#like about future with messages in a kind of code | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

majikkulu · 5 months ago

Text

﹒ ﹢ ♡. PILE ONE ﹑ ﹒

✩ they might be a lover of books, always eager to expand their mind with philosophy, psychology, or history

✩ they have a strong artistic side, whether it’s painting, producing music, photography, or some other creative pursuit

✩ they are extremely expressive and don’t hold back, whether it’s their emotions, opinions, or excitement over something they love. they might have a naturally animated way of speaking or a strong presence in conversations

✩ they love learning new skills and thrive in environments that challenge them, especially in collaborative settings where they can bounce ideas off others or show off what they’ve mastered. they might enjoy competitive activities

✩ they like to yap a lot, always up for debates or long, winding conversations about everything and anything. they could have strong opinions and enjoy playing devil’s advocate

✩ deep late-night talks are something they enjoy, whether it’s about life, the universe, or personal experiences. they find these moments meaningful and might open up the most when the world is quiet and distractions are gone

✩ they could be from a different cultural background or have a deep appreciation for exploring different cultures. they might love traveling, learning new languages, or immersing themselves in traditions different from their own

✩ they question everything and rarely take things at face value. they might analyze social norms, challenge beliefs, or constantly seek to understand the deeper meaning behind things rather than just accepting them as they are

✩ your future spouse might be a romantic at heart, even if they don’t show it in an obvious way. they may present themselves as detached or cool on the surface

✩ relationships and chemistry are really important to them

✩ they are direct and value honesty above all. they don’t like sugarcoating things and might prefer blunt conversations over passive-aggressive behavior. they respect people who say things as they are, even if the truth isn’t always pretty

✩ they may enjoy dry humor, sarcasm, or simply observing people. they could have a sharp wit, make side comments under their breath, or find humor in the way people interact and behave

✩ they also have a goofy, innocent kind of humor. they might love wordplay

✩ they are flirty as hell and love to flirt a lot. whether through teasing, charming words, or playful banter

✩ they might be a pet lover too, the type to spoil animals or treat their pets like family. they could find comfort in their presence and may even prefer animals over people at times

✩ they express emotions through words. whether it’s sweet messages, deep conversations, or even writing

﹒ ﹢ ♡. PILE TWO ﹑ ﹒

✩ your future spouse is someone strategic, always thinking ahead and making calculated moves. they rarely act on impulse and prefer to plan things out

✩ they might be into video games, coding, or chess

✩ they could have an interest in investing, whether it's stocks, crypto, or business ventures. they might have a natural talent for spotting opportunities

✩ they might be fascinated by the paranormal and esoteric topics. they’re open to exploring the unknown, whether it’s astrology, tarot, or conspiracy theories

✩ they could love watching crime documentaries or reading about unsolved mysteries

✩ they enjoy moving to new places, embracing change and fresh starts. they don’t like feeling stuck in one place for too long

✩ their imagination is rich, making them naturally creative and capable of thinking outside the box. they might daydream a lot or come up with unique ideas that surprise people

✩ they might love road trips, preferring the excitement of spontaneous adventures over structured plans. they enjoy the feeling of freedom that comes with being on the road

✩ they likely hate overcrowded places, avoiding them whenever possible.

✩ they could be rich as hell, either through their own ambition and hard work or by making smart investments

✩ your future spouse doesn’t reveal everything about themselves easily. they have layers to them and only open up to people they truly trust

✩ they are private and prefer to keep their life lowkey. they don’t like too much attention on them and may avoid oversharing

✩ they are smart, calculated, and always thinking a few steps ahead. they don’t make reckless decisions and prefer to analyze situations carefully before acting

✩ they are sneaky, not necessarily in a bad way, but in how they operate. they move in silence and don’t like people knowing their next steps until they’ve already made them

✩ they likely overthink a lot, constantly analyzing situations, conversations, and decisions. their mind is always running, and they might struggle to shut it off

✩ they have strong emotions but also deep trust issues. they feel things intensely but might have trouble fully letting their guard down with others

✩ they might have left behind a difficult past, carrying experiences that shaped them into the person they are today

✩ they are extremely loyal to the people they love, willing to stand by them no matter what. once they let someone in, they are deeply devoted

✩ they don’t like people prying into their business and will shut down if someone tries to dig too deep into their personal life

✩ they have a deep and quiet devotion, showing their love in ways that aren’t always obvious. they might not be overly expressive, but their actions speak louder than words

✩ they are funny but brutally honest. they say things as they are and don’t sugarcoat the truth, even if it’s uncomfortable

✩ they might enjoy dark humor, finding amusement in things that others might consider too edgy or inappropriate

✩ they could use humor as a coping mechanism, making jokes about their pain as a way to deal with it rather than letting it weigh them down

﹒ ﹢ ♡. PILE THREE ﹑ ﹒

✩ your future spouse is the curious type, always eager to learn and discover new things

✩ they love researching new topics, often getting lost in deep dives about whatever interests them at the moment

✩ i do get gemini/virgo vibes from them

✩ they might always have a random fact to share, surprising people with their knowledge of the most unexpected things

✩ they may be interested in subjects like law or politics, drawn to debates, justice, and understanding how society functions

✩ they enjoy things that remind them of the past, feeling a deep connection to history, nostalgia, and tradition

✩ they might love old music, classic movies, or even vintage cars, appreciating the timeless quality of things from past eras

✩ they take on a lot of responsibility, often feeling like they need to be the one holding everything together

✩ they might be into working out, using fitness as a way to stay disciplined and clear their mind

✩ they analyze situations deeply, never taking things at face value and always searching for the bigger picture

✩ they rely on logic and facts to make decisions, preferring to think things through rather than acting on emotions alone

✩ they might be someone who always feels the need to take care of others, naturally stepping into a protector or provider role

✩ they have strong emotional ties to their past, holding onto memories, people, or experiences that shaped them

✩ they are always questioning things, rarely accepting anything without digging deeper and figuring it out for themselves

✩ they dislike dishonesty and can see through people who try to manipulate or deceive them

✩ their humor is quick-witted, sharp, and often unexpected, making people laugh with their clever comebacks

✩ they don’t always laugh at obvious jokes, but they appreciate clever wordplay, irony, or dark humor

✩ they may humorously exaggerate how overwhelming life can be, playfully making self-deprecating remarks about their workload or the stress they endure

✩ they stand up for what they believe in, never backing down

✩ they could be the eldest sibling, carrying the weight of responsibility and leadership from a young age

✩ they feel deeply nostalgic about certain places or traditions, finding comfort in things that remind them of home or childhood

﹒ ﹢ ♡. PILE FOUR ﹑ ﹒

✩ your future spouse might be into cooking, gardening, or fashion

✩ they’re good at managing money, knowing how to save while still enjoying life’s pleasures

✩ they might be the type who balances multiple jobs or responsibilities

✩ they enjoy activities like hiking or picnics, appreciating the simplicity of being outdoors

✩ they might start many things but take time to fully commit, needing to explore their options before settling on one path

✩ they are skilled at handling multiple aspects of life without getting overwhelmed

✩ they are deeply loving, protective, and affectionate, but they show it in subtle, consistent ways

✩ they don’t rush things, preferring to take their time and make thoughtful choices

✩ they struggle with making decisions, especially when faced with two good options, overanalyzing every possible outcome

✩ they may have a habit of overthinking before acting, weighing all the pros and cons in their mind

✩ they have a fun, easy-going humour, making people laugh with their relaxed and effortless charm

✩ they might poke fun at life’s contradictions, pointing out irony in a way that’s both funny and insightful

✩ they might like to tease, but they also know how to give the right compliments at the right time

✩ they aren’t impulsive

✩ they’ve been patient in life, understanding that good things take time to build

✩ they love nature, animals, or anything visually appealing, finding beauty in small details

✩ they like cozy places, appreciating warm, inviting spaces that feel like home

✩ they are careful about expressing their true emotions, taking time before fully opening up

✩ they might take a while before fully letting their guard down, needing to feel truly safe before revealing their deepest thoughts

✩ they sometimes use sarcasm

✩ they might have a natural ability to comfort others, making people feel safe and understood

✩ they don’t mind waiting for results if the process is rewarding, knowing that patience leads to the best outcomes

✩ they enjoy making things beautiful, whether it’s their home, their appearance, or the small moments in life

976 notes · View notes

cozycottagetarot · 8 months ago

Text

The First Time They Realise They Love You

🎞️ Reading Contents:

The Setting

Initial Feelings

Deeper Thoughts (Available in Extended)

Actions Afterwards (Available in Extended)

How This Affects Your Relationship (Available in Extended)

This reading is for entertainment purposes only! Take only what resonates, be it all, some or none! ✨

PILE 1 📚

The Setting

Cards: The Miser, The Tailor, Twelfth House | Introspection, Chiron | Heal, Virgo | Digest

Your person is so cute. The setting in which your person first realizes they love you is one that is a bit solitary and introspective. There are a couple of different ways this could happen depending on your person's personality.

The first initial impression I got was that they’re alone and I think they’re a bit broody because that’s naturally who they are. They could be nitpicking at their life or having a self-reflection session and generally taking stock of moments in their life that have shaped their perspective recently. This could be with a therapist/professional or otherwise. A key part of it though feels like while trying to make sense of their life up to a certain point, they realize how much of a part you've played in making them feel better or helping them heal. It's through this that your person has that realization that they love you. It feels even— it could be a very profound realisation or a very subtle one. Either “WAIT A MINUTE— I love pile one!” or a quiet, “I think I love them”. Overall though, there's a theme of thoughtfulness and reflection and then it clicks that they love you.

Initial Feelings

Cards: Death, Ten of Cups, Four of Wands, Page of Cups, The Hermit, Ace of Pentacles (Love Messages Cards also)

When your person realises they love you, it may take them by surprise initially. For your love messages cards, the vibe I’m getting here is relief, but also a bit of fear. Initially there may be a feeling of wanting to run. It seems like they’re saying “I’m not where I want to be” or they feel like they’re a mess on some level and unready. Yet simultaneously it’s like “I love this person. They’re my dream person. I’m single. Why not?”. I’m just noticing the card I’m Single, actually. So when they realise this, you two may not be in an official relationship yet or maybe haven’t even expressed interest for something more yet. But I think they’ll want to try to be open to actively pursuing you. This could also be someone who you’ve separated from at some point, as in life took you separate ways before you could get together.

When it comes to your tarot cards and how they feel immediately after, there's this sense of happiness and wanting... They kind of jump ahead in their head and start thinking about the future stability and home they want to create with you. There's this sense of wanting to celebrate and rush to you with a promise of everlasting support. However, they're definitely still in their head about this, so there’s the questions of: What do I do next? What seeds of intentions do I plant so that they can grow and bloom from here on out? It's a transformation happening inside and it's very quick. It goes back and forth a little bit. Overall, there’s this immediate realization inside. It marks the end of one thing and the beginning of something else. But again, there's still this deep introspection that they have to finish navigate before they can fully understand what they're feeling and before they can act from there on out.

I also want to say this section was ridiculously hard to focus on. Everything felt very rapid and restless.

Thank you for reading! 🤗 Want to explore their deeper thoughts 🕯️, actions after 🧸, and how it all shapes your relationship? 🎞️✨ Find out over on Patreon, available from the 'Extended Access' tier ($1.50 USD) ! Check it out here. 🍂☕

PILE 2

The Setting

Cards: The Hunter, Champion, Opposition | Confrontation, First House | Arrival, Solar Calm | Clarify

To be quite literal (and of course if you're into it), the setting could be while hunting, camping or anything outdoorsy (and a bit rugged). That aside— the main thing I'm getting is that your person comes to this realization that they love you in a situation where there's some type of confrontation or they feel jealous about something or someone. Someone could be either hitting on you or getting a bit aggressive with you when a person steps in. And I want to say they’re you knight in shining armor, but I know that's not going to sit well for everyone. What I’m saying though is they could step in and stand up for you. I think this interaction brings a lot of clarity. In standing up for you, they realize they love you and there are more feelings that than what they’ve acknowledged for you.

I will say though, looking at all of your cards in advance, this pile feels a bit dramatic, so buckle up.

It does kind of feel also like your person may be hanging back a bit when they realize they love you. It could be either in the moment or afterwards where they just hang back observing you. I don't know why, but I keep getting images of a club or some kind of social event. I did have to redo this pile, and one of the things I got was the gambler and the masqueri (? can’t remember the spelling)— so think ‘lavish’ events. Whether it's at a theater, a casino, something where you're dressed up nicely, if you're in demand— that's the image that I'm getting the most strongly. But I do feel like there's a good chance this is some place where alcohol could be involved, even if you personally don’t drink. It reminds me a bit of Pile 2 from Your First Kiss With Your Person. So if that pile/reading resonates with you, then I would say that this could be related to that instance because it doesn't feel like you two are ‘together’ yet either. It feels like the before. It could also be during an argument with you that your person realizes they love you. There’s also this energy of it being very loud internally, and then all of a sudden it gets quiet afterwards, so they may actually distance themselves from you (physically or emotionally) after that moment after realizing that they love you.

Initial Feelings

Cards: Six of Wands, Six of Cups, Knight of Swords, The Sun, Knight of Cups, Knight of Wands, Queen of Pentacles

Starting with your love messages cards— It feels like your person's aware that they've had these deep feelings for you, but it feels like they've never allowed themselves to feel them. Their mother could have a big influence in everything as well. Not directly but something from the past has stuck with them. I don't know what specifically it is, but there's something in their past that causes why they might be distant even though they have feelings for you. They also don't want to see you with anyone else. I think their jealousy and not wanting to see you with anyone else is what acts as the catalyst for realizing that they love you. But they might also feel a little bit lost and unsure. They don't know what to do with the feeling. I don't know why but I also want to say they have an avoidant attachment? I don’t really go into subjects like that so take it as you will. Finally I think they are be a very attractive person. Not just physically, but they have a lot of people who are attracted to them… so it feels like they're accustomed to the single life. I think that's kind of what I got in the first section as well with all the deer. I thought of stags, some person who's like enjoying the single life. But then these cards and this realization it's like not really maybe I do want something more but I don't know why or how to go and have something more.

Now, with your tarot cards— you could have known each other from like childhood or for a while. At the very least they feel a very carefree sense of happiness with you and they probably feel like they could have a shot of being successful with offering you something more. There are so many energies I pick up on here, it's hard to say definitely, but a proper relationship is on the table after this realization. Your person will find that drive to pursue you then if they aren't already. If they are, it will become more of a priority for your person.

PILE 3

The Setting

Cards: The Sailor, The Pilgrim, Opposition | Confrontation, Venus | Beloved, Taurus | Cultivate

It looks like the realisation comes during a new beginning of some kind or in uncharted territory… travel or somewhere new maybe? You guys could get in a bit of an argument or your differences start to clash when your person realizes that they love you. You guys tend to be good one minute and not good the next. To be honest, this relationship feels like in the beginning stages it has the possibility of being ‘toxic’ if not care, so I'd be very aware that you don't entertain toxic relationships because you think it's your person. There's a lot of passion involved when your person realizes that they love you, but again, there's a sense of stubbornness at the same time. Whatever happens is supposed to be something that's gonna go into the future… this event is the catalyst for long-term improvements and stability between you two.

Initial Feelings

Your person’s kind of annoying tbh. 😔 Sorry, I had to say it… BUT, hear me out. I don't know if you guys are on the younger side, but I do think that might be the case here.If not young in age, then there's a little bit of... immaturity. I don't know. Just make sure that your person is treating you right, or I’ll fight them for you. I'm just kidding. Love you. 😘

Cards: The Magician, The Devil, Knight of Wands, Ace of Wands, King of Wands, Eight of Pentacles

Starting with your love messages, I feel like when your person realizes, they'll want to tell you right away. At the same time, I feel like you guys might be separated on some level. It could be a temporary split or an actual breakup. And I think this is kind of where it feels like you're on the younger side. Maybe even like college age of college somewhere, like in your early to mid-twenties. Or they could be in their early to mid-twenties when this happens. They just kind of… act out because you guys are not getting along. Yet simultaneously they do miss you and they realize that they love you, so they might want to reach out and apologize for their actions. There’s a very immature energy here that's bothering me. Their mindset seems like one of “I don't need them, I'm good on my own”. There’s an internal clash and pull.

Going on to your tarot cards, I kind of feel the same way here again. On one hand it’s like, oh my gosh, I love pike three and I want to fix my relationship with them. I know it will take work, but I'm willing to put in that work.

Then it switches and it just makes me feel like self-sabotage. Your person will then think, hmm, but we're not together. I don't know, it's just this very contradictory energy for your person of realizing that they love you. They're very conflicted about what to do initially. There's a slight sense of not wanting to be tied down. That could even potentially be what your dispute was about. You might want something more long-term and your person is like, nah, I'm good something short-term. But in reality, they're not.

#pick a card #pick a pile #pick a card reading #pick a pile reading #pick a picture #pac reading #pac #tarot reading #cozycottagetarot #future spouse tarot reading #future spouse reading #free tarot reading #free tarot #cozycottagetarot readings

481 notes · View notes

bleulikedaylight · 1 month ago

Text

Ms. Delinquent, Natasha

pairing: delinquent basketball captain! natasha romanoff x student council president! reader

synopsis: Y/N L/N, perfect student council president, gets paired with the school’s worst nightmare—rebel basketball captain natasha romanoff—for a major project. she’s late, annoying, and impossible to work with. but one unexpected moment makes Y/N wonder… is there more to natasha than the chaos she brings?

warnings: mentions of school fights and bruises (non-graphic) + tell me if i missed anything !! | wc: 2.3k | genre: romance, fluff, kinda enemies-to-lovers !! ;p

note: WOWOW, two posts in one day??? who is she??? (definitely not someone procrastinating her to-do list by writing about a rebel basketball captain and a stressed-out student council president falling in love—definitely not.)

anyway, hii !! i had way too much fun writing this !! >< also, feel free to send me messages, asks, or requests—i might (emphasis on might because I’m lazy, hehe) turn this into a series if you guys like it, aaa. ALSO, i really, really need to make a masterlist to keep my profile organized, but guess what? i’m too lazy. someone please bonk me with a pillow or smth. 💔

part one ♡‧₊˚ part two ♡‧₊˚

Y/N L/N

Year & Section: 12 - A

Position: Student Council President

Vibe: Miss Goody Two Shoes, Walking Honor Roll, and A Literal Angel

Known For:

- Fixing everyone’s mess (including Natasha’s)

- Straight As, Complete notes, and a color-coded Google Calendar

- Always wearing her ID. Always.

- Literally the only reason the faculty hasn’t given up on this school

- Smiles sweetly while saying, “That’s against school policy.”

NATASHA ROMANOFF

Year & Section: 12 - A

Position: Captain, Women’s Basketball Team

Vibe: Rebel Without a Cause, Hotheaded Heartthrob, and Leather Jacket Energy

Known For:

- Cutting class but still scoring MVP

- Pulling up to school on a motorcycle (allegedly)

- Has a permanent seat in detention—but makes it look like a throne

- Once made a guy cry during a scrimmage... with just a glare

- Looks like she doesn’t care—until it’s Y/N.

What would you do if you got partnered with your polar opposite for a school project? Like... the girl who's practically allergic to rules, shows up late to every class—if she even shows up at all—and somehow makes your life as student council president ten times harder just by existing?

Well, I have... and here's how the story goes.

She's Natasha Romanoff.

If there’s one person on this campus who gives me a headache at least three times a week, it’s Natasha Romanoff.

Captain of the women’s basketball team. Standing at six feet of pure chaos. The type of student who thinks rules are suggestions and uniforms are optional. She’s the exact kind of person I swore I’d never get involved with. You know—the delinquent, the rebel, the walking red flag your mother warned you about.

She rarely shows up to class. And when she does? She’s either asleep, doodling in her notebook, or getting sent out for being a 'distraction.' Her file in the faculty office is thicker than the student handbook—and I would know, I helped revise it.

She picks fights like it’s a sport. She’s been banned from three different cafeterias for fighting in line. Her knuckles are always bruised, her lip usually split, and yet she still walks around like she owns the whole school—because somehow, she kind of does.

It drives me insane. I’m the student council president. I run this place on schedules, protocols, and peacekeeping. I solve disputes between orgs, approve event permits, and enforce policies like my life depends on it—which, sometimes, it kind of does. So imagine my horror every time her name pops up on my desk. 'Romanoff punched someone again.' 'Romanoff’s skipping classes again.' 'Romanoff's motorcycle is parked on the faculty lawn again.'

She's a walking nightmare for someone like me.

Worse, she seems to have no plans for her future. No goals. No ambition. Just… basketball. That’s all she ever thinks about. Practice. Games. Scores. Like the world outside the court doesn’t exist. It’s frustrating. It’s pathetic. And yet—she plays with so much fire, it almost makes you forget everything else. Almost.

Tip: don’t be fooled by her soft-looking face. Sure, she’s got those calm green eyes and a lazy smile that makes girls weak in the knees, but trust me—she’s all sharp edges underneath. Dangerous. Reckless. Untouchable.

Naturally, girls chase after her like she’s a rom-com lead in real life. I’ve seen love confessions on paper cups, flowers in her locker, and girls literally waiting outside the gym after practice hoping she’ll so much as glance at them. But you know what’s weird? Despite how egoistical she is—despite the arrogance, the swagger, the attention—I’ve never seen her date anyone. I’ve never even heard rumors of her with anyone. Not once.

And then came the groupings for our Humanities project. A randomized draw, they said. Fate, I’d argue.

It was one silly project. That’s all it was supposed to be. A one-time, two-week, half-grade assignment. But it led to the one thing I never expected...

Actually knowing her.

That was the day everything changed.

That was the day Natasha Romanoff looked at me like I wasn’t just the school president... but something more.

—

You hear your name and Natasha Romanoff’s in the same sentence and immediately feel the universe collapse.

“Group three… Romanoff and L/N.”

The room goes silent. A beat of stunned silence, and then—

“WHAT?”

“Oh my god.”

“No way.”

“Lord, this is my Roman Empire.”

You shut your eyes and exhale slowly.

“Y/N,” Wanda whispers, clutching your arm like you’re on a sinking ship. “Tell me I heard wrong.”

You stare at your teacher. “Miss, is there a mistake—?”

“No mistakes,” she says cheerfully. Too cheerfully. “I think this will be a… fun dynamic.”

Yelena is already cackling. “Good luck, president,” she sings. “You’re gonna need it.”

Behind you, Natasha Romanoff stretches in her seat like she didn’t just cause a classroom-wide scandal. She yawns, leans back, spins her pen between her fingers like a basketball. You lock eyes for exactly two seconds. She smirks.

And just like that, you know you’re doomed.

—

Later that afternoon

You’re pacing by your locker, chewing your lower lip. You don't have Natasha’s number. But Yelena does.

“I hate this,” you say, typing quickly. “This feels like betrayal.”

“Calm down, you’re literally texting her for school,” Yelena replies while eating fries. “Now go! Be a good president and go manage your delinquent girlfriend.”

“She is not my—never mind.”

You shoot her a glare, then copy the number. You stare at your phone for a full minute before finally typing:

You expect to be left on read. Or worse—no response at all.

But she replies.

You blink.

She does find you. Within ten minutes.

You watch her walk in like she owns the place. In her hoodie, earrings glinting under the warm light, one earbud in, backpack slung over one shoulder. She moves like a secret, like danger with a pulse.

She drops into the seat across from you. “Hey.”

You glance at the time. “You’re… early.”

She shrugs. “Skipped practice.”

Your jaw drops. “What?! Why would you—”

“To work on the project,” she says simply, like it’s obvious.

You gape at her. “You skipped practice. For school.”

“Don’t make a big deal out of it, presidente,” she teases, resting her chin on her hand. “You messaged. I showed up. That’s the arrangement, right?”

You can’t even tell if she’s being serious. But her eyes are calm, and she actually opens the module you printed out. No complaints. No smart remarks. Just… reading.

You snap out of it and start discussing your plan. She listens. Occasionally nods. Offers surprisingly decent ideas. You make notes. You don’t notice that your voice grows more relaxed. You don’t notice how she’s been watching you the whole time—not the paper. Not the topic. You.

“You know,” she says once you finish outlining the draft, “you talk a lot when you’re nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

“Hmm,” she hums. “Cute.”

You nearly choke on your water.

—

Once you pack up

“Okay, I’ll message you updates after I type the outline,” you say, stuffing your planner into your tote. “Thanks for actually showing up, by the way. I didn’t expect you to.”

Natasha stands, slinging her bag onto her shoulder. “I’ll walk you home.”

You pause. “What?”

“It’s late. You’ve got three books in your bag, and your tote’s heavier than Yelena’s sarcasm. Come on.”

You blink at her. “Are you… being nice?”

“Don’t ruin it,” she deadpans.

You roll your eyes but… follow her. She doesn’t ask for your address. She already knows it. (You don’t want to know how.)

The walk is quiet. She keeps her hands in her pockets, glancing at you every few steps like she’s making sure you’re still there. At one point, she slows down to match your pace. You pretend not to notice. But your heart’s doing cartwheels.

When you reach your gate, you turn to her. “Okay, um… thanks. Again.”

She shrugs. “Text me when you’re editing. I wanna see what it looks like.”

You raise an eyebrow. “You care about the final output now?”

She gives you a lopsided smirk. “You care. That’s enough reason.”

Before you can respond, she’s already walking away.

You stand at your gate, heart thundering, cheeks warm.

What just happened?

—

Meanwhile, the group chats are on fire.

—

Your phone buzzes again—more group chats lighting up, your friends collectively losing their minds—but you don’t check them right away. You’re still thinking about her voice. The way she said you care, that’s enough reason. It loops in your head like a song you’re not ready to skip. And for the first time since the semester started, you’re not thinking about deadlines, reports, or disciplinary forms.

Outside, your phone buzzes again.

You smile.

You think that’s it. But then…

Your jaw drops. You type furiously.

You let out an annoyed huff. Or at least, that’s what you tell yourself it is. But deep down, you’re smiling like a fool under the covers, kicking your feet just a little—just enough to feel ridiculous.

Because Natasha Romanoff just told you sweet dreams.

Because she showed up. Listened. Skipped basketball for a group project.

Because somewhere between the chaos and the attitude and the teasing, you’re starting to realize something terrifying:

She’s not just a delinquent.

She’s not just trouble.

She’s kind of wonderful.

And she’s starting to mean something to you.

You’re so doomed.

You’re thinking about Natasha Romanoff.

You fling your pillow over your face to muffle the scream

You close your eyes, the ghost of her smirk burned into your mind.

Tomorrow’s going to be interesting.

Very, very interesting.

#natasha romanoff x reader #black widow x reader #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff x you #wlw #female x female #mcu #fanfiction #fanfic #natasha romanoff

217 notes · View notes

thefaiao · 2 months ago

Text

Here's a portrait I did based on the movie Hackers (1995), which I'm posting on its own because I want to talk about this movie!

I had never watched the movie before working on this commission, but it was truly magical to watch. I've been kind of taking in what I watched over the last days and it has given me so many thoughts that I don't even know to begin. Watching without any knowledge of how the movie was received, I was shocked to learn that there is a major split in opinions about the movie, which has left me completely puzzled. How can a movie, that in my eyes is simply phenomenal, be even able to receive such negative reviews to this day?

I think the keyword here is what I used to describe the movie: magical. There is a magic circle that needs to be accepted and entered for you to truly enjoy the movie, and see how the silly sequences are a depiction of reality that is juiced up, and not a substitute of reality. If you just take the movie at face value, you won't be able to appreciate how this effect works. You'll think just because an interface is translated as two obvious HACK buttons, they can in no way actually be depicting hacking. But they are, the movie does a lot to show its appreciation and love for the scene, with accurate references to relevant books, multiple little "tricks" like phreaking and resetting the phone to call someone other than your lawyer when you get arrested. You can appreciate that effort and also how it was dressed up to resonate more with a larger audience, and keep the movie's amazing pace!

Now there are also things that maybe were taken for granted in movies of this time. The set design and costumes are fantastic, and somehow still feel fresh today. Maybe they are not realistic but they are effortlessly cool in a way I think almost no one does well nowadays. All the characters are visually strong and are immediately identifiable, on top of having great chemistry and represent a decent variety of archetypes. Despite being a movie, it communicates strongly that this world is bursting with life and character, that the game is not set, and that there is still future ahead of us. They have a scene of the main guy wearing lingerie in a dream, and the main girl joyously, sincerely smiles at the thought. That is a deep understanding of the human spirit.

Yet it kills me! It kills me that people watch this movie and think it's "terrible" or "cringy", that they don't have eyes to see how much heart it has. People have convinced themselves that reality can only exist within their brain specifically, that there is no use for magic, even in movies, even in books and games. What's the point of being smart if you just want all the answers handed to you? The abstraction is not a defect, it's a working piece.

The people who saw the world through these cold lens have removed all of the punk and empowerment that the movie champions. They boiled down the culture to just code and went on to make lame companies that serve to optimize suffering and take the people's ability to actually interface and express themselves through computers and electronics as a whole.

You can accept both the material reality and understand the purpose of abstraction and interpretation beyond furthering material gain. Perhaps the movie didn't intend to show me such a complex message, but that's what I got from it, and it gave me room to interpret it that way, allowed me to be curious.

That's all I have to say. Maybe I'm preaching to the crowd, but whatever. When you approach something, have heart! Without your heart, your head would have no blood, and your mind, no thoughts. Treasure, and use, it!

#doodles #hackers 1995 #hackers #cereal killer

334 notes · View notes

dxrlingluv · 1 month ago

Note

Hermes x Modern Reader pls! Gn is fine but can reader be like totally Gen Z coded?

If I’m stuck here with you

A/N : Oh well. Hermes getting the view of what the future would be like with the help of the Reader? Count me in. Hermes art is from Zieru!

WARNING : Mordern!Reader, Hermes doesn’t know how to get back to his own time. Generally Platonic.

Word Count : 2k

The first sign that your Tuesday was about to go completely off the rails wasn't the ominous rumble of thunder from a cloudless sky (you lived in a city, weird weather was basically a bi-weekly subscription). No, it was the fact that there was a dude. In your living room. A dude who definitely did not have a key, and whose fashion sense screamed "lost my way to a Renaissance Faire, but make it ✨divine✨."

You were mid-scroll on TikTok, a half-eaten bag of spicy chips balanced precariously on your chest, your brain pleasantly numb from a curated stream of capybara videos and questionable life hacks. One minute, it was a golden retriever struggling with a lime, the next, a faint shimmer of gold light near your IKEA Kallax shelf, and then him.

He was tall, lean, and exuded an aura of someone who probably thought "running errands" meant literally running. His chiton (you vaguely remembered the term from a history class you mostly slept through) was an impractical shade of white, edged with gold, and he had these little winged sandals. Like, actual wings. On his shoes. And a staff thingy – a caduceus, your brain helpfully supplied, probably from the same dusty mental archive as "chiton."

You blinked. The capybara video was still playing silently on your phone.

"Uh," you started, eloquently. "Did my landlord finally decide to hire a really extra singing telegram to tell me my rent's overdue? 'Cause my guy, the gold lamé is a choice, but the message could've been an email."

The man turned, his movements fluid and impossibly fast, like a hummingbird on an espresso bender. His eyes, a startling shade of gold, widened slightly as they took in your state: pajama pants with a questionable stain, an oversized band t-shirt, and the aforementioned chip situation.

"A... singing telegram?" he repeated, his voice smooth and melodic, like wind chimes but with more bass. He had a slight accent you couldn't quite place, but it definitely wasn't from around here. "I am Hermes, messenger of the gods, son of Zeus, herald of Olympus!" He struck a pose, staff held aloft. It would have been impressive if he wasn't standing next to your wilting houseplant, Bartholomew.

You slowly sat up, chips cascading onto your duvet. "Okay, werk. And I'm Y/N, purveyor of lukewarm takes and existential dread, child of... well, my parents. We good?" You paused. "Wait, Hermes? Like, the Hermes? Greek mythology Hermes? Bro, are you for real?"

He frowned, a slight furrow appearing between his perfectly sculpted brows. "You address a god, mortal. And yes, the Hermes. Though I confess, this realm is... unfamiliar. One moment, I was delivering a decree to Hades—a rather tedious affair, he’s been so broody since Persephone started her ‘self-care season’ topside—and the next, a blinding flash, and… this." He gestured vaguely at your collection of Funko Pops. "Is this a new wing of the Underworld? It's surprisingly... cluttered. And smells faintly of artificial cheese."

"Rude," you muttered, brushing chip dust off your shirt. "This is my humble abode. My crib. My legally-distinct-from-a-cardboard-box apartment. And you're telling me you, like, actually yeeted yourself from ancient Greece into my living room?"

Hermes tilted his head. "Yeeted?"

"Teleported. Poofed. Arrived unannounced like my Aunt Carol when she smells free food."

"Ah. Then yes, I suppose I 'yeeted'." A faint smile played on his lips, and you had to admit, even if he was completely delulu, the guy had charisma. Like, an unhealthy amount of it. The kind of rizz that could convince you to invest in beachfront property on Mars.

"No cap?" you pressed, narrowing your eyes.

"Have you not seen my cap, mortal?" Hermes said, looking genuinely confused while tapping his winged cap. “Though I have seen some... interesting headwear in my travels through the ages.”

"It means 'no lie,' my dude. For real?"

"For real," he confirmed, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I am as bewildered as you are, perhaps more so. This… technology." He gestured to your phone, which was now showing a makeup tutorial. "It glows. Does it contain an oracle?"

"Nah, fam," you said, picking up your phone. "It contains crippling social anxiety, cat videos, and the definitely not useless knowledge of humanity, mostly used for arguing with strangers. Same diff as an oracle, basically." You swiped away the tutorial. "So, you're a god. A literal, actual god. From the myths. Currently chilling in my less-than-mythical apartment."

Hermes nodded, his golden eyes scanning your room with a mixture of curiosity and faint disdain. "Precisely. And you, Y/N, are my first point of contact in this… vibrant, yet perplexing era."

"Vibrant is one word for it," you snorted. "So, what's the tea, Hermes? Why are you here? Did Zeus get lost on his way to another 'swan-related incident' and send you to find him?"

Hermes winced. "Father's… avian escapades are a subject best avoided. As for my presence, I believe it to be an accident. A magical mishap, perhaps. Or maybe Loki’s pranking me across pantheons again. That guy owes me big time."

You processed this. A god. In your apartment. Because of a magical oopsie. Your Tuesday was officially off the leash and running wild in a field of pure, unadulterated chaos. And honestly? Low-key, you were kind of living for it.

"Okay, so, Mr. Messenger God," you began, swinging your legs off the bed. "First things first: wardrobe. No offense, but the chiton and winged kicks are a bit… much for a trip to the bodega. You're gonna get so many weird looks. People will think you're doing some avant-garde performance art."

Hermes looked down at his attire. "Is it not… fashionable?"

"Buddy, it's iconic, it's a serve, it's giving 'legendary artifact chic.' But for blending in? Not so much. Unless you're trying to start a new trend, in which case, go off, king." You rummaged through your closet, which was a chaotic explosion of band tees, thrift store finds, and at least three hoodies you'd "borrowed" indefinitely. "Right, let's see. You look like a medium? Or are gods, like, universally sized?"

He watched, bemused, as you pulled out a pair of dark jeans and a plain black t-shirt. "These… simple garments?"

"Trust the process," you said, handing them over. "The bathroom's over there. Try not to smite my rubber ducky, he's emotionally fragile."

While Hermes was wrestling with the concept of denim, you frantically tidied up, shoving stray socks under the couch and stacking dirty mugs in the sink. If a god was going to be your unexpected roommate, even temporarily, the least you could do was make the place look less like a goblin's nest.

He emerged a few minutes later, looking… surprisingly normal. The modern clothes fit him well, though he looked slightly uncomfortable, tugging at the hem of the t-shirt. The winged sandals were still on, though. Baby steps.

"Okay, not bad," you said, circling him. "The shoes are still a statement piece, but we can work on that. You clean up nice, Speedy Gonzales."

"Speedy Gonzales?"

"Never mind. Pop culture reference. You'll pick it up. Or not. It's fine." You grabbed your keys. "Right, mission one: acquire sustenance that isn't artificially cheese-flavored. And maybe figure out how to un-yeet you back to Olympus before Zeus starts blaming me for his missing messenger."

The trip to the local grocery store was an experience. Hermes was fascinated by everything. Automatic doors: "Sorcery!", the sheer variety of packaged foods: "So many choices! Do mortals truly consume these brightly colored squares?", and the self-checkout: “A mechanical servant that demands tribute! Astounding!". You had to physically restrain him from trying to "liberate" a pineapple he claimed was "too majestic to be confined."

"Dude, chill," you hissed, pulling him towards the cereal aisle. "You can't just 'liberate' produce. That's called shoplifting. And trust me, the mortals who run this place? Way scarier than Hades on a bad day when it comes to their five-finger discount policy."

He looked genuinely contrite. "My apologies. Old habits. On Olympus, if one desires a golden apple, one simply… acquires it."

"Yeah, well, here, acquiring gets you a talking-to from a guy named Kevin who peaked in high school and takes his job way too seriously. Now, do you want Froot Loops or existential dread in a box, aka Raisin Bran?"

Back in your apartment, Hermes watched, captivated, as you made instant ramen. "You boil water… with lightning trapped in a metal box?" he asked, peering at your electric kettle.

"It's called electricity, my divine dude. Kind of our version of Zeus's party trick, but less likely to incinerate you." You handed him a bowl. "Slurp carefully. It's hotter than Hephaestus's forge."

He took a tentative bite, his eyes widening. "Remarkable! Such complex flavors from a desiccated brick and powder!"

"That's the magic of MSG, baby."

As the day wore on, you found yourself in the bizarre position of explaining modern life to an ancient god. You showed him how to use your laptop: "This glowing tablet… it shows me the world! And so many cats!", introduced him to the concept of memes: "So, these are… illustrated jokes? Often self-deprecating? Mortals are a curious species.", and even tried to explain TikTok trends, which mostly resulted in him looking utterly bewildered but gamely attempting a few dance moves with a grace that was frankly unfair.

"Your 'vibes'," he said at one point, after you'd used the term for the fifth time, "are they a form of emotional aura?"

"Basically, yeah. Like, your vibe right now is 'ancient deity trying to understand a modern gremlin.' It's a whole mood."

He chuckled, a genuine, warm sound. "And your vibe, Y/N, is… surprisingly patient and amusingly irreverent."

You felt a weird warmth spread through your chest. "Hey, someone's gotta keep the gods humble, right? Can't have you all thinking you're the main characters all the time." Though, you had to admit, Hermes had some serious main character energy.

Later, as dusk settled, painting your small apartment in hues of orange and purple, a comfortable silence fell between you. Hermes was staring out the window, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"This world is… loud," he said softly. "And fast. And filled with so many fleeting things. Yet, there's a certain… tenacity to it. To your kind."

"We're stubborn little weirdos, that's for sure," you agreed, leaning against the doorframe. "We make a lot of noise, collect too much stuff, and spend way too much time looking at glowing rectangles. But, y'know, we try."

He turned to you, a soft smile on his lips. "You, Y/N, are more than just 'trying.' You navigate this chaos with a strange sort of… grace. And an unending supply of peculiar phrases."

"It's a gift," you said with a shrug, though your cheeks felt a little warm. "So, any closer to figuring out how to get you back to your regularly scheduled god-duties? Or are you stuck being my platonic, mythological roommate for the foreseeable future?"

Hermes sighed, running a hand through his perfectly tousled hair (how did he do that?). "I confess, the way back eludes me. The energies here are… different. Scrambled. It's like trying to find a specific whisper in a hurricane." He looked at you, his golden eyes surprisingly earnest. "But, if I am to be… stranded, for a time… I cannot think of a more… entertainingly perplexing guide than you."

You grinned. "Aw, Hermes, you old softie. Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Or we'll just teach you how to play Mario Kart and order pizza. Either way, it's gonna be an adventure." You paused. "Just, uh, try not to accidentally smite anyone, okay? The paperwork would be a nightmare."

He laughed, the sound echoing pleasantly in your small living room. "I shall endeavor to restrain my divine impulses, [Y/N]. For now, at least."

Maybe having a god crash on your couch wasn't the worst thing that could happen on a Tuesday. It was definitely going to make your next "what I did this summer" story a lot more interesting. And who knew? Maybe you'd even get him to ditch the winged sandals eventually. Or, better yet, get a matching pair. That would be a lewk.

No cap.

#epic the musical #epic x reader #epic fanfic #fluff #dxrlingluv #epic hermes #hermes x reader #hermes #epic the musical x reader #i love hermes marry me #zieru hermes

141 notes · View notes

poohsources · 2 months ago

Text

🐝 * ― 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝟎𝟐𝟖: 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌. ( so, um, i literally only got inspired to make a new template because i'm obsessing over a new fandom and thinking about returning to rping because of it. and well, i mostly make templates whenever i may or may not use them in the future myself. anyway, the preview can be found here. it's a multimuse template with a navigation page, a rules page, a muse directory with multiple sections for different kind of muses, and a mains and exclusives page. due to the number of elements used, this template requires at least a pro lite account. if you want to upgrade, feel free to use my referral code KB4W13V3 because it helps me out. )

― HOW TO USE

please don’t claim this as your own, and don’t delete the credit. you can change it’s size or color but it should stay where it is.

of course, you can edit all the colors, sizes, fonts, etc. however you like.

to get this template please click here. it’s on a pay-what-you-want basis, so it is possible to get it for free if you set the amount to 0. ( if you’d like to leave a little tip, i'd very much appreciate it, though. )

actual image sizes don't matter since carrd scales them to fit but you can see examples of the image sizes i’ve used in the demo to get an idea for the dimensions. or just try your own and play around with the settings to get the desired outcome.

if you have any questions about how to edit it, just send me a message, and i'll try to explain it to you.

#carrd template #carrd templates #carrd rp templates #rp template #carrd #free rp resources #free rp template #rp resources #rph #type: template #type: carrd #template: multimuse

171 notes · View notes

the-sonic-crew · 9 months ago

Text

Hey Everyone! It's Sonic ;D You can talk to most anyone in our world~! The amazing and talented mods:

👀- @rednexxsaysthing (Blog creator)

💛- @happyfacelol

🦆- @bootyshakerrr9000

🐜- @ap0th3osis

💀- @edgyhedgie

🌒- @itzvio

Characters, rules, schedule, and other fun stuff below!

Sonic~ Good for goofy questions, good for advice on anything but feelings, good for cheering you on, gets off topic

Tails~ Good for academic questions, good for advice on bullies/jerks, good for tips on mental health

Knuckles~ Good if you need someone to feel angry with you, good at listening, sometimes good with advice

Amy~ Good listener, good advice, sometimes gets off topic with questions, good for mental health advice

Dr. Eggman~ Good at being an asshole

Shadow~ Good at listening, good advice if he likes you, good for food recs

Rouge~ Good for fashion opinions, not good at listening, good at promoting body positivity

Omega~ Only responds in binary code, good at listening, holds all the knowledge in the world.

Silver~ Good at answering questions about the future, good at helping with anxiety, good at listening

Blaze~ Good at giving advice, sometimes gets suspicious if you ask really personal questions

Vector~ Likes talking about himself and his agency (and his kids), good at listening and giving advice on self esteem

Espio~ Great at listening, great at advice, won't tell you much about himself

Charmy~ Not good at listening or advice, very hyperactive, loves meeting new people and answering questions

Cream~ Good at listening, very sweet, loves talking about her friends

Vanilla~ Good at listening and advice, very sweet, loves talking about her daughter and friends

Metal Sonic~ Doesn't talk, only responds in motions

Whisper~ Helpful, good advice, nervous

Tangle~ Bouncy, excited, empathetic

Maria~ Sweet, gives good advice, a ghost

Dr. Starline~ Evil, sassy, snarky

Big~ Huge, dorky, lovable idiot. (we use BIGGEST TEXT for him)

Agent Stone~ Will somehow always find a way to make the conversation about Dr. Robotnik Froggy~ Translator for whatever the fuck he says Surge~ Cocky, angry, cusses a lot Kit~ Shy, smart, anxiety ridden

Cosmo~ Kind, patient, dead

Rules:

1. Don't bring up politics please

2. If you're a zoo, sexist, racist, homophobe, transphobe, etc. Get off our page

3. Keep in mind we have no affiliation with SEGA at all, no characters belong to us, and since some of the lore is a little wonky lots of answers will be head-canons

4. BE KIND TO THE MODS! If you have any issues, you can send an ask to @rednexxsaysthing

5. OC asks take a varied amount of time depending on the mod, bear with them

If you happen to send an ask that is too intense or violent (with no trigger warnings, or even with trigger warnings if they're extreme) then I'll send you a message and kindly let you know

(If you're in anon mode it'll just be deleted and unanswered)

You get THREE (3) warnings, if you use them up you will be blocked

This does not go for asks about YOUR PERSONAL mental health, but things where people are brutally torturing the characters is a bit over the top.

Thank you!

Message from one of the Anons on here!:

Just remember everyone! Its ok to feel worthless everyone has those kind of moments where you just want to disappear, what matters is you get help, you reach out to whoever you want to talk to

Its also ok to cry, holding in your tears is not good and i am speaking from experience, it hurts more to hold in your tears than to let them out

You all deserve so much more in life no matter what anyone says keep chasing your dreams and prove everyone wrong!

Schedule!

Monday: Revive Maria Monday

Tuesday: Tap Tails Tuesday

Wednesday: Whack Eggman wednesday

Thursday: Throw Silver Thursday

Friday: Flick Sonic Friday

Saturday: Serenade Shadow and Sacrifice Sonic Saturday

Sunday: Throw Starline in a Lake Sunday

Credits for pics: Pinterest, and @astroke

149 notes · View notes

sunnie-angel · 10 months ago

Text

Part 8: The New Normal

part 7 | series masterlist | ao3 link

jason todd x fem!reader

summary: both you and jason struggle with defining your new normal in the wake of your changed friendship

tags: angst, mentions of offscreen violence

rated explicit (mdni) | wc: 2.2k

a/n: with this chapter we officially cross 20k words (whoops). i dropped quite a few hints about future developments in this chapter, i wonder if you'll find them all.

Jason’s never felt so bitter about successfully achieving something. The taste of it curdles in his mouth, sour and heavy. He’d known that amputating his heart would hurt but this? This was worse. It was bloodless and toothless and the worst thing he’s ever done to himself. To you. You’re friends now. Friends! No lasting repercussions to having what he wanted. Shockingly, no lasting repercussions for fucking up his secret identity either. He’s gotten what he wanted, hadn’t he?

He’d known, in that half-abstract kind of way that Talia had taught him, that if he had been earnest enough and insistent enough on the idea of friendship he’d be able to end the conversation there. No questions about why he had kissed you a second time. No scathing comments about how desperate he had been to know what you tasted like. He wouldn’t have to explain himself, or all of his messy inconvenient feelings, to you. Friends. Easy as that.

Or at least that’s what he tells himself, walking in to face you. He’d know your footsteps anywhere and the just sound of them sets his senses on edge. All of his focus narrows down to you, hyperawareness kicking in. Jason doesn’t take any notes in class, can barely hear the sound of the professor speaking over you fidgeting next to him. To think his biggest worry a few months back had been if he would pass his courses. He can’t shake this fog, but he’s terrified of letting on just how gone he already is. Leaves a respectful three inches of space between the two of you through lunch that he obsessively maintains through Will telling some story about actually getting hit by a car over the weekend that Jason could care less about. He doesn’t breathe fully until the two of you are walking out of your last joined class of the day, cold air burning with every breath. He can do this.

“Can I– may I walk you home?” he asks uncertainly.

“Oh so you finally ask permission, huh?” you tease, and it’s the first thing he’s heard properly all day. Maybe it comes out sharper edged than he’s used to you directing at him, but it’s so close to resembling the easy camaraderie of the early days that he will take it.

“I was actually listening to your lecture on privacy,” Jason somehow finds the strength to sass back.

“You can take the bus with me and walk me to my building door but that’s it. I already talked to the super about changing the door code.” Jason knows. He watched the super change it yesterday.

“Just to the building. Scouts honour,” he says, drawing an x over his heart.

When it comes to normal, Jason Todd sucks at pretending to be it. Or maybe you’ve just learned to read him too well. A space – not just literal but physical – exists between you now. He doesn’t sit right anymore, shoulders tensing up when you sit down next to him an only relaxing when you make no move to lean into him. He walks a full foot away now, no more arms accidentally brushing. He still keeps you fed – let it never be said that a friend of Jason’s goes hungry – but your fingers never brush as he hands containers over. Messages dwindle, text threads drying up. You can bear all of that, you can. It’s almost like the distant but friendly relationship you have with Will or half of your fellow interns. No, it’s the part where almost a week later, Jason still won’t look you in the eye.

It would be so easy to dismiss everything else as growing pains, the both of you testing and reassessing where the new lines have been drawn. This isn’t that. Jason has drawn a line and it’s one that feels like a cut every time you brush up against it. These days there’s a tension in your jaw that you didn’t carry before. Magically it appears whenever Jason chooses a particularly interesting patch of paint on the wall behind you to stare at instead of meeting your gaze. You think you hide the way your hands clench in your lap pretty well. You laugh and joke, exclaiming over Lina’s one liners, asking Rei about his next swim meet, and gasping in all the right places over Will’s sprained wrist. Keeping up the appearance of normalcy is tiring in a way that it hadn’t been before. So your smiles are a little more forced than they were before, so what? The two of you are still friends and no one else is any wiser.

There’s a Rogue attack, close enough to campus that it goes into lock down for the first time this semester. One second you’re following Jason’s broad back cutting a swathe through the frightened crowd of students to the muster location and then suddenly he’s gone. It doesn’t matter how quickly you crank your head to the side, he’s just vanished. Again. You spend the whole two hours huddled up in the auditorium glued to your phone as you watch the Red Hood fight Black Mask over a shitty news helicopter live stream. You’ve lived in Gotham your whole life, have practically become numb to the sirens and the drills for the worst that the city has to offer, but not today. Today your heart is in your mouth as you watch Jason take a blow to the head and go reeling across your phone screen. Breathing shakily, you realize that if he were to die – now – you’d never get to tell him just how fully he’s made a home for himself in your life, in your chest.

Obligingly, Jason doesn’t die today. Instead he pops up in the auditorium just as the all clear to evacuate has been sounded, ruefully explaining the mark on his cheek to your friends as the result of a panicking freshman’s fist. He’s a good liar you notice, through the hazy adrenaline rush of he’s alive, he’s alive pounding through your skull.

Later that night lying in bed, you stretch your hand up, observing the way the light from passing cars cuts across your palm. You should probably do something about the shutters that don’t close right onto the fire escape but there’s always a thousand other things clamouring for attention. Besides, on nights like this when your thoughts turn in on themselves and sleep is a distant memory, the glow of the world outside provides a kind of comfort to you. No matter how bad things seem, life rumbles ever onwards. So what if every time you struggle with the keys to the front door it’s because you get lost in the memory of the one bright moment when it seemed like you could finally keep Jason? He’s not here now. The sheets have been washed – twice – but sometimes in that hazy place between sleeping and waking you swear you can still smell him. You think about the last time Jason had smiled at you, real and true and so sweetly uncomplicated. Your hand balls up into a fist and you cradle it to your chest. Maybe you suck at pretending everything is normal too.

You must, because two weeks later, Danika corners you at one of your Wednesday study sessions. The student union is busy, tables full of students finally starting to realize exams are fast approaching with all the unwavering care of a freight train.

“Hey can I talk to you for a sec?” she asks, just as you’re getting up.

“D’you mind if we talk and walk? I’m dying for caffeine and my stamp card says the next cup is free at The Grind,” you reply distractedly, digging your wallet out of your bag.

“Oh you know I’m always down for a little snack,” she says, but there’s a note to her intonation that you can’t parse.

The line for the coffee shop is long, but moving fast. You don’t notice anything off until you look up from struggling to extricate your membership card from your wallet, soft card stock folding under you nails. Danika is tugging at her hair as she stands next to you, twirling the strands tight around her finger until the circulation cuts off, the way she only does when she’s nervous and building up to something.

She takes a deep breath and asks, “Are you and Jason, like, okay?” ripping the bandaid off.

“I– why would you ask me that?” you deflect, scrambling to figure out where, exactly, your performance had faltered. The line surges forward, carrying the two of you along with it.

“Just, the last week or so something’s been off between you two. You know how you’re so obviously his favourite and he forgets the meaning of ‘personal space’ but only around you and he’s always–”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” you struggle to cut her off. “It can’t be that bad, he’s good friends with all of us.”

“I’m pretty sure that whenever you start speaking the rest of us turn invisible or something,” Danika says wryly. “But the last week or so the vibes have just been off. He’s even less talkative than usual and I have been this–” she pinches her fingers together, pink nails catching the light “–close to recommending you a better concealer. So did you guys fight or something? Because you can tell me, you know.” She looks at you with wide, earnest eyes. “Because it doesn’t matter what it’s about, I’m on your side. If you wanna drop him as a friend, we’ll all do it no questions asked.”

“No, we uh, we didn’t fight but hold that thought okay?” you reassure her, before hurrying through your order as quickly as you can. Danika’s already standing by the pickup counter, finger still twisting in her hair.

“Or like, if you need a body buried the two of us could definitely take him,” she offers.

“We didn’t fight, okay? I’m serious. And while I’m happy that you’d hide a body for me, it’s really, honestly, not necessary. Me and Jason are fine,” you reassure her. The high neck of your sweater feels too tight.

“Alright so we don’t go all Gone Girl on him but whatever happened hurt you and I don’t like it when my best friend is hurting. Whatever it is I’m not gonna tell anyone, not if you don’t want me to,” she says, suddenly turning earnest again.

“Jesus, it was nothing okay? It’s just, do you remember that night we all went out after Thanksgiving?” you offer up.

“The night where we were all taking bets on if Jason would make a move before or after the club?” she chimes in.

“You were what?!” you hiss, heart stuttering and palms suddenly damp.

“I’m kidding! Kidding!” she says with a laugh. “Sorry, you were just getting so wound up, I wanted to bring the mood up a bit. We didn’t actually bet on it. We did talk about though, before you both got there.”

You bite your lips, weigh up how much truth you want to tell. The barista calls out your order and you’re thankful for the extra moment to gather yourself.

“I was drunk and I tried to kiss him, okay?” She gasps. “And then he shut that shit down. He made it really, really clear that we were only ever gonna be friends,” you finish, gulping down your tea to cover for your embarrassment and immediately burning your tongue. It’s not the whole truth, but it’s close enough without having to debride the festering wound you still haven’t made peace with.

“Wait you’re sure that’s what he said? Absolutely no chance of anything?” Danika seems stunned. “I could swear there’s no way whatever you two have going on is platonic.”

“Kinda hard to misinterpret the whole ‘that was a bad idea let’s just stay friends speech’. I wasn’t drunk enough to forget that.” You study your drink with false interest.

“Oh. Oh I’m sorry,” she says, the kind of soft that she almost never is. “He’s an idiot if he doesn’t realising exactly what he’s missing out on.” Danika reaches out and rubs your shoulder. “We’ll find you someone else that’s way, way hotter and makes better life choices. Until then, he’s on thin fucking ice.”

“This is all my shit, yeah? Leave him be, we’ll figure it out and this’ll all blow over,” you warn her. There’s a certainty to your words that you definitely don’t feel. But Jason shouldn’t be punished for the crime of not returning your affection and so you’ll just have to learn how to fake normalcy better. “Plenty of more fish in the sea or whatever. I’ll get over him.”

“Fine, but I’m gonna trust you to tell me if you don’t,” she says, linking your arm through hers. The two of you head back to the group, weaving your way through outstretched legs and scattered bags littering the space between tables. There’s a kind of comfort in having your charade seen through by someone that cares enough to ask. It won’t do in the long run, but this stutter step with Jason won’t last forever.

“Hey you’re still living in the Alley right?” Danika asks offhandedly, sliding back into the booth.

“Haven’t moved since first year, Dani.”

“Just be careful, then, okay? I saw on the news that there’s been more muggings in that area.”

You almost choke on your tea. “Yeah okay, I’ll avoid any muggers,” you croak. Jason’s eyes burn a hole into the side of your head.

part 9

#jason todd x reader #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #jason todd x fem!reader #red hood x reader #red hood x you #red hood x y/n #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd fic #ydcmb (uibyt) series #sunnie writes 🌻

145 notes · View notes

mediocre-shark-tales · 4 months ago

Text

Identity Crisis

Doohan Sister Reader F1 Driver Reader Cadillac Formula 1 Reader

The second I stepped into my apartment, it felt like I could finally breathe again. The suffocating grip of my parents’ expectations, their carefully crafted plans for my life, loosened just enough for me to feel human again. Still, their words echoed in my head, swirling like a storm I couldn’t quite escape. The weight of their disappointment, their control, their complete disregard for what I wanted—it pressed down on me, but here, at least, I could push back.

For now, I refused to focus on their twisted version of my future. I refused to be their pawn, their bargaining chip in whatever high-society game they were playing. I had to focus on what mattered—racing, my career, my friends, the people who actually saw me and not just an asset to be married off.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I scrolled through my messages until I found the trio group chat. My fingers hovered over the keyboard for a second before I typed:

Code Red, boys. Who wants to join me in a rage room?

The message sent, and I barely hesitated before switching to my browser, frantically searching for a place that would let me smash things to bits on such short notice. If there was ever a moment I needed to shatter something into a million pieces, it was now.

A reply popped up almost instantly.

Lando: Uh oh, who do we have to fight?

Oscar: Do we need alibis?

I let out a breathy laugh, shaking my head. These idiots. At least they always knew how to make me smile when I felt like curling into myself.

Me: No fights, no crimes. Just pure, unfiltered destruction. Be there in 30 minutes or be forever judged.

Franco finally replied, a simple thumbs-up emoji, followed by:

Franco: I’m in. But if you two back out, you’re dead to me.

I rolled my eyes and shot back a quick Wouldn’t dream of it before confirming the booking.

As I grabbed my keys, something in my chest loosened just a little more. I wasn’t alone. No matter how much my family tried to force me into a version of myself I didn’t recognize, at least I had people who chose me, exactly as I was. And tonight, with a baseball bat in hand and three of the best idiots I knew at my side, I was going to take every ounce of frustration, anger, and exhaustion and smash it into oblivion.

—

The room was eerily quiet for a moment after I finished speaking. My voice had started strong, steady, but by the time I got to the end, my throat was tight, and the weight of everything I had just confessed hung heavy in the air.

Lando was the first to break the silence. “That is—” He cut himself off, jaw clenched so tight I could practically hear his teeth grinding. “That is absolutely fucking ridiculous.” His hands shot up into his curls, tugging at them in frustration as he paced the room. “Are they serious? Like, actually? ‘Cause I swear to god, if they think they can just—" He stopped mid-sentence and turned back to me, eyes blazing. "What the hell kind of parents do that? Arranging dates? Telling you when you have to be back? Do they actually see you as a person or just some asset to trade off?”

I looked down at my hands, twisting my fingers together. I didn’t have an answer for him.

“Unbelievable,” Lando muttered, shaking his head. “And Jack? Jack? Does he seriously not see how messed up this is?”

I swallowed hard. “He… I don’t know. He just—he doesn’t question it. He doesn’t see the problem, and if he does, he just—he’s always been the golden boy, the one they actually care about. He doesn’t get what it’s like to be treated like an inconvenience in your own family.”

Lando let out a sharp breath, muttering something under his breath before flopping onto the couch beside me. He was still radiating anger, but when he looked at me, it softened into something more protective, almost like he was trying to will the weight off my shoulders.

Franco had been quiet, arms crossed, staring down at the floor as he processed everything I’d said. But when he finally spoke, his voice was laced with restrained fury. “I get being blind to some things, but this? This isn’t just ‘not noticing,’ this is choosing to ignore the way they treat you. That’s not just ignorance, that’s selfishness.” His jaw tightened. “If he really cared, he’d see it. He’d do something.”

I exhaled slowly, pressing my fingers against my temples. “It’s not that easy, Franco. He’s their perfect son. The one who’s always followed the path they wanted for him. It’s probably easier for him to believe that I want this life—that I don’t mind being controlled—than to admit that our parents are capable of being that cruel.”

Oscar, who had been quiet up until now, sighed. “I don’t think Jack’s a bad person,” he said carefully. “But I do think he’s been fed a lot of bullshit and hasn’t ever had to challenge it. That doesn’t excuse it, but…” He shook his head. “I just—I’d like to think he’ll figure it out eventually. That he’ll realize how wrong this is.”

Lando scoffed. “Yeah? And how long are we supposed to wait for that to happen? Until she’s actually stuck in some marriage she doesn’t want? Until it’s too late?”

I winced, and Oscar frowned. “I’m not saying to sit around and wait for him to get a clue. I’m just saying… maybe he’s not completely beyond hope.”

Franco exhaled sharply. “I’d love to believe that, mate, but right now, he’s got a hell of a lot of proving to do before I buy it.”

Oscar didn’t argue, just pressed his lips together and nodded.

Lando suddenly turned to me, brows furrowed. “You’re not seriously going back, right? You’re not actually going to let them force you into those ridiculous dates?”

I let out a heavy sigh, my fingers tightening around the fabric of my hoodie. “I don’t have a choice,” I admitted, my voice quieter than I wanted it to be. “If I refuse, they’ll start digging. And if they start digging, it’s only a matter of time before they find something I can’t afford for them to know.” I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. “Besides… I have to be there for the funeral. For him.”

Lando’s expression darkened, his jaw clenching. “That’s bullshit,” he muttered. “They shouldn’t get to have that kind of control over you.”

Franco, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke. “Then we make sure they don’t. You go, do what you have to do, but you’re not alone in this.” His voice was firm, unwavering. “If they push, we push back.”

Lando nodded, eyes burning with determination. “And if they try anything—anything at all—you call us. No hesitation.”

I swallowed hard, looking between them. The weight of what I was walking back into felt suffocating, but knowing I had them behind me? That made it just a little easier to bear.

For the first time in days, I let out a real breath. I wasn’t alone in this. No matter what my family did, no matter how much Jack refused to see the truth, I had people who stood by me. And that?

That meant everything.

—

Walking into the paddock the following weekend brought a fleeting sense of calm, like a breath of fresh air after suffocating for too long. The familiar hum of engines, the scent of burnt rubber lingering in the air, the organized chaos of teams rushing to prepare for the weekend—it all grounded me. This was my world. Here, I knew my place. Here, there were no whispered conversations about my future, no suffocating expectations disguised as family duty. Here, I was Ghost, a driver, not a pawn in someone else’s game.

For a moment, I let myself believe that I could just melt back into the routine, that nothing had changed. But the weight in my chest told me otherwise. No matter how much I wanted to pretend, the last week had cracked something inside me. My family’s words still clung to me like an unwanted shadow, and the knowledge that I had to return to them in two weekends loomed over me like a storm cloud.

Still, I forced a deep breath and straightened my posture, adjusting my helmet slightly as I stepped further into the paddock. Racing was the only constant in my life, the one thing that hadn’t turned its back on me. And no matter how much my world outside of this fell apart, the track would always be there—waiting for me to take control.

But the moment I noticed him, that fragile sense of peace shattered.

At first, I brushed it off. The paddock was always buzzing with people—engineers, media personnel, fans who had somehow found their way into restricted areas. Maybe he was just a journalist looking for an exclusive or a fan who had recognized something familiar in the way I moved.

But then it kept happening.

I would turn a corner, and there he was. Just barely in my peripheral vision, lingering at the edge of the crowd. Not moving toward me, not holding a camera or a phone—just watching.

Dark brown—almost black—eyes boring into me from a distance.

I pretended not to notice at first, keeping my head high, my posture casual, but every instinct inside me screamed that something was wrong. It wasn’t just the fact that he was staring—it was how he was doing it. Unblinking. Unmoving. Every time I turned my head just slightly, he was still locked onto me.

Shit.

A prickle of unease crawled down my spine as I walked toward the garage. I adjusted the straps of my bag, pretending to focus on something ahead, but my senses stayed hyperaware. If he was a journalist, why wasn’t he making a move? If he was a fan, why wasn’t he trying to approach me?

Unless he wasn’t either.

Unless he already knew.

The thought made my stomach turn. If someone had figured out who I was—who Ghost really was—it wouldn’t just be my career at risk. My entire life could unravel in an instant. My parents, my team, the FIA… the media.

I exhaled slowly, forcing my hands to stay steady as I picked up my pace. I needed to be smart about this. No sudden moves. No sign of weakness.

I spotted Franco near the team’s hospitality area, casually scrolling through his phone. He looked relaxed, but I knew better. Franco noticed everything.

I veered toward him without hesitation. As I approached, I didn’t stop walking, didn’t make a show of concern—just lowered my voice and murmured, “Don’t be obvious, but there’s someone following me.”

Franco’s thumb froze mid-scroll. He didn’t react immediately, just shifted his weight, stretching slightly as if he had no care in the world. “Where?” he asked, voice low, his tone suddenly sharper.

I didn’t turn my head. Instead, I reached up, pretending to adjust my helmet, subtly angling it toward the shadowy figure standing just beyond the entrance to the garage. “Black jacket. Dark hair. Brown eyes. He’s been watching me, tailing me since I got here.”

Franco’s posture changed. He didn’t tense, didn’t react outwardly, but I felt the shift immediately. His eyes flicked up, searching the area, and then I knew. He saw him too.

“I see him,” Franco muttered under his breath.

I swallowed hard. “He’s not media. Or if he is, he’s not acting like it.”

Franco exhaled through his nose. “Not a fan either. Too calculated.”

I clenched my jaw. “I don’t like this.”

Franco didn’t hesitate. “I’ll stick close.”

There was no room for argument in his voice, and honestly, I didn’t want to argue. The unease in my gut wasn’t going away.

For the next hour, Franco barely left my side. Wherever I moved, he moved. It was subtle, nothing obvious, but I felt the presence of his protection like a shield at my back.

But the man was still there. He never approached, never pulled out a phone, never tried to hide the fact that he was watching.

He was just… waiting.

And I had no idea what for.

Eventually, the call for practice came through. I had to get in the car.

For the first time in my entire career, I hesitated. It was barely a second, but Franco caught it.

He stepped in front of me before I could move toward the garage. “I’ll keep an eye out,” he promised, his voice quieter this time, more serious. “Just focus on the car. I’ll handle everything else.”

I met his eyes, finding an unshakable confidence there. Franco wasn’t just saying it to make me feel better—he meant it.

I swallowed hard and gave him a nod before stepping toward the machine that, for now, was the only thing keeping me safe.

—

FP1 and FP2 had gone better than I could have hoped. The car felt good beneath me, like an extension of my own body, responding with every flick of my hands and push of the throttle. For the first time in what felt like forever, I had complete control. Every lap chipped away at the tension in my muscles, the weight of my family, the eerie presence of the man from earlier.

Because, since I had climbed into the car for FP1, I hadn’t seen him.

No lingering shadow. No dark, unblinking eyes watching from the distance. No figure lurking near the garages.

For a few blissful hours, I had let myself believe maybe it was over. Maybe he had been a journalist looking for a story and given up. Maybe he had been a fan who lost interest. Maybe I was just being paranoid.

But paranoia had kept me alive before.

The pit lane was still buzzing as I wandered toward the garage, looking for Franco. The sun had long started its descent, casting a deep amber glow over the paddock. Team members shuffled back and forth, some hauling equipment, others lost in conversation.

I pulled out my phone, quickly typing out a message.

Me: Where are you? Ready to head back.

I kept walking as I waited for a response, my bag slung over my shoulder. That’s when I felt it.

That same crawling sensation on the back of my neck.

Like I was being watched.

My grip on my phone tightened. I resisted the urge to turn around too fast, instead slowing my pace slightly, angling my head just enough to look like I was looking off to the side with my helmet, but being able to see directly behind me secretly.

And there he was.

The man.

Closer than before.

I felt my pulse spike.

He was no longer keeping his distance, no longer lurking on the edge of the crowd. He was moving with purpose, weaving through the garage area, eyes locked on me.

The air in my lungs turned ice cold.

No. No, no, no.

I picked up my pace, forcing my legs to move faster without making it obvious I was running. Maybe if I could just lose him in the crowd. Maybe if I turned into one of the side garages and circled back—

I risked another glance over my shoulder.

He was gaining.

Shit.

A fresh wave of adrenaline hit my bloodstream, sending my heart hammering against my ribs. My breaths came short and quick, hands clammy as I clutched my phone tighter.

Move.

I turned sharply, ducking into the narrow space between the team garages, slipping past stacks of equipment, dodging between mechanics. I kept my head low, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. The noise of the paddock felt distant now, drowned out by the single, undeniable fact that this man was not just following me.

He was hunting me.

My mind raced. Who the hell was he? What did he know? Had he figured out who I was?

I darted past the Red Bull garage, hoping to find Lando, Oscar—anyone—but no familiar faces stood out.

Then, in my desperation, I made a mistake.

I turned a corner too fast.

And ran straight into a wall.

A person.

Solid muscle. Broad shoulders. A firm grip that caught me before I could hit the ground.

“What the—” The voice was sharp, but familiar.

I looked up, breathless, and my stomach dropped.

Max Verstappen.

I barely registered the look of confusion on his face before I tried to push away, my body still running in full-blown panic mode. But Max didn’t let go.

His hands tightened slightly on my arms, eyes narrowing as he took me in—really looked at me.

I must’ve looked nervous. My chest was rising and falling too fast, my body trembling. The rush of fear hadn’t left my body yet.

Max’s expression shifted, something calculating settling in his gaze. He glanced past me, over my shoulder, and his body tensed just slightly.

I didn’t have to turn around to know what he saw.

The man was still there.

Still following.

Max didn’t hesitate.

“Come with me.” His voice was low, firm. No room for argument.

I barely had time to nod before he pulled me with him, turning sharply into the Red Bull hospitality area. I stumbled slightly, still shaken, but Max didn’t slow down.

He maneuvered through the hallways with the ease of someone who had spent more years in this paddock than anywhere else. I forced my legs to keep up, my mind struggling to catch up to what was happening.

Only when he reached his driver’s room did he finally let go.

Max shut the door behind us, locking it with a quiet click.

The silence was deafening.

I finally exhaled, chest still rising and falling in uneven gasps.

Max turned to face me fully, crossing his arms. “Alright,” he said, voice edged with something unreadable. “Now, you’re going to tell me who the hell is following you.”

And just like that, I knew my secret was on the verge of unraveling.

I swallowed hard, my pulse still erratic as I forced myself to take a deep breath. The panic was still there, lingering in my fingertips, in the way my legs still felt ready to bolt, but I couldn’t let it take over. Not now.

Max’s sharp blue eyes were locked onto me, arms crossed over his chest as he waited for an answer. There was no escaping this conversation.

“I—I don’t know who he is,” I admitted, my voice modulated weirdly by the voice changer embedded in my helmet. “I don’t know what he wants. But I have a feeling he’s either a reporter trying to dig into my identity or just some crazy guy trying to intimidate me.”

Max didn’t react at first. He simply studied me, expression unreadable. Then, with a sharp exhale, he pulled out his phone and started typing.

“What are you doing?” I asked, still trying to get my breathing under control.

“Getting security to handle it,” Max said simply, not even looking up from his phone. “If he’s a journalist, he’ll get removed. If he’s a threat, they’ll take care of it.” He sent the message, then finally met my gaze again. “You should’ve told someone earlier.”

I shifted on my feet, glancing toward the door like I expected the man to be on the other side. “Didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but I told Franco in case”

Max huffed a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “That’s stupid.”

I blinked at him, slightly taken aback by the bluntness.

“I mean it,” he continued. “If someone is following you around a paddock like this, you tell someone. There are too many cameras and too little security guards for people to get away with that shit. You shouldn’t have to deal with it alone.”

I hesitated, then nodded. “…Thanks.”

Max shrugged, like it was nothing, before dropping down onto the couch in his drivers’ room. He gestured for me to sit, and after a moment’s pause, I did.

He leaned back, stretching out. “You know, you’re the only rookie I haven’t really talked to yet.”

I raised a brow behind my helmet. “Oh?”

Max nodded, his expression softening slightly. “Yeah. You’re kind of a mystery, you know? Everyone knows the others, but you? Nobody even knows your name.” He smirked. “It drives the media crazy.”

I let out a small laugh at that. “That’s the goal.”

Max hummed in approval, then tilted his head slightly. “So, how’s your first season going?”

It was such a normal question, such a casual question, that it took me a second to process it. He wasn’t prying, wasn’t pushing. He was just… talking.

And it felt nice.

I leaned back slightly, letting out a breath. “It’s been… a lot,” I admitted. “Good, bad, stressful, incredible—every emotion possible.”

Max nodded knowingly. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

There was a brief pause before he added, “You’re doing well, though. People didn’t know what to expect from you at first, but you’ve proven you belong here.”

I blinked at him. “Coming from a four-time world champion, that’s a big compliment.”

Max smirked. “Five-time soon.”

I snorted. “Confident, huh?”

He shrugged. “Just realistic.”

I couldn’t help but smile a little beneath my helmet.

Max’s expression shifted slightly, something more thoughtful crossing his features. “Listen, I know this sport can be… overwhelming. And I know keeping your identity secret probably makes it ten times harder.”

He wasn’t wrong.

“So,” he continued, “if you ever need advice, or just… someone to talk to, I don’t mind.”

I tilted my head. “You want to be my mentor or something?”

Max chuckled. “Let’s just say, I’ve been where you are. Coming in as a rookie, people doubting you, feeling like you have to prove yourself every single weekend. I get it.”

I was quiet for a moment before nodding. “Thanks, Max.”

His smirk returned. “Don’t thank me yet. I’m a terrible mentor.”

I laughed, feeling some of the tension from earlier finally fading.

Maybe Max Verstappen wasn't so scary after all.

—

The paddock had long since quieted, the chaos of the day giving way to the stillness of the night. The only sounds in the dimly lit hotel room were the low hum of the air conditioning and the occasional creak from the walls settling.

I sat on the edge of the bed, scrolling mindlessly through my phone, exhaustion weighing heavy on my limbs but refusing to let me sleep. The adrenaline from the day had only just begun to wear off. My talk with Max had helped ease some of the tension, but the lingering paranoia from earlier still clung to me like a second skin.

And then—my phone buzzed.

A single notification. A message from an unknown number.

I frowned, tapping the screen. The moment I read the words, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

I know who you are. And so will the rest of the world soon.

My breath hitched. I blinked rapidly, as if rereading it would somehow change the meaning.

Another buzz.

Unless, of course, we can come to an agreement.

A cold shiver crawled up my spine.

No. No, this wasn’t happening. Not now. Not when everything had just started falling into place.

My hands trembled as I clutched the phone, my vision blurring at the edges. I was frozen for a moment, caught between disbelief and rising panic. And then, before I could stop myself, I was dialing.

The ringing felt like it stretched on forever before a familiar, slightly groggy voice answered.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“I can’t get caught. I can’t. Not now.”

My voice cracked.

A pause. Then, a sharp intake of breath before a much deeper serious voice spoke. “What happened?”

I swallowed, gripping the phone tighter. “Someone—some journalist—they messaged me. They say they know.”

There was a rustling sound on the other end of the line, like sheets being thrown aside. Nico was awake now. Fully alert.

“Send me the messages,” he said, voice steady, controlled. “Now.”

I did, my fingers shaking as I forwarded the texts. The second the messages were delivered, I pressed the phone back to my ear, waiting.

The silence stretched.

Finally, Nico spoke, his voice measured but firm. “We don’t panic.”

A bitter laugh bubbled up in my throat. “That’s easy for you to say.”

“We don’t panic,” he repeated. “First, we confirm what they actually know. This could be a bluff, just someone fishing for a reaction. We don’t give them one. No response. Not yet.”

My pulse pounded against my ribs, but I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “And if they do know?”

A sigh. “Then we handle it. But I promise you, we will handle it.”

I pressed a hand to my forehead, trying to steady my breathing. The weight in my chest was suffocating, the fear clawing its way up my throat.

“You’re not alone in this,” Nico continued. “Try to get some sleep.”

Sleep? That was impossible.

I didn’t say anything, just hummed vaguely in response.

“…I mean it,” he added, softer this time.

I exhaled shakily. “Okay.”

But even as I hung up, the phone clutched tightly in my hands, I knew sleep wouldn’t come.

I stayed awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the next message. Waiting for the next move in a game I never wanted to play.

—

The paddock should have felt like home. The steady hum of engines, the flashes of cameras, the voices blending into a chaotic blur—it was the one place I usually felt grounded. But today, everything felt off. Every sound grated against my nerves. Every glance felt like it lingered too long.

I barely made it past the garage before a firm grip caught my arm.

“Walk with me.”

I stiffened at first but quickly recognized the voice. Max.

He didn’t wait for a response, steering me toward a quieter part of the paddock, away from the prying eyes of cameras and journalists. His grip was firm but not forceful, his steps quick and deliberate. My heart pounded, exhaustion from the night before pressing heavily on my bones. I already knew this wasn’t just some casual chat.

Once we were tucked into a corner where no one could eavesdrop, he turned to face me, arms crossed, his usual smirk nowhere to be seen.

“You need to tell me the truth,” he said.

My stomach twisted. “About what?”

Max exhaled through his nose, clearly unimpressed. “I got a text this morning. Some journalist is trying to blackmail me.”

My blood ran cold.

“They’re saying you and I were together in my driver’s room,” he continued, his voice sharp. “That we’re hiding some secret relationship. That it would ‘look bad’ since we’re from different teams.” He scoffed, shaking his head. “It’s a weak angle, but if they spin it right, it could still cause problems.”

I swallowed hard, but the pressure in my chest only grew heavier.

“Max… that’s not all,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “What do you mean?”

I hesitated before forcing the words out. “I got a message last night. From the same number. They said they know who I am.”

Max’s entire body stiffened. His brows furrowed in confusion, but beneath that, I could see something else—concern.

“You mean—?”

I nodded, pulse hammering in my ears. “They know, or at least they think they do. I don’t know if they have real proof or if it’s just a bluff, but I can’t take the risk.”

Max let out a slow breath, rubbing a hand down his face. For a moment, he didn’t say anything. Then, suddenly, his expression hardened with a sense of finality.

“Okay,” he said. “Here’s what we do.”

I watched as his frustration shifted into something sharper, more determined.

“We play into their first angle,” he said. “They want a story? Fine. We give them one.”

I frowned. “What?”

Max’s lips twitched, but there was no real humor behind it. “They think we’re hiding some secret relationship. Instead, we show them the truth—just not the truth they want.” He tilted his head. “They want scandal? We give them a mentor and mentee dynamic. You and me, working together. I’ll be your ‘grid dad’ or whatever you rookies call it.”

Despite everything, I let out a small huff. “Grid dad?”

“You got a better plan?”

I hesitated, considering it. “No… actually, I think that might work.”

“Of course it will,” Max said. Then, his voice softened. “I’ll also get my lawyers on this. They’ll work with your manager to find out exactly what this journalist knows and shut them down before they can do anything.”

I looked at him then, really looked at him. Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, who had no real reason to go out of his way to help me. And yet, here he was, protecting me like I was one of his own.

“You don’t have to do all this,” I murmured.

Max gave me a pointed look. “You’re part of the grid. That means you’re one of us. And if someone comes after one of us, they deal with all of us. Sure, right now, you don’t have all of us, but you do have me. And I have power both inside and outside the paddock. ”

For the first time in hours, I felt like I could breathe again. If only just a few shallow breaths, it was something, it was an improvement.

I didn’t know what the journalist truly had on me, but at least now, I wasn’t fighting this battle alone.

Masterlist

Taglist: @widow-cevans @honethatty12 @wierdflowerpower @imlonelydontsendhelp @thatsnotaddy @freyathehuntress

#x reader #driver!reader #f1 #f1 angst #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #f1 grid x reader #f1 imagine #f1 driver!reader

120 notes · View notes

rexfordus · 5 months ago

Text

*I'm back with a snack. Before I get to their headcanons, all three of them were created and unknowingly left behind on the field they were "born" on.

Now to the essay of headcanons!↓

-Paperjam is the first to be created. He was made before any semblance of peace was established between Ink and Error.

-He's able to create just like Ink, but because he's far younger, it's an unrefined ability, and often has small mistakes, such as tears in papers or holes in unmade parts of an object. They're also unable to make larger objects yet.

-They never got much of a childhood, being born onto the aftermath of a battlefield at an estimated 6 years of age and inadvertently being forced to learn how to exist safely and healthily all on their own. They ended up finding Gradient on a battlefield 9 years later and raising him as their own.

-Paperjam actually has a crush on someone, but you guys don't get to know that yet (⁠◠⁠‿⁠◕⁠)

-The ink blob acts as a bag of holding and he can store items in there , as long as it can fit into it.

-He calls his little brothers his "kids" for simplicity. He doesn't care about the weird looks he gets occasionally.

-Bro makes fake money to buy things while universe hopping bc he's too busy to ever make any legitimately. Nobody ever finds out.

-He HATES Ink and Error. It's a non-moving grudge that won't ever budge until somebody gets close enough to help him.

-He tried alcohol once and hated it, vowing to keep his "kids" from ever trying it because it was so gross.

~~~

-Gradient was made after the peace between ink and error was established, but was still a product of battle. Ink had ended up pissing Error off too much and it turned into a heated battle.

-He takes after error in the notion of crashing at extreme emotions. He less freezes in place and more experiences fainting, but more painful and unpleasant. He gets very overwhelmed and he just ragdolls.

-Pj ended up being very lenient towards Gray in developmental years, which ended up with him turning out socially stunted and awkward. He is too used to his comfort zone to ever check out new opportunities unless forced to, or actually interested in it.

-He listens to MCR and thinks it's the deepest band ever.

-While growing, he gains the short fuse of his older brother and the destructive tendencies of his Father, and ends up destroying aus for no regard of balance, and more experimenting on how timelines will freak out before disappearing. He's kind of unsettling.

-He draws a lot, usually on a digital medium. He focuses on landscapes and settings rather than people or characters.

-Their special interest is technology, and they know how to do practically anything thanks to the code manipulation.

-Code manipulation is his main ability rather than destruction, but he uses it in very creative ways. He can theoretically use it to be very overpowered, but he doesn't because he's a forgetful teenager who doesn't even leave his room. Let's never remind him he has free will🙏🙏

~~~

-Bluescreen was created between a fun sparring match turned angry battle for life between Swap and Error. The battlefield was abandoned quick after, and bluescreen formed at around ~4 years of age.

-It cannot be understood by anyone who doesn't know how to read binary. Gradient can understand, Pj can only get a word or two, and everyone else hears nothing but noise, leading to much frustration.

-Before Screen had control of his magic when he grew a little, he couldn't touch any living thing without corrupting it's code to the point of turning into but a silhouette of an actual bluescreen message and a piercing screech. (leading to much future anxiety)

-On the topic of anxiety, if he were to ever have an anxiety attack within a lone au, it would crumble. His code, as a born glitch, is far too unstable and when tested, it quickly corrupts all nearby code, which spreads indefinitely unless directly interfered with or reflected.

-He likes chicken Alfredo a lot :33

-He hides his deformed leg and arm due to being shy, but they're very limited in mobility. When being adopted by PJ, he gets braces.

-Screen had to raise himself and learned how to write and sign in MSL all by himself through unpredictable jumps through aus/timelines and watching others exist.

-He's friends with Hate, and sees him like a parental figure, (will give drawing and story later lol I'm lazay.)

~~~

Psst, have a bonus picture for reading this far!

-pj belongs to 7goodangel

-gradient belongs to askcomboclub

-bluescreen is shared by 7goodangel and askinfresh

*btw can somebody help tell me who made these shipchildren originally I've used them for rps for so long I don't even know anymore. This goes for a lot of the characters I draw, I just draw for myself 😭😭I need to adjust to Tumblr etiquette pls I'm trying

75 notes · View notes

alexrosa13 · 5 months ago

Text

Valentine's Favourites

Caleb x female!reader

Genre: fluff

Warnings: 1,3k words, cursing words, calling Caleb an asshole (out of love)

Note: fanfiction for my Valentine's Event

for masterlist and request info head to the navigation →

continuation of the evening →

~★~

Coming back to Linkon City from Skyhaven felt weird, seeing the sky from the ground was an unusual sight for Caleb, but he came down here with a plan, getting to work in your apartment when you were still at work, he wondered what your reaction will be...

Your day started normally. Getting yourself ready and sending your (long dead) boyfriend a good morning message before heading out became your daily routine. His responses were dependable on his job, was he free today? Was he in the Deepspace Tunnel with no way to contact you? You didn't know.

Without your knowledge, your boyfriend hopped on a train to Linkon City, on his way to surprise you.

Ever since you got to know he is alive and breathing he had one thought on his mind.

The plans he made before the explosion happened.

The ring he lost back then.

The love he thought he'll never get back.

He will be forever grateful for your kind heart and the fact that the year you spend apart didn't change your feelings.

The feelings you shared since teenage years.

It's only been a couple weeks since your reunion, and he decided that he doesn't want to wait a second longer.

He knew that it will be sudden, he knew that you may say no, but he had to ask you that question.

Getting off the train he instantly headed to his destination. He had code to your apartment, he knew you'll be at work.

Taking a seat in the taxi, he shot you a quick message good morning, knowing that you'll be stressing about him otherwise. Putting his phone into his pants right packet he checked the one on the left side, the feeling of a small box resting there, he didn't know whether the item made him more stressed or calm.

The truth is; Caleb was rarely nervous, most often than not acting unbothered, facing whatever life throws his way, after all, what choice did he have?

But this time it's different, he couldn't imagine his future without you by his side, not now, when he finally got you back.

Everything had yet to come back to how it was, but he knew you'll make it, together.

Finally he arrived at your place, he got inside without a problem, getting to work instantly.

In the meantime you finally ended your shift, grabbing a drink on your way back, you sent Caleb a text asking him to call you later. Without rush you walked through the Linkon streets, observing people going on with their life, people rushing to somewhere, kids playing, couples spending time together. You couldn't help but feel your heart ache, you missed your lover.

You finally got him back and yet you were forced to stay apart.

Some time later you finally got to your apartment building, typing the correct code on the first try you walked inside. It was quite dark, despite the hour not being that late, there will probably be a thunderstorm coming.

You couldn't help but get lost in the silence. It felt so lonely here, memories from the past months you spend alone haunting you. You turned on the lights, and instantly halted. You saw umbrellas and flowers hanging down from the ceiling all around your living area. Some hanging low enough to touch the ground, making your apartment look like a maze. You didn't know what was going on, slowly you made your way towards the area when they were 'hung' higher up, or rather... They were levitating higher up, some unknown force keeping them in their places, some were spinning slowly, some swinging gently.

You were so occupied with studying the view that you didn't notice the silhouette making their way towards you.

"I'll take it you like the decorations." instantly your head turned, your eyes exposing the shock you felt inside.

"Caleb?!" instantly you got closer to him to jump at his neck, holding him tight. His laugh reached your ears, you cling to him like a teddy bear. Using his strength he picks you up by the thighs, and you - using this to your advantage, kiss him from above, unusual sight.

Your passionate kiss broke only when you needed to come back for air.

Carefully he puts you back on your feet, his hands wandering to your waist.

"What are you doing here?" you ask, still recovering from the initial shock.

"I had something important to ask you and needed to do that in person." now you were even more confused. Something so important that he left Skyhaven just to ask you about it?

He watched your confusion with a smile.

"Princess." his voice still calm and unbothered "Before everything went down I... I was preparing to ask you something." his voice didn't falter, but he seemed to look for the right words in his mind.

"Before your 'death'?" you asked, still not understanding his intentions of coming to Linkon City and decorating your apartment with a million flowers.

"Yeah, before my death." he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Instantly your palms went to his face holding it gently, trying to show him that you didn't mean to hurt him with your words, he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them up with a more cheerful smile on his lips "I never had the chance to make my plans come true." he took something from his pocked, clenching it tightly in his hand "Back then we used to talk a lot about future, you always talked about pets that we'll get, how we'll move in together, how you would drop everything to leave with me to Skyhaven if that's what I would choose." he looked you in the eye, his expression turning into more serious one. Without dropping the eye contact he slowly lowered himself down onto one knee. Your brain was working overtime right now, were you imagining it?

"What the hell are you doing?" you ask, was that some kind of a joke? Was your mind playing tricks on you?

"I'm asking you to spend your future with me like we always planned." unfazed by your reaction he opened the little box, revealing the ring you always described to him when you were younger, telling him that if he'll get you a different one then you won't say yes...

"You're kidding me right now." your hands went up to your mouth, covering it, your eyes staring at his kneeling form.

"I wouldn't dare to." he said your name, not a nickname like usual, but your name "Will you merry me?" you swore that it was some kind of a sick daydream, this couldn't be happening, right?

"Caleb I..." you started tearing up, the overwhelming emotions threatening to eat you alive.

"If you don't want to, it's fine, but a heads-up: you won't get rid of me no matter the status of our relationship." he laughed, confident like always.

"Are you fucking joking right now?! Of course I'll marry you, you asshole." you let the tears fall, taking a step closer to him before hugging him as tight as you could.

"I come in here, trying my best to make you happy, and you repay me with insults? Not very nice of you darling." his teasing tone didn't get any reaction from you, you were too far gone in emotions right now to bite back.

Carefully he took your hand, placing the ring onto your finger, it fitted perfectly.

You looked at it for a second before your lips crashed into his, him tasting the salt of your tears during your exchange of kisses. He felt like you wanted to eat him whole, with the tempo you set, he didn't feel you kiss him this hard in a while. His hands went to your hips, holding it to keep you steady.

A couple of flowers slowly fell from above, some onto the floor, some onto your heads, but it didn't stop you from your exchange of passion, the fire of your feelings threatening to swallow you alive, but you were ready to get burned just to get another taste of those lips.

"I love you." he pulled back for a moment, before returning to enjoying your soft lips.

Everything will be okay now, he's back...

#caleb x reader #caleb x you #caleb x mc #caleb x y/n #caleb fluff #love and deepspace x reader #love and deepspace x you #love and deepspace #l&ds #lads #lnds #caleb #l&ds caleb #lads caleb #lnds caleb #love and deepspace caleb

102 notes · View notes

uwupaige · 1 year ago

Text

the nanny [paige bueckers] part two

[chapters 2 & 3]

the nanny master list!

chapter two: drunk eyes.

warnings: drinking.

finally, after a long 6 hours, catherine received a response back from the nanny position she applied for. hearing the notification ding from her computer, she shuffled to it quickly from her kitchen, where she was stuffing her face with a small snack. she began doing this for any all all notifications she had received that day. the girl was nervous to say the least, really wishing she was given the chance.

"𝖧𝗂, 𝖢𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝖾. 𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗅𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀. 𝖬𝗒 𝗇𝖺𝗆𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝖯𝖺𝗂𝗀𝖾, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽, 𝖨'𝗆 𝖺 𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗅𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗆 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖺 𝖼𝗋𝖺𝗓𝗒 𝗌𝖼𝗁𝖾𝖽𝗎𝗅𝖾. 𝖨𝖿 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗏𝖺𝗂𝗅𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾, 𝖨 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝖾𝖾𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖼𝗈𝖿𝖿𝖾𝖾 𝗈𝗋 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄𝖿𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗈𝗆𝗈𝗋𝗋𝗈𝗐. 𝖳𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎."

sending the message to catherine, after taking a while to answer her request, paige began to worry. as she turned the phone to azzi, she sat restless on the uncomfortable metal folding chair, her long leg bouncing up and down as the speakers on the court echoed loud pop music. "does this sound professional enough?"

the girl was thoroughly surprised, face showing it all, "aye, p, you used your commas correctly. also sounds super mom of you. 'as you read.'" azzi snorted out the last part, hand falling on her stomach to soothe the aches of her laughs rumbling through her.

"shut up," paige laughed, nerves eased a bit as she pushed a start blonde piece of hair out of her face. taking that as a yes, she tossed her phone under her seat since the game was about to start, knowing how they were about phones, even at their grown age. call it sports game etiquette. moments later, geno, their head coach, was calling all the woman for a huddle before the game began as they started to call their starting players. loud roars of cheering erupted on either side of the decently filled gym once paige's name was called. for it just being a scrimmage, paige always appreciated the turn out.

catherine answered that message immediately, not wanting to lose out on this opportunity. she couldn't afford to, and honestly didn't know what else to do if this didn't work out. there were no other choices besides putting school on pause again to find a random job that paid enough to work full time. the thought of that kind of life made catherine absolutely cringe, which in turn encouraged her to type faster.

her response was simple but effective, basically stating that she's free and would be more than to meet tomorrow, even suggesting a meeting place.

after hitting send, she rested her head on her soft-pink pillows, looking forward to a quick nap before a long friday night at the club.

˚✧.*

unfortunately, catherine's nap was pretty useless. it was pretty dead for a friday night, just a few drinkers here and there. luckily she didn't dress to impress, because it would've been a waste. their dress code at vynil was just all black, and catherine loved the simplicity of it. meaning she could show up in some leggings and a tank on nights like these and be just fine.

the girl leaned against her empty bar, palms flat on the counter as she sighed. her eyes found the clock to the right of her, hanging on a light grey wall that looked dark in this lighting, matching the rest of the walls in the club. the time read 11:47, forcing yet another sigh out her. her hair was parted down the middle and hung on either side of her face, the face framing bangs she randomly gave herself the other night blowing up and out of her face with every huff she let out.

anything is better than nothing, she reminded herself. at least she made some money tonight.

catherine sat at her empty bar for a few more minutes as she waited for any action to occur. it was then she decided it was probably going to look like this for the indefinite future. pushing herself up off the bar, catherine attempted to head back to her managers office to possibly be cut for the night, but she was held back by the rumbles of a large group of tall women walking into the club. there were at least 12 of them, and she smiled out of relief.

after a couple minutes of id checking by the large bouncer hanging at the front, who had also looked bored out of his mind until they arrived, they all made their way towards her side of the bar. catherine stood up straighter to let the women know she was ready and available to serve them. it was then she began regretting the simplicity of her outfit choices.

catching part of their conversation as they all walked over, she overheard a very loud, "you promised us all shots, right, p?" the party of women all rumble in agreement and laughter to the question.

now approaching the bar, catherine puts on her best customer service smile. "hi, how are we all doing tonight?" she spoke loudly to the group as they all surrounded her bar. they were all very lovely, responding back just as cheery.

"what can i get y'all started with tonight?" catherine asks the inevitable question, the group erupting into the same rumble from just a few moments prior, all asking if 'p was still buying shots.'

"alright, alright," came another voice from the large crowd, making its way to the front of the bar. a tall, blonde woman walked up to catherine, who waited patiently as she flashed her a smile, her crystal colored eyes looking at the girl expectantly. "hey, how you doin'?"

"not too bad. what can i get for you hun?" catherine asked, pushing a piece of caramel colored hair out of her face, making a note in her mind to find a hair tie soon.

"uh, round of shots, please."

the girls eyes skim over the group, counting 12 women that she needed to prepare drinks for. "for sure. house?" catherine's hand stuck out as she waited on her preference in liquor, waiting for the woman's card to ring her up.

handing over her debit card, she responds with a, "yes, please."

"lovely." catherine clicked away on her check out screen, ringing in all her drinks, then making it to the close out button. "did you wanna start a tab?"

for a moment, having been so sucked into their intimate interaction, they'd both almost forgotten about the other women surrounding them. and before the woman before her could answer, a tall brunette with a big smile wraps an arm around her, patting her should with her free hand as she loudly answered for her friend, "hell yeah! party paige is in the club!"

"get outta here, nika." paige laughs before nodding to catherine, "yeah, you can start a tab."

the girl then rung in her drinks, making them all as soon as her card went through. she decided to make small talk as she lined up all twelve of the short glasses, before reaching for the correct liquor. "are we celebrating?" she asks casually, pouring each shot quickly yet precisely, some of the women watching in awe of her skill.

paige shifts in her position at the bar, moving to lean against it to get comfortable, going to answer for the group. "basketball season's starting soon."

catherine gasps lowly and softly, smiling once again at them, "oo, that's exciting. do y'all go to that one university not far from here?"

they all answer with some variation of 'yeah' and 'yes' as catherine finished pouring each shot, placing them all on the elevated part of the bar where people received their orders.

"well, here's to an amazing start to your season." catherine states as she finishes passing out the shots, and paige swears her words were coated with glitter, sounding as genuine and as sweet as ever.

downing their shots with sour faces from the shock, a few taking longer than others, they all began to make their way to the dance floor. some of the women lingered near the bar to order the drinks they planned to sip on, paige being part of that crowd, settling for a simple dirty shirley temple.

paige stuck with that same order the rest of the night, easily having consumed six of them so far. and she wasn't shy about it either. nor was she very shy with catherine.

"what's your name?" paige asked out of nowhere, fully leaning her long body on the black countertop for much needed support. catherine was making her 7th drink of the night, but this time not adding in any vodka, deciding now was a good point to cut her off at.

looking up from her craft, the brunette made eye contact with paige, noticing how her eyes were almost closed. though, she could still read the longing look in them. "cat." she replies simply and sweet.

"that's so cute," paige compliments, a hint of adoration in her words. "you got any kids?"

catherine accidentally let out a small giggle at the sudden question, not expecting that at all. "none that i know of." she jokes, the joke missing paige completely. "do you?"

the blonde nods proudly as she begins to smile, a hand rubbing the back of her neck where her low bun rested, thinking of her little girl. "yeah, a baby girl." once she spoke her thoughts out loud, her smile began to falter. "a-actually she's 5. not really a baby."

"my mama always said that you're a baby until you're eighteen."

"i'd like to think of her that way." paige says in agreement with this total strangers mom, "she grew up so fast." she confides in catherine, clearly sad and clearly drunk.

catherine was now shaking her cocktail shaker, inquiring further. "had her young, huh?" paige just nodding sadly in response. "that's okay. my mom had me when she was 14."

"yeah?"

"yup. and i still turned out pretty okay."

paige saw opportunity for a joke, a small smirk playing on her lips as she let out a, "kinda." her shoulders shrugging once with an unsure face.

catherine raised an offended eyebrow, "oh, o-kay." she scoffs out, followed with a laugh as their eyes met. catherine's laughs fall off at the same time as paige's, both of them holding eye contact. it sounded as though the room fell quiet, side conversations and loud basses fading slowly.

catherine was the first to pull away, now pouring the flushed blondes virgin drink, placing it right in front of her with a glass of water as well. with that same, sweet smile from before, she spoke, "enjoy."

"thanks."

paige's drunk eyes followed catherine as she moved about the bar, whether she was attending other consumers or paying attention to her. she was sure she looked silly to everyone else, but the fog in her vision made her care less. she watched in admiration at how her hips swayed about in her tight, black leggings, and how her matching black tank hugged her waist, accentuating her smooth and natural looking curves. she loved how her brunette hair was now up in a messy yet tasteful ponytail. two small pieces of hair hung around her face, and she wasn't sure if it was there on purpose or not. eventually, catherine caught the woman's low eyes, flashing her a confused smiles. "you lost?"

"nah, nah, you just have.." paige began to speak her almost incoherent thoughts loudly, sighing before she continued to slur her words, her body still leaned heavily against the bar, "a great body." she clearly was not thinking before she spoke.

smiling casually as she wiped down the counter, catherine caught the woman's eyes. "thank you."

instantly, paige regretted even speaking to the woman as a wave of heat took over her, the room now becoming too hot. she sipped the last few ounces of her water before ultimately walking away, completely crashed out from embarrassment. it definitely left catherine even more confused, but she was soon too swarmed and busy to even dwell. she never tried to dwell too hard on drunk people anyway.

sooner or later, the uconn womans basketball team began to call it a night. as they gathered their group, they bombarded catherine's side of the bar with requests to close their tab, catherine working quickly and efficiently.

the brunette began to call out names to the woman so they could each retrieve their respective tabs. "okay—azzi?.. here you go, babe.. nika? that's a gorgeous name, nika.. kamorea? s-sorry—kk. here you go, mama."

after a couple of minutes placing tabs to faces, catherine was only left with paige's. looking out to the floor, she didn't see the woman anywhere. waiting patiently, catherine began to clean up her bar, instructing everyone to just leave their bills on one end to be collected. paige's was the last tab she had to close for the night before she could tip out the bouncers and head home for some much needed sleep.

the team of college basketball players eventually made their way closer towards the front of the club while they impatiently waited for their friend, a few of the women asking where she was every few seconds.

eventually, paige emerged from the women's bathroom, no one missing the other woman around the same age as her leaving only seconds after. guilt and even more embarrassment flooded her face as her teammates all chirped up to tease her. eventually she approached catherine at the bar, asking to close out her tab.

"alright, love, you're all set." catherine places the multitude of receipts and a pen on the counter in front of her, paige picking up the pen to just sign her name, and putting a line through the tip line—which was wildly out of character for her.

that caught catherine completely off guard. at that, paige just began to walk away, no other words spoken.

"your mama never teach you how to tip?" catherine called out, unashamed. paige turns to find the woman starting her down, her gaze intimidating and sending a family of butterflies to move in to her stomach. why did this make her feel more giddy than embarrassed?

paige stutters out a quick 'uh' before catherine rolls her eyes, telling her to have a goodnight. that sweet voice from earlier now tasting extremely bitter. and before paige can answer, she's being pulled out by her teammates, who are all ready to leave.

˚✧.*

chapter three: such a cliche.

"paigey... paige."

a tiny madison stood by her moms bed side, pulling on her limp hand, speaking her name constantly in attempt to wake her up. the girl was dressed in a disney princess sleep gown, and her hair was everywhere, a frizzed, curly mess.

the room was dark from paige's damn near black out curtains, but the light flowing in from the bright hallway was just enough to illuminate enough. paige was slumped, snoring quietly, and her skin was oily.

stirring slightly, the slumped blonde began to wake up slowly, her eyes fluttering open for a moment, then closing at the painful light. after a few more seconds of calling for her mom, madison started to poke her face. this made paige open one eye slightly, groaning in her sleepy state.

"w'sup, babe?" paige mutters out, sleepiness coating her words. a hand slowly coming up to her forehead as she tried to rub away a raging headache.

"i'm hungry." madison informs with sass, a small pout forming as she watched her mom fall in and out of sleep, now shaking her arm.

however, at those words, paige immediately sat up. grabbing her phone off the night stand in her sleepy state, she read the time to be 10:17. today was the day she was interviewing with catherine sanchez over breakfast for the nanny position and she was about to be extremely late. "fuck." paige muttered, throwing her legs over the side of her bed, supporting herself with one hand as they other rubbed her eyes.

"fuck?" madison repeated with confusion.

paige stopped, looking down at her daughter from her sitting position on her bed. "oo, baby, don't say that." she condemned herself in her head for cursing around her daughter.

"why?"

"it's a bad word." paige explained quickly, going back to rubbing her eyes for moment. then, changing the subject back to the matter at hand. "hey, can you do me a big favor?"

"maybe." madison sassed ever so cutely, paige having to hold back her small chuckle.

"go find a really pretty princess dress to wear because we're gonna go get breakfast at a restaurant with a play place."

madison gasped excitedly, jumping against the carpeted floor and nodding, "okay!" she exclaimed before running to her new room that paige had just finished unpacking, promising to paint it purple when she had free time.

once the energetic girl left her room, paige managed to get herself ready fairly quickly, especially considering how exhausted she was from her outings last night and the interactions she made—both with the bartender and the random girl in the bathroom. paige sorta cringed to herself thinking about it all as she perfected her low, slick back bun, a hairstyle she found to be 'easy enough' when she was in a rush.

that night ended with paige barely making it home, extremely late, paying the babysitter more for her extra time, and forcing herself to rinse off before she slumped on her dark blue comforter. she planned on sleeping into the late hours of the mornings, clearly forgetting that she had an important meeting.

in their text conversation, they agreed to meet at a restaurant not far from either of their places, at 11 a.m. that morning to chat over breakfast.

"mads!" paige called from the hallway bathroom, which was madison's, but doubled as a guest one as well. last she checked, madison was still deciding on if she wanted to wear her elsa dress or her tiana dress. "hurry up, i need to do your hair!"

a couple minutes later, madison ran into the bathroom, sporting a baby blue dress that paige couldn't imagine would be very comfortable. the itchy, plastic like material crinkled and crunched with every movement. deciding to leave her daughter be, paige just sat the girl in the round sink in front of the mirror, this barely being high up enough for her to do the girls hair comfortably.

paige just went with matching their hairstyles, something easy for the both of them. grabbing the girl out of the sink and placing her on her hip, paige turned off the bathroom light and made her way to the front door. paige placed madison down, sitting her in front of the door as she helped her put on her shoes. then slipping on her own, paige made sure they had everything they needed before ultimately heading out.

˚✧.*

walking into the busy restaurant, just minutes before 11 a.m., paige met with the hostess. she informed the woman that her she had a reserved spot and was meeting with someone. waiting for the hostess to find her reservation in the books, paige took in its atmosphere. it was sophisticated looking, yet it was so laid back.

the hostess walked the two back to their reserved table that sat 4, asking if she could grab them anything yet. paige ordered some waters for the table and an apple juice for her daughter. once the hostess left, paige pointed to the play area that was mere feet from their table, the noise shielded by plexiglass. "how 'bout you go play, and i'll call you over when food gets here." paige smiles.

madison nods excitedly, "okay paigey." she starts to walk off, but paige wasn't done with her whole 'be safe, be nice, i love you' speech. standing up, eyes only on her daughter so she doesn't lose her in the crowds. the blonde began to walk towards her while calling out her name, but was stopped when she runs into something. looking straight ahead, she realizes she ran into a someone. "shit, i'm sorry, i—"

"that's okay—"

paige being met with the bartender that berated her the night before was absolutely not what she was expecting when she looked down ever so slightly.

"oh! i was just bringing her over to your table." the hostess spoke, eyes switching between the stunned pair.

both understanding what the woman was saying, catherine blinked at the hostess, then at paige. paige unintentionally mimicking the girl as they both spoke in unison.

"paige?"

"catherine?"

the hostess quickly noticed what was happening, slowly and quietly excusing herself from the interaction to return to her comfortable spot up at the front of the lively restaurant.

paige was the one to break eye contact, eyes skimming the restaurant for her daughter once again. finally, she found madison playing happily in the ball pit of the play place, taking a sigh of relief before looking at catherine, who had been looking at her expectantly this whole time.

"uh, sorry." paige spoke, looking down at the table, pulling catherine's seat out a bit across from her own before sitting down, "please." she gestured towards the brunettes spot, the girl sitting reluctantly. "uhh.." paige said nervously, clasping her hands in front of her, resting them in front of her. "i'm sorry, i wasn't expecting this." she lets out a small chuckle, attempting to ease the tension.

catherine gave her a small smile, nodding, "yeah," she lets out a small laugh as well, "what a cliche." she mutters to herself as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear nervously. the girl almost wished to take back last nights interaction as a whole, their first impressions completely tainted now.

paige either choose to not acknowledge that statement, or genuinely didn't hear her, so she begins the small talk and interviewing process. "so you, uh, work at vynil," she starts, the flushed brunette nodding with a smile. "that's nice. have you been there long?"

catherine was about to just nod, stopping herself as she thought deeply for a brief moment. the girl accepted that her first impression had already been tainted—but she needed this job. fixing her face, she spoke, "yeah, just a little under three years." she spoke as friendly as possible.

paige recognized her sweet tone from the night prior, having slightly missed it after the way she called her out last night. "cool, cool," she nodded. she almost didn't know what to say or ask. she practiced the night prior with azzi, and nika before she left, on what to even ask.

"ask her if she's worked with kids before." azzi's words rang in her head.

"so i saw on your resume that you coached a kids soccer team for a few years. did you like working with kids?" paige began, hoping to have some conversation about catherine come out of this.

catherine proudly grinned with yet another head nod, "yeah, all throughout my first few years of college."

"you have your degree?" paige asks, a question the girl in front of her began to despise answering.

looking away out of embarrassment, she answered sheepishly, "not exactly.." she trails off.

"that's okay, me neither." paige shrugs, taking a sip of her daughters apple juice, a slight attitude rolling off her tongue at her following words. "i'm taking some undergrad classes my counselor 'forgot to tell me about.'" she rolled her eyes. "what's your major?"

catherine was honestly just so surprised at how laid back their conversation was, fully expecting to meet with a strict woman in her thirties. "h-history." she stutters out, still a bit stunned. paige sat leaned back in her chair, legs spread ever so slightly and arms laid lazily folded across her torso—clearly making herself comfortable.

paige was thoroughly intrigued by that information. she would've totally assumed something different, "really? that's actually pretty cool.. how come?"

no one ever really asked catherine why she was a history major. not seriously, at least. what can you even do with a history degree? they'd ask. "i.. think history is important." she explained as paige looked at her, deep and in tune with the conversation.

the pair spoke for another while, getting along a lot better than the two had anticipated. especially with how last night went. paige would only turn away from the conversation to check on her daughter every so often, flicking her crystal eyes towards the play place, or to order their food.

"yeah, i had madison when i was 18. the night after graduation."

"and no one knew?" catherine asked, shocked. the girl had desperately tried to keep up her professional tactics for the last thirty minutes, but to no avail. they spoke as if they were friends meeting up for brunch on a random friday that they both had off from work.

the blonde girl across from her just simply shook her head, "she was a really small baby, so i didn't show a lot. and all i wore were baggy clothes anyway, no one suspected a thing. shit, i didn't even know for the first four months."

"and your teammates never suspected?" the brunette asked, shifting in her seat. for a good duration of their 'meeting', she sat still and with her hands on her lap. however now, she opted to lean her elbows on the table infront of her as she sipped from her mug.

"basketball was over before i even started to show like that. and my graduation wasn't until mid june, plus the gown was huge." paige had answered. catherine sat there, wondering. did madison's dad even knew. and if he did, where was he?

however, catherine simply just nodded with respect, sipping from her cup of raspberry tea. "smooth."

as paige went to respond, their server was standing over their table, three plates in their hands as they placed everyone's respective breakfast meals in front of them, paige instructing him to put madison's down next to her.

after their server walked away, paige excused herself to go grab her daughter, who had been at it with the play place for a good thirty minutes now.

walking over to their shared table hand in hand with the small girl, paige gently introduced madison to catherine as they took their seats. catherine looked at the girl, immediate adoration in her eyes. she totally didn't expect to see a little light skinned girl to be paige's, berating herself internally because so many people must've thought that as well. she noticed how her hair was totally done quickly, and clearly by paige. but, what totally sold her—what made catherine know they'd get along—was madison's light blue elsa dress, that was tracking glitter everywhere she walked, and how she sported it casually and unbothered.

"mads, i want you to meet one of my friends." paige spoke softly, "this is catherine."

catherine smiled happily at the cuteness that sat in front of her. she wanted to squeeze the girl in a hug, her eyes big and curious at her moms new 'friend.'

"hi, mama. what's your name?"

"madison." the girl spoke shyly, clinging to paige's hand tighter.

"madison—" catherine dramatically and on purpose said the girls name all wonky, madison having no problem interrupting her with the correct way to pronounce it, laughing at the woman. catherine smiled, glad she was already breaking through to the seemingly stubborn girl. "oh, oh, my bad. madison—it's nice to meet you, madison. i'm catherine, but you can call me cat."

"like the pet?"

catherine nodded excitedly, "exactly. but, i don't have cool whiskers or claws." she shrugged.

"i have super frozen powers."

"nuh uh!" catherine says in disbelief.

"mhm, i can show you." madison then goes to make gestures with her arms, imitating the same moves elsa made when she would turn things to ice during let it go.

catherine then looks at her drink, gasping, "you made my drink all ice!" she exclaimed, madison then doing the same gestures towards her food. "and my food?" madison giggles, catherine quickly reaching over to steal food from the little girls plate. "okay, now you have to share."

madison laughs even more, pushing catherine's bigger hand away from her small portion of eggs and bacon, paige just watching happily as she began to eat, glad to know her food was safe from madison's 'powers.'

˚✧.*

walking out of the restaurant, the warm september air hitting their skin happily after sitting in a conditioned room for so long. paige bid goodbye to catherine, telling her she'd definitely be in touch about finding a day for catherine to come over and hang with them at their apartment, to get a better read on her.

catherine went to walk off, saying a quick bye with a sweet smile. however, paige's, "wait," made her stop in her tracks. confused, she walked back over to the woman as she frantically looked for her wallet. "here." she tried to hand the brunette two twenty dollar bills. catherine started shaking her head in rejection before the word no could even leave her mouth. "for last night. i actually don't know why i didn't," paige explains, referencing her lack of tip.

catherine gently pushed paige's eager hand away, "no, no, no," she repeated, "seriously, it's cool. don't worry about it... thank you, though." catherine smiled once more, the wind blowing some hair in her face. again, she went to walk away, paige quickly slipping the cash into the girls bag, going unnoticed by catherine.

"see you soon." paige called out with a head nod. catherine just looking back as she kept walking with another pretty smile and a wave to both the blonde and her daughter.

authors note!

yay part two! what're we thinking of the story so far? i have sooo many ideas, and the rest of the book planned out, so im excited to get writing! also, if you want more frequent updates, my wattpad (@/uwupaige) gets new chapters every other day (most of the time lol)

thanks for reading🩷

- mari 🫧

5k words.

#paige bueckers #paige buckets #paige bueckers smut #paige bueckers x reader #paige bueckers x y/n #paige bueckers x you #paige bueckers edit #paige x reader #wlw #fanfic #lesbian #queer #lgbtq #isabellaferreira

143 notes · View notes

aceofpatience · 2 years ago

Text

Love reading for singles💋

Hello, my dear oysters 🐚 Hope you doin' well.💎 There's some PAC mainly for singles but if you're just looking for the love, it can work for you as well. There are some messages about your meeting, first date etc... Please let me know if anything resonated, I always love your comments. Now, take a deep breath and... shall we sea??🌊

Pile 1. ❤️

Why haven’t you met the one: Your current goal is independence, right now you’re mainly focused on building up your position. There are a lot of things on your mind right now, but you kinda like it that way? Or it’s more like you need to keep yourself occupied all the time lol. You have a lot of determination and strength to do what’s right, but it keeps you far from creating connections. + You haven’t always been very strict and conscientious towards duties (other things have always come first). BUT now things are starting to shift. You were put in a situation or position that requires a lot of responsibility out of you.

What should you do to attract your partner: Rest. Sleep. Allow yourself to feel, to have desires about your future and to act on them freely. It’s YOUR future. If you know what you want, others wouldn’t have to guess what’s on your mind. So allow others to see you without your shell. I also see a man kneeling in front of a woman. Let them worship you as you deserve, you’re the goddess.

The first meeting: Opposites attract. You two may be quite opposites and this will be very much visible in the circumstances of your meeting. For example in the place where the dress code applies, one of you would be wearing a bright outfit or stand out from the crowd. But both of you will have the energy of „I’m on mission”. Also, one of you follows the law, while the other prefers to break it lol.

The first date: 333 Longing and desire. Some anxiety at the beginning, but there will be strong attraction regardless. Some bold action might happen rather quickly if you know what I mean heh. And again, there will be a duality of energies - strong confidence on the one side and some uncertainty on the other. First kiss is very likely to happen! And even something more. As for physical things I think there won’t be any awkwardness, you will be exploring each other’s bodies at ease. Even if you're not usually that kind of person who would have sex on the first date, everything will feel just right with them. Also, if you have some body insecurities (I’m getting especially stomach and breasts) - that person will show you how beautiful you are. Gosh, they are so… empowering. loVE IT.

Etceteras: They might call you princess or something like that (some nickname for sure). For some of you, after the unearthly first date (and night??) some circumstances will keep you separate for a short while and it might be tough for you. I’m seeing both of you talking to yourself „It was just one date, I need to chill out duh. What is wrong with me??” *than checking phone and opening messages for 45782 time*. And for some of you - important words: Winning. Golden crown. Sooner or later. See me through. Neck kisses. Honoring. „Winning you will be a damn price itself.”

Pile 2. 🖤

Why haven’t you met the one: „Just chill for a minute, ok?” Lol. Maybe you’re too quick to judge people, you try to rationalize everything instead of listening to your gut. Definitely an overthinker. You feel the pressure to change your life or whatever (looks, personality) every damn week and it’s tiring. I’m hearing „take a deep breath, look around you - you’re safe”. You probably keep some distance between yourself and the world around you and the change of perspective might do some good to you, you will see.

What should you do to attract your partner: Omg, this message is really damn strong - connect to your inner child! For some reason your inner child wants to communicate with you, they have some important message for you. Also, you might feel better if you would openly embrace your sexuality, your passion - in your mind and soul as well as your body. Don’t be afraid to express yourself and your feelings through your body.

The first meeting: Very romantic scenery, maybe evening, night time - it will feel like a proper date (for some it might be on the roof of a tall building or sth like that). Even if your first meeting will be purely accidental or happen to be in a very crowded place, the moment when you notice each other, will make you both feel like it’s just the two of you in the world at the moment. It’s giving me the Darcy and Lizzy moment when they danced and the whole world disappeared for them, gosh, that’s sooo beautiful.

The first date: 11. One of you might come late and feel awful about it. This date, I feel, will take place after a really hard day at work or after a tiring week - perfect distraction from everyday problems. You might be surprised how good it felt to just talk with this person, how smoothly and charming the meeting and conversation went. You will be bewitched and you as well will be casting a damn spell on them. I’m seeing dark dresses and dark lipstick. Quite an elegant place. Expensive alcohol. Butterflies in the stomach while putting-on a straight face. But surprisingly open and sincere conversation. You may dance around each other (or literally dance!), and flirt and all, but the connection will be serious af.

Etceteras: Spider and the full moon. For some of you, the decision about starting a relationship will be at odds with your rational mind, but the answer in your heart will be one big fat „YES”. I’m also seeing that one of you might debate with themself about whether to start something serious, but then see the picture of the other person and any doubt immediately fades away. „It’s you”. After this everything is developing quite rapidly between you. You know each other so well! In this relationship: seduction and courtship will last. ALSO: this person might come across as rather sophisticated and official but they might be really kinky in bed. I’m also hearing: „hypersensitivity to details” and „This person will be the one you want to look at all the time.”

Pile 3. 🧡

Why haven’t you met the one: 8 You party a lot lol. You also know how to take care of yourself, you don't need others for that. You have a lot of self-assurance and I love that for you. However, coz you prefer to focus on the part of your life which is profitable, stable and gives you joy - you can’t really see whenever you lack something. Maybe it’s just this quite timid voice in your head that tells you that you want more. You keep your circle of friends tight, you do not expand it. You may come across as fearless, but change is always scary af. And your potential to create is enormous.

What should you do to attract your partner: Share your sun. You can make the first move or just tell yourself mentally that you’re ready for something new. You are able to balance your life and make place for somebody unique. I also wanted to know what your person loves about your body and they said „everything”. Everything, it is. You have every right to feel powerful and confident. I think your person will be at first very much attracted to your look, your demeanor and then they will fall in love with your mature soul and fresh joyful mind. Sorry for the cliche, but just be yourself. And don’t be afraid to show your loneliness to others - ultimately, we are all alone.

The first meeting: Winter or spring solstice. You will meet „the one” when some cycle in your life comes to the end and something new will start to grow. Of course it will be scary, even though the change will bring you a lot of abundance and strength. There may be some trip or vacation journey. You will have to make a responsible decision that will likely affect your future (and that’s itching you). I'm seeing the garden (nature for sure!) - that might be the place where you meet them. Air heavy with tension. The connection is so strong and all-consuming it might even start as a one-night stand (in your case rather one-day and night stand lol you can’t keep away from each other). But both of you will be motivated to go further no matter the possible complications. You both will be equally engaged in this relationship.

The first date: Your first date might be the extension of your first meeting. Having breakfast together the day after something like that. Picnic, nature again. Roses. Peace and harmony. Trees around you. I think both of you will quickly think about the next step. Your date will be very emotional and I think it might be very new for you to be that open with someone you barely know. Very much thanks to your lover's energy - you will be revealing your darkest secret lying naked in another person’s arms. Sealing your union.

Etceteras: Spiritual connections. Soulmates. Eros and Thanatos. Tree again! (Nature might be important for both of you). You might get married very quickly if that’s what you’re into. You and your person have a very mythical bond, your conversation might sometimes get very deep and philosophical. I think you will get to grow old with each other. Your energies are quite similar - this strange combination of steadiness with complete chaos and impulsiveness. Strong love and friendship.

#tarot reading #pick a card #love #pac reading #tarot #intuitive #pac tarot #pick a card tarot #love reading #tarot witch #romantic couple #pick a picture #pick a photo #pac #relationship

1K notes · View notes

xuexing-lumi · 15 days ago

Text

Will BTS members’ future spouses be ARMYs? (Yes OR No)

Let’s go card by card. Get comfy.

✦ by Lumi, your fave tarot it-girl 💅✨

Tarot Deck Used: A traditional Rider-Waite-Smith

✦ TAROT SPREAD

❀ Namjoon (Queen of Pentacles, The Empress, Nine of Cups Reversed, Page of Swords) -

Okay, Namjoon’s pile is like luxury and simplicity combined. The Queen of Pentacles is literally giving “she’s mature, grounded, nurturing, and got her bag.” This is the type of woman who supported BTS silently for years, not the one screaming on Twitter every comeback. Think someone who knew the message of “Spring Day” healed her but never needed to post about it. The Empress confirms this divine feminine energy, venus-coded, a lover of art, culture, and beauty. This is the ARMY who grew with BTS, not over them.

Nine of Cups Reversed, this isn’t a fangirl fantasy come true. She doesn’t see Namjoon as a wish granted or an idol dream realized. In fact, she might have stopped being “ARMY” as a label before they met. She healed through BTS and then healed beyond them.

The Page of Swords shows she’s intellectually curious, possibly even a quiet observer like someone who read his lyrics, dove deep into his interviews, and really saw him, but never expected to be seen back.

Conclusion: Yes, but the kind of ARMY who internalized BTS’s messages, not the one with 15 photocard binders. She’s a soul fan, not a stan.

❀ Jin (Ten of Cups Reversed, Death, The Empress, Eight of Cups) -

Jin’s reading is surprisingly bittersweet and transformative. The Ten of Cups Reversed tells me that the idea of a fairy-tale, dream-come-true love doesn’t align with how he finds “the one.” If she was ARMY, it didn’t stay that way. That “perfect fan-loves-idol” storyline is off the table then we get the Death card. This love comes after a massive personal transformation, maybe even after he leaves that entire world behind. His spouse might not even like pop culture. She feels like someone from a totally different life path like she doesn’t know what “Run BTS” is and genuinely doesn’t care but again.

The Empress pops out, and that’s wild,both Namjoon and Jin’s partners are deeply feminine, earthy, creative but in Jin’s case, she’s more nurturing to him than to an external community.

Eight of Cups.......this is someone who walked away from idol worship or never engaged with it to begin with. She could have been aware of BTS, yes, but she doesn’t carry the ARMY spirit.

Conclusion: No, Jin’s spouse isn’t ARMY. If anything, she was his peace away from all that.

❀ Hoseok (Six of Cups, Six of Pentacles, The Hierophant, The Chariot Reversed) -

This pile is such wholesome soulmate vibes I actually got goosebumps. Six of Cups is the card of nostalgia and sweet past life connections. She’s been his fan since debut. She remembers preppy Hobi with that weird haircut back then, (sorry ARMY). There’s an innocence in her love maybe she was a teen ARMY who matured but never stopped supporting him.

Six of Pentacles says this love is balanced not parasocial or one-sided. Even though she admired him from afar, she gave back maybe she created fan art, fan theories, maybe even ran a fan account. She supported BTS from a place of mutual love, not obsession.

The Hierophant makes this deep. She didn’t just “stan” that she learned from BTS, especially Hobi’s optimism, his dedication. That man saved her during her darkest days, and now? He’s marrying the same girl he once unknowingly helped heal. But with The Chariot Reversed, there’s hesitation. This wasn’t an easy union. Either he held back because she was ARMY, or life kept delaying their union. There’s resistance, maybe even disbelief on her part. But it happens. Destiny wins.

Conclusion: 100% yes. Hobi marries a day-one ARMY. A real one.

❀ Jimin (Queen of Cups Reversed, Eight of Swords, Eight of Pentacles, King of Pentacles) -

Jimin’s future spouse feels like someone who went through hell and found Jimin as her emotional anchor. Queen of Cups Reversed shows emotional overwhelm, she loved BTS, especially him, in a time when she felt lost and vulnerable. She may have become “too attached” like parasocial vibes, even borderline obsessive during her lowest.

Eight of Swords reveals she was stuck mentally, emotionally, maybe even physically. Jimin’s words or performances gave her the illusion of escape. It wasn't healthy at first. But then comes Eight of Pentacles and she worked on herself. She healed. She didn’t stay in that mindset. She matured and grew. She became worthy of the real him.

And Jimin? He shows up as her King of Pentacles. Solid. Grounded. Reliable. Her dream man in real life, not fantasy. He sees through what she was and into what she’s become. There’s a theme of “redemption” here, a fan who turned into a healed woman, and love bloomed from the ashes.

Conclusion: Yes, but it’s a fan-to-lover story with a lot of pain and growth. He doesn’t just fall in love with an ARMY, he falls for a survivor.

❀ Jungkook (Two of Wands, Five of Cups Reversed, Five of Wands, Five of Cups) -

NO,too much baggage.RIGHT AWAY.Jungkook’s cards are screaming “conflict and healing” on repeat. Two of Wands shows him looking at two paths: one where he chooses familiarity (an ARMY), and one where he takes a new road. But the other three cards?

Five of Cups reversed is healing from grief,maybe she once was ARMY and lost someone, or maybe he lost someone he loved deeply (a relationship gone wrong with a fan?). Either way, this love feels like it's born after grief, not from it.

Five of wands suggests chaos.......too many people involved, maybe too many expectations. If she were ARMY, the noise would be too much. Everyone would project onto her. She’d suffer for being “the lucky one.” It just wouldn’t work. Finally, Five of Cups again he still struggles with regret. Maybe he passed over someone who was ARMY at some point, or maybe he once dated a fan and it ended painfully. (that was weird...) Some dark secret shi ?

Conclusion: No. Jungkook’s spouse is someone outside the fandom. He needs a blank slate, not a memory.

❀ Taehyung (Six of Cups Reversed, Page of Cups, The Sun, Ten of Wands) -

Six of Cups reversed shows someone who may have been a fangirl, but now pretends like she wasn’t. Like she has his Weverse posts saved from 2019 but acts like she doesn’t know what that is. Why? because of shame, maybe or burnout. Maybe she used to be ARMY, and now she’s too cool for it. It’s giving..."baby, I am not even here.I am hallucination".

Page of Cups shows this love is sweet, artistic, and youthful. She’s probably a dreamer, maybe a painter or singer or just super imaginative. There’s innocence in the way she looks at him like he’s her muse, not her idol.

The Sun shows happiness. She makes him laugh, brings him clarity. He sees himself reflected in her. There’s purity here. But Ten of Wands warns us this love is hard to carry. If she’s ARMY, she hides it. It’s too heavy. The image. The fans. The responsibility.

Conclusion: Technically yes, but emotionally? No. She’s not repping ARMY. She left that version of herself behind.

❀ Yoongi (Page of Swords Reversed, The Devil Reversed, Ace of Pentacles, Ten of Pentacles) -

STRANGE PILE.

Let’s start with the page of swords reversed. This is messy curiosity. Back in the day, she was watching everything lurking fan accounts, reading every lyric analysis thread, possibly even obsessively trying to “figure him out.” It’s giving overthinker meets parasocial intensity. She wasn’t tweeting thirst traps, but she was analyzing mixtape lyrics like it was a thesis, but this is reversed, which means she outgrew that. She doesn’t need to dissect every line anymore. She gets him now on a soul level, not just through content.

Then comes the devil reversed,this is big. This tells me she was once addicted to him not just as a fan, but emotionally. He was her escape. Her emotional codependency. He was the fantasy when life felt unlivable. But she broke free. This is someone who detoxed from the fantasy to be ready for the real man. She chose herself first, then he found her.it’s not giving “I was a stan and then I manifested oppa.” It’s “I lost myself in the illusion, fought my way back, and became someone he could actually love.”

Ace of Pentacles is the real beginning. This is after the fandom identity. She isn’t just an ARMY anymore. She’s a businesswoman, a creator, a spiritualist, something grounded and present. The kind of person who won’t treat Yoongi like a star but like a partner. This card screams new chapter, solid start, earned life. She built herself up after being a little lost in the glitter.

Finally, ten of pentacles… this is the legacy card. The marriage, the slow burn, the end game. Yoongi’s wife is someone he builds empires with. Not someone who just admired him on screen. This woman will carry his lineage — spiritually, emotionally, financially....yada, they’re power couple who creates a legacy. An empire with cat hair on the furniture and mixtapes playing in the background. (I love my analogy for this, you guys better compliment me for this.)

Conclusion: Yes, Suga's spouse was once an ARMY.

✦ do you want a personal reading like this?

🌸 I offer:

Celebrity Tarot Reads (K-Pop, BTS, Actors) SP Manifestation Guidance Future Love + Shadow Work Spreads Moon-Coded Letter from Your Twin Flame Channeled Audio Readings + PDF Summaries ✧ First reading? Ask for a free pull!

—

📩 DMs Open: @xuexing-lumi Tumblr inbox

🖤 closing words from Lumi:

We ride or die, even through the mess. 💅 — Lumi, the Moon’s Bride 🌕💋

—

(ignore):

33 notes · View notes