#this immediately made me have a panic attack and now i have to stay up all night writing an essay in a desparate attempt to pacify one of th

[luna-azzurra]

Fictional kiss prompts

Forbidden Kiss Prompts (“We’re not supposed to do this” but oops, we are)

a kiss in the shadows, hands clenched in fabric, trying to stay quiet because someone might hear.

“We can’t—if someone sees us…” — and then they kiss anyway, consequences be damned.

a stolen kiss through the bars of a prison cell, whispered promises of escape in between.

a “we’re on opposite sides” kiss during a truce, lips barely touching because if they kiss fully, they’ll never walk away.

a last-second kiss right before one of them is betrothed to someone else.

Angsty Reunion Kiss Prompts (“I thought I lost you” edition)

a kiss the second they see each other again—rough, breathless, and on the verge of falling apart.

a kiss interrupted by tears, hands holding like they’re afraid to let go.

“Why didn’t you come back?” whispered into their mouth between kisses.

a kiss where they pause halfway through just to look at each other, both a little older, a little more broken.

a kiss that tastes like salt and rain and survival.

Soft Domestic Kiss Prompts (Wholesome fluff to rest your soul)

a sleepy morning kiss, lazy and warm, exchanged without even opening their eyes.

a kiss planted absentmindedly on the top of the other’s head while making tea.

a kiss stolen while brushing their teeth together—foam and giggles included.

a soft kiss over a grocery list, mid-aisle, because “you looked too cute to ignore.”

the kind of kiss shared in bed while reading—just because one of them couldn’t help it anymore.

Post-Confession Kiss Prompts ( “Oh my god this is real” edition)

a kiss that stumbles right after the words “I love you,” like neither of them know what to do with their hands.

“You mean it?” — “Yeah.” — cue the most careful, reverent kiss of their lives.

a kiss that starts with laughter and ends in a dazed, overwhelmed silence.

one of them whispering, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” right before kissing them senseless.

a kiss that comes too fast after the confession, clumsy and colliding—because they’ve waited too long.

First Kiss Prompts (that change everything)

a kiss that starts mid-sentence, because one of them couldn’t wait one more second.

the trembling, breath-held pause right before their lips finally touch—eyes wide, hearts racing.

“If I kiss you right now, will you hate me?” – they kiss them anyway.

the kiss that’s followed by shocked silence, and then one of them blurts, “Okay… wow.”

the hesitant brush of lips—barely there—until one of them pulls the other closer like they’ve made up their mind.

Comfort Kiss Prompts (Love as a safety net)

a kiss placed gently on a trembling hand.

a kiss offered like a promise—“I’m here. I’m staying.”

a forehead kiss given after a nightmare, while whispering soft reassurances.

“You don’t have to be okay right now.” – kissed on the temple like a prayer.

the quiet, slow kiss after a panic attack, grounded in breathing and touch.

Jealousy Kiss Prompts (when emotions boil over)

a sudden, possessive kiss that shocks both of them—especially because they weren’t “together.”

a kiss to shut someone up mid-flirt—“They’re with me.”

“You’ve been avoiding me.” – “Because I saw you flirting with them.” – followed by a sharp, angry, perfect kiss.

the kind of kiss that starts in fury but ends in breathless “I need you.”

a kiss that screams “You’re mine. Even if you don’t know it yet.”

Accidental / Surprise Kiss Prompts

tripping and falling directly into a kiss—then freezing in shock as realization sets in.

a practice kiss to “make it look real” that very much does not stay platonic.

a drunken kiss that was supposed to be a dare, but lingers just a second too long.

mistaking the other person for someone else in the dark—“oh… wait—” – “don’t stop.”

an “oops-I-thought-you-were-joking” kiss that they immediately want to do again on purpose.

[suncoved]

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS! — RAFE CAMERON

pairing; fratboy!rafe cameron x fem!reader

summary; you come to your first college party and have the worst panic attack of your life. who knew your knight in shining armour would be the captain of the biggest fraternity and the biggest fuck boy on campus

warnings ; panic attacks, anxiety, drugging, angst but like fluff!!

"Liv, i'm really not sure about this"

You're best friend and roommate looked at you with a blank stare, watching as you pulled the tight white dress down that had ridden up your thighs. She had dragged you out of your dorm only 20 minutes ago, telling you that if you didn't come she was going to wake you up with a bucket of ice water.

"Cmon babe, you made me promise i would drag you to at least one party this year. and i don't break a promise. Which also means that i promise if you don't like the first 30 minutes, then we can go home and eat 30 pounds of ice cream and pass out in our makeup"

You smiled at her, trying to push yourself through whatever anxiety was coursing through you. Liv was really a good friend, even if she was harsh about it at times, you know that she wanted the best for you.

The smell of booze and sweat hit your nose immediately as you walked into the frat house, the music blasting and the rainbow lights blinding against the otherwise dark space.

Liv pulled you to the corner of the living room, smiling brightly at you and giving you an extra tight hug. "Ok! I'm gonna go get us some drinks, stay right there and don't move!"

She had to yell because of how loud the music was, wasting no time before disappearing into the kitchen.

You stood in the party like a fish out of water, biting your lip as you looked down at your feet.

You'd like to say that you weren't that much of an introvert. I mean sure you liked to be curled up with a good book from time to time, and you were studying a bit more than healthy. But you like to go out and shop with friends, talk to new people in your classes and slumber parties on the weekends.

But parties were something you did not do. It had a combination of all the things you disliked most in life. loud music, people yelling, drinking, flashing bright lights and... frat boys.

You'd already been brought out of your shell at college, you were confident enough now to present in classes and partner up with new people on assignments, but this was pushing it.

You were a sweet girl, but naive. You didn't have enough experience with greedy men and even you would admit that you resembled a lost deer more often than you would like.

You lifted your head as you heard someone approach you, looking up quickly as you assumed it was Liv coming back from the kitchen.

But it wasn't Liv.

A brunette looked straight at you as you made eye contact with him, a red solo cup resting in his hand.

"What's a pretty girl like you standing here all alone in the corner" he stated, inching closer to you as you subconsciously stepped back a bit. "I'm Jeremey"

He reached out his hand to you to shake, only to receive a dumbfounded look on your face.

"Normally people reply back with their name, Babe"

"Oh! Sorry!" you replied flustered, repeating back your name as he grinned wide, showing his bright smile.

You didn't want to admit that when Jeremy was talking to you, you continually kept glancing over at the entrance to the kitchen, hoping that the next person to walk out was Liv, who was going to hopefully come to save you from this conversation.

"Hey, I was experimenting in the kitchen, wanna try my new concoction." Jeremy dangled the red solo cup in your face, the liquid pink and smelling of strawberries.

"No thank you. I don't drink" you replied sweetly, hoping to be polite and not upset him. "There's barely any in it, promise. Pleaseee, don't wanna hurt my feelings, do you?" He replied in annoyance.

A pang of hurt shot through you as you panicked, how could you have been so rude! Jeremy was taking time out of his day to talk to you and you rejected a drink he made you?

"Oh! no, I'm sorry. Thank you so much" you replied, taking the cup out of his hands and looking down at the liquid. He watched closely as you took a sip, your face twisting at the strong flavour of vodka.

"What do you think?" he smirked as he asked, bringing his hand up to your lips and wiping the extra liquid off with his thumb.

"Its- its great, thank you" you replied, your heart beating faster as you started to feel increasingly more uncomfortable. He watched you closely as he hinted to you to drink more, looking down at you like he was a wolf, and you were his prey.

You held back tears as you felt the room start to spin under your feet, your cheeks feeling hot and your hands shaking involuntarily. It hit you quickly that this wasn't alcohol that was making you feel like this, no, it was something else. Something much, much worse.

And you didn't want to stick around to figure out what it was.

"Um, sorry Jeremy, I need to go to the bathroom" you spoke up, using all your courage to push through the crowd quickly as he followed.

Your breath was now speeding up as you fought your way through the waves of people, your steps becoming faster as you felt the room spinning more and more, tears streaming down your face.

You didn't know where the bathrooms in this place were, but you didn't have time to think about that now.

You just needed to find Liv, or someone, anyone.

Your eyes fell on a room at the end of the hall, light spilling out of the crack where the door failed to meet the floor.

You didn't have time to think, just to act. Your balled fist made it up to the door, knocking over and over again as you looked behind you, Jeremy in the crowd but looking all over for what you assumed to be you.

You didn't even want to begin to imagine how stupid you looked, or how impolite you were being as your knocks became harsher and frantic as Jeremy came closer.

"Jesus, learn how to wait your fucking turn" a voice sounded as the door opened. you didn't even look away from Jeremy as you tumbled into the bathroom, accidentally bringing the person in the door with you.

"Yo, what the fuc-" the aggressive voice came to a halt quickly, but you all you could focus on was your breathing, which was out of control.

Your cheeks were wet with tears as you closed your eyes, bringing your hands up to your face and letting yourself sob. "I- I can't breathe" You let out, unknowing if you were talking to yourself or the person in the space with you.

You couldn't even handle your anxiety and emotions when you were in control of your body, let alone now.

That's the main reason you don't drink, because you tend to freak out to the point of no return, and this, this was much worse.

Your face was buried in your hands as the person softly closed the door to the bathroom. You didn't even register him softly moving you to sit on the toilet seat in the bathroom, kneeling down and removing your hands from your face.

You opened your eyes to see a man's face looking back at you, his features painted with worry and his body distanced enough away from you as to not upset you even more.

"Hey- hey. Its ok, what's wrong?" the boy asked, trying not to show how confused he was on how to deal with this situation. "Are you hurt?"

You shook your head quickly at his statement, your tears slowly coming to a halt as your vision became less blurry. You could now see his face more clearly. Fluffy dirty blonde hair, bright blue eyes, soft pink lips.

"Uh, um. Wait" He spoke, breaking eye contact with you for the first time since you entered the bathroom. He started frantically opening draws and cabinets, stopping when he found a box of tissues under the sink.

"Here" you looked between him and the box he was handing you before taking it in your hands, your fingers brushing past each other momentarily.

"Thank you, i-i promise I'm not this much of a mess all the time." You replied, earning a soft smile from the man. "It's ok, it happens to the best of us. Have you taken anything, or just drunk?" He asked delicately.

Rafe didn't understand what he was feeling at this moment. Because he'd never felt it before.

Sure he could be an asshole sometimes, He was rude and got into fights on occasion, and he had been known to make girls complete the walk of shame out of his room involuntarily after a big night out, but that didn't mean he would ever leave a clearly intoxicated girl alone at a frat party.

But this, this was different. He had to know what was wrong with you, and he had to fix it. Sure you were a mystery to him and only met you seconds ago, but he wasn't leaving until he knew you were safe and sound... and had given him your name.

"I don't drink- or, at least I didn't. This boy gave me something, it tasted weird. Then I got all dizzy and now- now I can't stop crying" You rambled, sighing softly and looking into his eyes.

He gazed back at you, running his tongue around his teeth before seemingly snapping out of the trance he was in. "Did you know the guy?" He huffed, obviously agitated with your reply as he ran his fingers through his hair.

You shook your head softly, a wave of sadness running through you because you couldn't give him the answer he wanted. Tears started running down your face again suddenly as you kept repeating 'I'm sorry' over and over again.

He lifted his thumb up to your cheek, softly brushing the tears away. "Hey it's okay, Don't worry. I'll keep you safe"

He didn't understand the feelings he was feeling, He had never craved to protect someone so much, He had never been this gentle in his whole life.

"What's your name?" he asked, distracting you to hopefully stop the flow of tears streaming down your face. He felt like if you didn't stop crying in the next minute, he was going to lose it.

You answered your name to him, earning a soft smile. "I'm Rafe, it's nice to meet you." He finished the sentence with your name, sending shivers down your spine.

"Liv" You gasped, making his head tilt in confusion before you shot up from your seat. "Wow, ma. Slow down, what do you mean?" Rafe replied, holding your hips to stop you from completely falling over. You sat back down quickly in defeat, your eyes wide with panic.

"Liv, I-I came here with my friend Liv. I'm gonna scare her. I need to find her." You gasped, your voice trembling as you spoke. "It's ok, We'll find her. Don't worry, it's ok." He repeated, desperate for your face to get back to your normal expression, aka, not struck with terror.

It was obvious to Rafe through the glaze cast over your eyes, the shaking from your hands and the drooping of your eyelids that someone had slipped something into your drink.

He had hosted enough parties at his fraternity to know what insecure, probably small dicked boys, not men, can do to women. And it revolted him.

"R-rafe. I'm gonna go to sleep now" You whispered, your body finally giving out before you could stop it, his arms quickly coming up to stabilize you before you toppled over.

He bit his lip as he tried to figure out what to do, pulling your body into his arms as you didn't even stir. He was scared. So scared.

He didn't know what you were given, how much you were given, what would happen after you woke up, if you even woke up at all.

He carried you up the stairs and into his bedroom, unlocking the door and locking it behind him again. His room was the only one with a lock in the whole house, because he was damned if he was going to walk in on random strangers having drunk sex on his bed.

He rested you softly on his bed, making sure your head was comfortably on his pillow and resting a blanket over your body after taking your heels off.

He looked at your sleeping form, your long eyelashes resting on your cheeks, your hair falling softly over your shoulders and your chest rising and falling with your breaths.

He looked at you one last time before leaving his room, ignoring every person greeting him as he made a beeline straight for the living room.

He scanned over the large crowd in the house, numerous people dancing, some making out, his frat brothers doing keg stands, and one very panicked girl going up to every stranger she sees.

Rafe took no time before walking straight to the girl in the middle of the dance floor, tapping her on the shoulder. She turns immediately to face Rafe, her face struck with confusion.

"Are you Liv?" Rafe asks, earning a confused nod from the girl in front of him” I am! Have you seen my best friend anywhere? She's about yay height, really pretty, heart of gold, she kinda looks like that baby deer from that Disney movie, she's wearing this white dress and-"

Rafe stops her ramble with a quick nod causing her eyes to widen. "What? Where is she?"

"In my bed" Rafe replied, remembering he wasn't all that good with small talk. "What? What the fuck do you mean, in your bed? What did you do? I swear to god-"

"Ok, calm down. Someone gave her something. I found her in the bathroom sobbing before she passed out. I put her in my bed then came down here, end of story" He replied, starting to get slightly agitated.

The girl he now knows to be Liv quickly walks off, heading straight for upstairs where the bedrooms are. Rafe rolls his eyes before following swiftly behind her, though he's glad that there's someone out there other than him trying to protect his newfound soft spot.

Liv halts at all the bedrooms, looking expectantly at Rafe before he walks in front of her and opens his door. Liv immediately rushes to you, still passed out on Rafe's bed.

She sits next to you, tucking your hair behind your ear before placing a kiss on your forehead. "Of course, on the first party she goes to, some sick fuck roofies her and she ends up in Rafe Cameron's bed" Liv speaks, not taking her eyes off you.

"How do you know my name?" Rafe asks, not even bothering to look at the person he's talking to as he focuses on your chest rising and falling. "Ha, everyone knows who you are Rafe. And if I find out you had anything to do with her getting hurt, I'm gonna chop your dick off and feed it to you and make sure everyone on campus knows it"

It would be a lie to say Rafe wasn't slightly amused by your best friend's words, holding back his smile and keeping his face stern. "I would never do that shit. Especially not to her" Liv's eyebrow quirked in confusion at the last bit of his sentence.

She knows for a fact that you did not know Rafe Cameron before this night, let alone any frat boys. Liv could cry at the sight of your passed-out form, taking full blame and responsibility for the fact that you got hurt when she was meant to protect you.

She pulled her phone out from her purse, about to call an Uber back to the dorms for both of you. "No, I'll drive you" He stated, not leaving room for an argument

Liv nodded slowly before pulling the blanket off you, your body involuntarily starting to shiver from the cold air.

Rafe walked over to his closet, grabbing his warmest hoodie. Liv looked up at him as he raised your body softly, placing the hoodie over your head and softly lifting you up into his arms.

Rafe walked with Liv down to the road outside the fraternity house, receiving hundreds of stares from people in the crowd. But he didn't care, all he cared about was you.

He let Liv open the door to the backseat of his truck, allowing him to place you softly inside before Liv climbed in next to you, placing your head on her lap.

The ride was completely silent, barring Liv's directions to the dormitories, but she didn't miss the way he was constantly looking in the rearview mirror at you.

It didn't take long before Liv was leading the way to your dorm, Rafe trailing slowly behind with you in his arms.

She flicked the light on in your dorm, Rafe quickly knowing which bed was yours from the multiple stuffies and pink blankets. He lifted the covers before placing your head on the pillow once more, knowing Liv was going to get you changed before she slept.

"Thank you, Rafe, for looking out for her when I didn't" Liv said as Rafe walked to your door, nodding curtly in repose to her statement.

He gave you one last look before he walked out of your door, watching as Liv was about to shut the door on him after saying goodbye. Panicked he placed his foot in front of the door before it shut, forcing it open.

"C-can I get her number, please?"

[dyns33]

Honorable mistake

Hi @loo-looland ! After an eternity, here what I did with your ask ! I hope you will like it, I liked writing it even if it took so long. Sorry again for that !

There must have been some mistake.

Y/N had repeated it several times since waking up on what was obviously another planet, knowing full well it wouldn't do anything to improve her situation.

The other people thrown into the same place were obviously soldiers, assassins, men and women capable of fighting and defending themselves if necessary. She had none of those skills. She cried as she cut herself with paper.

Not mean, but not ready to die for a stranger, the group had allowed her to follow them, until they were attacked by shadows and separated.

Now alone, weaponless, lost in this jungle, Y/N tried not to cry as she searched for a way to survive as long as possible, looking for a way home.

She could tell that wasn't a good idea as she approached what looked like a village, filled with these creatures with humanoid bodies but monstrous faces. However, since it was stupid, they wouldn't look for her that close, she just had to be discreet.

Luck wasn't on her side at all, as she was spotted almost immediately, entering what she had thought was a simple cave, but which was actually a sort of underground temple, where several of these predators were, all turning at once to stare at her.

Reflexively, she raised her hands, holding back a sob.

"Wait ! Please, have mercy. I'm not armed, I'm not a threat."

"… Kar'dokh, karu a'in ?"

"Sorry, I don't understand. Please."

"Ooman," the only one wearing a mask said in a strange voice as he approached. "You, not a warrior. You, no business here. Why you here ?"

"I don't know… I was going home and woke up here. Please, don't hurt me."

From what she understood next, she was on Yautja Prime, homeworld of the Yautjas. The one who had spoken to her was named Kar'dokh, and he was the one charged with finding and bringing worthy opponents to the rite of passage for the young warriors.

As she had been saying all along, he had made a mistake in selecting her, and so the elders decided she was now his responsibility.

For a moment, Y/N thought he was going to kill her. He could have, very easily, with just one of his giant hands, but while it might have been a merciful death, it would not have been honorable. These beings killed for food and for honor. She was neither fair game nor a match for him.

So it was decided that she would stay with Kar'dokh until the next great hunt. He would then bring her back to Earth, exchanging her for real opponents. This would take several cycles, and Y/N had no idea what that meant. Weeks, months, years, it was impossible to tell.

What seemed more impossible was that she would start to like it here. At first, she would completely panic at the slightest noise or movement. With or without his mask, she could see that her reactions amused Kar'dokh slightly.

"Ooman jumps. Like Lek'be."

"I don't know what it is."

"Small animal. Weak. Afraid. You, not afraid. I protect."

If they found honor in hunting, the Yautjas also found it in everything they did. And since Y/N was his responsibility, Kar'hokh cared for her as if she were the most precious thing in the world.

There were many times when he forgot that she didn't understand, that she wasn't as strong, as fast as him, or too tired to want to obey his orders, but he remained calm, waiting for her to stop shaking before resuming his activities.

Knowing she couldn't go far, between her fear of dying in the jungle and the fact that the entire village was watching her, Y/N often found herself alone. He had never forbidden her to leave the hut, but after several attempts at walking, she had decided she preferred to stay inside.

The Yautjas clearly weren't used to seeing an "ooman" up close, alive, and without going to kill them. They had studied the weaknesses, strengths, and weapons, but most of the Earthlings' characteristics were uninteresting. Yet, everyone was looking at her, and the younger ones even dared to approach, to ask questions or touch her hair.

"Tz'aqal ! Maak'a' li toch'ok !" Kar'hokh had growled when he saw them do it. "We a'an !"

"They didn't hurt me."

"Not important. Ooman, my responsibility. Mine. No touching."

"Great. You can stop calling me "ooman", please ? My name is Y/N, I'm not a dog."

"No dog, no. Dogs erocious. Y/N, little one. My Y/N."

While their species was familiar with humans, the reverse was absolutely not true, and it took Y/N some time to understand that Kar'dokh's protective and more or less gentle behavior with her wasn't normal.

With another individual, he would have acted more violently, more coldly. He would have made her sleep on the ground, forced her to hunt for her food, and he would have been delighted when the time to get rid of her finally approached.

Except that the day of his departure for the opponent selection was imminent, and the Yautja seemed anything but happy.

With a determination she didn't quite understand, he brought back plenty of prey that he proudly placed before her, waiting for a compliment. Purring with pleasure when she was impressed, he then skinned the creatures to take his trophy, but also to offer her one, and prepare the meal with what was left. Once finished, he would lift her up and bring her to his bed, so she could sleep on him.

And the night before the big day, he finally decided to be clear.

"My Y/N. Mate with me. Stay."

"… What ?"

"Me a worthy male. Prove it. Strong, providing and protecting. Strong seed, strong pups. Stay."

"But… Wait a second," Y/N stammered, shaking her head to make sure she wasn't dreaming what was happening. "You want me to stay with you ? And be lovers ?"

"Mate."

"Yeah, same thing. But me ? I'm human ! You could find a great warrior, you'd have beautiful little warriors with cute mandibles ! Is it even possible for a human to have a baby with a Yautja ? Not that I'd accept, I'm just asking."

"Advanced technology. Fix. Mate."

"But why me ?"

He didn't understand her hesitation. Of course Kar'dokh didn't. For them, there weren't things as complex as feelings, love, all that bullshit. They found a suitable mate, they courted them, and if they were accepted, they mated for life. Simple and effective.

There must have been something resembling love, or at least something equally illogical, for him to want to keep Y/N among all the possibilities available to him. Kar'dokh was a great warrior, respected, almost an elder. He was spoiled for choice in the village and all over the planet.

But he had wanted this little Ooman, captured by mistake. He had found her reactions amusing, he had found her body desirable, he had loved that she accepted his gifts. He would have a unique mate. If she would have him.

"Can I never leave ? Won't I return to Earth ?"

"Learn to hunt. Prove worth. Then right to hunt on other lands."

"Uh… I don't really feel like killing other humans for sport, thanks. I'll wait in the hut."

"You wait… So you'll stay ? Mine ?"

It was madness. One word, a simple "no," and even if he had been upset, she knew the honorable warrior would have taken her home as promised. But after all this time here with him, Y/N had probably lost her mind.

She nodded shyly, and when Kar'dokh didn't move, she thought he didn't understand what that meant. Then he took out his helmet and armor, before lifting her to carry her to the bed, but not to sleep this time, so he must have understood.

[scoupsakakitty]

Betrayal Under The Stage Lights pt.2 | Seventeen x 14thMember | fluff

The room remained silent long after Y/N left. The weight of their words, their accusations, lingered in the air like an unshakable storm cloud. No one dared to speak, no one wanted to admit what they all began to realize their mistake.

Mingyu ran a frustrated hand through his hair, the guilt settling deep in his chest. “We messed up, didn’t we?”

Jihoon exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “No, we didn’t just mess up. We completely turned on her without thinking.”

Joshua sat down heavily on the couch, rubbing his face with his hands. “We should have listened. We should have trusted her.”

Seungcheol, usually so sure of his decisions, felt a rare sense of self-doubt gnawing at him. His mind replayed the scene over and over Y/N’s devastated expression, her voice laced with desperation as she defended herself. And they had ignored it.

“She must hate us now,” Seokmin mumbled, voice barely above a whisper.

Jeonghan, for once, had no witty remark, no clever way to deflect the situation. Instead, he sighed deeply. “We need to fix this.”

Y/N sat alone in her room, the echoes of their accusations still fresh in her mind. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to scream, to lash out, to make them feel even a fraction of what she had felt. But more than anything, she just felt… tired.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. At first, she ignored it, expecting them to give up. But the knocking persisted. With an annoyed sigh, she stood up and pulled the door open only to find all thirteen members standing outside, looking uncharacteristically sheepish.

Mingyu, standing in the front, suddenly dropped to his knees. “Y/N, I was an idiot. No—worse than an idiot. I don’t even have a word for how dumb I was. Please, please forgive me.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. “You’re really kneeling?”

“Yes,” Mingyu said without hesitation. “I’ll stay here all night if I have to.”

Seungcheol cleared his throat, stepping forward. “We all made a huge mistake. We let frustration cloud our judgment, and we blamed you without any proof. That was wrong. You didn’t deserve that.”

“We should have believed in you,” Joshua added, his usual warmth returning to his voice. “You’re our family.”

One by one, they all spoke up, each admitting their faults, each apologizing sincerely. Even Jihoon, who rarely showed emotions so openly, muttered, “I was too quick to judge. I’m sorry.”

Y/N took her time, letting them squirm under her scrutiny. She could see the genuine regret on their faces, the desperation in their eyes. And a wicked idea formed in her mind.

She sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her hip. “I don’t know… maybe I should just leave the group.”

The reaction was immediate.

“What?!”

“No, no, no!”

“Y/N, please, don’t even joke about that!”

Seungkwan looked ready to burst into tears. “I swear, if this is because of us—”

“I’ll do anything!” Mingyu pleaded. “I’ll cook for you for a year! I’ll do your laundry! I’ll—”

Y/N burst into laughter, unable to hold back any longer. “Relax, I was just messing with you.”

The collective groan that followed was almost comical. Seungcheol placed a hand over his heart, exhaling in relief. “Don’t do that! I nearly had a heart attack.”

Jeonghan narrowed his eyes. “You’re evil.”

Y/N smirked. “That’s what you get for doubting me.”

Despite their moment of panic, the mood shifted almost instantly. Hoshi pulled Y/N into a bone-crushing hug, and soon, the others piled on, a mess of tangled limbs and relieved laughter.

“Still mad at us?” Vernon asked as they finally pulled away.

Y/N rolled her eyes but smiled. “I should be. But I guess I’ll forgive you guys. Just this once.”

They all cheered, and for the first time that night, everything felt right again.

“Well… on one condition,” Y/N added, crossing her arms. “I want my favorite ice cream.”

Without hesitation, Dino shot up. “I got it! I’ll get it right now!” And before anyone could react, he was already sprinting out the door.

The others laughed, shaking their heads as they watched him go. Finally, things were back to normal.

[thesecondhandwoman]

NIGHTMARES

Sevika x f!reader

Synopsis: You were experiencing heavy, traumatic nightmares again, reliving unwanted memories, and resulted in you waking up dazed. It was to the point where Sevika had to step in, even when you barely recognized her.

The nightmare hit with the intensity of a freight train, dragging you back to a place you’d fought hard to escape. The dim, oppressive walls of an unfamiliar room surrounded you, the scent of blood and sweat hanging heavy in the air. You could hear your attacker’s breath, feel the harsh, burning touch of their hands on your body, their low voice whispering cruel, taunting words into your ear.

Your chest tightened, and the sounds of your breath started to quicken in sync with the panic that surged through you. The room felt too small, suffocating.

You wanted to escape.

You tried to scream for help, but your voice wouldn’t come. The terror was suffocating, overwhelming, and you couldn’t stop it. You couldn’t escape.

Suddenly, you shot up from the bed, gasping for air, drenched in sweat, your heart hammering in your chest. The room around you felt unfamiliar, wrong. Your breath was ragged, and the shadows of your nightmare seemed to creep into the corners of your vision, blurring everything in sight.

Sevika stirred beside you, instinctively sitting up when she felt the tension in the bed. Her sharp, calculating eyes immediately found yours, wide and panicked.

“Hey, hey,” Sevika’s low voice was soft but commanding, the tone not unfamiliar, but something about the urgency in her voice made your heart race faster. “It’s just a nightmare. You’re safe.”

But the darkness clung to you, the terror from the dream still sharp in your mind. You looked at her, but in your panicked state, everything blurred together. Her face — her eyes — were distorted, morphing into something you couldn’t recognize. Something darker. Someone from your past. Someone that haunted you in your nightmares.

“No!” You screamed, backing away from her, your legs tangling in the sheets. “Stay away! Get away from me!”

Sevika was quick to react, trying to grab hold of your arms to steady you, but the touch only made you more panicked, more frantic. “No! No, please!” You yelled, shoving at her chest, desperate to get away from her.

“Shhh. I’ve got you, you’re okay,” Sevika’s voice tried to soothe, but you were too far gone, lost in the fog of your nightmare’s aftermath. Your breathing came in shallow, frantic gasps as your body trembled with fear.

“Please,” you begged, tears streaming down your face as you shoved her away. “You’re not real. You’re not real!”

Sevika froze, her expression momentarily hardening at your rejection, but then she took a deep breath, collecting herself. Her instinct to protect you overrode the hurt in her chest. “I’m real,” she insisted firmly, gently but firmly taking your hands, locking her gaze onto yours. “You’re not in that nightmare anymore. You’re with me.”

You flinched, your heart still hammering, your mind screaming at you to run, to get away from whatever this was — but she wasn’t letting you go.

“Please, don’t,” you sobbed, curling in on yourself as the adrenaline from the nightmare surged through you, heightening every sense, distorting reality. “I can’t…I can’t be here. Not with you!”

The pain in Sevika’s eyes was almost too much to bear, but she didn’t pull away. She was steady, unyielding, even as you fought her, even as your hands trembled against her chest in fear.

“I’m not leaving you, not now, not ever,” Sevika said, her voice softer now, though the firmness remained. Slowly, she pulled you into her arms, wrapping you in a protective hold despite your resistance.

“Let me go!” You shouted, struggling against her grip, but it was futile. She was stronger, and though your body fought her, she held you with an almost unnatural calm.

“You have to listen to me, please,” Sevika whispered, her voice now a quiet murmur. She stroked your back in slow, rhythmic motions, letting her presence become the anchor for your racing thoughts. “This is just a nightmare. You’re safe. You’re here, with me. You’re real. I’m real.”

Her words broke through the haze of your fear, and you gasped again, trembling, your hands pressing against her chest as if to push her away, but your strength was fading. You sobbed harder, unable to control the flood of emotions that came crashing over you — fear, relief, shame — all of it mixing into an overwhelming whirlwind.

Sevika didn’t say anything more. She didn’t need to. She just held you. Her presence, her scent, the strength of her embrace — all of it was there to remind you that you weren’t lost in that nightmare anymore.

Slowly, your breathing began to even out, the panic starting to recede as you buried your face against her shoulder. The raw fear still lingered in your chest, but now, Sevika was here. She was warm, solid, unyielding.

When you finally calmed, when the world around you began to settle back into focus, you pulled back just enough to look up at her face. Her eyes were filled with nothing but concern, her jaw tight as she resisted the urge to pull you back in too tightly. She had to give you space, even if it hurt.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, your voice hoarse from the screaming, the tears. “I didn’t mean to… to push you away.”

Sevika’s gaze softened, her hands gently cupping your face as she wiped away the tears. “I know,” she said, her voice low and steady. “I know, love. It’s okay. I’m here. You’re safe now.”

You took a shaky breath, still in her embrace, but feeling the sting of the nightmare begin to fade. Slowly, your mind began to accept the truth: Sevika wasn’t your attacker. She was your protector. The person who would never hurt you, no matter how intense the shadows of your mind became.

“You’re my safe place,” you whispered, your voice barely audible as you leaned into her again, your head resting against her chest.

Sevika let out a long breath, relief flooding through her as she held you even tighter, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. “And I always will be,” she promised quietly.

And for the first time that night, you believed it.

[theanimeoftheblackbunnymask]

Transitions (Yandere Dazai x Reader)

Author's Note: This is based on the idea I had on how it would feel to be going from PM!Dazai's behavior towards his darling to ADA!Dazai's behavior. I also think people forget that Dazai was a teenager while he was in the Port Mafia, so reader is also around his age.

Warnings: Implied Non-Con, Mental Abuse, Physical Abuse, Torture, Emotional Abuse, Gaslighting, Manipulation, Delusions, Child Abuse, Assault, Implied Murder, PTSD, Panic Attacks Mentioned, Mental Breakdowns, Suicide Dicussed, Teasing, Mocking, and Sadism.

Links: {Masterlist} {Idea Concept}

Is it possible for a man like Dazai to change?

That was the only thing on your mind. You had been stuck with the man for years, you can remember the day of your abduction perfectly.

It was quick.

You were walking home from work. After your mother lost her job it became quite hard for her to pay the bills, so you picked up a job at the local grocery store. Balancing both High School and Work was no easy task. Your normal schedule was going to school until 3, tutoring until 4, and from 4 to 11 it was straight work. You'd often have to pull all nighters just to do assignments.

The day of your abduction was the day all those all nighters caught up with you. You walked with a drag, your vision blurred as you tried to stay awake, and every few seconds you'd let out a yawn. Normally you'd take the bus home or one of your co-workers would give you a ride, but recently you guys had grown short on staff, making you the only worker that night, and since it was a holiday the bus was running on a different schedule. Knowing what you knew about Dazai, he planned this all perfectly.

As you were walking you bumped into him, and maybe it was your exhaustion, but the moment you bumped into his chest you fell into his arms, your body going limp as he held you tightly.

That was the day you lost all freedom.

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

"Wake up Princess/Princie~"

Opening your eyes, staring down at you was a suspiciously happy Dazai. You only stared at him as he sat next to you on the bed. When he initially kidnapped you, you were kept in a cell in the Port Mafia base.

You still remember how cold it was in there. The blood. The noise. Everything that took place in that cell still haunts you to this day. The very reminder of it sends a chill down your spine.

Now, the room you were kept in was actually a room. A queen sized bed in the middle, a vanity in the corner, a closet next to it, and on the other side of the room was a door that led to the bathroom. The room was decorated to your liking, but the only downside was the massive window that was barred up, forever reminding you of a freedom so close yet so far from your grasp.

"What's the matter? You still mad at me?" Dazai asked in his infamous baby voice, putting his hands on your cheeks in order for you to meet his gaze.

You only turned you head away, keeping your mouth shut.

Letting out a sigh, Dazai spoke. "Hey, don't be like that, Y/N."

You still didn't budge.

"You know that bastard deserved it."

"Did he, Dazai? Did he?" You snapped, now sitting up.

"Traitors don't live, Y/N," Dazai said nonchalantly as he got off the bed. "You should know that better then anyone."

You do.

"Why are you up so early?" You asked.

"The boss has a mission for Chuuya and I. I should be back around midnight, so you can do whatever you want in here until then!"

"Dazai."

"Hm?"

"Can I...," You paused, clenching your fist. "Ask you something?"

"Of course my dear! Ask away."

"When...when will you let me out?"

You felt energy in the room switch as Dazai's face dropped.

"Oh...My sweet, little Y/N," Dazaj cooed as he made his way towards you, gently grabbing your face. "You're a smart girl/boy. I know you know the awnser to that. Or will I have to remind you?"

His question immediately struck you with fear as you look up to him in a panic. Your hands shook as you tried to get him hands off your face, but his nails only dug further.

"Will I?"

The bloodlust in his tone. The emptiness in his eyes. It's all too familiar.

"No...no! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. I'm sorry for asking, just please..." You pleaded as you gripped your hair, you eyes fixated on your lap as memories flooded your mind. "Not again.'

You could sense the smirk on his face as he kissed your forehead. "Smart choice. "

As you watched him leave through the exit of your prison, you could feel a tear roll down your face as the door slammed shut.

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

Chuuya was the only person in the entire Port Mafia who you felt cared at least a little bit about your situation. Besides you and Mori, he knew just how cruel Dazai could be, and whenever he spotted whatever bandages were on your body, for the quickest second you could see sympathy in his eyes. You remember one time he found you crying in your cell after one of Dazai's punishments. Your body was in so much pain that you could barely move, and your mind was scattered that you couldn't even think straight. You were naked and cold, but your skin burned in pain.

Tilting his head down, using his hat to hide his gaze, Chuuya quietly opened the cell, laid his coat over you, and walked out just as quickly and quietly as he had entered.

However, you kept your fondness of Chuuya a secret from Dazai. You knew Dazai would never kill Chuuya even if he found out about his acts of kindness. Jealous? Most likely. Angry? Definitely not. Dazai saw and knew everything you did, every thought you had, you knew that he most likely knew. He was always watching you, or at least he made you believe so.

And that was why you haven't escaped yet.

The thing is, escaping Dazai is easy, stupidly easy, but staying free was damn near impossible. He could find you in a matter of seconds, or you would run back before he realized you were gone. You see, there was 1 time you escaped Dazai, and it was a moment that you would never forget. He made sure of that.

It was a week after your abduction. You were able to notice that everytime Dazai left for a mission, he'd never lock your door. So, when he told you that he'd be gone for a couple of days in order to complete a mission, you took that as your chance.

You were able to make it to the city were you wandered around for a bit. Eventually your exhaustion caught up to you, so you seemed refuge in a random motel after pretty guilt tripping the owner into letting you spend the night.

You feel bad that owner.

In the middle of the night, the motel caught, and by the time you woke up, Dazai was staring down at you, his empty eyes staring into yours.

Up until this point Dazai hadn't done anything to you. The most he would do was come into your cell and cuddle you for hours on end while telling you about his day. He seemed so soft despite the vibe he gave off. Sometimes he'd drag you to meeting with him where he'd nuzzle into your neck. But, this mistake flipped a switch a switch in him.

You lost your innocence that night.

Bruises, cuts, and bites littered your body, and all you did afterwards was hug your knees and stare blankly into space. Nothing could break you out of of that state, anything to make you forget what happened, anything to forget the pain.

He didn't stop there though. Night after night he'd escalate things further and further. At one point he broke both of your legs, dislocated your shoulders, and broke your fingers. He made sure one of your fingers healed incorrectly just for it to be a permanent reminder. And didn't stop at physical stuff either.

For nights on end he'd force you stay awake, and he'd play mind games with you too. He'd force you to complete nearly impossible task in your exhausted state, and then mock you to tears when you couldn't do them.

He did this for days just to teach you a lesson. When the lesson was over you were broken in, just like that. In the span of two weeks you became his lap dog, and he was disappointed at how easily you broke. I mean, why wouldn’t it be easy? You were only 16.

Any escape attempt after this would result in a panic attack. You would run back to your room where Dazai would be waiting, and while you had tears rolling down your cheeks, you'd run into his arms in order to seek even a little bit of comfort.

After a week of isolation, it was like another switch happened in Dazai. One day he came down to your cell and just broke down. You had never seen the man cry before. He then hugged you while spitting out a bunch of apologies.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just..." Dazai started before his voice lowered into a whisper, his gaze fixated on the floor. "I never wanted to hurt you...never. I was just so... I'm sorry. I'll take care of everything, ok?"

Sometimes you forget he's just like you, a kid. A sadistic, scarily intelligent kid, but a kid none the less. You soon learned why he kidnapped you, what his motive was.

He wanted to feel something. Anything. The boy was hallow, a cunning killing machine. His entire personality was an act. If you were to cut him open, you'd find nothing. And somehow, he gravitated towards you.

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

"Do you enjoy living?"

Dazai laid his head in your lap, his arms wrapped your waist as you ran your fingers through his hair. In the past couple months things have cooled down. You've lost any hope of escaping or for him to become any less cruel, so now you just follow his commands. Life has been easier this way, not enjoyable, but easier.

"Hm?" You responded, meeting his gaze.

"Your life. Everyday was the same thing. School, tutoring, work. Did you enjoy any of it?"

"Well, no, but it was worth it. Whenever I'd come home my mom would always be waiting for me at the dining table. Even as she got worse, she still was always there no matter how late I got home. And when I showed her my first paycheck," You face soften in remembrance. "The smile on her face made it all worth it."

Dazai was silent for a few moments for snuggling against your stomach.

"Humans confuse me."

You knew better than to ask him to elaborate. It's not because he'd be mad or anything, but you knew his awnser would leave you sleepless.

A life with Dazai was a life with uncertainty, unpredictability. Some days he'd be this soft little thing, clinging onto you like a baby and craving all your attention, whining when he didn't get it. But on other days, he'd force you to witness the execution of Mafia members, drag you on life threatening missions, use you as a pawn on missions, and force you witness his cruelty first hand.

Sometimes it's hard to believe he loves you. Sometimes you think you're just a pawn in his game.

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

Akutagawa hated your guts.

You got Dazai's praise, attention, and approval, and you did nothing to earn it. Anytime you looked at him, you see the hatred in his eyes.

A year after your abduction, Dazai started bringing you to his little trainings with Akutagawa, and you had one rule: Don't get close.

Seeing his treatment of the boy made you believe that you hadn't experienced the worse of his torment.

One day you couldn't watch it anymore. Dazai had kicked the boy so hard that he was coughing up blood.

"Get up," Dazai commanded coldly, slowly making his way towards the boy.

He was so weak that he could barely support his weight. They had been going at this for hours now.

"A weak dog is dead dog," Dazai said, pulling his gun out from his coat. "And dogs like you, don't deserve to be in the Port Mafia."

You watched as Akutagawa slammed his eyes shut as he gritted his teeth, preparing himself for death.

"STOP!"

You had hugged Dazai from behind, hugging him tightly as you looked up at him with teary eyes. His eyes remained cold as he looked down at you.

"Please...stop. Give the boy a break."

Dazai still looked down at you silently.

"For me, please."

You felt relief wash over you body as you heard Dazai let out a sigh.

"Fine," Dazai said with an annoyed yet defeated look on his face, turning around as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder, throwing the gun in the process. "Don't think I'll be easy on you next time, Akutagawa."

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

The day Dazai left the Port Mafia is a day that you can never forget.

When he came to your room, he looked tired. Both physically and mentally. He didn't say a word as he sat down next to you on the bed.

After a few moments of silence, he spoke.

"Odasaku is died."

You felt your soul leave your body as those words left his mouth. You had met Oda a few times whenever Dazai would drag you to the bar with him, and he always treated you with kindness. He'd often scold Dazai for his treatment of you, but Dazai always ignored him.

You liked Oda, him and Chuuya made your life a little bit more enjoyable with their kindness.

You stayed silent at Dazai's words. Dazai didn't look like he was here, completely spaced out from the world. You had never seen Dazai like this, and it honestly scared you.

Scooting over next to him, you hesitantly wrapped your arms around his neck.

"Dazai?"

You didn't know if it was grief or what, but you never saw Dazai like this. You didn't know what to do. If you didn't do anything he could punish you once he became stable, or if you did the wrong thing he'd also punish you later. You were lost, you were confused, and you were scared.

"I'm leaving the Port Mafia."

"...What?"

"I'm leaving the Port Mafia," Dazai said before turning to look at you. The emptiness in his eyes sent a chill down your spine. "And you're coming with me."

What happened after that was a blur. All you remember was walking out of the Port Mafia building with a small backpack on, with Dazai holding you hand.

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

The two of you had found an apartment and had been living there for awhile.

After Dazai left the Port Mafia he completely rebranded himself. He seemed so much livelier, so much happier, so much more energetic. You honestly like this new Dazai. You didn't know if if was an act or not, but at least he was treating you better.

One day he came home with a genuine smile on his face.

"Dazai?" You called out as you sat down in front of the TV, watching a show you started but never got finish due to your kidnapping.

"I got a job!" Dazai responded excitingly, sitting down next to on the couch.

"Really? Where?"

"At this detective agency for the gifted."

You were honestly caught off guard. Dazai, a detective? Never in all your days would you think Dazai of all people would help stop crime.

You did your best to hide your confusion though, mostly because you've never seen Dazai so happy. This happiness didn't seem fake, it looked genuine.

"That's nice," You replied, doing your best to put on a smile before going back to your show.

"Guess what I'm thinking, Y/N."

This wasn't going to be good. You just knew it.

"Um, what are you thinking, Dazai?"

"You're getting a job," Dazai said, a smirk on his face as he spoke.

You dropped the bowl of cereal you were eating in complete shock.

"What...?"

"Yeah, I think you should go out more, see new things, make friends, you know, normalcy and things like that."

He was messing with you. This had to be a test. He was testing your loyalty. He wanted to if you'd awnser correctly. The Dazai you know would never tell you this and mean it. Sure he was being a lot nicer now, but this is just like how he first kidnapped you. The calm before the storm.

"Um, no, I'm good," You responded, turning away from Dazai. "I don't wanna, I'm ok."

"...Don't lie to me, Y/N," Dazai said coldly, sending a chill down your spine.

What? You awnsered correctly though.

"W-What?" You asked, turning around to face Dazai.

"I know you want to go out. I know you want to see people again, make friends," Dazai responded as he got closer to you. You didn't dare to back away, but what he said next dazed you. "See your mother again."

You hadn't seen your mother in almost two years.

"You're lying."

"Nope, got her address and everything right here," Dazai said before pulling out a piece of paper.

You immediately leap towards the paper, but Dazai raised it above his head, just out of your reach.

"Nah uh uh, you get this paper if you promise me that you'll go out."

"I promise, I promise, just give me it!"

"Aye, don't be rude," Dazai said, flicking your forehead before handing you the paper.

This had to be a dream. This was way too good to be a dream.

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

You still can't go out.

The paper with all your mother's information on it haunts you as you sit on the couch, staring at the door as you hug your knees.

You don't know what it is. Dazai's at work most of the time during the day, leaving you alone most of the time. The doors are unlocked, hell, he even gave you a key, but you just can't leave. Everytime you get close to the door you feel your lungs collapse. Your throat closes, you mind gets scattered, you can't think straight.

One time you stuck your foot out and immediately flung into a panic attack. Your breath was short, mind racing. You remember slamming the door shut and crying on the floor until Dazai came home. Anytime you got close to the door, images of your past escapes would flash in your head. Each and every one of them ended with you facing Dazai's torment.

Yeah he left the Port Mafia, but Dazai is still Dazai. This is all one big test to see how much you've learned, the paper was just something to allure you into escaping. You weren't failing this time.

"Still on the couch?" Dazai asked, almost sounding disappointed and worried all at the same time as he sat next to you. "Remember our deal?"

"Take it," You said, your voice and eyes empty as you gave his the crumbled up piece of paper.

Dazai just stared at you as he took the paper. You couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"I passed your test," You continued before lying down on the couch.

Dazai didn't say anything after that. He just stood up and walked away, not even sparing you a glance.

Sitting in your shared bedroom, Dazai stared up at the ceiling as he spoke to himself.

"They’re not leaving willingly anytime soon. I conditioned them too well."

Dazai didn't even notice, but tears were starting to form in his eyes as he spoke.

"They're leaving. They're getting a life."

The next morning you didn't wake up on the couch like you thought, but instead you were sitting on a bench in the center of the city, the paper you gave Dazai in your hand.

"Huh? What? Where... How?" You couldn't even form a coherent sentence as you looked up at the city around you. It was all so overwhelming.

As you walked down the street you kept your head low, trying to balance your nerves as you stared at the address written on the paper. You've waited two whole years for this very moment, a moment you thought you would only be a dream has finally came true.

The apartment your mother had now lived in was far more rundown and ghetto than the last one the two of you shared. The neighborhood was dangerous and the complex was filthy.

As you stood infront of your mother's door, you didn't know what you were going to say to her. Where you going to tell her what happened or just leave her in the dark? You honest weren't sure. Before you could decide what you were going to say, your knuckles were already meeting against wood of the door.

"Hello, can I..."

Standing infront of you was your mother. She looked tired, like she hadn't slept in days. But, the moment your mother locked eyes with you, the two of you were left speechless.

The two of you didn't say a single word as you fell into your mother's arms. You didn't even realize tears were rolling down your face as you hid your head in your shoulder.

"Mama..."

That was all you could say. Your voice was cracking as you hugged your mother tighter, as if she was going to disappear if you didn't.

"Shhh, it's alright," Your mother said gently as she rubbed your back. Even when flooded with overwhelming emotions, your mother was always able to remain composed and calm you down. "What happened baby?"

"I'm sorry mama, I'm sorry I didn’t... I didn't want to leave."

"I know baby, I know."

"I didn't want to leave you mama. I never did. I didn't wanna go, but I couldn't come back."

"Shhhh, calm down, I know, it's ok. Come inside and I'll fix you something, ok?"

Rubbing your eyes, you weakly gave her your response. "Ok."

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

You never told your mother about Dazai or what truly happened. Anytime you'd get close to telling her, an image of Dazai's face would flash into your head and all those memories would come right back to you.

Your mother had made you your favorite, and at the moment it felt like the world didn't matter. It felt like you were back before everything happened, the time before all the pain, all the trauma, it felt, peaceful. And you couldn't remember the last time you felt true peace.

"What are going to do now?" Your mother asked, sitting down in front of you as you ate.

"I don't know. I need to get a job, but I don't know where to start."

"One of my friends daughters works in one of the stores at the mall, maybe I can get you in contact with them. That'd be nice, right?"

"Maybe."

"Where you living now?"

That question made your blood run cold. She couldn't find out about Dazai. Rebrand or not, Dazai was still Dazai, and you wouldn't let yourself be fooled into thinking otherwise. This wasn't the first time he's pulled something like this, but this time it was going on for a bit too long.

"An apartment downtown. The landlord is letting me live there rent free until I can get back on my feet."

"That's nice."

"Yes," You said before drinking you tea. "It's...nice."

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

"Ah! You're back," Dazai said as he stood up from the couch, making his way to you.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry, I don't what happened but I woke up outside and-"

"Shhhh, I know everything. Was it nice?"

"...No."

"Be honest, Y/N."

"...It was... It was the nicest thing I've gotten in the past two years."

"That's what I thought," Dazai responded before caressing your cheek. "I want you getting out the house more. I won't punish you, I won't hurt you ever again, you have my word Y/N."

You stayed silent. Don't trust him.

"Y/N."

Don't trust him.

"I'm sorry."

Looking up at Dazai, your eyes widened as you saw tears build up in his eyes. Before you knew it, he was holding you tight, hiding his in your shoulder as he spoke.

"You didn't deserve it, you didn't deserve any of it. I love you with all of my heart, I don't know what I'd do without you. I won’t hurt you again, I won't let myself go that far. You are the sweetest person in the world and I corrupted you with my pain. I love you; I'm sorry that I hurt you, and I'll forever be sorry for that, even after I take my final breath."

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

It's been a few years since then, and a lot of things have changed. You've gotten a job at the mall and you've became best friends with your co-worker Jojo. The two of you always hang out after work and she's gotten you to go out more. You've made a few new friends but you still get anxious talking to people.

You've met Dazai's co-workers and they all adore you, this kid Atsushi especially. He seems to be Dazai's apprentice and he's always the first one to talk to you whenever you come by the agency.

Ranpo is kinda bratty but he's a really smart guy. You were pretty suprised you found out his age, but you like talking to him about mysteries and his latest jobs. He never fails to suprise you, but he always makes you feel stupid with his arrogance. He's the only one in the ADA that knows about your true history with Dazai, and it was simply by observing your guys' interactions. To the outside the two of you see normal, but Ranpo is able to notice the smallest details that made him figure out the dark history of you and Dazai.

You're pretty sure Kunikida has a crush on you. Any time the two of you talk he's always beet red and gets annoyed whenever Dazai comes along.

You enjoy talking with Kyoka, you're pretty sure she sees you as a big sister. She's always trying to impress you and likes to follow you around. One time you bought a kimono with one of your paychecks and she hugged you so tight that she didn't let go for an hour. For a stone faced child she's truly a sweetheart.

Akiko and you hang out all the time. The two of you often go shopping together and she was the one who explained how abilities worked to you. The two of you were at a bar when she explained it and you quite shocked to say the least. Dazai never explained it to you, it was more like something that was constantly brought up and you had to figure out how it worked on your own.

Now you and Dazai. To say in simple terms, your relationship is complicated. He doesn't hurt you physically, but he still plays mind games with you, but it's just not as obvious. The relationship feels more normal, but his obsessive tendencies still shine through despite his lack of violence. Anytime you go out he always implies that he'll know everything you do. At work, hang out, clubs, everything, he's always watching. So, despite your new found freedom, you're very anxious, and still don't interact with men that Dazai doesn't know. He even met your mother and she adores him. You still do your best to prevent her from finding out the truth about Dazai.

But, if you ignore all of his flaws, Dazai might as well be the perfect boyfriend. He always buys you gifts, takes you on dates, and actually does couple stuff with you. If you ignore the past and that feeling of anxiousness whenever you're with or without Dazai, you would say that you wouldn't ask for anything better.

Right?

[loveanddeepspaceimagines]

Do you think you could do something with the boys and an asthmatic reader? Whether theyre extremely or mildly asthmatic? Been struggling a little bit as the weather changes so I'd love to see your take on it! Thank you!

When you have asthma attack

I'm so sorry that you are struggling, i hope you feel better soon! wish you well <3

I'm not very familiar on how Asthma works and how it feels to be asthmatic but i tried to put together something for you!

Rafayel did know you were asthmatic, he just never seen you having Asthma Attack ,so when he found you hunched over on the floor, wheezing and struggling to catch your breath. The sight of you in distress sent a wave of panic through him. He quickly ran to your room to find your inhaler running back to you and knelt next to you. "y/n take a deep breath. Here, use this," he said, pressing the inhaler to your lips.

You took a deep breath, the medicine easing its way into your lungs. Rafayel rubbed your back, trying to help you regain your breath. "It's okay, baby. Just breathe. I'm here," he reassured you.

As your breathing steadied, he helped you to sit up, pulling you in his arms. "Do you want to lay down?" he asked softly, concern on his face.

You nodded, and he scooped you up carrying you to the bedroom. He laid you down gently, covering you with a blanket. He sat on the edge of the bed, watching you, making sure your breathing stayed steady.

He reached for a glass of water, bringing it to your lips. "Drink this," murmured, helping you to sip.

"Do you need anything else?" he asked. You shook your head, a small smile tugging at your lips. "Just you. Thank you for being here, Raf."

Radayel smiled back, his eyes soft. "Anytime, baby. You know I'm always here for you." He leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead. "Get some rest, and I'll make sure you're feeling better in no time."

⋆｡‧˚ʚ ɞ˚‧｡⋆

During one of mission with Xavier, you found yourself struggling to breathe, your asthma flaring up unexpectedly. The adrenaline and the chaos around you only made it worse. "Xavier, I can't... I can't breathe," you gasped, your hand moving to your pocket to look for inhaler.

Without hesitation, Xavier pulled your inhaler from your pocket, his hands steady as he helped you to your feet. He guided your hands to position the inhaler correctly, preparing to help you breathe in deeply.

"Take it slow baby," he murmured, his voice shaky but gentle. You followed his lead, inhaling the medication as he held you steady. He wrapped his arm around your waist, supporting you as you took deep breaths.

As your breathing started to even out, he checked your condition, his eyes never leaving yours. "Better?" You nodded, still catching your breath. "Yeah, thanks baby. I'm sorry."

He shook his head, dismissing your apology. "Don't be sorry. I've got you, y/n. We've got this." His hand squeezed yours reassuringly.

He helped you to lean against a wall for support, his free hand still holding your inhaler. He checked on you periodically throughout the mission, ensuring your asthma didn't flare up again.

When the mission was over, and the two of you were safe, Xavier made sure to sit you down and check on you properly. "Are you okay, now? Do you need anything?"

You smiled gratefully at him, his care and protection never failing to send flutter to your heart. "I'm fine, really. Just... thanks for looking out for me."

He returned your smile, his eyes filled with love. "Of course, Y/n. You know I'd do anything for you."

⋆｡‧˚ʚ ɞ˚‧｡⋆

You two were in the middle of what started as little argument, but quickly escalated due to your poor communication. Your chest tightened, and you gasped for air. The last thing you needed was an asthma attack, especially in such a tense situation.

Sylus noticed your struggle and immediately dropped the argument he was having with you. He moved to your side, his hands cupping your face. "Y/n, you're having an attack. Try to calm down Sweetie" he said, his voice firm yet gentle.

He moved to grab your inhaler from the nearby shelf and handed it to you, his eyes never leaving yours. You took a few puffs, feeling the cold mist soothe your chest. He rubbed your back helping you to relax and focus on your breathing.

"It's okay I'm here" he said, his voice a soft murmur as you tried to regain control over your breathing. "You can let it all out now. I'm not going anywhere."

You took a few more puffs from your inhaler, finally feeling the tightness in your chest loosen. You leaned into Sylus as He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen," you whispered, feeling tears prick at the corners of your eyes. He held you tighter kissing the top of your head.

"It's not your fault. We'll talk about this later okay? Right now you need to focus on getting better." His voice was calm and reassuring, making it easier for you to let go of the tension that had been building up between you two.

When you felt stable enough you looked up at him, a small smile forming on your lips. "Thank you" you whispered. He smiled back at you, his eyes filled with love, "Anything for you, Sweetie. "

⋆｡‧˚ʚ ɞ˚‧｡⋆

You were out on a date, enjoying a quiet dinner at a candlelit restaurant. Everything was peace and perfect ,however,season changes wasn't easy for you since you were asthmatic and you were having hard time,dealing with it.

So that's why when you were middle of admiring the view something triggered your asthma, causing your chest to tighten.

Panic flashed across your face, and you fumbled in your bag for your inhaler.

Zayne knew you were asthmatic so he was always ready ,carrying medicine just in case. So when he noticed your distress he quickly took over, pulling out the inhaler from his coat pocket and helped you use it, steadying you as you took deep breaths.

"It's okay, baby, just try to take deep breathes," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. You leaned against him, grateful for his quick reaction. Zayne held you close, waiting for you to stabilize.

Once you felt a bit better, he guided you out of the restaurant, you walked at a slow pace, giving you time to catch your breath. "Do you need to go home?" he asked, his hand gently rubbing your back.

You shook head, "No, I think I'm okay now. I just need a moment." He nodded walking you to a nearby park, finding a quiet corner with a bench. You two sat down, and he held your hand, watching as you took slow, deep breaths. "We can just sit here for a bit, then we can head home if you want," he murmured softly

You smiled, leaning head on his shoulder. "Let's just stay here, I feel safe with you." Zayne wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer. You sat in silence, the soothing sound of the night filling the air.

©loveanddeepspaceimagines 2024

[81pastrys]

Quadrant Racers

Nearly 19k 2 part series

Summary— Max Fewtrells sister was Lando’s teammate at McLaren before her move to RedBull, but she’s still close to Lando and a part of quadrant, so what happens when Max wins a bet that they set on Lando?

Warnings— First Person POV (I, me, us, we) ; confident reader ; mention of broken wrist ; angst ; mention of Max’s racing career ; awkward Lando ; Oscar!Ex ; mentions of abusive ex ; panic attacks ; anxiety ; forced proximity

A/N— hey! So I hit the maximum text block for this one. It HAS to be a two parts.

Series Masterlist Part 2

Dividers @bernardsbendystraws @dollywons

Growing up I was always in and around go karts, now I’m in and around Formula One cars. I made it to Formula One, but with a few downsides. My brother dropped from Formula Two. I was super devastated, but his mental health was declining quickly.

He runs a company with his best friend, Lando Norris and a few other friends. Lando is in F1 with me though, so he makes appearances every now and then. I do as well, when we have the time.

During the winter break, my brother wanted me and Lando to do shoots with him for the channel so we agreed. We fly out from Monaco to him and the rest of Quadrant. When we arrive we go to his house. I take my stay in the guest bed while Lando takes the couch.

“Do you want the room?” I ask, realizing I just took the room without negotiating with them.

“No, no.” Lando says. “I’ll live for a few days on the couch.”

“It’s not like you have choice mate.” Max laughed. “She was just being nice, she wouldn’t have given the room up.”

“Oh shut it.” I say. “If you want the room, have it.”

“I feel like there’s a bigger argument here.” He said. “I’ll stick to the couch.”

“No argument, a bet maybe.” I say. “Max will go above and beyond with bets he can’t win.”

“Yeah? Like you’re any better.” Max mocked.

“Technically-“

“There is no technically you failed.” He cut me off. “Deadline was the last race.”

“Deadline for what?” Lando asked, laughing slightly.

“Oh nothing, just the bet we set in May.”

“Max!” I say. “He isn’t interested, that’s not fair!” Lando is severely confused now.

“I gave you information that says otherwise.” Max says. “Don’t give me that bull.”

“What if I can do it by the end of this week?” I say. “Up the ante a bit.”

“To what?” He asked.

“Paddock pass to Vegas next season, if I lose.” I say. “If you win though, hmmm Lando give me ideas.”

“Oh no, I’m not getting involved.” He said.

“I get your Vegas helmet.” Max said.

“You muppet.” I laugh. “Deal, shake on it.” We shake hands and I immediately take action to win the bet. “Lando, do you like me?”

“Woah!” He said. “That was the bet?!”

“Choose wisely, a paddock pass and a Vegas helmet are on the line.” Max says.

“I need to know the bet exactly.” Lando says.

“Ehhh no.” I say. “Answer truthfully and we’ll tell you.” I say. Max knows Lando too well to know when he’s lying.

“This is gonna be awkward.” Max said.

“Yes, I like you.” Lando said, laughing afterward.

“You dimwit, she means like date her not in general.” Max said, knocking Lando on the side of his head.

“Yes!” Lando said. “I do, I’ve told you this!”

“Oh come on!!” I say. “I owe you a paddock pass.”

“Thanks mate.” Max said to Lando. “Well on with filming.”

“What?” Lando said.

We go and film the video. It was a kart race between a few of our friends and us. The twist was we had the worst karts. So it was basically Lando and I racing. We do a ‘quali’ lap and I get first.

“Pole position Fewtrell, how do you feel.” Max asked me.

“I could’ve done better to be honest.” I say.

“Aren’t you a bundle of joy.” Ethan said. “I got 4th.”

“It’s my interview, go away.” I say.

“Alright well, that was quali!” Max said dialing down the tension. Ethan and I never really got along well. We move the karts and do the line up. Somehow Lando ended up 3rd.

“I’m gonna win this dude.” I say before we get in the karts.

“Don’t be too cocky just yet.” Lando said.

“How can I be cocky without one?” I ask.

They laugh and we get back in the karts. We race and Lando catches up with me. I drift the last corner and win the race with +.154 seconds on Lando.

“Told you!” I yell. We get out the karts and Max interviews us.

“P1!” He said. “That’s new for you isn’t it?”

I punch his arm and we start fighting on the grass, wrestling until he wins and I tap out. “It wasn’t easy.” I say when I’m back up.

“How did she just go from wrestling you, to talking like nothing happened?” Niran asked.

“Shut up- ummm.” I say and laugh. Lando walks up and challenges me. “Oh I’m not doing that.” I laugh more, blushing.

“Scared I’ll mess up your racing skills?” Lando asked. “Don’t worry I have to worry about mine.”

He continued to push me and I finally give in holding his hands pushing him back. “Here we go again.” Max said.

I end up wrestling Lando in the grass, able to pin him down. I straddle him and he taps out looking to the camera. “You’re cutting that out.” He said out of breath.

“Keep it in, shows he’s only good at driving.” I say winking and getting off his lap. “Fuck I’m tired.”

“Anyway, can I interview you now?” Max asked. “Are you done wrestling people?”

“Idk are you gonna lose the attitude Maxie?”

“Maxie!” Lando said and laughed.

“I’m skipping your interview now.” He said.

He did everyone elses interview and leaves me out. I lay on the grass and chill out. “Come on, let’s go.” Lando says.

“I’m comfortable.” I say.

“Comfortable?” He asked. “It’s fucking freezing.”

“Don’t remind me you muppet.” I say getting up. We head back to Max’s house and I change. I put on pajama pants and a big McLaren hoodie. “What’s for dinner?”

“Food perhaps.” Max mocked.

“I made a reservation at- what are you wearing?” Lando said, looking over mid sentence.

“Clothes you muppet.” I say.

“You’re a Red Bull driver, take that off.” Max said.

“God forbid I wear my previous teams merch.” I say. “Reservations where?”

“He made a reservation to take you out, idiot.” Max said walking past.

“We don’t have to go if you don’t want.” He said with mock sarcasm.

“I can go change Lando, I just wanted to wear something comfortable.”

“De Terra.” He said. “It’s in 2 hours, so if you want to go get ready…”

“I will.” I say. I go back to the guest room and pick an outfit. I grab my makeup and start when Max walks in. He sits on the bed while I do my makeup. “What’s up?”

“Please don’t rush this one.” He said. “I don’t want you getting hurt again.”

“I won’t, what happened with Oscar was just-.” I say. “He wanted my spot and thought getting closer to me would help that.”

“Yeah well, he broke your heart in the process.”

“I don’t think Lando wants my f1 spot.” I say. I start doing my hair, curling it. I’m slightly rushing, it’s been around 45 minutes. “Besides if I didn’t like Lando like that, I would’ve- FUCK!”

“What?” Max asked, jumping from the bed. I put the curling iron down and jump up and down. “What did you do?”

“I burned my finger, holy fuck it hurts!”

“Oh, stop yelling at me!” He said. “I’ll get you ice.”

“Owwww!!” I say shaking my hand around. Max returns with ice and puts it on my finger. “That hurts!” I yell at him.

“Well no shit, you burned your skin off!”

“Shut up.” I say. I finish curling my hair and put a bandaid on my finger. I get dressed once max leaves the room.

I put on fleece lined leggings, an oversized tan sweater dress and bootie heels. I go back to the main room and Lando is wearing khakis with a leather belt, and a black crewneck. His gold watch and a dainty golden chain. We unintentionally match.

“You look stunning.” He said. I blush and giggle.

“You look good too, we’re matching.” I say still giggling. “How are we getting there?”

“Max offered to bring us, London traffic and all.” He giggled.

“Understandable, where is Max?” I ask unamused by my brothers absence. “Wanking off I presume.”

“I’m right here, shut your trap.” He said walking from the kitchen. “Let’s go.”

We follow Max to his garage and he unlocked his car. Lando opens the rear door and I get in thanking him. He gets in on the other side.

Max drives us to the restaurant and same thing, Lando opens my door for me. He stands in front of me so I don’t flash anyone. There are a few fans. Paparazzi are crazy as well. We get into the restaurant and sit down. It’s a small, niche restaurant.

“What are we starting off with to drink?” Our waiter asked. I glance at Lando.

“Can I get a glass of water?” I say.

“I’ll just do a water as well.” Lando said.

The waiter walks off and we look at the menu. We get our drinks and then order our food.

“What was the full bet, if I may ask?” Lando started.

“Well, Max told me you liked me.” I say. “So I bet that if you did, I’d give him a prize and he bet that if you didn’t he’d pick a prize.”

“Well, why did you choose the losing side?” He laughed. “You had proof, you could’ve won easily.”

“Who knows?” I laugh. “Truth be told, I really want Max in Vegas.”

“Really?” He asked.

“I mean he goes to races, but not the fun ones.” I say. “Plus he’s never had fun after races.”

“That’s true, does he know how to though?”

“I’m sure he does, Vegas will prove that.” I giggle. “It’s also a heads up not to do bad, so we can celebrate.”

“Well, I never plan on doing bad.” He said. “If McLaren keeps this strategy up, I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah?” I say. “How’s Andrea?”

“Oh shut it.” He giggled. “His strategies have improved to say the least.”

“That’s good!” I say. “He didn’t like me much though.”

“I think he’s just sexist.” Lando laughed. “He doesn’t treat Oscar that way.”

“Yeah well.” I say. “Oscar is good at manipulation.”

“Oh yeah?”

“I went through a year of it yeah.” I say. “He wanted my spot.”

“Really?” He said. “Max never told me that.”

“Yeah, he’s the only person I told.” I say. “Not to say Oscar is a bad person, but he used me for an F1 spot.”

“Oh wow, I never thought that of him.”

“That was over a year ago now.” I say. “Max is worried about me dating, so he kept deferring me.”

“I’ve noticed that.” He said. “Max seems very protective of you.”

“Older brother at his finest.” I say. “I admire it though, he wants what’s best for me.”

“Yeah, he knows how it feels to be in dark places.” Lando said. “No harm in trying to protect you from that.”

“He gives good advice on it too.” I mention. “He can comfort me, but not having him at races is hard.”

“I bet, I’m sure he’d answer if you called.” Lando said.

“Yeah, although I don’t think he wants a call from his sister at 3 am having a panic attack.” I laugh slightly. Lando used to calm me down before races.

“I’m sure it’s gotten better, no?” He asked.

“A bit, but I still have them every other race.” I say. “Verstappen is good at calming me down.”

“Max? Really?”

“Yeah, he acts like a brother to me.” I say.

“I mean you’re only 23.” He said. “I’m sure it’ll go away.”

“I’m hoping on that, but only time will tell.”

We get our food and eat. The food was amazing. I text Max that we’re almost done and he says he’s on his way. We get dessert and share.

Lando pays and we head out to Max’s car. We get in and laugh. “What’s funny?” Max asked.

“The paparazzi and fans.” I giggle.

“Mate they’re going wild.” Lando said. “Asking us about other people, as if we weren’t on a date.” I put my face in my hands and laugh more.

“At least we know the headlines won’t be speculation of us dating.” I laugh.

“Right?” Lando laughed.

We get back to the house and I go to the guest room, taking off my makeup. Max comes in and sits on the bed. “How’d it go?”

I blush and smile at him. “Stop!!!” I say throwing my brush at him. “It was good.”

“I don’t want you rushing, you know that.” He said.

“I know I know, but I really like him.” I say blushing harder.

“Understood, I’m telling him the same things.” He said. “If he breaks your heart, I’ll break his trophy’s.”

“He won’t break my heart, Max.” I say. “He might steal it though.”

He rolls his eyes and leaves, closing the door. I go to lock it and the doorknob turns. It’s Lando.

“Oh hey.” I say.

“You still haven’t changed?” He asked. He’s wearing pajama pants and a long sleeve shirt.

“I was about to!” I laugh. “But my doorknob turned and here you are.”

“I’m sorry!” He said, surprised. “I didn’t know that, Max walked out I figured you were-“

“It’s okay!” I say. “I’m joking with you.”

“Okay.” He said. “Maxie wants to do a movie night.” He mocked my nickname for Max.

“Okay, let me get changed first, and I’ll head out there.” I say. He leaves the room and I actually lock the door. I put on fleece pajama pants, a quadrant hoodie that’s a few sizes too big and fleece socks. I walk out and see them lounging on the couch. “What are we watching?”

“Uhhh I don’t know what do you want to watch?” Max asked. “Not cars.”

“Well then guess I’ll go back to my room.” I say acting like I’m leaving. “I’m kidding, what else is there to watch?”

“Why can’t we watch cars?” Lando asked.

“Mate, she’s obsessed.” Max said.

“What?” Lando asked laughing.

“Come on Fernando literally voiced in cars 3!” I say like an excited child.

“What?!” Lando said, like I just blew his mind. “Since when?!”

“In the Spanish version, Hamilton voices in 2 and 3.” I say. “Seb is in the German and Italian version, Schumacher is in the second one too, you’re telling me you didn’t know this?!”

“She’s fucking with me right?” He asked Max.

“No you muppet, how did you not know that?”

“Dude, now we have to watch cars.” Lando said.

“Yay!!” I say and jump in the middle of them. “1, 2, or 3?”

“2 is my favorite.” Max said.

“You’re boring.” I say. “The third one is the best.”

“I’ve never watched any.” Lando says. Max and I both look at him like he flashed us.

“We’re watching all three.” I say to Max.

“Fuck yeah we are.” Max said.

I get up and to grab a blanket, but Lando had other plans and pulled me back to the couch. He covered me in his and I cuddled to his chest, blushing while Max starts the movie.

We get to the second movie and talk about the first one. “Classic, but I like the third one.”

“It’s literally the same thing.” Max says.

“You muppet, you just spoiled it.” Lando said.

“Not really, it’s different I promise.” I say. “The second is way different than them though.”

“Second one is- oh shut up.” Max said.

We start the second movie and I feel myself drifting to sleep. We get to Hamilton’s part and I’m no longer drifting off. “Look! It’s Hamilton!” I say pointing.

“Wait, why does Francisco look like an f1 car and the others don’t?” Lando asked.

“I don’t know, but did you hear Hamilton’s part?”

“Yes I heard it.” He said smiling at me. I go back to drifting to sleep. His chest is so warm and his arm wrapped around me was comforting. I fall asleep.

They wake me up on the third movies credits. “Hmm?” I hum waking up.

“The movies are over.” Lando whispered. “You fell asleep.” He giggled a bit.

“Because you’re comfortable to lay on.” I mumble. “I don’t wanna move.”

“My bed is the couch, I don’t mind.” He said.

I hear him and Max talking for a bit then the light go out. He moves to lay down, moving me to lay on top of him. His arms rest on my back, like he’s hugging me. I sink into a deep sleep.

I wake up next to him, halfway on his chest. He isn’t awake yet, so I assume it’s early. I look around for a clock and the tv has one. It’s 7:30am. I go back to sleep. He wakes me up 2 hours later.

“Morning.” He said yawning.

“Morning.” I say, getting more comfortable, if possible.

“Don’t get more comfortable, Max will be up any minute.” He said shaking me a little.

“It should be illegal for you to be this comfy.” I say. “You’re like a cloud.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He giggled. “I think we’re doing another shoot for quadrant today.” He said.

“Again? What for?” I whine.

“Well, I have to film while I’m here.” He laughed. “It’s a sim racing video.”

“Well this’ll be fun.” I laugh slightly. “I’m tired, and comfortable though.”

“Yes, but Ethan and Niran will be here any minute.” He said.

“Are you embarrassed to have a hot f1 driver on your chest?”

“No, I’m scared they’ll make fun of me, or get drunk and say it on stream.” He laughed.

“Fine, but you owe me big time.” I say sitting up finally.

We both get up, I go to my room getting ready. I do light makeup and fix my god awful hair. Then I put on fleece lined leggings and an oversized sweater and still have my fleece socks still on.

I go back to the living room where Lando is also dressed now. His hair is no longer a mop. He’s wearing thick cargo pants with a hoodie and thick flannel over top. Max is up, but still in pajamas.

“Tea?” He asked.

“Please.” I say, walking to the kitchen.

I pick out a tea and he makes it for me. I put some milk in with honey and drink it. “Did he just make you tea?” Lando asked.

“Yeah, why?” I ask.

“She’s my little sister, of course I made her tea.” Max said.

“You didn’t make my tea.”

“You aren’t my sister idiot.”

“I get princess treatment.” I smile.

“Not if you’re gonna be cocky about it.” Max said.

“That’s next level.” Lando said. “You’re spoiling her and not me.” He shakes his head.

“You’re telling me, you wouldn’t make your little sister tea after she flew from Monaco out to your house?”

“No I would, but if my mate also went I’d make him some as well.”

“You’re fully capable of making your own.” Max said. “Come on mate.”

“Whatever.” Lando says jokingly.

Ethan and Niran arrive, I roll my eyes at them. “What’s her deal?” Ethan asked.

“What do you mean?” Max asked.

“She rolled her eyes at us.” Niran said holding an arm out in my direction.

“Dude we just woke up.” Max said. “Get off it.”

Max is the king of ignoring my blatant attitude towards them. To be fair, I just never liked them. If I could pick any guys other than them I would.

They talk for a bit and then Max sets up the simulator. I get in first. Adjusting the settings to how it would feel in a real car, or at least the closest. Max picked the track, which was Monaco.

“Oh come on.” I say. “Monaco really?”

“You need to learn not to hit every wall possible.” He said.

“I do not hit every-“ I stop myself. Lando laughs. “Shut up.”

I do a slow warm up lap and hit no walls. The next lap was timed so I sped up. I hit like one wall, not even hitting it, just tapping it.

“Mate, no walls!” Max said.

“You drive an F1 car on this godforsaken track Max!” I say heated. “It isn’t as easy as in the F2 cars.”

“I don’t hit walls often.” Lando said, he’s not even paying attention. He’s playing on his phone. “You just need to go a bit slower.”

“And what? Let Verstappen pass me?” I scoff. “I’ll take the wall risk.”

“You’re doing better!” Max said. “No kissed walls.”

“Oh that’s because it isn’t a McLaren.” I laugh.

“Tell that to your RB20.” He said. I always crash out or hit walls at Monaco. Last year it was bad. I acted like it was fine but it really did hit me when he said that.

“Just be quiet.” I mumble. I tried to keep racing but then when I passed the corner I crashed at, I paused the game and left the room. He called after me but I ignored him. I go to my room and lock the door. I lay in the bed and go on my phone. Not upset but just mad.

A few hours go by and there’s a knock on my door. I ignore it. “Sis, come on I was joking.” Max said. I ignore him again. It is now I realize he has a key to this room. I get up and unlock the door opening it. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah whatever, what do you want?” I ask.

“They want to go out for lunch.” He said. “Did you want to come?”

“No.” I say. “I’m not hungry.”

“Come on seriously.” He basically whined. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I’ll go to lunch I guess.” I sigh. Once he starts whining it takes a while to get him to leave me alone. I put on shoes and grab my purse. They take two cars, Max driving one and Lando driving another. Ethan and Niran went with Max while I went with Lando. They didn’t seem bothered by it, considering we were teammates.

“Did his Monaco comment really upset you?” He asked.

“Yeah.” I say.

“Come on, don’t be dry with me.” He said.

“I’m sure he saw the race, and I told him how fucked up I was after.” I say. “I just- I’d rather forget about it.”

“He didn’t have any ill intent.” Lando said. “He was messing around for the bit.”

“I still don’t care.” I say. “My hand is still fucked up.”

“That’s why Liam drove 3 races for you.” He said. “Your trainer cleared you, the doctors cleared you.”

“That doesn’t mean I have my full potential back Lando.” I start raising my voice. “Max of all people knows that, that could’ve been 3 podiums for the team.”

“Okay, okay, no need to start yelling at me.” He said placing a hand on my thigh, rubbing it up and down to comfort me. “I understand it was a hard time, but Max was just trying to make you laugh.” He said soothingly.

“Whatever.” I sigh. ���I’m still pissed about it.”

We get to the restaurant and get out. We’re seated fairly quickly. I sit in between Max and Lando. I fuck around with the straw paper and then play on my phone. “Why did we bring her if she’s just going to nod off?” Ethan asked. I look up innocent, knowing he’s talking about me.

“I mean, I can leave.” I say, almost clueless.

“No, you aren’t leaving.” Lando said. “Ethan why are you so rude?”

“Well I mean, I’ve got a point don’t I?”

“Dude just drop it.” Niran said. “She’s here and she’s Max’s sister.”

“Why can’t I leave again?” I ask Lando. He looks at me, then at Ethan, and then grabs my neck pulling me in for a kiss.

“That’s why.” He said, giggling a bit to him self. “She’s not only tied to Max now.”

I giggle and sit back in my chair blushing. Ethan shut up and Niran was still in shock. Max was looking at us as if it was planned to piss him off. “What?” I ask smiling uncontrollably.

“We’re in public.” He said. “Someone could’ve videoed that.”

“Let them.” Lando smiled. “We’ll talk more later.”

After lunch we get in the cars and all agreed to go shopping for a little. I ride with Lando, which is now suspicious to them. “You really kissed me in front of all three of them.” I say in disbelief.

“And I would happily do it again.” He laughed. “I’ve liked you since last season.” He said. “I’m gonna blindly assume you liked me.”

“Oh I’ve liked you since I broke up with Oscar.” I scoff. “Max knew that, he ratted you out so I’d make a move.”

“What a muppet.” He laughed. “Technically you still did.”

“Nooo, I asked if you like liked me and then you brought me on a date.”

“True.” He said as he pulled into the shopping center lot. We find where Max parked and park nearby. “Let’s not make a scene here, or your brother will kill me tonight.”

“No promises pretty boy.” I joke. We get out the car and head towards the entrance. “Oh you know what I need?” I perk up. “I need new heels.”

“Heels for what?” Max asked. “The paddock?”

“Yeah, heels make me look taller and badass.” I say. “Hence the fact I need heels.”

“The paddock is full of cracks, you’re gonna break an ankle.” Lando says.

“Fine, then nicer shoes than what I have, preferably wedges.” I say.

“That’s more like it.” Max said. We go to a fancy shoe store and I tell the lady exactly what kind of shoes I’m looking for. I start trying on shoes when I realize Max, Ethan, and Niran aren’t in the store anymore.

“What’s wrong love?” Lando asked, seeing me look around.

“Where are the other boys?” I ask. “Were they that bored?”

“Well Ethan and Niran have a Complex against you and Max didn’t want to hear it so they went to another store.” He smiled.

“I’m glad you stayed behind.” I say smiling. “Although I think you should spend time with them, they are your friends too and Max always sees them.”

“Yeah well, It was Max’s idea they leave and I told them I was staying.” He said.

“Ok what do we think about these?” I ask standing up in tan with light pink strapped wedges. “I personally love them.”

“You look too tall.” He said. “They are cute though.”

“I’m just too tall for you.” I say. “These are only what, 2 inches?”

“That makes a difference love.” He laughed.

“That makes me 5’6!” I laugh. “Is that too tall for you?”

“No, but I’d prefer you to be shorter.” He joked. “Can you please try on the Nikes?” He asked pointing to the stack of shoe boxes I picked.

“Yes, I will.” I say. “After you approve the wedges.”

“They’re nice, versatile, and make you tall.” He said. “Buy them.”

“Yay! Now I can try on the Nikes.” I say, I swap the shoes and put on the bubblegum accented shoes. “Ouu I like these.” I say.

“Damn they look good.” He said. “I think if anyone can pull off that pink, it’s you.”

“Why thank you, and I think I don’t need an opinion to buy these.” I say.

I go through more and more shoes but only end up with 3. The wedges, bubblegum Nikes and cream embroidered high top converse. I pay and we leave the store. Lando holds my bag. “Where to?” He asked.

“Hmm I don’t know, I got what I wanted.” I say. “Anything you want?”

“Not really.” He said.

“I could do some new sunglasses.” I say.

“Get a pair of the McLaren ones.” He said. “Remind me before we leave, we can go to Surrey and get you some from HQ.”

“Are they pink?” I ask. “If you couldn’t tell I like pink.”

“No, but it’ll be a pair of McLaren sunglasses.” He laughed. “We can order you a pair with pink and the McLaren logo.”

“Okay, sounds good.” I say. “Look there’s Max.” I say pointing to the food court.

“Hey sis.” He said. “What shoes did you get?”

“A pair of wedges, Nikes, and Converse.” I say.

“Nikes?” Max said confused. “You don’t wear Nikes?”

“I know but they’re pink!” I say.

“My god, you and pink.”

We leave the mall and go back to the house. I put my shoes away and change. I wash my face and throw my hair into a messy bun. I go to the kitchen and grab a drink from the fridge. Max had seltzers so I grabbed that.

“What are you drinking?” Max asked.

“Ummm Smirnoff ice seltzer?” I say.

“Uh absolutely not, no alcohol.” He said.

“What? Why not!” I whine. “It’s winter break!”

“I don’t care, alcohol isn’t good for you.”

“Then why do you have it?” I ask.

“I don’t drive fast cars.” He said.

Lando joins us and sees what drink I picked in Max’s hand. “Drinking mate?”

“No, I was trying to.” I say. “Max thinks it’ll affect my performance.”

“It can, you only have one liver.”

“One drink won’t kill me.”

“I said no drinking.” Max said putting it back. “Can we talk about earlier?”

“What about it?” I ask with attitude.

“When I kissed her?” Lando asked. “It was to get them to shut up.”

“There are many other ways to do that mate.” Max said. “Why did you choose kissing my sister.”

“She’s tempting, and I knew it would shut them up.” He responded, biting his lip after. “I didn’t want to go for the mediocre half-ass successful options.”

“Me personally, I enjoyed it.” I add. “Lifted my mood.”

“Yeah, yeah, could’ve just told them to shut it.” Max tried to argue more. “It hasn’t even been a week and you’re all over each other!”

“We were teammates over two years.” Lando said.

“Yeah, I’m comfortable and feel safe around him, I know he wouldn’t intentionally do something I wouldn’t like.” I defend.

“As a friend.” Max says. “You’ve been around him as a friend, he’s not your boyfriend.”

“Not yet.” Lando mumbled. I couldn’t help but laugh in my brother’s face after Lando said that.

“I’ve told you time and time again, don’t put yourself in these situations!” He yelled at me. Usually I’d take it, but I have a stand on this argument.

“Max, he’s nothing like Oscar!” I yell back. “Oscar was talking to other girls while we were together!”

“How do you know Lando isn’t?” He asked.

“I see him on his phone like 10% of the day. Oscar was constantly texting whores back.” I say. “If Lando is talking to other girls, they aren’t getting the attention I am, they aren’t sleeping on his chest or shoe shopping with him.”

“Ok I get the point.” He says defeated.

“I don’t think you do.” I say disgusted. “It’s been over a year Max! Oscar got my spot he won, I lost.” Tears start in my eyes as I yell. “Lando has treated me better these past few days than Oscar ever did in the year and half we dated!”

“Stop yelling at me please.” He responded. “I see where you’re coming from now.”

“Do you?” I ask, tears staining my face. “Did you see how I was when I was with Oscar? I was afraid of anything I would say, afraid that when I got a bad place he’d scold me only to find out he was happy when it meant he had a chance at my spot!” I go on. “He made me a horrible person, but who was there for me when you weren’t Max? WHO?”

“I don’t know.” He mumbled.

“Lando, he knew Oscar was my ex and wasn’t afraid to comfort me. He knew what Oscar put me through and how scared I was for any race, any position.” Lando decided that was enough yelling and interrupted.

“Alright, I think it’s time to get ready for bed hm?” He asked in a calm voice. He went to grab my arm and I slap it away.

“Don’t touch me, I need a minute to myself.” I say. They watch me walk away.

Norris POV

I go to grab her arm and lead her to her room and she slapped my hand away and told me not to touch her. “Has she ever done that?” I ask.

“Not in a while.” Max sighed. “That’s why I told you not to rush it mate.”

“What? Because she got mad once?”

“No, because she still needs time to heal from that.” He said. “Oscar mentally drained her of her own personality, then threw her away when he got into McLaren.”

“I didn’t know it was that much.” I say. “She told me he wanted her spot, but I didn’t know he was manipulative and abusive.”

“She’d call me crying, inconsolable at times.” Max said. “Every time, without fail, it was because he got into her head.”

“What the fuck?” I say. “I knew she had panic attacks before races, I didn’t know she’d be upset after as well.”

“Still?” He asked. “She had those in F2, when she started dating him.”

“Oh wow.” I say. “I didn’t mean to upset you earlier, it was an impulsive decision.”

“I’m not too upset about it now, I just ask that you don’t rush it.” He said. “She’s still hurting, and I don’t want it to affect her career.”

“I understand that.” I say. “I’ll wait.”

“Thanks mate, I’m gonna go check on her.” Max said. He walked to the door and knocked. He looked back at me then we hear a crash and I get up rushing to the door as he opens it.

“What happened?” I ask. There’s glass shattered on the floor and Max sits next to her on the bed.

“She threw the lamp.” He said.

“He texted me.” She said through tears.

I grab a broom and sweep up the glass, cleaning it up for Max. “Hope you didn’t like that one.” I say.

“I don’t care about the lamp.” He said. “What did he text you?”

“A picture.” She said, grabbing her phone and showing Max. He looks at me in disbelief. My phone goes off and surprise it’s Oscar. “What?”

“I need to go do something, I’ll be right outside.”

I leave and call him immediately. I walk outside standing in the doorway. “Did you see my text mate?” He asked.

“Yeah, what’s that about?” I ask, acting like I don’t know anything I just heard.

“That’s Lily, she super excited.” He laughed. “I just asked her to be my girlfriend.”

“Ohh congrats mate.” I say.

“We’ve been talking for years and I finally called it quits.” He laughed. “Well worth it.”

“Really?” I ask. “Well I’m in the UK with Max for quadrant.”

“That sounds like fun.” He said. “Well I’ve got to go, girl to please you know?”

“Yeah, I’ll text you whenever.” I say. I go back inside, setting my phone on the counter. Max brought her to the couch to comfort her more. “How are you feeling?” I ask.

“I don’t know.” She says. “Anytime he went home, he was with her.”

“Seems like a bundle of joy.” I say sarcastic. “He just called me, he just asked her out.”

Max punched my arm, hard. “I figured, it was only a matter of time.” She sniffled. “Oh well.”

“Movie tonight?” Max asked.

“I’m down.” I say.

“I guess, what are we gonna watch?” She said.

“Fast and Furious?” Max suggested.

“Which one?” I ask. “There’s 7.”

“2 or 3 are good.” She said.

“Let’s watch 2.” Max said.

We get comfortable on the couch. I sit on the same side from the night before and she cuddles up to me. I cover her with the blanket and let her get comfortable. I don’t care what Max says. She needs this comfort more than anything, if I can provide it for her, I will.

By the end of the movie she’s asleep on my chest. “Next time give me the room.” I laugh.

“Noted mate.” Max laughed. “You can sleep in there tonight if you want.”

“Nah, I think she needs someone here for her right now.” I say. “The couch is the safest place for that.”

“Alright, I’m going to shower and get ready for bed then.” He said.

“Sounds good.”

He gets up and turns off the lights, leaving the lamp by me on. I play on my phone. I go through socials and messages. After a little while I hear the shower go off and his light go out. I try to move to where I won’t wake her, but can get out to shower myself.

“Where are you going?” She mumbled, raspy.

“I need to go shower love.” I whisper, crouching by her head. I move a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Do you want me to bring you to bed?”

“Will you be there when you’re done?”

“No, love I’m sleeping out here.”

“Then no, I want you next to me.”

“Okay, I’ll be back in a few then.” I say. She nods and I go to my bag, grabbing sleep clothes. I go to the bathroom, taking off my watch, bracelets and necklace. I get undressed after starting the shower and get in.

After I shower I dry off and put on my pajama pants and a compression shirt. I go back to the living room and she’s cuddled into the blanket. I put my other clothes in my bag and head to the kitchen.

I make a glass of water and sip on it for a little while playing on my phone. I go to lay on the couch again. She moves over a little, only to cuddle into my chest when I’m comfortable. My arm is wrapped around her back and the blanket is covering both of us.

In the morning I look over to see the time, 8am. I rub her back lightly to wake her. She groans at me and shifts a little, her leg brushing against my crotch. “Woah, good morning to you too.” I giggle in a raspy deep tone. I slowly moved her leg back where it was.

“It’s too early.” She groaned. “Why are you up?”

“I need to train today.” I say. “It’s 8 am.”

“Too early.” She repeated. “Training isn’t for another hour.”

“Yes, but you’ll want to shower and get ready love.” I say, now playing with her hair.

“You’re comfy, I don’t wanna.”

“Too bad love, I’m getting up.”

I get up and she whines as I do. I stand next to the couch crossing my arms. She lays with one arm hanging off the couch. She brings it up and turns over to face the other side. I roll my eyes and get clothes from my bag. I go to the bathroom and it’s now I realize I got a hard on.

“Cheeky little-“ I whisper to myself. I finish getting ready ignoring it. By the time I’m done it’s gone. I go back out and she’s out. I make some tea for us and while the kettle is heating up I go to the couch. “It’s 8:30, wakey wakey.”

“No, go away.” She mumbled.

“I’ll call Max.” I say.

“Which one?” She asked.

“Depends.” I say. “Are you going to get up?”

“Fine, I’ll get up.” She said turning over and sitting up.

She drags herself to the guest room and I finish making tea. It’s 8:45 and I hear the shower start. The MTC isn’t far from Max’s house so I plan on going there for an in person train, but if she’s ready in time I won’t. Jon said to be there by 9:30, so I’d have to leave by 9:10 to get there a bit early.

“Morning mate.” Max said. “Where is she?”

“Getting ready, we have training today.” I say. “I was planning on going to MTC.”

“Where is her training?” He asked.

“Probably RBR.” I say. “About 15 minutes out.”

“Where’s the MTC?” He asked. “I’m gonna run out of cars.”

“15 minutes the opposite way.” I laugh.

She walks back in with workout shorts, a compression shirt and a ponytail. Tennis shoes and no makeup. “Sis can I bring you to RBR?” Max asked.

“For what?” She asked.

“Training.” I say. “Is that not where you go?”

“I was going to do a gym train.” She said. “Did your pt want to do an in person?”

“Ehh he just said if I wanted to, I could be there for 9:30.” I say. “I’ll go to the gym with you though.”

“Thank god, I’ll have a car.” Max joked. We laugh and she makes a hydration drink and we take Max’s keys.

We go to F1 HQ for gym training. We do a few sessions on our own, then do some that need spotters. She sets up the hip thrust machine first and I watch. She gets ready to do a set and I get ready to grab the 55 kilos she has.

“Doubting me already?” She asked.

“No, but there’s a spotter for a reason, don’t push too hard.” I say.

She rolls her eyes playfully, making me smile. She does a set of 10 and rests. Then does two more sets, struggling on the last one.

“You got this, 2 more.” I encourage her. “2 more, 2 more.”

“I know shut up.” She said, straining. She did the last two almost collapsing. I catch the bar before it clunked the ground. “Fuck, thank you.”

“Good job.” I say. “That was a lot of weight.”

I do the same set with the same weight, I could do more but 55 is what her limit is so I’m not pushing her to grab more than she can handle.

We do more spotting sessions and then finish our workout with neck exercises. Once we’re done with that, we get our stuff to leave. It’s around 11:30 so we’re hungry. “Did you want to get lunch?”

“Umm Max said he’s cooking lunch.” She said. “He just texted.”

“Ok, back to Max’s then.” I laugh. “Did he say what?”

“Teriyaki steak bowls.”

“He’s such a people pleaser.” I say. “I love his teriyaki bowls.”

“Me too, he’s so good at cooking.” She said. “He gets it from me.”

“Really?” I ask. “Two years we were teammates and I didn’t know that.”

“I never disclose my biggest secrets.” She giggles. “If I told you, you’d want me to cook for you.”

“Fair, I don’t beg Max though.”

“I do.” She beams.

We make it back to the house and go inside. It smells amazing. She goes to the guest room and I stay in the kitchen. “Smells heavenly.” I say.

“I’m almost finished.” He said. “Just need to make the bowl part.”

“What’s that consist of?” I ask.

“Veggies and a few other proteins.” He said.

He finished the bowls and she walked out in a different outfit. “Do you have an outfit for everything?” I laugh.

“I only brought so many.” She said. “That’s my only workout fit.”

“Fair, are you ready to eat?” Max said.

“Yes, it better taste as good as it smells.” She said.

“When does it not?” Max scoffs. “That one soup doesn’t count.”

“Okay.” She said.

“When’s the next shoot for Quadrant?” I ask.

“Tomorrow?” Max said as a question. “Truth or dare with a twist.”

“I will not be participating.” His sister said quickly. “Too many times have I said things I wasn’t supposed to.”

“Really?” I ask.

“Dude, she was banned from my streams.”

“Why?” I laugh.

“She just talk and talks.”

“Can confirm, I talk.” She said.

“Now I just have to worry about when she’s intoxicated.” Max said.

“What do you say?!” I laugh harder.

“Oh mate, I haven’t seen it in a while.” Max said. “I don’t want to either.”

“I’m fun when I’m drunk!” She protests.

“If having fun is your little sister confessing her love then yeah, it’s fun.”

“I’m an honest person!” She said. “Who knows what I’ve told the boys on the grid.”

“Oh god.” Max said. “You’ve gotten drunk with the grid?”

“Oh mate plenty of times.” I say. “They’re party animals.”

“They’re so much fun though!” She said. “Remember summer break?”

“Max got so drunk we had to bring him back to the hotel.” I laugh. “He lost his shoes that night.”

“Mate what?” Max said. “I don’t even want to know.”

First Person POV (2 months later)

Were called in for season pictures and a ‘grill the grid’ episode. I won last year and plan on winning this year.

“Welcome back!” She said.

“We’re back!” I say, laughing after. “What’s the damage?”

“We’re starting easy this year.” She started.

“Oh god.” I laugh again.

“Name the entire grid for this year, within 2 minutes.”

“The entire grid?” I ask. “All 20 of them?!”

“Yes all 20.” She laughed this time.

“Ok, tell me when to start.” I say.

“Timer starts.. now.”

“Me, Lando, Hamilton, Verstappen, Russell, Albon, Gasly, Leclerc, Sainz, Doohan, Stroll, Alonso, Bortelleto, Antonelli, Ricciardo, Yuki, Ocon, Ollie… Lawson!” I say all but Oscar and breathe a bit.

“One more.” She said. “1 minute left.”

“Ummm.” I laugh hysterically. “I’ll lose that point.”

She stops the timer and tells me I have the most points anyway. The cameras cut and I take off the race suit. “You could’ve had the most points possible!”

“I don’t mind the one point.” I say.

I leave the HQ and go to my driver trailer. I unpack a bit and chill out. Lando and I have been talking a lot since we left Max’s house. With the next race in a few weeks, I don’t know if I can handle just being his friend. I want to be his girlfriend. He calls me when he leaves the HQ.

“Hello love.” He said.

“Hiiii.” I say. “How was it?” I ask.

“I lost points for not saying myself.” He laughed.

“That’s funny, I lost points for not naming your teammate.” I laugh.

“I might win then.” He joked. “I had 30 seconds left.”

“Ha! I had a minute.”

“Ah shit, I take that back then.” He laughed.

The race weekend comes up and nerves are high. Anxiety higher. Practice and Quali went good. I got P4 behind Lando, Max, and Charles. My trainer and I do some light training.

“How’s that on your wrist?” He asked. Max walked up right before we were done.

“Alright.” I say, very unamused. “Could feel better but.” I shrug.

“Could feel better?” Max said, before my trainer.

“She’s good to race, just a bit extra training for the harder turns.” My trainer explained to Max.

“Good we need good points today Fewtrell.” He joked. “Let’s get out there huh kiddo?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” I say. My attitude is very monotone. I’ve just not been having a good day. We go to the garage and Max pulls me aside.

“What’s going on?” He asked concerned.

“Nothing, just not feeling it today.” I say. “I’m good to race.”

“Ok, we can talk more after?” He asked.

“Yeah.” I nod.

We get all our gear on and get ready in the cars for formation. The car felt off a bit.

“Why is my car tutting?” I ask my engineer.

“Uhmm.” He responded.

“What do you mean umm??”

The lights go out and we start the race. A few laps in and the car still doesn’t feel right. “We have found the issue, either a tire isn’t on properly, or your wheel isn’t locked.” He said on a straight. I fuck around with my wheel and it clicks.

“Fucking idiotic.” I say.

“Please let us know if that fixes the issue.”

I drive another lap and it still doesn’t feel right. I toggle my radio switch. “No, no it didn’t fix the fucking issue!” I yell to him.

“Okay, calm down, we’ll need you to box next lap.” He sighed. “Box this lap please.”

“Confirm.” I say mad. I box and they swap the tires, I lost 3rd place and get back on track in 4th. “This is much better, can we check tires next time?”

“I’m not doing this on the radio.” He responded.

“Then don’t fuck up my car next time.” I say, then stop talking for the other laps, unless needed.

I finish P2 and pull into the spot. Max got P1 as usual and Oscar in P3, as if my day couldn’t get worse. I take off my helmet and place it on the stand, I grab my drink. Max comes up and hugs me. “Good race today!” He said.

“Congrats.” I say. We do the interviews and after go to the cool down room. I fix my hair and lay on the floor, pissed off if anything.

“Why are you on the floor?” Oscar asked. He was here before me, sitting in one of the chairs. I don’t answer him, I don’t have energy. Max walks in and laughs seeing me. I smile and look away from him.

“Is the floor that comfortable?” Max laughed.

“Yes.” I answer. “Feels better to me.”

“Is this normal?” Oscar laughed as well now.

“Oh I always find her on the floors.” Max said. “I’m used to it by now.”

I sit up and watch the replays with them. After we go to the podium and spray each other with champagne. In the garage after I change and wet my hair in one of the bathrooms, getting the champagne out. I dry it as best I can and go back out.

“Still washing your hair in a sink?” Max laughed. “It isn’t that bad.”

“When you have as much hair as me, it is.” I laugh.

“So what happened earlier?” He asked. I shrug and act like it was nothing.

“Shitty morning, shitty race start.” I say. “Ex on the podium, just not my day.”

“Shitty start?” He asked. “What happened?”

“My wheel wasn’t locked, and my tires weren’t screwed in right either.” I explain.

“Oh shit, and you still managed second.” He said. “That’s commitment.”

“Yeah, I just want to go to sleep now.” I say sighing. “But we have press to do.”

“Only 2 though.” He said. “Then you can sleep!”

We go to the top 3 and top 10 conference and I doze off for most of them. “Fewtrell, thoughts?”

“Good race and nice start to the season.” I smile weakly.

“Are you okay? You seem a bit ill.”

“No, no, just tired, haven’t raced in 3 months.” I respond.

After the conference and a drive back to the hotel, I am exhausted. I go to lay down when my phone rings. Lando. I ignore it and fall asleep.

A few hours goes go by and I wake up to multiple missed calls from many other people. I call back my brother first. “Hey, are you alright? You weren’t yourself today.”

“I just don’t feel good.” I say. “I just woke up.”

“Lando said he was worried, he hadn’t seen or talked to you all day.”

“I had a bad day, and I don’t feel good.”

“Okay, well answer him back or he’s going to go psycho on me.”

“I will, I felt your call was more important.”

“Alright well I love you little sis.”

“Love you too Max.” I say.

I hang up the call and text Lando. I explain I had a bad day, don’t feel good, and Oscar being on the podium wasn’t any better. He calls me after I send the text. I let it ring. It goes off and he calls again. I answer it.

“I’m at your door love.” He said. I get up and open the door. “Hey.” He smiled.

“Hey.” I say, tired and exhausted. “What are you doing?”

“I wanted to see you!” He said. “I figured you fell asleep earlier.”

“I really don’t feel good.” I say. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay!” He said. “Can I hug you?”

“Yeah.” I say hugging him. It was a really needed hug. I hold him tighter.

The next race weekend comes up and it’s a double header, so I still don’t feel good. We do media day and I don’t engage much, but do what I can.

We do the Free practice sessions and then conferences. “Fewtrell, how’s the car feel today?”

“Hm? Oh it feels good.” I say clearing my throat after, you can hear the sickness in my voice. “Yeah, glad to be back and stronger.”

“You sound a bit ill, are you able to race?”

“I’m sure I’ll feel better tomorrow.” I say.

I, in fact, did not feel better. We get ready to race and Max walks up to talk. “Feeling a bit better today?”

“No, I feel worse.” I say. “I need to call Max, I don’t want him upset.”

“Upset about what?”

“If I retire.”

“Ahh, well do your best today okay? No pushing your limits.”

“Yeah, you too Max.” I say, with a small smile.

I call my brother and he answers, sounding like he was asleep. “Hello?”

“Oh shit, were you sleeping? I’m sorry Max.”

“No, just a nap sis. What’s up?”

“I’m feeling worse today, I’ll race but I might end up retiring. I didn’t want you to be disappointed.”

“It’s okay, you win some you lose some lil sis.” He said. “If you don’t feel well, don’t race. You matter more than points, and Max is good at gaining them.”

“Yeah I know, but I want to at least try and see what I can do.” I say. “I won’t push too hard, but I’ll call you when I ultimately have that decision.”

“Sounds good, do good out there- and if you don’t I hope you get the rest you need.”

“Thank you, I miss you.”

“I miss you too sis, being together most of the break wasn’t very helpful huh?”

“Made it worse to be fair.” I chuckle.

We talk for a little longer and then I have to get in the car. We get out on the grid and do the formation lap.

“Lights out, and away we go!”

I race and gain positions up to 3rd. I have a fair gap between me and Norris. They do the pits and I’m undercut a few times but I gain the positions back fairly quick.

“P2, good pace and +3s gap with Norris behind. Gap to Verstappen in P1 is +5s.”

“Copy.” I say. “How many more laps?”

“16, how are you feeling?”

“Like I can do 16 laps and nap.”

“Copy.”

I finish second and get out the car as fast as I can. I take my helmet off and run to the garage, I grab a water and chug it. My engineer saw me and pat my back lightly.

“You alright?” He asked. “You’re pale.”

“Yeah, I just felt nauseous slowing down there.” I say out of breath. “I shouldn’t have finished the race.” I run to the bathroom and puke my guts out, my race suit half unzipped and my fireproof hugging my body.

Once I gather myself I walk back to the interviewers and do mine. “You look a bit ill, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I got a bit nauseous in the end there.” I say. “I finished though so that’s a plus.”

He asked me a few questions and I zoned out a bit and half ass the answers. I head to the cool down room and Lando is there. He gives me a big smile, until he realizes I’m not feeling too hot.

“Are you alright?” He asked, standing up to hold me steady.

“Just a bit ill, I’m fine.” I slur a bit. He sits me in one of the chairs and gives me a water.

“After the podium, you need to get some rest.” He said. Max walked in and saw my state.

“Fewtrell-“

“Yes! Yes I’m ill, leave me alone.” I say irritated. That’s the only question I’ve gotten this weekend. “Sorry, I just don’t feel good, and all anyone is asking me is if I’m ill.” I whisper to them after.

We watch the replays and then get called for the podium. I had enough strength to stand there and do a bottle spray, but after I was physically drained. Back at the garage, Max noticed. I was stumbling in between walls and tripping over air.

“Alright, unzip your suit.” He said. “The layers are not helping your state.” I unzip it and sit down against the wall.

“Where’s Lando?” I ask, out of it.

“At his garage, do you want me to go get him?”

“Yes, please.”

He leaves momentarily and then returns with Lando. “What’s wrong love?” He asked kneeling to my level.

“Call Max, ask him- ask him what he does when I’m like this, I can’t remember.” I say.

He stands back up with his phone and calls Max. I hear Max yelling through the phone. “Did she push herself too hard?!”

“All I said was hello.” Lando responded. “I don’t think she pushed too hard, but she did push herself.”

It’s unintelligible what Max said next, but I’m assuming it’s what I asked Lando to call him for. I’m sure there’s still stuff that needs doing, but I’m not in the right state to be doing it.

“Alright mate, I’ll have her call you when she’s feeling better.” He said before hanging up. “Alright, can you stand up or do you need help?”

“I can do it myself.” I say attempting to get up. “I need help.” I correct myself.

He helps me up and we walk to the paddock. We get a cab to the hotel and he brings me to my room. “So, the team needs your suit back.” He said. “Can you change without hurting yourself?”

“Yeah, I guess.” I say.

“Ok, I’ll get you some clothes. You can shower later when you feel better.”

“I feel like shit.” I say. “What did Max say?”

“He said to get you changed, make you some tea, and tuck you in with a kiss.”

“Sounds about right, how my mum used to do it.” I say. He puts clothes down next to me and I take them to the bathroom to change. Once I’m done I go back out and hand him the suit.

“I made you some tea, it was all they had.” He said. I throw my champagne ridden hair in a messy bun and drink the tea.

“Eugh- vanilla bean.” I say disgusted. I’m too sick to not drink it though so I drink it all.

“Like I said, only one.” He repeated. “Now, are you ready to rest?”

“Yes.” I say, setting the tea down. I get under the covers and he makes sure it’s perfect before kissing me on the forehead.

“I’m going back to the paddock, but if you need anything call me okay?”

“Okay, I’m probably going to sleep the rest of the day.” I say, tired.

“Ok, if I come back before you call, I’ll come in and check on you, sound good?”

“Yes.” I say. He leaves the room and I’m sound asleep.

I wake up after 7 hours. I check my phone to texts and calls. I look up what time it would be for Max. It’s too late to call, so I text him. I text Lando as well, seeing as he should be asleep. He responds quickly though, calling me.

“Hey!” He said. “How are you feeling?”

“Not much better, but better.” I say groggy.

“That’s good! I came in there to check on you a few hours ago, you were out cold.”

“I slept long, wait why are you still up?” I ask.

“Ahh Max asked to go out, he wanted to ask you.” He said. “I’m just a few blocks away from the hotel.”

“Sounds like fun, while you’re out can you get me some tea? Preferably Hibiscus.”

“Yes, I can get you some tea.” He laughed. “Did you need anything else my love?”

“Some soup would be nice as well.” I say smiling big at his pet name. “I like when you call me that.”

“Well I’d hope so.” He said. “Max and I were about to leave anyways, let me go wrangle him and I’ll be on my way.”

“Okay, I’m going to shower, I reek of after race.”

We hang up the phone and I take a shower. I wash my hair twice to get rid of the champagne. I get changed into comfier clothes. A redbull crewneck and puma sweats.

A few minutes go by before Lando knocks. He’s holding a bag of goodies and Max is stood behind him. They both smile at me.

“Hello boys.” I smile.

They walk in and Lando starts taking out the things he bought. “I got you some hibiscus tea, and other teas that will help you feel better.”

“I picked out the soups.” Max whispered to me. “Some I’ve seen you eat and some I think you’d like.”

“Is he drunk perhaps?” I ask.

“Ahh just a tad, he’s sobering up though.” Lando said. “He tried to get one of every soup but I refused to let that happen.”

“So thoughtful, thank you Max!” I say hugging him.

“Anything I can do to help my favorite teammate.” He said.

I look at Lando with wide eyes and burst out laughing. “Really?” I ask. “What about Daniel, Checo?”

“They were alright, but you’re the best.”

“Alright, that’s my cue!” Lando said. “Before he says something he’ll regret tomorrow!”

Lando escorts him out and returns about 20 minutes later. I made a tea and a bowl of my favorite soup. “How’d that go?” I ask.

“Like it always does, he argues with me for a while then ultimately decides to lay down and passes out.” He said. “How’s the tea?”

“1000% better than whatever I had earlier.” I say. “The soup is amazing too.”

“He did pick out your favorite soups, he said he ‘knew you like the back of his hand’.” He laughed.

“Oh please, he’s been my teammate for a year.” I laugh. “He’s so overconfident in things nowadays.”

“Yeah well, that’s the championship mentality.”

“I guess.” I say smiling. “You need to go get some rest yourself!”

“No, no I’d rather make sure you’re alright.” He said. “You’ve been ill all week.”

“Your health matters too Lando!” I whine. “Go get some sleep!”

“I will, once you are.”

“That’ll be a while, I took a 7 hour nap.”

“Then I guess I’ll be here for a while.” He smiles. “I really don’t mind my love.”

“Fine, at least go change.” I say. “You smell of clubs and bars.”

“Yes ma’am.” He said sarcastic and laughing.

He leaves and goes to change. I finish my soup and tea. He comes back in a LN4 hoodie and sweats. He takes his shoes off and lays on the bed. “I feel a lot better now.”

“That’s the ideal thing.” He smiled. “Although if this is another attempt to get me to leave, it won’t work.”

“If you wanted to cuddle you could’ve said so.” I laugh. “I might actually go back to sleep.”

“Well, clean up and we can put a movie on.”

I do just that, cleaning up the other soups and tea bags, discarding what I’ve used. I turn off the lights and lay next to him, covering us with the blanket. I get comfy in his chest and he starts a movie.

The next morning I wake up, Lando still asleep. I move to get more comfortable and he wakes up. “Morning.” He groans.

“Morning.” I respond, my voice raspier.

“You sound more sick, my love.” He said, caressing my hair slowly and soothingly.

“I probably am.” I groan. “I’m gonna get you sick for the next race.”

“It’ll be worth it.” He giggled. “Then you can take care of me.”

“True.” I giggle. I get up and go to the bathroom. I go back out and call Max. “Morning.” I say.

“Hey! Any better today?”

“Worse, I shouldn’t have raced at all yesterday.” I say, my voice cracking.

“God are you losing your voice?”

“Yeah, seems like it.” I say. “Lando took care of me though, so I’m sure I’ll be fine until the next race.”

“Good, if I can’t be there I’m glad someone is.” He said. “Are you coming back for a few days?”

“I want to, but I don’t want to get you sick too.”

“Too? Is Lando sick?” He asked.

“No but he might be after spending so much time around me.”

“Ahh you’ve got a point sis.” He said. “I’ve got nothing better to do, come see me for a day or two.”

“Ok, I will.” I say. “What about Lando?”

“He can come too, he knows that.”

“Okay, I’ll let him know and then update you on arrivals and stuff.”

“Sounds like a plan lil sis.”

I text the group chat with the other drivers and ask if anyone else is going that way. Oscar responds and I freeze. Lando looked at his phone and just sighed.

“That’s not ideal.” He said. “Shouldn’t be too bad, only what like 5 hours?”

“7.” I say quickly. I shake my head and start packing. Lando responds to it as well saying he’ll go with us.

“Max as well, no worries my love.” He said.

“Max is going?” I ask.

“Yeah, he just said he needs to go that way as well.”

“That makes it a bit more tolerable.” I say. “Go pack!” I laugh.

“Oh shit you’re right.” He said jumping up.

He leaves the room and I continue packing my suitcase, bags, toiletries, all of it. Once I’m done, I do a room sweep to make sure I’m not forgetting anything, then head to the lobby. Max is there. I text my brother all the details and talk with my teammate.

“How are you feeling?” I ask laughing slightly. My voice still hoarse from the sickness and cutting out.

“Fine, just a bit of light drinking is all.” He smiled. “How are you?”

“Could be better.” I sigh. “I took some medicine so I’ll live through the flight.”

Oscar joins us and I stand there on my phone. They talk and try to add me in but I walk to a couch nearby and sit down. Max responds shocked I agreed to fly with Oscar, before I could respond, Lando walks out and I stand up joining them. “Alright, everyone ready?” Lando asked. We all nod and get a cab to the private jet.

Lando texts me asking if it’ll be awkward. I respond that it won’t be as long as I have alcohol in my system. We laugh while Max and Oscar are confused. “What’s funny back there you two?” Oscar asked.

“Nothing, nothing.” Lando said. “Twitter.”

“It’s actually X now.” Max said. We laugh even more. We get to the airport and board the plane. Lando sits across from me and Max on my side. Oscar diagonal. “Where’s the alcohol?” Max asked.

“Wait a minute Max!” I laugh. “Not until we’re in the air.”

“Eager aren’t we?” Lando giggled.

“I want alcohol too, but not that bad.” I laugh.

“You drinking alcohol?” Oscar said. He made a face looking down. “That’s new.”

There was an awkward silence between the four of us, until Lando and I made eye contact and started laughing again. Once we’re in the air, Max and I head for the bar. He shows me how to make certain cocktails and then we sit back down. “This is good!” I say to max.

“Dutch are good at making drinks what can I say.” He responded.

“I don’t think drinking is going to help your cold.” Lando said seriously. “Max is going to be furious if he finds out.”

“Well then, don’t tell him Lando.” I say smiling. “No, if Max has a problem with me drinking to calm my nerves then he can suck it up.”

“Where’s the attitude coming from?” Lando asked. “And what nerves you love flying?”

I stay quiet and sip my drink. Max looks at me taking a big sip and realized what I said in the garage. “Oh shit.” He said. “This is awkward.”

“Just a bit of nerves, it’s also a longer flight.” I say calmly. “Max just doesn’t like me drinking casually.”

“Well considering it’s a new habit, I wouldn’t want you to either if I was your brother.” Oscar said.

“It’s not new.” I shoot at him with the attitude returning. “To you maybe, not to me.”

“Change of subject!” Lando said. “Why are you two going to London?”

“Ahh Horner wants to have meetings at the RTC.” Max said. “New managers for me or something.”

“Lily wanted to see me, she’s there for the week with a few friends.” Oscar said. I roll my eyes taking another sip. “Why are you going to London Fewtrell?”

“My brother misses me.” I say. “So I’m going to spend time with him before the next race weekend.”

“Yeah, he wants to do Quadrant videos too, so having us both there is a plus.” Lando said.

“You’re both going to see Max?” Oscar asked.

“Yeah, mate he’s been my best friend since karting.” Lando laughed. “Just a plus I drive with his sister.”

“I think he wants us to do a merch photo shoot as well no?” I ask

“He may have mentioned it.” Lando said. “It’s a surprise though so shhh.”

“Mate no surprises get past me.” Max laughed. “She talks like there is no tomorrow.”

“Hey!” Lando said. I laugh.

“What! He listens so I talk.” I say defensively. “I hardly believe he listens to everything I say.”

“Don’t believe that.” Max said sipping his drink. “I hear everything.”

“I don’t think he cares enough about new merch dropping for our brand to be fair so I’m not too worried.” Lando said smiling.

“I need more drink.” I say finishing off the cocktail Max made.

“Already?” Lando exclaimed. “Goddamn.”

“Go get a new one then.” Oscar said. I get up and make a new drink, a whiskey neat.

I set it on the table and Lando takes a swig, making the most disgusted face. “God, how do you drink that?”

“Simply, it’s calms me down.” I say sipping it with no reaction.

“Based on Landos reaction, it’s whiskey. Based on her reaction, it’s soda.” Oscar said laughing. Max takes a sip and makes a face as well.

“That’s whiskey.” Max said coughing at the burn. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah.” I say monotoned.

“That’s mental.” Lando said.

The flight goes on a few hours and I get tired. I grab a small throw from my bag and sit in a reclining seat. I get comfortable and try to sleep. After a few minutes of laying there, I can’t fall asleep but the guys are talking.

“What was she talking about nerves?” Oscar asked.

“I don’t know, she usually loves flying.” Lando said.

“Could it be the history you two have?” Max asked. “She briefly said something about you being an ex.”

“Ahh, yeah.” Oscar said. “Why would she be nervous though, it’s not like I abused her or anything.”

“Mate I don’t know, maybe she still likes you?” Max asked.

I was waiting on Landos response yet it never came. “It’s been over a year and a half, if she still likes me she has other unresolved issues.”

“I wouldn’t say that, I mean it takes a while to process that.” Lando said.

“Yeah true.” Max said. “I don’t know how long you were together but when you love someone hard it hurts having to let them go, and in our case, seeing them everyday of your career.”

“I guess, but it was a mutual understanding we didn’t want to be together.” Oscar lied.

“It wasn’t because you wanted her seat?” Lando coughed to cover, starting drama.

“Oh well, I guess that was a factor.” Oscar laughed. “She knew that was why I dated her in the first place.” He lied again.

“Woah, mate don’t be proud of that.” Max said. “You dated someone for a F1 seat?”

“I never said I was proud of it, but basically yeah.”

That was the last straw. I got up and sat down next to Max again. I was tired of them talking about it.

“What are we talking about?” I ask, groggy like I was asleep.

“Your McLaren seat.” Oscar said.

“What about it?” I ask. Batting my eyes at him innocently.

“How I dated you for it.” He said. “Nothing big.”

“It doesn’t really matter to me now.” I shrug. “I’m in a faster car anyways.”

“Hey now.” Lando said.

“What?” I laugh. “He brought it up.”

“We never really talked about it much did we?” Oscar said.

“I’d rather not, not in front of people.” I say rude. “There’s nothing to talk about anyways.”

“You don’t have to be rude.” He said, getting his feelings hurt.

“Just a taste of your own-“ Lando looks at me in a ‘stop talking’ kind of way. “Whatever.”

“I feel like there’s more to this.” Max said.

“I’m going to say something I’ll regret later, I’ll shut up.”

“It’s for the best.” Oscar said. At this point Lando can’t, and won’t stop me. I scoff at his comment. “What?”

“Are you treating Lily well?” I ask. “The girl you basically cheated on me with?”

“I never did anything with her while we were together.” He defended.

“Hanging out with her on breaks more than me while we were together, is kinda cheating is it not?” I ask.

“Yeah it kinda is.” Max agreed.

“I bet you two laughed about it.” I scoff again. “The ‘nerves’ I had coming into this plane, were because you used to yell and belittle me about every single race fuck up.” I start raising my voice. “I get anxiety seeing you after I have a bad race, I get anxiety even thinking of having to fly with you.” The anger was stemming from how he knows me, knows how hard I am on myself. He still would belittle me after races as if I didn’t to myself.

“Okay that’s enough.” Lando said. “I think he gets the point.”

“Is there something going on between you two?” Oscar asked, Lando’s head snapped quickly to look at him and then to me. “I’m feeling some tension.”

“Probably from my anger and anxiety of you just being present, knowing how you used to treat me.” I say calmer and rolling my eyes as I sit back.

“Here we go again.” He said rolling his eyes. “You go all playing the victim.”

“Because I was!” I say my voice cracking. “You beat me when I was already on the floor!”

“Yeah? And look at where you’re at, in a better place huh?” He said. “I made you who you are.”

“You did not! I brought myself back out of the trenches you threw me in!” I yell at him. “I’m happier now than I’ve ever been.”

“It’s because I was the one who showed you your potential, hell I even got your seat because of it.” He raised his voice. He smacked the table and I flinched.

“If you were meant to help me why were you treating me like some discarded rubbish?” I ask genuinely searching for an answer.

“You were too overconfident and acted like a prissy brat, that’s why!” He yelled at me.

“Let’s change the subject.” Lando said calm.

“Good idea mate, whats papaya rules?” Max said.

“Don’t crash into your teammate!” Me and Oscar yell at Max. I stay quiet the rest of the flight.

We land and I see my brother waiting. I throw my stuff in his car and sit in the front seat. Pissed beyond belief. Lando does the same, just not aggressively. Max gets in the driver seat and can tell how upset I am.

“Sis what’s wrong?” He asked.

“I’m sick.” I say shortly with attitude.

“Ahh ok.” He responds.

We get to his house and I get out grabbing my things. I bring my stuff inside and sit on the couch. I play on my phone until it’s taken away.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” Max said.

“Oscar is what’s wrong.” I say sighing. “He tried telling me he was pushing me forward and that he made me a better person.” The disappointment flooded my words as I spoke.

“On the plane?” He asked.

“Yeah.” I say.

He gives me my phone back. I go to the room and get ready for bed. “Movie night?” Lando asked popping in.

“Not tonight.” I say. “I’m exhausted from flying.”

“Okay, we’ll be out here if you need anything.”

“Okay, thank you.” I say giving him a smile.

After I shower, I lay down and go to sleep. The next morning I’m woken up by loud music. I get up and check the time, 10:00. I hear Max and Lando singing to the music. I go to the bathroom and fix my messy ass hair.

“It’s Friday then!!!” I hear Lando yell from across the house. I finish my morning routine and walk to the sound. “Saturday, Sunday what?!” I hear around the corner to Max’s room.

I walk through the door to Max streaming and them blaring music to sing and dance to. “What the fuck are you two doing?”

“I hit my goal of subscribers.” Max yelled over the music.

“I’m trying to sleep!” I yell with my raspy voice.

“It’s Friday again!!!” Lando yells again. I walk to the computer and pause the music. “What was that for?”

“I want to sleep!” I say. “Sorry stream, I don’t feel the greatest and they’re blaring music at 10 in the morning!!” My voice was nearly gone from the sickness I endured.

“Oh hush up, if you were feeling any other way you’d turn off the fun.” Max said.

“You’re right, because blaring music this early in the morning is mental!”

“Apologies princess, we won’t blare music anymore.” Lando said jokingly. “You may fetch more Beauty sleep.”

“Oh shut it.” I say making a face at him. Once the camera can’t see me I blow him a kiss. His face lights up with smiles.

“Go away!” Max said.

“I am!” I scream back.

I go back to the guest room and lay down falling back asleep. I wake up at 12:00 and go back to Max’s room. He’s still streaming and Lando is no where to be seen.

“Glad to see you’re not blaring music.” I mumble groggy.

“Mate you just slept until 12 pm.” Max said. “Why?”

“I flew for 8 hours yesterday, and don’t feel good Maxie.” I whine. “Where’s Lando?”

“He left to get food and snacks, apparently I don’t have the snacks he likes.”

“Makes sense, I don’t like what you have either.” I say. “When did he leave?”

“Like 5 minutes ago.” Max said. “Call him.”

I call Lando and Max muted the mic, so the stream couldn’t hear. “Hi my love.” Lando answered.

“Heyyy.” I respond. “Max said you’re going to the store?”

“I am, did you need something?” He asked.

“Can you get me some meds and soups?” I ask.

“Yes I can, is that all?” He asked.

“Yessss.” I say. “Max already has the tea I like so cross that off the list.”

“Sounds good, I’ll see you in a bit my love.” He said before hanging up.

“Oh god.” Max said. He muted the mic again. “They heard him call you my love.” My eyes go wide.

“I thought you muted it?!” I ask.

“I didn’t think he’d say it again so I unmuted it towards the end!”

“Max he’s gonna kill you!!” I say.

He continues the stream. He plays some game on his computer. When Lando gets home I go out to help him with everything. We bring everything inside and I make one of the soups he got me. “Heads up, Max’s stream heard a bit of our call…”

“What part?” He asked, not really caring.

“Before you hung up and called me your love..”

“Oh, they’ll have fun with that then huh?” He laughed. “I don’t mind us being out, do you?”

“No, I was scared you were.” I sigh. We both go back to Max’s room and I sit in his secondary gaming chair to eat. Lando lounges on the bed.

“Mate, they’re all asking why you called her ‘my love’.” Max said.

“Huh?” Lando asked, clearly not paying attention.

“Mate I’m not repeating it.” Max laughed. I chill in the back eating my soup. “Sis did you hear the question?”

“Yeah.” I say.

“Do you want to answer it?”

“I don’t know the answer, That’s just what Lando calls me.” I laugh.

“Oh why do I call her my love?” Lando said. “Cause she’s my girlfriend.”

“First I’m hearing of this.” Max said.

“Uhh me too, since when?!” I ask.

All Lando does is laugh at our reactions. He causes me and Max to also laugh. I set my soup bowl down, I’m laughing so hard. I almost finish my laughing fit, but I made eye contact with Lando and started laughing again.

“You two need to calm down.” Max said. “It wasn’t that funny.”

“No but it is.” Lando said.

“That was good, ohhh that was so good.” I say calming down. I finish my soup and leave the room to bring it back to the kitchen. Lando follows me. I put the bowl in the sink and turn around.

“Woah there.” He said. “Careful of your surroundings.” Our bodies are touching with almost no space between us.

“I didn’t know you followed me.” I say. “Jeez.”

“He’s almost done streaming, then we’re going to do a Quadrant shoot.”

“Ok, the merch drop or a video?”

“Uhhhhhh.” He responded.

“Well, I’ll go get ready either way.” I laugh.

I go back to Max’s room to tell him and to ask which shoot. He muted the stream while we talk. “Today we’re doing the merch, tomorrow we’re doing a normal video.”

“Okay, I’m going to get ready, do I do my makeup or will the team be there?”

“The team will be there, don’t bother.”

“Got it, tell stream I said bye.”

“Will do sis.”

I go to my room and pick out an easy to change outfit. I let my hair down and don’t mess with it, the team does makeup and hair there. I walk out to Lando on his phone in the kitchen. He sets it down face up. “McLaren app?” I ask

“Yeah, gotta see what they’re up to.” He laughed. “I was on Twitter.”

“Oh god, I don’t even bother with all that.” I say. “Max said we’re doing merch today.”

“Sounds like a plan then.” He said. “Zak is racing in something this weekend.”

“Oh?” I say. “Are you going?”

“No it’s another country.” He said. “I’ll cheer him on from here though.”

“Yay!” I say sarcastic, then laugh. “Where is Max?”

“I don’t know he said he was ending the stream like 10 minutes ago.”

We both walk to his room and burst in one after the other. He’s still on stream. “MAX!” We both yell.

“Fucking hell!” He said jumping. “Don’t do that!”

“Ending the stream my ass!” I say.

“Mate it’s been like 15 minutes since you said you’d end it.” Lando said.

“I was literally saying bye to the chat.”

“Bye stream!!” I say.

Not long after he actually ends the stream. Lando and I leave his room so he can change. We head to the shoot at some warehouse. The other quadrant members are there.

“Hey guys.” Max said.

“Mate 20 minutes late.” Niran said. Lando and I both pan to Max who scratches his head.

“Yeah someone doesn’t know how to end a stream when he said he would.” I say.

“Are you ill?” Arrav asked.

“Getting over it.” I say. “But yeah.”

“Can we go shoot?” Ethan asked.

We go in and the new merch is beautiful. There’s a baby pink, beige, black, and white version. I go straight for the pink.

“Who’s taking the other pink?” Max asked.

“I’ll take it.” Lando said.

We do the shoot and it takes forever because we keep joking around and laughing. After we get to keep the merch we put on. “I can go for a nap.” I say.

“Still not feeling well?” Lando asked, concerned. “We can head home love.”

“We were going to go eat, are you sure?” Max said.

“I really don’t have the energy.” I say. “I can go eat though.”

“If you don’t feel well you don’t have to sis.” Max said. “I’ll bring something home for you.”

“Okay, I feel bad though.”

“You’re sick, don’t feel bad.” He reassured me.

Lando and I head home. Max texted where they were going and we texted back our orders. Once we get back to the house I go to my room and crash out on the bed.

A few hours later I get up and go to the kitchen. Lando and Max are watching a movie on the couch. I take out the food Max got me and start eating it.

“What movie is this?” I ask.

“Fucking hell.” Max said jumping.

“Oh hey.” Lando said. “Fast and furious 5 I think.”

“Oh, that one’s alright.” I say. “What time is it?”

“Uhhhhh 7:00.” Max said checking his watch.

“7?!” I ask. “Damn.”

“Do you feel better?” Lando asked.

“A little, I’ll be better tomorrow.” I say.

I go and sit with them on the couch when I’m done eating. Lando cuddles into my chest and I let him, playing with his hair. It’s super soft and curly.

“How is your hair so soft?” I ask.

“I don’t know.” He laughed.

“Maybe his shampoo you muppet.” Max said.

“Okay max, some people use other products.” I say back. “My hair is never this soft.”

“Can we just watch the movie?” Max asked. Lando and I laugh. We finish the movie and this time Lando is asleep. Max and I aren’t. I look over to Max. “Well good luck.”

“What do you mean good luck?” I ask slightly panicking. “We need to talk!”

“Talk about what?” He asked now panicking with me.

“Get him off me without waking him and you’ll find out.”

We both do our best to move Lando carefully. We’re successful and walk to Max’s room. “What’s up?”

“Can you tell him that I want him to actually ask me out.” I say unamused. “That announcement on stream was the first time he’s ever called me that, he never asked.”

“Well I mean, you guys basically are dating.” He said. “Wait he hasn’t asked you out officially?”

“No.” I say. “But I want you to tell him to do it, I’m not asking him. I mean he already said it but.”

“I’ll talk with him about it, sis, don’t worry.” He said.

“Okay I’m going to shower and then go to bed, love you max.” I say. I walk out his room and jump to the sight of Lando half awake next to the door. “JEEZUS!” I say.

“Shhhhh.” He said covering my mouth. He looked over my shoulder to Max’s room, I look too. Max didn’t hear me. Lando moves his hand and grabs my neck, pulling me in for a passionate kiss.

We walk to my room and make out. “Max would kill us.” I whisper.

“Oh for sure.” He agreed.

“Let’s wait, we aren’t even official yet…” I whine. “I have to shower anyways and get to bed.”

“Okay my love.” He said smiling. I go to the bathroom and shower quickly. I get out and he’s asleep on my bed, looking very comfortable. I grab pajamas and change in the bathroom. When I go back out I grab the blanket and let him cuddle into me.

The next morning I’m woken up by Lando getting up. “No, no, go back to sleep love.” He said groggy.

I groan and turn over. I fall back asleep. After a few hours I get up myself and go to the kitchen. A few guys from quadrant are there, I greet them. “You look like you just woke up from a good nap.” Max laughed. “Marks and all.”

“That’s what it felt like.” I say raspy. “Tea?”

“Hibiscus, your favorite.” Max said handing me a cup of tea.

“Ugh you’re amazing.” I groan. “What quadrant shoot are we doing again?”

“That’s what we’re trying to decide.” Niran said.

“It’s between speed shopping, and helmet designing.” Aarav said.

“Helmet designing sounds like a good one.” I say. “That’s it though?”

“Yeah that’s what I said!” Lando chimed in. “What if they design helmets and the viewers vote on which ones we should actually wear for a Grand Prix.”

“Fuck yes.” I say. “They make two designs, one specified for you and one for me and whatever two win we make a real helmet.”

“That sounds like a good idea actually.” Max said. “How do we feel about that?”

“Yeah.” Niran said. “It does take forever to actually make a helmet real though huh?”

“6-8 months.” I say. “LAS VEGAS!” I scream jumping excited.

“Ouuu she’s good at this.” Aarav said. “We’ll all be there too no?”

“Yeah. Good thinking, sis.” Max said.

“I know, I’m amazing.” I smile, Lando smiles at me as well. “We’ll need to do like instagram polls right after and then post the video though.”

“Yeah to get the timing right.” Lando added.

We all get ready, and buy supplies. Lando and I went to an art store to find helmet sized porcelain pieces. To our surprise they had helmet porcelains. We grab 10 and some paints.

Back at Max’s house, we set up in the backyard with sheets and set out the sets of helmets with paint pallets. They record the video and they take forever to paint.

“I’m in love with Nirans helmet for me.” I comment. “It has flowers and stars.”

“Look at Ethan’s, it’s such a you helmet!” Lando said laughing.

“It’s just pink.” I say. “It has no fun to it, this is Vegas!”

“Alright, cut that.” Max said painting a helmet. “It’s gonna be a surprise you muppet.”

“Oops.” I laugh. “Now Max has my vote overall.”

“Why?” Will asked. “Cause he’s your brother?”

“No because look at it, it has pink, orange, red blue.” I say. “My two teams and my fav color.”

“Look at mine!” Aarav said.

“That’s- that’s something!” I say, looking at Lando’s helmet in pink basically.

“Mate that’s my helmet in pink!” Lando said laughing. “She wouldn’t wear that!”

“I would wear that!” I say. We both laugh hysterically at the helmet to the point we’re rolling on the ground.

After they finish painting we put up the polls, not mentioning who made what. Fans are very biased towards some quadrant members, so we have to be careful.

“Give it what, an hour?” I ask.

“An hour?” Lando asked. “What about five.”

“5 is more fair.” Max said.

We wait the five hours, which felt like forever. Aarav’s helmet for me won and Nirans for Lando won. I jump up and down in excitement. “I’m so excited to wear that.”

“I’m glad.” Max said smiling. “I just noticed, are you feeling better?”

“Oh 100%.” I say. “It basically gone.”

“Now we just hope I don’t get sick.” Lando said. “Knock on wood.”

“Oh I’m knocking mate.” Max said. “Your helmet design isn’t bad.”

“I never said it was, I think Niran stepped up on this challenge.” Lando said.

The next day Lando and I head back to Monaco. We text the chat to see if the other two will join and only Max responds that he is. Oscar is heading back another day. The three of us meet at the airport and board the jet.

“I’m so tired.” I say, organizing my stuff in a corner.

“Take a nap love.” Lando said.

“I probably am, I’d rather my bed though.” I say, scrunching my nose.

“Are you two…?” Max asked hesitant.

“Not yet, apparently I need to ask her properly.” Lando said giving me a look.

“Okay, well saying it on stream isn’t asking me Lando.” I say. “He said it while Max was streaming and we were both so confused.” I tell Max.

“Chat was being nosy.” Lando said. “I shut them up.”

“Mate, you’ve gotta be joking.” Max laughed. “You said it out of the blue on a stream?”

“Yes! Thank you!” I say.

“I’ll ask you for real.” Lando said. “I’m not telling you when though.”

“I hope not, but the whole world already thinks we are so.” I say smiling. “I’ll be surprised but they won’t be.”

“Want a drink?” Max asked.

“Nothing strong.” I say.

“Drinking again?” Lando asked. “Is something the matter?”

“No, just want to relax a bit.” I say.

“We never talked about what happened on the way here.” Max said.

“About what, ohhhh.” I say. “Oscar?”

“Yeah.” Max said. “I never got an explanation for that.”

“Oh mate she gets in a yelling match with anyone about him.” Lando says.

“Really? Was he that bad?”

“Yeah, well he was very toxic to me.” I say. “I don’t like talking about it.”

“Well if he treated you bad, I understand why.” Max said. “Look at me.”

“Yeah.” I say. “He was just horrible, he’d yell at me for bad races or things that were out of my control. It’s only recently I realized it was for my spot, he wanted me to be dropped so he’d get the spot.”

“That’s insane.” Max said. “He’d guilt you into doing good, but happy cause it meant he had a chance.”

“Exactly, and he’d spend more time with Lily. He was so bad to me.” I say distraught almost. “That’s all in the past though, I’ve learned to focus on myself and never let someone treat me like that ever again.”

“May I ask, why Lando?” Max asked. Lando perked up from his phone.

“He treats me so well, I mean he’s treated me better, without even dating me, than Oscar ever did.” I say. “I trust him, my brother trusts him. I’ve known him a long time, I feel it’s right.”

Lando smiles. We all talk about the next race and other things. The plane lands and we head out. Lando and I go to our own houses and so does Max.

When I get to my house I call my brother. “Hey sis!” He answered.

“Hey Max!” I say back. “I just made it home.”

“That’s good! How was your flight?”

“It was alright, quite boring to be honest.” I say.

“Is that so?” He asked. “Well I hope it gets better sis.”

“It will, alright well I’ve got to unpack.” I sigh. We end the call and I unpack my things. I had a weird feeling about the call, Max seemed like he was hiding something. I call Lando to check in.

“Hey!” I say when he answers.

“Hey! What’s up?” He asked. He sounded panicked almost.

“Not much.. wanted to see how you were doing after the flight.”

“I’m doing fine.” I hear a faint stop it from him and then giggling. “Yeah, unpacked and reading emails.”

“Is someone else there with you?” I ask.

“No, why would you ask?”

“I thought I heard someone else.” I say.

“Maybe you’re tired love, take a nap.” He said. “I have no one with me.”

“Okay, I’ll call you later then.” I say.

I don’t take a nap, but overthink about who was at his house. I freak myself out and decide to go there. I collect myself in my car and get out. I hesitate to knock and then ultimately do.

“Hey!” He said surprised. “You said you’d call!”

“I know, but I swear I heard someone else when we were on the phone and I couldn’t help but think and think and I don’t want to break our trust and-“ He kisses me in the middle of my anxiety talking.

@il0vereadingstuff @pandabiiissh @itznotsophia @kallanfiona @justaf1girl @widow-cevans

[hearts4chriss]

𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝.

𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐄'𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑

Brothers bestfriend! Chris + needy! Nate’s lil sis

prompt: Nate ( ur older brother ) wants to go out for a bit with some of his other friends and he doesn’t trust you enough to stay home by urself without mom and dad since they won’t be there either. So he asks one of his best friend Chris to stay over and watch you, Matt and nick know ur crush on Chris so they pretend they can’t come.

Part 01

contains: masturbation ( no actual sex ), use of y/n ( sorry I have to ) dirty fantasies ( pet names, rough! Chris, dirty talk, degrading, forced head etc just beyond FILTHLY imagination ), use of vibrator on reader, caught by Chris, FORESHADOWING, fantasy will be like this

Nate are you serious I’m not 12! I whine when said he was gonna find a baby sitter for me knowing how much it pisses me off

I’m Nate doe’s little sister I’m 18, we’ve Been close to his bestfriends the sturniolo triplets. So obviously him being my brother naturally I got to know them.

Nick

I clicked with him superrr fast, I love his energy and when I found out he was gay that just made it all the better because I’ve always wanted a gay bestfriend, and we always have sleepovers :)

Matt

Matt’s absolutely adorable I love him he always helps me calm down whenever I’m about to or am having a panic attack, I remember one time during a test I forgot everything and almost had one and he slid me the answers. Love that kid

now there’s a reason I saved Chris for last,

Chris

chris and I know each other just as well if not even more then I do his other two brothers, we haven’t done anything unfortunately. I’ve had a crush on him since middle school.

First I just wanted to kiss him and hold his hand.

Then go to his house and do some more.

Then now, as an 18 year old I wanted him to fuck my Brains out.

I’m around him all the time since we all live in LA and always hanging out, I always see him shirtless and fucking hell it turns me on, I always get lucky since nick and matt found of my attraction to his brother they always snap me or text me pictures of him.

What sucks is I cant have him. It would take my life 1000 times over for me to be able to fuck chris sturniolo, and it sucks because my brother nate does not play that shit.

He strictly said "your not allowed to date any of them" obviously referring to matt and Chris.

Which also doesn't help because my wants and desires a hormonal teenage-adult girl only grow more whenever he comes around, chris is always there.

Now today, nate had to run some errands and nick matt and chris used to watch me when I was younger if my parents couldn't

Buttt, nick and matt "could not come due to personal issues" so. Your guess is right, im gonna be alone with chris for hours.

That thought alone made me soak in my p-

“Y/n! are you listening to me kid?” My older brother chuckles leaning against my doorway of my room as im on my bed watching "The Vampire Diaries".

“Huh? oh yeah im listening matt and nick cant come so chris is because im fucking 11.” I roll my eyes hiding my excitement from him watching me.

“Don't think of any weird shit alright? He's just watching you so don't-“

“Ugh is he here yet? You're annoying me already.” I groan shifting in my sheets and taking a sip from my celsius hearin our door open, they have a key.

“Welp thats chris.” Nate says tilting his head for me to get up.

I get up from the sheets wearing some pink sleep shorts and a white t-shirt and he raises an eyebrow.

“Your wearing THAT? around chris?” Nate chuckles and I flip him off.

“Hey! I heard that!.” Chris yells coming up the stairs sounding offended.

He's now at the top of the steps. oh my fuck he looks so good.

Its around 6ish in LA right now and hes wearing a black tank top and grey fresh love sweats, slight stubble and his hair was a bit messy which I always liked and my eyes immediately drifted to his natural bulge in his pants as him and Nate were talking.

“Just make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble.” Nate puts his arm around me giving me a hug and Chris chuckles.

“Don’t worry bro she’s safe with me.” He says before dapping him up as Nate leaves the house. yeah safer if you were balls deep inside

Oh god Chris sh-shit so-d-deep inside me

Yeah? You feel me deep inside you baby?

bro she’s like zoning out today. Nate chuckled and I snap out of it

Whatever no I wasn’t! Just go!

Soon after it was just me and Chris so we made our way down to the living room

“Where are ur other two clones?” I chuckle getting situated on the couch before turning on a movie saltburn

“they have “personal issues”.” He said rolling his eyes causing a small laugh to fall from my lips.

“So it’s just you and me little one.” A smirk curving on his lips, just enough for my panties to be soaked.

Shut up Chris I’m 18.I mutter trying to watch the movie in peace and he chuckles

the movie went on and it was now, the bathtub scene where jacob elordi ( Felix ) is jerking off.

I peer over to Chris whose eyes are clearly fixated on the screen as my squeeze my thighs together under the blanket feeling all my hormonal thoughts leaking through my panties.

This had nothing to do with the movie, it’s the thought for Chris doing that to himself that had turned me on most. The tension so thick a knife couldn’t even cut through.

“Uhm I-i gotta go to the bathroom”. I nearly choke and I fix my shorts placing the blanket down where I was sitting.

“Don’t take to long I’ll miss you.” He chuckles and that didn’t help.

I go to my room and close the door squeezing my eyes shut.

I had maybe 5 minutes to relieve myself.

I quickly reach into my drawer grabbing my vibrating dildo and the remote for it.

I pull down my shorts and panties and spread my legs letting the tip of the toy get coated in my wetness and I bite my lip slightly feeling the thickness of it.

I turned it on letting out a soft moan slowly inserting it, wishing this was Chris’s dick instead.

I began thrusting the toy in and out of my pussy letting the squelching sounds of arousal grow letting it drip down curling my toes throwing my head on the pillows allowing my mind to drift

I was in Chris’s/my room my head smushed in the pillows as his cock rammed inside me whilst I was on my stomach. His hips slamming against my ass and his hand wrapped around my lower stomach as I cried out his name

Fuck fuckk so d-deep- I whimper into the pillows as he was bringing me to my 4th orgasm, we had switched numerous positions and my legs were quivering in front of him as he laid a hard snack to my ass chucking behind me.

such a fucking slut letting me fuck you like this, imagine if ur brother found out his little sister was getting her pussy pounded by his bestfriend. He laid another harsh smack to my ass and I jolted forward.

stretched this pussy out so good- he groans rubbing my clit to chase both our orgasms.

ngh- o-oh shit- fuck- I gripped the sheets tightly curses of Chris’s name flew out my mouth feeling my eyes water from the angle of his hips thrusting allowing his thick cock to hit every single spot inside me

come on sweetheart cum for me, you have another one in you yeah? He grunted lowly in my ear kissing me sloppily as a string of Saliva parts from our lips each time we kiss moaning into each others mouths.

“Oh fuck Chris I-“ I curl my toes and yell loudly as I’m about to release on the toy before I look up and see Chris. Was. Watching me.

“Were you playing with yourself?” Chris leans on the doorway of my room his eyes darting to between ny legs as I was thrusting the toy in and out of me and I quickly covered up my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“Uhm…maybe. Sorry I-I’ll be down in a second-“

Maybe I can help. Chris says closing the door to my room approaching my bed

@mattsleftnipple03 @bernardsleftbootycheek @sturniolopowers @gdsvhtwa @rac00ns-are-c00l4 @worldlxvlys @chrisslut25 @princessbetsy123-blog @mattslolita @guccifrog @blahbel668 @mattsneezing @trickywritters @hearts4chris

@nonamegirlxsturniolo @luvmxtt @theyluv-meee @mattsnymphette @hoesformatt @luv4kozume @kikisturnioloo @pepsiimaxx @babyddolly @iiheartstef @junnniiieee07 @ast3ro1dzz @sturniolowhore @st7rnioioss @emma4eva @braindead4l @ihearttsyouu @blondiesjailer @kqyslyho3 @sturnsfav @sunsetsturniolos @sturniololoverr @stqrnstars @dlyansworld @soimightlikeoldmen69 @abbie13sworld @lacysturniolo @sturniol0s @chrissgirlsstuff @leah-loves-lilies @luhsexcbihh @nicksmainbitch

[seongwars]

strangers by nature | v

Pairing: heir!Song Mingi x heir!Reader AU: non-idol | arranged marriage | enemies to lovers Genre: angst, humor, fluff in future chapters Rating: NC-17 Summary: After a life-altering car accident, Mingi is given one final shot at redemption—reborn as a fuzzy little puppy. To earn a second chance at life, he must complete three tasks or risk being doomed to the afterlife forever. Word Count: 6.4K Warnings: a little angst, mentions of stalking, one swear word, only 50% proofread because of the holidays, panic attack

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a/n: I struggled to write this chapter, but things will definitely be picking up soon! as always feedback is appreciated! i love reading everyone's thoughts!

The faint jingling of the bell announced your arrival as you stepped into the cozy coffee shop. Mingi trotted in behind you, his tiny paws clicking against the tiled floor. Heads turned almost immediately, and the quiet murmur of conversation gave way to coos and giggles.

“Look at that dog!”

“He’s so cute!”

Mingi puffed up his chest, his little tail wagging in satisfaction as he soaked in the admiration. His tail wagged in satisfaction, a clear sign that he was enjoying the attention. Someone nearby pulled out their phone, angling for a picture, while another patron whispered to their friend about how much he resembled a fluffy toy.

Despite his tiny form, he still had his ego intact. He strutted a few steps ahead of you, taking in the praise from others. 

“I’ll get us something quick,” you muttered to him, scratching behind his ears. He gave a soft huff, clearly not impressed with the idea of waiting, especially when a cup of whip cream was to be had. 

You straightened and made your way to the counter, your eyes scanning the menu overhead. Behind you, Mingi entertained his growing fan club, a gaggle of customers marveling at his antics as you stepped aside to wait for your order. 

“Y/N?”

Turning, you were greeted by the sight of Park Seonghwa standing near the condiment bar, a takeaway cup in one hand and the other tucked into his pocket. It was rare to see the heir to Park Enterprises out and about like this, given his reputation for being both elusive and endlessly busy. That fact that he was here at all felt oddly serendipitous.

“Hey, Seonghwa.”

His smile widened slightly, and he took a step closer. “Fancy running into you here.”

“Yeah, I’m on the way to the hospital to stay with Mingi. Just stopping by to grab coffee before heading over.”

As if on cue, Maro let out a sharp bark, turning Seonghwa’s attention downward. His brows lifted in surprise and delight as he took in the tiny, proud pup sitting at your feet.

“Mingi let you have a dog?”

The question caught you off guard, and you hesitated. “Well... not exactly,” you admitted, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. 

“It’s...complicated.”

“Complicated, huh?”

Still, the thought lingered in your mind: would you have to give up your puppy once Mingi woke up? Maro had simply happened, and now you couldn’t imagine not having him around.

“I found him,” you blurted. “Or, I guess, he found me.”

Seonghwa’s gaze lingered on Maro, his expression softening slightly before he returned his attention to you. 

“Knowing Mingi,” he said carefully, “I can’t imagine he’d be thrilled about this.”

You laughed, though it came out a little strained. “Yeah, well, he doesn’t exactly have a say right now.”

The humor in the moment dissipated almost immediately. Seonghwa’s teasing expression softened, giving way to something more serious. 

“How is he?” he asked quietly.

“The same,” you admitted. “No changes yet.”

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, his voice so low it barely reached you over the hum of the coffee shop. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now.”

You nodded, lips pressing into a tight line as you fought the sudden swell of emotion in your chest. 

“If you need company at the hospital,” he offered, “just let me know.”

Now hold on! Mingi growled, his tiny body stiffening. His big brown eyes locked onto Seonghwa, narrowing as much as his puppy face would allow. Park Seonghwa, for all his charm was still Park Seonghwa, a man with a reputation whose commitment issues rivaled Mingi’s own. 

You glanced up at him, managing to raise an eyebrow as you struggled to muster a semblance of a smile. His offer, so simple yet so unexpectedly kind, caught you off guard.

“Is it because your family owns Hala Medical?”

“Maybe,” he replied, his tone playful as though he could sense you needed the levity.

Mingi didn’t care how successful Seonghwa’s family was in healthcare, or how much he was trying to play the concerned friend right now. He wasn’t going to let him swoop in with his perfect hair, stupid face, and infuriatingly genuine smile to worm his way into your life while he was stuck in a coma, unable to defend himself.

And you’re a married woman! If Seonghwa thought he could charm his way past that little detail, Mingi was more than ready to remind him otherwise. The puppy let out another indignant bark. You shot him a quick look, tilting your head in confusion. 

“What’s with you?” you muttered softly, rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him.

Mingi growled louder this time, his tiny body practically vibrating with the effort. Did Seonghwa think he was fooling anyone? Mingi was onto him, and he wasn’t going to let the infamous Park Seonghwa forget that you were spoken for.

“Don’t mind him,” you said with a sheepish laugh, shifting Mingi in your arms. “He gets like this sometimes. It’s all that puppy energy.”

Seonghwa raised a brow, his lips twitching with amusement as he leaned slightly closer. “Protective, huh?” he remarked, his tone light. 

“Guess he has good instincts.”

Of course I do! Mingi thought, puffing out his little chest. If he’d had hands instead of paws, he’d have already swung on Seonghwa for good measure. A man like Seonghwa didn’t just casually offer to visit hospitals out of the goodness of his heart. No, he had an angle, and Mingi was determined to sniff it out.

Still, you were oblivious to the growing tension between the two males. “I should grab my order,” you said, glancing toward the counter and adjusting your grip on Mingi. 

“I need to get there before visiting hours are over.”

Seonghwa nodded, stepping aside with a gracious smile. “Of course. Don’t let me keep you.”

Mingi let out another low growl, shooting one last withering glare at Seonghwa as you turned your attention back to the counter. As far as the pomeranian was concerned, this wasn’t over. 

⋆

Yeosang’s car rolled to a stop in front of the hospital. As soon as the door opened, Mingi’s tiny legs worked furiously as he darted toward Yeosang, his fluffy tail wagging so hard it looked like he might fly away.

“Hey buddy,” Yeosang chuckled, scratching behind Mingi’s ears before scooping him up. “You ready for another sleepover?”

Hetmon barked from the backseat, his paws resting on the window. Let’s go already!

“Thanks so much for meeting me here! Sorry today’s drop off is a little out of the ordinary,” you said, handing Yeosang a bag of baked goods from the coffee shop.

“No worries. It actually works out great! Having the park between my apartment and the hospital is pretty convenient. I told Hetmon we’d stop by and let him and Maro run around before heading home.”

“You’re a lifesaver, I can’t thank you enough. Hetmon is more than welcome to stay with us whenever he’d like.”

“Careful, he might take you up on that offer and never want to come home.”

Laughing, you bent down to give Mingi a kiss between his fluffy ears. “Be good for Uncle Yeosang, okay?” Mingi gave an enthusiastic bark in response, his tail wagging so furiously it made his whole body wiggle.

“Thanks again. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With a final wave, you turned and headed toward the hospital, glancing back once to see Maro already pawing at Yeosang’s leg, eager to get going.

Once they reached the dog park, Mingi wasted no time. The moment Yeosang unclipped his leash, the little pomeranian shot off like a rocket. He barked gleefully, weaving through the open field with such speed that even larger dogs stopped to watch in astonishment.

Hetmon trotted after him at a more measured pace, as if he knew Mingi would wear himself out eventually. Finally, the puppy skidded to a stop under the shade of a tree, panting dramatically as the doberman joined him, settling down onto the grass with a huff. But before Hetmon could catch his breath, Mingi launched into a tirade.

“So, get this,” Mingi began, his tiny voice surprisingly serious despite the constant wagging of his tail. He paced in front of Hetmon, his little legs moving with purpose. 

“There’s this guy. His name is Seonghwa, and he was hitting on Y/N at the coffee shop.”

Hetmon tilted his head, his ears perking up. “Seonghwa? Who’s that?”

“He’s not important,” Mingi snapped, spinning around dramatically. “What’s important is that he thinks he can just charm his way into Y/N’s heart.”

“Well, if he’s not important, why are we talking about him?”

“Because!” Mingi barked, “He’s literally perfect and I don’t want Y/N to replace me! She’s my wife and I… I…”

His voice faltered, the words catching in his throat as if saying them aloud might make them too real. His paws stilled mid-step, and he froze, staring down at the ground.

Love her.

Was this love really his? Or was it just some puppy instinct to adore the person who cared for him?

He thought of the way you’d let him curl up in bed with you, ignoring how much space his small, fluffy frame somehow managed to take up. You always tucked the blankets around him, murmuring something soft and sweet. He felt safe there, pressed close to you, as though nothing could hurt him as long as he was with you.

He thought about how you scratched behind his ears, those tender moments when he’d rest his head on your lap. You’d tell him, you love him and each time, he could feel it in your voice, in your touch. It wasn’t just words. 

You meant it.

You didn’t just care for him. You saw him. You saw past all his flaws–his arrogance, his pride, and you still stayed. Even as he was in a coma, you chose him. 

And if that wasn’t love, what was?

“I don’t want to lose her,” Mingi admitted, his voice trembling. 

He sank onto his haunches, his tail lying limp against the ground. Yet, the act of speaking them aloud released something within him. It was like stepping into the sun after years of darkness. 

It wasn’t just the loyalty of a pet. It wasn’t just some fleeting puppy affection. It was real. He loved you. 

But love, he realized bitterly, came with its own demons. It came with fear, sharp and gnawing. The fear that you’d leave him. The fear that one day, you’d look at him and realize you deserved better.

Mingi's chest tightened, his breaths coming out in short, shallow huffs. What if you already realized it? What if the only thing keeping you by his side was pity? That thought was unbearable. 

His tail gave a tentative wag, hesitant at first but growing stronger as he allowed himself to lean into the feeling. It wasn’t just relief. It was hope.

“I love her,” he declared, this time with a small smile. 

“Aww, look who’s grown a heart.”

Mingi’s ears perked up, and he whirled around to see Wooyoung perched on a low-hanging branch, his black tail swishing lazily. The cat’s eyes twinkled with amusement, his signature smirk in place. 

“It’s the cat!” Hetmon barked excitedly, bounding over to the tree with his tail wagging furiously. He let out another bark, practically vibrating with energy as Wooyoung hopped down from the branch. 

“What are you doing here?” Mingi narrowed his eyes to gaze at the Judge. 

“Am I not allowed to congratulate you? You’re knocking these tasks out in record time” he drawled, arching his spine and flexing his claws. “Touching confession, by the way.”

Mingi puffed up, his fur fluffing indignantly. “What do you want?”

Wooyoung stood, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder with his paw. “I came to remind you that there’s more work to be done. The little girl? That was only task two. Don’t get too comfortable.”

Mingi scowled, his fluffy tail flicking in irritation. “I know that. You don’t need to remind me.”

“But it’s so entertaining,” Wooyoung shot back, his grin widening mischievously. 

“Watching our little hero overcome life’s obstacles for love.”

Then, to Mingi’s surprise, Wooyoung’s expression softened, his usual smirk giving way to something quieter and more thoughtful. 

“Look,” he said, his voice dropping to something almost gentle, “you did well.”

Mingi blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in Wooyoung’s demeanor.  

“You’ve got more heart than you give yourself credit for. You’re capable of putting someone else’s needs before your own. That you can be selfless when it matters.”

Selfless. That wasn’t a word he’d ever used to describe himself. In his human life, everything had been about him: his ambitions, his comforts, his endless need for validation. If something didn’t serve his desires, he’d ignored it, or worse, pushed it away.

He had been selfish. He could see that now, clear as day, and the realization stung. He’d hurt people—hurt you. He’d dismissed your efforts, neglected your feelings, and then, when things fell apart, he had blamed you. 

“Why are you telling me this?” Mingi asked finally, his voice quieter than he intended.

“Because, as much as I enjoy giving you a hard time, I’d rather see you win. For her, but also for you.”

For a moment, Mingi didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t used to this side of Wooyoung—supportive, almost kind. It threw him off balance, but at the same time, it felt…good.

He swore he’d work harder, not just to make things right, but to make you happy. This wasn’t just about earning back his humanity, it was about earning back your trust, your happiness, and maybe, if he was lucky, your forgiveness.

“Hetmon! Maro! Let’s go home!” 

Clutching their leashes in hand, Yeosang hurried toward the dogs, crouching down to clip the leashes onto their harnesses. As they started toward the park’s exit, Yeosang cast one last glance over his shoulder, his jaw tightening. 

“Excuse me?”

Yeosang turned, his usually calm expression darkening as he took in the middle-aged woman approaching him. Her clothes were simple and unremarkable, but her presence carried an unsettling air. Her eyes gleamed with a mix of desperation and misplaced affection that made Yeosang’s skin crawl.

“Can I help you?” he asked flatly, keeping his tone polite but distant.

“C-Can you tell me more about that dog?” she asked, pointing to Mingi. Her voice quivered, but it wasn’t the kind of nervousness Yeosang could dismiss as harmless. It felt...like she was trying too hard to seem unassuming.

“He’s just a pomeranian.”

“Oh, it’s just...he’s so unique.” 

Her smile was tight, forced, and her hands fidgeted restlessly at her sides. “I couldn’t help but notice him. Where did you get him? He’s not from around here, is he?”

Yeosang stiffened, his instincts screaming at him to end the conversation. “I can ask his owner for more information, but—”

“Owner?” she interrupted, her eyes widening slightly. “Oh, so he’s not yours?” She took a step closer, her gaze fixed intently on Mingi. 

“No, but I’m sure you can find a pomeranian for adoption if you reach out to your local shelter.”

But the woman didn’t seem to hear him. Her eyes gleamed with an unsettling intensity, and her smile grew wider, almost manic. 

“What about the girl?”

Yeosang’s eyes narrowed. “What girl?”

“The one who owns him,” the woman said, her gaze shifting between Yeosang and Mingi. Her expression softened into something disturbingly wistful.  

“My daughter.”

Yeosang froze, his heart thudding in his chest. “Your daughter?” he echoed, his voice flat and cold, masking the unease creeping up his spine.

The woman nodded, her smile growing wider but no less unsettling. “She’s grown into such a lovely young woman, hasn’t she?”

Yeosang’s grip on the leashes tightened, as he scanned his surroundings for any sign of Hetmon and Mingi. The two were playing under a tree, which was a relief. He took a deliberate step back, placing himself between the woman and the dogs. 

“That’s none of your business,” he said sharply.

But the woman didn’t seem to notice his hostility—or chose to ignore it. “Is she married? Does she live nearby? Does she walk the dogs often?”

Yeosang felt his patience snap. His usually calm demeanor was replaced by a simmering anger. Who was this woman?

“Listen to me. You’re asking invasive, inappropriate questions about someone you don’t know. That’s not curiosity, that’s stalking.”

The woman’s smile faltered but she quickly recovered, her expression twisting into something defensive. 

“I didn’t mean any harm,” she replied, though her tone lacked sincerity. “I just wanted to know more about my daughter. I haven’t seen her in over twenty years ever since her father took her away from me!” Her voice rose on the last part, as if she were struggling to contain an outburst. 

“I don’t know what your problem is, but if I ever see you here again, or if you go anywhere near…your daughter, I won’t be this polite.”

For a moment, there was silence. Her hands trembled slightly, and her breath quickened, but she didn’t speak. Instead, her gaze flickered over to the dogs, then back to Yeosang. With a sharp exhale, she finally turned on her heel, her movements stiff with rage. She stalked off, muttering under her breath, her words inaudible but tinged with frustration.

He watched her retreat, his eyes following her until she was out of sight, and only then did he allow himself to relax slightly. Clutching their leashes in hand, Yeosang hurried toward the dogs, crouching down to clip the leashes onto their harnesses. 

“Hetmon! Maro! Let’s go home!” 

Yeosang kept his eyes scanning the park’s perimeter, making sure the woman didn’t return. His thoughts kept circling back to her, the way she’d spoken about you, referring to you as her daughter. 

He shook his head, trying to push the unsettling thoughts away but the voice in the back of his head kept telling him that you were in trouble. Gripping the leashes a little tighter, Yeosang quickened his pace, the dogs trotting happily at his side as he rushed home. He had to let you know that something was amiss and that you were possibly in danger. 

⋆

You sighed, stretching your stiff muscles as you laid on the sofa. It had been about a month and a half since Mingi’s accident, and the doctors still hadn’t seen any improvement in his condition. The days blurred together–you’d get up, take Maro out, feed him, get ready for your day, check in on the foundation, before contemplating your existence. 

The sofa you’d claimed as your makeshift bed creaked faintly as you shifted, trying to find a comfortable position. You pulled the blanket tighter around yourself, though it did little to chase away the cold.

“Found you.”

The voice broke the silence, and you startled, jerking upright as your heart raced. Blinking against the dim light of the hallway, your eyes landed on a figure standing a few feet away.

“Seonghwa?”  

His dark suit was impeccably tailored, his shoes polished to a mirror shine, and his hair so flawlessly styled that you doubted anything about him had ever been out of place. Even now, standing in the dim, unflattering light of the hospital, he looked more suited for the cover of a magazine than the depressing private suite of your comatose husband. Park Seonghwa and his stupidly perfect face and personality, everyone would say. 

“What are you doing here?” you asked, your voice still low, more out of habit than necessity.

“I had a meeting with the board,” he said, stepping into the room as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

“At 9 at night?” you asked, eyebrows raising in disbelief.

“Hospital boards don’t keep regular hours,” he replied easily, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

You frowned, pulling your blanket tighter around yourself. “I didn’t think hospitals held board meetings this late.”

“They usually don’t,” he admitted, taking another step closer. “But some discussions can’t wait.” His gaze swept over the room, lingering briefly on the sofa before settling back on you. 

“And what about you? Shouldn’t you be at home? Or at least in an actual bed?”

“I told you,” you muttered, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze. “I’m staying with Mingi.”

His expression softened, though the concern in his eyes remained. “You’ve been staying here for weeks, haven’t you?”

“Isn’t that a violation of patient privacy?” you shot back, crossing your arms defensively.

Seonghwa’s lips twitched into the faintest smirk. “First, you’re not a patient. Secondly, news spreads fast when your mother-in-law is…your mother-in-law.”

The mention of her made your jaw tighten instinctively, your grip on the blanket pulling it tighter around you like a shield. You didn’t want to sound ungrateful, she cared in her own way, you supposed. But it was hard not to feel resentment every time you were left to sit by Mingi’s side alone, her absence a glaring reminder of how much he’d been left to you to shoulder.

“I just don’t like the idea of him being left alone.”

“Running yourself into the ground won’t help Mingi. If anything, it’ll make things harder for him, and for you.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but he held up a hand, stopping you.

“Humor me,” he said. “When was the last time you did something for yourself?”

You hesitated. You opened your mouth again, searching for a reply—something to prove him wrong—but the words wouldn’t come. Because the truth was…you couldn’t remember.

When was the last time you did something for yourself? Getting coffee with Jiwoo and Jongho didn’t count. The same thing goes with taking Maro out for a walk or hanging out with Yeosang and Hetmon. No, those moments weren’t for you. They were distractions at best, small glimpses of normalcy in the chaos, but they hadn’t been about you.

“That’s what I thought,” he said, his voice softer now. He straightened, motioning toward the door. 

“Come on.”

“Come on where?” 

“For a walk,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“In the middle of the night? In a hospital?”

“My family owns the hospital,” he said, glancing over his shoulder with a faint smirk. “And you need fresh air.”

You stared at him. For a moment, you contemplated saying no, coming up with an excuse to stay planted on the sofa in the darkness of the suite. But the weight of his gaze and his stupid handsome face left little room for argument. 

“Fifteen minutes,” he added softly. “That’s all I’m asking.”

The courtyard was quiet, save for the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze and the distant hum of city life. He walked beside you at a leisurely pace, his hands in his pockets, giving you room to gather your thoughts.  

“So,” he said finally, “How are you?”

You blinked, glancing at him. “What?”

He turned his head slightly to meet your gaze. “How are you doing?” he repeated.

The question caught you off guard. Not because it was strange or unwelcome, but because it had been so long since anyone had asked you that. Really asked. 

“I’m fine,” you replied, the words tumbling out before you could stop them.

“Try again.”

You frowned, shoving your hands into the pockets of your jacket. “I said I’m fine,” you repeated, your tone sharper now.

His lips quirked at the corners, but it wasn’t quite a smile. “And I said try again.”

Your frustration flared, but before it could boil over, Seonghwa leaned back against the edge of the fountain, crossing his arms. He took a moment to study you. You were always a little strange, he thought, but not in a bad way. It was in a way that made you stand out amongst the world of the elite. 

You lived in a world of sharp edges, where power was everything, and kindness was a weakness waiting to be exploited. Yet, amidst the cutthroat games of high society, you wore your heart plainly. Somehow, you remained standing, untouched by the corrosive allure of wealth and status. It wasn’t rebellion that set you apart, it was something gentler, something more enduring.

Seonghwa had always admired this about you, even from afar, catching glimpses through the whispers of your peers.

His voice was softer when he spoke again. “You don’t have to tell me everything,” he said. “But don’t lie to me either. You’re not fine.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but the words were caught in your throat. Instead, you sighed in response, stuffing your hands deeper into the pockets of your jacket. Seonghwa didn’t push, though his gaze lingered for a moment longer before he glanced away.

“So,” he said, breaking the silence again, this time with a lighter tone. “What’s the plan when Mingi wakes up?”

“I haven’t thought about it,” you admitted quietly. “I’m just…focusing on what’s in front of me right now.”

“You’re running yourself ragged for someone who might not do the same for you.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t have empathy for him.”

Seonghwa let out a low hum, his expression thoughtful. “No,” he agreed, his voice almost a murmur. “It doesn’t. But you’re allowed to have empathy for yourself too.”

“You’re too good for our world,” he added. When your eyes flicked to his, he gave you a small, almost wistful smile. 

“You don’t belong in all this chaos, Y/N. You’ve always been…strange.” 

“I get that alot,” you scoffed. “You’re not the first one to point that out.”

“Yeah,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Because people like you get hurt the most in a world like this.”

You turned to look at him, startled by how sincere he was. For a moment, you didn’t know what to say, your arsenal of witty comebacks failing you. Seonghwa wasn't pitying you nor was he being condescending. He was acknowledging you, comforting you. Reminding you that compassion was a strength and it was something you were worthy of receiving, too.

“Is this…” you started, trying to mask the slight tremor in your voice with a teasing tone, “is this part of that charm you’re so infamous for?”

Seonghwa’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. “Infamous?” he echoed, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” you said, forcing a smirk and crossing your arms over your chest to regain some sense of control. 

“Your reputation almost rivals Mingi’s.” You hesitated, your voice dipping just slightly as you added, “but, you know, with fewer tantrums.”

“Fewer tantrums, huh? Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?”

You shrugged, feigning indifference, though the teasing glint in his eyes made it harder to keep a straight face. 

“Take it however you want,” you replied lightly.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, his grin softening as his tone shifted. “But seriously, you know I’m always around, if you need someone. I mean it.”

You instinctively raised your hand, wiggling your fingers to display your wedding ring. “I’m a married woman.”

“Take it however you want,” he teased, throwing your own words back at you with a wink. “But the offer stands.”

You stared at him, momentarily stunned. Was he genuinely offering support? Or was he trying to make a move on you? Before you could figure out how to respond, the shrill ring of your phone caught you off guard.

Your gaze dropped to the screen, where Yeosang’s name lit up. Grateful for the interruption, you glanced back at Seonghwa with a small, apologetic smile. “Sorry, I have to take this.”

He nodded, leaning back with an easygoing shrug, though his eyes lingered on you for a moment longer.

“Hey Yeosang.”

“Hey! How’s the hospital?”

“Same old,” you replied with a sigh. “Nothing’s really changed with Mingi.”

“Sorry to hear that,” he said, and you could feel the genuine sympathy in his voice. “Maro and Hetmon are all tucked in and asleep in the fort, but I wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure, what’s this about?” you asked, your posture straightening as a flicker of worry crept in.

Yeosang hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Your mother…is Kim Youngji, right? Former Jinhit heiress?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t she be?”

“Well…” Yeosang’s voice lowered, and you could hear the tension creeping in. “There was this strange woman at the park asking questions about Maro like where you got him and whatnot. At first, I thought she was just a dog lover, you know? Interested in him because he’s such a unique breed or something. But then…”

“Then what?” you pressed.

“She started asking about you,” Yeosang said, his voice laced with unease. “And not in a casual way. She was way too specific, Y/N. She claimed you were her daughter.”

“What!?” you exclaimed, your voice rising in disbelief. The absurdity of his words collided with a chilling sense of unease. You looked over to Seonghwa, who had stepped closer, his brow furrowed with concern. 

“She kept pressing,” Yeosang continued, his frustration clear in the clipped tone of his voice. “Her questions got more invasive. She asked if you were married, if you lived nearby, if you were the one who walked Maro most of the time. And then…” He paused, his voice dropping lower. 

“Then she said your dad took you away from her. Like she was claiming he took you away in a custody battle.”

Your heart sank further, a cold knot forming in your stomach. “She said that?”

“Yeah. That’s when I lost my shit. I told her to get lost, grabbed the dogs, and got out of there as fast as I could. But…I have a bad feeling about this, Y/N.”

Your grip on the phone tightened, and you felt Seonghwa’s gaze on you. He didn’t say anything, but the slight tilt of his head reminded you that he was there if you needed him. 

“Thanks for letting me know,” you said finally, trying to keep your voice steady. “I’ll…I’ll talk to my mom about it. Maybe she’ll have some idea of who this woman is.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Yeosang agreed, though his tone remained cautious. “But be careful, okay? Whoever she is, she didn’t seem stable. Take your time with pick up tomorrow.”

“I appreciate that,” you said quietly, “Thanks for looking out for the puppies.”

The call ended, leaving a tense silence in its wake. You lowered the phone, exhaling a shaky breath as you tried to process what you’d just heard. The threat felt closer now, less like a shadow lurking in the background and more like a storm rolling toward you.

“Everything okay?” Seonghwa asked. 

“Yeah…It’s getting late, I should head back.”

Turning on your heel, you made your way back toward the suite, your steps slower now, the conversation playing on a loop in your head. Every shadow seemed sharper, every sound amplified. You tried to focus on the steady rhythm of your breathing, but the sound of Yeosang’s voice wouldn’t leave you.

“Maro! My baby!” you cooed as Mingi bounded toward you. You scooped him up, burying your face in his fur as his excited yips filled the air.

Yeosang stood nearby, a faint smile softening the tension on his face. He held onto Hetmon’s leash, but his gaze kept darting toward the park’s edges, his encounter the day before still fresh. 

“How was he?” you asked, squishing a very happy Mingi against your face. 

“An angel as always,” Yeosang chuckled, scratching the Hetmon between the ears. 

You smiled, but the way his attention flickered nervously to the surrounding trees didn’t escape you. Setting Maro back on the ground, you straightened up, crossing your arms. “What’s wrong? You’ve been on edge since I got here.”

“Just making sure she isn’t lurking around,” Yeosang said, his tone low and cautious. 

“I think she knows more about you than she let on. When she saw Maro yesterday, she called you ‘the girl who owns him.’” He paused, glancing at Maro, who was sniffing the grass. 

“She’s seen him before—maybe even followed you.”

“What did she look like?” you asked. 

“Maybe… mid-forties? Dark hair, pulled back into a ponytail. She had a dark coat, but it wasn’t even that cold yesterday.” He hesitated, his jaw tightening as he recalled the encounter. “And her eyes… She had this deranged look, like she was completely convinced of whatever twisted story she’s telling herself.”

A shiver ran down your spine. You crouched beside Maro, stroking his fur absentmindedly as you tried to process Yeosang’s words. You tried to recall where you’ve seen or heard that description before. But you couldn’t quite figure out where. 

Mingi lifted his head, his nose twitching as an unusual scent wafted through the park. His tail stilled, and his ears perked up, alert to the approaching presence. 

There was a hint of coffee, Black Opium, the faintest whiff of ink and…multiple affairs. The pomeranian’s eyes narrowed, his small body tense as a low growl rumbled from his chest. His gaze snapped to the pathway ahead, where a figure was approaching, and his growls turned to a sharp bark.

You glanced down at him in confusion. “Maro?” you asked, crouching to stroke his head.

Mingi’s growl softened slightly at your touch, but he stayed on high alert, his fluffy frame taut with suspicion. He sniffed the air again as Seonghwa came into view, his presence impossible to ignore.

“Seonghwa?” you said, surprised, turning to find him approaching you and Yeosang. “What are you doing here?”

How convenient Mingi thought bitterly, his gaze never leaving the man. His barks grew more insistent, clearly directed at Seonghwa now.

“Just on my way to grab coffee. Hospital coffee isn’t exactly the best,” Seonghwa explained casually, though his attention drifted to Mingi, who looked seconds away from launching himself at him.

“I see someone’s still not a fan,” he quipped.

“Sorry about that,” you muttered, crouching again to pick up Mingi. “He’s usually so well-behaved.”

Mingi huffed indignantly in your arms, clearly disagreeing with your assessment. Meanwhile, Hetmon, who had been lounging nearby suddenly perked up. His ears twitched, and his nose wriggled as if catching a scent in the air.

Oh no, Maro’s upset, I can feel it. Seonghwa? Is that Seonghwa? The one who was trying to hit on Y/N? The one who almost took her away from Maro? When my friends are upset, it’s my job to help. That’s what I do, I help. Because I’m a good friend!

Time seemed to slow as Hetmon sprung forward, charging toward his unsuspecting target, his powerful frame sending Seonghwa stumbling backward. The man’s eyes widened in surprise as he fell, the force of the impact knocking him off balance. A muffled thud followed as Seonghwa hit the ground, his suit jacket crumpling beneath him. Hetmon stood triumphantly on his chest, barking loudly in satisfaction.

“Hetmon, get off of him!” Yeosang rushed forward, his laid back demeanor replaced by outright horror at the sight of his usually gentle dog standing on Seonghwa’s chest, unrepentant.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he grabbed Hetmon’s harness. “I have no idea what got into him. He’s never done anything like this before.”

A few steps away, Mingi wiggled out of your arms and trotted over to the scene. His tail wagged furiously, his eyes glinting with smug satisfaction as he gave a sharp, triumphant bark. It was clear he approved of Hetmon’s intervention.

You stepped forward to help Seonghwa, stifling a laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Behind you, Hetmon and Mingi sat like a united front of mischief, but your smile faltered as an icy sensation crawled down your spine. The air felt heavy, like an unseen gaze pressing watching you, and your chest tightened as your thoughts scattered.

Mingi’s ears flicked and let out an uneasy bark. He sensed it too—something was off.

“I should probably get going,” you said abruptly, your voice wavering despite your best efforts to steady it. 

Both Seonghwa and Yeosang turned to you, concern etched across their faces, but you avoided their eyes, focusing instead on scooping up Mingi. Your legs felt unsteady, each step toward the park’s exit requiring more effort than the last.

“Y/N! Wait, is everything okay?” Seonghwa called after you.

You glanced back just long enough to nod, offering a weak, unconvincing smile before hurrying away. The icy sensation prickling at the back of your neck refused to dissipate, no matter how much distance you put between yourself and the park.

When you reached your car, your hands fumbled with the keys, dropping them twice before you finally managed to unlock the door. You slid inside, slamming it shut and locking it with trembling fingers.

Tears blurred your vision as you struggled to calm yourself, gripping the steering wheel tightly in a futile attempt to ground yourself. Mingi whined softly, climbing into your lap and pressing a paw to your chest. His warm, steady presence was a quiet reminder to breathe, to focus. You closed your eyes, taking shaky, uneven breaths, trying to mimic the calm he radiated.

“Just breathe,” you whispered to yourself, though it sounded more like a plea than a command. Breathe. 

Mingi’s paw stayed firmly on your chest, nuzzling against your chin. If he could, he’d wrap you in his arms and take away all the fear and panic that had overtaken you. He hated seeing you like this, scared, fragile, and hurting, and he wanted to do more. He needed to do more to make sure he could shield you from the world. 

The tears came slower now, the overwhelming panic easing into a dull ache in your chest. You rested your forehead against Mingi’s, whispering a soft, broken “thank you.” He nudged you, promising that he wouldn’t let anything harm you, not while he was by your side.

You closed your eyes and leaned back against the seat, still stroking his fur as he rested against you. “Let’s go home,” you murmured softly, smiling down at your puppy. Mingi’s tail wagged and his ears perked up at your words.

Yeah, let’s go home.

<< iv | vi >>

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[fictoweirdoesten]

tw: self harm, use of the nickname 'pipsqueak' and 'baby'. Read at your discretion.

author's note: ...im tired, and I'm too tired to proofread this. If I wasn't a coward I'd make this nsfw, but I'd rather not embarrass myself anymore today. Be prepared for the cringe, and thank you for reading.

---

It was a long day today. You're lying on your bed listening to heavy music...but it's not working, none of it's working. You still feel this numbness in your chest, this pain that won't go away.

Why doesn't anyone like you? Why can't you get along with anyone?

Are you a freak? A monster? Do you have a sign on your back that reads, "Stay Away"?

The numbness in your chest grows stronger. Your tears start to fade, replaced by a sudden, impulsive urge to do something, to get rid of this irritating feeling...

You slowly make your way to the bathroom, dragging your feet against the wooden floors. Your eyes narrow at the bag of razors when you walk in, your hand instinctively reaching out to grab one.

You need to feel something, anything. This is the only way you know how.

You sit on the toilet lid and slowly move the razor to your arm.

It hurts, it burns.

Your arms shake, and your breathing starts to grow heavier.

The numbness goes away, replaced by a sudden anxiety attack that borders on full panic.

Why do you do this to yourself? Is it really any better than feeling nothing at all-

"Pipsqueak?"

Caleb...

Caleb

What's he doing here? He was supposed to be visiting you and Gran next week, not today.

"Pipsqueak? I know you're here, I can see your shoes at the door!"

Oh god, what were you going to do? How were you going to hide these scars?

You cut too much, and you cut in rows like an idiot. Blaming it on a cat wouldn't work this time.

You panic, hearing his footsteps slowly make their way up the stairs.

You run out of the bathroom and into your room. Yeah, totally not obvious at all, but you rushed as you quickly put on a long sleeve shirt, just hoping he didn't notice that you were wearing a short sleeve as you zoomed in front of him.

He knocked on your door gently, his voice hesitant and quiet:

"...Hey...are you alright in there, pipsqueak?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright...come in!"

So he did, slowly opening the door until his violet eyes met your face, immediately studying your expression as he closed the door behind him.

Then he looked down at your arms, and you freeze up. Did he figure it out already, surely not-

"Do you know how hot it is? What are you doing wearing a long sleeve?"

...You're finished.

"I...I just wanted to wear one today. I felt...a little insecure about myself..."

Caleb shook his head, letting out a sigh as he moved to sit next to you on the bed.

"Insecure? Pipsqueak, how many times do I have to tell you that you're-"

As he speaks, he gently moves his hand on top of your arm, causing you to jolt and yank your arm away from him.

That makes him pause.

You silently curse yourself for reacting that way, hoping he won't question you about it-

"...Show me your arm."

That's it. You're dead.

This wasn't the first time he caught you. He remembers when you were in 6th grade, suddenly very impulsive and sensitive, you self harmed for the first time. You acted the same way back then, jumpy and nervous, and the long sleeve you're wearing right now made it even more obvious.

When you sat frozen in place after awhile, he decided to reach his hand out and move you closer to him instead. He slowly revealed your scars, his breath hitching at the sight.

He let out a ragged sigh, his hand slowly making their way to your scars, his fingers gently rubbing over them as his violet eyes looked up at you in desperation, sympathy, but never pity.

"...You should clean them...come on," he muttered before grabbing you, his grip on your arm tightening a bit as the two of you made your way to the bathroom.

You grimaced at the burning as he poured peroxide on your wounds, before gently patting you with a cotton ball. He was right behind you, leaving no space between the two of you.

His eyes looked over your arm again, noticing the other, tinier faded scars. His frown deepened, wondering just how hurt you were over these past months when he couldn't see you. How much you needed him when he couldn't be there for you.

He'd text and call you every day, always asking the same simple question: "Are you okay?" You'd always reply with a 'yes' but never elaborated, never talked about what you did at school, anything interesting that happened, any drama even. Instead, whenever he even dared to ask you about anything else going on in your life, you suddenly got irritated at him, saying that he was being 'too nosy' and shut him down.

He should've known...

"Pipsqueak, you risk getting an infection if you don't take care of these, yknow," he whispered, leaning down closer to your ear. "Come here."

His voice was low and gentle as he took your hand into his and led you back into the room. Everything about him is gentle right now. How he sat on the bed. How his eyes looked up at you with a slight smile on his face as he pulled you down to his lap. How his arms wrapped around you. How he leaned down and rested his head on your shoulder, letting out a hum as his hand started rubbing over your scars again.

He was treating you very delicately, as if you would break in front of him at any moment and shatter into little glass shards on the floor.

"We only have bandaids, and that won't do. I'll get you some gauze wraps when you go to sleep tonight, okay?"

You nod, leaning your head against him as you feel yourself slowly dozing off in his embrace.

"Don't fall asleep yet. Tell me what's been bothering you lately," he whispered once more. You looked over and saw his eyes on you. They were pleading, begging you to open up to him. "...please?"

So you told him everything. How lonely you felt at school, how you can't get along with anyone, how terrible it is sitting alone at lunch watching everyone else hang out with their friends...

How much you miss him

He couldn't help himself, especially when he saw those tears roll down your cheeks. He leaned in and gave you a kiss on the forehead, his free hand moving down to your waist as he rubs your sides in a soothing pattern.

"Baby, why didn't you tell me any of this? Why keep this all to yourself? Do you not trust me?"

Baby. A petname you only hear him call you during moments like these, when either of you are at your most vulnerable. You can't help but admit how good it makes you feel when he calls you that, of course, you'd never tell him that.

Before you can respond, he interrupts you. You feel his hand on your waist pause, his lips moving to your cheek as he plants another kiss there.

"I love you, you know that? You're beautiful and so-so smart. I love you so much pipsqueak."

"Caleb-"

"Who cares what everyone else thinks, hm? Aren't I enough for you?"

"I-"

"I'm sorry you've been feeling lonely lately, baby, it's all my fault. I'm so sorry."

You're about to rotate around his lap and shut him up with your hand, but as you turn around to face him, you see it:

He's absolutely infatuated with you. His pupils are dilated to the point where you can barely see the color in his eyes. He's panting as if he just ran a marathon, and his face is flushed. He moves his hand from your waist to the back of your head, pulling you closer until your noses are barely touching.

You pause, struggling to breathe with how close the two of you are.

"Caleb..."

"Pip...squeak..."

He moves closer, his eyes narrowing down at your lips.

He's about to kiss you. Is he really going to-

You watch as he bites his lips and lets out a groan, appearing to be frustrated before he quickly pulls your arm to his mouth, kissing the scars on your arm feverly instead, letting out all of his supressed desires on your arm instead of your lips.

You hold back a frustrated groan yourself, wanting to crush this stupid boundary he has with you, but you can't deny how much you love the scene in front of you as well, how he looks at your scars with love rather then disgust.

He pauses, his eyes flickering up at you, seeing how flushed your face is before letting out a chuckle against your skin, causing a chill to run through you. He then slowly moves you away from his embrace, his hand lingering on your hips for a moment longer than necessary before getting up and stretching.

"Hungry? Let's go out to eat tonight, pipsqueak!" He turns around to look at you with a smile, evidence of his earlier frustration gone as he quickly pulled himself together.

You, on the other hand, are still very much flustered. He extends a hand out to you, and you grab it. He effortlessly pulls up up and moves to stand beside you, resting his hand on your waist once more as he looks down at you with nothing but love in his eyes.

"Ready?"

[suzukiblu]

Day twenty-nine of “obligatory sugar baby Kon” behind the cut. prev: (( chrono || non-chrono ))

“The mahjong tiles are new,” Cissie observes, watching Tim just a shade too sharply. He internally hopes the others get here soon. He and Cissie arrived about the same time, and when she texted Bart to remind him they were all meeting up he showed up five seconds later, and Suzie was excited to see them but almost immediately ran off to get something. And Cassie and Kon had both said they’d be late–Cassie’s mom made her stay home for dinner, and Kon had just said something about something called “the Evil Factory” and a mission report he had to finish and then hung up without elaborating, which had totally not made Tim quietly insane or anything. 

The Evil Factory. What. What even is that? 

Tim needs to look into some things, clearly. 

“I’ve learned not to ask,” Tim says, and the look Cissie is giving him turns very pointed. 

“But you’re asking me about school?” she says. 

“Yes,” Tim says, because it’s not like she’s not perfectly aware he just did that, but also he doesn’t actually have to explain himself, so he just stops there. 

Cissie stares blankly at him. Tim keeps a neutral but approachable expression on his face. Filling an awkward silence is the first mistake any witness–or suspect–makes. 

She narrows her eyes, just barely, then opens her mouth to speak and–

“CISSIE,” Cassie wails from down the hall, and a second later she’s bolting into the room at full-speed and throwing herself at Cissie. Tim reflexively grabs for his bo and Cissie grabs for her–uh, bow–and Cassie makes an absolutely agonized noise and buries her face in Cissie’s lap. “I quit. I quit the team. I’m gonna ask Wonder Woman if I can move to Themyscira and I am never coming back.” 

. . . alright then, Tim thinks, just barely raising his eyebrows behind his mask. Maybe not a supervillain attack, then. 

“I’d really prefer it if you didn’t, actually,” Cissie says. “So like is this about your mom or–?” 

“Kon’s wearing clothes,” Cassie cuts her off despairingly, voice muffled in her folded arms and Cissie’s lap. 

“. . . I mean, I’d hope so?” Cissie says, patting the top of Cassie’s wig with a bewildered.expression as she sets her bow back down on the table. Tim–well, he might not hope that Kon was–never mind. But that seems like a pretty weird answer to that question either way. 

“You don’t understand,” Cassie groans. “I ran into him outside–he’s texting somebody or something, I don’t know, he said he was gonna be a minute–and he said ‘hi’ and he was wearing clothes and I tripped! I tripped in mid-air! I tripped in mid-air and he tried to help me up and I think I blacked out or something and then he laughed and he’s wearing clothes, Cissie!” 

Tim feels like maybe this is in some way “girl talk” and he shouldn’t necessarily be here, but also: what the hell is Cassie talking about? 

He also wonders who Kon’s texting and has the vaguely-annoyed thought that Cadmus might be bothering him or something. 

The subtle alert that means someone just texted Tim Drake’s phone goes off on his communicator and he makes a mental note to check it as soon as he can get a moment–it might be Dana or Mrs. Mac, or maybe one of the guys at school needs something, or . . . well, it could be his dad, technically, but statistically that’s not very likely, so– 

. . . why does he feel like he’s missing something right now, he thinks to himself, repressing a frown. What would he be missing? 

“Question: is this response proportional, or is this a ‘Code Superboy’ situation?” Cissie says. Cassie just groans all the more despairingly into her arms, not lifting her head at all. 

“This is a code black Superboy situation,” she says, and Cissie winces and pats her head again. Assuming their definition of “code black” aligns with Tim’s, that means “panic reaction; breakdown of mental/physical responses and capabilities”. So . . . yeah, that seems like a weird answer too. Just because Kon’s . . . what, outside and doing whatever he’s doing on his phone? While . . . wearing clothes? 

Tim really does not understand this conversation, yeah. 

Definitely a girl thing, he decides.

[prettygirl-gabi]

Chapter 29: Ghosts of the Past

Rating: Teen Audiences

Warnings: Protective!Paige, Azzi, Ice, Mentions of Y/N’s Ex, Panic Attacks

Pairing: Paige Bueckers x !Photographer Fem Reader

Fandom: Women’s Basketball

Summary: Why now...

Welcome to the chapter 29 of Through The Lens. I hope you all enjoy and there is more to come...stay tuned my loveies!! 🏀💕📸

Shopping trips with the team were always filled with laughter, banter, and an unrelenting amount of teasing. It was one of those things that felt like a welcome distraction from everything else. Today was no different. Paige, Azzi, Ice, and I were in our usual group, having fun as we made our way through the aisles. The others had split off to check out a sneaker store just a few blocks down, leaving the four of us to do a little damage in a nearby boutique.

"Are you seriously trying to convince me that green looks good on everyone?" Azzi asked, holding up a neon green hoodie, her expression a mix of disbelief and amusement.

I snorted, glancing over at Paige, who was smirking at me. "I’m just saying," Paige teased. "Some of us can pull it off better than others."

"You mean like you?" Ice chimed in, causing Paige to give a dramatic shrug.

"Obviously," Paige responded, looking pleased with herself.

Azzi rolled her eyes. "Let’s get this over with before Paige starts modeling for us."

The lighthearted atmosphere filled the space, and for a moment, I felt the weight of the past few weeks lift. Between school, practice, and my constant juggling act, I hadn’t realized how much I needed this—just the simple joy of being with people I cared about.

But then, as I turned a corner of the store, the world seemed to freeze. My heart stuttered in my chest.

Standing just a few feet away, browsing through a rack of jackets, was someone I thought I’d never have to see again. My ex.

I froze, the blood draining from my face. The warmth that had settled in me moments ago disappeared in an instant, replaced by a cold, creeping fear that settled deep in my bones.

Paige’s voice broke through my panic. "Y/N?" she asked softly, stepping closer. I couldn’t bring myself to look at her, my eyes locked on the figure in front of me. I could feel my hands begin to shake as memories from that toxic relationship flooded my mind. The manipulation, the gaslighting, the verbal jabs—everything that once felt suffocating was suddenly there, fresh and painful.

"Why are you back here?" I muttered under my breath, my voice unsteady. I could barely even hear it over the roar of my heartbeat.

Azzi, noticing my sudden shift in energy, stepped up to my other side. "Who’s this?" she asked, her voice sharp with suspicion.

Before I could answer, the guy turned, his eyes locking with mine. "Y/N? Wow, I didn’t expect to see you here!" He said, his tone too casual, too comfortable for someone who had hurt me so badly.

Azzi's arms crossed as she shot a glare at him. "Who’s this?" she repeated, her voice laced with protectiveness.

"I’m her ex," the guy replied, his eyes flicking between Azzi and Paige. He was trying to figure out the situation. "We dated her freshman year."

I felt my knees go weak as the walls I had built so carefully around my past began to crumble. Paige immediately noticed the change in me, her hand instinctively finding mine and giving it a gentle squeeze. "You okay?" she whispered, her voice quiet but firm.

I couldn’t answer. My breath was coming in short bursts, my chest tight with anxiety. My ex’s presence alone was enough to send me spiraling.

Azzi’s voice was sharp and commanding as she addressed him. "Maybe you should leave."

"What? I’m not doing anything wrong," he protested, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"You’re making her uncomfortable," Paige said, her voice steely and authoritative.

His gaze flicked to me, and I could see the confusion on his face. "I just wanted to say hi."

"Hi, and now bye," Ice’s voice rang out from behind us, her words leaving no room for argument.

Azzi and Ice stood like a wall between me and my ex, their eyes fixed on him with a glare that would make anyone back off. In a matter of seconds, they had him out of the store, leaving me surrounded by the people who would always have my back.

I was still trembling, my breath uneven as I tried to regain control of my racing heart. Paige stepped closer, her hands cupping my face, her touch gentle yet firm. "Hey, hey," she whispered softly. "Look at me."

I couldn’t help it—tears welled in my eyes. I didn’t want to cry. Not here, not now, but everything came flooding back. "I... I didn’t want to see him again, Paige," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Why now? Why here?"

Paige’s hands rubbed comforting circles on my arms as she leaned her forehead against mine. "You’re safe now, Y/N. He can’t hurt you anymore." Her words were calm, soothing, like a balm on the wounds I didn’t even realize were still raw.

"I’m sorry," I whispered, the tears breaking free.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Paige said gently, brushing away the tear that had slipped down my cheek. "You’ve been through a lot, and you don’t owe him or anyone anything."

The rest of the team returned, the air filled with quiet tension. Ice, Azzi, and KK had made sure my ex was gone, but the damage lingered in the pit of my stomach. KK was the first to speak up. "What happened?" Her voice was laced with concern.

"Her ex showed up," Ice muttered, her tone sharp. "Total creep."

Paige wrapped her arm around me, pulling me close. "We’re going back to my dorm," she said firmly, her protective instincts flaring. "We’ll figure this out there."

At the dorm, things felt a little calmer, though my nerves were still shot. I sat curled up on Paige’s bed, a blanket draped around my shoulders, sipping on a cup of tea she had made for me. I didn’t want to talk about it—not yet. The memories were still too fresh, too painful.

Paige sat beside me, her presence calming, her fingers gently lacing through mine. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly, her voice quiet, giving me the space I needed.

I shook my head. "Not right now. But…thank you. For everything."

"You don’t have to thank me," Paige murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "I’ll always protect you."

I leaned into her, letting her warmth and comfort settle me. "I know," I whispered. "I know."

Later that night, after I had finally managed to sleep, the nightmares came.

I woke up, my body drenched in sweat, my heart pounding as though I was back in that dark, toxic relationship. I gasped for air, feeling trapped in a nightmare I couldn’t escape. The panic rose in my chest, my breath coming in quick, shallow bursts.

I tried to calm myself down, but the images were still there, haunting me—his face, the way he used to make me feel like I wasn’t good enough, that I was nothing.

But then, suddenly, a pair of warm hands cupped my face. Paige was there, her voice soft and steady as she whispered, "Hey, look at me. You’re safe."

I turned into her, the tears falling freely now. "I can’t breathe, Paige. I can’t—"

"Shh," Paige soothed, her hands running down my back as she gently rocked me. "Just breathe with me, okay? Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth."

I followed her lead, focusing on her voice, her presence, the way she always seemed to ground me when everything else fell apart.

"I’ve got you," she whispered. "You’re safe. You’re here with me, and no one can hurt you. Not anymore."

Slowly, I felt my breathing steady, the panic that had gripped me loosening its hold.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice still shaky. "I’m sorry for waking you."

Paige smiled softly, her thumb brushing across my cheek. "Don’t apologize, baby. I’ll always be here for you, Y/N. Always."

I snuggled closer to her, my heart finally beginning to settle. "I’m lucky to have you," I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips as I drifted back into a peaceful sleep, surrounded by the warmth of the girl who would always protect me.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

-Thank You For Reading!🩵🩶

-prettygirl-gabi🎀✨️

Tag list: @sayurireidotcom , @astroeliza , @paxaz535 , @0phantom0 , @starlighttsv , @authentic-girl03 , @elalfywhore , @elalfywhore .... (more to be added)

[astro-stars]

Hay! Your work is histarical btw

Could you do some fluff type stuff with malleus (and other housewardens if you have time,minus Jamil bc I hate him) where he is comforting them after a panic attack brought on by all the crap they have been through after being trapped here (like the overblots and the murder attempts and being kidnapped and doing all Crowley’s work and… I think you get the point 💀)

If you don’t want to or you don’t have time no worries 🫶✨

@ahhhhhhhghghhhgg ty<3 i did my best but if this isnt how you envisioned it i can retry!! :)

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle notices immediately when Yuu starts to spiral, their breaths coming quicker and their hands trembling. He gently guides them to sit in the shade of the rose garden, away from the noise of the dorm.

“Breathe with me,” he says softly, demonstrating slow, measured breaths. His usually stern tone is laced with concern, and he kneels in front of them to meet their gaze. “You don’t have to carry all this alone. It’s unfair.”

Once Yuu calms down, he offers them a cup of chamomile tea and quietly promises to speak with Crowley about easing their workload. Though his influence is limited, he’ll use whatever authority he has to lighten their burden.

Leona Kingscholar

Leona finds Yuu curled up in a corner of the botanical garden, shaking and hyperventilating. Without a word, he sits beside them and drapes his jacket over their shoulders. “It’s okay, herbivore. You’re safe now.”

He lets them lean against him while he speaks in a calm, low voice about anything mundane—his dislike of Malleus, the laziness of his dormmates—until their breathing steadies.

“You’re stronger than any of them give you credit for,” he mutters as they relax against him. “But you don’t have to be strong all the time. I’ve got your back.”

Azul Ashengrotto

Azul finds Yuu in Mostro Lounge’s storeroom, overwhelmed and shaking. At first, he panics, unsure of what to do, but he quickly regains composure and kneels down next to them.

He places a comforting hand on their shoulder. “Yuu, take your time. You’re not alone here.” He doesn’t push them to explain but stays close until they feel ready to talk.

Afterward, he gives them a special dessert “on the house” and sits with them while they eat. “You’ve done more than anyone should ever ask of you. If there’s anything I can do to ease your burden, just say the word.”

Kalim Al-Asim

Kalim stumbles upon Yuu mid-panic attack and immediately drops everything to help. He gently takes their hands and guides them to a comfortable couch in Scarabia, wrapping them in a soft blanket.

“You’re safe here, promise!” he says, his voice cheerful but soft enough not to overwhelm them. He hums a calming tune and encourages them to breathe deeply with him.

When they calm down, he makes sure they’re hydrated and brings them a plate of sweet treats. “You’ve been through so much. You don’t have to face it alone anymore. I’m here for you, always.”

Vil Schoenheit

Vil immediately recognizes the signs of a panic attack when Yuu starts hyperventilating after a stressful event. Without hesitation, he leads them to a quiet, private area and kneels in front of them.

“Focus on me,” he says softly, his usually commanding tone tender and reassuring. He guides their breathing, gently brushing stray hairs from their face.

Once they’ve calmed down, he hands them a lavender-scented handkerchief. “You’re not just surviving; you’re thriving despite everything thrown at you. But even the strongest need rest. You’ve earned it.”

Idia Shroud

Idia freaks out internally when he finds Yuu crying and hyperventilating in a quiet corner of Ignihyde, but he forces himself to stay calm for their sake. He awkwardly sits beside them, offering them his oversized hoodie to help them feel safe.

“It’s okay, you’re not alone,” he mumbles, his voice quiet but sincere. He offers to play calming video game music or let them pet one of his Ortho-made plushies.

Once Yuu feels better, he shyly mutters, “You’re like the protagonist of a super hard game, but even they take breaks, right? So… it’s okay to rest. I’ll help however I can.”

Malleus Draconia

Malleus senses Yuu’s distress before anyone else and appears beside them just as they begin to panic. He kneels gracefully, his emerald eyes soft with concern. “Child of man, you’re trembling. What has caused you such anguish?”

He conjures a soothing, warm glow around them and stays by their side, speaking in low, comforting tones. “No harm will come to you while I’m here. Take your time.”

Once Yuu calms down, he offers to take them on a peaceful nighttime walk under the stars. “You are not alone in this world. I will ensure that you are protected, no matter the cost.”

DIVIDERS: me!!

TAGLIST: @soramcduckahyucky

[whump-imagines]

Lightning and Panic

I swear I will write for other characters too... I'm just currently deep in Buck and Eddie brain rot.

Buddie x reader

Wc: 1300 ish

You pinched your arm, flinching at the sensation. There was no way this was real. This was your worst nightmare. You just needed to try harder and you were sure you would wake up.

Pinching the same spot once more, you realized that you were likely going to have a bruise soon.

Yet again, you were sitting in this awful waiting room. It felt like you had just been here waiting for news was after Eddie was shot.

Now, it was Buck.

It had been two days of waiting. Two days of worrying. Two days of desperately trying to convince yourself that he was going to be okay.

You knew they had a dangerous job. You thought you'd been prepared for that. You expected burns or maybe smoke inhalation. Not a sniper and a freak lightning strike.

Truthfully, you'd only prepared for minor injuries. Not near death experiences.

Suddenly, Eddie was kneeling in front of you. Why did he look so concerned? Something went wrong. Buck was gone.

He was talking. Why couldn't you hear him? Why are your ears ringing?

Eddie squeezed your hands almost too tight. He was trying to ground you. He took a slow exaggerated deep breath then finally, his words broke through your haze. “Breathe.”

It was then you finally realized you were barely wheezing air in and out and much too quickly. Your heart was racing. You gasped. “I-I–” more gasping. “C-c-can’t.”

Eddie moved your hands to his chest. “Yes, you can. Just follow me.” His fingers dug into the pulse point at your wrist as he took another slow beep breath and counted the pattern for you.

Tears rolled down your face as you desperately tried to calm down. You yanked your hands away from Eddie to pull at the collar of your shirt. It suddenly felt like it was strangling you.

Eddie turned toward Bobby and said something to him about a doctor. Had he whispered? Maybe. Your ears were also ringing more intensely again.

Now, you were grabbing at your chest. “H–hurts,” you panted out the word.

“I know, sweetheart,” Eddie soothed. “Just try to breathe.” He pulled your hands back down to your lap and once again pressed his fingers into your pulse point. You could see the worry in his eyes despite trying to stay calm for you.

You desperately tried to draw in more air but failed. Before long, black spots started to appear in front of your eyes. Then there was a doctor. He had to be there about Buck. You tried to back away, you couldn't handle any more bad news. “No.”

Eddie moved to the chair beside you and pulled you against his side. “It's okay, sweetheart. He's here to help you.” He pulled up your sleeve then nodded to the doctor.

There was something cold on your shoulder then a pinch and a burning sensation. You couldn't move away from it as Eddie had you held firmly in place.

Almost immediately, you felt calmer. You relaxed fully into Eddie and finally drew in a deep breath. A nurse you hadn't noticed placed an oxygen mask over your face.

You felt Eddie’s sigh of relief. “You're okay.” You weren't sure if he was talking to you or himself. “The doctor is going to run a few tests just to make sure that was a panic attack and nothing else, okay?”

You tried to snuggle further into him not wanting to leave his side. “‘m tired.”

“I know. Just relax. It's okay if you fall asleep,” Eddie soothed. He stood and lifted you into his arms bridal style. You dozed off with your head against his shoulder before he made it to the exam room.

When you opened your eyes, you were alone in a hospital room. As the grogginess started to lift, confusion set in. Why were you here? Why were you alone? There were no monitors or IV lines and aside for being tired, you felt okay.

Then the memory hit. Buck. You jerked upright. “Oh, no.” You would have stood to go find out how he was but you were suddenly dizzy. So instead, you pressed the nurse call button on the bed rail.

The dizziness mostly cleared and you were considering going to look for Eddie and check on Buck when the door swung open and a doctor entered. You vaguely remembered him from the waiting room earlier. “How’re you feeling?” he asked.

“How is Buck?” you asked, ignoring his question.

Before he could answer, Eddie came in and was by your side a moment later. “How are you?”

You huffed. “How’s Buck?”

Eddie smiled. “He's breathing on his own. He's getting better.”

Tears slid down your face as the relief washed over you. You finally felt like you could breathe again.

“Now, back to you,” Eddie redirected. “Are you feeling better?”

Shrugging one shoulder, you thought about it. “Honestly, I'm still tired. I was dizzy but that's passed. How long was I out?”

“Almost five hours,” said Eddie.

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Holy crap. Wait, I thought I heard something about tests.”

“You did.” Eddie looked to the doctor to let him explain.

“We ran an EKG and blood tests because you were having some chest pain during your anxiety attack,” he explained. “Everything came back normal.”

“So then am I captive here or can I go see Buck?” you asked.

“You're free to leave,” the doctor said. Then he left the two of you alone.

“I'm sorry,” he started. “I should have been paying attention. I should have noticed you hadn't really slept or eaten. Or at least that you hadn't taken your meds.”

You just shook your head. “It's not your fault. We were both focused on Buck.”

“I still should have noticed.”

“You noticed when I was having an attack and got me help. That's all that matters.”

He just nodded, not seeming convinced.

“Can we go sit with Buck?” you asked.

“Maddie and their parents are in with him right now,” Eddie started. “How about we just go look through the window so you can see he's okay and then we go home so you can get some more rest?”

“I don't want to leave him. What if something happens?” You felt yourself spiraling. “What if something happens and– and we're not here?”

Eddie took your face between his hands and forced you to look at him. “Breathe.” He demonstrated a deep, calming breath for you. “He is stable. They don't expect anything to change overnight. And even if it did, we're not that far away. Okay?”

You took a few deep breaths. “Mmkay.”

“Besides, you know Buck would want you to rest and take care of yourself rather than sit around here.”

“Ugh. Fine,” you conceded. “Can we not tell him about my panic attack earlier?”

Eddie shook his head. “We can wait until he gets home. Unless he asks directly because I won't lie to him.”

You agreed and the two of you made your way towards the ICU. It really did help you to see him doing better. Leaning your head on Eddie’s shoulder, you were content to just stand I'm that hallway until Buck woke up but Eddie wouldn't go for that.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

“No,” you told him truthfully. “But we can anyway.”

A week later, Buck was finally coming home. You were practically vibrating with excitement.

Walking into the house, you tried to lead Buck towards the bedroom but he stopped you and attempted to head toward the couch. “You need to be resting,” you scolded him.

“Are you going to rest?” he asked.

“Me?” You asked, confused. “I'm fine. I didn't die a few days ago.”

Buck frowned. “The doctors ran tests to make sure you weren't having a heart attack because you nearly passed out from a panic attack.”

You scowled at Eddie. “When did you tell him?”

Eddie just shrugged. “He asked while you were loading up the car. I told you I wasn't going to lie to him.”

You sighed. “Regardless, I'm fine.”

Eddie shoved you and Buck towards the bedroom. “I think we could all use some rest. Let's all go take a nap and then we can watch a movie and eat take out in bed.”

“Sounds amazing. Except, when do we need to pick up Christopher?” you asked.

“Carla is keeping him overnight so we can get Buck settled in,” Eddie explained.

Buck nodded. “I vote pizza.”

“Deal,” you and Eddie agreed in unison.

[babyhatesreality]

Could you write something where there’s an emergency and stucky have to go help and reader is being so brave in the safe room? Or something else.. I trust you💗💗

Over a year later....I'm sorry for the delay. Please believe me it eats at me. Hope you're still around for this, and I love you <3

Take One Down

Pairing: Daddy!Stucky x Little!F!Reader, featuring big Peter

Warnings: DDLG (SSC), f! reader, reader is named but name scarcely used, language, pet names, attack on the Tower during the night, Bucky is armed, slight alcohol reference, angsty/scared baby, a few tears, safe room. Happy Ending- always :)

A/N- also Happy Birthday to me :D

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN MEDIA CONSUMPTION. THIS STORY IS SFW- THE REST OF MY BLOG IS NOT NECESSARILY SO. MINORS DNI. I DO NOT CONSENT FOR MY WORK TO BE STOLEN, COPIED, OR TRANSLATED ONTO ANY OTHER SITE BUT MY OWN. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated.

The first thing you became aware of was that Papa was breathing hard. And you were in his arms.

Then you realized you weren't in bed, and you were moving. Fast.

"Papa?" you whimpered sleepily, not being awake enough to understand what was happening.

"Shh, shh, it's okay baby, you're okay," Papa said instantly, pressing a quick kiss in your hair. Despite his soothing words, he didn't slow his pace at all.

You forced your heavy eyelids to open, and then almost immediately shut them again as the flashing red lights in the hallway were too bright. You were still in your pajamas, but you definitely weren't at home. Steve could feel that you were waking up and becoming more alert, but he couldn't stop. He had to get you to safety.

"Where's Daddy?" you asked, your voice trembling as you started to realize something was wrong. "Daddy okay?"

"Right here, Trouble," came Daddy's voice from farther away. You tried to twist in Papa's arms to see where Daddy was, but Papa's iron grip on you didn't leave much purchase.

"It's okay, princess, you're safe, but I need you to be a good girl and be quiet for us right now, okay?" Steve said, deliberately keeping his voice calm and low even through the exertion of running.

"'Kay," you said as quietly as you could, holding on to Papa tightly, shutting your eyes tightly, and trying to be brave. Steve kissed your hair again and kept running.

Within 30 seconds, you felt Steve stop. You opened your eyes and looked around. It took you a second, but you recognized this place. You'd been here before, back when you very first came to live with Steve and Bucky. You were in the panic room.

The reinforced steel walls were made slightly less intimidating by the giant sofa that could convert into a bed, the soft rug that nearly covered every inch of floor, and the overwhelming amount of toys and stuffed animals in baskets and boxes all around the edge of one wall. You hadn't been here in a while, but you could never forget this place.

Your eyes darted all around, trying to get some answers or understanding as to what happened, but before it came to you, Steve set you down carefully on your feet and took you gently by the shoulders. You heard Bucky shut and lock the door, but before you could turn to look Steve gently guided your face back towards his.

"Katie-Cat, I need you to listen to me, okay?" Steve said, looking you very seriously and directly in the eye. "Someone is in the Tower. Someone who's not supposed to be here. We don't know how they got in, but right now, we need to keep you safe so we can go get them out. Do you understand?"

"I- yes, Papa," you said shakily. You swallowed your nerves down and tried to be brave.

"Good girl," Steve said, as a fierce wave of protectiveness rushed through him. "Peter is on his way, and he's going to stay in here with you and keep you safe while Daddy and I go get the person out. Okay?"

"Petey coming?"

"Yes."

"He don't need to fight?"

"Right now, he needs to keep you safe, that's his most important job."

"But...who gonna keep him safe?"

"He's Big Peter right now, munchkin- he's going to be okay. Can you be a good girl and listen to what Peter says and do what he tells you to?"

"Um- yeah. Papa-" "Good girl. You remember the rules of the safe room?"

"Papa..."

"The rules, Katie-Cat."

"Don't leave the room unless you, Daddy, or Aunt Nat comes to get me, don't open the door for nobody, and....and be good."

"That's my girl," Steve said, his heart both proud and shattered that you had to know these things.

"Papa?" you tried again.

"Yes?"

"You gonna come back, right? You and Daddy?" you asked in a small voice. Steve pulled you into his chest immediately in the biggest bear hug.

"Yes, baby," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Daddy and I will always come back for you. Always."

Just then, you felt another pair of arms wrap around you two. "Try and keep us away, Trouble," Daddy added in a light, joking tone, but even you could feel the tension underneath it. "Here, I brought you someone who can help you too." Bucky reached behind him and pulled Jellybean out of his back pocket, where he had unceremoniously stuffed her as he and Steve were racing to get you out of the apartment.

You gasped sharply, and pulled your beloved bunny in so tightly to your face that her little button nose left a slight imprint on your cheek. "Tank you Daddy," you said, trying hard not to cry. "AND tank you Papa for carryin' me," you added quickly, not wanting him to feel left out. Both men responded by hugging you tighter.

Just then, the panic room door clicked, announcing that someone else was coming in. Bucky immediately dropped his arms and spun so you and Steve were behind him, his gun appearing in his hand as if by magic. However, once he saw that it was Tony and Peter, he instantly lowered the gun and ran to bolt the door back behind them.

"Pete, you sure you're good?" Tony asked immediately the second the door was shut.

"I'm good Dad, I swear," Peter said. You looked at him wide-eyed- it had been a while since you had heard his big voice.

"Okay. Only if you're sure," Tony pressed.

"I'm sure. I wouldn't take a chance if I wasn't."

"Atta boy."

Tony turned towards the three of you to find Steve smiling at him. "That's good enough for me," Steve said kindly to Peter. "But if there's any trouble at all, and I mean anything, you radio us. Copy?"

"Copy," Peter nodded quickly. "I'll link with your comms now," he said, before pulling out the large, black case from underneath the sleeper bed sofa. He quickly opened the case and got to work on a radio comm.

You watched him carefully. He was so...different and serious when he was Big- not the silly, carefree bestie you immediately recognized- so it was always surprising to you when you saw it. Of course, YOUR definition of 'serious' was much, much different than Tony's or Steve's or Bucky's, but that didn't matter now, as you watched Peter's fingers fly over the machinery.

"Okay, we should be linked," he said into the comm. All three men immediately nodded, confirming that they could hear him in their earpieces. Steve and Bucky spun back to you.

"Do what Peter says. We'll be back as soon as we can," Daddy said gruffly, taking your face in his hands and pressing a long kiss to your forehead. "We love you so much. Be good, got it?"

"Got it," you said, trying to match his gruff tone to show him you could be serious too. That made the ghost of a smile cross his lips, and as Steve kissed you too, it stayed. Tony even came over, quickly, giving you what he hoped was a carefree grin.

"Alright, have fun, stay safe. Don't tap the keg unless you really need to," he said, tapping your nose and grinning when you looked confused and Steve tutted loudly. Bucky was the last one out the door, and before he left, he turned to Peter.

"You remember the code word?" he asked the young man brusquely. Peter nodded, but due to the door being opened, didn't say it. "Good job," Bucky said with that faint grin again, closing and locking the door behind him.

It was deathly silent in the room. You swallowed hard, gripping Jellybean tightly, almost afraid to move, even though you knew you were in the safest spot imaginable (outside of your daddies' arms). Peter immediately noticed your distress.

"Hey Katie, hey Little One," he said softly, holding out his arms to you. "You wanna come here?"

You nodded, then slowly walked towards him. You cautiously stepped into his arms. Once he folded them around you, you inhaled. His scent never changed, no matter if he was big or small, and you knew this was your Petey, no matter how he was feeling right now. You threw your arms around him and hugged him back tightly, and felt him give a soft chuckle. "It's okay, you're okay. I'm gonna keep you safe- you know that, right?"

You pulled back a bit, nodding. "Tank you, Petey. I mean...Peter."

Peter smiled. "Ah, that's okay. You can call me Petey right now if you want to."

"I can?"

"Sure you can."

"Otay Petey," you said, suddenly feeling a little better upon hearing that. "What's happenin' in da Tower?"

"What did Uncle Steve and Uncle Bucky tell you?" Peter asked carefully.

"Um, dat someone got in dat wasn't a'sposed to be in?"

"That's right. And they'll get 'em out, so you don't have to worry about them anymore, okay?"

"Um....okay," you said, wanting to trust Peter with your whole heart, but still uncertain due to the nature of the circumstance. Peter saw pretty quickly that he would need to distract you.

"Hey, you wanna sit on the couch and read some stories while we wait?" He trotted over to the box containing tons of books and started pawing through them. "You can pick out whichever stories you want. Okay?"

Curiosity peaked, you trotted over to look. You recognized The Gruffalo and Frozen, pointing at them. "I like those!" you said excitedly, and Peter snatched them up.

"Let's get to reading!" he said. "Race you to the couch!"

Since it was only a couple feet away, it wasn't much of a race, but it was still fun. It was always fun when you got to run. You both jumped onto the couch enthusiastically, and Peter opened up the first book and began to read. You inched closer and closer to him as he continued, eventually snuggling into his side, your thumb in your mouth and Jellybean in the crook of your arm.

He finished off Frozen in about ten minutes, then turned to you. "Alright, Katie, you ready for...THE GRUFFALO??" he said in a mock scary voice that made you laugh. But once you stopped laughing at his silliness, you had another question in mind.

"Petey, what's a keg?" you asked innocently.

Poor Peter nearly broke his neck doing a double take. "Wh-what?" he asked, not sure of what he heard. When he was in little space with you, your random questions and changes of subject made perfect sense to him, but when he was bigger it was hard to keep up sometimes.

"Unca Tony said don't tap da keg unless we needed to. What's a keg?"

"It's nothing....he was just being silly. Let's read."

"Is a weapon?"

"No...it's....hey, look, books. Let's read."

"But what IS it?"

"Ahhhh...it's....you know....it's...hey, you wanna sing a song?" Peter said, loudly and excitedly, hoping the non-sequitur would distract you.

It worked. "What kind of song?" you asked, intrigued.

"Umm..." Peter thought quickly, trying to get your mind off of what a keg was. He felt a flicker of compassion for Uncle Steve whenever his Dad did this to you, but mostly he was trying to come up with a song. "Hey, do you know Ninety Nine Bottles of...." he said suddenly, his brain both working and failing him miserably all at the same time.

"Bottles of what?" you asked, now completely invested. Peter broke out in a cold sweat. He couldn't teach you a song about beer, for goodness' sake.

"Did I say bottles? That was silly. I meant...boxes. Yeah, boxes!...of... juice! That was it! Ninety Nine boxes of juice on the wall! Do you know that song?" he improvised wildly. You tilted your head, trying to think, but then shook it.

"How's it go?"

Peter cleared his throat awkwardly. He wasn't much of a singer, but he knew he was going to have to give it a go if he had any hope of distracting you from asking about kegs. Uncle Steve and Uncle Bucky would rip his head off if he told you, and he knew that you were stubborn enough to keep asking. But man...he REALLY didn't want to sing and embarrass himself in front of you....

Just then, you both heard a loud crash coming from somewhere below. It was loud enough that it made you both jump, even though the room didn't even shudder. Peter watched as your face turned pale and you gripped your bunny tighter. You pinched your lips together and breathed slowly. He knew exactly what you were doing. You were trying to calm down and being as brave as you could be. His heart melted for you.

And he found his courage in that.

"So...the song," he said, rubbing his hands up and down your arms to regain your attention and hopefully calm you a bit. "It goes..." he coughed again, took a deep breath, and went for it. "Ninety nine boxes of juice on the wall....ninety nine boxes of juice....you take one down and pass it around...ninety eight boxes of juice on the wall!"

You blinked at him, wide-eyed, and waited for the rest. He looked back at you hopefully to see how this was going down.

"Short song," you said, tilting your head, confused. Peter rolled his eyes and chuckled.

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

A short time later, Steve and Bucky were finishing sweeping their own floor and apartment. "Clear," Steve said definitively into the comm. "Natasha, Tony, Thor, what's your status?"

When everyone came through confirming the all-clear, Fury came through the line. "Rogers, Barnes, Stark- go get 'em." It was all the permission they needed.

Steve got their first, but instead of punching the code in immediately, he stopped and stared at the door. "Steve?" Bucky asked in a tense voice, instantly on alert. To his immense surprise, Steve turned to him, a look of astonished humor on his face.

"Buck, listen," he whispered. Bucky strained his ears...and then couldn't believe what he was hearing. The room was sound proofed, but hey- they were super soldiers.

"Twenty-three boxes of juice on the wall, twenty-three boxes of juuuuuicceeeee...."

Bucky punched in the code. The second before he touched the keypad though, he heard Peter's voice cut off suddenly, and then within .5 seconds, your voice cut off too. The button panel lit up green and the door unbolted. Bucky threw the door open, Steve right behind him.

Peter was standing in the middle of the room, his suit in the last phase of forming around him, in his classic Spiderman pose. Bucky raised his hands immediately.

"Password?" Peter asked firmly.

"Trouble," Bucky replied immediately. Peter instantly relaxed and stood up straight, his suit disappearing, knowing for sure this was Bucky. "Good job Peter," Bucky said gratefully, even as he and Steve were rushing to the secret panel they knew you were hiding in. The second they slid the door back, you threw yourself into their waiting arms.

Bucky held you so tight you could feel his every breath, and Steve kept kissing your hair and murmuring what a good girl you were. Eventually, you looked over and saw Tony and Peter in an embrace as well, Tony clapping his young charge on the back proudly.

"Are you okay, angel?" Steve asked you, his eyes lovingly scanning your face. You nodded happily.

"Yeah, Papa! We good! Did you get the bad guys?"

"We sure did."

"YAY!! Who was dey? How did dey get in? What did-"

"Okay, angel, that's too many questions for a little girl right now," Steve said gently, nuzzling your nose with his. "We're safe and it's time to go home. Can we go say goodbye and thank you to Peter?"

You nodded again, suddenly very sleepy from all the receding adrenaline. Bucky carried you over to Tony and Peter.

"She was so good and brave, Dad," Peter was saying enthusiastically to Tony. "She picked out books and sang and we jumped on the couch and everything!"

"You did so good, buddy, I couldn't be more proud of you," Tony said, his seams bursting. He grinned at you as you approached. "Hey, thanks for taking it easy on the kid, little one."

"Petey was da best!! He taught me a new song. Papa, you're gonna love it!"

Steve smirked. "I'm sure I will, baby. Can you say thank you please?"

You wiggled a bit, wanting Bucky to let you down, but you gave up pretty quickly. After being separated from you during a stressful situation, Bucky didn't like to put you down for anything. You leaned forward towards Peter, however, and he accommodated you. You gave your big bestie the biggest hug you possibly could.

"Tank you for taking care of me, Petey," you said lovingly. He squeezed you back.

"Thank you for being so good, Katie!" he responded. Tony clapped a hand on his shoulder. He could hear it in Peter's voice- he was getting close to becoming small again, and he wanted to get his brave boy home. You all said your goodbyes and headed home.

You were cuddled between your daddies and asleep again before you knew it, secure in the knowledge that you were safe and loved by the best people in the galaxy.