#the most B- dad of the year who is trying SO HARD to get a B+

[neoslice]

𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐄, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘'𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆.

a.) featuring. gojo satoru, nanami kento & geto suguru

b.) warnings. none, just daddy jjk men (literally fathers).

note. oh em gee, it's honestly been such a long time since i've written on tumblr (kinda nervous). been in a slump lately, i self-published my first book a couple of weeks ago (yay), wanna check it out? my ig's always available @/jomathilda (self-promo sesh). anyways, i hope you guys enjoy this one >__<

𝐆𝐎𝐉𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔

in all honesty, gojo satoru has never dreamt of forming a little family of his own, given the fact that he's the strongest sorcerer. pshh, who's got time for families and serious relationships?

and then you came. every resolve of him came crashing down. gojo would say that it's 'love at first sight', but you never really did fall in love with him until two years later — when he decided to swoon you with his very ugly singing skills, but that was the reason why you fell anyways (and you fell hard) — which led to marriage.

that wasn't all it to his relationship. one thing led to another; it started out as a small talk with you about babies, and then things led for the better. and then, bam. you guys were blessed with a little baby boy named kikoru, initially gojo had told you all about being the best girl dad ever, but when the gender of your baby was revealed, gojo was the most elevated one in the room. honestly, he didn't even care, he just wanted a baby.

and best believe that he's the best boy dad ever.

gojo had decided that his son will love dinosaurs, hence the dinosaur themed nursery, food platter, fork, toys, onesies. and hell, the baby isn't even born yet.

when kikoru was born, gojo cried a lot. three days, maybe. specifically, 72 hours, 30 minutes, and 48 seconds. you counted. he couldn't stop staring at your little one — gojo even set up a small baby cam by the crib (which is in the same room as his, he said in case he needed a boost during his missions).

during day offs, which were pretty much rare to none. gojo spends his days at home, as much as he could.

"look at those strong little legs of yours," gojo coos out softly to kikoru, who kicked his little legs in reply, beaming out a toothless smile and soft giggles, "think you can do a few steps for daddy? just a couple before daddy goes out for his mission."

as if he understood, kikoru planted his little feet on top of the rugged floor, and slowly gojo steadied his body; while keeping his hands by kikoru's sides in case he took a fall. as happy as he is, gojo (tried to) stay calm, gushing out internally as he scoots back to make room, "yes, yes, just like that, one two step, baby."

with wobbly legs, kikoru took two small steps before stumbling into gojo's arms. and gojo bursted out laughing happily, his contagious laughter sending kikoru into fits of giggles, "you walked, you walked to daddy!" he yells out happily, throwing kikoru in the air before catching his small body back.

kikoru squeals out happily, kicking his legs.

"babe, he just walked, he just walked two steps!"

and best believe me that he told ever single one of his students about the two steps kikoru did. very proud boy dad.

𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐈 𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐎

retiring from the jujutsu world was one of the best choice he has ever made besides marrying you. it's always a dream of his to form a little family far away from danger, and so he did.

"good morning, daddy," you raise your little daughter up as she yawns softly.

your nine month old daughter, akari giggled her heart out at the sight of nanami; her little arms all stretched out towards him. both nanami and you have been trying to get her to take a few steps with baby walkers, at least to stimulate her legs at first.

but akari had shown signs of her beginning steps a couple of times in the past week — so, you've always tried to help her walk when there's a chance to. now, perhaps is the right time.

you gently lowered her to the ground, steadying her on her feet, "okay, baby go on. daddy's just there," you whisper to her ear, letting her take the first step forward; although her body wobbled to the side, you were ready to catch her. flinching slightly with every step she took.

nanami slowly lowered himself to her height, slowly and quietly to avoid surprising his baby girl. with his arms outstretched to her, he sat on the floor, crossing his legs, "just a little more, sweetheart," he encouraged her.

the encouragement made akari grin happily, her arms continuously aiming for him as she took another wobbly step. a proud smile appeared on nanami's face as she stumbled towards him in a rush during the last couple of steps, eventually falling into his lap, thankfully.

he caught her little body, carrying her up to his chest. like a proud father, he smothered her in sloppy kisses all over her little face, muttering out soft praises, "good job, baby. daddy's very proud of you," he whispers, brushing her thin layer of hair back.

all you could do was smile. akari's always been such a daddy's girl anyways (not that you're complaining, they were unseparable).

𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐔

once in a blue moon, geto wished that things could have gone differently. and when the said blue moon came lingering over his mind, he just had to form a little family of his own — it was fleeting, but his love for you was real, and it stayed real until now.

no, he never expected it. and yes, he is also surprised with the turn of events. you were an anchor to him, and he's very thankful with the appearance of you and your little baby girl, asuka.

geto tries his best to be a present father for asuka — which went shit the first few months she was born, geto was barely present. spiraling into negative thoughts on how his baby girl was going to grow up in such a bad environment, especially the things that haven't dawned upon him. he was terribly worried. and so he decided to detach himself from both you and asuka.

he slips inside her nursery every night, taking a look at how his own flesh and blood grew. every day for eight months, she grew without him present most of the time and guilt gnawed inside out. he didn't have the face to show up in front of you, not after the couple of months he decided to disappear off into nothingness.

so, when asuka was awake late at night during one of his drop ins. he was a bit surprised, her doe eyes staring right into his despite the darkness of the room. her lips formed into a big smile at the sight of him, balled fists flailing around.

"you've grown so much," he whispers, taking her into his arms.

geto convinced himself that he shouldn't, he'd only get attached and that would be the worst thing to happen. but, seeing his daughter, he crumbled, looking down into her eyes as she flailed her small little arms around him, gurgling incoherently.

he sat on the floor of the nursery, holding onto the sights of her body. his lips pursed into a thin line as he watches her suckle on her little fists, "no, baby. that's dirty," geto reprimanded her, gently pulling away her hand from her mouth, but asuka whined and he lets out a small chuckle, "alright. just a couple more seconds."

he lets her down gently on the floor and walked to a nearby toy box, rummaging through it to find something for asuka to chew on. it was a yellow colored toy ring that he decided to choose for her, and the moment he turned around, asuka was both on her feet, arms stretched out to him, her little feet wobbling — but her strong resolve to get to him beats her continuous wobbling.

asuka's little gurgles continued as she stumbled to him a couple of times before tumbling onto her face. the toy now long forgotten by him, geto rushed to her, cradling her close to him, "you just walked, you just walked, baby," he repeatedly said to her, his fingertips brushing over her little nose.

asuka's bottom lip juts out as the pain from the fall finally kicks in and a loud sob emits from her throat. geto panics, bouncing her in his arms, "no, no. i'm sorry, baby, i didn't mean to let you fall... daddy's so sorry, pretty girl," he shushed her.

your motherly instincts kicked in the moment her sob reached your ear, even in your sleep, you stumbled up running to the nursery, ready to pound on whatever the hell kept your daughter awake.

"you let go of my daug — suguru?!"

geto looks up, his brows drooping low in worry, "it's me. i didn't mean to — she walked and fell, how do i make her stop crying?" he babbles out almost too quickly for you to comprehend.

"she what?" you mumble out, snatching her from his arms; and asuka calmed down almost immediately.

a lot of explaining happened that night (and apologies). oh, and a lot of baby cam footage replays too... since you missed everything, and were really upset about it.

© neoslice 2025. do not copy, modify, or post anywhere else!

[fatherstarkey]

RAFE CAMERON - character analysis: notes - this is all based on my personal opinions and analysis of his charcter. i tried to go into as much depth as possible. w/c - 1546

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although rafe was initially portrayed as the villain, the ‘monster’ of the series, there’s a lot more depth and complexity to his character than meets the eye. while some of his actions are difficult to justify, though a closer analysis of his behavior provides insight into why he acts the way he does.

rafe comes across as impulsive and erratic, a character who won’t take no for an answer. he has been violent and volatile towards the pogues, often driven by his belief that kooks are inherently superior, due to their wealth, status, and privileges. however, this viewpoint only scratches the surface of his motivations.

a key factor behind his aggression toward the pogues could be jealousy. though it may not seem obvious at first, rafe is an insecure man grappling with his own turbulent emotions. the pogues share a deep sense of loyalty and community, always having each other’s backs, something rafe has never truly experienced. he’s never known what it’s like to feel secure in a connection where someone is there for you no matter what. which leads us to another crucial point: rafe’s desperate need for his father’s approval.

since season 1, he’s been willing to go to any lengths, whether through violence or even murder, to gain that approval. his actions, often extreme and self destructive, stem from a deep insecurity and a fear of being rejected by the one person whose validation he craves the most, his father.

no matter what rafe did, his actions were always measured against Sarah’s, with everyone reminding him that he was old enough to make his own decisions and provide for himself. even his own father dropped the threat of kicking him out, telling him he’d have to live like a pogue if he didn’t get his life together. rafe’s dad constantly mentally tormented him, playing mind games that forced him to grow up too fast and take on the role of the ‘man of the house.’ he wasn’t seen as rafe cameron, his son, but as a failure, a problem that needed to be fixed. he was compared to everyone else and no matter how hard he tried, it always felt like he couldn’t measure up. so, when rafe focused on something, it was usually in an attempt to earn approval. and he wouldn’t stop until he got it. when rafe killed the sheriff, he believed he was protecting ward, convinced that his father was in danger of being shot or sent to prison. for years, rafe had seen ward as a good man, someone without a cruel bone in his body. he thought that if he saved him, it would finally earn him his father's approval. but instead, he got the opposite. ward’s words, telling him he ‘you fucked us, all of us’, left rafe broken. his emotions, raw and vulnerable, played out on his face. especially when his jaw was grabbed by his own father. he was confused, hurt and shaken when the truth sank in. once again, it seemed like no matter how much he fought for his father’s love, he was still unworthy of it.

it’s important to remember that john b had been working on the druthers for a while, the cameron’s yacht, during that time, rafe was coexisting with the pogues, yet still holding a certain level of tolerance towards them. it wasn’t until ward fired john b and made degrading comments about the pogues that rafe’s attitude shifted. his father’s words were the final push, driving rafe to make their lives a living hell. everything he did was rooted in trying to live up to his father’s expectations. we also know that ward saw the pogues as beneath the kooks, hence the threat he made to rafe, telling him to ‘live like a pogue’ if he didn’t shape up. rafe was desperate to do whatever it took to be like his father, to gain his approval. having always been held to impossible standards and subjected to emotional abuse, rafe turned to the one thing that made him feel confident and numbed his insecurities, coke. when things became overwhelming, whether emotionally or with nerves getting the best of him, he resorted to habits that only led him down a destructive path. the more he consumed, the more volatile he became. with every hit, his confidence soared and he began to believe he was invincible. but that sense of invincibility only pushed him further down the road to his own self destruction.

all of rafe's behavior points to one thing, daddy issues. ward, as the only parental figure left in his life, plays a major role in rafe’s character development. his constant need for approval and validation is obvious. ward has always been emotionally abusive, distant, manipulative and cruel, which only fueled rafe’s downward spiral. rafe is constantly compared to his sister, sarah, which i briefly mentioned before, who seems to get more of their father's attention and affection. this constant comparison deepens rafe’s feelings of inadequacy, pushing him to go to desperate lengths to win ward’s love, often through violence, manipulation or impulsive decisions. ward doesn't help by belittling and controlling rafe, reinforcing his belief that he's unworthy and incapable. instead of offering guidance or support, ward pits rafe against others, creating a sense of competition that only drives him further into darkness.

i think this also points to rafe being a bit of a mama’s boy before her disappearance, which remains a mystery to viewers. he seems to have been close to his mother (in theory) and after she was gone, he was left with just ward. the balance between love, emotional connection and masculinity got completely muddled by ward’s rigid and harsh approach. ward’s strictness probably made it even harder for rafe to understand what healthy affection and emotional support should look like.

in season 2, rafe finally opened up to his father, admitting that he needed help and that something was wrong. instead of offering any support, ward dismissed him, pushing him to keep it together and basically telling him to man up. he shut down rafe’s emotions, making him believe that being vulnerable or emotional was a sign of weakness. this moment was crucial because it was the first time we saw any remorse from rafe, the first glimpse of a different side to him. it showed that there was far more complexity to his character than what we’d seen up until then.

after his father’s death, we begin to notice a gradual change in rafe, but at the same time, glimpses of ward’s personality snd reinforcement’s start to surface in him. rafe becomes the new CEO, the head of the house and tries to force himself to live up to his father’s expectations, despite ward no longer being around to enforce them. he even enters into a relationship with sofia, a pogue. now, this next part is key to understanding rafe character and i want to emphasise that everything said here is purely based on opinions and theories. but here's my take: i believe rafe’s relationship with sofia is rooted in his desire to emulate his father. for rafe, a relationship seems more about fulfilling an ideal, having a partner, providing for them, and seeing them as an accessory, much like ward did with rose. he craves validation and the love he never fully received, even before his father’s passing. sofia saw a version of him that wasn’t entirely real. she didn’t know the full, unfiltered rafe and in a way, she painted a picture of him he wanted to project, but one he knew wasn’t entirely true. the relationship, was a fantasy for both of them, built on false perceptions.

this dynamic also sheds light on rafe’s feelings toward the pogues. he never really had a reason to hate them, which reinforces the idea that his disdain was largely shaped by his father, not his own personal beliefs. still, it’s clear he carries some sort of animosity toward them, but it’s driven more by his own internal struggles than by any real ideology.

the notion that his relationship with sofia was more about mimicking his father’s life is further supported when rafe denies being in a real relationship with her, despite being seen together. when he talks to his friends, he minimises her, referring to her just as a ‘pogue’ and saying he has “standards,” implying he’d never take her seriously. in private, however, he’s completely different, showing a side of him that’s vulnerable, embarrassed and insecure. sofia, it seems, is the one person who sticks by him through it all. and this may be why he holds on to her: she's the one person who hasn’t abandoned him.

they’ve been together for over a year and a half and he’s never once called her his girlfriend. this is a clear sign of his deep, rooted abandonment issues, showing that he’s terrified of fully committing or labeling the relationship because, at some level, he fears being left behind once again.

rafe craves love and support, a connection where he’s truly accepted, flaws and all. he longs for a space where he can be himself without feeling diminished or abandoned. his greatest fear is being left alone, with no one in his corner.

[barleyo]

Consequence.

Adoptive Dad! Enji Todoroki X Fem! Reader (smut)

A/N: nobody asked for this but idc :3 i wrote this as a b-day present for myself!! i luv this old abusive man so bad oh my god!!! nasty old man who tries to be good but fails so miserably :3 old man who is just MEANT to be awful and abusive and gross!! luv it!!! i wanted to do a full on incest fic w him but idk if anybody would be interested >_< just let me know!!

Tags: adoptive-incest (daddy-daughter), age gap (18-50s), p in v, purity, sexual abuse mentions, loss of virginity, allusions to physical abuse, size difference, creampie, gross nasty stuff in general

Wordcount: 1.6k

Once all of his kids had given him a final 'fuck you' and left him on his own, Enji felt the pressure of loneliness crash down on him. Being on top in the hero rankings was worthless to him when he came home to an empty house. Every second he sat alone in his house, he realized that it was simply too big for just one man. It had never been a home, only a house where a fragmented family resided. Only once his kids fled did that realization hit him. 

He needed to fill the space and quick, and more than that, he needed to start over. He wanted to redeem himself somehow. Whole new family for a whole new man. 

But dating was hard at his age, and all the decent women were taken. Only fame-chasing whores were interested in him at this point, and he couldn't blame them. What the hell else did he have to offer? No woman would want to be with a tired, emotionally constipated, divorced, middle-aged man. Nor would any want to have kids with one, especially not at his age. 

Adoption it was. Simple enough. Plenty of kids in the system. Plenty of needy little brats that could benefit from his new-found, new-wave parenting tactics that he read up on in his abundant spare time. 'Don't abuse your kids.' Who would've thought it? Crazy. 'Top ten reasons why your kids won't visit you when you're in the nursing home.' Well, shit. 

He knew he had to go older. He would be absolutely damned if he would take in a toddler, or worse, a tween. He wasn't ready to raise anyone— he needed something already broken in for the most part. 

17? Yeah, that should be fine. He could do that. Old enough to take care of itself for the most part. Another body in the house was what he needed, not another responsibility. A girl? Yeah. Girls were supposed to be easier, right? Girls are sweet and grateful, always considerate and willing to help out. Girls are gentle and tender. 

Just his luck. He got the most clingy girl the foster care system had to offer. It was, at most, a bit irritating for the first few days when you were skittish and nervous around him all the time, but he understood. The problems occurred when you started to get comfortable.

He thought he wanted an affectionate little thing, especially considering the radio silence he received from his biological children, but this was just too much. Wherever he was, you needed to be. All day, all night. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, excluding when he was on patrol. 

Enji knew that adopted kids tended to have abandonment issues, or whatever, but did you have to be such a damn velcro child? It was cute, in a way, the first year or so of your stay with him. He kinda liked it, having some positive attention finally turned his way, but at a certain point it was just too much. 

Like when you turned 18 and decided that sleeping alone was no longer an option. Of course, he gave in. He tried to argue back, but the threat of tears from you was too much for his now mended heart. He was trying to change, damn it. He couldn't possibly not give you everything you ever asked for. 

'Oh, what's that? Sleeping in daddy's bed isn't enough? He has to spoon with you until you fall asleep? Honey, do you really think—? No, no, don't cry. Okay, okay, I'll do it.'

Or when spooning wasn't enough, and you needed to be massaged before falling asleep in Enji's arms, taking up his bed like nobody's business. 

'What's wrong, baby? Daddy's already rubbing your back, what else do you want? Touch you where? Baby— okay, since you said please.'

Every night, his thick fingers ran tight circles over your clit, strong arms holding you tight while you flailed and wriggled against him. You never seemed to get used to his touch. It was just too good. He split you open with his index and middle, curling into the spot you couldn't quite reach on your own. Every night, like clockwork. 

But, of course, you, the mouse who was given a cookie, asked for more. Fingers weren't enough. You needed more from daddy. Sleep didn't come easily enough for you after his skilled touches. You whined for him after every exchange, but he just couldn't give you what you wanted.

Daddy would do almost anything for his baby, anything you asked! Hell, if it made you happy, if it helped to ease the guilt he carried from his older four screw ups, why not? If it helped to mend the hole he created in his own heart, he'd pepper you in every kiss and suck and touch you as much as you wanted him to, but—

he really didn't think he could deflower you. 

The idea was too much, way too much. Kind of hypocritical of him. Finger banging and slurping on his adoptive daughter was well and good enough, but playing a little game of 'just the tip' was a line he didn't know if he could cross. 

It was tempting, and every time he turned you down he felt like a real douchebag, but he didn't trust himself with you. You were so small. He was anything but gentle. He had broken enough of his kids in other ways, he didn't exactly want to add to the score. 

Your cunt was swollen and drooling after your near nightly ritual with Enji. Crawl up into his bed, whine, scratch at him and beg for his sweet touch. You always got what you wanted, except for one thing.

"Why not?" you whined, gripping onto his forearm as he curled his fingers into you from his spot behind you, lazily acting as your big spoon. 

"This is enough." His teeth were gritted softly, trying to hold himself back. "You cum like this just fine."

You let your mouth hang open, shuddering silently at how he seemed to speed up and abuse your g-spot. "Not enough," you were finally able to make out, legs clenching in an attempt to force him to stop. 

Enji huffed, ignoring your whiny excuse. He hated when you locked him out like this, trying to keep your cunt from him like some type of half-assed punishment. Moving your legs back open, spread even further now, he continued fingering you with the same brutal, forceful pace. 

"You're being bratty, baby. I don't appreciate when you act like that," he said simply, looking down at your convulsing body. 

"You always say that," you said, pushing his arm as you tried to squirm away from him to pout. "You don't wanna 'cause you don't love me. Don't wanna get close t'me." 

That was his final straw. He had been holding himself back for your sake, but he could not handle the hurt tone in your voice, even if he knew you were faking just to get him to bite. 

He pulled his fingers out of your hole and pushed them into your mouth, stuffing the digits down your throat. He slipped his girthy cock out of his boxers, jamming the wide tip into your needy warmth. 

"You know that is not true," Enji said, already fucking into you without regard to how you were almost too tight. He'd fix that. Make you fit like a glove soon enough. "I spoil you enough, and you still want more?"

You moaned, sound coming out muffled from his fingers blocking your words. He pulled them out, strings of saliva coating your cheek as he brought his hand back to your clit. 

"Jus' wanna be closer to you 'nd feel you."

He scoffed, pushing down on your clit with too much force, bringing you to the edge of climax already. 

"No, you're a spoiled brat. I give you too much," he said, not meaning a damn word that came from his mouth. "Got used to getting whatever you want, huh? Selfish little pussy taking everything it can get." 

The pure euphoria you get from him being rough with you for once is unmatched. Daddy gave you what you wanted all the time, and you liked it, but he was too gentle with it. Like he was scared to mess up or make a mistake (again). You needed him to correct you, you'd wanted him to fuck some sense into you for so long.

You clenched the silky sheets on the bed, hands trembling while he pounding into you, hips cramming against yours spastically. 

God, he was ashamed. 

Not because he was fucking his daughter, hell, he came this far without problem. He just usually was much better in bed. Your gasps and shaky moans did little to appease him. Any other time, he'd be composed and sophisticated with his strokes, but he was sloppy and needy now. 

His cock kicked inside of you, twitching when he spilled his seed. He was so caught up in his own embarrassment that he hadn't realized how dangerously close he had gotten. 

"Daddy, did you—?"

Your question was interrupted by his hand covering your mouth, unstable thrusts continuing to fill your senses. You couldn't care that he came in you when he made you feel this good.

While your legs shook and your pussy gushed, one thing was made very apparent to both you and Enji:

This was the first time he let himself go and fucked you, but it would definitely not be the last.

[russilton]

George has opened up a bit more about his dad in a new article for the daily main (without paywall below) and it's a genuinely gut wrenching read. If you want to go in knowing while George doesn't acknowledge it as such, his descriptions of his dad's behaviour are very clearly abusive.

It’s poolside at the Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, Miami, and a sun from central casting beams down. Just beyond the adjacent cream sands the day before a shark was spotted amid the white caps of the Atlantic.

Some observers gawped. Many recorded the scene on their phones, quelle surprise, while those in the water rushed to dry land with almost comic alarm, the terrified tripping as they waded to safety.

Now all is quiet, and staff bring over watermelon juice as George Russell sits down to talk. Aged 27, the Norfolk-born driver has contended with the sharp-toothed critters of Formula One to emerge as the outstanding British performer of today.

His consistently accomplished drives for Mercedes this season, and the end of last, underline his rightful status as successor as team leader to no less than Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion he acknowledges as the GOAT.

Russell’s route to Formula One was not travelled on a red carpet. He picks up the story of a hard taskmaster father, Steve, and his protective mother, Alison, of their parental rows over his treatment, and the £1.5million they scrimped and saved to fund his career – and tells for the first time how he has now repaid them every penny of their investment.

‘It was hard,’ he says of his father’s tough love. ‘From the age of seven to 16 you are not mature enough to recognise what your parents are doing for you.

‘My father was working every day from seven in the morning to nine at night to earn his money to take me racing at the weekend. As a kid you question, “Where’s dad?” Oh, he’s at work. “Why’s he at work?”

‘And then we go racing and he is quite stressed from his job. And if I was making silly mistakes, he’d be dead angry with me. In those eight years, there were happy times, but there are lots of sad memories from my parents fighting because of how hard my father was being on me. My mum was trying to hold it all together.

‘It was, “You’re not winning.” The expectation was to be on pole and win every race, at least always be on the podium. Even times when I did win, it wasn’t sunshine and glory on the way home. It was, “But you could have done this better, done that better.”

‘He has moulded me into the guy I am today. He would always want the glass full. He would see where I could have improved while never seeing the positives. I continue the mentality of looking at where I could have done better, while ensuring I see the positives. Otherwise, it can be a very slippery slope.

‘I can now see it with my brother: his kids are starting go-karting and he is working his a*** off to give them the chance. Life isn’t simple, with the stress of work and the rest. And I will forever be grateful for what my dad did.’

‘I just accepted the way he dealt with me. I accepted that if I didn’t win, he wouldn’t be happy with me. And that the journey home would be a long one, and most likely end in tears.’

Did young George get the silent treatment?

‘No, I’d be b******ed,’ he recalls. ‘I see it now that kids who are born with a silver spoon in their mouths don’t have the same work ethic as those who had massive discipline over them from a young age.

‘My father was working every day from seven in the morning to nine at night to earn his money to take me racing at the weekend.'

‘If I could turn back the clock knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t change a single thing’

‘So, from my father’s perspective, would he wish that for those six, seven, eight years that he had a closer relationship with his son? Maybe. But those years set me up for life.

‘If I could turn back the clock knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t change a single thing.’

How is Russell’s relationship with your father now, I wonder. Closer?

‘Hmm, yeah,’ he says. ‘What was amazing with my father is that when I was signed by Mercedes (on their Young Driver Programme eight years ago) he opened the cage door and let me fly.

'It went from being a super-controlling, super-emotional, b******ing every time I didn’t do well, to suddenly feeling he could pass me on to the next chapter.

‘Now he supports me from afar every single session. He is taking care of grandkids.’

Steve Russell was involved in agriculture, a seed and wheat merchant – his factory a first port of call after harvesting prior to distribution. ‘He sold the business to fund my racing,’ adds Russell. ‘In 2012.’ Russell was just 14 then.

‘For where we lived, my father was an exceptionally successful man. But in that industry success was making a profit. Now we are in a world of unrealistic wealth with billionaires around us.

The Norfolk-born 27-year-old has now made 133 grand prix starts, with three race wins

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s ardour for world champion Max Verstappen seems to have waned, just as Russell’s results increasingly make their own argument

He is out of contract this year but remains confident of re-signing. His results should make that a slam dunk

Russell's new Mercedes AMG One, which has a top speed of 219mph and accelerates from 0-186mph in 15.6sec

‘We could have lived a very happy life had he not done that. I have paid everything back that he spent on me. I made it clear that as soon as I made money, I wanted to pay everything off. It was about £1.5m.’

The dividend can be measured, among other achievements, in the car Russell has just bought – the AMG One supercar. A limited edition of 275, the coupe was initially listed at $2.7m (£2m). It has a top speed of 219mph and accelerates from 0-186mph in 15.6sec.

It is the first car Russell has ever bought, having started on the road in a white Polo bought by his parents – 60bhp, top speed of 100mph with a following wind. And there was no reduction for Mercedes’ top driver for his new car. He chose a navy blue that glistens in the sun. His racing number – 63 – is inscribed at his request.

He intends keeping the car forever (despite receiving an offer worth double what he gave for it), to go with his company G Wagon and the vintage 300 SL he hopes to add to his portfolio.

Three cars – that’s ‘all’ he wants in his garage at home in Monaco; no huge collection. All are Mercedes, we note, a telling symbol of his commitment to the Silver Arrows.

He is out of contract this year but remains confident of re-signing. His results should make that a slam dunk. Both he and boss Toto Wolff are talking optimistically of a successful conclusion, probably this month or next.

Helpfully, Wolff’s ardour for world champion Max Verstappen seems to have waned, just as Russell’s results increasingly make their own argument.

With Russell in Miami, as she is at most of his races, is his Spanish girlfriend Carmen Montero Mundt, 26. She did not know he was a racing driver when he stood in for a friend who was due to go on a date with her. That was in London in 2020. She is upstairs on the terrace as George and I talk. He pays her this tribute as his rock in a volatile world.

With Russell in Miami, as she is at most of his races, is his Spanish girlfriend Carmen Montero Mundt, 26

The Mercedes driver has paid tribute to his girlfriend, labelling her his rock in a volatile world

She did not know he was a racing driver when he stood in for a friend who was due to go on a date with her back in 2020 in London

‘As for Carmen I feel lucky having her around. She is my emotional support in the world of instability I live in.'

‘I left school at 13 and have very few friends to be honest,’ he says. ‘It can be a lonely life. You are in different hotels, different countries, different time zones, different climates.

‘Mondays are emotional hangover days after a race. A slap in the face if you are on a high after a good result, and a slap in the face after a bad one if you dwell on it. I play padel to get my mind off things, rather than sit inside scrolling through social media.

‘As for Carmen I feel lucky having her around. She is my emotional support in the world of instability I live in. I wouldn’t change anything in my life now or what went before.’

Now he is off for a run – a peaceful 7km, next to the ocean where the sharks prowl.

[bunnyclawzz]

Loser!Mark x Fem!Reader Pt.3

Palms all sweaty, eyes avoiding everything, silent as a mouse. He’s never been more nervous in his entire life.

He has spent hours and hours and hours planning the best way to do what he’s wanted to do for years; ask you on a date. He would’ve done it sooner if he wasn’t scared of loosing one of his only friends! It’s not easy when you fall in love with your childhood best friend..a friend who is also a neighbor and is always at his house..or in this case, at your house.

“M, what movie do you wanna watch tonight?” You asked as you scrolled through the endless movies. Mark had been in his own little word, completely lost in thoughts. All consist of how he planned to you out. He finally got it all planed out; he’s gonna take you flying-keep you nice and close, tight in his arms. Get you both nice and high, somewhere where you can look down at all the pretty glowing lights in the dark night while holding you close. And then he’d ask you-that was the one thing he couldn’t decide what to say unfortunately..

“Mark!” You practically shout his name as you give a firm swat to his shoulder. “Ow-Hey!” He huffed as he shot you a pouty glare. Unfortunately for him, that pouty-puppy dog loom wasn’t gonna get him off the hook. “Mark.” You spoke again, voice firm and angered expression catching his attention. He could feel the sweat forming on his forehead just that look..that piercing gaze is enough to make him fall to his knees.

“Mark, what’s wrong with you? You’ve been..” you sigh, your face softening just a bit as you continue on. “..you’re acting really weird, you’ve been weird for a little while now and I just-..I don’t know what’s going on with you.” He wasn’t prepped for this. Spent all the time in the world planning on how to beg ask for a date he hadn’t even realized he was acting off and distant. “Wh-What? I don’t know what you’re talking about-” “Markus Grayson.” You stood off your bed with a groan. He hated how upset you look-how stressed you are because of him. “Don’t lie! You’ve been all..weird! All week you’ve been weird! I don’t-..is it me? Did I make you mad or-” those words made his heart sink. How could you, the most perfect person, more like an angel in his eyes, upset anyone?

“No!” He nearly shouted as he stood. His hands move to your shoulders without thinking. “I-I don’t not like you-” he spoke in a hurried voice, clearly frantic. That panicked puppy look on his face didn’t stop you from being upset and honestly annoyed. You rolled your pretty eyes at him as you sat back down on the edge of your bed. “Well you’re acting like-” “I like you!”

…

Completely silent. Both of you could hear his own heart thumping against his ribs. He sucked in a shaky breath, trying to stop himself from crumbling and dropping to his knees to just beg you to love him. “…I-I like you. I have for a really long time..like really long-I was going to ask you out today! I tried to ignore it—Believe me, I tried so hard not to ruin our friendship.” He practically whimpered between paragraphs, sitting down right beside you. “B-But you’re amazing..you’re so funny and so sweet. You’ve never let anybody pick on me when you were around, you take care of me when I’m hurt..you don’t even care that my dad-”

And you cut him off. Shortened his pathetic ramblings by pressing your perfectly soft lips to his, instantly whining into your lips. His shaky hand moved up, awkwardly resting on your shoulder, only for you to pull away with a soft whisper. “Wish you would’ve told me sooner��made me think you hated me.” His face is bright red, looking almost like a cherry-more like the color of the lip gloss you’ve always worn “..Y-you like me?” He asked in such a quiet, soft voice. You nod, your gentle hands moving up to cradle his rosy face

“I do, Mark..but you gotta take me on a date first”

An instant nod

“Yes ma’am"

[lukesvangelista]

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 ˡʰ⁴³

in which you (or your friend, rather) called, so luke came.

warnings; mention of car accidents, hospitals, losing a parent, ex-relationships, alcohol poisoning

this series was started before the awful tragedy involving johnny and matthew gaudreau. please do not read if you do not feel comfortable. as always, i am always here for you guys to reach out to if you need to talk!

part one here

part two here

part three here

You stood in the sterile hospital hallway, your arms wrapped tightly around yourself as you tried to breathe through the rising panic. The smell of disinfectant clung to the air, a scent that instantly transported you back to a year ago—back to the night you lost your dad.

You hated hospitals. Every part of you wanted to run, to get out of there before the walls closed in on you. But Y/B/F/N had had too much to drink, winding up in the emergency room with alcohol poisoning, and you knew you couldn’t leave. Not when your friend needed you the most.

You swallowed hard, shifting on your feet, forcing air into your lungs even as your ribs tightened with the pressure of memory, a ghost of that night a year ago swirling around you. The beeping machines. The frantic doctors. The way time had slowed as you watched the life drain from the man who had raised you. The way Luke had held you when the news finally shattered you.

Your best friend was fine, though. She had just drunk too much, reckless and carefree the way she always was, but she would be okay. She would walk out of this place alive.

Your dad didn’t.

Y/B/F/N knew that, quietly observing as you paced the floor of the hallway outside of her room. So, when you were out of view, she quickly pulled out her phone and dialed the one person she knew you needed.

Luke groaned as his phone vibrated against his nightstand, the obnoxious buzzing cutting through the silence of his dimly lit room. He barely glanced at the screen before swiping to answer, recognizing the name immediately.

"Hello?" His voice was rough with exhaustion.

"You need to get down here. Now."

Luke sat up instantly, his heart pounding at the urgency in your best friend’s voice. "What? Where are you?"

"The hospital," she rushed out. "I—it's not me, it's her.”

Everything inside him went still. Your name was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. "What happened?" His voice was sharp now, all traces of sleep gone.

"I'm fine," she assured him quickly. "I just…”There was a pause, like she was trying to find the right words, "I drank too much. Alcohol poisoning or whatever. I’m okay, but she’s here, and Luke, she’s…she’s freaking out."

Luke’s throat tightened.

Of course you were.

Hospitals had never been easy for you, not after what happened. He could still remember the way you’d collapsed into his arms the night your dad died, the way you’d trembled against him as if your body couldn’t contain the grief. And now you were back in that same place, reliving it all over again.

And he wasn’t there.

His grip on the phone tightened. "Where is she?"

"Down the hall from my room. She won’t come in here, won’t sit down, won’t—won’t do anything except stand there, looking like she’s about to pass out. She won’t leave, either. I know she’s trying to be here for me, but she’s barely holding it together."

Luke was already on his feet, pulling on a plain black hoodie with one hand while shoving his sneakers on with the other. "Did she ask for me?"

Your best friend went silent on the other end.

"No."

His stomach dropped.

"I didn’t think she would," your best friend added softly, "But that’s why I’m calling. She’s not going to ask for you, Luke. But she needs you."

He exhaled shakily, running a hand down his face. He knew that. Hell, he knew it better than anyone. But things were different now. He wasn’t your person anymore. He had no right to show up like he still was.

And yet, there was no hesitation when he said, "I’m on my way."

Luke was out the door before he could think twice.

His keys jingled in his grip as he yanked on his coat, barely bothering to shove his arms through the sleeves as he rushed down the apartment stairs. His mind was moving too fast, spinning with one thought and one thought only—you.

You were at the hospital.

You were panicking.

And you were alone.

The second he hit the parking garage, he unlocked his car and yanked the door open, throwing himself inside before jamming the key into the ignition. The engine rumbled to life, but the momentary delay as it turned over made his chest tighten with frustration. He didn’t have time for this.

He needed to be there now.

As he finally hit the road, the streets blurred past him in a mess of headlights and dark pavement, but he barely registered any of it. His hands were tight on the wheel, knuckles white, his foot pressing just a little harder on the gas than it should’ve been. He wasn’t reckless - he never had been - but right now, he couldn’t bring himself to care about speed limits or stoplights that took too long to change.

His mind wasn’t here. It was back at that hospital, with you.

Luke’s grip tightened, jaw clenching as he exhaled sharply through his nose. He wasn’t supposed to be the one you called anymore. That’s what he’d told himself a year ago when you’d finally ended things, both of you breaking under the weight of grief and unsaid words. It had been messy. It had been painful. But it had been final.

Or so he thought. You had told him just a few months ago that you both needed to move on.

But now, here he was, flying down the highway in the middle of the night like no time had passed at all, like he hadn’t spent the last year pretending he didn’t miss you.

Because he did.

And the fact that your best friend called him - not your other friends, not someone else, but him - told him everything he needed to know.

You still needed him.

Maybe not in the way you used to, maybe not in the way he wanted you to, but in this moment? Right now?

He was still the person you fell apart with.

And if that was all he got, if this was the only way he could still be something to you, then he’d take it.

Luke took the exit for the hospital, his heart hammering as the familiar structure came into view. The last time he’d been here, he had held you in his arms as your world collapsed. And if you needed him to do it again tonight, he would, without a second thought. Without any hesitation at all.

Because no matter how much time passed, how much distance you put between each other, to Luke, it was still you. It would always be you.

When he pulled into the parking lot, Luke moved fast - too fast. His chest burned from sprinting through along the pavement, his pulse hammering harder than it should have been, but he didn’t care. He pushed through the heavy glass doors, barely registering the sterile hospital air that hit him. He knew this place too well, knew what it had taken from you, knew what it meant that you were here.

And then he saw you.

You were curled into yourself on one of the plastic waiting room chairs, arms wrapped around your middle like you were trying to hold yourself together. Seeing Y/B/F/N’s door after continually pacing the hallway must have been too much for you. Your legs bounced restlessly, your gaze fixed on the scuffed tile floor, lost somewhere far away from here.

Luke swallowed hard, the ache in his chest deepening. You looked so small. So fragile in a way you never let yourself be.

And the worst part? You were alone.

Luke didn’t think. He never did when it came to you, “Hey.”

His voice was soft, careful—like he was afraid you might shatter if he spoke too loud. But the second it hit your ears, your entire body stiffened. Your head snapped up, your wide, red-rimmed eyes locking onto his. For a moment, you just stared, like you weren’t sure if he was real. Then, “What are you doing here?”

Luke ran a hand through his messy hair, still catching his breath. “She called me.”

You blinked, confusion flickering across your face before realization dawned. “Of course she did,” you muttered, shaking your head with something caught between frustration and exhaustion, “I told her I was fine.”

Luke desperately furrowed a brow, his hazel eyes flashing with the type of concern he only ever showed for you, “You’re not fine.”

Your jaw tightened, “I can handle it.”

He sighed, speaking again, “You shouldn’t have to.”

Something in your expression wavered then, like a hairline fracture forming in a carefully built wall. You opened your mouth - probably to argue, because that’s what you did when you didn’t want anyone to worry about you - but no words came. Instead, you exhaled shakily and turned away, blinking rapidly.

Luke felt the sting in his own chest at the sight. Slowly, he stepped closer, giving you space to pull away if you wanted to.

You didn’t.

So he did the only thing he knew how to do - he sat beside you. Close enough for you to feel his presence, but not close enough to push you.

“She’s okay,” he murmured after a moment, “The doctors are keeping an eye on her, but she’ll be fine. I promise you.”

You nodded absently, like that wasn’t what was keeping you here. Luke watched you carefully, searching for the right thing to say. The right way to pull you out of whatever dark place your mind was taking you.

But he already knew.

“It’s not the same, you know.”

Your head turned slightly, just enough for him to see the way your brows pinched together.

Luke swallowed, his hazel eyes peering into your Y/E/C ones, “This night. This hospital. It’s not the same as last time.”

Your breath hitched.

“You’re not losing anyone tonight,” his voice was quiet, steady, meant only for you, “She’s going to walk out of here, and you are too. And I’m-” he hesitated, flames of the type of love he reserved for you and only you dancing in his tone, “I’ll be right here.”

Your eyes met his again, something breaking in your gaze, something raw and vulnerable and so painfully familiar. Luke didn’t move, didn’t breathe, didn’t dare to hope that maybe, just maybe, you still needed him the way he still needed you.

Then, finally, after what felt like an eternity, you did the one thing he never expected. You leaned into him.

Not much, just a small shift, but it was enough. Enough for Luke to take a quiet, steadying breath before tilting his body ever so slightly toward you, just like he used to. Just like he always would.

The silence between you and Luke stretched, thick with unspoken words and everything you’d both avoided for the past year.

He was still close - close enough that you could feel the warmth radiating from him, close enough that if you leaned just a little further, you’d be in his arms the way you had been that night. The night your world fell apart.

Your fingers curled into the fabric of his black hoodie as you stared at your lap, trying to block out the memories clawing their way back to the surface. Even the color of his clothing reminded you of the sky that night, the darkness enveloping you in more ways than one.

Luke didn’t push. He never did. But he was watching you - he always watched you, like he could see straight through you, past every wall, every carefully constructed defense. And then he spoke, his words carefully chosen as to not upset you further, “You looked just like your father as the news was delivered.”

Your breath caught in your throat. You turned to him sharply, your heart pounding, “What?”

Luke’s gaze was unreadable, his lips pressed together like he wasn’t sure if he should’ve said it. But it was already out there now, hanging in the air between you, “You looked just like him,” he repeated, quieter this time, like he was recalling the exact moment with excruciating clarity, “The way your face fell. The way your brow furrowed and the way you slightly smiled as if the doctor was joking. The way you didn’t move at first, like you hadn’t fully processed what they were saying.”

He exhaled shakily, his hazel eyes filled with something too heavy to name, “And then you did. And it wrecked you.”

A lump formed in your throat. “You saw that?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

Luke’s lips twitched with something sad, “Of course I did, Y/N/N. I saw everything.”

Luke half-expected you to flinch when he used that nickname. After all, when you stood outside his apartment door at 2:00 in the morning, your tone was venomous as you told him not to call you that. Tonight, it didn’t happen. Instead, you blinked rapidly, trying to keep the burning in your eyes at bay, “I don’t even remember what I looked like. I just remember… the feeling.”

The words barely made it past your lips, but Luke heard them. He always did. He didn’t say anything, didn’t push for you to elaborate, but maybe that’s why you kept going.

“It was like everything in me shattered at once. Like I wasn’t even in my body anymore. I kept thinking…” you inhaled sharply, “no, this isn’t real. This isn’t happening. But it was. It was, and I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t bring him back.”

Luke’s jaw clenched. He shifted then, his arm moving as if he was going to reach for you but stopping himself at the last second.

You let out a shaky breath, “I don’t know how long I stood there. But then I felt you.”

Luke’s eyes snapped to yours.

“You held me before I even knew I needed it,” you whispered, your fingers tightening into your sleeves, “Before I even realized I was falling.”

Luke swallowed hard, his throat tightening. He could’ve cried right then and there, but he held it together for you, “I couldn’t let you break alone.”

You shut your eyes for a moment, trying to keep yourself together. But there was something about being here, in this hospital, with him, that made all the cracks in you feel too wide to ignore.

You turned slightly toward him, studying his face in the dim hospital lighting. He looked different than he had back then - tired, older in a way that had nothing to do with age - but at the same time, he still looked like Luke. The boy who had been yours for so long. The boy who had held you together even after you’d broken apart.

“I don’t know how to be in hospitals anymore,” you admitted, barely above a whisper.

Luke hesitated, then murmured, “You don’t have to know how.” He finally let himself reach for your hand, his fingers brushing over yours in a cautious, familiar touch, “You just have to let yourself be in them.”

You stared down at where your hands nearly met, your chest tightening, “And what if I can’t?”

His fingers curled around yours, warm and steady. “Then I’ll be here.”

Your throat closed up. You should’ve pulled away. You should’ve reminded yourself that he wasn’t yours anymore, that you weren’t his to hold like this. But you didn’t. Instead, you let your hand slip fully into his, gripping onto him like an anchor. The moment your fingers laced together, something inside you cracked wide open.

Luke’s hand was warm, steady - the same way it had always been. His thumb brushed against your knuckles, a soft, barely-there touch, but it sent a shiver down your spine nonetheless. You wondered if it was instinct for him, if he even realized he was doing it, or if his body just remembered the way it used to fit against yours.

You gripped him tighter, your breath shaky, your free hand curling into your lap as if bracing yourself for something. Maybe for him to let go. Maybe for yourself to.

But neither of you did.

Luke stayed silent, watching you carefully, waiting to see if you’d push him away. You didn’t. Because for the first time in a long time, it didn’t feel like you were drowning.

It didn’t feel like the walls were closing in, or like the weight in your chest was pressing you deeper into the past. Instead, with his hand wrapped around yours, fingers locking like a lifeline, it felt like a revival of some sort.

You let out a slow, unsteady exhale, your gaze flickering to where your hands were tangled together. It was stupid, really, how something so small could make you feel like you weren’t completely falling apart. But it wasn’t just something. It was him.

That terrified you. You knew, deep down, that if you let yourself lean into him now, if you let yourself take whatever comfort he was willing to give, you’d never want to let go.

And the worst part?

You weren’t sure he would either.

[silvercoloredskiess]

Yandere Front Man/In-Ho x Reader (Platonic)

Note: I believe this is my first time writing anything yandere, like ever :P. So I apologize if this is bad. In-Ho struck me as a father-like person and after watching season 2 last month I wanted to write a oneshot about this. I was lightly inspired by some others I saw on here so I don't intend to straight-up copy. Have fun :-)

Reader doesn't have an assumed gender

Warning: Obviously yandere front man as your father, mentions of killing and blood since this is the squid game after all.

Word count: 968 (5,210 characters)

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

Ever since you were born, your life has never been normal. Not even the slightest. Though your father tried very hard to disguise this as normal, but you knew it wasn't right. From a young age you had been locked up in some strange place you called home. It wasn't exactly the wholesome neighborhood homes full of warmth and smiling families like what you saw on TV; how you wished that was true. It sounded like a dream to be able to go to school, make lifelong friends, potentially find a lover (if that's your thing), and bask in innocence.

Instead you woke up everyday to the same room. Your bedroom was very different from all the other rooms. It was very nicely decorated by your father himself. It was his attempt to make you comfortable when in reality you never fell for his tricks.

Life inside this place wasn't fun at all. You never knew if it even had an exit. You weren't allowed to use any device because you would try to escape. So your days were spent lazing around in your room constantly feeling lonely. You couldn't roam around much around the place, and there were too many restricted areas for you to count. You always had to have meals served to your room and you weren't allowed outside your room past 7 pm.

But those boring and dreary days were nothing compared to the most dreaded times of the year; the annual Squid Games. It was when your 'home' was suddenly added with 456 people, all in green tracksuits. They all looked scared. And it was painful to see what was going to happen to all but one of them. From your room you could hear screaming, gunshots, and the arguing of players between who voted to end the games and those that voted to continue them.

Sometimes your father made you watch these moments, so you constantly flinched or closed your eyes.

"Dad.. why do you make me watch these games? Why do you keep facilitating them year after year!?" You yelled at him.

But your father calmly replied, "Do you think we force all these folks to join the games? They do this on their own. 45.6 billion won won't come by its own. Don't you see they still voted to continue the games despite the consequences? Don't feel bad for them when they wanted this.."

Your eyes widened. "B-but... that doesn't matter! Why don't we give them all some money and they can start living a good life?"

"You're cute" Your father grinned at you. "You've seen how desperate they all get for that prize money. They're all filled with greed and selfishness. Nothing will change that. They all have huge debts to pay and only this amount can guarantee them a stable life to start over on."

"I guess so...."

You stared at the floor in silence. You knew what was happening next, though; the lights out game you had to witness. And you knew the only thing coming out of it was when the lights turned back on to reveal the blood-stained walls and floors.

You thought of a way to stop the game, and tried to sneak to the control room, which was accessed through the iconic colorful room. However, you had caught the eye of a player since you they were trying to sneak out of the game. You tried to walk past him since he looked very crazy, but he grabbed your arm.

"WHAT ARE YOU D-" you yelled, but got cut off by the man.

"Ssssh. Be quiet, little one. Show me the way out, and you're free."

You got very shaky but tried to show him the way with him gripping your arm still. You were practically whimpering. But suddenly, you heard a gunshot and the man was spewing out blood, collapsing to the ground. It appeared he had been shot in the head from behind.

That was when you panicked even more, thinking you were next. But before you could run too far, a hand gripped you still. You recognized it was your father's instantly.

"Those who break the rules are punished." Your father said, glancing at the dead player. "Looks like it's time for clean up. I'll organize the guards."

You couldn't believe what just happened. The player was dangerous, but shooting him in the head wasn't necessary. Furthermore, you never knew your father was this possessive of you. But it all made sense as to why he controlled almost everything you did.

The guards, all with circles on their masks and their bright pink costumes, walked by you to put the body in a black box with a pretty pink bow holding it together. You didn't see the scene for too long since a certain guard with a square on its mask guided you back to your room, where you always were. There your father was sitting there, his legs crossed.

"Why would you sneak out like that!? You foolish child. Don't you know how to obey the rules?"

You sat there in silence, shaking.

"I..... I just wanted to.. to uh.. make the lights out game stop by going to the control room. I'm sorry."

Your father sighed.

"You're lucky we have cameras all across this place. But I never want you to disobey me again. Your punishment is, you will be staying right here for this entire week. You have everything you need right in your bedroom."

You were going to reply to that, but you decided to just not deal with it and do as he says. You were still trying to clear your mind of what happened ten minutes ago. The thought of him killing anyone who dared to touch you was haunting you the whole night

BTW, EDIT: PART 2 IS UP :) https://www.tumblr.com/silvercoloredskiess/773335237345312768/yandere-front-manin-ho-x-reader-platonic-part?source=share

[jellyfishmermage]

after about 2 months of work I've finally finished the designs for my Fancure series "Bubble Up! Precure"!

Details about the characters below the break:

Cure Dolphin [Momokawa Iruka]

Class: 2-B

Blood Type: O

Star Sign: Aries

Height: 157 cm

Favourite Food: Anything light and quick to eat!

Likes: Swimming, Retro shounen manga

Dislikes: Heights, Being ignored

A girl who is blunt to a fault, she rarely thinks too hard about what she says or does. She loves swimming more than anything else and always wears a swimsuit and goggles just in case. Her parents run a Surfing and Swimming school, with her dad teaching Swimming and her mom teaching Surfing. After transferring to a new Middle School, she gets assigned to sit next to Tarou and immediately decides that he'll be her first friend in her new bubbly life. She meets the Sea Angel Clio, who tells her about the fate of the Mirror Kingdom where they come from and how the realm had been attacked by the Tarnishe, monsters born from people's Untrue Selves. While trying to become Tarou's friend, he gets turnt into a Tarnishe, and Iruka's desire to save him allows her to use the Shell Pact and transform into Cure Dolphin.

Cure Shell [Hamaguchi Tarou]

Class: 2-B

Blood Type: B

Star Sign: Libra

Height: 163 cm

Iruka's Nickname: Tacchan

Favourite Food: Potato Chips

Likes: Electronic Music, Hyperpop, Rap, Rock, (too many genres to list), Metal (the material, not the genre)

Dislikes: Noises that he didn't make, Bugs

Having a deep passion for music, Tarou posts very popular songs online under the pseudonym "aoumiP", or "aoP" for short. He always has his headphones with him, and has an accommodation to be able to wear them at school. After being bullied in Elementary School for "being too intense" and "not reading the room", Tarou attempted to reinvent himself for Middle School by trying to act like every one else, with the goal of being as "normal" as possible. This has only exhausted him and instead of gaining him new friends, has closed him off from his peers even more. After being saved by Iruka, she sees his true self, and Tarou is worried she'll no longer want to be his friend. He starts avoiding Iruka, but when a Tarnishe shows up that's too powerful for Cure Dolphin alone, Tarou realizes that even if she ends up hating him, he wouldn't be able to just stand there and watch his first friend in years get hurt. This lets him transform into Cure Shell and use his barriers to protect Dolphin. After the fight, Dolphin says that she wants to be his friend even more after seeing what he's really like, and he decides to finally open up to her.

Cure Jelly [Izumi Mei]

Class 2-A

Blood Type: A

Star Sign: Capricorn

Height: 162 cm

Iruka's Nickname: Izumin

Favourite Food: Lemon slices

Likes: Elegant fashion, Her grandmother

Dislikes: Dogs, Ballet flats

The Belle of the school, she has found success working as a model. She models to support her dream of becoming a fashion designer, and is constantly working towards her goal. Her grandmother wanted to become a fashion designer when she was younger, and would often show Mei all her old designs. Mei loved all of the beautiful dresses and handsome suits her grandmother drew, and wanted to make her own some day. With how much she works towards her dream, Mei often puts her social life at a lower priority than her studies, so not many people realize just how much energy she puts into things. After becoming known as "Effortlessly Perfect Mei", she now worries about what would happen if anyone got close enough to see her efforts. Would they still think she was perfect? Would they think she had lied to them? Would everyone just forget about her and move on to someone else? Mei still isn't sure which scares her the most. After Iruka sees Mei's picture in a magazine, she seeks out Mei at school in order to become friends. When Iruka tells her she wants to be her friend she was worried. A lot of people at the school approach her wanting to be the friend of a local celebrity, but Iruka was different. Iruka said that being a model and a full time student at the same time must be a lot of work, and that it's super cool that she puts in the time to do both. When a Tarnishe attacks the school, Mei sees Cure Shell desperately trying to protect Iruka, who had dropped her Shell Pact and was unable to transform. Mei, seeing Shell work so hard to keep Iruka safe, thinks he looks cool, and realizes that this must be how she looks to Iruka. Not wanting to let Iruka down she jumps into the battle to help in whatever way she can, resulting in her transforming into Cure Jelly.

Cure Seal [Laine Satu]

Class: 2-C

Blood Type: B

Star Sign: Pisces

Height: 176 cm

Iruka's Nickname: Sacchi

Favourite Food: Creme Puffs

Likes: Cute things, Cure Dolphin

Dislikes: Spiders, Horror movies

Another transfer student who joins class 2-C in May, Satu immediately became the source of several rumours and misunderstandings. The most common ones are 1. She can't speak much japanese, and can only speak finnish (In reality, she's lived in Japan since she was 2 and can hardly speak any Finnish. Japanese is even her best subject!) 2. She's a delinquent who shakes people down for their money (She picked up a first year's wallet and tried to return it, but accidentally scared her) 3. She glares at everyone she sees, constantly picking fights (She's a little awkward and doesn't realize her face gets scary when she focuses.) With a dreamy and slightly airheaded personality, Satu loves all things cute, and wants to make plushies when she grows up. She spends most of her free time browsing clothing and toy stores to get ideas. After literally running into Iruka in the hall they start talking and become fast friends, but Satu doesn't realize that Iruka has a crush on her. Satu gets introduced to Tarou and Mei, but the three have an awkward first meeting thanks to their conflicting personalities. Iruka, wanting the three to get closer, asks Satu to let them go shopping with her. While they're out shopping, Satu is turnt into a Tarnishe, and the others have to save her. After being saved, Satu vaguely remembers Cure Dolphin, and ends up falling for her knight in shining pink armour. A month later, before Summer break, a massive Tarnishe shows up, and Dolphin, Shell, and Jelly are struggling to fight it. Satu, spotting Dolphin and the others in danger, rushes in to save the people who once saved her. Taking that step into action transforms her into Cure Seal, with a shield letting her protect those she cares about.

Clio

Blood Type: N/A

Star Sign: Sagittarius

Height: 35 cm

Favourite Food: Chestnuts

Likes: The Mirror Kingdom's Queen, Researching the Human World

Dislikes: Touch screens

A fairy from The Mirror Kingdom who works as Secretary to the Queen, they are not used to adventuring outside the castle, and were satisfied chronicling other's adventures. But when The Mirror Kingdom is attacked by Tarnishe, the Queen protects Clio and tells them to travel to the Human World, find the Precure, and defeat the Tarnishe. Upon making their way through the World Bubble to the Human World, Clio is found washed up on the beach by Iruka and saved. Alongside their mission of gathering the Precures to defeat the Tarnishe, Clio has also decided to research the Human World while they're here. From food, to culture, to everything under the sun, Clio is determined to learn about this strange new world and bring this knowledge back to their brethren at home.

[sccrim]

jealously ── rafe cameron

ʬʬ . warnings ▧ ▧ nothing just rafe

you and rafe were broken up but you couldn’t stand the idea of him with someone else so you try to see who this so call new girl is.

part 2

you grabbed a glass of champagne and went to find your friends. you kept looking around to find rafe or at least this girl everyone was speaking about. "have you—"

"seen her? nope." john b looked around once more. "what if i say i found out already, what do i get in return." jj smiled. "one of my dad’s cigars." you stated causing him to hype himself up.

"inside at the bar with rafe, topper, and ruthie."

"relax guys, i'm classy." kiara disagreed with sarah but the boys laughed knowing action was about to go down.

"fifty she starts something."

"sixty, her mom yells at her."

"bet."

the boys all shook on it. you walked inside to see them standing at the bar. you couldn't see her face but she looked about your height, short light brown hair. her dress was short and pink. "pretty dress." you whispered to yourself.

"also you should definitely watch out for y/n." ruthie laughed warning the girl. "who's y/n?" the girl questioned. "rafe, you haven't told her about her? classic." topper air cheered his beer. "i was going too but you just told her so thank you." rafe rolled his eyes. "rafe— who's y/n?" before he could answer you showed up.

"hey rafe, topper, ruthie, and who's this?" you questioned. "fuck." ruthie whispered. "y/n this is sofia, sofia this is y/n." rafe looked around in awkwardness.

"hi."

"rafe you didn't tell me sofia is a cute girl."

"didn't think i had to tell you."

"you didn't but would have been kind to know who you were bringing to my fathers country club." you smiled. "wait youre mr. l/n daughter?"

"mhm."

"this place is very cool. was thinking of signing up for tennis." y/n looked at her up and down then back at rafe. "hope to see you at games."

"rafe can i speak to you." thing about you that everyone knows already is you usually dont ask. it’s more so you tell them and rafe knew that. that's the one thing he loved about you.

"go with topper and ruthie, i'll find you in a bit." sofia smiled and waved bye at you

"i swear to god y/n, you better not start shit." rafe grabbed you by the arm into the locker rooms. "why didnt you tell me? you seen me mostly every night and you couldn't tell me you were interested in someone."

"i didn't tell you because i know how you are. you broke up with me remember."

"you broke up with me too y'know. what happened to mutual break up?"

"just don't start anything." rafe looked at you with this angry look. "does she know you were with me most nights?" rafe just looked at her in silences. "of course she doesn't. you think she'll leave you?" you laughed in his face. "not a bad thing if she left you."

"she doesn't know y/n."

"and why's that?"

"hard to tell someone my ex is a bitch."

"ouch. and to think you weren't a bitch neither."

"oh and by the way, she has one thing coming if she thinks she's with you for a long run." you placed your hand on his chest. "you know damn well if this was reversed you would have beat the shit out of him. just because you have a new girl doesn't mean you aren't the same rafe i dealt with for two years."

"oh and don't forget to tell her before she sees that tattoo you have." she winked and walked out the locker room. having rafe punch the locker.

you saw sofia eye you walking out the room so you smiled— fixing your hair and dress acting like something happened in the locker room causing her to go look for rafe.

sofia had one thing to be careful of and it wasn't rafes anger issues. it was you making sure everyone knew what was yours.

 sccrim — all rights reserved. please do not modify, repost , translate , or plagiarise my content.

[starstickerzzz]

IM FINALLY MAKING AN ACTUAL INTRO POST!!! YIPPEEE!!! 🥳✨

(Ignore the fucked up lettering)

ANYWHIZZLE!! I’m River!! Or starr or jade or whatever you wanna call me idc I’m indecisive lolz :b

My pronouns are She/her!!

Art tag is #starstickerzzzartz

Text post tag is #starspeakz

Random facts about me:

🌟my favorite color is dark cherry red

🌟my favorite animal is a tanuki

🌟My music taste is mostly alternative or indie anything and other random shit especially stuff that reminds me of or is connected to a fandom I enjoy !!

🌟I love dad jokes and humor in general,one of my favorite things to do is to make people laugh

🌟I would genuinely sacrifice myself in a second for the people I care about

🌟my favorite drink is coffee

🌟my favorite dessert is mochi of any kind

🌟my favorite food is Mexican food and Easy shit like ramen

🌟I grew up surrounded by Mexican culture and love to speak Spanish or use Spanish words (lmk if I accidentally say something you don’t understand lol)

🌟I’m actually Russian tho

🌟I’m in the us tho lol :b

I am adhd (and many other diagnoses and neurodivergencies but we don’t gotta talk abt that rn I’m fucked up lol) and I’m EXTREMELY hyperfixated on rottmnt,sonic and mob phyco 100!! :3 (edit:I also love Creepypasta/marble hornets!!!!)(edit part 2:electric boogaloo. Okay not its big city greens I’m genuinely OBBSESSED ‼️)

I also like other fandoms like dog man and other stuff as u will see from my re-posts lolz :3

Other things enjoy are writing,photography,learning shit,animals,nature,skateboarding and anything that is fun and whimsical >:3

I am 18 years old (19 on June 27th this year)

I am lesbian and asexual as fuck (my gf is @skelebab 🌟)

So I hate nsfw stuff and also don’t flirt with me please lol

I post art and shit sometimes but not a lot recently since I’ve been struggling to art fr

I also make a lot of text posts mostly fandom related or other stuffs like funny or wholesome shit that happens to me or that I do that I think yall would like but really I just post whatever I want lol

I love to make friends!!! I try to support people on here as much as I can!!

This blog is a safe space for everyone unless you suck or are basic dni type shit u know who u are lol

Feel free to comment, send asks, message me, vent, or interact in any way you would like too! I can’t always promise to do art requests I get as arting is hard sometimes fr but I try to !! I will most likely respond to interactions unless they are wierd or gross and it makes me extremely happy so don’t be shy!!!

Anyways I love you guys let me know if I can ever do anything for you or if you need a friend or some support. I am here for you guys always 💝

Use this post as a message board if you would like, comment whatever you want whenever you want it makes me genuinely happy, ask me stuff, say random shit,info dump, share cool facts, etc!! Have fun it will absolutely make my day 💝

K bai :3

[lyrenminth]

JB9 request

They are divorced and have two children together, and he is jealous that she is leaving the kids at his house so she can go on a date. but the meeting was horrible, because the guy is not like Joe

This was a very specific and I had so much fun writing in. A little bit of angst at the end.

What we used to be

The decision for filing the divorce was consciously taken. It was done three years ago, while you went to a rough patch in your marriage. The decision wasn't easy, because you share two children together, and for them was equally hard to understand why mommy and daddy weren't together anymore.

One of the main reasons was after having children, you marriage went cold and dead. He was busy playing football and you were busy mothering a three years old and a nine months old. You didn't have the time to be a couple anymore.

Currently, you decided to start dating again after your friends prompted you to do so. It was difficult because you had to coordinate with Joe (now that you were co-parenting). And of course, was during the off-season because during his seasons you had the kids most of the time. On weekends you dropped the children with Robin so she would take them to the home game. It was a messy life, because you shared a lot of things as a result of the years together. Trying to get rid of Joe was impossible having children with his face and living in Cincinnati. So you made peace with that fact long ago. You got along for the children, he was kind and always asked for your opinion when included the family. And you were polite with him, but nothing else.

You send him a text. "Hey, I'm dropping the kids early this Friday. That's ok?"

Joey B: Yeah, that's ok. Are you busy on Friday?

You: Yeah, something came up. Your home or your parents'?

Joey B: My house. Everything alright?

You: everything alright

That was the last text. After that you waited earnestly for your date. You met John through friends, he seemed like a good guy. By looks, the completely opposite of Joe. John had one child already, and worked for a big company in New York but was living in Cincinnati two years now.

You thought it would be difficult if men knew who was your ex-husband because it had happened one time and it ruin the mood for everyone. Apparently, you completely fucked up or whatever. Well, John didn't know anything about football, he couldn't care less about the Superbowl and that was a pleasant surprise.

So on Friday, you drive Mackenzie and Julian to their dad's house. They were behaving well during all morning. And since it was off-season they could spent the weekend with Joe.

You parked the car, and for your surprise Joe was waiting for them outside.

"Dad!" yelled Julian, running towards Joe who was wearing pants and a hoodie. "Mom, can you help me with my backpack?" asked Mackenzie trying to open the door. You got out of the car, and help her. She made cookies for her dad, and was so happy to share.

You help her to carry the backpack until you were face to face with Joe, who was looking handsome as always.

"Daddy, I made cookies!"

"Daddy, can we play videogames?"

The children demanded attention equally, but Joe was still staring at you. Hard.

"Have I something on my face?" you asked, almost aggressively. You put some make up on and dressed in a nice dress for the occasion.

"No, you fine" he cleared his throat "Not your usual fit"

"Mommy is going on a date" Julian shout, excited. Joe's eyebrows raised, you laughed nervous.

"Well, kids behave well. Enjoy the cookies" you said trying not to look at your ex-husband. "Is that true?" he asked, he sounded kinda jealous. Maybe you were overthinking.

"Well, yes" not wanting to discuss anything further in front of the kids "Take care, Joey"

"Please, call me if you need something" he said, "Let me know you're safe"

Your heart flipped. Why he did those things before your date? Weird. You nodded, going back to the car.

John was a nice man. You were sure he was nice, just...not to you. After thirty minutes in the date he kept talking about himself and his work that you thought you were watching a TED talk. He was good looking, but soon you realize you didn't have anything in common by what he was saying. Your mind wandered to your first date with Joe, it was in a bowling alley. Things got competitive and you spent a really good time together that you hook up in your car after the date. Would you hook up with John? Nah.

"Do you need another drink?" John's voice brought you back from your wild thoughts.

"No, thank you"

"So, you told me your ex-husband was a football player, right?"

"Yes" you said cautiously "He still plays"

"And how do you get along?"

"We talked only for the kids"

"Ummm, sure" he dismissed your answer. You raised your eyebrows, astonished. "What do you mean?" you wondered.

"Nothing. I didn't tell you about this trip I'm going to make next month..." he started talking again.

Joe bought you drinks too. You loved his smile back then. Julian had the same smile actually. After getting married you had very nice dates too, but you loved to spend time at home watching movies and resolving puzzles.

The date went on, and you have to excuse yourself or would die of boredom. After the date you missed your children so much, but it was Joe's time with them. So you went to your house and waited.

On Sunday evening, you went to pick up the kids. After a couple of minutes, Joe appeared wearing shorts and a compression shirt. He looked really handsome, his sandy hair was messy, he looked younger somehow.

"Hey" you said, nervous.

"The kids are in the pool" he explained "Come in while I prepare them"

"Oh, no. I can wait in the car" you replied, pointing at your car. He looked up-and-down, and pressed his lips. You blushed like a teenager "I bet they want to see you"

"Okay" you whispered, follow him inside the house. "How was your date?" the question made you flinch. You didn't remember John at all. "Umm, it was good"

I was bored as hell, and thinking about you. How pathetic.

Silence. By the way he was looking at you, he didn't believe you either. You reach the kitchen and he offered something to drink and you decline. "Are you going to the OTAs early this year?" you wondered, hearing music and the children screams outside.

"No, I'm going to spend time with the kids" you nodded, pleased. Joe was a great father, you never doubted that.

You locked eyes, and your stomach made weird things. His eyes softened, and he got closer to you.

"Y/N can we talk about us?" he requested.

"What?" you were in panic mode "About what?"

"The divorce. I thought were struggling but I never listen to you" he said, seriously "Until you fill in the papers" Your heart sank. His lips were still pressed, the wrinkles on his forehead let you know he was stressed too. "I feel like we never had the time to stop and think what we're doing" he said softly.

The bump in your throat didn't let you speak properly. You tried anyway. "I try to speak to you, Joey. I tried to do many things to save our marriage. It didn't work, you were focused on football, and I felt utterly alone" you wipe a treacherous tear "We weren't a couple anymore. I didn't have a partner"

"Mommy! Daddy!" Julian got into the house all wet and hugged you. "Do you want to see how I jump into de pool?"

"Julian, mommy is here to pick you up" Joe explained "Go and tell your sister" Julian nodded and went happily to his sister. Joe attention was on you again. "We should speak about this with more time"

"Why? Are you trying to marry me again?" you joked frustrated he wasn't listening again. "Yes, I never wanted a divorce" he replied ardently. The confession hit you. "Then, why did you fill the divorce?"

"Because I was scared..." the footsteps didn't let him finish "I'll send you a message, please"

You left Joe's house confused and heartbroken. Even though, you couldn't avoid the hope growing in your chest.

Let me know if you want a second part. I think it would be cool.

[gilverrwrites]

STOP WAIT THE TIM DRAKE WITH SIONIS!READER THAT WAS AMAZING

love academic rivals to lovers frfr

anyway but tim is also canonically a high school drop out so sionis!reader finishing school without him (technically dropped out when bruce went missing) 💀 idk why but with roman hating the wayne clan so much, I could see it being kept secret.

like a cute little forbidden fruit/secret relationship. robin & the daughter of the most notorious crime lord in the city?? jeez and you wanna ask why bruce/roman are paranoid /hj

but it's them sneaking around and then tim obviously leaves for his search for batman, dropping out of school, and it leaves sionis!reader all alone.

and then tim comes back!! and bruce is back but bruce doesn't really matter to them(reader), because tim left without a word, without a goodbye, and now he's back and I can imagine all the changes between that happened in that year he was too, the angst of him coming back.

like, would they try to find tim? would they try to go to wayne manor and figure out what the hell happened? I feel like it opens the door to possibilities between them

Hang in there, this is a real rambley ramble.

Ngl, I was picturing it for when he went to Ivy (which he also dropped out of lmao), and I like the idea of them being upfront about it for the comedy/reluctant acceptance angle, but there is still the potential for drama. However, I can see the appeal of them keeping it totally secret too (I'm gonna talk about that later in the post).

For now, heres my vision: You’re Romans favourite kid, his perfect lil angel child, the only one who wants anything to do with him so he dotes on you (to the extent that Roman can dote on anyone) and you go to him one day like; “I get perfect grades, I never miss curfew, I help with the family business, I never ask you for anything, PLEASE accept my boyfriend.” And at first `Roman’s just like… “No.”

Queue the “But Daddy I love him!” tantrum.

Unlike with Jason, Roman has never had any strong feelings toward Tim other than a general distaste cause of the Wayne association, so eventually he tries to come around, but it’s just awkward, and Tim hates it too cause he know your dad is Black Mask, and he can’t do anything without risking being exposed as Red Robin or upsetting you by causing a scene/fight. Is it to much to ask for the two most important men in your life to get along for one dinner? Please?

So, every time they meet the vibes are just off. However, they’re both trying really hard to get along cause they love you.

One night Tim unintentionally catches Black Mask red-handed and he can’t not do his job. The whole time they're fighting, Tim has this whole internal monologue going on about whether he should let Roman off with a warning for your sake, but eventually he’s like WWBD?

So, he hands Roman over to the authorities and the next day he sees you and your bawling! Inconsolable! Your dad is going to prison, your life is ruined. You’re also a bit of drama queen but validly tbh, what will this do for your social standings? Your college applications? Your career aspirations? Fuck Red Robin, you hate that guy!

You were raised by Roman Sionis, of course your inherited at least a little of his melodromatic genes.

Even though you're distressed Tim can’t keep from being like ‘You're mad at the wrong person here! Red Robin is the good guy! You're dad is the criminal, he wouldn't have been arrested if he wasn't a bad person! Who does bad things! He needs to face justice!”

It becomes a massive-ass argument until you’re like “Why can’t you be normal about this? I love my dad and this is going to have a huge effect on my life, why can’t you just be upset for me?”

Tim doesn’t have an answer cause the answer is "I'm Red Robin" but fuck that guy, right? The whole issue goes unresolved.

Or maybe he does snap and tell you the truth but that just makes things worse! "You're my boyfriend and you arrested my father! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?"

When you visit him at Blackgate, your father is quietly elated by the break up, he doesn’t say as much. He plays the concerned father, offers you comfort. He reminds you that when he killed lost his parents, it started a new age of loyalty amonst the Sionis clan. As long as you're good to your family (him), it will be good to you. Oh, and btw, he needs you to handle a few things while he's gone. Don't worry, your family pisses money, he'll be out of here in no time but this stuff is important and time sensitive, and he needs you to keep it on the down low.

The next time you see Tim, he’s Red Robin and you’re the one he catches in the act.

Also, Tim telling that Bat-Fam “So yeah, I’m seeing someone new, it’s Y/N Sionis.” And everyone looks at Steph for a second, then back to Tim and is like “Dude! Get a new type!”

Also also, you visit the Wayne family for the first time, and after growing up drilled to hate these people you’re lowkey so nervous. You’re expecting them to hate you, because you learned nothing from presuming the same thing about Tim. The youngest one is definitely scary, and the butler must be convinced you’re gonna steal something because he will not allow you to be left alone (he’s remembering teenage Roman hanging out with teenage Bruce and being the worst), but otherwise everyone is actually kinda chill. Maybe a bit overly polite but not unpleasant.

But I can totally see the appeal of them keeping it totally secret too. Especially if Tim tells you about being Red Robin. How it might force you to come to terms with your morality by enabling your father/not holding him accountable. Major existential crisis material.

Of if he doesn’t tell you, the angst of your boyfriend just up and leaving without a word, not responding to your calls, texts, emails.

When he does come back you’ve ‘moved on’. Or you thought you had until you saw him again. But after he left you high and dry you’re fuming, and won’t allow him to just walk skate back into your life.

Tim pining after you while you’re excelling in your college/job pursuit. You keep catching glimpses of Red Robin while you’re out on dates or visiting your dad. Tim tells himself he’s just vetting your new boyfriends or ensuring your dad isn’t up to no good. But really its because he’s missed you and doesn’t know how to make up for cutting you out of his life.

He also notices how you never bring your dates home. How you still bury yourself in his old hoodie at night. How you haven’t finished binge watching that show the two of you were working on together. Those little nuggets of hope are what keeps him hanging on.

[empressgeekt]

Trolls - Branch and Keith Brothers AU

HI!!! I'm back! With more Trolls plot bunnies. This one does not take place in the Prince Char Au, or the Veneer re-carnation one. It's completely separate and closer to canon.

Pre-movie.

Keith is the little trolling who likes to watch his parents sleep, and it's clear by the reactions from his classmates that he's not the most popular kid. A bit of a odd outsider, that finds happiness in things that others don't. There's another troll in Pop village who's a bit of an outsider, our favorite grump, Branch.

Branch would be in the village market one winter day, making some rare purchases rather then getting them from the wilds, when he first comes across Keith. The trolling would've been lost, left behind by his classmates. Branch would be a little confused by the kids blankness, but he isn't going to leave a kid lost in the snow, and helps Keith get back home to his dad. One the way he asks if this, keith getting left behind, happened often. Keith would blankly gripe about it, and how he thought his friends didn't actually like him, and he didn't think he liked them. Branch says that friends should like each other.

Couple of weeks later, Branch is working on gathering supplies, and Keith appears out of no where, then continues to follow the grey troll. When Branch asks what Keith is doing. Keith says, "You said befriend people I like." "Yeah so?" "I like you."

It throws Branch off, no one liked him.

Keith would continue to find and follow Branch for the next few days, it's only after a chance run in with a predator, that the grey troll realizes this kid isn't going away, and he starts training Keith in the ways of survival. Even more shockingly Keith listens to him when he's teaching. Everyone in the village always called Branch crazy with his survival bunker and apocalypse prep, but Keith listens intently. Even if it doesn't appear like it. Branch teaches Keith about, the forest, which fruits were safe to eat and where/when they grew. How to defend yourself from different type dangerous predators. And even about some of the extra traps and defenses Branch made for the village.

Branch gets used to his new little protégée, and honestly likes being able to pass on his knowledge to someone. He eventually learns to read the subtle differences in Keith's expressionless expressions to know how the kid's mood is, whether it's happy or upset. One day, Keith comes to visit Branch upset. Seeing the kid angry makes something in Branch's stomach turn, and he has this need to fix it. He doesn't know how, he hasn't comforted someone in years. So, pulling from vague memories of Floyd helping him when Branch was upset, he asks Keith what's wrong. Keith's upset about the other kids calling his school project weird. They were supposed to make a short presentation on people, they care about and Keith chose Branch. None of the kids would listen to him and said, that Branch was weirdo, and Keith was weirdo and they deserved each other. It made Keith Mad, because, he doesn't think Branch is weird, he thinks the Grey troll is cool and he doesn't want people to be mean to him. Branch does his best to console, Keith saying that sometimes people just don't agree with you no matter how hard you try to convince them, sometimes people just can't hear you.

K: Some times it feels like no one hears me

B: Yeah, I get that. it sucks, Makes you think their something wrong with you. But there isn't. Different doesn't mean bad, it just means you see things other don't.

Keith hugs Branch, and he can't turn the kid away. It's the first person the grey troll hugs in nearly twenty years.

K: Thank you, Branch

B: No problem kid, I'm always here.

K: I've always wanted a brother.

After this, Branch fully is attached. He goes all out for Keith any chance he gets. He's always there if Keith is upset, or to help with home work. Keith is one of the few people Branch allows in the Bunker. Branch makes sure, that he'd be the brother to Keith that his own were never to him. Always there.

Especially when Keith suddenly loses his dad. Branch fights and fights hard to keep Keith, knowing just how much the grief of losing a caretaker is crushing the kid. Unsurprisingly, the Pop trolls foster system fails Keith and eventually Branch gains his custody. "Let the outsider raise an outsider." Keith moves into the bunker, and Branch is with the trolling no matter what, making sure that this kid never goes Grey like he did. Though, waking up to Keith just staring at him is a little startling at first, but branch gets over it, anything to make the kid more comfortable.

By the events of the first movie, Keith has fully moved in with Branch and stays with him during the Chef's attack. And after the whole village is hidden in the bunker by Poppy, Keith pushes Branch to go after her. Peppy stepping up to watch over Keith while Branch is gone. All through out the mission Branch is thinking about Keith, worried how he's fair one his own, because while he can trust Peppy to make sure Keith doesn't die, he doesn't' trust the king to take care of Keith's mental health. They're reunion in the bergan pot is a hard one. On one hand, Branch is happy to have Keith back in sight, but on the other he feels like a failure for not being able to protect Keith from getting eaten. And When Keith goes grey in his arms...let's just say Branch isn't going down with out a fight.

I have no plans for World Tour, other then the possibility of Keith ending up captured with Poppy, and Barb mistaking Keith as her and Branch's son.

Its in Band together that things get a little more interesting...

Keith is Gristle and Bridget's ring bearer, though the rings are to big for him to hold, so he just stands inside of them to keep them from rolling away, with a very flat smile. Poppy and Branch end up dating in this two, and she does put in effort to get to know Keith, understanding that the trolling would be in branch's care for years to come. She's not as good at reading him, but she's getting better at it. And she finds Branch's caregiver side, adorable.

"Stop the Wedding!"

When John Dory shows up, Keith leaves his post, and runs to Branch after the elder troll was finished being man handled, bY JD. John is thrown off by the sight of a tiny Trolling in Branch's Arms. Seriously, when did his baby brother get a baby? Or a girlfriend? Was the kid theirs? Oh crap he missed a lot....

Keith is angry, through out the course of the third movie. Branch had already told him about their (yes, their, Keith is branch's brother now, which sadly makes him also related to these idiots) brothers, and how they all walked out on him. Keith has seen how much this hurt Branch, and how much they are hurting Branch now, he's clinging to his older brother all through out the mission.

Bruce is also shocked, and kind of feels bad, because Keith would be in Branch's hair when Bruce tossed him jostling the trolling. But he likes kids, so quickly warms up to the idea of Keith being a new baby brother. Even if he creeps Bruce out. And Keith is constantly creeping him out on purpose...thought Bruce doesn't realize it.

Keith doesn't like the hustle button.

Clay is scared of Keith. Because thanks to living with Branch the trolling can point out all of his safety measures and traps, understand how the work, and how to out smart them.

While practicing, John tries to get Keith toe join in but the trolling will only sing the words in the same flat stale note. Branch knows he's messing with john (Keith naturally sings flat but he's not that tone deaf) but doesn't say anything. Keith is hugging Branch all through out the fight, and along with poppy promises to not leave.

Floyd's too tired to really notice Keith until after he's rescued, however he's curious about the trolling. He feels proud watching Branch take care of trolling, but it also makes his stomach churn. Watching Branch with Poppy and Keith it feels like he's looking in on a family that Branch built and he missed it. Floyd would move into the bunker continuing his recovery, and during that is where he really interacting with Keith. He finds the kid adorable, not in the sparkly eyes way that Branch was but utterly adorable none the less. Keith becomes family to him too.

The fic would conclude with All the brother's accepting the fact that Branch and Keith are a package deal, and apologizing to branch for abandoning him (Keith and Poppy don't let them get away with shit). There's no long five brothers in Brozone, but six....and at least three sister-in-law...

-----

This now has a fic of the beginning

link - https://archiveofourown.org/works/55380961/chapters/140510860

[worldofkuro]

Painted Smile

Painted Smile XXXIV

<- Previous Chapter I Next Chapter ->

Summary: You couldn't wait to meet new friends. What you didn't expect was this smiling little boy, only one year older than you, that would take such a big place in your life.

Notes: I hoped you'll enjoy today's chapter . The plan is on montion... But whose plan?

Alastor’s plan seemed pretty easy to do, framing John wouldn’t be hard, you knew your father would help you if you insisted, even if he was retired now. John had been obsessed with you and Alastor since you began a couple and he had taken both cases that were related to you: Alastor’s father’s disappearance  and your best friend, Alice,  death.

It could be suspicious enough, or maybe you need to find more clues to make it more impacting..?

“ Mommy, what are you thinking about?”

You looked at Alice who was in the bath with you. She was trying to wash her long hair by herself. Most of the time you would help her but today she decided she was old enough  to not be helped. So you were watching her fight her hair before drifting in your mind.

“ I’m wondering if you are going to win against your hair?” You giggled as you took a comb, ready to help your daughter. Alice gave up but smiled when you began brushing her long locks. 

“ How was school, Alice?”

“ It was okay. They are all idiots.”

“ What? Why do you say that?” You asked worriedly. You were already imagining scenarios of your sweet baby girl being bullied because of something the other kids deemed enough to push away your daughter. 

“ They don’t understand when I’m talking!” She raised her hands in the air, clearly upset.

“ What are you talking about?” you asked calmly.

“ About Radio! I’m talking about Dad’s work, and how I know that the teacher is angry but I don’t know why and everyone is so loud !” Your eyes widened as your daughter punched the water with her tiny fist, frustrated and upset. You could see tiny tears in the corner of her eyes which made your heart clenched.

You took your child in your arms, caressing her back, waiting for her to calm herself down. You knew how it was to feel everything at once, you used to be easily overwhelmed with your feelings and mostly your instinct, sometimes you wondered if you were paranoid but after all those past experiences, you realized you could trust your instinct. 

You didn’t expect Alice to be like you, after all she seemed to have the same personality as your husband. Even if she was suffering because of how empathy she had, you couldn’t help but be happy, she had taken this from you. You could teach her to learn how to manage those feelings that could make her lose her rationality.

“ Well, you know, mommy had the same problems when she was younger, even now sometimes.” You smiled when you saw Alice lifting her head to look at you with curiosity and wonder. “ I was always wondering why I could feel others' emotions…So my mother gave me a little trick. Try to create a shield around you. When the shield is around you, you can’t be affected by others. Okay?”

Alice nodded before nuzzling against you with a smile. You kissed the top of her head, hugging her strongly against you. You loved her so much… Once Trey was taken care of, you knew she would live in a safer world…

“ So, is there really nobody that seems interesting at school?” you asked, relieved when you felt your child’s relaxed body against yours.

“ Mhn… No… Not yet… I have Eamon with me, so I’m okay!” She smiled at you happily.

You kissed her forehead before getting out of the bath, holding your daughter against yours, drying her with a towel and then dressing her so she could go to bed easily when she was tired. Once dressed up she took Eamon against her and ran into the living room, turning the radio on and jumping on the sofa when Alastor's voice came from the device.

“ Well, New Orleans, I might have some news for you.” Alastor claimed. You sat next to Alice who was jumping on the sofa, giggling as she heard her father’s voice. You both listened to your husband’s broadcast, laughing at his punny jokes that you loved so much. So many people were calling to speak with him, and no matter their personality, Alastor managed to charm them.

“ Hello, sir, can I ask you a question.” 

“ Well, dear listener, ask away.” 

“ I’m suspicious of the Felleur family.”

You gasped, putting your hand in front of your mouth. Did you hear right? Did someone call Alastor so he could talk about the Felleur? You bit your lips as Alastor’s laughter echoed from the radio. 

“ Well, that’s a dangerous statement, my dear fellow. Why would you say this?”

“ I… Alice Richemont’s killer hasn’t been found and yet she is– was one of the most famous personalities of New Orleans. Her father fell into depression but isn’t her husband living his life to the fullest ? Shouldn’t he use all of his influence to find the killer? ”

“ That is interesting, my dear. But the murder was 5 years ago, don’t you think he moved one?” Asked Alastor.

“ Yes, that’s what I thought… But we are talking about a murder, not a calm death…Furthermore since the stock market crash, the Felleur family are losing a lot of money. Maybe he always wanted to earn money from the RicheMont ?”

You were playing with Alice’s hair as she was playing with Eamon, not caring about the broadcast anymore. This person seemed to know too much about the RicheMont’s wealth… His voice was familiar too… You looked at your daughter before looking to your right.

“ Do you think you could find who is talking?” You whispered.

You smiled as the wind moved your hair, moving around your body before dashing out of the window, bashing them open, making Alice jump. You kissed her forehead with a cunning smile.

“ Why don’t we prepare dinner for Dad?”

Alice squealed in delight before rushing to the kitchen. You made Alastor’s favorite dish, your daughter helped you with so much joy you couldn’t help but smile at her. She was talking with Eamon, explaining to it what you were doing. 

After a few minutes, the winds bursted your doors open before rushing toward you. You closed one eye as the air was moving around your head, whispering into your ears. You smirked when it told you that the one who called Alastor was the butler from the RicheMont’s family. 

You weren’t even surprised, Alastor must have asked him to spy on Trey. But you were worried, you knew Trey was intelligent… You would almost say he was on the same level as Alastor. Won’t Trey find out he had been betrayed ? Maybe he already knew it? Maybe he was using Alastor to–

“ Mommy?”

You turned your head toward your daughter who was looking at you worriedly. You kneeled down at her level and smiled when she laughed because of the wind who was messing with her air. 

You didn’t need to worry… but you had to be careful. Tonight or tomorrow you would go to the Richemont’s mansion to find some clues. Alastor would be angry but you needed to be sure your instinct was wrong.

When Alastor finally came home, he seemed very satisfied with himself. He walked toward you and kissed your forehead before petting Alice’s head. 

“ What an amazing show, right?”

You kissed him with a smirk as Alice ran to the kitchen, already sitting on her seat. You looked at your husband with a teasing smile.

“ Yes, using Alice’s butler to not be the one to say the news was clever.”

You couldn't help but laugh when Alastor looked at you with a surprise expression. You knew he was hiding things from you, and you didn't hold it against him. You knew Alastor would do anything to protect you, and he was too full of himself to get himself killed. But you loved teasing him.

“ You recognized his voice?” He asked you with an amused smile. You winked at him before going into the kitchen. You heard him chuckled which gave you butterflies in your belly. All of you sat on the table and you gave everyone their share of food.

“ Now, if I remember correctly, tomorrow is the day where Alice will come with you to your workplace, right?” You smiled at Alice who was buzzing with excitement on her chair. Alastor looked at your daughter with a smirk.

“ Really? I don’t think so…”

Alice’s face fell. She grasped her father’s shirt, never touching his skin. You wondered if Alastor had taught Alice to never touch him or if your daughter could feel it? 

“ But Dad, it's the school's project I told you about… We have to go to our parent’s work for a day…” She whispered, her eyes being teary. You couldn’t help but feel your heart break at her adorable and heartbreaking display.

Alastor was looking at her with his usual smile, drinking from his cup. You kicked him under the table, making him choke before looking at you.

“ Of course, he didn't forget Alice! “

“ Yes, I just don’t want to.”

“ So! Tomorrow you will go with him for a full day!” You winked at your daughter who beamed at your words. She ran toward you and hugged your waist, squealing in delight. You patted her head with a fond smile before peeking at your husband.

Alastor was looking at Alice before shaking his head with a smirk. You laughed when you saw your husband’s shadow tugging at Alice’s dress, making her run after it. You looked at your other half with a smirk, raising an eyebrow. You knew he did it because he wanted to talk to you privately.

“ Yes, my dear husband ?”

“ Why don’t you come too?” He asked, taking your hand in his. 

You tilted your head but you couldn’t help but smile when you understood that Alastor was asking you to come watching him work with Alice. You stood up before falling on his knees, wrapping your arms around his shoulders with a big smile.

“ Really? Can I? I know you prefer working alone…”

“ Yes, alone, but with you.”

You kissed him softly, shivering when you felt his hands moving on your waist. You placed your head against his shoulder with a soft smile. You could feel his hand massage your thighs and his teeth nipping at your shoulder. 

“ Mommy! I want to go to the lake!”

You turned your head toward your daughter who was holding Eamon against her with a big smile. Alastor’s shadow was behind her with a big excited grin and your own shadow was grimacing. You looked at your husband who sighed before standing up, carrying you like a bride.

“ You need to learn how to swim…”

You moaned, you truly didn’t want to learn how to swim. You really didn't like deep water but as you saw your daughter running toward the lake with yours and Alastor’s shadow you couldn’t help but smile.

Alastor put you on the floor before taking his shoes and socks off. He walked in the water, Alice on his hips. He looked at you and held his hand toward you with his confident smile you loved so much.

 You rolled your eyes to him even if you were smiling. You took his hand , holding the pans of your dress with the other. You walked toward your husband and daughter with a soft smile. The water was above your knees so it wasn’t  very scary at the moment.

Alice was pointing to some fish that were curious enough to swim closer to you. They weren’t coming close to Alastor but mostly toward you, making him chuckle. You tilted your head at him, you wondered why the fish were staying around you..? You were scared to hurt them if you decided to move out from the water and your legs hitted them.

Finally, after a moment, you were sitting on the edge of the lake with Eamon on your knees while Alastor was teaching Alice how to swim. He was holding her by the waist, showing her how to move while she was happily playing with the water. You looked at the sky, closing your eyes, listening to your daughter’s laughter and your husband’s voice.

It was during those kinds of moments that, even after everything that had happened, you felt like you succeeded in your life. 

“ Dad, I want to learn to use your rifle like you!”

“ Of course.”

“ Alastor no!”

The next day, you were all dressed up, ready to go to Alastor’s workplace. You put Alice in the backseat with Eamon, she was so excited it was so cute to see. You kissed her cheek before going to your seat and then Alastor drove you to his radio booth.

When you entered the building, you giggled when Alice ran to Victor who put down the huge pile of papers and spun her in the air. After a brief chat with him, you took Alice’s hands in yours and you walked toward Alastor’s office. He unlocked it and then began his usual routine. You sat with Alice on a chair as Alastor was getting ready to start his morning broadcast.

“ We have to stay quiet, okay, Alice?”

Your daughter hummed, playing quietly with her plushie. You were kind of relieved Alice talked a lot with your old plushie, the child inside you was happy your deer would still be a source of comfort.

“ Hello, New Orleans! I hope you are doing well, thank you for tuning in. I have my first and  precious guests for today.”

You blinked as Alastor gestured to you to come closer with a smirk. Did he want to participate in his broadcast? In front of so many people ?

You little… What are you asking me to do?

‘ Come here.’

Alice jumped off your knees, running toward her father with a big smile. She took a seat next to him and approached her face to the microphone.

“ My daughter Alice is here. Why don’t you say some words to all our dear listeners ?”

“ Hello, New Orleans !” She beamed, copying her father’s words. You smiled when you saw Alastor proud smirk as he patted your daughter’s head. He then turned his eyes toward you with the special glint in his gaze that was only for you.

“ And, here is my darling wife.”

You stood up and walked toward him, leaning toward him before speaking in his microphone, never breaking your eye contact.

“ Hello, New Orleans…”

Alastor beamed before taking back his microphone, motioning you to sit next to him. You smiled as you watched him do what he loved. He sometimes would give you the microphone, saying the audience wanted to hear your thoughts,  and you would have a wave of nostalgia hitting you so hard you teared up.

Right now, you were in Alastor’s own radio booth, he was the most listened radio host. You almost saw yourself in his old room when you were kids, playing with his fake microphone, doing a broadcast about your childish worries, the only audience being Marie and Eamon… And here you were, with his child on your laps, listening to him talking with a real audience.

Were you being emotional ? Maybe, yes.

You had fun, Alastor asked you to sing while Alice was dancing, he would tell some jokes that you would laugh at. Alice would sometimes steal your husband’s microphone and talk into it before Alastor took the mic back.

You even talked with the audience, some asking you if you were a singer because your voice smooths them in a way they didn't. Some others asked you if you were single, or how was life with Alastor’s as your husband. 

You laughed at Alastor’s face when he heard these questions being asked. 

Finally, around noon, Alastor ended his broadcast, saying he would be back at 5. He turned toward you with a big smile on his face.

“ I told you, you would be my first guest on my broadcast.”

You hugged him, sniffling against his shoulder.

He did say that when he was younger, he told you, you would be his first guest on his radio broadcast. You lifted your head toward him and closed your eyes when he pressed his lips against yours. It was during those moments that you knew, you could take everything that life would throw at you.

“ Ew.”

You turned toward Alice who was grimacing, hiding Eamon’s eyes. You chuckled, looking at Alastor with an amused smile. Your husband was smirking at his daughter, raising an eyebrow at her.

“ Don’t look at us like that, brat.”

“ Don’t do disgusting things then!”

You laughed as Alice raised her arms to her father who carried her in his arms. You kissed his cheek before the three of you went out to eat something. You went into a restaurant and ate delicious dishes. 

Now, you wanted to find some clues about Trey in the Richemont’s mansion, where the monster was staying. You also wanted to talk to Maurice and the butler, you needed to know if they could work with you to get rid of Trey.

“ Now, it’s time to go back.”

“Right now? But you said you would come back at 5 pm.. It’s only 2.” You tilted your head as Alastor asked Alice to clean her face. Your husband looked at you with his usual charming smile.

“ Yes, but I always go there to be sure I have everything under control. That’s my routine.” 

You looked at Alice who yawned and then looked at your husband.

“ I think I will do some shopping, I saw a few things that I want. Why don’t you go back with Alice?She will sleep soundly.  I’ll join you just after.” You smiled at him. He tilted his head, you could almost see his mind trying to find a way for you to stay with them. “ I’m a big girl.”

“Oh, I know. It’s just, I expected to be ‘attacked’ by the Felleur because of my last broadcast. I tackled badly about Trey and John and yet nothing happened.”

“ That’s why I want to go to the RicheMont’s mansion to find some clues.” You said, after all, your instincts were screaming at you that something bad was happening.

Alastor smiled at you proudly before nodding. He paid for the meal and carried a sleeping Alice in his arms. You kissed him before going in another way, toward the RicheMont’s house.

You never came back here since the murder, you couldn’t. You would have flashbacks about Alice’s mutilated corpse.

You shook your head before knocking at the door and gave a strained smile at the maid who opened the door. She must have been new because she was a total stranger to you, but she seemed surprised to see you, and yet, she led you to the salon, never asking about your name. Maybe Maurice asked the maids and butlers to let you enter no matter what? But you couldn’t help but feel suspicious of the maid…

Once you entered the salon, you almost thought you saw your best friend sitting on the sofa, waiting for you but of course there wasn't anyone waiting for you… You watched as the maid bowed before leaving.

You sat on the chair and waited for Maurice to come greet you. You knew he would come to see you, even more if he talked with Alastor about Trey’s implication on his daughter’s murder…

Twenty minutes had passed and no one fetched you … weird…

“ Check the surroundings…” you whispered, your eyes trained on the floor.

Your shadow dashed out of the room and the wind around you moved softly in the mansion, trying not to make a mess. You waited a minute before the door opened, you turned your head toward the door and gasped when you saw the butler. He seemed really surprised to see you there.

“ Mrs. Sanglar, how come nobody told me you were here.”

“ I don’t know, a maid opened the door and let me enter.” You smiled at him, standing up and shaking his hand.  He frowned, keeping your hand in his.

“ You better be careful, miss. Mister Felleur had taken new employees, the ones faithful to the RicheMont have been replaced… I might be the only one left.”

Understanding what the wind wanted to tell you was difficult. It would give you everything he heard, even the thing you didn't care about. So when you felt the wind coming back in the salon you were surprised about how loud his whispers were.

But what made you react was the sounds of Maurice's pained voice. You looked at the butler, hoping your eyes weren’t red right now.

“ Where is Mr. Richemont?”

“ In his room, I’ll fetch him for you–”

You ran toward the room, feeling even more suspicious when you remarked that there weren't any maids or butlers in the corridor of the mansion.

What is happening here ? The wind carried multiplied voices to you and yet no one was here.

You bashed the door open and your eyes widened at the scene.

The maid that opened the door for you was in front of Maurice, with a knife in her hands. You could see your shadow keeping her caged in its embrace, snarling at the maid that was trying to free herself.

You saw Maurice’s face and gasped when you saw his right eye had been removed and a smile had been carved on his face. That couldn’t be… You couldn’t move, completely, dumbfounded by the scene in front of you.

“ Mr-Mrs San-Sngl…”

He was still alive.

Your eyes flashed red and you ordered your shadow to squeeze the maid even harder, until she let go of the knife in her hand.

She then turned her face toward you and you froze at the sight. 

Her eyes were like gold.

You screamed in pain when you saw her burning your shadow with her hand which was glowing yellow. You took your shadow back which was snarling at the woman who dared hurted it.

“ Damn it… Couldn’t you stay at your place?” She asked, playing with her knife. She was looking at you without any trace of remorse or … even any kind of emotions. What was she?

“ Why are you doing this?”

“ For our Lord and Master.” She claimed. You didn’t have the time to ask more as she rushed toward you. 

You raised your hand toward her and used your shield to trap her. She screamed at you and you couldn't help but smirk as she bashed her fist against the invisible bariere you created.

“ Sir Richemont !” You heard the butler running inside the room, trying to keep Maurcie awake.

Fuck, now you couldn’t use your power.

You quickly dropped your shield and the woman ran toward you with her knife ready to dive into your chest.

Since your last fight, 5 years ago, Alastor has taught you hand in hand combat. Because your powers were mostly for long distance, he had to teach you how and where to punch and kick. You would have to thank him.

You dodge her knife and punch her in the jaw, making her lose her balance.

“ Call an ambulance!” You shouted to the butler as you dodged one punch. The butler did as you ordered him, running toward the telephone, calling for help.

You used your shadow to trip the maid. You needed to gain time, but you weren’t sure the police could handle her. Furthermore, the woman wasn’t surprised to see your power, which meant two things:

She knew who you were and was working with Trey.

She punched you on the head, making you stumble against the wall.Your eyes were shining red and hers were shining gold… was she also working with Lucifer..? Damn it, this fallen angel was making things difficult!

“ Damn it, I almost did it perfectly!” She shouted as you smirked at her. “ Why are you even here? Why didn’t you stay with your husband and kid?” She spat at you but froze when she heard the sirens.

Finally, the ambulance…

But before you could restrained her once more, she took the knife and sliced her own throat. You watched as her body fell on the ground, the office silent once more. What the… Did she really take her own life ? And…

How did she know you were supposed to be with Alastor and Alice…? 

“ Police, hands in the air!”

You turned toward the door and saw John entering the room. He stared at the macabre scene and ordered his colleagues to take care of the scene. Paramedics ran into the office and took care of Maurice.

“ Mrs. Sanglar..?”

You turned toward John’s voice who seemed surprised to see you here. You didn’t have the time to explain to him why you were here. Your bad feeling was still here, which means something bad was happening somewhere else.

“ Please, take me to Alastor’s workplace.”

He stared at you before nodding. He ran outside the Richemont’s mansion with you. You looked behind you and almost swore you saw Alice looking at you via the windows. Was she thanking you for saving her father..?

You entered the police’s car and John drove you where you needed to be.

“Why are you always at the crime scene?” He asked you tiredly.

“ The maid was torturing Mr. Richemont.” You explained, praying for him to listen to you for once.

“ The maid… you mean the dead woman?”

“ Yes.”

“ I see. Is she also a copycat? I saw Mr.Richemont’s injuries on his face.”

You wanted to tell him that it was the same as five years ago. The christian couple who killed a woman, trying to copy your way of killing, and those two were hired by Trey and so was the maid. But the christian couple have never been asked for, nobody cared for them, no one went to the police to ask about their disappearance. So, talking about them wouldn’t be helpful.

“ Yes, but don’t you think this is a little too convenient for your cousin? Why would that maid, hired by Trey,try to kill Mr.RicheMon when we know that the Feller needs money? Please, John, for the love of God, listen to me.” You almost beg. You were tired of fighting on every front. For once, couldn’t you get someone that would help you and not fight you.

“ That’s what I told you last time when you were with your daughter… I wanted to go for a coffee, or wherever you wanted, so you could explain everything to me…”

You stared at him, shocked. Was he telling the truth..? You didn’t want to be betrayed, not again.

“ Why… You never wanted to listen to me, always listening to your greedy wishes…” You whispered.

“ I won’t lie, even married and with a kid… I… I still love you. I crave you, my worst fear was you ignoring me… So I decided to make you notice me, even if it meant that you would look at me with hate or disgust… At least you would look at me… Pathetic isn't it…” He chuckled nervously as he stepped on gas.

You stared at him, not sure how to understand it.

“ But no matter, I’m an honorable policeman of New Orleans. I want to catch Alice– our friend’s killer. So, if you know who it is, please give me any information.”

You wanted to believe him and yet..

“ What about Alastor..?”

“ Alastor heh.. I still think he is a murderer… But not Alice’s. So, if it makes you trust me more, I would gladly– no, no, not gladly, I would be lying. I would work with Alastor to catch the killer.”

“ The killer is Trey Felleur, I already told you.”

You saw his hand grip the steering wheel harding, his teeth sinking into his teeth.

“ … Okay…”

You stared at him, dumbfounded.

“ You understand… That I find the situation weird.”

“ Yes, who wouldn’t ? I harassed you since you decided that you didn’t want me… I even said horrible stuff to make you like me more…” He sighed. “ But I think… When I heard that you gave birth to a baby… I… I changed ?.. I still want you, I’m sorry, I don’t think it’s going to change… but, I want to … I want you to be able to think that… If needed, I could help you.”

You stared at the man next to you. He stopped at a red light and his green eyes fell into your gaze. Your instinct was telling you he wasn’t lying but you couldn’t listen to it. You were good at feeling the energy around people, how they felt… But what if you were reading him wrong?

You would have to talk with Alastor about it.

“ I’ll talk with Alastor first. I still don’t trust you.”

He laughed, his body relaxed. He seemed really relieved that you didn't shut him off.

Did John really change in five years…?

He parked in front of Alastor’s workplace. He opened the door for you.

“ I hope… I hope a new start is possible between us.. We lost Alice… I don’t want you to be injured or killed because of .. Trey.”

You nodded before looking at the building behind you. Should you ask John to come with you so he could talk with Alastor? You knew Alastor would see if he was lying and your husband could find a use for the policeman…

“ John–”

You screamed as a huge explosion was heard and your body was projected against the car. Your head hit the car’s body, making you almost lose consciousness. You could feel your shadow trying to nudge you, but your body was so heavy… You opened with difficulty your eyes and you saw John’s bloodied face above yours.

“ Are you okay?” he shouted.

You sat up, feeling like you could throw up. What was going on…? You lifted your head and watched with horror the scene before you.

Your husband’s work place was on fire.

You could hear people’s cries of anguish or pain, you could feel John’s voice trying to carry you to a safe place but you weren’t moving. You were desperately waiting for the wind to come to you and carry Alastor and Alice’s voice to you. 

But there was nothing, the wind carried you so many voices but none were from your daughter or husband.

You fell to your knees as people were running away from the building. You blinked, and lifted your head where you could feel a strong gaze on you. And there, you saw it.

 An eye.

A big eye in the sky staring at you.

An eye whose sclera was reddish, like it had been watching you without blinking for too long, but the pupils of the eyes were yellow, almost gold like. 

Trey’s eye.

“ Don’t !”

You ran toward the burning fire, never looking back. You needed to save your family, you could still feel Eamont, Alastor and Alice’s aura, you needed to save them before Trey’s flame burned everything you cherished.

Tag List: @lukneetoonz @martinys-world @littlepoetnova @sirens-and-moonflowers @eris-norwega @tiredflame132 @mo-0-o @vvollerie @sodavizz @boogiemansbitch @tessemerick @slytherin4ever @kammsinn @alastorssimp @t0xic1vi @diamond-almond @fangirlbitch02 @saccharine-nectarine @thenorthnightingale @bibliophile-yomna @itzjustj-1000 @mothraantics @yourdoorisunlocked @phamtasic @karmakillz @holographicage @sarcastic-sourwolf @akuraluna2468 @everwolf-20 @thesunandmoons-blog @songbrita @noraunor @fandomsbookclub @hokkaido97 @catticora @gasiacos @charlottemorningstarsdarling @nekee-lilac02 @thevisforveronica @ellie0o0 @holymusicalmothman

[cheriladycl01]

The Rookie Prodigy - Carlos Sainz x Driver! Reader Part 4

Plot: You are a rookie coming into the 2022 season of Formula One into Alfa Romeo with team member Zhou Guanyu, being in a mid tier team can you help them rise up the ranks. What pressures occur for the only rookies within the 2022 line up!

After Saudi, you and Zhou travelled all the way back to Switzerland to the Sauber Factory where you had a debrief. You talked about your unfortunate DNF but how it shouldn't affect you going into Australia. Talked about Zhou's consistent P11 and that he just needed to push a little harder to get in the reach of points.

You'd spent a good few days there, getting photo's, doing promo's for some of the sponsor brands you guys were partnered with this year and trying to work out what you guys could improve on the car.

It was a good few days but, heading back to your parents home was strange. Nowhere had quiet ever felt like home to you, you'd lived between houses and hotels, the closest experience you'd ever had to finding a home was with Zhou and his family.

They would take you out for karting together and you would stay in the spare bedroom.

Once you left Switzerland you spent all your time up until race weekend with your family. Now they were a little older and had retired they'd managed to retire with quite the fortune, enough to keep them going on holidays whenever they felt like it.

They had time for you now, which felt even stranger considering you were never that close to your parents arguably when you needed them the most and now that you were an adult with your own place they wanted to get to know you.

You couldn't decide if it was painful and endearing, but when they asked to attend the Australian race with you, you felt like things were getting weird.

They of course offered to pay for their own flights, hotel and any other expenses but they wanted to actually see you drive.

So now you were sat in the First Class lounge in Qatar waiting for your connection to Australia.

"How are you feeling about the race?" your dad asks you.

"Yeah, I mean... it's been hard you know I have no-one to look up to on the team. Zhou and I are setting the standard together. In some ways that drives me more, but at the same time it's a lot of self learning this year!" you nod, not really sure how you were feeling about your team this year.

"Do you think they'll see you talent and get you in a better car next year?" your mothers asks.

"I'm not sure, Charles did it after one year... maybe I can too. But everyone seems pretty set on where they are right now!" you explain, knowing the grid seemed pretty locked up until 2024. The only place you might be able to go would Red Bull if they took Sergio Perez out, which was likely considering he was struggling to second Max. But he'd most likely be replaced with the Red Bull B team, AlphaTauri. It was all very up in the air.

The race weekend started up and you barley saw people outside of you team. You tried to find Daniel, to see of he'd come round the city with you but it wasn't looking likely with the tight schedule you had.

"Y/N! Y/N Wait up!" a voice shout's coming out of the Ferrari hospitality, you head spins looking to who the voice come from, but because of the accent you already knew.

"Hello Carlos!" you smile, looking over him. He was wearing his team polo similar to you and jeans although you were wearing shorts as it was extremely hot.

"Come with me!" he tells you, grabbing your arm and pulling you through the paddock.

The great thing about the paddock was how busy it was, it was rare for you to get spotted or caught on camera because everyone was running around, moving stuff, getting to the places they needed to be, helping lost fans who had paddock passes.

Carlos pulled you into the back of the Ferrari motorhome close to the garage where the tires were all stacked and lined up.

"You look so beautiful" he smiles, tucking some hair behind your ear. You blushed not expecting the light touch.

"I'm just in my team gear Carlos!" you giggle, not understanding the appeal.

"Well, i think you look beautiful in everything, a true work of art" he smiles and before you can even thank him or react, he places a hand on your cheek. He starts to lean in, and it feels like your heart is moving so quickly unlike everything else that seems to slow.

And the worst part is you find yourself leaning in too.

You'd sworn you'd never date or get involved with a fellow driver just because you knew it wouldn't end well.

However, when your lips joined you couldn't stop yourself pushing yourself closer into him, deepening the kiss further. He held you closer, the kiss getting more and more heated making him grab at your hips, squeezing them tightly.

"Carlos!" you whisper looking into those vacant brown eyes that didn't have a thing swimming behind them other than adoration. You'd always thought his eyes looked so clueless like a confused puppy.

"Yes mi carina" he says looking down at you, in seconds your lifted up pushed against the wall as he helps your legs wrap around him before his lips attach themselves to yours again.

"Carlos, no we cant" you say pulling away, you push against his chest, and unwrap your legs from around his waist, accidentally pushing your crotch into his making him groan in satisfaction. You can feel him under his own trousers and it makes you scramble even quicker to get your two feet on the ground.

"W-What?" he asks panting a little from the heated make-out.

"We- we cant be doing this. We are colleges professional athlete colleges. And, its a conflict of interest. I'd be at risk for loosing my seat. We just cant do anything, I'm sorry" you explain with a frown before walking off. You shake your head, knowing you'd done the right thing, for the betterment of your career.

As a female you always had to be more careful what you did and what you said as your seat was already more at risk than anyone else's on the grid. You couldn't make this kind of blunder as it would simply ruin your career.

You made your way back to the Alpha Romeo garage, and you knew you'd have to avoid Carlos for the rest of the weekend until you could talk to someone privately and trusted about everything that happened.

You knew it would be Zhou, but you couldn't talk to him now with the nosy members in the garage that would always be wondering what was going on the drivers room, just to get the scoop.

The race was the most interesting Carlos head wasnt in the game after what happened with you. He was overthinking everything and when he got onto the race track, that all relayed. He made a stupid move, backed out of an overtake and spun off which was awful considering he'd qualified P8 and has a good line up to make his way up the ranks and get the team more points, maybe even a double Ferrari podium.

You on the other hand was solely focused on racing, your team only told you it was a Ferrari that crashed out, you made your way up the grid from twelfth where you'd originally started to end up in P8, your team were ecstatic for you but again Zhou missed out on the points for a rookie era that cost him, points of a second on P10.

"So how do you feel about P8, great come back after your unfortunate DNF in Saudi!" the interviewer asks you and you had the biggest smile on your face.

"Amazing, obviously its great from the team getting those points again, I think me and Zhou are both still learning as rookies and it can be hard where we are both rookies on the same team, but I think the more races we do the better drivers we become. Today was hard, but I'm happy where we are right now!" you grin explaining to the interviewer your feelings.

"It really was an amazing race for you today. I think I'll be bold and say that all of us are excited to see what you can do in a better car!" he smiles at you and you nod.

"I think it's really funny you say that. As a rookie, coming from F2 the car's are majorly different so getting used to a mid field car is much easier than fighting your own skills in the likes of a Ferrari or Mercedes or a Championship car of the Red Bull. So I'm happy gaining the skills I am, in the car that I am in now. It's a good car and I have a great team behind me!" you explain and he nods, loving your level of maturity.

"Well, we are all really excited to see what you can bring to the table in IMOLA, what do you plan to do with that break?" he asks and you shake your head.

"Yeah, I'm excited for IMOLA, its got some really tight corners that I'm excited to see how the car holds up! As for my break, I'll be training making sure my body is ready for a fight and in top notch condition, my trainers told me no cheat days until after IMOLA now, so it's going to be intense" you joke before he offers you a goodbye and you leave.

As your PR manager pulls you to the car, you look over seeing Carlos watching you, stood by his personal trainer watching you get into the car, a sad look resting on his face.

"Awww poor Carlos, he must be gutted about the DNF" you manager says catching whats distracted you.

"Yeah, poor him!" you mutter.

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle @kapsylia @laneyspaulding19 @lazybot @malynn @cassielikereading @viennakarma @teamnovalak @landosgirlxoxo @marie0v @jlb20416 @yourbane

[yourgentlegirlfriend]

The space between

Chapter One: The Cameron’s

AN; Hi! I haven’t posted in forever but, I’m writing this new series, I posted it on wattpad first, but decided to just post it here as well, I hope everyone enjoys! No warnings for the first chapter.

Moving across the United States solely for her fathers selfish intent was definitely not enjoyable.

She had tried everything, asking to stay with her aunt, her godmother, getting her own apartment.

Yet her father had a good point. She couldn’t afford to live alone in California- they already struggled as a family, what made her think she could somehow push it alone?

The central valley, the farming area of California, not the sunny, beachy, enjoyable part. More like constant cow shit smell, allergies from shaken trees and lots of traffic.

Her dad was a hard working man. Always trying to keep the family up, and so was her mom. Growing up a farmers daughter wasn’t easy. Handed down clothes, same shoes for all four years of high school. Yet she had everything she ever wanted and more, what could she complain about?

The front door swung open, her father basically chasing after her as she threw her bag on the ground and stomped into the kitchen to see her mom cooking.

“You are allowing this?”

Eve yelled, her moms eyes growing a bit wide as she set the knife down to turn to her husband who stood next to her daughter out of breath from chasing her up the long driveway.

“It’s not in my hands.”

Eves mother shrugged as she picked the silver knife back up, chopping at the carrots.

Eve let out a laugh as she rubbed her forehead then looked at her dad.

“North Carolina? That’s across the country dad.”

Eves dad, Carlos, frowned, his hands gripping at his cap that he now held in his hands, his facial hair growing grayer by the day.

“Sweetheart, it’s too much to live here- farms not doing good, we don’t sell like we did when you were a baby. I got a great opportunity over there.”

Suddenly, Eve felt guilty for acting like she did, her heart rate slowing drastically as her lips turned downwards. She quickly stepped forward, her arms wrapping around her dad as she squeezed him, nodding her head as her chin rested on his shoulder.

“Alright.”

It all happened so quickly after that.

Some wealthy family bought out their land in a matter of days, giving them just the perfect amount of money to make that horrid trip.

It felt like months but in reality it only took two days to get to their new house. The main problem was, they weren’t really able to see the house they bought till they arrived.

It wasn't horrible, simple three bedroom house, the neighbors were pretty quiet too. Everything was to quiet. Seeing her dad happy like he was is what made the move worth it.

That new house feeling is always hard to shake off. Eve sat on the front porch, writing in her journal when she heard the sound of tires against the gravel of the driveway. Her eyes shot up to see a truck pulling in, her thumb clicking at her pen as she tilted her head back towards the kitchen window.

“Dad! Somebody’s here!”

Her dad usually replied fast but she got silence, rolling her eyes as she closed her journal and stood up, hearing somebody walk up the steps, The creaking making her head snap back almost instantly as she set her stuff down on the chair.

“Can I help you?”

A tall man, he looked clean, like he was from the bay area where she was from but she knew that probably couldn’t be true. The nice plaid shirt he wore tucked into his jeans, his facial hair gruff yet cleaned up. He probably had the most perfect teeth she’d ever seen.

“Carlos here?”

The older man asked as he pulled off his sunglasses, his blue eyes squinting as she looked him up and down, a concerned look on her face.

“Who’s asking?”

His chuckle made her upper lip curl slightly, about to introduce himself before her dad swung the front door open, wiping the oil off his hands.

“Mr.Cameron, So sorry I was over in the garage.”

“Please, Just call me Ward.”

Eve felt a bitter taste in her mouth as she grabbed her journal and pens and went to walk past her dad who gripped at her shoulder.

“This is my daughter Eve.”

Eve let out a quiet sigh, looking at her dad and tucking her journal under her arm before she turned around and put on a smile, her arm extending as she shook his hand.

“Pleasure to meet you.”

“Pleasures mine- I wanted to formally invite you to dinner at my house tonight, thought we could discuss some of the things we talked about over the phone?”

Ward spoke as Eve pushed past her dad and turned the corner, staying against the wall to listen to their conversation.

“I can bring my family?”

Carlos asked as he set his gloves down on the small shelf by the front door.

“Of course please, bring everyone.”

Ward laughed, patting Carlos’ shoulder before he began to walk down the steps of the porch.

“Seven pm okay? I’ll make sure I send you the address!”

As soon as her dad shut the door she turned from the corner, ready to protest but Carlos put his hand up and went to walk down the hallway.

“You’re going- I don’t wanna hear it.”

He spoke sternly as he washed his hands in the kitchen, Looking over as Eve leaned against the doorframe.

“I don’t even have nice clothes.”

Carlos rolled his eyes, drying his hands with a towel before digging into his back pocket and pulling out a crisp fifty dollar bill.

“Don’t tell your mom.”

Eve couldn’t help but smile as she grabbed the bill from his hand, kissing his cheek softly and grabbing the keys from the shelf and walking down the driveway.

Her first time going into town and she looked like.. shit. Her shorts torn up, and the one shirt she had on. She shrugged as she slipped on her sunglasses, starting up her dads truck.

No clue where she was going, she pulled up to a curb at the start of a strip of stores. Living this close to the water would definitely have to be something she would need to get use to. She shoved the trucks keys into her pocket and tugged at the door to make sure it was locked.

The sunglasses pulled the strands of her hair back as she slipped them over her head when she stepped into a store, Thankfully it was the perfect time of year for dresses, Eves hands separated the hangers looking for her size, not looking up when she heard the jingle of the bell again. She pulled one of the hangers off the rack looking at a beautiful solid black dress, her fingers digging for the tag. A huff of air leaving her as she saw the price, quickly putting it back.

Almost literally jumping out of her skin as one of the employees suddenly showed up right beside her, her body having a physical reaction as she jumped back and almost fell into the rack of jackets behind her.

“Need help finding something?”

She could hear her heart beating in her ears, but she shook her head with a slight laugh.

“No, I’m good, thanks.”

Eve nodded as she started looking at the dresses again, side eyeing the employee who stood in the same exact place.

“If I have any questions I of course would let you know.”

Eve spoke awkwardly, not sure what her reasoning was for just standing there. Eve cleared her throat and stepped back with one of the dresses, the employee's hand reaching out to reorganize the rack.

“That’s a seventy five dollar dress.”

The woman laughed slightly as Eve looked at the mirror holding it up to her frame, her eyebrows frowning as she looked over at her.

“Okay?”

She couldn’t help but scoff as she held the hanger in her hand still, what was she trying to say? She was having a really hard time grasping exactly what she meant- if she even had a point.

“I think you should go.”

The woman pulled the dress from Eves hands, making her laugh in disbelief, right when she was about to speak, another girl from behind her spoke

“And what If she had the money to pay for it? You want that dress? I’ll buy it for you, If it’s really that serious.”

The girl looked just as agitated as Eve, her head tilted as the employee rolled her eyes and handed the girl the dress.

“Sure Sarah.”

Sarah.

Eve turned the Sarah who was putting the dress back on the rack, her head tilting towards the door.

“There’s a better place down the street trust me, don’t give them your money.”

“I’m Eve by the way.”

Sarah nodded as she walked out the door. Eve followed cautiously, looking behind her with squinted eyes as she tried to see if there was a number she could call to complain.

Sarah noticed, shaking her head as her and Eve walked side by side.

“This strip doesn’t really have corporate numbers- they probably mistreat people all the time because of pogue status you know.”

What? Eve looked at Sarah confused as they walked into the new shop.

“What’s a pogue?”

Sarah was already ahead of her, flipping through racks with the ease of someone who had done this a thousand times. “You’ve got to try this one,” she said, holding up a sleek black dress that clung to her fingers.

Eve shook her head quickly. “I don’t think black’s my color.”

Sarah rolled her eyes but didn’t argue, instead pulling another gown off the rack. This one was a soft lavender, the fabric so light it seemed to look almost see through. “What about this? It’s subtle but stunning. Perfect for you.”

Eve hesitated, glancing at the price tag. Her stomach dropped. “Sarah, I can’t afford this,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the music.

Sarah waved her off, tossing the dress into Eve’s arms. “Don’t worry about it. My dad’s got a tab here. Just try it on.”

But Eve didn’t believe in luck like that, especially considering she has no plans on leaving her house just like she did back at home. The town truthfully was beautiful though, riding with her windows down gave her a feeling she hadn’t felt once in her life.

Once she got back home, she walked into the house seeing her mom curling her hair, yelling at her younger sister, making her quietly step into her room to get ready.

The dress fit her perfectly, the dark purple fabric going down to her shins, knowing if it had went any higher her mom would’ve thrown a fit about modesty. She walked out the kitchen, seeing her dad trying to clip his watch on his own, her heels clicking as she stepped over to him and grabbed the watch from his wrist, carefully clipping it on for him.

“My beautiful.”

Her dad smiled as he kissed her forehead, making her smile as she fixed his collar for him.

“Please be good, Mr.Cameron is a good man, with lots of money. We need this.”

Eve looked up at her dad and nodded her head as she held the necklace he had made for her in her hand.

“I wouldn’t mess up anything for you, I don’t have it In me.”

The drive to Cameron's house felt longer than it should’ve. Watching the houses go from one to two stories, to green lawns to gated communities definitely made her rethink where they stayed.

Seeing her dad pull into the curved driveway, her eyes probably sparkling as she stared at the large house it led up to. That's why he dressed like he did. Of course they had to sit in the car and listen to her dads seven minute pep talk about what they can and cannot say, by the time it was time to go inside all her anxiety had bubbled up to a point she was scared she was going to really say something stupid now.

Carlos reached for the handle on the door and knocked, listening to the rhythm echo through the huge home in front of them. Eve fixed her posture as the door swung open, the man from earlier today having a wide smile on his face as he shook her dads hand and greeted her mom and sisters.

Forcing her smile once again as she greeted him, thanking him for inviting them to her home. The thank you wasn’t forced though, the house was huge. Probably the biggest place she’s ever been- in her life. Her eyes ran up the staircase that was right in front of the front door, her heels clicking against their floor as the adults quickly made their way into the kitchen area, already rambling on about the drive across the country and old farmland.

Eve walked into the living room area, the lights off and the moon shining through the windows. She walked closer to the large frames, looking out to see the breathtaking view, her hands resting at her sides as she heard the muffled conversation from the room over.

What could somebody possibly do for a job to be able to live like this? Her gaze switched from the window to the beautiful pottery on the small tables in the room, her fingers grazing over the table, way too scared to touch the pots in fear they would somehow crumble beneath her finger tips.

“Eve?”

Eves head turned instantly at the familiar voice, smiling slightly to see the girl she had met earlier today, in a beautiful orange dress, her hair curled as she smiled back at her.

“Sarah-“

She hurried over to her, laughing in confusion as she looked her up and down.

“You look- beautiful.”

Sarah smiled, tipping her head slightly as her hands pushed out to clap slightly.

“I mean look at you, I picked out the perfect dress right? This was the dinner you mentioned?”

Eve nodded awkwardly as she rubbed her arm, was this her family's house? How embarrassing she didn’t even know or remember their last name when she was asked about it earlier in the day.

“Ward is your dad?”

Eve asked as they started to walk to the dining room area.

“Yep. Sarah Cameron, that’s me.”

How awkward. Eve couldn’t help but admire the life that Sarah had laid in front of her, yet she was still so kind. Lost in her own thoughts, Eve was taken aback when Sarah grabbed her arm and stopped her just short of the dining room entrance.

“There’s this thing going on tonight, at my boyfriend's house. You should come. You can meet some people.”

Yeah, she was way too nice. Eve stared at her for a few seconds before she looked into the dining hall to see Ward and her dad laughing, Rose and her mom admiring each other's outfits.

“I don’t know.. my dad he’s super strict, never lets me leave the house.”

Sarah gave her an exasperated look, but before Eve could finish her protest, Sarah swept into the room.

“Where is Rafe?” she asked, her voice carrying just enough to catch Ward’s attention.

Ward looked up from the conversation he was having with Carlos, his brow furrowing slightly before waving a dismissive hand. “You know how he is,” he said with a chuckle, returning to the discussion about farmland and markets.

Eve shrugged, hoping that would be the end of it. Sarah shook her head and grabbed both of her arms.

“I’ll tell them that we met earlier today and we instantly clicked, you’re telling me your dad doesn’t want you making friends?”

“Who’s Rafe?”

The girl asked as a course was set in front of them, her stomach grumbling as she realized she really hadn’t eaten a single thing today.

Ward cut off Sarah as she went to speak.

“My son, told him we were having guests but unfortunately he missed your family's wonderful presence.”

Eve laughed as she took a bite of the food, her eyebrows frowning as she looked down at the plate, her hand covering her mouth.

“What is this? That’s delicious.”

The table laughed at her sincere reaction, silence lingering as everyone ate before Sarah chimed in.

“Dad, could Eve stay the night? I know it seems like we just met twenty minutes ago but we met earlier today down at the strip.”

Ward was a bit too enthusiastic to say yes, looking over at Carlos who was staring at Eve. Knowing he hated it when he was put on the spot for things like this.

“I have no problem with it all.”

What a horrible liar. Eve couldn’t help but smile as she looked over at Sarah, taking another bite of her food as she winked at her.

——————————————————————

“Don’t fall though”

Sarah gasped as Eve climbed down through the window holding onto the frame, the two laughing as they ran across the yard holding their shoes in their hands.

Once they got to the actual street, Sarah said it wasn’t far to her boyfriends house so the two walked down the sidewalk, the crickets almost as loud as them.

The walk was pretty silent, Sarah must’ve noticed Eve admiring all the big houses, her gaze constantly away from the road.

“You’re quiet,” she finally said, glancing over.

Eve shrugged, her eyes still fixed on the street ahead. “Just… admiring how different this place is from where I grew up.”

Sarah laughed, a sound as light as the breeze. “Yeah, it’s pretty here, I guess. But after a while, it all just feels… the same. You’ll see what I mean.”

Once the two showed up, Sarah tugged her through the crowd of people and let go of her, running over to a boy and jumping on his back, her mood quickly shifted once she jumped off his back and smacked the arm of another boy across from her, even though eve was far from the scene she could tell they were arguing.

Eve stepped forward, smiling slightly as she cleared her throat. Sarah’s gaze went from the boy back to her, sighing as she grabbed Eves shoulder.

“This is Eve,” Sarah said, her tone slightly clipped. “Her family just moved here. Her dad’s working with ours. Eve, this is Rafe.”

Rafe turned to her then, his blue eyes piercing as they met hers. For a moment, the noise around them faded, and all Eve could hear was her own heartbeat, he was tall, and he seemed slightly out of it, his eyes hazy and a lazy smirk on his face.

“Rafe,” he said, his voice low and smooth as he extended his hand.

“Eve,” she replied, slipping her hand into his. His grip was firm, his hand warm against hers, and the contact sent a strange jolt up her arm.

"She's from California," Sarah added quickly, her tone sharp as she stood next to Topper, who offered a casual nod and introduced himself without much enthusiasm.

"So, you're full Kook, huh? Must be expensive out there," Topper quipped with a smug grin, swirling the drink in his hand.

Eve furrowed her brows, confused. Kook? What was that supposed to mean?

"What's a Kook?" she asked, glancing between them.

Rafe chuckled low, his smirk growing as he took a deliberate sip of his drink. The way his blue eyes lingered on her made her feel like the punchline to an inside joke she wasn’t in on.

"Just... don’t worry about it," Sarah sighed, clearly exasperated as she stepped over to a small drink station. She poured a glass and handed it to Eve.

"Yeah," Rafe drawled, leaning against the wall with casual confidence. "Don’t trouble yourself with the losers down there in the Cut." His tone was smooth, but there was a distinct edge, as though he relished the jab.

Eve accepted the drink from Sarah, still trying to piece together what was going on. "The Cut? What’s that supposed to mean?"

Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered under her breath, "Oh God, here we go..." before shooting a warning glance at Rafe.

"It means," Rafe said, stepping closer, his voice dripping with mock sympathy, "you’re better off sticking with the right crowd. You wouldn’t want to end up on the wrong side of town."

Eve narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening on the glass. The way he said it left a sour taste in her mouth, but before she could respond, Sarah cut in.

“Let me show you the view, it's insane.”

Sarah grabbed her arm, looking back at Rafe and Topper with a warning glance before she dragged Eve away.

Her grip on the drink tightened as a wave of embarrassment crept in. What did he mean by “the wrong side of town?” Was it obvious that she didn’t belong here?

Sarah’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Don’t let him get to you. He’s... complicated.”

Eve forced a smile, nodding even though she wasn’t sure what to say. “Complicated” was putting it lightly. She could still feel the weight of Rafe’s gaze, as if he’d peeled back a layer of her she wasn’t ready to share.

Sarah leaned against the railing of the porch, the wind blowing through her hair.

“Please really don’t take what Rafe, or what anybody says. A lot of them are pretty.. well dumb.”

Sarah and Eve laughed together, Sarah frowning slightly to see Eve swirl her drink around in her hand.

“I’ll be honest my dad had to drag me here, I left my whole life behind to be here.”

Eve spoke with a nod as she took a sip of the nasty mixed drink, licking her lips as Sarah nodded.

“I get it. You’re feeling out of place but it takes time, I promise you.”

Eve went to speak again but was cut off by the door swinging open. “

Sarah,” Rafe spoke with a sigh, his tone casual but somehow charged, “Kelce’s looking for you. Something about needing help with the keg.”

Sarah groaned, rubbing her forehead. “He’s a grown man; he can figure it out.”

“Yeah, well,” Rafe drawled, “he’s not doing a great job of proving that right now.”

Sarah gave Eve a small smile. “I’ll be right back. Don’t let him scare you.”

Eve tried to laugh, but it came out more as a nervous chuckle. As Sarah disappeared into the house, Eve found herself alone with Rafe.