#WILL WE STAY SPLIT? - Split Fiction Part 2!

[reunitedinterlude]

nose pressure (1, 2, 3) // for @planetsonlali

[amazingphil]

WILL WE STAY SPLIT? Dan and Phil play Split Fiction Part 2!

[dpdailyupdate]

End Cards for ‘WILL WE STAY SPLIT? Dan and Phil play Split Fiction Part 2’

[loafysainz]

the parent trap (remake) | CS 55

cast: carlos sainz x fem!reader

warn: 100% fiction & remake

chap 1, chap 2, chap 3, chap 4, chap 5, chap 6

PART 5 THE TWINS PLAN

"Matheo, if your dad is my dad, then my mom is your mom and we have same birthday…"

Matheo’s eyes widened. "No. Don’t...don’t say it!"

"We’re twins!" Mattia shouted, his voice breaking with disbelief.

The boys hugged so tightly it was like they’d missed years together.

In the distance, the dining bell rang, but neither cared.

Matheo stared at Mattia, trying to hold back tears. "I’m not hungry anymore…"

Mattia almost laughed. How could Matheo even think about food right now? It reminded him of their mom.

"Wait..." Mattia pulled back, grinning. "Is it Matheo Sainz? Or Matheo Y/LN?"

Matheo laughed through tears. "I don’t even know anymore!"

They both burst into laughter, wiping their faces as the reality of being brothers sank in.

*****

That night, their bunk beds were pushed together, and they stayed up talking.

"What’s Mom like?" Matheo whispered, clutching the edge of his blanket.

Mattia thought for a moment, glancing at the photo on his nightstand. "She’s… everything. Strong, kind, smart. Oh, and when she’s determined? Nothing can stop her."

Matheo’s face softened. "I can’t wait to meet her."

"Yeah, well, she’s gonna love you."

A pause.

"Mattia, do you think she ever… thought about getting married?"

Mattia squinted, offended. "No way! She says her whole heart belongs to me."

Matheo snickered. "You’re so spoiled."

Mattia shoved him. "Shut up!"

"Okay, but seriously, why’d they split up?" Matheo asked, thoughtful.

Mattia shrugged. "No idea. Probably something dramatic."

Matheo sat up suddenly, eyes lighting up. "I have an idea. A brilliant beyond brilliant idea. Don't freak out, okay?" Matheo's grin widened. "You want to know what Dad is like, right? And I'm dying to know Mom. So here's the plan: when camp is over, we switch places.

Mattia blinked, startled. “Switch places?”

“Exactly!” Matheo exclaimed. “I’ll go back to London as you, and you go back to Madrid as me.”

“What? Matheo, we’re completely different!” Mattia protested, shaking his head. “This is impossible!”

“We’re twins, aren’t we? I’ll teach you how to be me, and you’ll teach me how to be you,” Matheo said confidently. “It’s foolproof! Look, I can already do you.” He straightened his posture, tilting his head slightly as he mimicked Mattia’s calm demeanor.

Mattia raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “You want to know the difference between us? I have class, and you don’t.”

Mattia laughed, brushing off the jab. “Come on, Mattia, think about it. I get to meet Mom, and you get to meet Dad. And let’s face it, sooner or later, they’ll figure out we’ve switched. And when they do, they’ll have to meet again. Face-to-face. After all these years.”

A moment of silence stretched between them as Mattia considered the idea. The corners of his lips twitched upward. “You’re insane, you know that?”

Matheo grinned triumphantly. “Insanely brilliant.”

*****

The next morning, the plan was already in motion. Mattia pulled out family photos and started quizzing Matheo.

"That's Grandpa" Mattia explained, pointing at a smiling man with platinum hair.

"He is amazing! I can't wait to meet him," Matheo gushed.

"and this is Martin, our butler"

"You’d better remember his name, or you’ll blow everything."

Matheo nodded, determined, while Mattia went over everything from family traditions.

"Right. Now its my turn. OK living room first. Then over here is dining room."

"But we never eat there in there except for thankagiving, christmas, and of course December 15th"

Meanwhile, their camp friends watched from afar, whispering.

"Why are they… acting weird?" Dean muttered.

"They’re up to something," Nate added, sipping his soda.

*****

Matheo paced nervously, glancing at the scissors in his hand and then at Mattia, who sat on the stool with his longand light hair. "Okay, don't close your eyes!" Mattia blurted, fidgeting. "Oh, sorry! I just got a little nervous," Matheo replied, biting his lip.

"You're nervous? an nine year old is cutting my hair. Hey, isn't it just like me? Well, I'm supposed to, aren't I? Go on, just do it. Don't panic." Matheo huffed, shaking his head.

Mattia smirked. "Come on, isn't it just like me to do something like this? And aren’t you supposed to, you know, make me look like you? Just do it. You’ll be fine!"

Matheo sighed dramatically. "This is so scary. But okay. Looking good, looking great…

Oh my God, Mattia!"

"What?!" Mattia’s eyes widened, and he instinctively touched his hair.

"You hair is lightest than me!" Matheo exclaimed.

Mattia rolled his eyes. "No, no, no, and no. Not happening. Don’t even think about it. I refuse."

"Then cutting your hair is pointless! You can't go to camp with brunnete hair and come home without them—it’ll be obvious!" Matheo argued, waving the scissors for emphasis.

Mattia groaned but nodded reluctantly. "Fine, but you better know what you're doing. Do we need some prep or something before dyed my hair?"

"Relax," Matheo said with a grin. "I’ve done this with all my friends—well, in my head—but it’s easy. Just trust me. Close your eyes, and it’ll be over before you know it."

"Relax, Mattia. This isn’t a big deal. On the count of three, let’s dye this lighter mess to match my gorgeous brown hair. You’re welcome."

Mattia nodded.

"One... Two… Three!" Matheo made the swift motion, and Mattia yelped.

"See? Not bad!" Matheo said proudly, holding up the mirror.

Mattia gasped. "Oh my gosh! I look… just like you!"

"Exactly!" Matheo said smugly, brushing the remaining hair off Mattia’s shoulders.

[winchesterwild78]

What Happens in Rome

Photo credit: Richard Speight Jr.

Master List

Characters: Jensen x Reader, Jared, other cast members mentioned

Warnings: mention of divorce, drinking, fluff

A/N: Gonna be completely honest this little nugget was inspired by Jensen’s antics in Rome. The story he and Rich told about Jensen dialing the wrong hotel room thinking it was Rich and yelling at the poor guy who picked up. All of this happened after a night of drinking.

I’ve taken some creative liberties with the story, hope you enjoy it.

This also inspired another story I’m going to write with Dean and the character the reader played in Supernatural.

This might be in 2 parts because I can get long winded. 😂

This is a work of fiction, all work is my own and Jensen is single in this story.

Please don’t take my work. Feel free to share, like and comment. Feedback is appreciated.

Minors DNI 18+

The convention hall was buzzing with excitement. I typically didn’t go to many conventions, but since this was Supernatural’s 20th Anniversary I agreed.

My part was small, but significant. I was a demon, and much like Ruby helped the boys. My character had unfortunately fallen for Dean but until he became a demon he scoffed at the idea. Then like every other woman, or in my case demon, that falls in love with a Winchester, I died.

So that’s why I didn’t go to many conventions. I would occasionally do one and loved my photo ops with the guys and the panels.

This convention was a big deal, it was in Rome and I’d never been.

Jensen and Jared encouraged me to go and of course how could I say no to them?

I’d loved my time on Supernatural and missed everyone so much. Especially the boys.

I’d kept in touch with them and was there for significant moments in their lives.

The most recent one however, I wasn’t there for was Jensen’s divorce. I didn’t think it was appropriate for me to reach out and talk to him about it.

If I’m being completely honest, I’ve been in love with him for years. Never crossed a line. I respected him and his marriage too much.

Now here I am in Rome. Not sure how he was doing and I was nervous about asking him.

When I arrived at the hotel the cast was staying in I was taken to my room to settle in.

I arrived the day before the convention and wasn’t sure who was here yet. I sent texts to the usual suspects, Rich, Rob, Billy, Jensen and Jared.

Much to my surprise they were all there already.

Jensen sent me a text that made my heart flutter.

Jensen: Hey beautiful. What room are you in?

Me: Hey to you too. I’m in 219. Where are you?

Within a few minutes I hear a knock on my door.

I open it to see Jensen. Looking amazing and smiling.

“I’m right here. How have you been? I haven’t heard from you since…”

His voice trailed off.

“Since I split from David? It’s okay, Jensen. Saying his name isn’t going to kill me. It’s done and over with.”

He nodded and pulled me into a hug. God his arms felt amazing around me, and he smelled heavenly.

As he pulled back his green eyes looked into mine. He always had a way of making me go weak in the knees. He knew it too. Bastard.

I stepped to the side and let him come all the way in. He sat on the edge of the bed as I continued to unpack.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Y/N.” He smiled at me.

“Me too, Jensen. I’ve missed you guys.”

Just ask him how he is. Stop being a coward. He’s your friend and you love him.

I shifted nervously, “So, um. I heard about the divorce. I’m so sorry Jensen. Are you doing okay? How are the kids?”

Jensen looked at me and softly smiled, “Yeah. I’m okay. The kids are doing about as good as they can. They still don’t understand completely, but we are helping them. Thank you, Y/N for asking.”

I shifted again and he took my hand. “Hey, what’s wrong?” My eyes met his and again I melted.

I nervously chewed my lip, “I’m sorry I didn’t reach out sooner. I honestly didn’t know if it was appropriate or not. We aren’t as close as you are with Jared and some of the other cast. So I just stayed away.”

Jensen’s hands cupped my face, brushing back a stray hair. My heart fluttered. “Shh it’s okay. I’m not upset. I understand. You’re fine, we’re fine.”

Then he leaned in and kissed my cheek.

Fuck! He can’t do this.

I closed my eyes and as he pulled away he chuckled. “You’re blushing, sweetheart.”

I laughed, “Can you blame me? Look at you.”

His hand brushed my face, “I’d rather look at you.”

My pulse quickened and I swallowed hard.

We stood in silence for a few minutes before either of us moved. Jensen swallowed and leaned closer, “Tell me to stop.”

I looked at him and bit my lip, “I can’t, I don’t want you to.”

His lips brushed against mine before slowly, agonizingly slow as he closed the distance.

The kiss was soft and tender, not rushed, nothing else mattered but his lips and mine on each other.

Every nerve in my body was electrified. The last time we kissed was on set and it felt just like this. Tender, full of want and need.

I knew then that I was in love with him, but he was married. I kept it buried deep inside.

When we pulled apart his eyes were full of love and want, “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, and not as Dean and Seraphine.”

“Jensen…I…” I was speechless. I had no idea what to say.

His hand brushed against my cheek, “It’s okay, darlin. I feel it too.”

Before I could say anything his phone went off. He looked at it and told me he needed to go. “Come to dinner tonight with all of us. I know everybody wants to see you.”

I nodded and before he left he placed another kiss on my lips.

I smiled and he was gone. Leaving my room with a soft click of the door.

A few hours later I was dressed for dinner and pacing my room. Thinking, god why can’t I stop thinking.

Did he actually want to kiss me? How long has he had feelings for me? Does this mean something else or is this just a weekend romance. Do I want more with him? If he asked me, what would I say?

My head was spinning and I didn’t hear my phone go off at first. Then I heard more messages and banging on my door. “Hey, short stack. Open up! I know you’re in there.”

I smiled, it was Jared. I flung open the door, “Jared! Quiet it down I’ve got….” My voice stopped, caught in my throat when I saw Jensen. Damn he looked good. Black jacket, blue jeans, and a white shirt hugging his body.

I swallowed hard. Jared laughed. He’s always known how I felt about Jensen.

Jared pulled me into a hug and we bantered back and forth. Jensen just kinda hanging back. Quiet, watching.

As we walked down the hallway together, Jensen’s hand brushed against mine and he smirked at me.

Then his hand went to the small of my back as he guided me into the elevator.

The three of us were in the elevator alone and Jared was talking nonstop. Talking about Gen, the kids, asking how I’d been. Unfortunately for him my focus was somewhere else. Lingering on the kiss from Jensen and what it meant.

I wanted to ask him, but I was terrified. Terrified he’d tell me it meant nothing more than a kiss, more terrified he’d tell me it meant something more.

The grip he still had on my heart was overwhelming.

I’ve dated other men, almost got married once, but deep down, rooted deep in my soul was Jensen. He’d always been there, like a part of me that bloomed once in a while then would hide away again.

“Hey, earth to Y/N. You okay?” Jared chuckled, waving his hand in front of my face.

My eyes shot up to his, he smirked, I blushed. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just deep in thought. Sorry.”

“That’s okay, I know my presence can be intimidating.”

I snorted when I laughed. Jensen and Jared both laughed.

Jensen’s eyes met mine, something behind them made my breath hitch.

We climbed in the car and headed towards the restaurant.

Walking in Jensen’s hand was on the small of my back again. A simple gesture I’ve seen him do a thousand times with other women. This time it felt different, almost possessive.

We were shown to a private room and everyone was in there. As soon as they saw me they were out of their seats, hugging me.

Mark pulled me close and squeezed. “How’s my favorite demon?” He laughed. “I’ve been good. How have you been? Still taking care of yourself?”

He chuckled a little, “Yeah. Those heart attacks scared the hell out of me.”

I nodded. “Yeah, they scared all of us. We’re glad you’re still with us. We’d be lost without our King.” I laughed and so did he.

As I glanced up I noticed Jensen across the room. He was talking, but his eyes kept finding mine.

It was time for dinner so we sat down. Jensen chose the seat right next to me.

He pulled out my chair and I thanked him.

Throughout dinner I felt his hand on my thigh. Each time I jumped a little, he’d smirk.

After dinner we decided to go to the local bar. The drinks flowed like water.

I knew I was getting drunk and stopped drinking. I switched to water.

Jensen, Jared, Rob, Rich and Jason continued to drink.

By the time we got back to the hotel it was about 3am. I was exhausted and wanted to go to bed.

Coming off the elevator I told them good night.

Jensen and Jason were a little bit ahead of us and didn’t turn around. Jared and Rich hugged me good night.

I opened my door and slipped in. The silence was deafening. I grabbed my clothes and headed for the shower.

About twenty minutes later I was in bed dozing off.

The shrill sound of the phone in my room woke me up. Groggily I answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Y/N! Where are you?! I looked up and you were gone. Who told you you could leave? I didn’t get to kiss you good night.”

I blinked the sleep away, “Jensen? What the hell, man. Go to sleep, you're drunk.”

He laughed, “You need to get your cute ass to Jared’s room. We aren’t done celebrating.”

I sighed, “Jens, I’m tired and going to sleep. I think you’ve done enough celebrating for one night. Remember, you have photos and panels tomorrow.”

I heard him talking to someone in the background. “Jensen! I’m hanging up now. Get some sleep.”

I hung up the phone and sighed. I pulled the blanket back up to my chin and settled back in. Closing my eyes.

A few minutes later I hear banging on my door. I groaned and climbed out of bed.

I looked out the peephole and saw Jensen. Even drunk he took my breath away.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. “Jensen, what are you doing here?”

He smirked, “Hey, sweetheart. You hung up on me. I wanted to see your beautiful face.”

I blushed, I couldn’t help it. I placed my hand on his chest, “Jens, go back to your room. You’ve been drinking.”

He stepped closer to me and touched my face, “Yeah I have, but not enough to drown you out of my head.”

I swallowed and looked in his eyes. His beautiful green eyes now darker with lust and want.

It sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn’t help myself but I stepped to the side and let him in.

As soon as I clicked the door closed his hands were pulling me closer and his lips were on mine.

The kiss is deeper, more intense than before. His teeth tugged on my bottom lip as his tongue swiped against me. I parted my mouth allowing him entrance and he deepened the kiss.

All the passion, pent up frustration and years of pushing down the want for each other came bubbling to the surface.

We fell back on the bed. Jensen’s hands roaming my body. His fingers slipped under my shirt and his touch set my skin on fire.

Our breathing grew heavy as our bodies tangled together. We were tiptoeing the line and I was sure we were going to cross it.

As Jensen’s lips found mine again, whispering things I longed to hear from him I could smell the whiskey on his breath.

I froze. He felt me stiffen under him. He leaned up on his elbow, “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Jensen you don’t know how much I want this, want you, but this isn’t right. You’ve been drinking and I don’t want you like this. I want to know that you want me for me and not because you’ve been drinking and need to scratch an itch.”

God, what the hell am I doing?! Jensen freaking Ackles wants to have sex with you and you’re pushing him away.

He lowered his head and nodded. Sitting up he let out a frustrated sigh, “I understand.”

He stood, leaned down kissing my lips again. As he reached the door he turned and looked at me, “For what it’s worth sweetheart, I’ve wanted you for as long as I can remember. You’re not just a scratch to itch. You’re worth more than that to me.”

He opened the door and left, the click of the door echoed in the room and left me feeling lonely.

My lips and body are still on fire from him. I had no idea how I was going to get through the panels and photo ops tomorrow knowing that Jensen wants me as much as I want him.

Part 2

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[mourningsbane]

Perhaps silly questions, but I'm growing more and more curious of your blog with each new entry/question answered. Love the story slowly unfolding here, cannot wait for the next part and following moons <3

Does Palekit have any further deformations? Or rather that question but in past tense. His tail looks almost fin-like, but I'm not sure if what we are seeing is a) a stylistic "drooping goo" effect, b) a very weird tuft of fur, or c) some malformation of the tail tip, resulting in its split structure.

What's the clan's relationship with Sweetkit, considering so many of its members', em... involvement in the perishing of Honeyspring and her kits. Mostly wondering if Flaildrizzle, Tanglefern and Rootstar feel anything (guilt, sadness, etc.) at all when they see this only kit in clan after a whole litter dies in such horrible circumstances before Sweetkit's arrival? I mean, surely such a tragedy leaves an impact. A followup question-

How much time has passed since Honeyspring's death and Sweetkit's arrival? Do any of LutumClan's cats consider Sweetkit to be like "a second chance" for the clan after losing their only queen and her litter?

A bit of an alternate outcome question! Let's assume Nothing Bad Ever Happened©️ to Honeyspring's kits. What would their warrior names be? What would their basic personalities be? Would any of them pursue high ranks within LutumClan?

Also sending fictional love to Honeyspring, stay goopy queen 💅

There's no such thing as a silly question! Besides, I like answering questions, even if it takes me a while to get to them! <3

My answers are a tad long, so I'll put them under the cut!

1.) Palekit did not have any further deformations! His face was slightly crooked, and his tongue sometimes hung out, but that was about it. He also had severe issues with vomiting; he just couldn't keep anything down and tended to bleed.

2.) Rootstar, Flaildrizzle, and Tanglefern all feel very guilty and upset by what happened to Honeyspring's kits! Still, they, and the rest of LutumClan, saw Sweetkit's arrival as a sign of hope. However, LutumClan as a whole tends to be a tad overprotective of the only kit in the clan.

3.) About 3-ish months have passed since Honeyspring's death! Sweetkit is definitely considered LutumClan's "second chance" of sorts, but a few cats (namely Rootstar and a few others) REALLY wish Sweetkit was in the care of someone who ISN'T Bearface. They're worried that Bearface, being a former outsider who barely respects the clan code as is, will be a bad influence on her.

4.) As for the alternate outcome, let me think! I'll give you my best guesses, but destiny is mutable, so these could've easily changed!

Smallkit would grow into Smallcloud, and would become an apprentice to Tanglefern! She would be on the smaller side, but she'd be a fierce creature for sure! She'd be smart and cautious, but never a push-over.

Flailkit would grow into Flailwhisker, and would likely go on the path of becoming a queen or mediator! She'd likely be about average height and a bit on the chunkier side. I imagine her to be quiet and shy, much like Flaildrizzle, and easy to talk over. Still, she cares greatly about her clanmates, even if she's easily overwhelmed. Smallcloud would've been very protective over her in their youth.

Palekit would grow into Paleclaw, and would most certainly follow the path of a warrior! He'd idolized his aunt, Rootstar, and wanted to become a leader just like her. He's prideful and a little boastful for sure, but not intentionally. He's just very proud of his aunt being the leader, and his mom (Flaildrizzle) being the deputy, and wants to make sure everyone knows it.

Had Honeyspring's kits lived, Sweetkit's role would have also changed, but I can't say it due to spoilers!

[weaselle]

@lexiapalace thanks for your interest!

you like the Stone Punk concept and want more details, hunh? dope, but i gotta warn you, when i said i had 5 heavily researched universes, i meant HEAVILY researched and this is about to be quite a long read

okay let's see, my Stone Punk universe is pre-historical fiction, and is basically "what if I filled in the blanks in our knowledge of early humanity with interpretations of various mythical histories, so as to make our actual, real pre-history look like a tolkienesque fantasy?"

if anyone else has found this post and wants to keep reading I hope you find it interesting! it's going to be a lot of early human development stuff

I call it stone punk because of the way steam punk sort of goes "as long as you can do it with steam, any technology is part of the vibe, like, you can have laser guns as long as you are using steam and victorian era materials and designs"

In a similar way, i say anything is possible as long as the people were doing it with the tools and materials of the time, not only stone (which stays around) but also things like rope and twine and mud and wood and leather (which leaves much less evidence after tens of thousands of years). So like, in the same way Steam Punk does modern stuff with victorian tech, I envision Stone Punk as the same thing with stone age tech, a sort of Flinstones situation. Plus it's a nice callback to the original punk of Rock.

Anyway

Start with: early humans existed about 1 million years ago. In my opinion.

okay, so about 5 million years ago there were little humanoid beings that were like, a very developed ape, bigger brain, more bipedal, maybe using some rocks as hammers or whatever, not quite human.

By about 2 million years ago there was Homo Erectus, who had the full human layout, fully upright, brain size in a range that overlaps modern brain size ranges, basically a whole human being in a physical sense.

Now as you move from 2 million to 1 million years ago and closer, their brains increase a bit, and they start to spread all over Africa and into Eurasia. As they do, they get a little more modern and a little more diverse, and various scientists have convinced large portions of the scientific community to take what we used to consider to all be Homo Erectus, and split them into such delineations as Homo Heidelbergensis, Homo Ergaster, Peking Man, Homo Turkana, and many more.

Based on the place and time period the fossil is from, and small differences in skeletal structure, they say these are all separate species from Homo Erectus. Which sure, probably valid, but could be changed to just Early Erectus and Late Erectus at some point, who knows, it's not an easy morphology question and has a pretty small sample of specimens to compare, almost none of which are even close to complete skeletons, so it's all a bit of a grey area.

In any case, by about 1 million years ago, whatever versions of Homo Erectus existed were spreading from Africa to Europe, Russia, China, all over. And they had stone tools and control of fire, and they had brains our same size, with a developed Broca's area and Wernicke's area (which are the parts of the brain that deal with articulating ideas as spoken language). These brain areas that deal with speech are evident in Homo Erectus because brains leave, like, a sort of shape imprint on the inside of the skull.

And as far as i'm concerned, if an ancestor of modern humans has spoken language, tools, and fire?

okay so we have about a million years of human species we can look at.

by about 500k years ago, we really start to have some very human but still diverse species of humanity like Neanderthal and Denisovan, Peking Man, Solo Man (Ngandong) and so on.

These are human species, our sister species. They have brains our size, they are making tools and possibly clothes, they control fire, they are likely doing art and making music, these are people.

okay some of this is my own inference. let me explain

For example, Neanderthals evolved by 500k years ago. We have a flute that was made by Neanderthals about 60k years ago.

Personally, i go ahead and assume that if Neanderthals were making musical instruments 60k years ago they were probably making some kind of music from their very beginnings.

We don't have any physical evidence of music hundreds of thousands of years ago, but the same species of people who were making flutes 60k years ago were around 400k years ago, and i would bet everything they were probably trying to make music back then too.

Right? Same with things like clothing, you find a needle from 50k years ago you can bet somebody didn't just think up clothing that very year -- people have been trying to figure out the best way to do clothes for a long long time by the time crafted needles are common enough for some to still be around 50k years later. Like, you are probably doing some kind of cloak and other things for quite a while before you get determined enough to invent a needle in the first place, and there's no way the very first needles invented are the same ones we found.

So that's the kind of liberty i take with my setting. If somebody with spoken language, fire, and finely crafted tools was collecting different colored pigments in separate abalone shells 100k years ago, i'm wiling to say that same species of human was probably trying to do art the whole time they've existed

i do a similar thing with animals. Because when you find a fossil, odds are it's not the first or last of it's kind. For example, Elasmotherium, the Siberian Unicorn, a rhinoceros the size of a modern elephant, was given the dates of about 2.5 million years ago to about 200k years ago. Because we had an elasmotherium fossil from 200 kya but we had no fossil evidence of them after that.

Now, if they all died out 200 kya, then there's a very good chance that modern humans never saw them. But then! we found a fossil from about 50 kya, and then some elasmotherium fossils from about 37 kya, And that changes all kinds of things - for example it means they probably went extinct around the same time as the Neanderthal and the rest of the ice-age mega-fauna, possibly because of us.

So if I see a perfect species to be a troll or a unicorn or a dragon, but the fossil record doesn't show them in that time period, i'm okay with moving them to either side of the fossil record by a few hundred thousand years, because there are plenty of instances where that's how the actual discovery of information has played out.

Anyway, sometime between 200 and 300 kya we finally step on the scene, Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Tho in the way of these things my guess is that those dates get pushed back to between 300 and 400 kya by some new discovery before long

But whatever, if you look at the last couple hundred thousand years, you've really got a lot of opportunity for fantasy race match ups. Let's look at Neanderthal as Dwarves.

Now first of all, the human mythos that has the dwarves that most of us think of in a fantasy setting, those specific dwarves are loosely based on stories that are based on stories that were based on legends from Scandinavia, mostly. And in the very earliest of these scandinavian legends, it is unclear what size the dwarves are -- they are described as both pretty small, and also very large

But compared to us, Neanderthal were both short and huge. This is roughly the height difference between an average Neanderthal man and an average Sapiens man from 200k years ago

but! neanderthal were THICC. look at these skulls

look at that! The eyes are bigger, the jaw is both bigger and thicker, the teeth are bigger, the brain is bigger, the nose is bigger everything about this skull says it was LORGE. Neanderthal were much larger than Sapiens, they were just shorter.

hold on, it's easier to see if you remove the shadows and background

Their whole skeleton is like that compared to ours. That's a BIGGER creature on the right. Just shorter.

This would explain the early dwarf legends that go back and forth between calling them smaller than people and larger than people.

Now. Neanderthal lived in caves. They made large exceptionally well crafted axes (tho stone not metal). They had leather working tools and they hunted mammoth, so they could well have been dressed in protective leather, thick enough to act like armor (elephant skin is a full inch thick, and mammoth hide was thicker). Neanderthal were short, and bearded, and sometimes had red hair.

Short, strong, bearded, master crafters known for large axes, some of the best armor of the time, lived in holes in the ground... If you want to find fantasy Dwarves in our real past, look no further.

Other match ups are harder, because evidence is slim. Denisovans for example were only discovered in 2010, and the only two Denisovan bones we know of are a pinkie finger bone (smallest bone, from the tip of the finger) and an incomplete jaw bone with a couple teeth in it. That's it, the only two Denisovan bones that we know exist (we suspect a few bones we previously classified as Neanderthal and other hominins are actually Denisovan bones but we aren't sure).

The miraculous thing is we were able to sequence the DNA from the pinkie bone. So we do have a whole DNA sequence from a single Denisovan. That's how we know we interbred with them as well as the Neanderthal.

Which shows just how much there is we don't know. Like, These were a whole sister-species of people, contemporary to both us and Neanderthal, so relevant to our existence that we interbred with them, and we had ZERO idea they existed until 2010, and our current total physical evidence of them existing at all is two small bones, and some archaic DNA.

That's so wild to me.

Anyway, it seems likely Denisovans were larger than the Neanderthal, and there is no reason to think they couldn't have been taller too, so i'm kind of leaning toward a sort of mountain giant vibe. Like I basically think they are to modern humans what mammoths are to modern elephants. Bigger with a lot more hair, a kind of woolly giant

Like, if they are very large of bone and build, even a foot taller than an average person is going to feel like a lot. Which i guess brings me to giants.

Listen, even without the super thickness of their bone and muscle, it doesn't take much height to be described as a race of giants when you tell the story of seeing them. People think of fantasy "giants" as like 20 feet tall or whatever but i promise you if you even make them 7 feet tall on average, that's a race of giants to any human of the time

like, here's a guy (Olivier Richters) who's 7 feet 2 inches tall

Now imagine his bones are all twice as thick.

so it's not going to take much height to have people coming back home talking about the giant people they met, like no, you don't understand, they were SO big, it was like standing next to a mountain of bone and muscle.

In fact, six feet tall is not an unusual size for a modern man, and this man at seven foot two is literally nicknamed The Dutch Giant, and Andre the Giant was seven foot four... like, we literally call people of this size "giants" to this day

Kevin Hart is 5'5", which is Neanderthal height, so here's Kevin Hart next to Lebron James who is not even seven feet tall, he is 6'9" which is a totally believable height for a sister-species of large people

okay, and then right in between them but waaaaay more slender than Neanderthal or Denisovan, would be us, homo sapiens sapiens

I lowkey think we must have been the elves, actually. Pointy ears weren't associated with elves until 19th century victorian literature. The key components of the Alfar of supposed Norse mythos (but as recorded by anglo-germanic peoples in the ninth century i believe) was they were beautiful or graceful, had a lot of magic (this is when science and magic were often the same thing) and made people sick, which is historically what happens when new groups of humans move into an area already inhabited by humans.

So you've got a not too tall not too short, slender and graceful people who are more reliant on fire and crafting to survive than other races in the northlands, who bring mysterious knowledge and illnesses with them wherever they go. I think maybe those elves were Sapiens.

If the Denisovans and Neanderthal had their own stories and legends (and they had fire and spoken language, so i assume they were sitting around the fire telling stories, like, surely you don't have both hanging around a fire and spoken language without campfire story-telling happening - and personally, i think memorizing stories and chants that contained information to be passed across the generations was probably one of the major reasons a full language developed in the first place, and i think these learning stories and information chants and teaching songs were such a huge human innovation that i believe it could basically be considered the first internet. One of the very oldest human technologies from the time of Erectus.)

ANYway, if they had their own stories, and homo sapiens sapiens invaded their lands, there is a thing that happens where the stories of the region get taken and told by the invaders as their own. We see it over and over in history, even as recent as in the US, folklore about such figures as Johnny Appleseed were actually based on the folklore of the indigenous people, whose own stories were often adapted from the stories of their neighbors, be it through alliance or conquest.

My point is, homo sapiens sapiens may have wound up telling stories about "elves" and "people" when in the original culture the "elves" were the Sapiens, and the "people" were, for example, Denisovan.

speaking of Denisovans and Neanderthal, they took a smart computer program, and they showed it a bunch of people's DNA and said this is the pattern you should recognize as modern human, and then they said here is a neanderthal's DNA and the computer said "i see some neanderthal DNA is in the human DNA" and they showed it Denisovan DNA and the computer program said "i see some denisovan DNA in the human DNA"

But Then! the programmers said "because you have more than one ancient genome to compare with each other, can you recognize instances of other ancient human DNA interbreeding?

and the computer program said "yes i see DNA from several interbreeding events with multiple unknown archaic human species and also Homo Heidelbergensis (which if you remember up until relatively recently was considered to be the same as Homo Erectus)

So we've got a couple freebies to match up to the fantasy races. All we know is we have little pieces of DNA from like three total unknown human species, at least one of which was probably from north africa and might well have been the origins of the "dark elves" of scandinavian mythology

I've landed on a sort of "first people" or "elder race" for homo erectus, both more primitive and more capable (more able to survive wilderness, and in some ways smarter) than the other human species, and somewhat rare to find.

a note about goblins. There are whole cities on modern earth that are absolutely TORMENTED by baboons or macaques - they form literal gangs and rove the streets stealing everything they want and attacking anyone who gets in their way. Imagine the hellish reality of a species halfway between ape and human, not smart enough to make many of their own tools, but for sure smart enough to steal and use anything you make, retaining the long fangs most apes have, as strong and vicious as a chimpanzee but able to run upright and much more clever, perhaps with a rudimentary language...

So whether you want goblins or giants or elves or dragons or whatever, if you relax the dates a little there are plenty of very real possibilities to use.

Next we'll look at Magic

First of all, magic is essentially just science we haven't been able to explain yet. Right?

So for example, we know this valley is cursed, you can walk through it during the day and probably survive, but go into that valley at night and we'll find you dead with no marks, just like the unmarked dead animals we find, and nothing ever eats the dead bodies in the valley, but sometimes dead scavengers will be seen next to a body like they wanted to eat it but died before they could. Cursed.

Also real. This valley exists. It happens to be above a subterranean pocket of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and heavier than air, so it lays in a blanket along the ground. During the day. At night the temperature change allows the carbon monoxide to drift upward a few feet. The deeper into the valley you go, the more pooled carbon monoxide there is, because heavier-than-air gas acts a lot like water.

So you can literally stand on the hillside under a full moon and watch a person walk into the valley, stop in confusion, start gasping weirdly and then fall down dead. If you don't have the ability to detect carbon monoxide, "cursed" or "haunted" is actually about as accurate as you can get.

Let's look at a wooden sword or wooden arrow/spear head. Several cultures are known to have used wooden swords and spear tips (wooden swords are all about the weight - if it's heavy enough you can chop someone's arm off with it even if it's only kind of sharp) for example this Ikul from the Kuba tribe

or this wooden sword from probably the Baoule

spear- and arrow-heads have been made from all available material throughout time, from shell and bone and antler to stone and sharks teeth and, yes, wood.

So lets say you find the grave of someone who died a couple thousand years before, buried with a wooden sword and some wooden spear heads. They are in a bog or near a volcano, which can seem like haunted landscapes, but importantly this increases the chance of changing the wood into something magic: wood that doesn't burn in the fire and is hard as stone.

I'm talking about petrified wood, of course. The organic wood has been used as a scaffolding for the organic material to be replaced by a mineral composition, usually silica and any heavy metals available in the area. And if the tree was high in an organic compound called lignin, which is a commonly found in many trees, then one of the heavy metals most likely involved in petrifying the wood and replacing the organic matter is... uranium. Because being buried in ground rich with volcanic ash is one of the situations that creates petrified wood, and uranium is more commonly found in and around volcanoes, this is a thing.

So you might find a magic piece of wood that was very cursed indeed. Uranium itself does not glow, but uranium in glass does glow a bit (which is where the popular concept of radioactive things glowing comes from) and silica (the most common mineral in petrified wood) is basically just naturally occurring glass, often formed as quartz or other crystal but silica is literally also what we use to make industrial glass too. And petrified wood is full of it.

if you look close at this chunk of petrified wood, you can see it is sprinkled with quartz almost like it's been salted

the whole thing is infused with silica crystals, which is why you can polish petrified wood like a crystal too

and since uranium in glass is what made these famous dishes glow

... if you found a strange wooden weapon buried in volcanic ash for a few thousand years, then you miiiight wind up with a magic weapon that is somehow very clearly wood but also very clearly stone, super hard (7 on the MOHS) that causes an early death to any who carry it daily in their life, and which in the darkest dark, glows a faint and ghostly green

And lastly, along with my view of magic being science is my firm personal belief that the first magic/science was cooking.

Many chemical processes are evident in early cooking, from processing poisonous cassava roots into a staple food source, to fermentation of alcohol, to chemical transformations of sugars and proteins. Like, what happens if i stir an egg into this? And then heat it up a bunch? Things happen, that's what. You ever try to dial in a cookie recipe? Where you do the same exact recipe over and over changing only one small variable each time? and the cookies turn out very different depending on which thing you change? As far as i'm concerned as soon as we started using fire to cook, we started using the scientific method to be able to replicate delicious experimental outcomes

Not only that, but many non-food technical advances happened by mixing things over a fire. For example, some tools were stone blades affixed to wooden handles using a sort of tar-putty glue ... made by mixing things into tree sap over a fire. If i recall, modern humans have still not been able to recreate it exactly as the recipe is long lost.

Combine this with the fact that even monkeys and weasels are known to use medicinal plants, and preparing medicinal plants has always seemed to use the same tools as cooking plants? Clearly (as far as i'm concerned) cooking is the magic that became science quite early.

Lastly, back in the day, anything wondrous or amazing could be considered magic. Like, oh? you can tell there's going to be the worst winter in ten years because of the star patterns? You made friends with a bear? You created a drink that makes you feel like you're a whole different person? Magic, magic, and more magic.

The reason I like to say a "tolkienesque" fantasy for this universe, is not only for the middle earth vibes, but because in LOTR the magic is not the more common high fantasy super magic with a wizard's school in every city -- no, it is special ancient knowledge and a few secret skills and one or two inexplicable abilities. It's the kind of thing that is just common enough to be acknowledged or known of, but most people only come into contact with it extremely rarely, if at all. It's definitely not a setting where somebody is casting cantrips on a street corner for money.

Speaking of street corners

Now we look at societies

So my supposition is there were empires or kingdoms and various advancements like agriculture and mud bricks or whatever long before there is any evidence of that. But i think possible, because maybe the ocean ate all the evidence. Look at this

the sort of salmon-y colored areas are the continental shelves, and during ice ages, at the times the glaciers are at their maximum, a huge amount of these areas are above sea level. We have recently realized how important these lands may have been, and some of those areas have been named, areas like Sundaland, in between China and Australia, which are islands now but would have been a mountain-bordered "savanna corridor" exposed like this

or Doggerland between England and Europe

We KNOW humans love to live near the ocean. I believe these low lying, sea-bordering grasslands all around the world are where homo sapiens sapiens truly comes from.

And just as coastal cities and port cities tend to be the biggest most popular cities, almost all of the earliest city-states we do know of favored deltas, where large rivers meet the sea. I bet there were earlier civilizations on river deltas where some of those same rivers met the sea during the time the continental shelves were open, down on the coastal plains. But tens of thousands of years of mineralized salt water tides scrubbing away at the land does a lot more erasing than sitting in a mountain cave system or being buried in some desert sand does. And it's waaay harder to excavate underwater sites.

what you get with the earliest kingdoms is several city-states in a major river delta, where the Tigris and Euphrates meet the Persian Gulf, where the Nile meets the Mediterranean, the Indus River, the Ganges, the Yantze, the Huang Ho, these are all sites of some of the earliest city-states and kingdoms ever known

So i hypothesize that during the coldest parts of the ice ages there have been civilizations located on the deltas of these same rivers along the coastal plains of the exposed continental shelves. Which then flooded and were abandoned for a few thousand years at a time during inter-glacial periods.

I believe most of these flooded times humans were prevented from developing and operating large civilizations by the strong presence of our sister-species who would have controlled most of the inland resources and strongholds, forcing flooded Sapiens to survive on the fringes during inter-glacials, until the last climate cycle did a stutter step and broke a functional pattern, which left Sapiens and our sister species in a position where most of us were snuffed out.

Now as far as how these societies were structured, i don't pretend to know, but for the sake of a setting and story, here's what i like to surmise:

The earliest city states had a sort of format where the large ziggurats or stepped pyramids and towers were often the seats of power along with being either terraced garden agriculture or terraced systems of food storage and libraries. Then there was like, a winding main road with a bazaar or street market, and then some housing and zoned quarters, maybe an industry section, a trade and port area, warehouses, cemetery...

So i say, what if the format of mountain connected to port by winding road was a micro-re-creation of a larger earlier system? What if humans in our early inland city-states, were trying to recreate an older system where the Mountain People had star-knowledge of weather patterns and good timber, and the Hill Folk had vegetables and mushrooms and the best stone for tools, and the Plains People had meat and grain and rope (rope is a major tool, at least as important as stone tools, but it often gets missed in favor of more long lasting tool remains) and the River Folk traveled down the river from the mountains in summer, and caravanned back up in the winter, connecting all the human species and their resources. And when the violent take over subsided and the civilized development picked back up, a micro version of that system was the natural choice to attempt.

And of course if these early cities were on the coast, it would have been relatively easy to travel between them on any kind of raft up and down the coast... and even moving overland from major city to major city would have had known routes : follow this river up to the mountain origin point. Where you will meet the Mountain People. They can point you in the direction of the next major river leading down the other side of the mountain range, and that's how you can get from the Delta Kingdom on the coast of India to the Delta Kingdom on the north coast of China without traveling the ocean. It may have taken 18 months, not a lot of people would have done it, but it could have been a known route - and maps of this global network it might look like, idk, a sacred tree, or a nest of snakes. We might have even seen these maps and not know it, because the landscape is different now, and rivers change their courses.

So that's the basic premise and setting. And then i have a sort of plot hook that consists of "Travel around through encounters with all the different major Peoples, the Hill Dwarves and Mountain Giants of the northern lands, the Wood Elves, River Elves, and the Elves of the Plains; the elusive and elder First People, the Sea People, and the loosely interconnected network of Delta Kingdoms that brought them all together. During these travels, we learn more about the People of Before, because there is some evidence that there were once civilizations where the "current" civilizations are now built. What caused their downfall? Spoiler, it was climate change, and if the travelers look in the right places, they will find evidence that it all happened several times before... and it's about to happen again.

And then possibly the prophecy of world ending calamity could be tied to the Toba supervolcano erruptions in Sundaland. It would have happened twice, right at the beginning of the time i look at, nearly a million years ago, during what for my story would function as the First Age (or maybe the Second Age, if you count the time before there were any people as the First Age)

and then again about 75kya -- but the problem is the first one coincided with warming and flooding, and the second one coincided with cooling and re-opening of the continental shelves, so it's not a consistent type of danger, though in an immediate sense a super-volcano would surely be world changing for the people alive at that time.

Anyway, that's my Stone Punk prehistorical fiction universe.

I could keep going, talking about my theories on early wolf domestication and human/herd animal interactions, and the "caretaker" nomad agriculture i hypothesize about using examples from real cultures.

I could talk about the way if you cook with salt and honey and know how to make cheese and yogurt and how to bake, then the whole "if you eat fey food you're trapped and can never leave" because like, if you find people who can make like, a banana bread with honey, or a custard, or salty garlic bread with butter, how the hell do you go back to eating charred unseasoned food? And my other fey folk suppositions, like changelings between sister-species

I could talk about my theories on the ancient origins of the bear and lion and snake and eagle. How the bear mostly got pushed out, and sometimes the eagle combines with the lion into a winged lion, but ever since the eagle and snake became the rainbow winged serpent that moved off through the east to the Americas, in the earliest true empires we have evidence of the remaining eagle of the north west invaders always being against the snake of the south east peoples.. to the extent that when the US was a rebel colony it was symbolized by a snake, but as soon as the US became the oppressing empire state, the symbol changed to an eagle. I think the origins of that human psyche entrenched animal totem interaction began when the Denisovans were the Bear and other of our sister species were the Eagle, the Lion, and the Serpent, and that some of the weird cave bear skull ritual evidence we've found has it's origins in this.

But ANYWAY. That's my Stone Punk Universe, a WIP of legendary proportions :P and not a single bit of actual character or story to go in it T-T

[curiouspupsicle]

Good Omens Fan Fiction Friday (1/17/25) - "Animal Shenanigans" Fics - part 1

C'mon, the internet only exists to promote cat pictures. How could I ignore all the wonderful Good Omens fics that feature stories in which animals play a prominent role? Many of these are lighthearted. Some are absolutely hilarious. Thought it would be a good time to share my favorite fan fics featuring animal shenanigans. It's such a large category, I'll split it into 2 different lists. Most, but not all, are human AUs. I think you'll find it easy to tell which is which. You may have guessed, I'm a crazy dog person. So I have to start with A le Tue Creature Day Sustentamento (T) by malachitegrey. The writer beta'd a popular series that mentioned Meatball the dog and had to write their own fic. Meatball is dropped off at Father Crowley's door by a parishioner who needs a sitter for a few days. Crowley experiences the love of a dog. And discovers something he didn't even know he was missing. Very doggy--recognizable to anyone who's ever loved a pup. And very sweet.

In A Light in the Dark (T) by cyankelpie, Aziraphale falls after returning to heaven and becomes a demon. His animal form is a moth. Crowley cares for him as he heals from his experience. Angsty in the beginning. But an interesting exploration of Azra (Aziraphale's demon name) coming to terms with his animal nature.

@almaasi wrote an adorable crackfic, Blame It on the Goose (G), in which new village resident Crowley teams up with Aziraphale to deal with the geese (?) terrorizing the community. Lots of pining--the funniest examples turn up in the goose journals each of them keep. Bleating Hearts (E) by @hkblack is the fic that first inspired this theme. Aziraphale is a literature professor who returns to his office to find a visiting goat. Crowley is the goat herder responsible for recovering his beloved Bentley (yes, really). Of course, sparks fly. Come for the goat puns. Stay for the love story. @on1occasionfork charmed me with "But, soft!" (M) in which the star-crossed lovers are cats. Aziraphale's cat, Oscar, can't resist sneaking out to visit Crowley's cat, Major Tom, across the alley. Their humans cook up a scheme to help the feline friends spend more time together. The writer recently gifted us with a prequel, Floating in a Most Peculiar Way, that shares Crowley's backstory and how he met Major Tom. Here's hoping we get a similar prequel for Aziraphale and Oscar. Update: To Be Natural is now up sharing the origin story for Oscar and Aziraphale. It's lovely!

I've been enjoying the WIP, Dead Right (E) by @anatomic-girl (don't worry; it's being regularly updated--go check it out). Aziraphale risks losing the bookshop if he isn't married by a certain date. His friend Anathema suggests he talk to Crowley, a mortician who needs a place to stay. Crowley is willing--but only if his cats approve of Aziraphale first. Not entirely cat-centric. But the cats are very important characters and I suspect we'll see more of them as the story progresses. It's also a touching story about found family.

I've recommended this one before and I'll recommend it again. I adore in the reptile house (T) by @waywarder. Aziraphale visits the reptile house at the zoo to overcome his fear of snakes. Crowley is the zookeeper who helps him. Crowley is very sweet. But the writer is even sweeter. And they include some lovely direct address to the reader that is encouraging and wonderful. Definitely a feel-good read to treat yourself with when you need a written hug.

In Just Hold on Tight (T) by @hotcrosspigeon, Aziraphale rushes to visit Crowley in Mayfair as soon as Covid restrictions loosen up. Unfortunately, Crowley has transformed into a snake and can't seem to change back into his human form. It's a delightful story and it makes me jealous that I don't have as good a friend to be at my side when I get stuck turned into a snake.

So I'll close out part 1 here. Look for part 2 next Friday with more animal shenanigans. Reblog to keep track if you love animal characters in Good Omens fics as much as I do. Check out my other favorite fics on this pinned post of weekly Good Omens fan fiction recommendations.

[asmutwriter]

My Angel (Part 2)

DESCRIPTION: After hearing about your friends problem you decide to help her out

WORD COUNT: 1587

From beginning / Previous / Next / Master List  

WARNINGS: Steve, Natasha and reader being stubborn, angst, talk of safe house, completely unrealistic scenario, swearing, reader calls Steve 'Shoulders', Steve is a gentlemen, talk of theft

DISCLAIMERS

- This is fiction. Please always talk to your partner before doing anything and make sure they are ok with what you are doing beforehand

"Glad to see you're still a good fighter" Natasha says. You roll your eyes. Holding your hand out to which she takes. Letting you pull her up before you offer the same hand to Steve.

"I had a good teacher" She gives a small smirk. Pulling the man up as you speak. Steve drops your hand once he's up. You go over to the door. Locking it properly before turning around to speak to them. "Why are you in my house?" Nat's eyebrows raise slightly. Eyes watching you like a hawk.

"Your house?" She chuckles slightly. Shaking her head. "This is not a 'home'. This is a safe house. For people who are trying to not get found"

"Which begs the question as to why you're here?" You query. Folding your arms over your torso. Meeting her steady gaze.

"Don't ask to many questions now Mia. It'll only get you in trouble". You roll your eyes. Meeting hers again. She remains silent. Any sort of humour seems to have disappeared from her being.

"Are you seriously not going to tell me?"

"No".

"Fine" you say. Moving and bending down as you pick up the bat from the floor. Resting it over your shoulders as you stand tall once again. "Then get out of my house. Or I'll call the police"

"Ok. Why don't we just think for a minute" Steve interjects.

"Nothing to think about" you say. Looking at the tall man. "You are intruders. Now get out of my home"

"This isn't your home" Natasha says. Eyes going back to her.

"I have squatters rights. I've been living in these abandoned premises for 4 years now without any trouble. So it is legally my home. Now respectfully-" You unlock the door. Opening it for them. "Get the fuck out". They both look at you for a minute. The three of you staying silent.

"We need your help" Steve breaks the tense silence. You look at him.

"Interesting and none of my business. Goodbye".

"Just shut the door and hear us out". You take in a breath. Slowly placing your palm to the back of the door. Pushing it shut. Resting a hand on your hip as the other lets the bat swing by your leg. Leaning against the now closed door. "Natasha is right. We can't tell you everything for your own sake. Just know that we aren't the bad guys" You give a small scoff. Turning your head to the side. Tilting it towards him once again when he continues speaking.

"We need a place to stay. One off the radar. We believed this place was empty so we came here. I think we can both see that we were wrong in that assumption. We will find a different place"

"No. We can't". Your friend says. Both you and Steve facing her. "We have two places that we could stay."

"Ok so we both go to the somewhere else. Leave Miss Mia here to her life"

"They'd expect us to be together. We're safer if we split up. Its why we left Bucky right?" He takes in a sigh.

"Whose Bucky?" Ignoring your question as she turns to you.

"Does anyone else know about this house?" She questions you. "Your clients or friends?"

"No. I always go to other peoples houses or hotels" she nods.

"Good. The only people who know of its existance are the people in this room"

"Making it a safe house still" Steve finishes her thought. She nods. A small smile taunting her lips.

"Exactly"

"You should stay here. I'll go to the other house" she shakes her head at his request. Her smile quickly fading as she looks away.

"No. I know Mia on a personal level. They could link me back to her". She runs a hand through her hair. "You have no direct ties to her though. You should stay here". Raising your brow as you look between the both of them.

"Do I get any say in the matter?"

"No" Natasha says. "We're running out of time. The longer we stay together the likeliest they'll find the both of us"

"Let me get this straight" you quibble. Putting a hand out to make them both actually listen to you rather then dismiss your thoughts. Their heads turning to face you. "You want to kick me out the place I've been living in for half a decade now just because you feel unsafe anywhere else?"

"I never said you have to leave" she taunts. You roll your eyes. Her taunting gaze changes to a more serious one. "We need this place Mia. I know its a lot to ask and I'm sorry to put you in this position but we need this safe haven". You look at her. Then at Steve. "Would I be in danger?" She takes in a breath.

"I can't guarantee you'll be safe if you help us. But if - once we sort this mess out then I will pay you back. Ten times the amount of this favour".

"And all I have to do is room with Shoulders?"

"Really?" Steve looks at you. The stern expression on his face mixing well with the mild glint of amusement and annoyance flashing through his eyes.

"That's all you have to do". You rub your face with your hands. Looking at the man before you. A sigh leaving your lips as you eye him up and down. Your brow furrowing slightly.

"One condition". Your eyes go to his as you bring up a solitary finger. "I'll buy you a couch but I'm keeping the bed". He chuckles slightly. Lips upturning as he nods.

"I have a condition of my own"

"Shoot"

"I want my wallet back".

"I don't..." you trail off. His hand pointing towards your bed. To the wallet embroidered with the letters S.R. on them. "Fuck". Looking back at him. Taking in a breath and holding your hand out. "Deal". He takes your hand. Giving it a shake before dropping it. Natasha looks between the both of you.

"I can tell you two will become best buds". You roll your eyes at her. "I need to be going". Steve turns to her. You look away slightly. Letting them say goodbye properly. She turns to you. Drawing your attention back to her. Hugging you too. "Thank you so much for this Mia". She speaks in a quiet tone.

"No worries. Anything for the woman who saved my life" she gives a small chuckle. Moving from the hug.

"Right. I'll see you both around". You both watch as she goes to the front door. Her hand resting on the door handle. "Try not to kill each other". You give her a small wave. Opening it and closing it behind her. You go over. Doing the latch back up. Realising you still have the bat in hand. Going and placing it by your bedside once again. Gently patting the handle before turning to him.

"How long have you and Nat been dating?" He looks at you. Shaking his head.

"Oh... Oh no. No. We aren't dating". You raise your brow. Scanning him before giving a small 'mhmm'. "We aren't. We've just been through a lot of stuff together. We're close but not... that close"

"Sure Shoulders. Sure"

"Can you..." he lets out a sigh. Watching as you go to your small fridge. He looks away as you bend over to grab something out. "Can you not call me Shoulders?" Turning back to him as you open a can of coke.

"What do you want me to call you?"

"Steve. It is my name"

"Sure thing Shoulders". You smile at him. Taking a sip of your drink as he glares at you. Moving he grabs his wallet from the bed.

"We are going to fall out if you arent careful". You chuckle. Bringing the can back down. Placing it on top of the fridge.

"What did you bring with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're on the run right? You must have like spare toothbrush and shirts?" He shakes his head.

"I didn't have time to pick up anything when I ran". You give a small nod. Motioning with your head.

"There's a shop down the road that sells shirts and things. We could go later tonight and see what we can swipe". Taking a sip of your drink. Turning your head to watch his face. His disappointed face.

"I'm not stealing clothes". You roll your eyes. Going over to your drawers. Opening it. He curiously looks at what you're doing. Very quickly looking away as he sees a lace thong on top of your clothes. A small blush coming over his features. Vanishing before you notice.

You take out a wad of cash. Shutting the drawer with your hip. Turning to him. "Right. So we need new clothes plus a sofa. I have about 200 quid but I don't want to spend it all as its next months rent. However I'd rather be living with a man who owns more then one pair of underwear then be able to pay next rent". You go over to him. Holding it towards him. "Go get yourself something nice". He goes to take it but you snatch it back. "You owe me big time". You look up at his blue eyes. Putting the money back down. He gives a small nod. Taking the cash from you. Looking at you through his lashes.

"Where can I buy clothes and a sofa from?"

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@wonderlanddreamer

[katuschka]

Olalla Chapter Fourteen 1/2

Jake Kiszka x f!OC x Josh Kiszka 2.750 words (revised, May 2025) So, once again I decided to split the chapter in two, not because of the lenght, but because it's quite heavy and might me more palatable when served in smaller doses (for the readers as well as for me). As I said at the end of the previous one, this was always my plan. The fact that I reached this part of the story NOW is a disturbingly peculiar coincidence, and I think it's inevitably reflected in the writing.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, intended for adult readers. Any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental. Also, if you're under 18, go find some other entertainment elsewhere.

Warnings (are spoilers): indirect descriptions and mentions of war and invasion (no gore), psychical defeat and depression, incensed arguing, anger, language (even though most of it is in Polish), and as always, an unhealthy dose of heavy emotions and feelings

If you like the story and want to get notifications, you can join the Taglist

Previous chapter Next chapter Olalla masterpost

Agnieszka, 23rd March 2026

The world around us was still shrouded in darkness when we got woken up by the piercing sound, and I think that was the worst and the most frightening thing about it at that moment. Nothing else happened, but you simply never know what the next second might bring when you can’t see. 

With my heart in my throat, I quickly wrapped myself up in my terry bathrobe and ran into the hallway to put all the lights on, ignoring the frightened faces of our visitors in their open doors. They kept asking what was going on and I had to reply with honesty that I had no idea, although we all suspected it and the possibility made my stomach turn violently. 

I met dad in the common room. He had already switched the TV on and was scrolling through his phone at the same time, and I stood frozen in the doorway, feeling my already quickened heartbeat rise even more with each passing second until it felt like I would suffocate. 

He remained silent, acknowledging my presence but staying in his own mental bubble for a minute or two before he finally turned around towards me and calmly spoke.

“Why?”

Why, indeed. 

One minute you’re a complex human being and within seconds, the tables turn and they reduce you to a mere ant, trying to run away from being squashed with the thumb of their dirty hands, so that they could take what you had worked for, loved and cherished. 

Still, when dawn broke and I looked out of my bedroom window, everything looked almost the same as before, filling me with a strange – and false – sense of calm at first. The garden was dusted with fresh snow, just like almost every other day at this time of year. It would melt by midday, but it made our mornings sugar sweet. Same with white frost. It turned the whole town into a white wonderland, making us ignore the imminent danger that kept lurking just behind the corner. My sister was not immune to that, but it was always too easy to forget about the rest of the world here. 

Not this morning. 

This morning I saw Svetlana sitting on a frost-covered bench near the fireplace in the farthest corner of the garden, in just her pajamas and slippers despite the cold, clutching her head with both her hands as if in pain. 

She was in pain. 

Broken hearts hurt more than broken bones. 

Maya called at six thirty. I expected that, as that’s normally the time she wakes up. She cried and sobbed and almost screamed a few times – not at me, just out of frustration – and all the time I tried to remain calm. So did dad when I put her on speaker because she suggested we all just pack our bags and drive straight to Frankfurt as soon as possible, leaving everything behind. Mama, on the other hand, was calm. With her usual, steely and dispassionate voice, she scolded Maya for being completely out of her mind, telling her we would not become a burden to her family. Needless to say, we agreed with her. What could we possibly do there? Me? I’d manage to fend for myself, no doubt. But my parents?

Besides, I’m not the one who runs away. I wanted to be useful, to face whatever was coming with my head held high and to help others do the same. Just like we always had. We’re not ants!

I spent the rest of the morning immersed in administrative work as our guests, most of them leaving in a hurry, all needed help at once. 

It also helped me keep my own feelings at bay, for which I was grateful. Some emotions are easy to navigate, but not hatred. I always resented the feeling, but it’s too powerful and nearly impossible to suppress when you’re a mere human. 

Two families decided to stay, though. One from Warsaw, another one from Poznan. They concluded they wouldn’t be safe at home anytime soon and we naturally offered them shelter for as long as they needed. 

A woman from one senior house in Krakow contacted me just after lunch. They needed to transfer their clients to safety. Of course we agreed. There weren’t going to be any tourists anytime soon. It was actually a magnificent idea, and my defiant determination to be as useful as possible only grew. 

Things were changing so fast that my head was spinning by three pm, with my body overdosed with adrenaline but low on sugar. Agitation makes me forget to eat, until my body reminds me in painful ways. I had been up since 4 am, functioning solely on one cup of coffee I managed to drink before Maya’s phone call. So, as my hands started to shake and my legs turned to jelly, I sat behind the reception counter, quickly ate a few pieces of chocolate I had stacked in the drawer next to my chair, and rested my head on my crossed arms in front of my laptop for a while. 

I must have dozed off, being suddenly roused by a ringing phone next to my head. Disoriented, I had trouble remembering where I was, much less being able to determine the source of the noise. It took me a few more seconds to collect myself, but as soon as I saw a foreign, but strangely familiar phone number on the display, my heart freaked out again. I felt myself panicking, unsure what to do, and the phone continued to ring. It took me another while before I finally pressed the answer button. 

“Willa Eulalia, Agnieszka Sikorska speaking. How can I help you?” I answered mechanically. It was the best thing I could think of at that moment to keep my voice steady.

“Oh, thank GOD! Why the fuck aren’t you answering your phone? Jeeesus, you scared us!”

Phone? My phone... Oh yes, because this wasn’t… “I think I left it in my bedroom. What do you want Joshua?” I asked cautiously. 

“Are you ok? Everyone safe? I tried to face call you, but you didn’t… anyway, nevermind, we need to talk…”

“What do you want?” I repeated in exasperation, really wishing to sound angry… and failing to do so. To be honest, I can’t say with certainty how I really felt, as I was getting quite lost in it. Hearing his voice again was unsettling, and it only added to the whirlwind currently swirling inside my head, but at the same time, there was something strangely soothing about it. I had been addicted to it once, and I felt myself falling into relapse pretty quickly. 

“Please, could we do this face to face? I’m… it’s serious.” 

I hesitated. What could he possibly want to discuss now? No, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t that obtuse. ‘Willingly in denial’ might be a better description. 

“Olalla?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Please… I know you never wanted to see me again, but please…”

“Hang on…,” I tapped on the touchpad and the laptop screen in front of me came on. “Ok, I’m putting this down and I’m online. You can call me now,” I said and pressed the side button without waiting for his reply. 

“So what do you… oh… it’s both of you.” The possibility hadn’t occurred to me and I was now literally facing my worst nightmare. I’m not exaggerating. Those nightmares nearly made me go insane in January. 

Joshua smiled weakly, his eyes soft and full of affection, just how I remembered them. Even though that only made me feel worse, at least he was legible… I dare say I’ve always been good at reading people, although I admit I failed a few times... And Jake was one of those few exceptions, with his lips always pressed together defensively as if he expected the worst from everyone. I was definitely not interested in having to deal with it at that moment. 

“Could you please take off your sunglasses at least now?!?” I snapped, finally getting angry. To my surprise, he immediately obliged. And to my even greater surprise, his eyes looked red and puffy. 

“Hello, Veela.”

I hadn’t expected that, and it shook me. 

I didn’t want them to know how it all made me feel. They sat there… somewhere… next to each other, both looking like two schoolboys ready to get berated for whatever folly they had done. Both pairs of hands pressed together in silent anticipation. “I’m waiting,” I said coldly. 

Joshua cleared his throat. “Well, first of all, we’re glad to see that you’re ok…” He paused and looked at Jake, who bowed his head down. I was getting impatient. 

“And?”

“And…” he took a deep breath, “and we want to make sure it stays that way.” He looked at Jake again. Something was off, hidden between the lines and I couldn’t decipher it. 

“Okay… so… I assure you I’ll do my best. If that’s all, I really have a lot of work to do right now, so…” I was ready to close the laptop but Joshua suddenly became very agitated, making my hand stop in mid air. 

“No, Agnieszka, wait! You don’t understand. You need to get out of there.” 

I think that was the first time I actually heard him call me by my real name, but that wasn’t what made me halt. I stared at him in utter disbelief for a while before I blurted out: “Ja pierdolę! Who are you to tell me I don’t understand?! And to tell me what to do?! I know very well what’s going on! Why do you care anyway? Gówno ci do tego!” 

My sudden outburst wasn’t fair and I knew that. I regretted it almost immediately. However, his words ignited something in me, making me finally lose control over all those thoughts and feelings I had been trying to suppress the whole day. To top it all, I started crying. He was right, in a way. I really couldn’t understand it. I still had no answer to dad’s question. Why…

Joshua looked defeated. He started rubbing his chin with the back of his hand while staring somewhere above their own web camera. Jake kept examining the floor, as if he couldn’t even bear looking at me. 

“I’m sorry,” Joshua finally whispered. 

“No, I am,” I sobbed. “But don’t tell me I don’t understand. It’s ME who’s here for fucks sake. I was woken by the sirens and I have been dealing with the consequences ever since. But don’t worry. I’ll be fine. It’s you who…”

“Stop it. You’re right. Of course you’re right. What I meant was…”

“We’re in Paris, actually…” Jake’s head had snapped up during my second outburst and now he suddenly interrupted his brother with a steady hand squeezing Joshua’s shoulder. “Have you watched the news this afternoon? You probably have, but…”

“No…” I answered hesitantly, but truthfully. 

“It’s bad. Really bad. It’s not just you, but Baltics too. We just watched it. It happened maybe… an hour ago?” He looked at Joshua again, who simply nodded. “The tour just got canceled. What he really meant is that we want to help keep you safe. We want to get you out of there. It was an insane move and everyone says that it won’t last long, but it could get really nasty in the meantime.” 

Jake paused, but kept watching me. Another moment passed in silence while I tried to process it all. “Why?” I finally choked out. 

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to get me out of here?”

Jake squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before he answered. “I already told you.” 

Joshua rolled his eyes. I almost missed the subtle gesture, but it reflected what I was thinking. Not enough. Even though it was the last thing Jake told me – or the last thing I remembered him telling me – it was not enough. We had never been sincere with each other, always speaking in hints and riddles, and it resulted in creating a huge rift between us. I didn’t blame him, or me, or anyone. At least not anymore. It was nobody’s fault, just a fact. The three of us just found ourselves in an impossible situation and if anything, the current one convinced me that me ending it before the circumstances could inevitably force us to had indeed been the only right thing to do. I also immediately regretted answering the phone. The video call seemed not only hurtful, but also completely pointless. 

“No.”

Isn’t it strange how a one-syllable word can hold so many meanings? I realized it only after I said it, and watched the understanding appear on their faces. A no to their proposal, sure, but at the same time also a dismissal of Jake’s alleged reasons. He lowered his head again in defeat and once again squeezed his brother’s shoulder.

“Olalla, please, I beg you. Listen…” It was Joshua now, trying to persuade me with those puppy eyes again, but the ship had sailed.

“You two are crazy. Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, It’s almost impossible for you to help me in any way, so what are you playing at? And telling me that I don’t understand, to top it all…” 

“Almost, but not entirely… Jake?” 

And once again I watched them exchange looks. They seemingly still had more to say, much more, and I dreaded to ask. I met Joshua’s eyes again and silently begged him to NOT say any more and just end the call mercifully, wishing me good luck or something. He just opened his mouth, but Jake exhaled impatiently and beat him to it. 

“I want to marry you, Veela.”

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!?! You’re a fool, Jacob. FOOL!”

“It was actually my idea…” Joshua chimed in. 

“And that makes it better!” I spat disdainfully and ended the call abruptly. They tried to reconnect, but I switched the laptop off. I didn’t answer the incoming phone call either. After all the time that had passed, when I thought I was just getting my sanity back, they did THAT. 

Later that day, after I finally managed to eat a slice of bread with butter and thus give my body just enough energy to keep on living, I finally got back up to my room to compose myself and take a much needed shower. Reluctantly, I checked the phone as well. There were several missed calls, mostly from old friends living in Krakow. 

There were, however, several text messages from Jake. The old me would have deleted them, just like I did back in August, but those two bastards broke and changed me since then. So, with a beating heart, I sat down on my bed and read the whole thread. 

Kuba Starlight: I totally understand, Veela. It was blunt. 

Kuba Starlight: But please believe me when I say that I mean it. I can’t bear the thought of something happening to you. 

Kuba Starlight: You want me to say it again? Fine. 

Kuba Starlight: I love you. 

Kuba Starlight: Josh didn’t tell me to do it. He only said there was a chance you would say yes. I had to try.

Kuba Starlight: And I understand you might need some time. Even though we don’t really have it. 

Kuba Starlight: Josh is flying back home with the rest, but I’m staying here. I’ll wait. 

Kuba Starlight: Your kisses don’t lie, you know? You might have fooled me once, but not the second time. Not after he confirmed it was true. Just please, if you no longer feel that way, tell me now and you’ll never hear from me again. 

The phone screen was covered with droplets of my tears by the time I stopped reading, distorting the last words just like my mind had been distorting the reality when he had kissed me again and I had felt those raw emotions running through my veins, poisoning my blood even more than all the vodka I had drunk. I typed the text. I wanted to lie. I almost hit the send button… and then I deleted it. I couldn’t do it. For hours since the face call, I had been hearing those words, echoing at the back of my head: Come, my love. My conscious mind rejected it, but something deep inside my chest kept fighting back, making it hard to breathe.

@thewritingbeforesunrise @fleet-of-fiction @writingcold @lvnterninthenight @its-interesting-van-kleep  @takenbythemadness  @edgingthedarkness @myownparadise96  @gvfstuddedmajesty @josh-iamyour-mama @jazzyfigz @tripthelightfantastix @sanguinebats @wetkleenex-gvf @peaceloveunitygvf @kiszkas-canvas @fleetingjake @lizzys-sunflower @hollyco @emojakekiszka @gvfmarge @Dayumclarizzel @lipstickitty @clownstarr @musicislove3389 @i-love-gvf @blankvz @psychedelectable @allof--mylove @joshylanefleet @thewaythatshebreathes @Ironlotus90 @justwantjosh

[reunitedinterlude]

gameshow/quizshow host!phil <3 (links under the cut)

links:

youtube's stream #withme: link

amazingphilshop quiz: link

[theheartnexttophan]

Month-in-Rephiew: April 2025

DAPG short (also posted on twitter, insta, tumblr, TikTok): phregnancy annoucement, Dan instastory: phregnancy short

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3 Dan Instastories: cherry blossoms, ‘It’s a Mirror’ song, repost of Tommyinnit’s reel announcing Dan will be part of his London show

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What Do You Meme: PHAN EDITION

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Phil retweet: Susan is a cool name

Dan retweet: Tommyinnit’s tour selfie, Dan as guest in Tommyinnit’s London show

WILL WE STAY SPLIT? - Split Fiction Part 2!

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Phil bought a giant Tetris game off TikTok and destroyed our house

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2 fan pics from cinema

Dan and Phil retweet: trans lives matter, SIP or SPILL with Dan and Phil

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Forcing Dan to watch my TikTok likes to distract from global politics

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[s-o-u-l-m-a-t-i-s-m]

"Dan and Phil getting railed."

- Dan in WILL WE STAY SPLIT? [Split Fiction Part 2!]

[dpdailyupdate]

New DandAndPhilGAMES video ‘WILL WE STAY SPLIT? Dan and Phil play Split Fiction Part 2’

10 April 2025

[criminalmindswhore]

Dark Pieces of Me pt. 2

Hey girl queen pussy bosses, here's part 2! This part is going to be LONG because I want to keep it in 3/4 parts. Enjoy!

Also fun fact, Mateo is an actual food stand across the street from San Fran PD, look it up.

TW: violence, mentions of organized crime, terrorism, mentions of suicide

Part 1 | Part 3

The sun crept into the curtains of the cheap motel you booked somewhere in Kansas. You didn't sleep but you knew you needed to take a break. Your hand was throbbing from clutching your gun the entire night. You stood up from your post in front of the door and gathered your small bag of items. Stepping into the tiny shitty bathroom you splashed water on your face and caught a glimpse of your reflection. Dark eyebags, perfectly braided hair, a bruise under your eye from the fucker who tried to steal your gas pump. Thoughts of Emily lying on your couch, watching Pulp Fiction made you feel a little comfort. You knew you would never see her again and it made your heart feel so heavy. Shaking away thoughts of what could have been with Emily, and the stolen thoughts across the bullpen. You grabbed your bag, tucked your gun into your waistband, and walked out into the morning sun. You walked into the office and dropped the cash needed for your stay on the counter. "Good morning Ms. Jones, how did you sleep?" The sweet old lady who owned the place asked. "Good, much-needed rest from driving. Thank you for the sandwich last night, my stomach was screaming at me." The owner nodded, "Of course hon, you looked like you needed some sunshine in your day." You have no idea. "Do you have any maps? Mine got soaked last night." She nodded and slid one across the counter. "Have a good drive." You smiled, a seemingly sweet old lady running a motel all alone? She was a badass and you knew it. You did a quick, good scan of your car looking for any signs of tampering before entering. San Francisco was going to be torn to pieces if that's what it took for you to find him. His words repeated in your head over and over, "If I will kill 5 people for every one of our men you killed. You will be last."

In San Francisco, the team was split into two. One team focused on finding you, the other on solving the current case. You walking out had to do with this case, if they would figure it out they could figure out where you were. Emily's nails were in rough shape, she was worried sick over you. She knows where your head is, she knows how dark that place is. She knows the fear and the numbness that comes with running. She had no idea what you did for work before the BAU, it hadn't come up. You've heard of her past, how she left the team. You were her replacement, you saw the damage it did. "How could you do this to them after seeing that?" She thought. "Hey Prentiss, we got something." Derek popped his head into the office where Emily was fixated on your phone records. She stood up from her chair, smoothed out her shirt, and followed Morgan. "Hi Em." Garcia spoke up from the phone, Emily smiled, "Hi Pen." Penelope needed to hear her voice. Pen was the only one to notice how you two disappeared one night during dinner. Bombarding you both with questions the day after. You both maintained that you felt sick and Emily came to help you. "So after fist fighting the United States government I got Y/L/N's record unsealed. We know this case wraps around her. Before she came to the BAU she worked as an undercover OP for the National Counterterrorism Center. Specifically, she led a mission on a domestic terrorism cell that was building up to a big event." Everyone in the room took a deep breath, this was all bringing up old wounds. All eyes turned to Emily and JJ, they knew most about this. JJ spoke up, "Pen send us every single file you have and look for any spottings of the cell she was after." Penelope sighed sadly, "That's the thing. Y/N took all of them out on her own. Her cover was blown in the middle of their hub and she had to fire her way out. The only survivor is paralyzed." Hotch interjected, "Who is it? He's training someone to get his revenge and Y/N is at the top of the list. This cell didn't disband, this person rebuilt it." An officer stepped into the conference room, "We've got 5 more bodies."

Your heart pounded in your chest as you crossed over the bridge into San Fran. You knew he was here, you knew he had men. The sun beaming into your eyes as the sunset. You drove until you found an apartment for rent in the heart of the city, apartments were always checked last by Henry. "1 bedroom, 1 bath, $500 a month" Perfect. You called the number and told him you would pay the first 2 months in cash today. He met you out front in under an hour and gave you the key. You shook his hand and then bang. A shot rang out as the man hit the ground. You immediately took cover behind a car, drawing your gun. Fuck, there goes my apartment. You returned fire in the general direction until the shots stopped. You stayed behind the car until you felt it was clear. Running to your car and speeding off, leaving your $1000 on the sidewalk. You weren't even scared, you just felt rage. These were innocent people he was killing instead of coming for you. Why not come to DC and take you out? Why cause a scene? Then you remembered how the now deceased boss, Mateo had a thing for the dramatics. Your burned phone rang, "Jones." Your voice is stern.

"It's me Y/L/N. I have an update for you." Your handler spoke on the other end of the phone. "What's up?" He sighed, which was never good with him. "Henry's son was the one who called in the bodies, he knew that many would get your team there. Henry wants your team. This is all a trap for you and them." You came to a hard stop, pulling a sharp U-turn booking it to the station. "Heard that." The anger in your voice is apparent. "Y/N, do not do something stupid. You need to get out of there." You scoffed, "And leave my team in this trap alone? This is ending now. He can come for me, but my team is over the line." You hung up, throwing your phone onto the passenger seat. Anger ran hot in your veins. You were going to kill him tonight.

Hotch was standing there with Emily just waiting for something to click. They knew who was in charge, but they had no idea where to even look for him. Emily was growing impatient, "I'm going to get some air." She slammed the file down, storming outside. The night air felt like the first air she'd ever breathed. There was no smell of burnt coffee, cop sweat, and old takeout. She sat on the steps of the station looking at the lights of the city. She knew you spent some time here, but had no idea it was for work. Let alone that you were calling the shots on who died and who didn't. It made her feel so horrible to know you have carried around that guilt for so long, in silence. She understood why you couldn't say anything but it didn't make it hurts any less. Across the street, she saw a food stand called Mateos. She wandered over there to get a snack and clear her head. She couldn't think straight. She was so worried about if you were safe and thoughts of Ian danced through her head. As she stepped up to order she caught a glimpse of someone who looked like you discarding their food and shuffling away silently. "Y/N? Is that you?" You ignored her, quickening your pace. You had to keep your distance or they would take her out. She started running at you, and you could hear her pace pick up so you ran at a fence, scaling it in under 2 seconds and disappearing behind it. Emily came to a stop at the fence, knowing you were long gone. "Y/n please come back. We can help. Please." A tear slipped from her eye. That was probably the last time she would see you and she knew it. As you turned the corner your breath was out of control. That was too close.

Bang.

You and Emily both drew your guns. You ducked behind a dumpster, but the bullets were coming from the other direction, a second shot rang out and hit you in your shoulder. "Fuck!" You screamed out, taking off on foot and down the street. Emily heard you yell and started running around looking for a way to you. She eventually climbed over the fence and found blood splattered on the side of the dumpster. Gun still drawn she called Derek, "Derek I just saw her, she's been shot. She took off again. She was right across the street." Derek called the others and ran out the door and to Emily. The team stood in that alley brainstorming for almost an hour.

Across town, you were stitching yourself up in a Chinese restaurant bathroom. The restaurant was closed, but you've picked many locks in your days. You winced as you wrapped a bandage you stole from CVS around your makeshift stitches. You knew they would probably reject but it wouldn’t be lone before you could get real medical attention. If you took out Henry the whole team would fall apart. After cleaning up after yourself you sat at a table in the dark restaurant using the street lamps outside to look at the files from when you completed the mission. He was somewhere in the city, and most importantly close to the station. You knew that he would want to be close to the team to taunt you. In the station the team had come to the same conclusion, Morgans phone rang. “Tell me something good babygirl.” Garcia piped off, “324 5th Street, there was an alert to a security guards phone about movement in the building. I pulled the footage, it was tampered with but our girl is there and so is Henry.” The team immediately went into gear. Emily streamlining to the cars, she was not going to let what happened to her, happen to you.

[whiteraven87]

Driven by Desire: Fire and Speed - 55. The Dream

The Unstoppable Series - Masterlist

Four parts. Two hearts. One love story.

pairing: Toto Wolff x Miriell Joschke (Original Character, female F1 driver)

Series warnings: long fan fiction/series, slow burn, age gap (23 years), woman racing in F1, boss/driver relationship, difficult and painful past, death, angst, recovery after trauma and loss, love after loss, sexual tension, sex scenes, illness, pregnancy, memory lost.

full series word count: 218k words of speed, scars, slow-burning love, and everything in between.

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chapters until now of Part 4: Driven by Desire: Fire and Speed

Prologue

Return to Life

YES!

We are back

Third World Championship Title

The Night That Changed Everything

The Inevitable Conversation

Now and Forever [18+]

You Are the Reason

Our Place

The New Driver

Night Experiments [18+]

In His Power [18+]

Memories

The Royal Couple of F1 [18+]

New Era

The First Race of the Season and Rumors

Mercedes – Power, Style, and Authority

Triumph of a Young Champion

Shadows of the Night

The Sea, the Silence, Us [18+]

Unexpected news

Oasis of Peace

Loss

Emptiness

Painful Truth

Breakthrough [18+]

The Fourth

Liberty Media Banquet [18+]

The Austrian Casanova

The Calendar[18+]

Unmatched [18+]

Shared Moments

Her Path [18+]

Madness in the Bieszczady

Awkward Discovery

Christmas in Austria

Finally Alone [18+]

Birthday Gift [18+]

Observations

After the Meeting [18+]

Season Opener[18+]

Unexpected meeting

Sound of Dominations [18+]

Stormy Meeting [18+]

The Last Moments

The Accident

Everything Fell Apart

Coming Home

Emptiness in My Mind

Without Her

Return to the Track

Traces of the Past

We Were Close

previous Parts:

Part 1: Driven by Speed - A Diamond Among Stones

Part 2: Driven by Success - Golden Girl

Part 3: Driven by Love - Rebirth from the Ashes

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55. The Dream

Bieszczady, September

POV Miriell

I woke up abruptly, my heart pounding wildly. My body was warm, my breath uneven, and the images from the dream still clung to me—so intense that I could feel their traces on my skin.

Toto.

His hands moving over my body, his warm breath on my neck, his lips pressing kisses to my skin. Tenderness and passion woven into one.

I could still feel his touch... but it was only a dream.

My chest tightened as reality set in.

He was lying beside me, sleeping, peaceful. His breathing was steady, and his arm still rested loosely around me, as if even in sleep he didn't want to let me go.

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. I felt... desire. Not just in my body, but in my heart. I wanted him—but my mind was still holding me back, placing invisible barriers I couldn't seem to cross.

I shifted slightly, and that was enough to wake him.

"Miriell?" — his voice was low, slightly hoarse with sleep.

I didn't answer right away.

"Are you okay?" — He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at me closely, and in the dim light I could see the concern in his eyes.

I sighed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I had a dream," I said quietly.

"A bad one?"

I hesitated.

"No..."

He brushed his hand over my shoulder, his touch warm and calming—but at that moment, it sent a shiver through me.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

I clenched the bedsheet, still feeling the echo of the dream on my skin.

"You were in it," I admitted in a whisper.

Toto stayed silent, waiting for me to continue.

"We were... together," I went on, feeling my cheeks burn. "Close."

His hand on my shoulder froze for a split second, then gently he traced his thumb along my skin.

"I see," he said softly.

I finally looked at him.

"I feel..." I sighed, searching for the right words. "I feel like my heart and body want something... but my mind holds me back."

Toto looked at me with such tenderness that my heart ached.

"There's no need to rush, Liebling," his voice was soft, steady. "You don't have to do anything you're not ready for."

"But I..." I trailed off, frustration building in my chest.

"Shhh." He leaned in and brushed a kiss against my cheek.

I closed my eyes, soaking in the warmth of his lips.

"You don't have to do anything, Miriell."

"But I want to," I whispered, feeling his breath against my skin.

He ran his hand along my cheek, and I instinctively leaned into his touch.

"That's enough," he murmured.

I looked at his lips, then back into his eyes. There was so much tenderness in them. Patience. Love.

I made the decision before I even realized it. I leaned in gently and brushed my lips against his.

At first, he didn't move—as if he wanted to be sure it was really my choice.

Then he responded. His lips were warm, soft—the kiss gentle, cautious, full of tenderness.

Toto was my refuge. My safe place.

And I knew that whatever happened... he wouldn't let me get lost.

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NEXT -> 56. A Loss I Don’t Remember

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"I put my armor on, show you how strong I am."

Read the story here:

AO3 Unstoppable Series

Wattpad: Part1 I Part 2 I Part 3 | Part 4

🇵🇱 Dla Polskich czytelników [for Polish readers] [PL]:

Seria Niepowstrzymana AO3

Wattpad PL: Part1 I Part 2 I Part 3 | Part 4