#which i've never thought about before??? but yeah

[inkandapex]

tides of change

Lando Norris x Y/N

Summary : Lando and Y/N’s not so situationship had become the talk of everyone around them. It was clear to everyone but the two of them that their connection was something worth fighting for. The question on everyone’s lips: When will Lando finally stop holding back and risk it all?

Words : 4.1k

Warnings : swearing, mentions of sex, poorly translated french

It was a rainy day in Monaco, the kind of weather that made everything feel a little slower. The usual buzz of the city was muffled by the constant drizzle, and the three friends—Lando, Max, and Charles—found themselves on a paddle court, looking for a way to pass the time during their break.

Sweaty and winded from their last round, the trio stood around, sipping on drinks, exchanging small talk about the upcoming season. Max, ever the competitive one, wiped his brow with a towel, giving Lando a smirk. "I think you might be getting worse, mate."

Charles finally looks up from his phone after being preoccupied for the past few minutes. "Lando, Y/N is here?"

"Yeah, she got in last morning. Why?" Lando nods, still catching his breath from the last game.

Charles grins and pockets his phone. "Alex just texted me—she just found out today. You should invite her to join us on the yacht. It's supposed to be a clear day tomorrow."

Lando raises an eyebrow. "Who else is coming?"

"Couple of other friends, Carlos and Rebecca too."

Lando smirks, glancing over at Max. "Max?"

"Nah, mate," Max chimes in, wiping his face with a towel. "Don't think being out at sea would help with Kelly's morning sickness." He laughs lightly, clearly trying to keep the mood light, but there’s a genuine care in his tone.

Lando’s grin softens, and he nods. "Fair enough. I’ll let Y/N know then."

"Speaking of which... what's ugh, going on with you two? Finally asked her out?" Max smirks, leaning back against the wall.

A small smirk crept up on Lando’s face, but he quickly took a swig from his bottle, picking up his racket as if the question never happened. "Are we playing another round or what?"

"Well, that’s a clear no," Charles laughs, crossing his arms.

Max raises an eyebrow, clearly enjoying this. "You idiot, how long has this situationship been a thing for now? Two seasons?"

Lando freezes for a second, then points a finger at Max. "First of all, don’t ever use ‘situationship’ again. Sounds weird coming from you." He shrugs nonchalantly. "And... we’re just friends."

Charles snickers. "Friends who kiss every now and then—"

Max jumps in. "And sleep together."

Lando's eyes widen slightly. "Hey, that’s not—"

"So you haven’t?" Max presses, his grin growing.

Lando bites his lip, trying to hide the grin spreading across his face. He glances at Charles, who’s trying to suppress a laugh.

"Oh, they definitely have," Charles chimes in, his voice teasing.

Lando glares at them, but it’s no use—he can’t help the flush creeping up his neck. "Alright, alright, enough."

"I've had a couple of friends ask me about her, mate." Charles pats Lando’s shoulder before casually walking back to his side of the court. "Come on, one more before we head home."

Lando blinks. "Wha— Which friends?" His grip tightens slightly on his racket, trying to sound indifferent but failing miserably.

Charles exchanges a knowing look with Max, the kind that screams look at this idiot, so oblivious. Max just smirks.

"Doesn't matter who" Charles shrugs, stretching his arms as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell. "Just thought I’d let you know. Do with the information as you will."

Lando opens his mouth, then closes it, frowning slightly. His mind is already racing through the possibilities, but before he can press further, Max serves the ball, forcing him to refocus.

But even as they dive back into the game, the thought lingers.

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

The sound of Lando's keys hitting the table broke Y/N's gaze from the screen in front of her. She glanced over to see him standing by the door, bag still slung over his shoulder, hair slightly damp from a mix of sweat and rain.

"How was paddle with Max and Charles?" she asked, shifting her focus back to the movie playing in front of her.

"Good. Max lost, of course." Lando smirked, toeing off his shoes before flopping down beside her. He hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat. "Hey, uhm— you busy tomorrow?"

"Mmm, not really. Kinda wanted to walk around and shop for a bit. Why, what's up?"

Lando ran a hand through his damp curls. "Charles is inviting us on his yacht tomorrow with Alex and a couple of their friends. Carlos and Rebecca are coming too, I heard."

Y/N hummed in thought, eyes still on the screen, but Lando barely noticed. His fingers fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he forced himself to sound casual. He wasn’t sure why he was nervous—he was just inviting his best friend to hang out with their other friends. They all knew each other already.

So why did it feel like something more?

"Sure, yeah, that actually sounds fun. Haven’t seen them in a while," Y/N said, shooting Lando a soft smile.

Relieved, Lando let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He barely had time to react before Y/N’s fingers slid through his damp curls, her touch light and familiar.

"You should shower," she murmured. "You’re gonna get sick."

Lando smirked, tilting his head just enough to press a featherlight kiss to her wrist. "Join me?"

Y/N laughed, gently but firmly pushing his head away. "Dork. We both said no more, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah… I tried," he chuckled, pushing himself up from the couch. As he passed, he reached down to poke her cheek, grinning when she swatted at his hand.

It was true—what Charles and Max suspected. They’d kissed. And, yeah, they’d definitely slept together. More than once. But somewhere along the way, between shared hotel rooms, late-night confessions, and stolen moments, they both agreed that this—whatever this was—couldn’t be more. Not now. Not when Lando was constantly on the move, when their friendship was the one thing they both swore they’d never risk.

So they stayed just that—friends.

At least, that’s what they kept telling themselves.

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

"Cabrón! It's been too long! Have you grown taller?" Carlos' voice rang out, loud enough to make nearly everyone aboard the yacht turn their heads.

Lando laughed, shaking his head as he walked over. "You muppet, I saw you last week." He pulled Carlos into a quick hug before stepping back and motioning toward Y/N, who stood just behind him. "Look who I brought."

Carlos' face lit up. "Ahh… mi novia’s novia. Good to see you, Y/N." Without hesitation, he pulled her into a tight hug, rocking her slightly for dramatic effect.

Before she could fully recover, Charles appeared beside them, grinning as he leaned in to greet her with a cheek kiss. "She's also my girlfriend’s girlfriend," he added, giving Lando a teasing look.

"Y/N is the nation's girlfriend," Carlos announced, laughing as he patted her shoulder. Then, with a wicked smirk, he leaned toward Lando, lowering his voice just enough.

"Except yours."

Lando rolled his eyes, exhaling sharply through his nose, but the warmth creeping up his neck betrayed him. Carlos just smirked wider.

"Too much testosterone. Where are my ladies?" Y/N teased, glancing around the deck in search of her friends.

"Oh, they're inside getting changed," Charles said, nodding toward the doors leading into the yacht.

"Perfect. I’ll see you boys later then." She gave them a small wave before heading off, disappearing through the doors with an easy grace.

Lando’s eyes lingered on her retreating figure, something he wasn’t even aware of until he heard the soft chuckles beside him. He turned to find Carlos and Charles exchanging a knowing look before shaking their heads in amusement.

"What now?" Lando sighed, already bracing himself.

"I just don’t get it," Charles said, crossing his arms. "I really don’t."

"Get what?"

Carlos exhaled dramatically, giving Lando a pointed look. "Why you like punishing yourself like this. Like a fucking sadist."

Charles nodded in agreement. "You clearly like each other."

Lando shook his head, sliding his sunglasses on as if they could shield him from the conversation. "Not that simple."

"Oh, but it is," Carlos countered, arms crossed. "It’s not like you haven’t been in a relationship before, so I know for a fact it’s not commitment issues on your end."

Charles tilted his head. "She doesn’t want to?"

"It’s not that." Lando exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "It just… doesn’t work. We've tried"

Carlos narrowed his eyes. "Tried what, exactly?"

Lando hesitated, jaw tightening slightly. "Just the whole distance thing. Me being away all the time. And then there’s the hate she’s gonna get when people find out. I can’t do that to her." His voice was quieter now, but firm. "She’s already getting shit just for being friends with me."

Charles and Carlos exchanged a look, their teasing fading into something more serious. For all the jokes, they knew Lando wasn’t just making excuses. But still, Carlos shook his head with a sigh.

"You know, if you ever stop being an idiot, I think she’d be worth it."

Lando huffed a small, almost bitter laugh. "Yeah," he muttered. "I know."

"If not, I mean, I got friends that are interested," Charles shrugged, all casual, but the glint in his eye said otherwise.

Lando chuckled, but there was an edge to it, a slight tightness in his voice. "See, you keep saying that, but I think you're just doing it to provoke me."

Charles smirked but stayed silent.

Carlos, however, turned to him with a knowing look. "Who? Luca?"

Charles' brows lifted in surprise before he gave Carlos an approving nod. "Yeah."

Lando’s expression shifted in an instant. His sunglasses did nothing to hide the way his jaw clenched. "Who the fuck is Luca?"

"Like I said… a friend," Charles smirked, enjoying this way too much.

"Don’t fuck with me right now, Leclerc." Lando’s head snapped around as he scanned the yacht, shoulders growing visibly tense. "He’s here?"

Carlos chuckled, clapping a hand on Lando’s back. "Calm down, cabrón. Y/N is available, no?"

Lando shot him a glare before rolling his eyes. "You two are dicks."

Charles and Carlos only laughed, sharing a look before Carlos added, "Just saying, if you don’t want her to be, maybe do something about it."

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The yacht had sailed further into the open ocean, the hours melting away in a blur of sun, salt, and laughter. Everyone had split into their own little group, swimming, chatting, drinking. But as lunchtime rolled around, they all gathered around the spread of food laid out on deck.

Y/N sat at a smaller table in the corner with Rebecca and Alex, the three of them deep in conversation. Lando strolled over, wordlessly setting a small pouch in front of her along with a glass of water.

"Medicine’s in there. Take one, okay?" He gave her head a light pat before turning on his heel and walking off to grab some food for himself, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Rebecca and Alex exchanged confused looks, both raising an eyebrow as they glanced between Y/N and the small pouch Lando had left behind. Neither of them knew what he meant by "medicine," and the whole exchange seemed a bit mysterious.

Y/N noticed their concerned gazes and let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. She pulled out a row of antihistamine pills from the pouch, holding them up. "Sometimes shellfish makes my allergies act up. It’s really nothing too serious, but it’s better not to risk it."

Alex’s expression softened in understanding, though she still looked a little taken aback. "Ah, makes sense," she nodded, her voice light "And of course... Lando is on top of it"

Rebecca let's out a soft laugh as she shakes her head "You're just as oblivious as he is you know, it's cute and funny at the same time"

"Guys... come on. We agreed to not talk about this"

Rebecca nods and holds her hands up in surrender "Mhmm alright, we'll let you figure it out on your own"

"What are you girls gossiping about this time huh?" Carlos walks over with Lando and Charles, plates of food and drinks in hand as their took their respective seats around the table

"Nothing you boys need to worry about," Alex smiles.

"Ah, donc rien à voir avec le fait que quelqu'un nie ses vrais sentiments pour quelqu'un, hein ?" Charles tilts his head, looking over at Y/N as he takes a bite of his food (Ah, so it has nothing to do with anyone denying their true feelings for someone, huh?)

"Espèce de bâtard sournois, Alex t'en a parlé ?" Y/N’s mouth dropped open, her eyes flicking between the two of them. (You sneaky bastard, did Alex tell you?)

"Non ! Je jure que je n'ai rien dit !" Alex quickly defended herself. (No! I swear I didn't say anything!)

"S'il vous plaît, c'est tellement évident. Je pense que tout le monde peut le dire rien qu'en vous regardant tous les deux," Charles smirked, making Alex chuckle beside him as she nodded her head in agreement, while the rest of the table fell into conversations of their own. (Please, it's so obvious. I think everyone can tell just by looking at the two of you)

"Il a pété un câble quand je lui ai dit qu’un pote était int��ressé par toi. Tu sais que les potes normaux réagissent pas comme ça, hein ?" Charles goes on, raising an eyebrow as he watches Y/N’s reaction. (He freaked out when I told him a friend was interested in you. You know normal friends don't react like that, right?)

Y/N simply shakes her head and continues to eat, it wasn't until Charles continues to egg on his theory

"Il ne comprend pas un mot de ce que je dis, mais regarde ça." Charles straightens up, a mischievous glint in his eyes as if preparing to prove a point. "Tout ce que j’ai à faire, c’est dire le nom de Luca, et ça attire son attention." (He doesn’t understand a word I’m saying, but look at this.) (All I have to do is say Luca's name, and it gets his attention)

Right on cue, Lando’s head whips around, his conversation forgotten as his ears latch onto the familiar name. Confusion flickers across his face, caught completely off guard by the sudden mention.

"Dickhead" Y/N mutters with a laugh, shaking her head as she stands up, plate in hand, and makes her way toward the buffet table for more food.

Lando is on his feet almost instantly, trailing after her without a second thought. Whatever she and Charles were talking about, he needs to know.

"So, he told you about Luca, huh?" Lando leans against the table, arms crossed as he watches her pick through the food. His voice is casual—too casual.

Y/N sighs, shaking her head. Charles really wasn’t exaggerating. Of course Lando took the bait. "Lan, he was just fucking with you."

His eyes narrow slightly. "So you're not at all interested in this Luca guy?"

She pauses, glancing at him with a teasing smirk. "What if I was?"

Lando blinks at her, completely dumbfounded. His mouth opens slightly, but no words come out as he tries to process what he just heard. "What do you mean?"

Y/N shrugs, casually placing a piece of food on her plate. "What if I was interested? What’s it to you?" She glances at him, eyes challenging. "Like you said, we’re just friends, remember?"

His stomach twists uncomfortably. That is what he said. But suddenly, he’s not so sure he meant it.

Y/N simply tuts, a knowing smirk playing on her lips as she brushes past him. As she does, her fingers trail lightly along his arm, the touch barely there but enough to send a spark straight through him.

"Just something to think about," she murmurs before walking away, leaving Lando standing there—plate forgotten, mind racing, and heart pounding just a little too fast.

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

Lando lounged on a sunbed, sunglasses on, deep in conversation with Carlos when Rebecca’s voice cut through the chatter.

“Looking good, Y/N! That set is gorgeous on you!”

Mid-sentence, Lando sat up slightly, resting on his elbows as his gaze searched for her.

And then he saw her.

Not just in any bikini—no, a papaya one. His colour. He almost swore she wore it just for him.

Lando barely had time to recover from the way Y/N’s laugh sent a shiver down his spine before she sat beside him, all sweet smiles and knowing eyes. He saw right through her. She was playing with him, enjoying the way she had him wrapped around her finger.

And damn, was it working.

Before he could say anything, Charles strolled by, some guy trailing behind him.

“Y/N, this is my friend Luca. He’s been asking non-stop about you. Thought it was time I introduce the two of you.”

Lando’s jaw tightened, fingers twitching against the sunbed. You have got to be kidding me.

Y/N stood to greet Luca, and the guy wasted no time leaning in for a cheek kiss. Normally, Lando wouldn’t care—his friends did it all the time. But this? Some random guy he didn’t know? Absolutely not.

“Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard such great things,” Luca said with a grin. “I see you around a lot, just… not with the right team.”

Lando’s eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.

Y/N laughed. “Ah, yeah! I’ve seen you with Charles and Alex a few times.”

“So how long are you in Monaco this time? For good, I hope?”

“I wish. This place is amazing, but I have to go back to England next week—work calls. I’ll be back by the end of the month, though.”

Luca smiled. “Then we have some time to go out before you leave?”

Lando sat up fully, sunglasses pushed to the top of his head. Was this some kind of sick joke? Asking her out—right in front of him? His blood boiled.

No. Absolutely not.

Lando didn’t even hesitate. “Actually, no, we’re busy. Got plans this week.”

Carlos, instantly catching on, barely held in his laughter—though his girlfriend didn’t bother hiding her amusement, giving him a light slap on the arm.

Y/N turned to Lando, eyebrows raised. “We do?”

“Yep,” he answered smoothly, leaning back like he hadn’t just pulled that excuse out of thin air. “Max and P are coming over to stay with us, remember? Got some activities lined up. Sorry, mate.”

The only problem? Now he actually had to find things to do and start booking these non-existent activities.

Luca frowned slightly. “Oh—well… when you come back from England, then?”

“Sounds good,” Y/N started, “I’ll ask Charles for your—”

“Naaah,” Lando cut in again, shaking his head. “Doesn’t work either, mate. We’re heading to Italy when she gets back.”

Y/N blinked. “We are?”

“Yes. Was supposed to be a surprise. Surprise!” Lando shot her a grin, ignoring the way Carlos was now openly laughing beside him.

Just off to the side, Charles leaned toward Alex, voice low. "S'il vous plaît, laissez-moi le sortir de sa misère." (Please let me put him out of his misery.)

Luca could only laugh, shaking his head as he held up his hands in surrender.

“Alright, got it, mate. All yours.”

Lando didn’t bother hiding his smirk, satisfied with the outcome.

Y/N narrowed her eyes, dragging Lando toward a quieter part of the yacht, away from prying eyes. His smug smirk only made her more irritated.

“What the fuck was that, Norris?” she snapped, arms crossed.

Lando barely flinched, still grinning. “What, you don’t wanna go to Italy? Greece more your style? Oh! How about Ibiza—”

She didn’t let him finish, landing a solid punch to his arm.

“Ow!” Lando winced, clutching his arm. “Forgot how strong you are.”

“Stop playing with me. I know there’s no Italy trip.”

“There is!”

“Bullshit.”

He exhaled, dropping the act. “Fine! I just… You can’t go out with him, Y/N.”

Her expression softened for a moment before tilting her head, arms still crossed. “And why’s that?”

Lando ran a hand through his curls, avoiding her gaze for a second before finally meeting her eyes.

“That’s so unfair, Lando, and you know it,” Y/N shot back, arms tightening over her chest. “You’ve gone out with other girls, and you didn’t hear shit from me.”

“No—that’s different,” Lando argued, shaking his head.

“Oh, it is different,” she scoffed. “Because I haven’t been sleeping around with other people since what happened between us.”

His eyes widened. “But I haven’t!”

“Oh, don’t give me that shit—do you want me to drop names?”

Lando opened his mouth, then shut it just as fast. He let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “…Alright, fine.”

“Doesn’t mean I have feelings for them,” he added quickly, voice softer this time.

Y/N let out a dry laugh, shaking her head. “Awe, how fucking romantic.”

Lando felt his stomach drop. The teasing, the back-and-forth—it all came to a screeching halt the second Y/N let her emotions slip through.

She sank onto the sofa, fingers threading through her hair, exhaling like she was tired—tired of him, tired of this.

“We can’t keep doing this, Lan,” she murmured, voice quieter now. “This whole ordeal is fucking exhausting. If you really want this, you can have me. But you can’t just want some of it. Take all of it. The good and the bad.”

She finally looked up at him, eyes searching his face. “I can’t stand having just some of you. I need all of you.”

Lando swallowed hard, his heart hammering against his ribs. Because the truth was, she already had all of him. Always had. He just needed to say it.

Lando dropped to his knees in front of her, his hands gently finding hers, squeezing them with a tenderness that spoke louder than words ever could.

“Hey… pretty girl, look at me, please?” he whispered, his voice soft but full of sincerity.

Y/N rolled her eyes, but despite herself, her gaze met his. The rawness in his eyes caught her off guard. For the first time in a long while, she saw him again—the guy she fell so deeply in love with, the man she’d been willing to risk everything for.

“You have all of me,” Lando said, his voice barely above a whisper. “This time, I promise… we’ll make it work. I’ll make this work. You deserve the world, Y/N. I’ll make it up to you... if you’d give me another chance.”

Her heart skipped a beat, but a quiet part of her still hesitated. It felt too good to be true. But his words… his honesty? It was enough to break through.

Y/N took a slow breath, searching his eyes for any sign of doubt. There was none.

Slowly, she squeezed his hands back. “You better not make me regret this, Lando.”

Lando nodded almost immediately, his eyes lighting up with a joy so pure it made Y/N’s heart skip a beat. “I promise,” he said, voice full of conviction. “We’ll take it slow. We’ll do things right this time.”

Y/N let out a soft sigh, her emotions swirling as she processed his words. After a beat, she gave him a small, hesitant nod.

Without another word, Lando pulled her into his arms, locking her in a tight embrace. The way he held her felt urgent, like he was afraid of losing her again. They clung to each other as if the world outside didn’t exist, as if nothing mattered but this moment.

“I know we said to take things slow… but I’m dying to kiss you right now,” Lando murmured against her neck, his breath warm and shaky.

The words made Y/N laugh softly, her fingers tracing the side of his jaw as she pulled back just enough to meet his gaze.

She cupped his face in her hands, her thumbs gently grazing his skin, before she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. It was slow, a kiss that held all the passion, all the longing they’d kept buried. The world outside disappeared as they lost themselves in each other, the kiss a promise of what was to come.

Lando was the first to pull away, chuckling softly as he did. “We can’t… I don’t think I can control myself if we keep going.”

Y/N felt a blush creep up her cheeks, her heart racing from the kiss. She placed one last soft kiss on his cheek before pulling him back into another hug, as if holding him was the only thing that could steady her.

"Greece sounds good..." she muttered quietly, her words almost lost in the moment.

Lando pulled away slightly, brows furrowed as he looked at her, not quite catching what she said. “What was that, baby?”

“Greece,” Y/N repeated with a smile tugging at her lips. “I said Greece sounds good.”

Lando’s face lit up with a grin, the tension in his chest easing as he nodded. “Greece it is. Anything for my girl.”

[vodika-vibes]

Okay so I had a thought.

So imagine—

You work at the Senate, your job is important but you're one of a dozen people who do this job day in and day out. And somehow—miraculously—you've managed to catch Fox's eye.

And it's great! Fantastic even! He's kind and considerate and completely devoted to you and your happiness, which is great, because you're just as devoted to him.

There is one, little bitty problem.

You don't get paid enough.

Oh sure, you've made it work, with some heavy budgeting, but Fox doesn't get paid. So if you want nice-ish dates you have to pay for then.

Which, again, is fine. He's worth it, but it does leave your end of the month bank account looking at little...bare.

So, what are your options?

You could ask for a raise, but you'd get laughed out of your boss' office.

You've never been much of a crafter, so a side hustle like that is out.

And you respect Fox too much to even consider any kind of sex work. Not that you have anything against it, but you'd want to talk to him about it first, and you absolutely do not want him to know about your money issues. So that's out, too.

And you've never been good at gambling, so that's off the table, too.

So you think and think, and then you remember. There's an underground, very illegal, fighting club that accepts participants of all ages, genders, species, and skill level. And the pay is very, very good.

You did martial arts as a kid. And only stopped when you were in college because of a lack of time, so you might have a chance of winning a bout or two. And if you're careful, Fox will never find out about your illegal fights.

You win your first fight, and the next three after that. Earning enough to go on several dates with Fox and have money left over for your rainy day fund. And so, the fights become a regular thing, once or twice a week.

You win more than you lose, but you do lose every now and then. So you have to learn to treat your injuries before Fox can see them. His head might very well explode if he knew you were fighting for money.

But Lady Luck has never favored you, and it was only after a matter of time before the club ended up getting raided by the Corries.

Which is how Fox finds you, sitting in a holding cell with several of the other fighters, all of you several different types of beat up. You have an ice pack pressed against your eye and a split lip, and when Fox stands there and stares at you, you can't look him in the eyes.

"I...can explain?" You offer hesitantly, not actually sure you can explain.

"With me." Fox's words are clipped as he let's you out of the cell, and you trot after him.

"Are you mad?"

"No."

"Are you sure? Because you're using your 'I'm mad but I'm trying not to show it' voice."

He pushes his office door open, "In."

You slump, "Yeah, you're mad."

He slams the door shut behind you, and motions for you to sit in a chair, before he plucks the ice pack off your eye, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I like fighting!" You blurt out, a blatant lie that he doesn't believe for a second.

"Try again."

"Uhm..." he arches a brow, and you look away, "I needed the money."

"For what? What's so important that you had to put yourself in harm's way to get money for?"

"I...stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Stuff."

"If you don't tell me the truth I'm going to assume you're cheating on me." Fox says bluntly.

"I would never!"

"So tell me."

"I...can't afford our dates."

He blinks. Twice. And then leans back slightly, "Come again?"

"I don't get paid a lot and my apartment is expensive and I can't afford your dates but you're important enough that I want to keep going on them, so...fighting."

"You...are the dumbest smart person I've ever met." Fox finally says, "Why didn't you say anything?"

You shrug, "Didn't want you to worry or whatever."

"So you made me worry more?"

"...I didn't say it was a good idea. Just the only feasible one I had."

He sighs, "I love you, but I'm so mad right now."

"Fair."

"No more cage matches. No more fighting. Promise me."

"I promise."

"We can work out something different for our dates. And next time, just talk to me. Please."

"Yeah. Yeah. Can I go home now?"

"No."

"...what?"

"You're going back to the holding cell."

"WHAT?"

"You're spending the night. You'll be released in the morning. Just like everyone else."

"I...but...Fox!"

"Thems the rules, cyare. Here's your ice pack back."

You stare at him, speechless. But he just smiles at you as he motions for Thire to return you to the holding cell.

[liedownquisition]

Ooh, care to share what are your opinions on the personality distinctions between pre-crisis Dick and Jason?

Okay so, I don't know how coherent my thought process here is going to be so bear with me, but there's a few things I want to acknowledge first and foremost because they play a SIGNIFICANT part in how each character is, well, characterized. I'm also going to try as best as I can to compare them at similar ages but, well, if you know anything about comics and also in light of some of the points I bring up in this post, I think you'll understand why that's so difficult.

Additionally, look. There are like... soooo many comics, yeah? I'm going to focus on characterization specifically in Detective/Batman comics because frankly I don't want to hunt down examples from every comic he's appeared in or have to deal with potentially conflicting characterizations from different titles, there's enough of that in just these two.

The biggest reason I say is that at the time that Robin was originally added to Detective comics (#38), it was still something of an anthology of multiple stories in one book. Batman's adventures took up something like 11-13 pages and were completely self-contained. The Batman comic was started, if I'm not mistaken, after Detective #39, and while it is (almost) completely devoted to Batman, it also contains multiple stories in one issue and each is largely self-contained. Conversely, by the time that Jason is introduced, most storylines bounce back and forth between Detective Comics and Batman, and often last for several issues each. It also takes up more of the Detective comics pages (I wanna say something like at least 16?) and only has 2-3 stories (often, actually, Green Arrow & Black Canary stories, lmao.) (If I'm not mistaken, I believe both Detective Comics and Batman released monthly but two weeks apart from each other, so you'd be able to get your Batman fix every two weeks? Or at least, that's how it was before they started bouncing storylines back and forth, but I have to assume it's something similar given the consistency with which the stories zig-zag.)

This means that generally speaking we spend a lot more time developing characters later on in the comics. Dick, for a long period of his run, I feel has a more implied personality than a displayed one, but what he does is also heavily informed by his role in the comic and his relationship with Bruce. When Jason comes in, his role and relationship is different and that also informs his characterization.

So, I guess, let's start with that.

So, first of all, Dick is never referred to by Bruce in Pre-Crisis with any familial language, nor does he refer to Bruce with any. We often like to use the modern comics' interpretation of their relationship as father and son, especially since DC has pivoted their market onto their superhero "families," and I'm not going to argue that the idea of raising a child from the age of, say, eight or nine up until adulthood is pretty parental. I've made these arguments before, but it's important context to understanding his "personality" that he's not treated like that in the actual writing.

Edit: I stand corrected on the "familial language" point. Unfortunately it looks like some of the issues listed here are ones I'd skipped because the image quality in the archive I was using was bad enough to give me a headache. Still, I don't really think he feels like a "child" in a majority of the cases that aren't literally centered on the idea of him being a child.

Dick was, from the get go, introduced to be Batman's partner, so his joining was a foregone conclusion they didn't waste too long deliberating. He was originally just supposed to be under Bat-Witpro but then Bruce activated turbo mode on his trauma projection beam and the rest is history:

Detective Comics #38

As far as either of them are concerned, they are each other's "best/closest friends," and as far as the narration uses, Dick is Bruce's aide or sometimes protege. It's not until some, what, few hundred comics later I think*? They'll start referencing him as Bruce's ward more often. *In Detective at least. Apparently I wasn't searching through Batman thoroughly enough and missed a few things, per above link.

Batman #3

Batman#359

Detective Comics#43, Batman#3

On a more... practical sense, you could say that Dick is the Watson to Bruce's Sherlock, albeit with an added flair of "training him to also be like Sherlock" kinda deal. This, imo, is reinforced with how often you see Bruce smoking a pipe while the two of them are talking, usually with Dick asking a lot of questions and Bruce answering them pretty authoritatively:

Batman#1

Contrast it to Jason, who literally the very next story after he's taken in by Bruce, starts referring to him as his "new father."

Detective Comics#526 (As a slight aside, another point to the, I suppose arguably "personality" differences here is that Bruce was going to send Dick back to Haly's, but Dick wanted to stay. Meanwhile Jason was the one suggesting he'd go back to Sloan Circus, and was diverted by Bruce's offer. He does also run away and go back to the circus later but we'll get to that)

Detective Comics #527 - I'd originally had two cuts from this issue including the previous one where Jason's saying "Batman's like a father to me now, I have to help him" but I ran out of images and decided if I'm sacrificing one that was the best option. Yes, I could theoretically use an image software to fuse some of these together. it's 3 AM, I'm not doing that.

Now, a not insignificant part of the above is later framed as Jason trying to prove himself so that Bruce will let him join him in his fight, but I'm going to be honest, given that Batman #361 (immediately prior to the above) has Jason enjoying an acrobatic routine with Bruce and then having a slight melancholy flashback about his parents being dead, I'm more inclined to believe that Jason scared of losing another parental figure so soon after losing the last ones, and he's clinging on to Bruce with all of his might because he's a scared child who's recently been uprooted from everything he's ever known.

It's not quite explicit, but as Jason notes that Batman had some clever tricks but that he'd needed Jason's help to win, it feels like Jason's trying to take control of the situation. His parents' deaths at Killer Croc's hands (Which were, tbh, largely Bruce's fault imo. He asked them, average & untrained civilians, to help him snoop around Croc's extortion outfit, and even lashed out at Dick when he suggested it was too dangerous for them. Yes, Bruce has a lot on his mind, but still) were completely out of Jason's hands. He couldn't even try to save them and didn't even find out they were dead until he was trying to warn Batman about a plot against him and overheard Batgirl telling Bruce about it, and, well, gestures above. He can't not want to save what little he does have left.

What all of the above really adds up to is that generally speaking even in his more "childish" moments, Dick is narratively handled as an adult. Yeah, he makes jokes and is dashingly daring, perhaps a bit more impulsive than Batman and occasionally damsel-ified, but he's not exactly that much more of a punster than Batman and his own quips tend to be.

And, I'll be honest, I can't help but wonder if the contrast between "miniature adult" Dick Grayson and "actually a kid" Jason Todd, is part of why he wasn't very well liked by some readers. After all, look at how a lot of people modernly react to more emotional younger characters like, say, Shinji from NGE or Steven from SU. When Dick is shown being emotional, idk, in the earlier comics it feels much more abbreviated and easy to gloss over. This applies to female characters as well, of course, and generally even moreso, but considering Jason's a boy character I felt relating it specifically to other boy characters who have that issue was more appropriate.

(The above gets worse when he's rebooted, because he IS definitely still framed as a child, with more volatile emotions like a child, but a child who "had to grow up too soon," which STILL reads differently from Dick being written effectively as a small adult.)

Anyways, as a result of this difference I'd like to make something clear: Dick Grayson has always been a far more serious character (personality-wise) than the cheery, bright colors of his costume and the concept of him as a circus performer might make him seem. And yes, even the puns, which at the time Bruce also made all the time. Dick, for the most part, is fairly content with his life until he gets older and starts butting heads with Bruce.

I do feel like in some ways it's a bit harder to really nail down a single, clear personality for him especially in the older comics, because there's not a lot of time spent exploring it, per the whole above thing on less pages and self-contained adventures. Honestly, if anyone wants to add on more panels and a more specific description for Dick, including outside these two titles, please feel free because I've been combing through hundreds of comics trying to find some more tangibly descriptive options for specific traits, but frankly the best panels I've found for him aren't until we get closer to, say, Detective #400 and such, which he's in college during and therefore I think is an unfair comparison.

But fundamentally, the core of Dick's personality is this, repeated at the beginning of nearly every issue, he's supposed to be more spur-of-the-moment and courageous (and quippy, but so is Bruce... until he starts sometimes randomly-but-not-always being a sourpuss about puns during Jason's run????). Where both are people of action, Robin lacks the "adult" patience, and making him a child is pretty much there as a means of excusing his impulsiveness. He's of course still incredibly clever, especially after Batman trained him, and is often sent on undercover missions alone.

And, y'know, an independent streak a mile wide. I would definitely say that in the long run he's a lot more mature than Jason, point blank, and he's pretty much got a handle on this whole crime fighter thing right outta the box as soon as he's trained up.

Jason though? Jason is frequently and consistently denied parts of Bruce's life in a way I would argue makes him crave a more dependent (and reliable) relationship:

Batman#363

Batman#395

If I had to really draw a strict line between the two on their biggest difference it's insecurity. Jason is full of it, and even after he becomes Robin he hinges so much on his relationship with Bruce and proving that he's important to Bruce, that he ultimately cripples is other relationships. (See: Rena)

Honestly, it's so weird to see Jason's writing here sometimes, because he'll have very natural misconceptions and feelings of discontent, and then it feels like it gets artificially tied to the fact that Bruce won't let him be Robin.

On the other hand, It feels very much like Jason won't settle for anything less than Bruce's full attention, and I can't say I entirely blame him: he's a kid and Bruce is all he has. With how much of Bruce's life is consistently upended by his role as a crimefighter... who would want to be only part of the life that gets upended? Who wouldn't want to feel more secure by knowing they aren't just being blown off? ... After all, we have a perfect example of this in Bruce's constant abandonment of Vicki Vale, which runs parallel to Jason's own insecurities.

First, third, and fourth are from Detective #530, second one is from Batman #364

Jason is deeply, deeply insecure, and, with the exception of anger issues (arguably), most of the things Jason gets accused of modernly, are actually more accurate for describing Pre-Crisis Jay: recklessness, a need to prove himself, being a bit of a glory-hog... which is all generally attributed to the fact that he's young, and it's forgivable for it... most of the time.

Honestly, I would go so far as to say that, with the exception of the victim-blamey tone they have about it and his motives, you could argue that if enough of the pre-crisis cases were considered canon then you could almost say they're right in ascribing those traits to him.

Batman #368

Detective #535* which, I'll say you could arguably take some of this with a grain of salt. Jason is hypnotized, but does later mention that he was only hypnotized to act certain ways at certain times and was able to decide for himself what to do outside of them.

But I'm going to reiterate: A lot of it feels like a need to have more control in his life, and a constant presence by Bruce's side. He wasn't there when his parents died, and found out by coincidental timing after the fact. I feel like he does tend to display some separation anxiety from Bruce, and is very worried about losing him.

This is a somewhat decent page about that from Detective #534 after he choked out Ivy (who'd previously been choking him out first) to save Batman:

(It was emphasized earlier in this same comic that Ivy had gone to a length that they'd likely need to "take the gloves off" and take extreme measures to stop her)

Despite being really excited to work with Batman, he very quickly learns the drawbacks in ways that cast him with a lot of self-doubt, including the above kidnapping from Manbat, another almost-kidnapping out-of-costume via Chimara, being assaulted because of Crazy Quilt's obsession and hatred for Robin specifically despite having no clue who the villain was and everyone assumes he's the same Robin as there's always been... Consequences Dick didn't struggle with nearly as much or, in some cases, never faced at all.

I definitely probably missed some stuff but at this point I don't think I'm making myself any more clear unless someone asks me about a specific point lmao.

[halliejaade]

Edelweiss (Chapter 7.5)

The timeline between TFAWTS and CABNW is being shortened for the sake of Edelweiss. Also, this isn't a full chapter, just a bit of a snippet of going into the plot of CABNW. (Sorry Joaquín isn't really in this, just trying to get the bridge between the two built so that we can go at the plot full force!)

After a prolonged vacation in Miami, you're almost relieved to finally go back to some semblance of normalcy in New York.

You hadn't mentioned anything the doctor told you to your parents. Maybe you should have. Maybe you should have confronted them about it, just to see if they'd squirm. If they'd confirm everything that you hoped was false.

You stopped taking the pills, just to see if anything would happen. So far, nothing. Your headaches did get more intense, but nothing was out of the ordinary.

That doctor didn't have a clue of what she was talking about.

It made you feel better; you didn't like lying to Joaquín. At least now, it was for a good reason. He wouldn't have to unnecessarily worry about something that didn't even exist.

You did, however, keep a notebook, where you took notes of your dreams. Just in case.

There was an uncanny resemblance in all of the dreams.

The little girl. The older boy, who always disappeared after a certain point. The burning house. A man that called himself Doctor Sterns.

Your dreams never strayed from those topics.

Although convinced that the doctor was wrong, there was no harm in doing some research.

Your laptop balances precariously in one hand, a can of diet Pepsi in the other as you navigate your apartment. It was the perfect size, a one bedroom apartment on the 25th floor of an apartment building. The perfect spot for a girl in her mid-twenties.

Although, sometimes you felt as though you had a roommate.

Grace sits on the edge of the couch, painting her nails bright pink as she watches the television intently. She doesn't glance away from the screen, somehow managing to get the nail polish only on her nails, until the dog stands abruptly and knocks into the coffee table.

Oh yeah, and you'd gotten a dog.

After arriving back from Miami, you went almost directly to the pound and found an older mutt. You knew that you needed her just as much as she needed you.

Just a couple of strays looking for a place in this big world.

"Wendy," You laugh softly. "Come here."

You place your laptop on the coffee table before settling down on the couch. Wendy trots over, (yes, trots, she's nearly as big as a horse), and curls up at your feet.

Grace shakes her head at the tv. "I've never liked him."

You glance at the screen, where newly elected President Ross gives his speech. "I'm not a fan either."

Familiar.

Your breath catches in your throat. It wasn't so much a voice as it was a thought. You wait, holding your breath to see if it happens again.

When silence greets you, you take a deep breath. You needed better sleep.

A search on your computer for Samuel Sterns brings up hundreds of News Articles. Mostly, you see things about the Hulk. You see things about an arrest being made.

Okay, you think. You must've seen his name in a news article of some sort and your brain came up with those silly dreams.

A clip of him on YouTube catches your eye.

'Professor Sterns, Grayburn College."

You glance at your notes, and that's written there, too.

A quick search tells you that Grayburn is in Harlem, which isn't far. Maybe you'd go there tomorrow, talk to some people, try to figure out who exactly Samuel Sterns was before he was arrested.

Danger.

"Y/n, are you okay?" Grace asks, placing her hand against your arm. Her fingertips feel like fire, the smell of her nail polish overtaking your senses. The feeling builds, your heart pounding steadily until...

Grace shouts suddenly, wrenching her hand away from you as she stumbles from the couch.

"Grace!"

Everything looks so sharp, like you're wearing someone's prescription glasses over already perfect vision.

"I-I can't see," She stammers, trembling as she reaches out in the direction she thinks you're in. You grab her hand, your vision going back to normal in such a quick amount of time that it throws you off balance.

Grace looks up at you, "I'm so sorry. I don't know what just happened there, but I couldn't see for a moment."

You have a funny feeling you know why.

"You probably need some iron supplements," You try to joke.

"Yeah, maybe," She shrugs, uneasy laughter filling the quiet space as she stands.

Sorry, that voice says, I forgot what it was like to be awake. I didn't mean to take away her sight.

Dread shivers through your bones.

Don't be afraid, Y/n. I saved your life, remember?

[egophiliac]

don't think I'm not still obsessing over 7-12

[jadewritesficshere]

Thinking about Eddie Munson who was complaining to the rest of the band about his shoulders and neck hurting post show. One of them convinces him to go for a massage.

Eddie shows up day of and is told to strip to level of comfort and get under the sheets laying on his back, his masseuse will knock before coming in. Eddie has not an ounce of care or shame, strips completely naked. Scars and tattoos on full display. He climbs between the sheets and waits. After knocking and hearing a "come in", his masseuse enters and-

The most handsome man he's ever seen walks in. A bit of stubble on his defined jaw, soft pale lips Eddie wants to kiss, big brown eyes Eddie wants to get lost in, slutty little waist and an ass Eddie could-

He introduces himself as Steve. Verifies where Eddie had said his tension was on the form he hastily filled out. Then it starts.

And maybe, maybe, Eddie is a bit touch starved. He could have anyone he wants, but they don't want him just his fame. Pushes them all away. Only gets close to his band, but they all are busy and have their own people outside of work.

And Steve is just touching him. Rubbing smooth circles into his temple, down his cheekbones towards his jaw. Pressing on parts of Eddie's face he didn't even realize were tense. It's relaxing.

And Eddie regrets not leaving at least his boxers on to help hide that he's becoming hard. Kind of embarrassing, which makes his dick harder- which, that's a lot to unpack right now-

"Hey, relax man," Steve says, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. Eddie can see Steve's eyes dart towards the obvious situation," It's natural. Happens to the best of us." "Does it happen to you?" Eddie blurts out. Eddie wants to shove his face in one of these soft plush pillows and scream, but Steve just snorts a laugh and shakes his head at him. Doesn't even respond as he continues the massage.

Eddie tries to hold back his groans as Steve turns his head to the side and rubs his neck into his shoulders. He can feel the tension leave his body slowly. Feel the knots in his muscles release.

Eddie can't, however, hold back the noise he makes when Steve grabs a hold of his hair and tugs it. Eddie's eyes pop open and he stares into Steve's face, who has started blushing. Steve just clears his throat and let's Eddie's hair go before continuing the massage.

[hellaverse-critical-confessions]

(from this video)

[eschynite]

Maybe I'm projecting and being hopeful but I mentioned to M that I don't even get to shit by myself in peace lmao and I feel like something clicked for him. Bc I was like hey, at least you get private bathroom breaks at work (noncombative). And since then he's been a lot more acquiescent when I ask if I can nap and stuff

[doctorweebmd]

accidentally* brainstormed a very complete outline for chapters 4-8 for eih, which should theoretically take us through Part 1. which is. you know. a godsend or whatever.

*accidentally meaning i was just eating delicious pancakes and the thoughts happened. usually its me crying screaming and shitting myself in front of an empty word document where ideas manifest. this is notably much more pleasant.

[jakeperalta]

spent weeks psyching myself up to stand up to my mum and then immediately got shot down by her 😃👍

[blujayonthewing]

so in juniper's campaign we've just found ourselves in a high-stakes situation that I as a player do frankly find stressful and am anxious about, but hey hi also the DM was like 'okay here are the exact mechanics of how this is going to work because I don't want to surprise you with serious repercussions, also here are all the options you will have to try to do something about the situation-- [affected player] what do you think? honest feedback, I don't want it to feel unfair, I want to be clear that I am not just trying to kill your character, and if it ends up being badly balanced we can revisit it down the road' and oh my god I could COLLAPSE and WEEP with gratitude

[maliro-t]

some game design thinky thoughts.

[miserye]

should i get omori on my switch

[stairset]

Microdosing on having money by looking at virtual tours of apartments I can’t afford

[strawberrisoulmate]

reworking my ace attorney insert's story a bit and coming to the realization that she has a lot of uncanny similarities to dahlia hawthorn, appearance-wise. red hair, brown eyes, a sweet smile, wears a lot of white and pink with a butterfly motif... it's enough to be just a little jarring to both phoenix and godot when meeting her for the first time.