked so real that you almost believed him “Why?”
“Did you really just ask that?”
“So that’s it? We’re over?”
“Lando, come on, we’ve been over for a while." You stepped closer to him, pain and anger written all over your face as the tears struggled to stay on your eyes. “We didn’t even feel like a couple anymore. Lando, you forgot our anniversary, and that day you made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me. And to think I planned a beautiful night for us and bought you a great gift. Do you have any idea how stupid I felt?” 
“I didn’t know you were feeling like that.”
“Of course not, when have you ever listened to me anyway?”
Lando rolled his eyes “Okay, I understand, but we don’t have to break up, I already explained what happened that day, I was busy and completely lost track of time.”
“And I guess she doesn’t have anything to do with this?” You showed him the picture, his demeanour changing immediately.
“Y/N, I- I’m sorry, baby, I’m so sorry." His eyes and his voice softened as he tried to reach for you, but you turned around and wiped the tears that managed to leave your eyes, a million questions flooding your mind again.
“So it’s true." You were just confirming to yourself what you already knew. Anger and pain washed over your body. Why her? Why her when you’ve been nothing but perfect to the man you loved the most?
“Baby, I can explain.” 
You turned around to face him again “Who is she?” He shook his head, his eyes begging you not to make him say it while yours watered, “Who is she?” You repeated.
“You don’t wanna know.”
“Why? Cause I might find out you’re cheating?”
A few tears started to roll down his face, his hands desperate to hold yours. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Cause you’re gonna hate me even more." You stared at him, even more tears falling as you tried to think who the girl could be. 
“Did you two- did you sleep with her?” His nod was barely perceptible; if you didn’t already know the answer, you would’ve missed it. Maybe he was right; maybe it’d be better if you didn’t know. 
“I’m sorry, baby, I’m so sorry.”
“Stop it.”
“I know I fucked up, but she doesn’t mean anything to me, I swear.”
“Shut up, Lando. I just… I don’t understand.”
“Let me explain-”
“And I don’t care how many times you apologise, how do you expect me to forgive you?” You took a couple of steps back, trying to figure out what caused him to do such a thing. “Even if we stayed together and got married and started a family, how can I ever look at you and not think about that?”
"Baby, I want all of that, I want the rest of my life with you, like we talked.”
“That was before you ruined everything.”
“I know what i did is wrong-”
“Wrong?”
“But we can work this out.”
“What? No, Lando, stop.”
“Just give me another chance, please.”
“Is that why you've been so distant, huh? Was she here on our anniversary?” Lando didn’t say anything, and the flashes from Lnado’s knuckles turning white from holding the door closed that night creeped your mind. Your heart ached so much that every time you breathed deeply, it was scorching you to the core “How could you do that?”
“I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologising.”
“You know I didn’t mean it.”
“Just stop… god.”
“Y/N just hear me out, I swear it only happened once.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? I know that’s not true. Do you know how many times I came to an unmade bed? And how many excuses you made?” He stayed silent. “I don’t care how many times it happened, you still did it and nothing is gonna change that.”
“I know.”
“You’ve been hurt before, right? What if I was the one cheating? Would you just forget it ever happened and come back to me?” Once again, he didn’t say anything. “No. Of course you wouldn’t. Lando, how could I ever forget what you did? Or everything you said to me when we were fighting, and the fact that you lied and- and cheated-”
“But you came all the way here.”
“Because I care, and you... you never cared, you never tried-”
“I care, I care so much. Baby, please, you have to believe me." He tried to reach out to you, but you pushed his hand away.
"No, you don’t, and if I’m here, it’s because I know after this we’ll never see each other again, we’ll never talk again and this just has to end.”
“But I don’t want it to end.”
“Well, you ended it when you cheated on me.”
He stared at you for a moment before continuing. “But… I want you, she didn’t mean anything to  me." He approached you again, his hope growing a little when you didn’t stop him. He put a strand of hair behind your ear, softly brushing your cheek. “I know I fucked up but I can’t go on without you, I just can't.”
“Well you have, countless times while I was left in the dark wondering if I had done something wrong, crying myself to sleep when I couldn’t get a hold of you, Lando, and in the meantime you were with her.”
“I’m sorry-”
“And you have the nerve to say all that shit to me, acting like I was suffocating you when in reality I was trying to save us!” You pushed him away.
“I’m so sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Y/N, I’m sorry, please let’s talk about it.”
“Fine, let’s talk about it. Was she worth it?” He shook his head, ready to leave his pride behind as he kneeled in front of you and grabbed one of your hands. “What are you doing? Stop.”
“I promise it was an accident, it won’t happen again.”
“An accident? Lando, are you hearing yourself right now?”
“Please, don’t let me go." The grip on your hand tightened, pulling you closer to him.
“Isn’t that what you wanted?” 
“No. I don’t want anyone else, I want you, Y/N”
“You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”
“But everything I said... I meant it, I love you Y/N and every second we’ve been together has meant everything to me. Baby, you have to understand.”
“Liar.”
“I’m not lying, you know I’m not." You pushed his hand away, rolling your eyes when another tear rolled down his face. “I know I don’t deserve it but please... just one more chance and I can fix this.”
“Give you a chance? I gave you a chance when I believed your excuses, when I forgave you for cancelling every date we had planned, when I tried to understand why you locked me out, and when I almost forgave you for forgetting our anniversary, I gave you so many fucking chances!”
“But I swear it wasn’t like that, she meant nothing.”
“You’re unbelievable… god, what are you saying?”
“Just think about how great we are together,” he said, trying to hold your torso, but once again you stopped him. 
“Lando, stop that.”
“We’re a great team, aren’t we? We understand each other so well, we know each other better than anyone else, god, I’ll do anything, I swear.”
“No, it’s not gonna work.”
“Yes it will, and I’ll make sure of that.”
“No.” You were having a hard time blocking out how much love you still had for him, but you weren’t forgiving him; there was no way.
“I swear I don’t want anyone else." He held your hands and started kissing them, his lips giving you a sense of home that you missed. "Y/N, please, I love you.” 
You nodded weakly as you started crying again.
“You know I love you and I would do anything for you." He continued kissing you, a few tears falling on your hands. “Do you still love me?”
“I love you... Lan-” You released one of your hands from his grip, squeezing your eyes shut and covering your face.
“See? It will work, we will make it work." You shook your head; you were feeling stupid for almost falling for that. "Baby, look at me, it’s going to be okay, I promise.”
A moment of silence fell into the room as you collected your thoughts again, and he just looked at you hopeful that he could get you back. “Who is she?” You dared to repeat the question as you looked at him again.
He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, his voice barely above a whisper when he finally answered. "Annie.”
Annie, your flatmate Annie. She had never met Lando before you, and she wasn’t interested in who he was when you first told her you started dating him, so you were the reason they knew each other for all those times he picked you up from your place, and even then you never considered them to be friends; they barely exchanged any words when they ran into each other. You felt betrayed on a whole new level, not only by Lando but by her too. You had lived with her for so long, literally since the day you moved to Monaco, so you thought of her as one of your closest friends; how could she do that? And these past weeks, when she had been mourning your relationship with Lando, she was there the whole time, and she knew exactly what was happening.
“How long?”
You were getting annoyed at how long it was taking him to answer your simple questions. “The day we went to meet my parents... I drove to your apartment to pick you up, but you weren’t there yet.”
“So you did it at my place?” It wasn’t really a question, and you felt even more disgusted at the thought of them in your own home.
“It was one moment of weakness.”
“One moment of weakness?” He nodded, his hands now holding on to your hips. “But it didn't stop there, did it?”
“I’m sorry.”
You swiped the tears away as you prepared to ask the question you had been asking yourself for weeks. “What does she give you that I can't?”
Lando shook his head quickly. “Nothing, you’re everything I could ever ask for.”
“Then why did you do that?”
He didn’t have an answer; he didn’t really know how it happened or why it kept going, but he couldn’t deny he was enjoying it before he got caught. “I don’t know." He whispered.
“Do you love her?”
“No, of course not. I love you." He was holding you tighter, convinced that if he held you long enough, you would want to stay.
“Oh my god, I’m so stupid.”
“You know it didn’t mean anything, it was a mistake-”
“Get your hands off me, I’m leaving,” you said as you tried to free yourself.
“Baby, please don’t leave, you have to hear me out.”
“Lando, let go. I don’t wanna be here." Your words struggled to come out from how much you were crying. 
“Please don’t, I don’t wanna let you go." He looked up at you, his eyes begging for forgiveness. “Let’s just talk about it, yeah? Let me explain.”
“Save it, Lando, it’s over.” 
“I’m sorry, I won’t do it again. This is obviously my fault, so I’ll do whatever it takes to get you to stay, just please, one more chance is all I’m asking for.” You finally freed yourself, and your only goal was to go back to your apartment and cry all your pain away. You turned around and headed to the door; his hand tried to come to stop you, but you flinched away. You couldn’t bear to hear another word from him. "Baby, please, I love you.”
You turned around to face him one last time, spotting Lando still on his knees in the middle of his living room. “So you’ve said, but how can you hurt someone you claim to love so much?” He was about to say something, but you didn’t wanna hear it. “There’s nothing you can do to get me to stay, you threw everything away.”
“I know, my love, but-”
“I’m gonna leave and you’re gonna stay here, just… leave me alone, I don’t ever wanna see you again.”
You exited the room, leaving Lando alone and a complete mess. He regretted what he did, and he wanted to think that if you would just give him a chance to explain himself, you’d forgive him. But he knew that would never be the case and that his mistake was bigger than any apology; you were right to leave him.
He stared at the door for too long, taking in every emotion he was feeling: remorse, anger, pain, agony... he just felt like life was being sucked out of his body because he ruined the most important part of it, and there’s no one to blame but himself.
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206 notes · View notes
kiyo-cant-write · 23 hours ago
Note
Could I have request for first year? You can choose them. About reader inviting to go out with them? Anything, probably going to park or go to restaurant. I'm a sucker for romance.
inviting the first years on a date ✧・゚
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Hello anon! I am so sorry this took me so long. I write fics with every character/scenario so doing the whole set of first years was a lot of fics, a lot of words. I hope each one is good! I love the first years, especially my boys Epel, Ortho, and Deuce! ^^
Thank you for requesting and feel free to request again!!
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Summary: The reader asks the first years to go on a date. Includes all first years for headcanons and scenarios. This means that it includes: Ace Trappola, Deuce Spade, Jack Howl, Ortho Shroud, and Sebek Zigvolt.
TW/CW: None
Notes: established relationship, the reader is Yuu/Ramshackle Prefect, they/them pronouns used for the reader, the reader is also a first-year/frosh (implied ~16ish)
Guest Stars: Leona Kingscholar, Idia Shroud, Trey Clover, Rook Hunt, Malleus Draconia
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Ace Trappola
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Ace agrees right off the bat. He doesn't bat an eye.
He's even a little miffed [Name] asked him first.
He was planning to ask [Name] out, you know!
But it doesn't matter, the date's happening either way :)
Ace suggests that he and [Name] sneak out.
Something about not wanting to deal with the housewardens.
Even if [Name] protests, Ace will insist on sneaking about.
It's not a good idea but Ace had it so... it's impulsive.
"Come on, [Nickname]," Ace whispered to [Name], "You're gonna get us caught. You want to go on a date or not?"
Trying to make as little sound as possible, Ace came back towards [Name] to help them untangle themself from an unfortunately placed bush that had snagged their clothing. He held an index finger to his lips as he shushed them once more.
He still couldn't believe they asked him out first. The gall.
"If you want to go out at night like this," he continued, "Then you need to get better at sneaking around. Want to get collared?"
"I'm not part of your dorm," [Name] whispered back.
"That doesn't save you anything."
[Name] was about to retort but paused to consider it.
"Yeah," they agreed with a laugh, you're right."
Ace sighed. They were going to make this difficult, huh? If they got caught then what was it all for. Caught before they could even go on the date? That's just... kind of sad.
"Shh! No laughing until we're away from the main building."
"Fine, fine," they agreed, "We'd better not get detention for this."
The last time they had gone with an "Ace Plan" it had caused a week's worth of detention for both of them. The professors did not take kindly to Ace's schemes. They seemed almost disappointed that [Name] was involved with it too, but that didn't spare [Name] from detention.
"Relax, you worry too much. What are you, Deuce?"
[Name] laughed again and Ace covered their mouth with his hand. They moved his hand away a second later to respond.
"I like to think I've got more guts than Deuce."
"Good, then act like it," Ace told them, leading them toward the school gates, "We're gonna have an adventure tonight."
[Name] gave Ace a look. What was he talking about? Going out to the city after dark was their idea for a date. Why was Ace talking big?
"Wasn't this date my idea?" they asked him.
"Yeah, but I can't let you upstage me all the time." Ace smiled at them as he spoke, "I'm gonna get you back for that tenfold."
"For what?"
"Doesn't matter," he responded, taking their hand in his, "Let's go!"
They really loved this guy, even if it meant all the detentions and magic-removing collars in the world. Smiling along with him, [Name] squeezed Ace's hand as they let him lead their way.
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Deuce Spade
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Deuce swears in front of [Name].
"Holy shit."
And then he covers his mouth right after, begging to do it over.
He didn't mean to say it, it was just his instinctual thought!!
Deuce's brain is composed of a long list of curse words and a perpetual fear of being expelled from Night Raven (again).
He tells [Name] that he would be glad to go on a date with them.
Deuce confides that he hasn't been on a date before because of his past in which he thought he was too much of a "bad boy" for that.
He's oddly excited about the date, in a way that makes him seem younger than he already is at sixteen.
Unlike Ace (previous scenario), Deuce thinks that he should ask his upperclassman, so he seeks out Trey in the kitchen.
Deuce, face burning red, led [Name] by hand through the halls of Heartslabyul Dorm. They were headed toward the kitchen to find the bespectacled man who would (hopefully) grant them permission to go on their date. Or, that was about how Deuce explained it and [Name] was just in for the ride now that Deuce had apparently broken some kind of honor student's vow by swearing in front of them.
"Please tell me you're not asking for Trey-san's blessing."
"What?" Deuce turned to look at them, "No! We need to ask permission if we want to go into town."
"We're going into town?" [Name] asked him.
This was far more than they had planned. Deuce nodded. If they were going on a date, a real date, Deuce wanted it to count. And from all the varying media he had consumed in his young life... going on a date meant going into town and doing... Uh. Cute couple-y things.
"I want this to be perfect," Deuce confessed, clearly trying to be cool but failing due to the redness of his cheeks, "You know?"
[Name] nodded.
"Right, perfect, yeah," they agreed.
The two arrived at the doorway into the kitchen of Heartslabyul.
"Clover-senpai?" Deuce asked, poking his head in to see Trey at work mixing some kind of batter, "Do you have a minute?"
[Name] poked in after Deuce, smiling at the smell of sugar from Trey's baking. They hoped they might get some of whatever it was.
"Hm? A minute or two, sure," Trey offered, smiling as he looked toward them, "What's up?"
"Uh," Deuce began, "[Name] and I..."
"[Name] and you...?"
"We were wondering if we could go on a date?"
"I mean, that seems like your decision, not mine," Trey said, teasing the boy for his phrasing just a bit, "But I assume you mean going into town?"
"Ah. Yes!"
Deuce nodded, trying to hide the fact that the redness that had faded was back in full bloom. [Name] felt a bit bad for him and decided to help.
"We wanted to make sure it was alright to go off campus," [Name] added, "Don't want to break any rules. So we came to ask you."
Trey just laughed softly at the two of them.
"It's fine with me, I'll let Riddle know," he told Deuce and [Name], "I assume you'd rather not write the essay to him yourselves."
Deuce nodded once more, looking at [Name] and urging them to nod too. Writing an essay for Riddle was never a fun task. It took more time to write the stupid essay than to do the thing you were writing the essay about.
"Thank you, Clover-senpai," Deuce said, bowing to him.
"Mhm! Thanks, Trey!" [Name] agreed as they mimicked Deuce's action.
Trey smiled at the two underclassmen of his.
"Heh, you two have fun."
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Jack Howl
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Jack is at a loss for words. [Name] wants to go on a date with him?
What is the protocol here?
Part of him wants to ask Leona as an upperclassman...
But then the other guys will laugh at him!!! :(
He nods slowly, face tinged a red slightly.
He agrees to the date and says it would be rude to say "no."
Despite the somewhat gruff answer, his tail is wagging.
If it's pointed out, he will flat-out deny it as it wags faster.
Jack would rather die than let the other guys tease him about his date but God does not favor dogboys today.
In the end though... Leona is a smart guy...
Jack wasn't sure what to do. What do you do when you're asked on a date by the person you like? Do you say "yes"? He wanted to panic, just a tad. This was beyond his typical day, not something that he was used to. Did he have anywhere to turn for advice?
He could ask Leona... No, then Ruggie would laugh at him.
The wolf sighed, composing himself as he turned back to [Name].
"Uh, sure. I'll go with you," he told them.
That wasn't what he wanted to say but that sure was what he said. He had wanted to seem happier about it but his tone wouldn't allow it. Jack found that it was hard to sound how he was feeling. How did the actors in those movies do it? He couldn't express how he was feeling, how could he do that with another person's feelings?
[Name] had just smiled and him and told him they were looking forward to it before they took their leave. What did he do now? Jack was sure there was more to this whole dating business...
But where to start...
"Leona-senpai," Jack said, finding himself in the botanical garden later that same day, "Do you think that people can understand you from a sentence?"
The lion was sleeping or rather he was trying to while Jack asked him questions. It was luck that Jack had been asked to fetch something from the garden for class.
"What?" Leona offered, opening an eye to look at Jack, "Jack, I have no idea what in the fuck you're on about."
"Do you think [Name] understood me?" Jack asked.
"I mean if they're still going on the date, probably," Leona said, closing his eyes with a sigh, "This is one of those things time will tell or whatever. Just go on the date and see what happens."
"You sure?"
"I am. So stop asking me how [Name] feels and get back to class. You need it."
Jack tried to ignore that obvious snub from a guy who was skipping most of his classes on any given day. But... Leona was right. He had to go on this date and see what became of his relationship with [Name] from there. "...Thanks."
"Whatever, can you go now?"
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Epel Felmier
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Epel's first comment is that he would love to go on an outing.
He isn't embarrassed and doesn't think it's a "date" at first.
When [Name] clarifies that it is a date, Epel blushes.
"Ah? Well, if ya want to go somewhere with me, let's do it!"
Even though he feels a bit shy about it, he's still enthusiastic.
Depending on the outing, his energy may return during the date.
Epel thanks [Name] for giving him an out from Vil's makeup lessons. He didn't want to learn about blending properly today.
Mentioning his housewarden he realizes he'll need permission.
Epel asks [Name] if they will help him ask Rook about it.
Epel sighed softly as he came to the realization that as a first year, he would need permission to leave the campus for their date in the mountains. There were only two people to be asked: Housewarden Vil Schoenheit... Or Vice Housewarden Rook Hunt.
"Let's ask Rook-senpai," Epel told [Name], who nodded, "I don't think Vil-senpai would take kindly to me asking him to go into the mountains instead of learn a..."
Epel counted something on his fingers for a moment, hoping that [Name] couldn't see the redness on his cheeks that had yet to fade.
"A... 45-step makeup routine."
Epel looked disgusted at the prospect of the "lesson" and [Name] fought back the urge to laugh at the cute pout on the boy's face.
"That is a lot of steps," [Name] agreed, "Where is Rook-san?"
"Watching..." came Epel's answer, "He usually does the finding."
That was a true statement. Rook usually stumbled across Epel. The use of the phrase "stumble across" is largely for the sound of it as Rook always had eyes on Epel. It was an order from their Queen, after all. He couldn't allow himself to come across the lavender-haired boy by chance, Rook needed to keep a focus on his prey beloved underclassman.
"Hmm, so how do we find him?" [Name] asked which earned a sigh from Epel, "Epel?"
"ROOK-SENPAI! I HAVE A QUESTION!" Epel shouted into the front garden of Pomefiore.
From thin air, Rook Hunt appeared next to Epel and the boy nearly jumped out of his skin despite being the one who had called out to Rook. [Name] was so surprised their scream was silent as their hand flew to their chest in startlement.
"Bonjour, Monsieur Pommette!" Rook greeted with a grin.
"Hi..." Epel said after catching his breath, "Rook-senpai..."
"Did you need something?~" Rook asked, a knowing look crossing his features, "Or were you in need of our Queen, the most Beautiful Vil?"
"No, no! Just you is more than enough, I mean... I needed to ask you somethin' if you have time?" Epel said, the sentence only barely flowing properly.
He wanted to ask the question but his mind worked faster than his lips could parse. The resulting sentence left much to be desired.
"Oh?"
Rook awaited the question.
"I want to go into the mountains with [Name] this weekend," Epel said, "Do I have your, uhm, permission to do that?"
The blond seemed to ponder this for a moment as Epel stood there staring. It was all up to Rook if he was allowed to have his first relationship. He wanted to. Epel wanted this part of a school experience too...
But Vil might not approve, and Rook was loyal to him.
Epel glanced at [Name] for a moment.
Would they be angry if Rook made him say "no"?
"Ah, merveilleux!" Rook spoke, surprising both [Name] and Epel out of their personal thoughts, "Chase after love as I do, Epel!"
What?
Epel didn't know what that meant. Well, he thought it might be approval, but with Rook, one could never tell. So he asked.
"...Uhm. Is that a yes?"
"Oui."
Epel couldn't fight the urge and pumped his fist in the air before composing himself as quickly as he could. Vil didn't see that, Vil wouldn't know... Unless Rook told him. Worries for later.
"Well, I'll see you this weekend, [Name]," Epel told them with a laugh and a sweet smile, "Let's make this one count."
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Ortho Shroud
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[Name] asks Ortho if he would like to see a movie.
Ortho says that he would love to go out with a friend.
He needs to ask his brother if he can go out with you.
[Name] makes a joke that if Ortho were older and perhaps not a robot/android it could be like a "date" for the two of them.
Ortho laughs and agrees that if it were Idia, it would be.
He knows about dates from Idia's visual novel collection and the internet (remember how he has access to the entire web?)
The two decide to prank Idia and tell him it IS a date.
Ortho argues that Idia needs to be surprised once in a while or he would just only play video games and hide in his dorm room.
Idia has a near heart attack over "Ortho's first date."
Ortho is unembarrassed by the question and excited to go!
He doesn't understand what might be embarrassing about an outing with the Prefect. It's not like it's a real date or anything.
Ortho laughed at [Name]'s baffled expression. They seemed shocked that he had agreed. Had they expected some other outcome?
"What? Did you expect me to say no?" the synthetic human asked them, coming just a bit closer, "I'll have you know I like spending time with you too! It's nice to have friends to go places with."
[Name] stuttered out stray sounds for a moment before they were able to phrase anything that was understandable language.
"I just thought you'd be busy since you're always with Idia-san."
"Hehe, my brother does keep me pretty busy," Ortho agreed before pausing, "Oh, that reminds me!"
[Name] looked at Ortho as he spoke.
"We need to ask my brother if I can go with you."
Ortho explained this as if it were obvious and [Name] supposed it was a natural source of events.
"Right now?"
In response to [Name]'s question, Ortho nodded.
"It would be best to do it sooner rather than later."
"Ah, alright!" [Name] replied.
They had expected Idia's consent would be somewhere in the steps it took to ask Ortho on an outing. Hopefully, this won't be too much of a hassle, they thought. The last thing they needed was more chaos.
"Follow me, [Full Name]-san!" Ortho cheered, floating off to guide [Name] from the hallway to the mirror that entered Ignihyde's dormitory.
It was a different kind of dorm, [Name] supposed. Ignihyde did not look anything like the other dorms. Though each dorm was unique, Ignihyde looked from a different time period with some of its elements. [Name] was used to it, though. This was not their first nor last time in this dormitory, however, it was their first time traveling to Idia and Ortho's bedroom.
Without knocking, Ortho opened the door. Before them was Idia Shroud dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants while he seemed to be typing one of the longest comments [Name] had ever seen (though they couldn't make out what it said).
"Nii-san!" Ortho called out, making Idia prickle, "I need to ask you something!"
"WHAT?" came a louder-than-normal exclamation from the blue-haired boy, "I mean... Oh, Ortho... Yeah?"
"[Full Name]-san asked me to go to a movie with them this weekend. Am I allowed to go with them?" Ortho asked with a smile, speaking as though it was the most basic question in the world.
In reality, it was a fairly simple question, but not for Idia. The Ignihyde Housewarden froze, feeling the shock of the comment strike him to his core. Idia lunged forward and took Ortho by the shoulders.
"They asked you out on a date?" Idia asked him.
"They want to go to the movies—"
Ortho did not get to finish his sentence.
"A DATE, ORTHO?" Idia continued, louder, ignoring [Name]'s presence intentionally or not as he put Sebek's typical volume to shame.
"We're going to the movies—"
Ortho once again did not get to finish his sentence.
"This is just like the new anime I've been watching, but you're so... You're too young to be experiencing a shoujo anime!"
"Nii-san..." Ortho tried to reason with his older brother.
"Idia-san..." [Name]'s tone mirrored Ortho's.
"Fine, fine. I can't, like, be the opposition. That would be so uncool of me if I were to ruin the interaction between the ML and his love interest," Idia decided.
In the end, Ortho and [Name] never did get to clarify the categorization of their outing with Idia. They supposed he would just get to think whatever it was he thought until it was out of his system.
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Sebek Zigvolt
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Sebek tries to refuse as he is "busy" with his work as a guard.
Malleus needs him, is his primary argument.
Sadly Malleus is quick to disprove this theory.
Sebek gawks as his master instructs him to participate in the human custom of a "date" to better his homeland.
Sebek is too offended at first to be embarrassed...
But then it sets in and his face is such a bright red it makes his hair look a bit silly with its green color.
He stutters and is unable to talk to [Name] for a minute or so.
He settles on nodding while this happens
In the end, he yells as per usual "OF COURSE I WILL ACCOMPANY YOU AS YOU CLEARLY NEED A GUARD."
Never a quiet moment with this one.
Sebek wasn't sure what to make of the words the human uttered. They wanted him to do what? That seemed highly inappropriate. Did he need to refuse this offer? He did think it was somewhat tempting, though. He did not hate this human. They were... not as irritating at the other humans at Night Raven College.
"Human," Sebek began, "I am afraid that I must refuse this invitation as I.. cannot forsake my role as a guard to Waka-sama."
He watched as their expression fell even if only slightly.
"Ah, alright then..." they managed to say before an awe-inspiring presence interrupted them.
"Sebek," Malleus spoke, his voice causing Sebek to straighten up more than he had been before the arrival of his master, "What is going on here, exactly?"
"W-Waka-sama," the halfling spoke, stuttering the first bit of his sentence from the surprise, "I was just alerting this human that I cannot leave your side for a... a 'date' of some kind."
Malleus raised an eyebrow.
So this was what it was about.
"And why can you not accompany this child of man?"
[Name] perked up at a mention of them as Sebek fumbled for an answer for the prince.
"Well, you see, I am your guard, after all..." he began, but Sebek soon fell silent under a piercing glare from Malleus.
"Sebek," the fae prince spoke in a low tone, "Will you do something for me?"
"Yes? Yes, of course, sir!"
"Guard this human on the date they have planned, this is imperative to Briar Valley."
Sebek's posture tensed even more at the order as he bowed to Malleus. [Name] stood there baffled by the sight of it all.
"AH! Of course, Waka-sama! Whatever you desire!"
Though Sebek did not notice it, [Name] could have sworn they saw Malleus smirk at the outcome. Had he done this with the intent to help them? They supposed they could always ask him about it later.
"So you can come with me?" [Name] asked Sebek a moment later.
"OF COURSE I WILL ACCOMPANY YOU AS YOU CLEARLY NEED A GUARD."
[Name] just laughed. The answer was... very Sebek.
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Thank you for reading! Likes and reblogs are appreciated! Do NOT repost my writing/headcanons as your own >:c Check the top of my blog for the inbox status and read the rules before requesting. This is not a twst-only blog! ^^
125 notes · View notes
vervainandspritz · 3 days ago
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CAN YOU HEAR ME SCREAMING?—please, don't leave me
Thomas Shelby x Reader
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Request by @goblinjnr
Warnings: hurt/comfort, mentions of death, grieving, angst, suicide
A/N: it's very fucking sad so beware
~~
Her eyes shut tight as her husband pressed a loving kiss onto her lips. Y/N's body involuntarily relaxing into his hands, causing Tommy to smile through the kiss.
”Mrs. Shelby, are you cold? I can see goosebumps on your skin” He teased, leaning forward as he grazed the skin of her neck with his nose, causing her to let out a sigh.
”Very funny” She responded, pinching his side lightly with a grin. ”That's what happens to a woman when her husband finally decides to put business away and give her affection instead.” Her voice was also teasing, as her own gaze completely drowned in his intense blue orbs.
Pulling her even closer, Tommy's nose brushed against hers in a promise of a kiss.
”So I'll have to consider doing this more often.”
Leaving last, strong kiss on her lips Tommy took a step back.
”Do what you have to, and come find me.” Y/N asked, squeezing his hand lightly, her expression relaxed and almost dreamy seeing him in such a good humour.
Bowing lightly, Thomas answered.
”Don't go too far, I'll join you soon.” His voice had an undertone of worry to it, his eyes becoming slightly more cloudy at the obvious allusion.
Giving him a weak nod, Y/N agreed, understanding exactly what he meant.
Don't go anywhere on your own, it's dangerous
Turning around, Thomas slowly walked back to his office, his steps echoing throughout the corridor as the warmth of their lovely encounter disappeared under the weight of reality.
Y/N let out a sharp breath, her heart picking up speed as her hand fell to her belly, causing more internal pain than anything. The mask she had to wear around him was becoming heavier with each passing day.
But she couldn't tell him. Not when the prognosis were so hopeful the last time they visited the hospital together. Not after seeing him gain back the spark he lost for so long.
Letting out a sharp exhale, Y/N turned around, slowly walking back to their bedroom. Wincing quietly she made her way through the corridor before settling on a bed lightly.
The day they found out was the worst day in her life. Rushing to the doctor so hopefully, once she noticed her stomach... Growing. After trying for a baby, could it finally happen? Y/N wondered back then, showing Tommy the swelling on her stomach.
Putting his hand over her belly, he was the happiest man in the world, dimples on his cheeks revealing to their full extent as he smiled so brightly, a rare sight but how beautiful she felt. A family, of her own.
A girl? A boy? They wondered the day before her visit. Chatting away endlessly about names, clothes and toys for a little Shelby.
A heavenly happiness that lasted no longer than three days, before they got crushed by the diagnosis.
Stomach cancer
Thomas' hand fell limp by his side, as Y/N froze completely. It took a longer minute, followed by ”I'm so sorry” from the doctor before tears appeared. Falling faster and heavier, each one a nail to her poor heart, wiping away every dream they managed to talk about in the last days.
All hope, gone, just like that.
...but it wasn't over just yet, as Dr. Wellerman explained the path they will have to go through. The risks of chemotherapy, additional tests and needed medication.
Tommy tried to stay strong, so badly, despite the white colour his face turned. Nausea took over his mind as he listened to each word, listening to the doctor explaining her survival rate. He needed to be strong.
So he was, carrying the weight like a world champion, never letting her carry it alone.
”Don't cry” He murmured in the worst nights, rocking her back and forth in his arms, sitting on the floor by the bed. ”We will bring you back to good health, and then have children. Little copies of our own, eh? A girl with my nose and your smile.” He spoke quietly into her ear, staring blankly at a wall. Whispering beautiful words she so desperately needed to hear, keeping her heart from breaking.
With each week they were both feeling worse, Y/N's physical state worsening visibly throughout the chemotherapy. The pain she felt in her abdomen could be compared to the flames from hell, reaching her ruthlessly and blooming the horrible thought she tried to push away so badly.
I want to die already, her mind would whisper cruelly, hating the way her husband's bones became more visible. His sunken eyes which lost all colour, almost as if he was the one with tumour eating away on his body and mind.
It wouldn't be much different then, because the pain he carried seeing her slowly fade away was easily the most difficult battles he had to fight.
A couple years back, Thomas would never expect to even think that, but the war in France was nothing compared to the unfair war he chose to fight everyday, holding onto his wife at all costs.
On the worst days, he would silently cry against the door of their bathroom, begging her to let him in as she cried so loudly.
”Don't look at me, I'm disgusting!” Y/N kept repeating, looking in the shattered mirror at her reflection. She was a shadow of her old self, her almost completely bald head mocking her, along with the colourless eyes that looked back.
”Y/N, please. Don't shut me away” His voice was breaking, despite the attempts to stay strong. Minutes later he would be on the floor by her side, kissing her temples and holding so tightly to not let her drown.
”You're beautiful, Mrs. Shelby. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen,” He talked, looking her in the eyes, his deep, honest voice never ceasing to bring her out of misery even just for a few seconds. Rough fingertips grazing over her delicate, pale skin. ”So beautiful I just had to marry you.”
A deep silence following his gentle tone, as his fingers drew random patterns on her skin.
”Am I dying, Tommy?” She asked quietly, her voice so fearful as she held onto his shirt, head resting on his shoulder. Thomas was almost sure she could physically hear his heart shattering at the question.
”No,” He replied confidently, getting her to look him in the eyes. To see the lack of hesitation and the fire he had in him, as her own was slowly getting smaller. She was losing hope. ”You're not dying. I wouldn't let you leave me, after all, eh?” He said, small, weak smile appearing on his lips and reaching her eyes.
”I love you so much” She whispered, slowly nodding off to sleep against his heartbeat.
Y/N remembered every and each of those days when he's been the lifeline. The only reason she was getting up and fighting against the cruel faith, slipping from death's embrace every day, almost like his love was keeping her alive.
...and it worked. Tests started coming back better than before, the cancer responded well to the chemo, allowing life to slowly seep back into their reality.
Y/N could never forget how happy it made them. Made him. The way he laughed and joked, and touched her looking, oh the way he looked at her. Like nothing else mattered, as he brought her flowers and loved every moment they had. Thomas grew to appreciate her presence so much, even the business wasn't able to get a hold of his mind as often anymore.
Life was a dream, until it wasn't.
The pain and swelling grew, sometimes making it difficult to move her legs even. Y/N held onto the thought that it was temporary, that everything was okay, so she didn't tell him. Couldn't bring herself to share her worries, seeing the way he lived and not just survived anymore.
So the secrets began, every letter from the hospital started coming to the rented storage she kept away from everyone. Tests getting more worrying until one, particular one, killed the hope completely.
The cancer no longer remained in her stomach, now spreading to the liver, lymph nodes and lungs, crushing the potential survival rate to 3%.
”Oh God” She cried at first, howling so loudly her throat grew sore and voice weak.
But it wasn't the worst. The worst was pretending around Tommy, forcing herself to smile and walk and talk as lively as before.
Be there for him, and try hard enough to smile so it would reach her eyes, because else he would know.
Each day was harder as the pain grew stronger. Eventually she had to start shaving her head every few days, to hide the fact she stopped the chemotherapy.
The pain was too much. The first time was easier, as she mindlessly shared the misery with Tommy. Carrying it together was easier, but with how much he loved her, seeing her in that state was killing him more than cancer was killing her.
So she pretended. Smiling, shaving her head and making sure to keep her expression stoic as the swelling burned hellishly.
So here she was, sitting on the edge of their bed, both hands on her belly in hopes to ease the pain. Unfamiliar pain, one so strong she couldn't breath at all.
”Tommy” She managed to whimper out, fingers wrapping around the edge of the nightstand so hard, her knuckles turned white. Slowly lowering herself to the ground, Y/N felt her legs giving out as she fell down with a loud thump, starting to cough.
Barely opening her eyes, she noticed the drops of crimson red fluid dirtying the clean, wooden floor. Her mind turned hazy, feeling completely out of it as more and more blood splattered the floor.
Only then did she barely register the fast, loud steps approaching.
”Y/N!” Thomas boomed loudly, rushing to her side. His face was completely pale, his shaky hands wrapping around her chest as he pulled her up, completely panicked. ”Frances! Frances call the ambulance!” He screamed in a frenzy, leaning forward to try and help. ”Y/N, I'm here, I'm here.” He choked out as her eyes became cloudy, breaths coming out in short bursts. ”Y/N! Look at me, please fucking look at me!” Tears steamed down his face at the suddenly terrible state she found herself in. She looked at him, but couldn't see.
As he cried, and screamed, pulling all the old medication she used to be taking from her nightstand, spilling them by his side and looking for the particular one that used to help with breathing problems, Y/N was halway gone.
Physically she couldn't see, struggling to breathe enough to keep her brain functioning yet the only thing she could think of was him.
Please, don't take me away. Who's going to protect him from the self-destruction his heart holds?
”Please, don't leave me” He cried out weakly, pushing his forehead against her collarbone, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. Hiding.
The memory of his happy, blue eyes was the last thing she registered, feeling as if he gently eased her into sleep, taking away all the pain. In reality, Thomas couldn't hold in the animalistic howling that ripped from his throat while he held her tightly to his chest, rocking back and forth as the sound of an ambulance pulling up by the Arrow house came to his ears.
From this moment, there was nothing.
***
She was gone.
He lost count of the amount of hours since it happened. Thomas didn't know if it was a night or a day, as he forced the maids to cover every source of light in the house before sending them away. The alcohol combined with opium in his system made him see the most beautiful things in the dark, memories shining so brightly.
His eyes rolled back at the scent of her, as he was holding her nightgown to his chest. Blood was trickling from his fingers, dirtying the pink material because of the destruction he brought upon the Arrow house once left alone.
Rocking back and forth in the middle of the room, he remembered the sight of his wife sitting by the vanity, laughing as she made him roll his eyes with her smart mouth. She fitted so perfectly, so perfectly with the scent he was feeling.
It was all that mattered, as long as he felt her presence around him.
In the next few days Polly threw away all the opium he had, trying her best along with her nephews to support him through the ripping loss. Only if he wanted that help, maybe everything would eventually be okay.
But for him, there was nothing before her, and nothing after her. The story was done.
Once left alone again, he let out a sigh, feeling the pounding headache. The noise was overwhelming, impossible to suppress ever since she was gone.
”I can hear them coming again” He whispered into the silence of his office, as the shovels dug against the walls from every direction. Getting louder with every passing minute. ”They want to take you away from me, darling” His voice was rough from the lack of using it. Opening his eyes, Thomas looked at the portrait hanging on the wall. You and him. Like like he promised. His eyes on the painting were far from reality, not resembling the dark irises, swallowed completely by madness which took over his mind without change. ”I won't let you leave me” He repeated the line from the past, lips wrapping around the familiar words as he pulled out the pistol from his holster. Lazily pressing the muzzle against his head as his lips turned upwards into a heartfelt smile. ”I'm coming, sweetheart.”
His loving words were followed by a loud bang, as the bullet ruthlessly ripped through his skull and brain, only to get stuck in the old furniture in another room.
His body went completely limp as the unlit cigarette fell onto the desk, becoming the last sound of their lively love ever heard in the wall of the Arrow house.
A house which became a cemetery for the undying love, and future that would never come.
Taggin my people: @iilovedonnatartt @gentlebeari @narlytude @honeymoon8 @chaimaarouaine11 @hatethis29 @bruhidkjustwannaread @reiwanwan @immyowndefender @jbrownta @preparedfruit @emptyvoidofmine
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mapiforpresident · 2 days ago
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HOT
patri x reader x pina
~~~
It was finally date night, and you were looking forward to a relaxing evening with your girlfriends. After a long week of training and matches, a night out with Patri and Claudia felt like the perfect way to unwind. The three of you had been planning it all week. You had already helped Patri pick out her outfit, giving her a couple of compliments as she put it on—she looked stunning in her crisp shirt, black pants, and nice shoes.
Now, you were getting ready, slipping into the form-fitting dress that Patri had bought you a while ago. You loved how it made you feel—elegant, yet comfortable—and the way it hugged your curves. As you finished adjusting your hair in the mirror, you heard the sound of Claudia’s voice from the kitchen. She was probably still scrolling through her phone, like she always did when she was waiting for the last minute before you all headed out.
When you walked into the living room, your jaw nearly dropped. Claudia looked… absolutely unbelievable. She was standing by the kitchen counter, scrolling through her phone with a focused look on her face, completely unaware of how breathtaking she looked. Claudia was dressed in black pants that fit her perfectly, paired with a dark long-sleeve shirt that had the sleeves casually rolled up, revealing her tattoos on her forearms. The whole outfit was effortlessly stunning, and she looked sharp—masculine, but undeniably attractive.
You walked toward her without thinking, standing between her legs where she was leaning against the counter, your eyes still wide from the sight of her.
Claudia looked up, catching the dazed expression on your face. “What?” she asked, her voice amused but still soft.
You leaned in and kissed her cheek, your voice low and seductive. “You look so hot,” you said into her ear as you kissed her cheek again.
Claudia blinked, clearly caught off guard by the way you said it. For a second, she seemed almost confused. “Wait…” She took a step back, her expression shifting slightly, and looked you up and down. “I don’t feel sick. Do I look sick?”
You froze, suddenly realizing the misunderstanding. Claudia’s face had morphed into a mix of confusion and concern.
“Wait, no!” you said quickly, your eyes wide in panic. “I meant… I meant you look amazing. I meant like, hot, like you look sexy, not sick! You look perfect. I swear, I wasn’t saying you look sick!”
Claudia let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "Oh, okay. Well, I feel fine," she said with a teasing smile, clearly relieved but still amused.
Before you could respond, Patri, who had been getting ready by the door and putting on her shoes, looked up and saw the interaction.
“What’s going on?” Patri asked, her voice light with amusement. “Did I miss something?”
Claudia gave you a playful shove. “She’s calling me sick when I’m looking this good.”
Patri raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the confusion. “Sick? Claudia's not sick?” she teased, walking over to you both.
You let out a frustrated laugh. “No! I was just giving her a compliment, but she thought I meant something totally different I just said she is hot which means like sexy!”
Patri leaned in with a smirk, brushing a strand of hair from your face. “Well, someone looks really good tonight.” She looked at you up and down, her eyes warm with affection. “I think you look hot, amor.”
You smiled at her and hugged her tightly, grateful for the easy way she stepped in to clear things up. “I do look good, don’t I?”
Patri chuckled, kissing your cheek before stepping back to admire you. “You look absolutely stunning.”
Claudia smiled, leaning in to plant a kiss on your lips. “You’re impossible,” she said, her voice light and teasing.
You laughed, pulling her in for another hug. “I’m sorry! I was just trying to give you a compliment. You look perfect, Claudia.”
Patri chuckled, shaking her head. "You both look incredible, but let’s get going before we’re late.”
You smiled at Patri and Claudia, feeling completely at ease now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up. “Let’s go. I’m ready for our date night. And just so you know, you two both look ridiculously good tonight."
Claudia grinned, finally satisfied with the compliment, and wrapped her arm around your shoulders as the three of you made your way out the door. The night was young, and despite the confusion earlier, you couldn’t wait to spend it with the two people you loved most.
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aboutcustardcreams · 2 days ago
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Time Ticking, Patience Thinning
Here’s another chapter that I hope you enjoy 🫶🏼 please lemme know if you do~ would make my day!
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“What’s your name again-? I didn’t quite catch it the first time.” 
When the boy opened his mouth to answer Agatha’s question, your gaze instinctively shifted to him. What happened next took you by surprise. As he began to speak, a shimmering sigil materialized above his lips, silencing his voice entirely. Your brows furrowed in confusion as your gaze slowly shifted to Agatha. 
“Interesting,” that’s all she said. 
"What do you mean?” 
“Nothing to shout about,” she waved it off, giving you the hint of keeping that detail Teen a secret for now. “Anyway, I can’t promise I’ll remember your name.” 
Her words caught you off guard, and it took everything in you not to burst into a cackle. Even so, a tiny puff of air escaped your nose, almost sounding like a snort. Agatha turned to you then, her composure always impeccable, infuriatingly so. 
“We better get going now,” she brushed past you towards the front door, or rather, the spot where it used to be.
You smacked your lips at her nonchalance. If you weren’t in such a rush, you’d invade her personal space right there and now, capture her lips with yours to wipe off that knowing grin from her face. 
Instead you only said, “I drive.”
She didn’t object to that. In fact, she preferred it when you were the one behind the wheel. It gave her the liberty to let her hands wander over your skin. 
As you slid into your car, Teen's eyes sparkled with the hopeful anticipation of claiming the shotgun seat, but Agatha cut off his enthusiasm rather quickly. 
“Be a good pet and sit in the back, will you?” 
The boy shot you a sideway glance and you muttered a soft ‘sorry’ in his direction. Resigned, he slid into the backseat, clicked his seatbelt into place,and slouched in quiet defeat, arms crossed over his chest, reminding you of his young age. 
“Maybe on our way back you two can switch-”
Agatha didn’t even let you finish, “Or maybe not,” she muttered sarcastically. 
You sighed and started the car, with no clear destination in mind just yet, “very mature.”
She didn’t respond to that and simply hummed.
“So, where are we going?” Teen asked after a bunch of minutes. 
You looked at him from the rearview mirror, “for starters we do need a Coven to walk the Road.” 
He looked like a child on Christmas day, “you’re taking me to your Coven?” 
With your eyes back on the road, you hummed, “Uhm, not exactly.”
“We never had one,” Agatha clarified, “I mean, not for long anyway.” You glanced at her briefly, wondering what she might say to the boy next. For a fleeting moment, you thought she might blurt out the entire truth right then and there. But it wouldn’t be like her, so you brushed the thought aside almost as quickly as it came to you. 
“They annoyed me,” she said with a dramatic tut, “so one day I woke up, feeling inspired, and turned them into dust.”
You nearly veered into the opposite lane when she said that, your knuckles whitening on the steering wheel. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t entirely a lie either. Yes, she had killed her Coven, of that there was no dispute. But what she left unsaid were the reasons that forced her hand, reasons that probably nobody knew, that’s why people were so quick to come up with the ‘witch killer’ nickname. 
Teen looked terrified and uncertain what was to say next. And Agatha, being Agatha, looked quite pleased with it. 
"That’s not exactly how it went,” you mumbled, giving away the hint that there was more to say, without actually saying it. You stole a glance at Agatha, her smile teasing, slightly amused by the familiarity of the situation. There you were, once more, doing your best to clean up her reputation. She told you many times you didn’t have to do it, but you couldn’t help it. “What I can say is this: they’ve blown the whole ‘witch killer’ thing way out of proportion. Agatha isn’t a bad person.” 
Sure, you couldn’t deny the fact that Agatha killed witches, more than a few. But survival had a way of sharpening its edges, forcing impossible choices. She killed to save herself when no one else would. She killed to save Nicky. And later on… she killed to find a way to save you. It’s long overdue that people knew the truth, yet you knew it wasn’t your place, at least not only yours, to spill it. 
When Rio sent the Furies after you, they took possession of your mind, twisting reality until it was unrecognizable to you. Their voices inside your heart hurt in the most inexplicable way, but you resisted, you vowed to. You never fully understood how your condition affected Agatha and Nicky, because whenever you had a fleeting moment of clarity, they chose to savor the time together rather than tell you how much it hurt them to see you like that. During that time, Agatha’s killings increased but you wouldn’t know. She didn’t need to kill witches to heal Nicky, though. The moment you used your magic to bring him back to life, the curse had been lifted and with it, Nicky’s illness. But your magic had come with an unexpected price to pay. Rio had warned you, but you refused to listen. 
Noticing the way your eyes dimmed, Agatha slid her hand above your knee. She knew you too well to figure out exactly where your thoughts had gone. You were blaming yourself again. And she couldn’t let you do that. 
“Don’t listen to her, Teen. She has the tendency of picturing me softer than I really am,” despite her serious tone, the way her hand squeezed your knee, told you a whole different story. All she wanted was for you to let go of your sense of guilt. “When it comes to survival, you’ll do whatever it takes— anything. I hope it never comes that far for you.” 
Teen considered those words in silence. Your version compared to Agatha’s and it all just clicked. You were protecting her and she was protecting you. In that moment, he decided the rumors about the two of you didn’t matter, whether they were true or not. From now on, he would form his own picture of you both by living in the present and watching you do your thing. 
“I think it’s sweet that you found each other and stuck around for all these years. Centuries, I presume. In a way you form a Coven of two–” 
Your heart warmed up at Teen’s words. It was kind of cute to think of it that way. Your lips spread in a smile and so did Agatha’s, but more because she was amused by the whole thing he just said. Sure, she agreed with him- the fact that there was a bond between you two was true. An understatement, to be frank. You went through so many things together that the sole thought of parting ways for whatever reason felt now like a complete idiocy. You belonged to her like she belonged to you. 
“Teen, I’m sorry to cut your enthusiasm, but she and I are in a relationship. That hardly makes us a Coven.” 
“It makes us a family, though,” you pointed out. 
You caught something flickering in Agatha’s eyes, a shimmer of emotion, maybe even vulnerability. Had it been just the two of you, she might have let it linger, but with the boy in the car, she felt uneasy. So she averted her eyes, focusing on the passing landscape to her right. 
Noticing her hand slip away from your thigh, you pouted. Stubbornly, you reached out and placed it back where it belonged and when she turned, your lips curled up once again in a mischievous grin. Agatha snorted. That sass of yours— 
“There’s no time to be namby-pamby, my love. I need you to be focused.”
You rolled your eyes, but chuckled, “Fine. Wouldn’t want you to lose your only chance at surviving against the Salem Seven.”
Agatha's expression twisted into an exaggerated version of your own, mimicking your tone as she repeated the words you just said. The effect was immediate and both you and Teen burst into laughter, incredulous on your part. 
“I don’t sound like that!” 
“You do,” she insisted, lips twitching in a smirk. 
“I think she did a pretty good ‘you’”, Teen added, only fueling your mocking disbelief and Agatha’s enjoyment. 
“Whatever, I’m done with you two.” 
Your eyes squinted towards a peculiar building standing in the middle of nowhere to your left. You decided to try your luck there, took a rapid turn and parked right in front of the building, your instinct telling you there was a potential witch in there. The faded sign hanging above the door caught your eye, and you read it aloud: Madame Calderou’s Psychic Readings. 
Agatha clasped her hands together, before rubbing them as if she was plotting something mischievous, “Right. Seems like we are here.”
Teen’s interest piqued once again, “You think there’s a real witch in there?”
Before you could respond, Agatha preceded you, “we shall see if she knows the witchy handshake first.”
“Oh my God– there’s a witchy handshake?”
You let out an exasperated sigh while Agatha giggled to herself. It was so easy to play with that boy. “Teen, she is pulling your leg. There’s no such thing as a witchy handshake. Honestly that would be so demeaning.”
“Such as flying brooms or pointy hats,” she agreed with you. 
“I like flying brooms,” you retorted, as you three walked up towards the building. 
Agatha draped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you into a squishy, however affectionate embrace, “Course you do,” she purred, “next you’ll be telling me you want to adopt a black cat as familiar.” 
“I already have a familiar, thank you very much,” you pointed out, “a nice turtle that your bunny keeps bullying shamelessly.”
Agatha gasped dramatically, but you knew it was just an act, “he doesn’t! Take it back–” 
“He does,” you chuckled. “And no, I won’t.” 
“Uhm, we are drifting off here,” Teen interjected, with an awkward smile. He pointed at the building, making both you and Agatha shift your attention back to the reason why you were there. Gather a Coven of Witches. 
“Right,” she took a mental note to return to the subject another time. 
You nodded, stepping forward to open the door. Holding it wide, you gestured for Teen to go in first. He slipped inside without a word, rather excitedly actually, and as Agatha approached, she brushed past you, but not before her fingers slid into yours, her hand fitting perfectly in your grasp. 
A small, teasing grin tugged at your lips. “I thought we didn’t have time for sappy moments.” 
“Don’t be such a brat,” she whispered into your ear, in a cheeky tone, you didn’t miss. Couldn’t, if you tried. 
*
“You’ve been under the influence of another, haven't you? Someone you hurt,” the clairvoyant started, her voice solemn as she took in Agatha’s blue eyes. The smirk of confidence that had tugged at Agatha’s lips faded as soon as she realized that Lilia Calderou wasn’t a fraud and knew who she was. You gave Agatha’s hand a tentative squeeze, a way to let her know you were there– that everything was okay. Her fingers tightened around yours in response. 
“And she paid the price, too. They took your agency, but not hers,” she continued, her eyes landed on yours as you frowned uncomfortably. You never blamed Agatha for anything and you certainly wouldn’t start now just because a clairvoyant said so. “I feel it, your magic. It’s restless, volatile and quite dangerous. It should not exist.” 
You leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms over your chest, “Here we go again,” you muttered, voice laced with dry sarcasm. Agatha snorted out a low chuckle in response to Lilia’s words, “You know nothing about her talent, so I’d suggest you to be quiet about it.” She never cared about what other witches thought about her, but whenever it came to you, she would completely lose her mind, if someone dared to judge who you were, basing their opinion on a prejudice as old as the world. 
“So you’re a witch?” Teen’s question came in a hopeful tone.
“Divination witch is my guess,” you replied before Lilia could. 
A mischievous grin tugged at Lilia’s lips. “If you intend to overstay your visit, I’ll have to charge you again.” 
“Oh, I think you can grant us another ten minutes of your time,” Agatha groaned, “It’s not that there’s a line in here or something.”
In response, you saw Teen bow his head to wipe the grin off his face. You, on the other hand, made no effort to hide yours. 
Annoyance was evident in her eyes, as she retorted, “whatever you want from me, I’m not interested,” Lilia stood up and without another word, she stood and disappeared behind the curtain at the back of her shop. 
You and Agatha shared a knowing glance. 
Teen appeared more disappointed than concerned, “Now what?” 
“Now we persuade her.” 
To preserve Agatha’s life, it was essential to gather some magic and you would have, no matter what. So you stood, eyes flashing with a newfound calm mingled with determination. Agatha noticed and smiled. She loved you for so many things and that behavior of yours, was just one of those characteristics that reminded her of why she chose to stick by your side so many years ago. 
She gave you a nod of her head and followed you, as you took the lead. On the other side, you found yourself in what could loosely be called an apartment. A single room stretched before you. To the left stood a corner kitchen, its countertops cluttered with mismatched utensils, jars of herbs, the faint glimmer of copper pots, and a kettle she just turned on, probably to make herself some soothing tea. 
“Join us,” Agatha insisted, as you and Teen kept looking around. “Honestly the way you live is kind of disappointing. You deserve more and better than whatever this place is…” Her gaze drifted to the far end of the room, where a mattress leaned against the wall, probably to save up space. 
You wondered if there was a toilet hidden behind it. How low could a witch go?
The clairvoyant’s gaze flickered with hesitation, her lips pressed into a thin line as Agatha’s words sinked in. The shrill whistle of the kettle cut through the silence, drawing her attention and causing both you and Agatha to roll your eyes, when she spun around. 
“Lilia–”, you couldn’t do this all day.  
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” when she turned to face you, her eyes locked onto yours, sharp and intense. You could tell she was conflicted, exasperated even. “I won’t make the same mistake and fall into Agatha’s manipulative ways. They say you endured the Furies’ wrath because you did and yet here you are, still standing by her side. I don’t understand that.”
To say you were shocked was an understatement. 
She had no idea what she was talking about– Agatha had nothing to do with the Furies. For some odd, infuriating reason, nobody knew a thing about Rio Vidal, instead: the true cause of everything. Instead, according to the stories, it had always been you and Agatha all along, so whatever bad thing came your way, Agatha bore the brunt of the blame. You were sick of that. 
Teen was in shock too, he didn’t speak, but a part of him ached to defend both you and Agatha. He’d read about the Furies, knew the torment you endured for years, but not for a second had he ever believed Agatha was responsible for it. It just didn’t sit right with him. It couldn’t be.  Not when Agatha looked at you the way she did, as if you held all the stars in the sky just for her. As if you were everything she had left.
Watching you from her peripheral vision, Agatha recognized clear signs of your struggle. Your jaw clenched tightly, your hands curled into fists at your sides, and your lips pressed into a thin line, “If you really think Agatha is somewhat responsible for what happened to me, which by the way is none of your business, maybe you lost your talent–”, your words hung in the air, adding to the already tense atmosphere lingering in the room. 
Lilia looked somewhat self-conscious about what she said and how they affected you, yet she didn’t apologize. However, she held herself back from responding to your bitter remark about her.
Agatha’s lips stretched into a sad, tight smile the moment her fingers brushed against your forearm, and you failed to meet her eyes, “hey– don’t go there again. It’s not worth it,” she cooed, voice firm, yet veiled with the usual fondness she only reserved to you. You clenched your eyes shut for a moment, your magic sparkling at the tips of your fingers. Lilia was right about one thing: your talent could be dangerous especially when wielded by a witch emotionally distressed or simply pissed off, like you. 
“You’re right,” you sighed, “Look, we are going to walk the Road. The Witches’ Road. And we need a divination witch, but the choice is yours. You can keep living your eternal life in this kind of shack you call home or try to go back on top. Be a witch again.”
Lilia’s mouth almost dropped, then. “The Road is a death wish.” 
“I survived,” Agatha waved with a grin. 
“And yet you’ve got no power.”
“That’s why I need to walk the Road, again. To restock.” 
Lilia swallowed thickly. The offer was appealing and yet, she was uncertain. Agatha was, after all, known for having betrayed her entire Coven, at a very young age too. “How can I trust you won’t take my power at the earliest opportunity?”
Before Agatha could say anything, you stepped forward. “She won’t. I guarantee it for you.” Despite your growing distaste for Lilia at this moment, your principles held steadfast: no more witches would die because of Agatha. Or you. That was a promise you intended to keep. “You seem to know very well what Agatha’s capable of, but my question is, are you just as familiar with my talent?”
Lilia almost found it amusing that you’d question her knowledge about witches of your kind. “I do. At least to some extent,” she clarified, “I know what a necromancer witch can do. And I also know you’re not a killer,” she finished on a softer note. 
“Agatha isn’t either,” you pointed out.
“Well, isn’t your loyalty sweet–”
Your lover took a step ahead, stretched out a hand, and moved you behind her, the moment your magic intensified around you and her, “Look, you’re right, I’ve got a reputation, I can’t help with that–” she trailed off, gesturing animatedly while doing so. “I don’t have time to persuade you into believing my intentions are genuine. Time’s running out and if you’re not willing to tag along, then fine. I’ll still Walk the Witches’ Road, restore my powers, and get my life back. Just remember that the path you’re currently on leads nowhere.” 
Her words were convincing enough, but it was the small piece of paper she was holding that truly caught Lilia’s attention. You hadn’t noticed it before, nor were you sure where it had come from, but the realization struck quickly. A smirk tugged at your lips as everything suddenly fell in place.
That was an eviction notice.
“Even if I were to accept, you’d still need more witches.”
Agatha had a solution for that too. She grinned from ear to ear, “I was hoping you’d use your witchcraft to come up with a list of names. You can do that, can’t you?” 
It was a rhetorical question, she knew she could. 
Lilia’s lips stretched into a defiant smile, “give me that,” she said, snatching the piece of paper from Agatha’s hands, along with a pen that lay on the table. She didn’t even have to think about the names, they were already there, poised on the tip of her tongue or rather, the pen. 
When she handed the paper back, both you and Agatha went as pale as a sheet. It couldn’t be. At the top were your name and Agatha’s, followed by Lilia Calderou, Jennifer Kale, Alice Wu Gulliver, and, finally, Rio Vidal.
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limethefirst · 2 days ago
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Void Runners Pt. 3
pairings: Deadpool x Wolverine x teen!reader
warnings: heavy Deadpool and Wolverine spoilers, crude humor, violence, swearing
summary: Since being saved by Wade after your encounter with Cassandra, Logan makes you lead the way in the wasteland in hopes you know where they are.
Part 1 / Part 2
a/n: Per-chance I may have disappeared but that doesn't mean I won't finish this story, sorry for being gone so long, please forgive me with this 2000 word update! Enjoy the long awaited part 3
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Currently the three of you were all walking through a grassy field, Wade was annoying Logan like usual as you walked in front of them—to be completely honest you were exactly sure where you were going but you knew you’d get there.
It was like the blind leading the blind but they didn't know that.
As they continued to discuss whatever...dumb things Wade could produce, a loud bark rang in the distance, seemingly catching everyone's attention.
You looked forward, as a strange little dog began to run into view. It was ugly, in an oddly cute way, it's tongue jumping up and down with each step it took.
Logan had a disgusted look on his face, while Wade seemed star struck. Wade began to take his mask off, his mouth agape; as the dog got closer the man fell to his knees, and opened his arms, letting the creature jump up on him and lick his face.
"Look at you!" Wade exclaimed, clearly excited, "She's coming with us,"
"No she's not," The man in yellow protested, obviously not wanting the extra company.
While they bickered you took the opportunity to get a closer look at the dog, it made a strange noise as you did. Although you could tell it enjoyed the affection it was being given.
"Sorry, sorry about that girl!" A voice rang, the group turning to look, saw a, what seemed to be more attractive Deadpool with long hair.
You looked between both men, confused at seeing two Deadpool's at once, more so one that said 'sorry' upon first interaction, "Who are you?" Wade asked, noticeably confused.
The other man stopped for a second to catch his breath, "Oh, I'm Deadpool, and I guess you're Deadpool too," He gestured to the Wade you've been traveling with, "But in here, everybody calls me 'Nicepool'."
You snickered at the name, the thought of a nice Deadpool now in your mind.
"Oh my goodness, wait till you see Ladypool. She is gorgeous," Nicepool began to ramble on, "She just had a baby too and.. woosh. Can't even tell." He told you guys, making a gesture with his hands to show you guys what he meant.
Logan gave him a confused face, while Wade added on, "I don't think you're supposed to say that."
"That's okay," Nicepool told you three, as his right hand went over his heart, "I identify as a feminist."
No longer being able to hold in your laughter from this entire interaction you let out an audible snort/chuckle.
All three men looked at you, Wade had a subtle hint of amusement within his eyes, Logan was just confused and Nicepool looked disappointed you'd laugh at the fact he's a feminist.
"Right," Wade said, deadpanning. Before he suddenly perked up, his attention caught by something, "Are those gold-plated 50 caliber Desert Eagle pistoleros?"
" 'Course, to match my ear huggie," Nicepool responded, a smile on his face while he showed off his gold.
"Can I have 'em?" Wade asked, sounding like a child wanting to open their birthday gifts early.
Nicepool laughed at him, "Over my dead body!" He responded still smiling.
You grimaced at the man, "You're gonna regret saying that to him.." you said, knowing Wade would take it seriously.
"You're fun!" He said looking between you and Wade, "And I guess you've already met Mary Puppins, AKA Dogpool. Careful where you touch her, she's 90% g-spot and she'll let you know it."
You looked back at the dog as Wade adjusted her in his arms.
"You let this little flirt out of your sight for one second and she starts shopping for a new papa!" Nicepool exclaimed, still smiling throughout the whole interaction.
You looked back towards Wade only to see Mary Puppins licking his lips and mouth, slightly disturbed by the strange sight.
"If you can't be a responsible pet owner then maybe you don't deserve this little unicorn!" Wade spoke as if a dog wasn't literally eating at his face.
Nicepool only smiled at him and put his hands together, "Guilty on all charges your honor. Shan't happen again" Nicepool bowed to Wade.
"Why are you so nice?" Wade asked, confused why this alternative version of him was so strange.
Nicepool once again smiled at him, "It cost nothing to be kind."
"Shutting the fuck up is also free," Logan added on, seemingly annoyed at the fact he was surrounded by technically three Deadpool's.
"Caliente!"
"This is Logan, he's usually shirtless but he let himself go since the divorce." Wade introduced as he tilted his head towards Logan, "And this little thing right here is Y/N, they're our little time jumper!" You wave a small wave, not wanting to be rude. Nicepool gave you a smile.
"Where's your mask?" Wade asked, a look of suspicion and maybe even a hint of envy on his face.
Nicepool, although still smiling, gave a confused look before regaining his happy demeanor, "Come on guys," He pointed at his face, a knowing look on his face.
Logan just looked disgusted and Wade was annoyed, "Ugh this guy, we're looking for a group of survivors."
"Oh they're out there, but merc to merc, you better hope you don't run into the Deadpool corp, yeah they're crazy!" Nicepool began to explain who they were and what they do, you've been in the void long enough to know who they were, fortunate enough to have never come face to face with them.
You didn't listen much after that conversation, only being asked by Nicepool if these hooligans were bothering you and if you'd like to go with him instead but you declined, more interested in leaving this place then having to be stuck with another Deadpool for the rest of eternity.
As you three were led through what seemed to be a corn maze you stumbled upon a car, that Wade did not seem to like one bit.
"No, no, no. Absolutely not, nu-uh what the- No, no" Wade continued to protest.
"Just get in the car" Logan told him, his tone already showing how he was getting annoyed.
"What's wrong with the car?" You asked Wade confused on why he didn't want to get in.
Wade looked offended when you asked him that, "This isn't a car, this is a Honda fuckin' Odyssey, throttle response sucks a cock, dated infotainment system. When Honda saw that the untreated chlamydia was makin' a comeback, they invented the Honda Odyssey to compete."
You looked at Wade, shocked at how much hate he held for the Honda Odyssey and at the relation he was able to make between chlamydia and a car.
"Get in the fucking car."
Nicepool smiled, his creepy little happy smile, "She'll get you there safe and sound, old Besty always does." Both you and Logan walked up to the car, getting ready to leave as soon as possible, "You're gonna have to give me my dog back though."
"I know. Listen, yes child.." Wade spoke to Mary Puppin's, as he pet her, showing his strange attachment to the furball, "If you ever wanna give her up, or if she needs a new home or if something should.. happen to you, I'd love to be her papa."
Nicepool laughed at Wade's subtle threat, "What would ever happen to me?"
Casually Wade replied, "Lots of stuff," This time the threat didn't seem to go over Nicepool's head.
He gave both you and Logan a nervous look, you could only reply with a sigh before you nudged Logan with your elbow, nodding towards Wade and the dog.
He sighed before standing up and walking towards the two, "Jesus" He muttered under his breathe.
Wade catching on quickly turned away, trying to run into the corn maze, being met with clear failure. "No! We're running away!"
You shook your head in disapproval still leaning on the car, "Give me that." Logan said grabbing the small dog from Wade's arms.
"We were so close girl" He tells Mary Puppins before she is given back to her rightful owner.
Logan handed Mary Puppins back to Nicepool, which then let him get into the car, while Wade slowly entered as well, clearly upset he wasn't able to take her with him. You got in as well, in the backseat of the car, giving a small wave to the little dog and her weird happy owner.
Logan started the car and began the long drive, giving you a little time to rest. Shockingly Wade didn't really speak much, until Logan got to the forest.
"Okay, I'm just gonna ask," Wade started off with, you slowly opened your eyes, still leaning against the window, your arms crossed as you listened in, "What's with the suit? First thing I did when I flamed out I took mine off."
"Drop it," Logan warned him.
"It's not that ugly,"
"Stop talking about my suit."
"Did you make it yourself? Been there."
"Quit. Now."
"The X-Men make you wear it? Those sons of fuckin' bitches. They are not your friends I'll tell you that!" Wade was not getting the hint at all, Logan looked as if he was about to burst, "Friends don't let friends leave the house looking like they fight crime for the Los Angeles Rams."
Logan replied snappily, not even looking away from the road for a second, "Shut the fuck up about this"
"Woah woah woah, watch your frown lines, angel baby, I'm just trying to bond a little bit."
"Yeah, well then talk about somethin' else," Logan let out an annoyed scoff.
"Fine!" Wade hesitantly said, you let out a quick sigh, thankful that Wade realized he should keep his mouth shut. Slowly you began to close your eyes again, hoping to get a little nap in during this ride.
Slowly but surely you drifted off to sleep, the exhaustion of today finally catching up with you. Although the peace wouldn't last long.
You had at least 15 seconds of nap time before the cars sudden stop made you hit your head against the back of Wade's seat.
"Ow!" You exclaimed, grabbing your forehead in your hands, Logan glanced at you, a glint of what you could only assume was worry evident on his face, before he turned back towards Wade.
"What do you mean if?" Logan's voice was raised, mad at whatever Wade had told him during your 15 second nap.
"I mean-"
"You lied to me, you don't have a fucking clue of they can help me fix things do you?"
"No I mean-" Before Wade could even finish his sentence Logan had let out his metal claws, digging them into Wade's leg.
You jumped back, a look of fear on your face, not worried that'd they attack you but that you'd get caught in the cross fire.
"Kid, get out of the car, now" Logan said, not even looking at you, his eyes stilled fixed on Wade. You knew you didn't have to listen twice, you quickly unlocked the door and jogged over to the thickest tree, hopping to use it as protection as the two men fought.
You thought the worst of it was over, you'd heard them yell a bit and assumed it was over once it went quiet but before you could walk back up to the car you saw Logan get thrown out of the car, that right there was your sign this would be an even longer day then it already was.
You watched for a bit before ultimately sitting down against a nearby tree and deciding you might as well take that nap now. You covered your ears and slowly drifted off to sleep.
You began to stir awake when you felt some arms around you and you heard the car turning on, but you assumed it was just one of them men thinking it was best to keep going on with the journey, so you put aside that thought and went back to sleep.
Until you suddenly were jolted awake by the sudden voice and quick movement of Wade, yelling what you assume was Thor.
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moirindeclermont · 2 days ago
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Bridgerton folks, thank you for the warm reception of my new story.
This is "5 times Colin was Pen's first + 1 she was his", second episode. Here you'll find the first episode.
Today episode may also be titled "Pen meets Mr. Fingerton" 🔥🥵
***
Pen thought she might have dreamed the whole night.
No way Colin declared he wanted her and proceed to give her the best first kiss ever, and while she had not experienced it before, she knew the stories... Usually a first kiss was not all of that magical. Maybe it was because it was her and it was Colin. Everything they did seem kinda magical to her.
She was, again, at the door of his apartment and she was almost waiting for the moment he would start to treat her as a friend.
Instead, what happened, was that Colin opened the door, gave her his brightest smile and then a light kiss on her lips. So, maybe it was real.
"Sorry, I should have asked, I didn't know if you wanted-" he was adorable when he rumbled, Pen observed.
"Don't worry Colin. It's just, unexpected. I love welcoming you like this. Every day for the rest of my days".
She didn't have to worry about waiting for such declarations. Yesterday they talked at length about the future and them as a couple.
They both confessed they were yearning for this for quite some time, and they both laugh at their idiocy. But they were on the same page now. And they both know this was not a phase or temporary. They both were fully invested since the beginning.
That was the reason for seeing each other tonight. Well, that... And other reasons, at least Pen was hoping there were also other reasons.
She waited to damn long and she was ready. Possibly in that moment.
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They ate and talk, laying out plans for their announcement as a couple (next Sunday on the bridgerton brunch). Pen was to ask her boss if she could do all remote (so she could come with Colin on his travels, as by his ask) and Colin was looking for a permanent place in London, so they could have a home base to stay when they were in the city (and eventually, when they were going to have kids).
Then, they looked at each other and it was like a magnet was at work.
They find themselves on the sofa, Pen on Colin's lap, kissing and touching every part they could reach.
Colin nibbled on her neck, before asking in a very deep voice "can I try something, Pen?"
She nodded. She wanted to try everything with him.
Colin flipped their position, then threw a pillow on the floor and knelt in front of her. She had a camisole and her lacy bra was barely visible. He took his time to unbutton her slowly, and Pen gulped when he was done. "Beautiful," he whispered.
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Colin cupped her through the bra, teasing her. "May I?" He asked again and she responded by unclasping her bra herself. "Wow, Pen" Colin exhaled as his fingers were tracing her areola lightly. Her nipple was fastly caught it n between his fingers, making her moan. Colin looked at her with a wicked and deeply erotic smile, as he lowered his head to touch the sensitive skin with his tongue. "Ohh," his were the only fingers outside of her own that played with her breasts, and it felt marvelous.
Colin seemed obsessed by her neck and her cleavage. Pen was on fire, but she needed more. When his hand found hers, she rather directly pointed him towards where she was aching to be touched.
He looked at her. "Sure?"
"Never been more sure in my life," and Colin kissed her again, before finding her thigh and sliding his hand. He found her bare, much to his surprise.
"Miss Featherington!"
She was a bit embarrassed. "I had them on before. But then I thought why not and asked to use the bath."
His eyes were dark with desire. "Oh I do understand. You're an eager little thing, aren't you?"
Speechless. This was a new side of Colin she could not wait to explore. She just nodded as he skimmed over her auburn curls, "yup, eager and wet," he said as he went to touch her folds, using her wetness to lube his fingers.
He touched her lightly at first, watching her reactions, sometimes teasing her nipple s again, sometimes giving her little kisses.
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"I can't believe I get to see you like this, Pen" and she wanted to respond but Colin choose that moment to slowly enter her with just the tip of his middle finger. "I can't believe I get to touch you like this," as his finger slide in deeper. Her mouth opened, the sensation so different from the one she was used too when she touched herself. A loud moan escaped her lips and he started a slow rhythm that made her tingle all over.
"Yes, like that love," he told her as he begin to touch with his thumb her clït, adding another level of pleasure. After some time he asked "another?" And she nodded her consent, feeling how herself was responding to his second finger inside her.
"I want to make you come on my fingers, is that okay Pen?"
Dear God in heaven. She might as well be in paradise. "Yes, Colin. Please!" She told him and then her brain went out of service as Colin kissed her.
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It was clear he knew what he was doing, as he moved his fingers inside her with a motion that was working very fast for her. That and the light touch on her nub left her breathless, as Colin watched her again. That was the hottest thing. His look on her, as she was breaking into pieces under his touch. Pen used his arms to steady herself as Colin increased his rhythm until suddenly she was on the precipe and Colin remained steady in his movements.
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She moaned a loud "Colin" a moment after, coming on his fingers. She moaned when she saw him sucking on his fingers like a it was his favorite dessert. "Next time," he said to her and she trembled.
Colin sat next to her, holding her steady. "That was... Incredible!" He looked smug, and Pen was looking at his very visible erection. "Do you want to?"
He looked at her. "I want to. But I also want to wait. Just a bit longer. It's weird to explain." But she understood.
"it's not. These are our firsts. We might have some in the future, but after so long waiting for each other, pacing these experiences makes them more meaningful."
He looked at her. "You nailed it."
She grinned. "Nope, you did."
Colin laughed loudly. "Not yet, love. Not yet." As he settled her on his side, kissing the top of her head sweetly.
She always imagined cuddle was as good as people told her, but somehow, it was even better than her imagination. These days everything was.
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yiiiiiiiikes25 · 1 hour ago
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been cogitating on this for a minute. i'm irked by my own bottomless appetite for validation, but am deeply, deeply turned off by--like, experience visceral disgust and anxiety about--the notion that any praise i get could be pro forma or unearned. the idea that a reader owes an author anything at all makes me fucking itch. on the other hand--
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i don't think this is a universal truth and i don't know how @gallusrostromegalus (sorry you're out here catching strays) intended this term, but "social recognition euphoria" is a useful one, imo. here's how i think of it--
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that's social recognition euphoria, or it's how i use the term: something about who i am and something about who you are led us to this strip of sidewalk, where we recognized each other. what a fucking joy, or per @kamaela, magic. hats here could be same appetites, same characterizations, same aesthetics, same perversions, same...whatever you've got. i jumped fandoms because i same-hatted so hard with @garagepaperback on the basis of her lateral mind for language and the ambition in her writing.
it's sour, to me, that we call stats 'engagement,' especially kudos. @eleadore's callout re: conflation of attention and community is completely on the money, but i want to go a step further--let's picture kudos as a little public 'cool hat' tally. 'cool hat,' though, isn't necessarily 'same hat.' 'cool hat' is transactional, quantitative instead of qualitative, flattening--and perfectly nice, as long as you don't then wander the neighborhood checking out everybody else's tally. i think a lot of us do, myself included, and that is a bummer. (i'm personally curious whether kudos have a homogenizing effect on the kind of stuff we all make as we respond to the natural impulse to craft popular hats.)
so, the attention/community divide: inasmuch as i have a point here (do i?), what i think a lot of us are hungry for is a fuckin' hat discussion. the degree to which community nourishes us, the factor that makes it durable and personal and meaningful, hinges on the depth and specificity of recognition communicated in the "same hat" moment we're offered. it is fundamentally qualitative, not quantitative. it nourishes in a way a kudos count can't and shouldn't. it's why, for instance, a cheerleader-librarian like @kamaela or @sitp-recs ends up being glue for community, absolutely vital connective tissue.
to be clear, we aren't owed this nourishment--nobody asked us for these fucking hats, dude--but we are for sure going for a lot of walks in interesting headgear, or to ape @garagepaperback's metaphor, leaving a lot of signed hat piles lying around in a public hat archive. if the social recognition euphoria didn't mean anything to us i'd bet we'd largely keep our hats in our houses. if we're counting the social recognition euphoria we've lost our way a little bit, because it's not a countable thing.
i think what many of us aren't saying is that we hope, in a secret and shameful way, that our stats will function as tangible social proof: we wear the hat everyone likes best, and we made it ourselves. our hat is exceptional. we are exceptional. this is a bummer of a hope; regardless, we lay our hat carefully in the public hat archive; we check, privately and obsessively, as we let go of the idea that our hat will be the one hat to rule them all, whether our hat is even as good as everyone else's. what an exceptionally lonely thing. i'd like to do less of it.
not for nothing, in the course of developing co-writing and editing relationships, my crew's come up with a phrase for the deepest form of same-hatting: 'wet brain,' as in pressing our wet brains together, as though these same-hat boys took off their hats and then their hair and scalps and skulls and sat together to create. i would imagine that there are huge appetites for structures and practices in fandom that make that kind of intimacy, that heroin-shot of social recognition euphoria, easier for newcomers to find.
re - your last post, as a writer i find that to be an absurd take. people who write exclusively for validation probably shouldn't. if discovering your work is enjoyed and loved - just privately - is a dealbreaker for you, i think there are probably bigger issues that need to be worked through. the idea that we write fic for free and yet this discussion about "payment" through kudos/comments persists is so backwards and obnoxious.
sorry to tag you on this, obv you have nothing to do with op, but i just wanted to say - as a writer recs are a HUGE deal. to know that you liked something enough to share it with others is the biggest compliment for me personally. thanks for doing what you do.
I’m happy you reached out because this is a really interesting perspective. I definitely see increased messaging around comments = payment that pressures readers into thinking they are required to leave comments, and I agree that there are many layers in this convo that point out to a not-so-healthy relationship with fandom.
I find it hard to join this discussion not being an author myself, because I only have the privileged perspective. Ofc I understand how important feedback can be to boost newcomers and those who don’t feel part of the community. We all deal with insecurity in different ways and it’s hard to navigate a big fandom when you don’t have a group of friends to rely on. In the end the fandom experience is about a sense of belonging and it saddens me to realize that I might be part of the problem since my recs only reach Tumblr and my ao3 comments are far and few in between.
It’s funny because my blog has always targeted other readers: at the beginning I didn’t even tag authors and did not expect them to find or engage with my posts. Over the years the recs became more and more personal, until I realized I was writing them for myself. Sure, they are love letters to the fic and might help more people find them, but at the end of the day this is my little therapy corner where I can let go and babble around to my heart’s content 🙏🏼 I’ve always been proud of this blog and seeing that post gave me mixed feelings about it for the first time, so thank you for your message!
Again, I think this discussion has many layers and I’m a bit wary to get involved being a humble reader, but I’d be curious to see how others feel about it…
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creative1writings · 3 days ago
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Chapter 2: In the Light of a New Day
Summary: You start to warm up to Gojo and he takes you shopping, Megumi joining, making the day one of bonding.
Color: Gojo, fem!reader, Megumi.
Warnings: none really, maybe illusion to death.
A/n: sorry this chapter is short and a little rushed. I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter I
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You finally built up the courage to ask Gojo if you could decorate your room, not having spoken to him much, he took this as a big step in the right direction.
'Of course we can, I was the one to offer it like awhile ago.'
Gojo joked gently. He beams at you when you give him a sheepish smile.
'Yeah, I know but with everything.. it was hard, I guess'
Gojo felt the hope grow, you were opening up, even though small he didn't let that stop him from feeling like things were going to be different and for once not in a bad way.
'Well what would you like to get first?'
Gojo asked, eyes scanning your face as you scrunch it up slightly, in thought, he couldn't help but see a glimpse of his lost friend etched in there, heart growing warm.
'Maybe some new bed sheets and more pillows.. some stuffed animals'
The last part of that sentence was uttered out in a soft tone, embarrassed about wanting stuffed animals at your age, face going a soft shade of pink when Gojo chuckled, asking you to repeat that last part as he didn't catch it.
'.. stuffed animals'
You said louder, face deepening in color, gaze finding residence on the carpet below your feet, Gojo only smiled softly at you before responding.
'Of course, I know the perfect store for all things cozy.'
Gojo chuckled lightly, not to poke fun (for once), but in hopes to lighten the mood, to make you feel more comfortable. You nod gently, smiling, one that didn't reveal any teeth but one that showed how soft you really were. Megumi's face appeared from around the corner.
'Can I come?'
He asked coming into view placing him self next to you, shoulders knocking into each other gently, a small smile appearing on your face as you look up at him gently. Gojo watching the interaction couldn't help but smile only nodding in response to Megumi.
Once at the store Gojo led all of you to the area he thought you would like, his long legs naturally pulling him forward ahead of you two, as you and Megumi chatter about a movie that you guys should watch when you get back home. Gojo putting his input here and there, the conversation carries over to what you wanted to do to your room, giving them a list of things you had in mind, both men listening intently, soft smiles adorning both their faces as you ramble on about your vision for the room, happy to see you not so sad anymore, making their hearts feel full.
At the end of the trip, the cart was so full they almost had to get a second one. Both men had put things in the cart after they had an idea of what direction your room was going in, hoping their input would make you smile. Once everything was packed away into the car Gojo took you all to a restaurant you favored, as you sat and ate, jokes were exchanged across the table, light hearted conversation and random words were also a part of those exchanges, you and megumi deep in conspiracy now on the what the latest movie you two watched was really about. Gojo listening in gently watching the interaction, he was filled to the brim with hope, that everything for the first time in a long time was going to be okay.
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mimisempai · 2 days ago
Text
Another way to say I love you
Summary
Aziraphale is happy to return to the cottage after a long day out, and is surprised to find his demon baking cookies...
Notes
For #Azirafeast
On Ao3
Rating G -  742 words
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When Aziraphale entered the cottage, the first thing he noticed was the inviting, tantalizing smell of something baking in the oven. 
"Crowley?"
"In the kitchen, Angel!"
Aziraphale set down his belongings, taking the time to remove his coat and hang it with his hat before heading for the kitchen.
Hearing him enter, Crowley turned to him and said with a broad smile, "I didn't expect you back so soon."
Aziraphale had made a little trip to London to pick up a few more things from the bookshop that he hadn't been able to take with him when they had moved into the cottage.
"Well, they were all afraid of me driving at night, so they made me leave early."
"I must thank them for worrying about your safety."
Crowley pressed a light kiss to the angel's lips and said softly, "Welcome home."
Aziraphale returned the kiss and as they pulled away, he said, "I'm glad I came home early too, though I wasn't expecting this smell or this." The angel pointed to a plate of cookies on the counter and added, "I see you've been busy."
He stepped forward and, reaching for the plate, asked, "May I?"
"Well, they're basically for you, Angel, so yes. Go ahead then. But don't hit the pastry chef if it's not good."
Aziraphale didn't answer and bit into a cookie. Almost immediately, he couldn't hold back a moan of pleasure and exclaimed, mouth still full, "Oh my... Crowley. That is one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten."
Crowley blushed slightly, flattered by the praise, and handed him a second cookie. Aziraphale enjoyed it the same way.
Watching him eat several cookies in a row, the demon smiled fondly.
Aziraphale noticed and, a little embarrassed, said, "Sorry, they are so good."
Crowley shook his head.
"Don't be, it's always nice to see you enjoying things. And I'm flattered, since I made them. However..."
He came closer and continued, "You have some crumbs. Let me get them off your face." 
The demon ran his thumb over the edge of Aziraphale's mouth, wiped off a few crumbs, and brought his thumb to his mouth, licking the crumbs.
"Hm, you're right. It doesn't taste too bad, Angel. But..."
Crowley leaned forward and continued, "I need a better way to taste." 
He moved closer and gently pressed his lips to the spot where he'd removed the crumbs, then pulled back a little, humming appreciatively. 
"Truly delicious."
He moved closer again, this time running his tongue over Aziraphale's lower lip before capturing the angel's lips for a deeper kiss. Aziraphale responded by wrapping his hands around his lover's waist and the kiss lasted for a few moments until they had no choice but to part when the oven bell rang.
Crowley stepped aside and apologized sheepishly, "Sorry, duty calls."
Aziraphale chuckled and watched as the demon took another baking sheet out of the oven, inhaling the scent of this new batch with delight.
"I need to get the next batch ready," Crowley said, turning to the bowl of dough.
Aziraphale approached and wrapped his arms around the demon's waist from behind, pressing his cheek against his back.
Crowley hummed with contentment and leaned back into the embrace, continuing to prepare the dough. After a moment, he said softly, "Baking is love made edible."
Aziraphale looked puzzled, "Hm?"
Crowley smiled fondly, "It's a saying, and it's absolutely sappy, I know, but let me be a little sentimental and then you can forget it. What I mean is, maybe these cookies are my way of telling you that I love you."
Crowley felt Aziraphale gasp against him and turned his head to him.
"Does that still surprise you?"
Aziraphale tightened his arms around him and replied, "Of course it still surprises me, because I don't take your love for granted, but rather as something to be nurtured, in the little things. Like the fact that you're making these cookies. Oh, and yes it's just as sappy as you were. So when this disgustingly sentimental discussion is over, let's open a nice bottle of wine and forget about it. And also, I love you too. This, on the other hand, forbids forgetting."
They both laughed, then Crowley continued to prepare the dough, Aziraphale's arms still around him.
Much later, with the cookies half gone and the wine bottle completely empty, they may have forgotten some things, but not the most important.
Their love.
_________
Still not beta'd
Still not my native language
Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰
Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝
South Downs cottage series : here
Ineffable fan fictions Masterpost : here
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amazingdeadfish · 2 months ago
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Girlie you drew.Peng...
Totally nor going crazy abt this...
...
*Screams into the void*
So like, I'm like 43% sure that this little note was sent into my inbox maybe like... not too long after I posted the most recent Good Omens Shadowpuppet post. And I kid you not when I say that when I drew Peng for that, something possessed me. Because I nailed the general jist of their design pretty much first try (same for Yellow Tusk, like, I don't know what happened but somehow it miraculously worked out).
And then when I tried to draw them again in response to this little ask, I just... couldn't.
So here is Peng. In their... well... something happened to them, but I'm not sure what.
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nightwonder7 · 6 months ago
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Does Wayne find anything suspicious about Maxwell lately?
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Maybe a little.
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deoidesign · 3 months ago
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Hello! I just discovered your blog and I immediately became captivated by your webcomic, but I'm unsure where to read all of it. I know it's on Webtoons, but I can see it hasn't been updated for a while, and you still post about it.
Are your physical novels just prints of the webcomic? Are they a continuation? Is the story complete? Thanks in advance!
Hi there!
Glad you found me and are enjoying my comic!
It's only on webtoons, and the story is not complete yet! We're 2/3 of the way through right now. It's currently on hiatus, and it's scheduled to come back in about 2 months!
I'll explain why it's been so long if you're curious, but also for my followers who might also be wondering about it under the cut. Sorry, it's pretty much just me complaining haha
I took a month off I took 2 months to get the books printed I took a month to prepare my next comic and I took 2 months to write the rest of the series (I knew the character arcs I wanted, but not the time periods or mysteries!!!) I've been working on actual episodes since then
I had to take some time off because of some pretty extreme burnout due to the sheer amount of work it was to draw over 800 pages and write 6 complete stories in a year and a half... I was getting sick almost weekly due to the overwork, it was really really bad honestly. I was having to work 60+ hours every week just to keep up...
The nature of the comic itself is also difficult... Each of the arcs is a complete, self contained story which can be read (ideally) without context, and my arcs need to be about 10-13 episodes each... And since I have an exact number of episodes to work with, it's even harder.
It takes a ton of planning and a ton of refinement, and working week to week with no breaks I was forced to put out second or even first drafts, so I just wasn't happy with the work I was doing... And to do that for the rest of the series? I wouldn't be proud of the work I did.
Plus... To be entirely honest, webtoon has treated me quite badly IN MY OPINION... They deprioritized me before I launched (I had to beg for more promotion, I'm not exaggerating), they outright denied me the opportunity to even ask for a raise, I don't make any money on fast pass and they pay me less than my partner makes working at trader joes. My first editor left me completely hanging, my second editor (who I loved) was fired... And they told me I wouldn't get a third season before my first season even finished. So it was just repeatedly completely demoralizing.
I'm sorry it has taken so long, it'll have been 10 months by the time I come back. But I realized... I won't get promotion either way. I won't get more episodes either way. I won't get more money either way. So to finish everything, to make it feel good, to make it something I'm proud of, I chose to take longer to make it better.
I am fully aware I will lose a significant amount of my readership for this and it might genuinely affect my career moving forward. But it's what I had to do! So I'm sticking to my guns on it, and I'm confident long term it'll be worth it. It never could have been this good if I didn't take this much time.
#asks#steakandpeanutbuttersandwiches#I'm SO sorry youre new and you asked me such a benign question and I responded with... this... LMAO#I swear to god I tried to make it as short as possible#theres just a lot auauuaghkhgjk#basically. way too much work. not enough money.#so it either is gonna be good and take longer or be worse but come back faster#and I chose to take longer#so.#I'm really sorry and I wish that this decision didn't also come with the... pretty much guarantee that it will negatively impact my career.#I will lose readers. I will lose potential readers for my future work. it looks bad on me as a creator to take such a big break. etc. etc.#but it's good. it's so good. you have to trust me it's like the best stuff Ive ever written#it. ok well to be honest#it'll probably feel extremely simple and extremely natural#but it's been SO much work LMAO#I am not exaggerating I have written over 200 pages of scapped ideas to get to where it is#I'm sure it won't make sense why it took so long while reading but you gotta trust me LMAO#ideally it doesnt even 'feel' different right. cause its gotta be cohesive with the whole thing#but there is SO MUCH TO WRAP UP#THERES SO MUCH#and to make that feel natural in this little space oh my GOD it is so hard#ok omfg I'm doing it again I'm going on way too long again IM SO SORRY#YOURE NEW HERE AND IM DOING THIS IMMEDIATELy#this is like 90% for my followers who I know are curious about this and I'm just using you as a jumping off point to talk about it#cause I don't really like to make standalone posts very often#I likely will make some kind of official announcement about it when the date is extremely set in stone#right now I think it's still only tentatively scheduled so it could still change#and I'll say something more... refined and restrained... then.#but for now this is like. actually everything. I think#I'm sure I forgot something but whatever lmfao
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millennium-queen · 1 year ago
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No because I was so surprised at the amount of people who think Peeta would have pressured Katniss into having kids. Like did they not understand his character at all?? If anything the MOST he would have done is ask her over the years of she felt she was ready, and then backed off when she said no. It's more likely that Katniss could tell that he pined for children by watching him interact with the kids in the district, and others (possibly Haymitch) brought the topic up with her. But Peeta forcing her or guiltily her into it? Never!
HONESTLY!! HONESTLY!!
My personal headcannon is maybe a little controversial lmaoo but I actually think that Peeta wouldn’t be in a rush to have a baby post MJ anyway?
Just like how Katniss has her reservations about having kids because of the trauma that the games inflicted on every aspect of her life, (along with a very disjointed relationship with her own mother) Peeta has his own host of things to work through before I think he’d be ready enough to admit he wants to start a family.
Once he does tho I think he’d only bring it up the once, see she wasn’t on the same page, and then he’d leave it because hey!! he never even dreamed they’d get to where they are now!! Safe!! And in love!! He doesn’t need kids to be happy he just needs her!!
So in my head it’s Katniss who starts the first real conversation about having kids once she sees just how sweet and kind he is to the little ones coming into the bakery with their parents and even then I think he’d probably drive her insane just double and triple checking that she actually wants this?? And it’s real?? They can try for a baby??
This whole idea that he would pressure her is just Peeta slander!! plain and simple!! lmaoo
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destinysbounty · 7 months ago
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Yo what if you went off about s3, it'd be cool
The love triangle, the quick tech development, whatever you want, I wanna know what you think
(I saw you in the tags of that post, please gimme the analysies. pretty please)
The entirety of my thoughts on Ninjago's technology are long and vast and complicated, and I could probably make a full video essay on just that topic alone. But for the sake of simplicity, and also because I'm too lazy to write a 10k-word essay with screenshot evidence on why Ninjago tech isn't actually anachronistic, I'm going to just focus on the season 3 issue for now.
Now, one criticism that often gets lobbed at Rebooted is the matter of the technology. How did Ninjago suddenly become a hyper-futuristic technoscape in the span of what couldn't be more than a year? At first glance, I can understand how that might feel unrealistic. I used to feel the same way! But it actually makes total sense when you realize that this technology probably already existed, if only in a beta form, for years before s3 started.
But wait! If the technology already existed in some form, then why wasn't it used? Why did Ninjago only become a cyberpunk dystopia during s3??
The answer to that question is something that sounds like a no-brainer, but should probably be said anyway: just because a technology exists, doesn't mean it is democratized. That is to say, just because a society has made certain technological advancements, doesn't mean everyone in that society can actually access those advancements. Look at any country in our contemporary world - richer and more industrialized communities typically have better access to cutting edge developments, whereas more rural communities may not even have reliable internet access. Even Ignacia, which is one of the most rural communities we've seen in the entire show, was depicted as having landlines and telephone poles in the very first scene.
Moreover, it's reasonable to assume that robotics and digital technology has existed - and fairly advanced - for decades in-universe.
My evidence? The creation of characters such as Zane and Unagami. Both were invented roughly 40 and 20 years pre-canon respectively. Coding, and especially programming an AI like both characters are classified as, requires the existence of a computer. Which means that computers existed as early as the Serpentine War. (Unless Zane is the product of magi-tech, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Especially since Zane's original body also has other functions that, to my knowledge, wouldn't be possible without programming. For now, I'm proceeding under the assumption that Zane was created purely with technology.)
For these reasons I would argue that certain technologies, and in particular digital technology, have existed in-universe for a lot longer than we might think at first glance - but due to what appears to be some very extreme wealth disparity, technology has only recently become more widely accessible within the last few decades.
Think about it. Most human settlements we see are fairly small and rural, except for Ninjago City. Ninjago City is the only city we've seen on-screen in the entire series (with a few small towns here and there, but it's mostly just villages). And even then, the cost of living in Ninjago City itself is astronomically high. There's clearly something funky going on with this country's distribution of wealth.
With that in mind, it makes total sense that the tech we see in s3 was at least in development a lot earlier than anyone might realize. It's just that it was too expensive and exclusive for anyone in the general public to actually use it.
Now, let's look at this in the context of Rebooted.
Imagine you're a multi-millionaire tech mogul and the CEO of a very powerful tech company. The city is in shambles in the wake of an apocalyptic battle against Lego Satan. You take this opportunity to spearhead the reconstruction efforts. On top of being an impressive PR stunt, this is also great for business as it presents you with the perfect opportunity to populate the city wholesale with your own products: flying cars, holographic floating streets, AI vending machines, elaborate VR and AR setups, mechanical spider wheelchairs, the whole nine yards. The government probably even writes you a big check to make this process more accessible to your consumers - I mean, to the citizens of your the shiny new corporatocracy you may or may not have stumbled into creating. Whether or not you employed lobbyism to get this check is neither here nor there. After all, this is for the greater good! And to finally seal the deal that this city has become a Borg Industries outpost, you rebrand Ninjago City to New Ninjago City. This isn't just a city anymore, it's a corporate asset. It's an ad campaign. It's a way of life.
This also explains why all the tech mysteriously vanishes after s3 ends: supply and demand. A robot apocalypse is, among other things, bad for PR. I don't wanna think about the existence of a Lego Stock Market because that will hurt my brain, but a robot apocalypse is definitely what I would classify as a "black swan event" (an unpredictable crisis that severely disrupts the stock market). The company starts faltering financially because of all the public backlash, people stop buying and investing in their tech, their stocks start to crash, and Borg Industries has to roll back on their infrastructural monopoly. And so the technological status quo is (mostly) restored.
The theme of s3 isn't "technology bad" - at least, it shouldn't be. If you're as brainrotted as I am then the theme of s3 instead becomes, "maybe you shouldn't let one sole company have a total monopoly on your society's infrastructure because they might accidentally start a cyberpunk dystopia". And that is a...disturbingly apt moral for our current day and age (cough cough Amazon).
...can you tell I've been listening to The Fine Print by Stupendium on loop for too long?
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