#also I feel like I haven't slept in 4 weeks

[steampoweredskeleton]

.

Ignore

[mayajadewrites]

could've been you: aizawa x reader x hawks

summary: You're the new teacher at UA with a rocky past with one of their beloved teachers, Shouta Aizawa aka Eraserhead. You'd rather never see him again but alas, such is life. You also meet Keigo, aka Hawks, who is the opposite of Aizawa. Smiley, golden retriever energy. Nothing could go wrong... right? relationships: aizawa x fem!reader, hawks x fem!reader warnings: some chapters will be NSFW, they will have a warning on them in bold.

CHAPTER TWO

WARNING: some light smut in this chapter. enjoy :)

You stop in your tracks. The tall, dark haired, tired looking man that altered your life forever is standing outside of your door. You were mentally preparing yourself to see him tomorrow, not today.

"Sup Eraser!" Keigo walked up to Eraserhead and attempted to give him a fist bump.

Of course, Eraser just looked away and gave a nod instead. "You know her?"

"Yeah, we met today! We all had lunch. You should've came, it was a nice time. I was just walking her back to her room. You know, chivalry isn't dead."

"Wasn't invited." Eraserhead murmured. "Can you give us some privacy to talk?"

"Oh, sure! I'll see you tomorrow." Keigo turned to you and smiled before walking away. You crossed your arms over your chest once the sound of Keigo's footsteps had disappeared.

"Who told you where my room was?" You finally spoke. You can't help but want to stare at Eraserhead and how much he's grown into himself. He's more muscular than the last time you saw him and his long black hair was messily tied up into a bun. His clavicle peeked out of the black t-shirt he's wearing.

"My room is just 2 down from yours, I saw some delivery people come in and then I heard your voice."

"Stalker much." You pause as your eyes flicker up to his. "What do you want, Eraser?"

"Shouta or Aizawa. Don't call me Eraser."

"Why not? That's your hero name after all. Are you not a hero?"

"Don't be a brat. You know me. Not as Eraser." He turned his head to the side, glancing at the carpet under his feet. "I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"You're about..." You pretend to count on your fingers. "5 years too late."

"I didn't know there was a timeframe for apologies. I haven't seen you, I don't have your number or anything -"

"And that's the way it's going to stay." You fish for your keys in your purse. "I'm observing your class for the rest of the week and then I'll be out of your hair. We can be civil for everyone else but I don't need to have you in my life as anything other than a co-worker."

Eraser pondered his next words, not knowing if he should grovel at your feet or just walk away.

"Promise to call me by my name." Was all he said.

"Goodnight Aizawa." You turn the key into your room and shut the door. Your heart is beating quickly, the memories of your last encounter with Aizawa seeping into your brain. Due to your quirk, you feel things deeply. Past empathy. You can feel the same pain another person feels when you put them in a memory.

You slept like shit. Barely got 4 hours of sleep. But you had a job to do.

You put on a satin midi skirt, platform sandals and a white t-shirt tucked into your skirt. You let your hair down into it's natural waves, hitting the middle of your back.

You kept it natural-ish with the makeup, only adding moisturizer and mascara.

You start to hear the clamoring of students in the halls heading for their homeroom class, which is with Aizawa. You open and shut your door quickly, making sure it's locked.

When you walk into the homeroom of class 1A, you're greeted by many faces.

"You look too old to be a student." A blonde haired boy scoffed as he walked by you.

"Kachan be nice!" A boy with green hair followed behind him. "I'm sorry about him. My name is Midoria, that's Bakugo."

"Hi." You told Midoria your name. "My hero name is Mirage, but please, use my name. I'm the new strategy teacher here but I'm observing Mr. Aizawa for a few days."

"YOU'RE MIRAGE?" Midoria squeeled. "You are AMAZING! Wow! I have so much to ask you about! I would love to know how you're quirk works-"

"Midoria leave her alone." You hear a low voice. You turn around and see a two-toned haired boy with a scar on his eye. When did he get that? He has the same eyes as Endeavor, no doubt his kid. You met him when he was a small child, but you haven't seen him since then.

"Shoto." You smile, pulling him into a hug. "You've grown so much!"

"My father told me you would be teaching here. I'm looking forward to your class."

"I'm sure you'll excel in it. Enji has told me how great you are already, you have so much potential."

"My old man likes to lie." Shoto turned to sit in his seat. You raised your eyebrow, not sure what he means.

The rest of the students trickled in, and then Aizawa. He's wearing a black suit with his hair down, eyes tired as always.

"Settle down, kids." Aizawa spoke. You take a seat at the smaller desk that was put beside his. "This is Mirage. She'll be teaching a strategy class soon, but she's observing for the rest of the week. You will behave."

"Yes Mr. Aizawa." The kids echoed. You watched Aizawa teach, his words more care than you've ever heard. The students respected him, clearly.

You watched his mouth move with the words he was saying. You can't lie, you loved his voice.

But fuck him.

He isn't shit.

You adjust yourself in your seat and pull out your phone, reading a text from an unknown number.

Hope you don't mind - I got your number from Endeavor. I hope you're having a great first day!

Obviously it was Keigo.

Thank you, it's going well so far! And thank you again for walking me back to my room last night.

No prob! It was my pleasure. :)

You hear Aizawa clear his throat. "Is this not a good time to talk?"

"I believe I told you that we're co-workers. We don't need to chit chat while the students are brainstorming where they would like to do their internship."

"It's funny how you still think you run the world. We are not 'just co-workers'" He used his fingers as air quotes. "There is so much more history than that."

"Aizawa it's gonna take a lot more than one apology to make me forgive you."

"In order for my to prove to you that you should accept my apology, you need to talk to me."

Touche.

"Fine." You huffed, your eyes scanning the classroom. "So, who do you think has the most potential?"

"Obviously Shoto is one of the top contenders. His quirk - fire and ice - is unlike a lot of what we've seen. Bakugo, though he has a tough exterior, is very talented. I'm not sure about Midoria. He's annoying."

"Reminds me of someone." Your eyes flicker to his.

"Who? All Might?" He turns to you, completely serious.

"No. You. You're annoying."

He chuckles and you can see just a bit of his smile. It's rare from Aizawa, so it's rewarding when you see it.

You catch yourself staring for a second too long. "Momo has a lot of potential, too. Her quirk is fantastic."

"She just lacks confidence." Aizawa pulled his yellow sleeping bag over his head.

"You can't be serious."

"I need a nap. I barely sleep."

"Still?" There's worry in your voice. Aizawa has always been tired, but now his eye bags look especially deep.

"Wake me up in 30 minutes. Check on the students while you're at it. They like to get off task."

Shouta sleeps like an angel. You would never know how annoying he is or how sarcastic he can be. You watch his body move with his breath, his lips opened slightly to let air in.

Fuck. Stop staring at him.

After class you text Keigo back.

You: Finally finished with class for the day. How is your day going? Patrolling the city?

Keigo: Yeah. Slow day though, I was hoping you would text me back.

You: Why wouldn't I?

Keigo: *shrug emoji* Are you free tonight?

You: In fact I am.

Keigo: Would you like to watch a movie together? And yes I'm also inviting myself over to your place.

Very forward. You haven't had a man in your room since... well, your coma. You've had a dry spell for the past 5 years and you basically forgot how to kiss, let alone have sex.

But you don't have to have sex with Keigo yet. Or at all. It's just a movie.

You: Meet me at my place at 9. Make sure the kids don't see you.

Keigo: This feels like Romeo and Juliet.

You smile down at your phone, realizing you've been standing in the same spot for a few minutes. Aizawa raises an eyebrow at you as he walks out of his classroom.

"How long have you been standing here? You look like you're in a trance."

"I was texting, got immersed in my thoughts." You fake laugh. "Those kids really look up to you."

"Is that... a compliment?" Aizawa chuckled, placing his hand on the back of his neck.

"Don't say I was never nice to you." You turn on your heel away from Aizawa. "See you tomorrow, Eraser." You wave.

You don't look back or listen for him to reply.

You can't look back at him.

Otherwise you might get stuck in his eyes.

_______________________

You clean your place before Keigo arrives, making sure everything is in its place and spotless. You slip on a pair of sweatshorts that hug your ass nicely and a tank top, more low cut than usual. Your tits pool at the top of it, just waiting to be touched.

As you're dusting, you hear a knock.

"Coming!" You walk over to the door, opening it quickly.

"Eraser?" You raise an eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Who were you expecting while wearing almost nothing?" He looked down at you, looking almost angry.

"None of your business. What do you want?"

"You left your planner." He handed you your agenda. His eyes wandered to your chest as he slid the book in your hands. Goosebumps formed on your skin as his stare intensified.

"Thank you." You tried to make yourself forget that your nipples are getting hard from Aizawa just looking at you. "See you tomorrow." You take a step back and try to close the door.

"Who's coming over?" Aizawa stopped the door with his foot.

"None of your damn business. Are you my father now?"

"It's the bird isn't it."

"So what if it was?" You cross your arms over your chest. "What's wrong with that?"

Aizawa was silent for a moment. He wanted to choose his next words carefully.

"Nothing." He cleared his throat. "Have a good night." He reached his arm above your head to place his hand on the door, letting his bicep block your view of the hallway. He leans down, ghosting his lips along your ear. "He can't satisfy you like I can."

You freeze as he walks away. What does he mean Keigo can satisfy you like he can? How can he just walk away without waiting for a reaction? What even just happened?

"Hey!" You hear Keigo's voice coming from the other end of the hallway. "I made sure no one else saw -" He jogged up to your door, noticing what you were wearing. "This for me?" He smirked.

"It's just what I was already wearing." You smile and turn into your room. While you're excited to spend time with Keigo, Aizawa's words are stuck in your head.

He can't satisfy you like I can.

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

Keigo wastes no time wrapping his arms around you as the movie progresses. He's very cuddly and touchy, something you're not used to. But he's so cute and sweet that you want him to.

"Can I be forward with you?" Keigo turns his head to look at you.

"You have been this whole time. What's stopping you now?"

"I want to kiss you. I have since yesterday."

"One day with me and you want to kiss me already? My quirk might be love at first sight." You smile as his eyes scan your face.

"Something about you is just..." He brings his index finger to your cheek, caressing it gently. "Can I?"

Can he?

Of course he can.

Do you want him to?

Yes.

Are you still thinking about Eraserhead?

Also yes.

"Yes." You nod, hoping this kiss would wash away the thought of Aizawa.

And it does. For a little.

Keigo's lips attach to yours in the neediest of ways. He presses his hand onto your cheek, using his thumb to rub along your skin. You turn your body to face him, gently pushing your hand on his chest against the back of the couch.

He follows your lead and pushes himself to the back of the couch. You straddle his waist, letting your plush thighs pool on his legs. Keigo's hands travel to your waist and the top of your ass.

He grips your ass cheek gently, testing the waters. You press your tits into him in approval, letting him know he's okay to keep going. He opens his mouth to let your tongue in to deepen the kiss. He likes when you take the lead, obviously.

"God, you're beautiful." He moans against your lips as he kneads your ass. "All this ass, I need more than 2 hands." He chuckled as he planted kisses along your jawline to your neck.

"Keigo," You moan softly, tangling your fingers in his honey hair. "Yes, there." You feel his tongue swirl along your skin before he bites down, sucking the sweet spot on your neck. His hands travel up to your chest, getting a handful of each breast in each hand.

"You're so soft." He kisses your lips again, squeezing your tits gently. You smile as he looks mesmerized by you. Like he worships you.

You bring your hands to his face and plant a kiss on his lips softly.

"I think it's time for bed. It's a school night." You whisper with a giggle. Your panties are soaked, but you need some self control.

Keigo nods, still drunk off your kisses and body. "Can't have you too tired for class." His whispers, kissing your lips again. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Maybe." You shrug. Keigo fake frowns and you kiss his lips gently. "You have my number, silly." You get yourself off of him slowly and fix your top.

"Goodnight." He kisses you once more before he leaves. You look out in the hallway, taking note that no students are out.

You know who is?

Fucking Eraserhead.

[jellycrusher]

Wolves and Lambs: Part 4

Alpha Max Verstappen x Omega fem!driver

Genre: Series, Omega verse, Enemies to Lovers, Romance, Eventual smut

Summary: Male Alphas are the ones who dominate motor sports all around the world, especially Formula 1. It is a well known fact. Females in general nor Female Omegas are never heard nor encouraged to join the sport since the 1950s. Well, up until now...

Word Count: 5.8k

Chapter's Premise: y/n finds herself trying to come to terms on who she is and how she avoided her heat for so long.

Parts: W&L masterlist / general masterlist

"You heard the doctor. You have to stop taking your suppressants for a while." Megan takes the prescription sheet from your hands and shoves it in her bag.

Both of you just came out from the doctor's office. Megan was meticulous in giving you a disguise just in case anyone is going to spot you. You put your head down and hide in your little canopy of protection, your Aston Martin hat. A bit obvious but it's the only one you have at the moment.

"I can't. If it comes during a race weekend, I'm dead." You reply as you walk side by side with Megan, confined by the hospital walls.

"Ay Dios Mio. Your constant intake of suppressants may be the reason why you haven't had your first heat yet at 25 years old. We don't know if there's gonna be negative side effects on your health." Megan tries her best to whisper under her breath.

"Hey, that's not proven." You halt in your steps and turn to her, lifting your head up to face her.

"But the doc says it may be a factor. You can't keep it hidden forever. It has to come sooner or later. If it comes biting your ass, don't come running to me for help."

"I don't want to be confined on what biology or society dictates me to be. I want to prove to everyone first what I can do and who I am." You continue to walk.

"I understand. I just don't want something bad to happen to you." She groaned.

"Fine. If I win a race, then i'll start tapering my dosage. I'll let it come when it wants to come."

"When you win a podium, not a race. Better odds."

"Fine. A podium."

You felt like you've been basking in the sun, warm against your skin. You didn't want to look at yourself. For every second after that encounter in the elevator until now that you've stayed frozen behind the door of your room, everything was silent.

Your body was fighting your mind. You didn't want this. For so many years, your family and friends, who knew what you really are, told you that we're all bound to meet our mate. We'll know when we meet them.

No. You don't want to. Maybe just not right now. Yes, it's romantic to see couples who are mated and are having the time of their lives. But what if they fell for another person before they met their mate? And what if they refuse their Alpha? What would happen?

Right now, you just want to succeed in this career first. Call yourself stupid for going against your biological desires but there's a lot riding on this. Your parents sacrificed a lot just to get where you are right now. You want to prove that Omegas can also achieve greatness. Female Omegas can also stand in the halls of the greats.

Maybe you're just stubborn. Meeting your mate wouldn't be the end of the world. If you give in, you won't lose anything. Maybe.

Maybe you're just overthinking. Maybe you're being too stubborn.

Max is not a bad person. You've said it yourself before. He is actually a decent guy. Well, just from your text messages but there were no deep conversations yet. You don't love him to see him as your mate. You might learn to love him but it doesn't feel right for your feelings to be swayed just because your biological desires him so.

You barely slept a wink last night. The inkling that bothered you for a few weeks now since the first race have just been confirmed, and the fact that Max left you a lot of messages that you haven't read yet made your mind in a state of disarray.

Megan barged in your room to wake you up. She even had to throw the covers off the bed and furiously opened the curtains, blinding you with the beaming sun. You groan hard as she pulls you out of the comfort of your bed.

"I can't believe this. We're late! Ay Santo Dios..." Megan continued to mention a lot of words that you were not familiar with as she looks at your commitments for the day from her phone screen.

It only took a few moments and the both of you are now on your merry way to the circuit with you being the driver. Megan was still very furious at you for you haven't given her a reason for your tardiness. At the same time, your phone was still blowing up from Max's messages.

"I've had it with your ringtone. I'll set it to silent." Megan pulls your phone from the center console and sees '50 messages' beside the name 'He Who Must Be Avoided At All Times' on the screen.

"It's fine, leave it." You're barely able to look at Megan because you had to focus on the road.

"Who's this? Is there a guy bothering you? Stalking you?!" she asks.

"No. Just leave it." With eyes still glued to the road, you try to yank the phone off her hands.

"Tell me. Is it a stalker?! 'Cause if it is, i'll kill him." She warned.

"Please no. Relax, it's not a stalker." You assured in a calm tone as she hands the phone to you.

"Y/N. If you're in a dangerous situation and you're not telling me, your mom will kill me." She appealed.

Well, that's not impossible. These two are overprotective.

"Megan..." You paused. Megan patiently waits for your answer as you drum your fingers anxiously on the wheel. "It's Max."

"Oh, Max... Wait, who's Max? from Red Bull?" Megan rambles. "Why? Did he do anything to you?"

"He did nothing. It's just.. He found out last night that I was an Omega. I've been avoiding his texts since then." You confessed, tightening your grip on the wheel.

"How? You were always careful."

"That's the thing. I was. I'm still on my suppressants." You gently scratch the surface of the wheel. "Remember when you told me how you met your husband? Your mate?"

"Yes." Megan now replied slowly, now under a notion at where the conversation is going. "Oh my god! Is he..?"

"I think so." you confessed.

Megan was about to shriek from joy but she stopped for she knew how you would respond. For her, it sounds romantic. For you, it's not. She can't count how many times your rejected the idea of having a biological mate. It wasn't against the law of anybody to love somebody else aside your fated mate but for your body to act against your will regardless of what you feel. That's what you dislike about it.

"I still have to talk to him about it. I can't have him blabbering to everyone on the grid." You added. "Let's take this one step at a time."

"You still have a race later. Better focus on that first." She replies as she takes off her seatbelt when you arrived at the car park in the circuit.

Megan hauled you to the team hospitality to prepare you for the drivers' briefing. When you arrived at the briefing hall, majority of the drivers were already seated and the team principals were standing around in a circle, chatting. You stood by the door looking for an empty seat to take when you saw Charles, Oscar, and Lando calling you to take the seat they reserved for you on the third row. Your feet took a few steps when a hand suddenly but gently caught your wrist.

"We need to talk. You've been ignoring my texts." Max urged, eyes dead straight at you.

"Max, not here. Later." You scan the room for any eyes or ears that might eavesdrop as you carefully remove his hand from you.

Max takes a second to compose himself then tugs his hand through his hair. "Fine. Sit with me then."

"I'll choose my own seat. Thank you." You replied as you walk away from him, not giving him enough time to add more. Max's hand hovered uncertainly as if to stop you but he lets his hand limp

You strut farther into the hall and the three men gave you space to stride along the third row to take your seat between Charles and Oscar. Max took an empty seat on the first row beside Checo. He can't help but steal some glances in your direction during the driver's briefing.

It was hard to ignore Max as well. One good thing that your incident with Max has caused is that his scent doesn't make you cower in fear anymore. Knowing the reason why the dynamics between the two of you had changed, you mentally slap your pheromone-disturbed self from inhaling his lingering scent.

His scent wasn't really distinct before. For you, it was associated with fear or something menacing, but now he smelled so crisp like Cotton and sweet like baked Tangerine. Being that close to each other gave you a chance to actually distinguish his scent. Just remembering Max's small sniffs on your neck makes your body squirm, in a good way. It was nice and comforting. But it also felt sensual.

Alpha smells so good. Let's smell him once more. You mentally slap yourself once more, shaking off the tiny voice from your inner Omega in your head.

"I heard from Lance that you're moving. Where will you stay?" Charles' voice took you out from your trance just as the drivers' briefing just ended.

"In Monaco. It being a tax-free haven sounds enticing." you replied in glee knowing that it was the Monegasque who asked you.

Noticing the other younger drivers to turn to you after hearing your response, it took a moment for you to remember that a number of them were living there.

Lando perks up, legs bouncing. He leans forward and peeked his head across Oscar. "Do you know how to play Padel?" you shake your head. "We'll teach you. We had been waiting for another member to join our little club."

"He just wants to have the bragging right when he defeats all of us." Oscar chuckled, arms crossed on his chest.

"He even almost made Max cry. Have some mercy on all of us, will you?" Charles adds, further teasing Lando.

"I'll tell you when I've settled in. Maybe a housewarming lunch or dinner sounds good?" You ask. Lando quickly taps Alex's shoulder to tell him about your new residence and a possibility of a new member for their F1 drivers-exclusive Padel Club.

"I'm going to tour you to some of the best places. You still owe me a car ride." Charles couldn't help but smile at you, already making up a list in his mind.

When the briefing ended, all of the drivers went their own way back to their hospitalities. At the corner of your eyes, you saw Max hurriedly stood up from his seat on the first row and was about to make his way towards you. He noticed the miniscule squirm your body did when your eyes met. You almost panic in your seat but he came to an abrupt stop when he saw Megan pull you away.

Max tried his best to look for a chance to talk to you, much to his dismay. There wasn't much time for each of the drivers to get to interact with each other, especially during race day. After some of his media commitments in the morning were done, he went to visit the Aston Martin hospitality. He comes up to the small ledge when he saw Lance chatting with some of the staff.

"Hey Lance." Lance gets up from his seat when he noticed Max and greets him with a one-armed hug and a double backslap. "Have you seen y/n?"

"I think Sky Sports has her for an interview, I think. You know, the usual." Lance replies as he sits down. Max groans go unnoticed.

"Do you know when she might be free? I need to talk to her." Max asks as he leans his hand on the ledge.

"Maybe after the race? Her schedule's so full today. Haven't even seen her stay here in the hospitality for more than 15 minutes. Megan even got her shooting a lot of content for our Tiktok account."

"Megan?" Max quirks up his eyebrow.

"Speaking of..." Lance chimed in as he spots Megan behind Max, about to walk inside. "Megan!" She stops and turns to Lance's direction. "He's looking for y/n." He points at Max and Megan's eyes follow.

Megan thought differently when she saw Max right there, comfortably leaning on the ledge. It was in her overprotective instinct to assume that Max might possibly be a snitch or asking anyone in the team regarding what you are. She walks up to Max and asked him to come with her, already walking away without waiting for a response. Max was confused at first but did not hesitate to follow behind.

Max and Megan comes to a halt in an empty corner in the paddock, away from prying eyes.

"What are you doing?" Megan snaps around and narrows her eyes at him, arms crossed on her chest.

"I was just asking for y/n." Max innocently confessed.

"Were you going to tell on her? I can't believe you." She leans forward as if interrogating the driver.

Max leans back, baffled by the sudden change in demeanor. "No. Of course not... Wait, you know?" He tries to whisper.

She tries to examine his face for a minute for any sign of a lie but relaxes when she felt that he was telling the truth. "Listen, Max. I know she's been avoiding you but I need her to be at her best today. She needs to be on that podium."

"Don't we all?" Max scoffs.

"No, you don't understand. I need her to be on the podium because her health is on the line. I've let her be stubborn for too long 'cause she's in love with racing too much but I finally had her to agree, at last. I don't know what's going on between the two of you but please don't distract her too much today." She pleads with a serious tone.

Max hated knowing that it wasn't his place to pry. All he wanted from you was answers but it seems that even more questions are piling up. What does she mean? Your health is on the line? Are you sick? Are you injured? How is it connected to you getting that podium?

His inner Alpha was trying to fight himself.

Our omega... She's hurt or sick. Ask for more information. No, we're clearly told to stay put. She's not ours. Isn't it clear that she's avoiding us? Than ask her directly. Let's smell her again. No. Just shut up. Stay.

"Understood?" Megan asserts herself, taking Max out of his trance.

"Yes ma'am."

Megan waited for a bit to see how Max would take their conversation but left quickly when she saw that people are now starting to crowd the paddock. Max stayed in that quiet corner for a few seconds before going out into the paddock. There he saw you, sitting just outside your team's hospitality with Alonso and surrounded by a few cameras and staff. Probably completing a challenge with your teammate. His eyes locked onto you, taking in your smile. It was invigorating for him to see you having fun.

He used to feel so foreign around you. When he sees you having fun with his friends, it irritated him. His face used to turn sour when Lando or Alex hype you up.

There was something about you that intrigues him. You weren't able to race with most of them back then. Charles was a bit familiar with you because you got to race alongside his brother. Oscar and Logan had only met you once or twice and they had raced with you in a few Grand Prix but usually a lot of drivers keep to themselves and stayed in their own garages.

Then there's the big elephant in the room. You were an Omega, no doubt. After the incident in the elevator, he did scour the internet after his haze faded when he got back in his room. There were only articles about you stating that you were an Alpha, your achievements in F2 and F3, and also the highlights of your racing career. No scandals, not much haters. There were no articles claiming you have a bad beef with any driver.

For a public personality, you kept pretty quiet. Maybe that's why no one has discovered your secret yet. But that would be an extreme feat. To conceal your identity. What about heats? The horrendous and taxing schedule of Formula 1 isn't really ideal for Omegas. He recalled when Lando had to deal with Oscar's heat every month. When they were still unmated, Lando had to tiptoe around Oscar and avoid him when his pheromones were on the highest setting. How the other drivers reacted to him when it came around race weekend. It took them at least 5 months to come to the truth that they needed each other.

It was a bit easier for Oscar because everyone knows that he is an Omega since the start. They knew they had to avoid him when Lando or Oscar gave them a heads up. It scares him thinking that it will be much harder for you but it was also amazing how good you hide it.

Questions for another day, he admits to himself.

You were having a blast going against Nando in a PR competition when you spot Max walking through the paddock. Your eyes met and it made you nervous that he might come up and wait for you but no, he avoided your eyes and continued to walk. Your eyes followed his figure, relieved but also worried. Fernando had to call your attention to continue the challenge.

Your PR and media commitments were finally done and then, there was the driver's parade. The crowds in the grandstands were almost full and it was deafening. Everyone was screaming each of the drivers' names when they were called and when it was your turn to be introduced, it was heartwarming to hear their warm welcome. A smile so wide painted your face as you greet the driver while stepping in the convertible car and sat on the surface of the rear end near the deck lid.

You waited for your car's cue to go but you see it got delayed. There were a slight commotion amongst the staff that were on standby on the track and they were pointing to something behind you. You turn around and they were checking the car behind yours that was supposed to be for Max. Apparently, the engine of his parade car won't start again.

Fernando's car already left way before you and also Checo's. The staff are now pointing at yours and you see that the people who were talking to Max assisted him to get off the car. They were ushering him to your direction. Someone slapped Max's car number onto the side of your convertible. You now realize that they're letting you and Max share a car so that this problem won't delay the program.

The car shook slightly as Max climbs up the convertible. Max sees you scooting to one side trying to avoid his eyes so he quietly sat down on the other side of the convertible's rear. Both of you started to wave to the crowd as the engine of the convertible purred. Max would steal a few glances when you're not looking. Your body was stiff and awkward, in contrast to what you were showing the crowd, smiling and waving.

"Relax. It's not like I bite." Max spoke up just loud enough for you to hear under all those noise. "Just concentrate on the race later or else, you'll be an easy target for these guys."

You snap your head around and glared at him. He had this smug smile while still waving. "They wish." You scoff.

With just a few words from him, you find your shoulders loosening up. Slightly offended by his insinuation but you knew that he was just riling you up. It was also surprising that Max didn't bother to disturb you since the briefing. You would be at shoulder's length but still, he'd just nod when your eyes met.

The drivers' parade ended quickly and every driver headed for their respective garages to prepare. You spent the remaining time training with your physio and getting enough rest. The last program was for the national anthem. You make your way onto the track and answered a few questions for a Sky Sports presenter who was roaming and interviewing some of the drivers. You stood behind a grid kid to take your place and kept quiet. Right before the anthem was played, you noticed the female grid kid trying to steal a look at you. You smile back at her and she quietly squealed as she swiftly face in front. When the anthem finished playing and as you follow the other drivers exiting the track, your grid kid raised her hand to request for a high five. You gladly pressed your palm on hers and the other grid kids also eagerly raised their hand as you pass by them, catching the attention of the other drivers and the cameras.

You find yourself gritting your teeth and hands clenching the wheel as you drive the car in your grid position at the track during the formation lap. You look up at the red lights above.

"It's lights out and away we go, here at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit! and it's Max Verstappen who takes the lead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix."

With a good reaction time, you were able to overtake three places from 15th. You were able to fend for your position well in those crucial first few laps of the race. You attacked, you defended, you attacked, you defended. It was a constant cycle.

Max, who had started in pole position, lost the lead to Charles on the third sector in the second lap, won it back by the fourth lap and slowly and methodically pulled away for his second win of the season.

It took you only eight laps to move into 10th place, and only eight more to rise to sixth. By the halfway point of the race, and helped by the fortuitous arrival of a safety car that allowed you to make up even more ground, you find yourself in fourth.

"Y/n had played down her chances of victory from the moment a broken drive shaft ended her qualifying early Saturday and left her in 15th place. But that did not mean she had any intention of staying in the back of the field. Look at her picking her way through the pack behind her with ease"

Your driving style was aggressive and clever, a total beast on the offence. The journalists have also made note of your tyre preservation prowess. They have published a few articles after the first race mentioning that with your pairing with Alonso this year, Aston Martin can gain considerable confidence that it will be regularly able to take on the red cars and the black ones fielded by Mercedes too.

At around lap 46, Ben informs you through the radio that Lewis who is in P3 at the moment incurred a 5 second penalty. With Charles on P2 just 2 seconds ahead of Lewis and you tailing behind just a second away, there might be a chance for you to end up on the podium at the end of this race. You just have to maintain the gap behind Lewis and also for Lewis to continue battling with Charles.

Ben: "So, one more lap y/n, just bring it home." Y/N: "Think something happened to my left tyre." Ben: "Ok, copy. So Sainz, 30 seconds behind, battling with Russell."

You peek at your front left tyre and it was starting to wobble. You may have hit something on the track, possibly puncturing the tyre.

Ben: "If you go Diff-Mid 12, Sainz 20 seconds and gap to Lewis is 2 seconds." Ben: "Now 17 seconds. Now 16 seconds."

The car was already slowing down and the left tyre was tumbling around on its rim. Ben was constantly updating you but you did not bother to respond.

Ben: "So use Strat 5. 10 seconds to Sainz and 3 seconds from Lewis." Ben: "7 seconds to Sainz. 6 seconds to Sainz." Ben: "Maintain this gap to Lewis. 4 seconds."

You've passed the last corner and about to go on the straight where the chequered flag should be when you saw Sainz closely tailing behind you. With your feet instinctively pushing flat out, your car zoomed past and hopefully closing the gap with Lewis in less than 5 seconds for P3 position.

Y/N: "Do we have it?! TELL ME BEN, DO WE HAVE IT??" Ben: "That's it, y/n! You've done it, P3! YOU'VE DONE IT! Wow, you've done it y/n." Y/N: "Was there a flag? I did not see it." Ben: "There was a flag. You've done it though. Just stop. You can pull the car over. We'll come and get you." Y/N: "Fuck that was close! Sorry for the profanity." Ben: "Yeah, I was about to say the same thing. That was a close call. Too close for comfort. But awesome work, mate." Y/N: "LET'S GO!!!!! BEN, WE DID IT!!!"

Your team radio is now being broadcasted across all tv screens worldwide. As Max and the other drivers complete their slow lap around the track after they've crossed the line, they catch a glimpse of you in the screens. Throwing your hands in celebration, still inside the cockpit. When you got out of the car at the side of the track, you knelt down and pats the damaged tyre aggressively as if thanking the car.

You had to do your best as not to cry from overwhelming joy. You felt like you won the race for P3 but you didn't. It was as if you were soaring through the clouds right then. The crowds at the grandstands were screaming your name, fireworks were setting off in the background. That was for Max, of course, but it couldn't hurt to imagine that it could be for you too.

You were picked up by a safety car and your car was towed to the parc ferme. When you got out of the car, Oscar jumped at the moment to wrap you in a hug, Lando following behind.

Warm and sincere congratulations, pats on the backs and helmet taps too, were sent over your way when you threw yourself to your team of mechanics and engineers who were waiting on the other side of the barricade. You took off your helmet and balaclava so you could properly breathe and to revel in the sounds of your victory.

You were the first one who had to do the post-race interview, followed by Charles in P2 and Max in P1. You couldn't contain your smile, choking on your words yet again.

"Y/n!" David Coulthard calls out your name in joy. "That was an amazing race. You had your maiden pole last race and now, your maiden F1 podium after just 2 races in this season. Could you tell me more?"

"With the information of Lewis' 5 second penalty, I had to give everything on the table. I've never had a race like that before. We tried to maintain the gap but also had to monitor Carlos behind as well. It was a team effort and I couldn't have done it without them."

"Your last lap had us trembling in our seats. You managed to bring home your car across the line in that state. How did you do it?" David asked with such enthusiasm.

"I don't know how I've managed to be cool in that period but I just... I had no choice. Survival instincts came over me and I've come all this way. I'm not gonna pull over and back off to let anyone drive pass. I was thinking 'How can I get there with taking as much risks as possible without losing the car altogether?'. I still can't believe I did it." You try to take a few deep breaths after you finished your interview, still reeling in from that feeling of accomplishment.

Max and Charles pats your back as the three of you walked towards the cooldown room. The huge screen showing the highlights of the race, including your tyre mishap and struggle to cross the finish line for P3. Charles hands you a water bottle and you took it, not peeling your eyes away from the screen. If you only had your phone, you would take a photo of the small pillar with a huge number 3 and a small screen playing your driver intro bit.

The three of you are now ushered to prepare for the podium ceremony. Your feet was quick to move after your name was called. The crowd roared with applause and cheers as you made your way up the podium. You stood patiently on your step as you hear Charles' and Max's name. Despite feeling a bit flushed due to the adrenaline from winning P3, your cheeks felt a bit cold as you place your hands on the side of your face.

Your race suit now wet from the champagne being sprayed amongst the podium placers. Charles and Max were having fun targeting you, spraying the champagne at your face. They both admired your blissful smile and eyes filled with euphoria.

"Champagne suits you. Congratulations y/n!" Max can't help but admit to himself that you were an excellent racer. Your expression softened when you heard him and it's like Max's heart skipped a beat.

"Thanks Max. Congratulations on winning!" As if the champagne rain slowed down, it was just you and Max. The stage lights made the champagne sparkle, trickling down on both of you. He never saw anyone be so ecstatic in getting P3 but you made celebrating look so beautiful and graceful.

You watched Max's face as he shared a smile with you but not a second later, you could clearly see the horror in his face as his body stiffen.

"Y/n, your nose." Charles cocks his head to the side of Max, inconspicuously pointing to his nose, prompting you to do the same. Your hand crept up to your face and it was met by a warm liquid oozing down your nose. When you swiped it off, you saw blood on your fingertips.

Max was quick to turn you around, shielding you from the cameras. You try to wipe your nose with your arm but the blood can't seem to stop.

"Are you okay? What's wrong? Do you want us to call the medics?" Max whispers in panic, still spraying the champagne at Charles and towards the crowd below as he shields you behind him. To the people below and in the crowd, it was as if you're just wiping the champagne off your face.

"Relax. It's just a nosebleed. This will pass." You whispered, still trying to wipe off the remaining blood. The sleeve of your green suit now tinted red. "What the heck, it's not stopping."

"Y/n, I think the cameramen are now noticing." Charles' eyes darted to the cameramen below and above.

"I've been a bit more anemic lately. I think that's why." You murmured.

"When Megan told me that your health is compromised, is this it?" Max leans to your side a bit, still facing front and waving to the crowd.

"You talked to her? What did she tell you?!" You glared at Max, surprising the two men.

"Y/n, Max, can you two talk about it later? We're still on the podium." Charles cleared his throat.

You slightly nudged Max away from you, not noticed by the crowd, while you pinch your nose and cover your face. Max can't help but stare in concern at your figure. His inner Alpha wanting to carry you and rush to medic's tent.

Then the ceremony ended.

"Y/n, come on. I haven't told him much, I promise. I just told him to leave you alone that day." Megan pleaded as she follows you while carrying a large box filled with your household items.

You open the door to let Megan in but you avoid her eyes. She darts across the empty unit, footsteps echoing along the walls, to place the box labeled 'Kitchen Items' down on the floor. You sighed, accepting defeat, as you drop the huge bag of items that you were carrying.

"Fine, but next time, stop telling him unnecessary information."

"Hey, your health was not an unnecessary information. I'm just glad you're fine now. I told you that your prolonged use of suppressants will eventually bite you in the ass." She rambled.

"Yes, yes. You gotta stop scolding me. It's been like a thousand times already." You groaned. "I got the podium and I'm on a suppressant detox. Happy?"

"Yes. I'm working on your schedule just in case it came early." Megan skips across the unit and stopped near the door. "I'll get the last box. You can stay here just in case the delivery company calls through the intercom." She exits the unit after you nod your head.

The empty huge apartment unit was now filled with unopened boxes. There were no furnitures yet but the anticipation of decorating your new home is making you excited. Wood and cured paint scent filled the air. It was relaxing for you but after a while, it's actually nauseating so you open the door to the balcony.

Coldness of the elegant granite greeted your arms as you lean against it. Your apartment is located in a spot overlooking the marina where you can spot plentiful yachts. With just a soft breeze, you could almost smell the sea. Even with your eyes closed, you could vividly visualize the city below you from its sound. The hustle and bustle of Monaco.

Closing your eyes for a few seconds made you yawn. You are still recovering from that horrific anemic bout during the podium ceremony in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The team had to recommend you to a local hospital for a check up and was just given a prescription. You took a flight out the next day and went straight to "Moving Out" mode. It hasn't been two days since the race but here you are, renting a luxurious apartment in Monaco, about to live your best life.

"Looks like you could fit a head in your mouth." You heard a familiar warm voice coming from above your balcony. When you opened your eyes, there was someone peeking their head out of their balcony and looking down below at you, apparently still yawning. You closed your mouth in embarrassment.

"Max?!"

"Hi neighbor!"

Next part: Part 5

Taglist: @laura-naruto-fan1998 @fanboyluvr @giffywiffy3408 @notyouraveragemochii @cmleitora @exotic-iris13 @topguncultleader @mirrorball-6 @barcelonaloverf1life @silscintilla @aquangxl @whyamireadingthis @imaddict

[vinziel]

Getting Used To It

John Dory x Male Reader

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

A/N: Last Part. Future John Dory x Male Reader will be using this series as context, unless I say so. Branch and Clay have the same color, only Clay's are italic. Poppy and Floyd have the same color only Floyd's are italic(This is basically useless because they don't talk in this chapter). Also make sure to give suggestions and ideas for me to write.

You woke up, it was weeks after the whole "Floyd Situation" as you call it. You feel yourself being cuddled, you shift to the troll who was currently hugging you tight, it was John Dory, he was shirtless and honestly looked cut- wait JOHN DORY?! You yelped and fell out of bed, groaning, this woke up the sleeping troll "Woah you ok Y/N?" John Dory asks, a little worried, though finding the situation amusing. You then remembered what happened after saving Floyd. Clay, Floyd and John Dory moved in with you and Branch inside the bunker, Bruce in the other hand stayed in Vacay Island but would visit his brothers whenever he can you and John Dory slept together after getting back together, you sigh "Oh John, I- sorry this getting used to.....this" You respond, letting out a small laugh. John Dory lends a hand and you accept it. You two share a quick kiss and just cuddle for a while.

After doing your regular routines, you two went outside the bunker where the rest of the Brozone brothers were. All of Branch's brothers especially John Dory had apologized to him for abandoning him, although Branch said it'd take some time to fully forgive them he wasn't that mad at them anymore, although he'd let out some very sarcastic remarks about them abandoning him out of pettiness whenever he got the chance which you found funny. You two caught up with the rest of the group, the rest of the Brozone brothers and Branch's band Kismet.

You found it a bit hilarious when the Branch's brothers felt a bit awkward when they found out Branch "replaced" them, you even heard Clay and John Dory badmouth them. You didn't have a problem with Branch's band members though that was mostly due to you being the manager of the band. You let out a sigh as you both were talking with the rest of the group, Branch and his band were doing another performance tonight and of course being the supportive brothers they are, John, Bruce, Clay and Floyd were going. Along with Viva and Poppy. You were also going for obvious reasons.

While the rest of the group went to the performance area, you stood in place and stopped John Dory from walking away "We need to talk" You said, walking the opposite direction as the group with John Dory, you still had a more neutral face. You took John Dory to a quiet and more secluded spot of Troll Village. Both of you are sitting down on a nearby bench. You took a deep breath and started off with "So-" "I'm sorry!" John Dory cut you off continuing "I'm sorry. For everything. For abandoning you. For leaving you behind. I'm sorry for just appearing out of nowhere just to try and leave again after. I'm sorry. I haven't properly apologized yet you, heck I haven't apologized at all. I am so sorry Y/N. You didn't deserve being abandoned like that" You could tell John Dory did mean this from the bottom of his heart, you would slowly hug him, smiling warmly "It's fine. Look I don't think I can fully forgive you yet. It'll take time. It'll take some effort, but hey we have all the time to make up for it" You say kissing John Dory on the lips, a long and passionate one. John Dory is surprised by the sudden kiss but reciprocates it. Both of you are blushing tremendously.

You both pulled away "I'm so lucky to be with you." John Dory says softly "I can say the same to you" You reply, letting out a soft chuckle, you both leaning in for another kiss, this time shorter yet still being passionate. You two pulled away, you saying "I could get used to this" You say, softly laughing, you stood up and reached out your hand "Come on. Let's catch up before they look for us" John Dory chuckles and grabs your hand. Standing up, you two walk to the rest of the group.

(The end)

A/N: Ok guys I really loved how this turned out. Thank you for the support. And make sure to give me suggestions for one-shots of any ship or Brozone x male reader you guys would like.

[sawyerslvt]

Johnny or Leland? | Episode 4

Previous Episode ♡ Next Episode

This is a choose your own ending story. I have also included links to porn in this series, for better visualization ;) I haven't been feeling in a very 'writing mood' so please excuse the lack of episodes + this short one. I'm working on the endings but I can't get myself to love what I'm writing at the moment. I don't want to release stuff I'm not proud of. Hope you understand <33

Word Count: 1,346 Warnings: MDNI, abuse

It’s difficult to keep track of time when you have no clue what time of day it is. You feel like it's been days, maybe weeks? Johnny brings food and takes care of you like he said he would. You fail to see what the end goal is. Is he gonna kill you? Is he planning on releasing you or… is this it? Being held captive in his basement, keeping you alive but you don't get to live life. You’ve grown really fond of him, he’s the highlight of your day whenever he walks through that door. Sure, he’s the only human interaction you get, but it wasn't bad human interaction, certainly doesn’t feel like a hostage situation.  He’s kind and gentle. He sits down and eats with you, youre talking and laughing. If the circumstances were different, you would be head over heels in love with the man. And of course, he fucks you real good. Sometimes he’s rough and other times he’s slow, passionate and loving, making you wonder if he’s as fond of you as you are of him. 

Johnny can't stay with you all the time and he leaves you in the cold and dusty room alone. He brought you a blanket and pillows to keep you company and warm when he’s away. But other than that it was painfully quiet. Sometimes you swear that you hear Leland calling for you. It echoes in your head but when you call for him, you don't get a reply. You know it's your mind playing tricks on you, hallucinating, but you miss Leland. You’re scared of what might've happened to him. With your time alone, you find yourself thinking about him a lot. His playfulness, laugh and charm was burned into your mind, stinging more and more. It's not rare for you to cry as you imagine him holding you. You remember his desperate screams as you were pulled away by Johnny. You hate how complicated everything is. You hate that you can't decide between the two men when the answer should be so simple. 

Your thoughts get interrupted when you hear the familiar door open again. It's Johnny and he’s holding your breakfast… or lunch… or dinner, you're not really sure which meal it is. It feels like your mind goes blank whenever you see him, you shoot him a warm smile and get up to greet him. You walk over and balance on your toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, he has to lean forward a little to have you reach him. “How did my woman sleep?”. Based on his question, you assume maybe this could be breakfast then. “She was lonely without her man to keep her company”, you make a pouty face and cross your arms. You were playful in your tone but you were serious. It was always so miserable and scary sleeping alone. He has slept with you a couple times but recently says he’s too busy to spend all that time with you. You hold some resentment, but you’re happy he’s back. 

He puts your plate on the ground by the mattress and comes back to give you a big hug. He holds you in his arms for a while without saying anything. Your head is pressed against his hard chest and you hear his heartbeat. “I missed you so much today, I couldn't even do my work proper… You were on my mind too much” his voice is low, like he hates admitting it to himself. You smile and look up at him, giving him a quick peck. He turns the quick kiss into a long and passionate one. He’s cupping your face with both hands and making out with you like he hadn't seen you in years. You welcomed his kiss, you had missed him too. His touch was enough to make you feel like you're floating. But you keep getting flashes of Leland. He’s haunting you. The more you enjoyed Johnny's presence, the more of Leland you saw and you think a big reason is because you think Johnny is the cause for something bad having happened to him. 

At the very least… you have to know. You have to find out what Johnny did to him. Is he still in that room waiting for you to come back? Does he think youre dead or did his mouth dig his own grave? Making Johnny kill him? You had so many questions and all of them could be answered by the man kissing you. You break away from the kiss and look down. “What’s wrong, doll?”. His voice is concerned and his brows are furrowed as he tries lifting your chin to make him face you. You reject his touch and continue looking down, you know he’s getting more and more worried. “...w-what did you do to him?” Your voice is soft and quiet. Johnny is so good to you, so kind but you're scared the mention of his name will make him snap. He sighs. “what i did to who?...”. He’s not asking cause he doesn't know, he's asking cause he’s testing you. You don't care if he snaps, you have to know. “...W-what did you do to Leland?”. His name was like a trigger and he grabs your face, harder than he’s ever done before. “Don't you ever utter his name. Besides, why do you care? You have me. Am I not enough?”. He squeezes harder with that last question, he’s hurt that you would bring him up. “you… y-you’re hurting me Johnny”, your voice is soft and careful. “Answer my question”. His voice is weak, he’s hurting and demanding for you to validate the feelings he already has for you, thinking you felt the same way towards him. “you’re more than enough”. Tears are streaming down your face at this point. It was true though, he was enough but that didn't erase the feelings you had for Leland. 

His grip loosens and he steps away from you, putting his hands behind his head, then on his hips. He’s pacing back and forth not knowing what to say or do. “Why do you fucking care about him anyways? You met him the same damn night you met me. You've spent more time with me than you did with him”. You don't know what to say, you don't even know what he wants you to say. It's a question designed to trap you no matter the answer. “I don't care about him… i- i just don’t…” he interrupts you. “Well obviously you do care, otherwise you wouldn't bring it up, would you?”. His voice is angrier than it's ever been and for the first time, you're scared for your life in his presence. “I’m sorry… it won't happen again” Your voice is weak and you try hugging yourself to calm yourself down, a form of self soothing. “Damn right it won’t happen again… I mean FUCK” He kicks your food that was laid on the ground. The food goes flying and the plate nearly hits you but you manage to dodge just in time. You hug yourself harder, trying to shrink yourself. Maybe if you stayed still enough, he wouldn't see you. He walks over to you and the sight of him angrily approaching, makes you backup a little. He grabs you by your hair and gets close to your face. His grip is hard and he’s hurting you again. “You’ve lost food privileges, I'll be back in a week”. He lets go of your hair and almost throws you away like he was disgusted seeing your face. He starts walking out of the door and you run after him crying, grabbing his forearm trying to pull him back. You don't care even if he slaps you, you didn't want him to leave you, especially for a week. You don’t care about the food, you want him. “Let go” he says simply and pulls himself from your grip and locks the door behind himself. You fall to the ground crying hysterically.

Previous Episode ♡ Next Episode

credit for dividers: @kyunlouy

[mysteryboy1249]

Finally went and watched Zero Tea Time and like, how is this man still functioning at all??? If we're to assume that Furuya sleeps about 2 hours a night regularly, I'm sorry but this man would in no way shape or form be able to do what he does. - Sincerely, someone who has legitimately slept 3AM to 5AM regularly for several months due to having pre-existing sleep issues and a job that started at an ungodly time.

Like, yes I get that I shouldn't be thinking too deeply since anime logic, but also on this same schedule I felt like I was about to die by week 3 and was essentially a human zombie with my mental health down the sink by week 6(and technically I was sleeping more than 2 hours since I would take some naps as well) so I have some strong feelings about this. Hell, there's no way this man would be able to keep track of what time it is let alone all his jobs and secrets with that amount of sleep. Even if we go under the assumption that he sleeps 3-4 or even 4-5 hours usually and the 2 hours was a special case this man would still not be able to make all those deductions and chase all those criminals. Sure you won't feel as shit, but you definitely will still be feeling quite shit.

No wonder this man depressed and insane with a sprinkling of anger issues and seems to be constantly lowkey disassociating in Zero Tea Time. Yes most of it is because he's the only one left and is horribly traumatized but also like Furuya, have you considered taking a nap? It doesn't solve the trauma, but give yourself 8-10 hours of proper sleep and you'll be waking up ready to take on god.

As a side note, are there fics where Furuya is severely sleep deprived and how that impacts him? Because so far I haven't seen any but I also don't usually go out of my way to find Furuya centered fics. Because if there isn't I'll write one myself, not enough chronic sleep deprivation rep round here in general. Mans mother hens everyone around him, he deserves someone to mother hen him back to force him to sleep because the world will not in fact end if he takes some time off.

[le-trash-prince]

Food as a Motif in This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans Part 5

Part 4

The breakfast episode! I was very excited to see both of our couples get breakfast scenes this week, since breakfast has a level of domesticity to it that lunch and dinner sometimes lack. Breakfast scenes are often kept between lovers or family- people who would naturally be around first thing in the morning.

So now that Oab and Plawan have had their granita, we get to see Plawan making breakfast for Oab the next morning, and we get our daily recommended serving of gay bread.

I feel like this is a rather sweet gesture from Plawan, considering his panic the night before over having slept with someone that he's trying to scam. There's a level of care that goes into cooking for someone this early in the morning, even if it's a simple dish like this. Frankly, this is a far cry from the person in episode 1, who invited his agent to coffee only to ask her to cover the bill. Although he's still a beginner, Plawan is starting to discover the joy behind cooking for other people.

We now have a pretty solid pattern of Oab and Plawan feeding each other in turns, but it's always Oab giving Plawan one dish and Plawan giving Oab another dish--they haven't shared the same food yet, which, again, means that even though they're getting closer to each other, they haven't fully connected. They're in a pattern of flirting back and forth without finding a mutual balance.

So this sweet moment is then disrupted by Oab's work brain: he immediately begins critiquing the dish rather than simply letting himself enjoy it. Work gets in the way of the meal, just as it is getting in the way of their relationship. Plawan asks Oab if he likes him, and Oab tells him to wait until things with the restaurant have settled down.

But, in spite of his own doubts, Oab still makes an attempt to get closer to Plawan later in the episode, under the guise of taking the team out for dinner.

Oab gets the connective power of food.

And Kluer does, too.

But Methas's contract gets in the way of Oab and Plawan's development, the same way it does every time. After initially accepting, Plawan turns down the dinner invitation, leaving Oab to eat with Kluer and Punsib.

Punsib came here to eat, and he's gonna eat. In fact, he's the only one happily digging into the food. Kluer merely picks at the vegetables, ignoring the pork, and he comments directly on the fact that Oab isn't eating anything at all.

If eating with someone forms a connection, then not eating with them shows distrust and a lack of care, and it can damage a relationship. Not only is Plawan and Oab's relationship put under stress by Plawan's absence, but Kluer and Oab's relationship also becomes very strained as Kluer makes his intentions towards Plawan known. After this failed dinner outing, things only get worse at the restaurant.

Meanwhile, Methas and JJ get their own breakfast scene. JJ arrives at Methas' house, finds him buried in work, and it occurs to him to ask whether Methas has even taken time for breakfast. To which Methas responds that he only ever has coffee for breakfast. This falls in line with Methas' money-oriented mindset, since he would rather be making money as early in the day as possible, instead of stopping to eat. Methas' mindset of valuing money over people isn't limited to just other people- he considers money to be more important than his own health.

Luckily JJ is there to teach him otherwise. Again, there's a level of care that goes into making breakfast for someone, and it's immediately obvious how little care Methas has had in his life, based on both his response to JJ cooking for him, and the way he says he's "never eaten breakfast" in his life.

^ absolutely the face of a smitten man who's just had someone make him breakfast for the first time ever

JJ has only set up a place-setting for one because his intention is not to share a meal with Methas. His goal is to show Methas that people can be genuinely selfless, and this is just another example of that. He doesn't expect this to help him get closer to Methas, he just wants Methas to learn about doing nice things for other people.

But Methas is quick to stop him and invite him to sit. And after taking a single bite, he immediately compliments JJ and starts to ask about his life. And what does JJ do? He picks up a fork from the plate of fruit.

Let me tell y'all I never had so many feelings about a damn fork before. Because it's the way JJ doesn't even realize he's picked the fork up. He sets it down and tries to pull back, only to immediately pick it up again. JJ keeps being drawn into Methas' orbit in much the same way. Even though he tells himself he only thinks of Methas as a client, he stays later than he needs to, he makes him breakfast, and when he's not trying to bite Methas' head off... he catches himself actually enjoying being around him.

They were SO close to forming a connection here. JJ agrees with Methas about how much he has to take care of Plawan, JJ smiles... and then Methas offers to buy a clinic for him.

JJ has made breakfast for Methas, a domestic act of service, and Methas turns it into a moment to keep their relationship on a transactional level. And JJ immediately, definitively puts the fork down. "Are you planning to invest in me and squeeze profits from me every day?" From that point on, the conversation turns into another argument, and the connection is gone.

We are now more than halfway through a show about food, and neither of the main couples have had a proper meal together yet. Will we be seeing something different on Friday, or will the conflicts only deepen?

[camilasstories]

❝feeling unreciprocated❞ chapter 4 | jungkook x reader

summary: Sleeping with one guy after feeling rejected wasn't a good idea, but sleeping with another one and another seemed to be even worse plan. Especially with your handsome crush behind the wall, who is as confused as you about your ways of coping with a broken heart.

note: I’m sorry for such a short chapter. I just got some messages some of you were waiting for it so here you go!

trailer/masterlist | chapter 3 | next chapter

You got accustomed to your position as a Jungkook's friend. Somehow, it calmed your mind knowing you held any place in, maybe, his heart, which was ridiculous because you barely knew each other. Yet, you found peace in thinking of it like that.

This week passed by pretty fast with you being occupied with your studies and thinking about the project you were soon to present with your partners. It was also sparse in socializing with other people as Gia was preapring for her mock-exams, but especially with Jungkook as he devoted his free time to this new guy - Kim Taehyung whom he met at work. You were used to it, you told yourself and it was true as it was a completely normal state of things between you and him. However, there was this odd felling of uncertainty that manage to weigh you down. Although he mentioned before going out about seeing you later on your traditional movie night, you weren't sure whether his new friendships wouldn't drag him away from you because he was already running late. You couldn't hide the fact it was making you disappointed to the point you got yourself wondering if he even remembered you two were about to meet in your shared living room. Nevertheless, you had too much faith in him to say it out loud.

While you were waiting for him, you checked his instagram. Since you were following Jungkook, you had a full allowance to scroll though his photos and look at his stories he posted from time to time shamelessly without being scared of getting caught in his notifications. Because even if you would have, then it hadn't been seen as something weird or suspicious that you were almost stalking him on his social medias.

When it was half past eight you gave up the idea of waiting for him as thirty minutes already passed and you were one hundred percent sure he wouldn't be anytime soon so you just grabbed your quilt and a pillow to make your way back to your room quite bitter about his actions. He didn't even let you know he wasn't going to come today, which was quite disrespectful, in your opinion, because you were really looking forward to watch a movie with him. To be more precise, just to see him and you didn't ask for too much, right? On the other hand, you could have foresees that such a day would come sooner or later. You should have kicked Jungkook's ass before and met with the guy you slept with in more appropriate circumstances. Maybe you would actually have your love life back and stop daydreaming about this stupid, unreasonable, the most annoying-...

"What? You've finished watching already?"

You gasped agitated hearing the sound of shutting door and male's voice in the foyer. You turned around with bedding cover still in your arms towards the entry of your apartment. It felt like a burden was taken away from your shoulders, a big relief that he didn't ditch you after him having let you know he was actually present and, you hoped, ready to spend the evening with you. You had been so close to the edge in believing he would stood you out and this belief wasn't groundless.

"I haven't even started" you squeezed your quilt even tighter leaning on the wall as you watched him kicking off his shoes.

"Why?" he asked putting away his jacket and leaving his hoodie on with questioning, but cool look visible on his face "Did you pick something, though?"

Taking into consideration that you were busy battling gloomy thoughts in your mind, it was obvious you didn't even touch the remote.

"No, I didn’t" you replied shortly “I thought you wouldn't come, to be honest”.

Jungkook was observing you. There you were standing in a foyer with white material over your chest as you didn’t make it back to your room yet. But he didn’t know why you were not in the living room already watching something on the TV.

"I might have been a little late" he admitted shrugging his shoulders "My phone died, but I grabbed us some things on the way" he showed a see-through bag with colorful packages in it "Am I forgiven?”

"If it's your way to say sorry, then I guess so" you murmured this time with more soft expression on your face.

"Then stop looking so offended" he chuckled reaching his hands to you "Give me this, you're almost drowning" he took the bedding out of your hands and put it back on the couch, while you checked what he had bought.

In general, there were his favourite snacks, but he didn’t think only of himself as you found some crisps and cookies you often ate when you had a bad day. Your heart warmed up at his gesture. But you realized it just wasn’t adding up. Why did he care? Was he just nice? Did he know you overheard him? You sighed and placed the bag on the console in the foyer. The longer you were gazing at it, the more it felt like something was missing in the whole picture. Like everything was on its place, but there was one thing that you couldn't come up with that was lacking. Your forehead wrinkled as your eyebrows raised. You were sure you put them right there. There was no other place in your flat to fit them in.

"Hey, Junkook! Where are the flowers?" you shouted after him still standing in a foyer slightly dumbfounded.

"What flowers?" he stuck his head out after he had stopped searching for his charger.

“The ones that were standing in a foyer” you pointed at the vase with your head after having drawn his attention “Or they used to stand”.

You wondered if he even noticed them in the first place, maybe it was pointless to ask him this, but there were no more people living in this flat, so you presumed might have put them somewhere else. You watched as confusion that was plastered on his face changed into clarity as his expression lit up apparently knowing what you were talking about.

"Ah, right. I've thrown them away" he told casually and made his way to the living room indifferent to his action that managed to baffle you out.

"What? Why?" your squinted your eyes being perplexed "Jungkook, answer me!" you added feeling he didn't listen to you.

"They were dead, I guess" he shrugged his shoulders and took TV remote in his hand looking at the screen “What do you want to watch? Psychological series or comedy?"

"Jungkook!" you watched him in disbelief.

"What? They looked fucking rubbish” he looked at you as you struggled to find words “I’m just telling the truth. They've been withered” he kept convincing you.

You didn't remember them to start to wither, actually. You changed the water in vase almost every day and you even cut their ends one time. It sounded impossible. And rubbish? Okay, maybe it wasn't the prettiest bouquet, but still it was a kind gesture that you appreciated even though it wasn't given by your dream person.

"Did you even think they could have been from somebody?" you folded your arms on your chest while he sat on the couch.

"Were they?" he raised an eyebrow at you waiting for your response.

You sealed your lips immediately muted. You could have spared the information and let these silly flowers go, but obviously you couldn't keep your mouth closed at the right time. Especially when he wasn't supposed to know you were seeing someone. You didn't want to embarrass yourself with the fact it was just one-time thing. It would potentially cross your chances with him. And hooking up was just a way of coping for the time being.

"W-Well..." you stuttered losing the courage feeling the pressure of his gaze "Maybe".

"From whom?" he picked a series since you didn't answer him, but you just shrugged your shoulders not bothering to reply as shame came all over you.

You felt his burning gaze on your back as you sat down on the floor fixing the duvet under your but to make yourself comfortable on the hard ground. Nevertheless, you kept being silent with your blank eyes turned towards TV.

"Not my business, I get it" you heard him fidgeting in his sit and stretching out his legs.

"No, it's just..." you had blurted out before pursing your lips not knowing whether you should speak out "Just a guy, nothing serious".

"You don't have to explain yourself" his immediate answer and him chuckling made you flush even more "Easy there".

"Fine" you sat there for a few minutes not even daring to touch the sweets he had brought with him, somehow losing your appetite as you almost gave yourself away.

"You know you can sit next to me" Jungkook made an offer with his eyes glued to the screen "I don't bite".

In fact, you took Gia's advice to your heart not wanting your feelings to escalate even more, seeing how much it could cost you. Still, you hesitated as you also yearned for his presence, but the damage it could make outweighed the benefits. After your analyzations, you came to one, precious conclusion that it would be healthier for you to leave some free space between you and him. To leave it as it was. To make a safe deal for both of the sides.

"No, no. It's okay" you turned it down knowing what could happen if you let yourself feel more than you allowed to.

Sometimes, saying no to some invitations should be just done. Even to such a dissent one like this. But you had a good head on your shoulders trying not to melt because of his tempting proposition.

"It's not like we've just met, (Y/N)" you almost felt him rolling his eyes at you, but you decided to shrug it off.

Keeping a safe distance between you and Jungkook gave you the sense of control over your absurd feelings and decreased your chances of making embarrassing gaffe in his presence. Although he didn't acknowledge your sympathy towards him, you had to be the one who would be reasonable enough to draw a thick line between both of you, just in case. You had no idea what would happen if any signs of crushing over him came out.

"It's quite comfortable here" you brought your knees closer to your chest which enabled you to rest your chin there "But thanks".

"Yeah, I'm sure of it" he used his sarcasm to deny your silly statement and without giving a hoot he leaned down to slip his hands under your arms.

"What are you doing?" your body became stiff under his firm grip, but instantly it woke up due to the pluck trying to wiggle out from his hold.

"Stop squirming. You're making this difficult" Jungkook groaned silently as he pulled you up from the floor to the cozy couch next to him "And you are not as light as you seem to be".

Actually, when you let yourself feel the intensity of your intimacy after giving up a fight, there came a nice feeling of having him so close to your body. For the first time. Though, you doubted whether he was going through the same thing, you didn't seem to care at the moment completely drowning in a pleasant sensation. He was warm, you felt it only by touching each other with shoulders. And his scent was something else. Fresh, strong and manly. You squeezed yourself deeper into seat back. Fuck, you were melting.

"Comfy, kitten?" he sneered seeing your face expression softening.

Kitten. You gulped down, shaking yourself out. You must have misheard something.

"Not enough" you responded pretending to be serious "You take too much space".

"Better keep your mouth closed or you will get back to that floor" he sighed because of your indication and moved his body to the left side of the sofa "Here, happy?"

As much as you wanted to, you shouldn't, right? Well, avoiding being so close to him to prevent your feelings escalating even more was demanding. In addition, his actions unabled you from doing so. How you were supposed to stay away from him?

“No” you scoffed and started to slide down from the couch to get back to the floor "It was my turn anyway".

"I don't think you're going anywhere farer than this fucking sofa" he grabbed you once again this time placing his hands on your waist as it was easier to lift you up.

"Jungkook, please. Leave-" you couldn't finish your sentence as you felt his hands on your body.

"No way. Get your ass here" he tilted his head amused "You're so irritating sometimes. It must be so tiring, why don't you quit that?"

"Oh, get away" you huffed, but he shrugged it off with a laugh while he put you back next to him "You see me barely once a week, you don't know me" you stated.

"And let's leave it that way" you assumed he made a joke, but you couldn't help feeling a sharp pinning in your chest. He kept mocking "I don't know what's hidden behind this innocent face of yours".

Crush. Random hookup. You name it.

"A lot".

"I imagine" he nodded his head pretending to be serious "How was your week?" the standard question came out of his mouth.

"Uh-Interesting?"

"With your style of living?" he folded his arms not really believing you "What? Were you on some party? Did you went clubbing?" he kept inquiring.

"Yes? I was at..." you stuttered "At..."

"Caleido? Zoid club?" he started to list every place he visited "Because for sure not at Vixen's".

"Well, one of them".

He turned his head towards you while scanning your face as if something was not right with you.

"You are such a bad liar" he said looking straight into your eyes.

"Why do you think I'm lying?" you broke under his intense gaze while gulping down knowing he caught you already. Your heart started to bump strongly in your chest to the point you almost heard it in your ears "Why you don't believe I went clubbing?"

Maybe you were too obvious, too predictable, too… boring to get his attention.

"Because it's just... you".

taglist: @smwhrinthehaze, @betysotelo18

[nimblermortal]

Nimblermortal's Covid Survival Tips 2023

because what's the point of having this if I can't make it easier for the next person?

First symptom for me was a mild sore throat. This started around noon; the next morning I woke up with no symptoms but feeling terrible, which I interpret as the medical "sense of impending doom" that is a real symptom.

Charmin toilet paper. This stuff is softer than Kleenex. Get you a whole roll and a shopping bag. Don't have a runny nose for a symptom? Don't care, it'll come.

Blankets you can kick on and off. I spent two days "cycling" - chills, fever, then lucidity. You need to be able to both vent and huddle.

If you are scientifically inclined: Keep a thermometer nearby. I regret not taking my temperature during the cycles, I'm really curious about whether I was running hotter or colder during the hot stages. That said, you will definitely not have enough energy to take your temperature during these stages.

Some sort of infinite podcast. It doesn't matter what it is. Honestly I recommend Critical Role even if you don't like D&D live plays. You do not care what is going on here, the point is white noise that you don't have to change. Make sure the device is plugged in. I could only nap while there was white noise happening - and when I say 'nap' I mean 'I don't know if I slept or not, just that I was face-down and some time passed'.

Advil. This will lower the fever. If you can, wait until the second day - the fever helps burn out the disease, but this only applies to the first 24 hours. But don't let the fever get too high. I ran a steady 101 F/38.3 C for two days, which is fine. You can take one every 4 hours up to 6 times a day. For me the best effects only lasted 2 hours and I was ready by the fourth (but also a stubborn pig who tried to hold out; there's no advantage to this after the first 24 hours).

Small dishes. People kept trying to feed me and I couldn't finish anything. Small dishes, plain foods, let yourself have the ability to win at meals. (Note: this may not apply to you, but I'm the sort of person who used to be sent to elementary school with a single small potato because the cafeteria was too noisy for me to eat but I needed to win at lunch.) If you're preparing just-in-case, you could put some in the freezer

Immune boosters. My aunt swears by Sambucol, which is elderberry and vitamin C and zinc. Zinc matters more if you are male. My take on the Sambucol advantage is elderberry taste good.

Non-caffeinated tea. Something that goes down the throat easy. I had a sore throat to start with, then after the cycling I've got a progressively increasing cough; warm beverage nice. (I also craved a masala tea in the middle of the cycling, so caffeine might be nice, but you probably want to let yourself sleep.)

Vicks vaporub. Apply directly to the forehead liberally once the coughing starts. The package says you can do this 3 times a day.

Don't worry about cough medicines unless you have one you trust implicitly. Mum says they're not very effective, so you want that sweet, sweet placebo effect.

Someone to watch over you. Partly to make sure you don't get it worse than I had. Mostly because when I'm weak and sick I get clingylonely and I need someone to assure me I am loved. I had the same problem with the vaccines - shivering under the blankets calling weakly for Hyacinth because I was alone and Sad. Honestly the covid has been less intense but longer.

Recovery time. Covid heals a lot slower than comparable sicknesses. Whatever you think your return-to-work day might be, add at least two days to it. (I thought I was getting away with something last Wednesday, tried to work Thursday, and survived for one hour.)

More recovery time. This thing heals very slowly. I haven't had symptoms in a week - aside from having to plan for being able to do single-digit numbers of tasks in a day. And 'digesting a meal' is a separate energy task from 'eating a meal' is a separate energy task from 'preparing a meal' is a separate... (No really, I had to plan energy expenditure for digestion.) At a week out, I am still having to make room for daily hour-long naps and activities interspersed with lying down - though at least now I can embroider with a TV show during these periods. Give yourself lots of time, even when it feels stupid.

[ironstrange1991]

Forbidden (Part 4)

Pairing: Doctor!Strange x Fem!Reader

Synopsis: Before setting out on a dangerous mission, Stephen decides to settle some things with Y/n. When they leave, she is forced to deal with the emptiness that remains in their place and the fear that they may never return.

Word Count: 4,5k

Warnings: Slight ansgt and mention of dead parents.

SERIES MASTERLIST

It was Friday and you were tired. You hadn't slept the night and classes were being particularly grueling. You spent practically the whole morning in a kind of torpor and if someone asked you, you wouldn't know the subject of the classes you attended.

When the bell finally rang releasing you for lunch, you grabbed your things and left without bothering to wait for your classmates. You wanted to disappear from that place, you wanted to lock yourself in your room and throw yourself on the bed and, if possible, be swallowed by it.

There was a mental weariness in you that seemed to be increasing over the last few days. The fact that the Avengers were on the verge of leaving for another mission was also keeping you awake at night, which didn't help to keep you awake during classes. Everything seemed wrong and you didn't quite understand why and that was starting to worry you. You even tried sounding Natasha out about the mission, but as usual she didn't say more than a few words.

"The less you know the better, is what Tony says" That's basically what she said. You tried to argue that you cared about him and that you knew Strange would participate in the mission which indicated that the situation was dangerous.

Natasha just smirked "Are you worried about Doctor Strange's safety? I guarantee he can take care of himself." And quickly she changed the subject. Yes, you cared about Stephen, but not as much as you cared about Tony. Though he forgot about it sometimes, he was just a mortal man.

You smile feeling a pinch of longing. Even though you spoke almost every day, it wasn't the same and it had been weeks since you'd seen each other. "I just wish Tony didn't have to go on these missions anymore. I mean, hasn't he done a lot already? Damn, he deserves some peace."

You were striding towards the exit and talking on the phone with MJ. In fact, she just listened to all your fruitless whining and just gave a few "uh hums" to say she was paying attention. You sighed feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you with all this stuff."

She quickly cut you off "You are not bothering me, you know you can tell me anything. Besides, I don't have any news anyway, so you can tell me whatever you want, I'm a good listener."

MJ agreed "Yes he deserves it, but honestly I think he doesn't stop because he can't stay behind watching his friends go, but Y/n, you know Stark can handle it. He is a super badass. Remember?"

You sighed. I smile in your lips. Tony was indeed a super badass man, a genius, a man who used his inteligence to outcome all his limits. You were so proud of him. "Yeah I know."

Your cell phone vibrated with a message and you asked MJ to wait. You read the message getting even more irritated than you already was. "Fuck"

"Whats wrong?" MJ asked.

"Happy won't be able to pick me up" You replied stepping firmly and praying for a taxi. "All I want is to go home. Is that too much to ask?"

MJ seemed to weigh her next words "You haven't talked to Strange, have you?" You shook your head "I haven't seen him since the last time we spoke. That tragic and pathetic situation I already told you about a thousand times."

"I can understand why you're so irritated. Why don't you look for him before he leaves for the mission? Talk to him, y/n."

"I can't." You shook your had. It wasn't like the idea hadn't crossed your mind a few times. "MJ, I can't. Every time I try to force myself to work up the courage to do it I get this feeling..."

"What feeling?"

You sighed, clutching your bag close to your body and squeezing yourself through a group of students who were blocking your way at the exit gate. "That if he had any real interest in me he would seek me out..."

That's when you saw him. He was wearing jeans and a gray shirt, sunglasses, both hands in his pockets. It was impossible for him not to stand out among other people, yet no one seemed to notice him. He was standing there looking in your direction and you stopped abruptly "Shit"

"What is it?" MJ asked realizing something was wrong.

"He is here."

"Who? Strange? What is he doing there?..."

"I'll call you later."

"No, wait..." You hung up the phone and suppressed a smile that played at the corners of your lips and forced yourself to walk towards him.

 You managed to control your emotions the best you could. "Looking for someone, doctor?"

He gave you that sideways smile that took your breath away "Young lady, early twenties, tattoos, beautiful smile. Have you seen her?" He blinked at you with an open smile in his lips.

"Well I think you just found her."

"Luck me, then" He pointed to the phone in your hand "Stark?"

 You shook your head "MJ"

He nodded "How are things in Boston?"

You put your cell phone in your pocket "Everything's great, from what she told me."

He nodded "Good. Can we talk or are you going to yell at me again?"

You shrugged "It depends. Are you going to act like a jerk again?"

He shook his head chuckling dryly "Fair enough. Well I plan to take you for lunch."

You couldn't help but smile, but internally you were screaming at yourself that this wasn't a date. "I just missed my ride so I will accept it. Thank you."

"Great" Stephen replied and the two of you walked away around the building. He took you to a small restaurant just a few blocks from the uni. You sat at the farthest table you could find and were attended by a waitress who seemed overly excited about serving Doctor Strange.

The waitress took the order without even looking at you, she only had eyes for Stephen and honestly you couldn't blame her. "Would you like something to drink, sir?"

"How can I help you?" She asked with an exaggerated smile.

Stephen glared at you "Hungry?"

You nodded shyly and he thought for a moment "I'll have the usual" He replied and then waited for you to make up your mind.

You just pretended to look at the menu, your nervousness made it impossible to read the words so you pointed to the first thing that caught your eye "I'll have the salmon with asparagus and orange juice, please."

Stephen smiles sympathetically "Just water for me, thanks."

She wrote it down and left reluctantly.

You shook your head smiling. It was hard to imagine both Stephen and Wong discussing about food or any other normal thing, honestly.

You eyebrown raised "She really didn't want to leave. Probably a fan of yours." He chuckled "jealous?" You pouted "Maybe. Looks like you come here quite often." You added.

He shook his head "I've come a few times, Wong likes their tuna melt sandwich and sometimes he makes me come get it for him."

"How is the band going? America told me your songs are playing nonstop on the radio. Got a record label?"

You shook your head "Not really. Just released the songs online. Fans did the rest and the radio are just following the flow."

"I should congratulate you, anyway. You deserve this. You are very good."

You felt your cheeks getting hot with the compliment. "So you don’t listen to the radio? I must confess I always imagined you listening to my music and being forced to think about me. I'm disappointed."

He chuckled "Don't be. I preffer to listen to them on Spotify. They are good. But I preffer to listen them live."

You smile smugly "Thank you. I could do a secret show just for you if you asked me to. You could choose the songs."

He exhaled dramatically "That's very tempting."

You chucked "We can schedule it, but it may take some time. Things are moving very fast. I'm happy of course, but I'm having a hard time organizing my time between the band and college."

 "I'm sure you'll find a way to handle both."

"I'm trying, but college has been taking a lot of my time."

Stephen shook his head sympathetic "By the way, how's your dissertation going?"

You grinned proudly "Almost finished."

He smiles back at you "Glad to hear that." He thought for a moment frowning "America also mentioned something about a magazine photoshoot..."

You bit the inside of your cheek. You didn't imagine that America talked so much about you. Not that you minded.

"Tony doesn't think it's a good idea. In his words: it's a little too suggestive."

Stephen raised an eyebrow, curiosity in his eyes. "May I ask what that is about?"

"It's a tattoo magazine. They want to interview me about the band and talk about the relation between music and tattoos. You know I love both so I'm tempted to take the offer. Plus I always end up in the tabloids anyway."

Stephen gave a small laugh "I'm sorry for the last time"

You shrugged "Don't be. I don't really care. Besides, you saved me. No need to apologize. Anyway, I'm still thinking about it."

He nodded "Well, I'm sure you take the best decision. You're very smart and seem to be getting everything right."

You agreed smiling shyly. It occured to you that you liked when he praised you. You shook your had feeling your hands sweaty.

Stephen look at you more serious now "Y/n... I wanted to apologize for the way I spoke to you that day. I was scared of what happened... well, what could have happened. I know it wasn't your fault, I'm sorry if I made it sound like I thought otherwise." He held both hands together on top of the table, his blue eyes seemed to see right through you and just for a minute you wished you could read his mind.

You shook your head trying to formulate the words when you noticed that he expected an answer "It's okay, I guess I can't stay mad at you anyway, even if I try very hard."

He managed not to let on how much those words pleased him, but you could see the corner of his lips curling up in a cocky smirk. "It's good to know that."

You felt your face blushing "I apologize for the way I yelled at you, even if you were being an idiot, we shouldn't yell at older people."

He grinned. "Why I always get this feeling you like how old I am?"

You had to look away to hide the angry red on your cheeks. He didn't let that go unnoticed "I'm right then."

You exhaled slowly as you realized you were holding your breath. "It's not fair..." You said looking back at him "You know exactly what you do to me, doctor."

You could have sworn his eyes got darker and he seemed to force himself to swallow his smile. "Y/n..."

You stared at your hands waiting like a child who's said something wrong.

"Stark asked me why I was at the nightclub that night..."

You looked at him in surprise "What did you say?

 "I didn't know what to say, so I lied." He confessed.

You bit the inside of your cheek "Stephen..."

"Look, you got mad at me because I said I liked you as a friend, but the truth is, I only said that because I didn't know what to say. Of course I like you and I care about you, but ...To be honest I don't know what you are to me. I just know that I can't stop thinking about you and believe me, I know how inappropriate it is."

You felt your heart racing in your chest at those words and to some extent you were grateful to be interrupted by the waitress who approached bringing your food.

"Would you like anything else?" She asked, but her eyes were locked on Stephen.

"No, we're fine. Thank you" He said dryly not amused for being interrupted. Her smile seemed to crumble "Excuse me"

"Why?" You asked quietly as if you didn't even want him to hear the question. But he listened and shook his head nervously and then looked away "I'm leaving with the Avengers tomorrow morning. I couldn't leave without talking to you first."

You didn't miss the fact that he didn't answer your question.

"Tony told me it's something big."

 "Yes, it is."

You didn't want to talk about it. You didn't want to think that once again Tony was heading towards another extremely dangerous enemy.

"I hate this." You confessed "I hate seeing you leave and having to be left behind waiting not knowing if you'll come home."

Stephen nodded, "I imagine it will be hard to see Stark go. You must worry a lot about him."

You shook your head and looked out the window to hide that there were tears in your eyes. "I still remember the day Tony told me my parents had died. Every time Tony goes on a mission I wonder who will come to tell me if he dies. He's all I have."

Stephen rolled his lips and reached out and touched your hand. "I won't let anything happen to him. I promise."

You shook your head "It's not just him. I worry about everyone. "

He smiles reassuringly "I'll try to keep everyone safe then."

"Stephen... I'm also talking about you. Who's going to protect you while you're out there protecting everyone else?"

He squeezed your hand in his. His hand was shaking but you didn't mind it. It was warm and his touch felt so good. "I'll be fine."

"America needs you, you know that right? You're pretty much all she has."

"I know. I'll be fine." He repeated. You weren't convinced, but didn't say anything else.

"She made me promise I wouldn't leave without talking to you first" Stephen said smiling "She loves you like a sister. Can't stand to see us arguing apparently." He sighed "Things are always so simple for her."

You looked at your food on your plate, but there was a nervousness inside you that made your stomach flutter. You took a sip of juice. "Things can be simple, Stephen, if we want them to be"

He looked straight to your eyes . "I don't think Stark would think that way."

That was the answer you needed but not exactly the one you wanted.

"You know I'm a legal adult, right? You turned to dust for five years, but I grew up, Stephen. I am not fifteen anymore."

He took a good look around as if he wanted to make sure there was no one around to hear what you were saying and then stared at you with a certain gleam in his eyes you've never seen before. "Trust me, sweetheart, I'm well aware of that."

...

When you left the restaurant there was a weight on Stephen's chest that made each step heavier than the last. He could barely breathe suffocated by everything he wanted to say to you and couldn't. Somehow he felt that this might be his only chance and that feeling seemed to crush his heart in his chest.

You walked slowly in heavy silence until you reached a taxi stand. He wanted to portal you home, but didn't want to risk arousing even more suspicion.

"Will I see you again before you leave for the mission?"

He shoved both hands in his pocket "I don’t think so." You nodded going towards the taxi driver, but he grabbed your arm. He didn't want you to leave. Fuck Stephen, say something "I really enjoyed our time together."

You smiled. You had a beautiful smile. A sad one, but beautiful anyway. "Me too"

Before he could even react, you reached up on tiptoe and kissed him dangerously close to his lips. Just a peck, but enough to send heat through his entire body.

You smirked "For good lucky." You turned around talking to the taxi driver "Stark Tower, please" He watched you getting in the car and the taxi driver starting it.

"Y/n..." He called tapping on the rear window. You opened it and he touched your face. "I will miss you. I always do"

You smiled and then you left. Stephen stood there watching the car get lost in the traffic.

…

When you entered the Tower, you were greeted by the usual gale of people rushing back and forth, hurried about their tasks. Happy yelling and giving orders and the whole gang of superheroes planning the mission.

You took the elevator up to the comfort of your room.

You kicked off your shoes and threw yourself on the bed feeling a mixture of excitement and sadness at the same time. You've never talked so openly with Stephen before and now you had to let him go on a mission that as far as you were allowed to know was something big and dangerous. How could you stand that?

Your phone vibrated in your pocket. There were a million messages from MJ and a million from Mike. You guys were supposed to rehearse with the band at night, but at that point you couldn't care less. Everything seemed so meaningless.

You didn't realize you'd fallen asleep until you woke up to a warm hand on your arm "Hey darling, wake up. We're leaving."

You opened your eyes to find Tony sitting next to you on the bed. "I thought you would go tomorrow morning." You sat down leaning on the headboard. "I fell asleep. I'm sorry..."

"Change of plans." He smiles fondly at you "Don't worry, I've been working all day."

You hugged your knees. There was so much you wanted to tell him, but the words seemed small compared to all your fears and besides, you knew he knew exactly how you felt.

"Pepper told me she plans to spend a few days in Malibu. You should go with her. I don't like to think of you two here alone."

You shook your head "We're not alone. Happy is staying here with us and besides I have class and I also need to finish my dissertation. My deadline is in two weeks."

He nodded "Right. I had forgotten." He frowned "Where were you after class? Happy said you got here past 3pm."

You shrugged "Having lunch with a friend" You bit the inside of your cheek deciding whether to say the friend was Stephen or not. In the end you decided not to say anything.

"Good." He was silent for a moment.

"Tony..." You held out your hand and he took it in his "Be careful. Please. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you."

He shook his head "I'll be fine, don't worry." He sighed heavily and got up then bent to place a kiss on the top of your head "See you in a few days."

You nodded and he was leaving when he turned on his heel "About that photoshoot... I think you should do it if it's something you really want."

You smiled "Pepper made you say this, didn't she?"

He smirked "Yeah, you got me, but she's right. She's always right."

You nodded and he left closing the door behind him.

…

The days passed slowly. Each of them without news of Tony and Stephen was like an open wound in your throbbing chest. But it wasn't just the two you missed, you missed the movement in the Tower, Natasha and Yelena teasing you about your crush on Stephen, Sam and Steve talking in the hallways, Thor's laughter.

Without the Avengers, the Tower felt barren, cold, and frightening. You suddenly felt like the girl you were when your parents had the accident. Scared and alone.

You knew you weren't the only one who was feeling that way. Pepper also became increasingly sullen when unable to talk to Tony. He had promised her that he would try to communicate through the intergalactic communicators that he and Bruce had created, but something wasn't working as expected because every time Pepper tried to contact him, she was answered only by anguished silence. She tried to seem strong and confident around Morgan, but when the two of you were alone she looked tired and very sad.

You've tried to stick to your routine as best you could. College, the band practices, but at the end of the day it all seemed so insignificant and no matter how big the Tower was, the walls seemed to shrink in, trapping you inside just like the bluebird you had tattooed on your chest.

In those moments you found some comfort in music, spent hours at the piano composing and when you realized in a week you had a new song ready. Sad, painful, true, but when you tried to write the lyrics of you found that no words could describe the feeling that melody brought to your heart, so you gave up trying to force words where they didn't belong. You named the song Departure and you played it incessantly most nights trying to convince yourself that everything was going to be okay while at the same time being terrified that everything you knew might fall apart.

One week soon became two. Two weeks without news. You couldn't remember when was the last time Tony took this long on a mission. It was driving you crazy.

It was Monday morning and you weren't feeling well enough to go to class so you decided to stay home. America called asking if you had any news and it broke your heart to have to give the same answer. Again and again.

"He'll come back, won't he? Wong said he always does." America's voice was shaky as if she was trying not to cry.

You wanted to scream but you swallowed all your fears and so you replied "Of course he will come back. Everyone will come back, they are the Avengers."

America exhaled heavily, "He always says he's not an Avenger."

You smiled to yourself "Of course not. He thinks he's too good to be an Avenger."

America laughs softly and you were happy to get a laugh out of her.

"I need to go now, Y/n, Wong is calling me back to practice."

"Okay, go there little sorcerer."

You hung up the phone realizing that the magazine photoshoot was scheduled for that afternoon. You groaned throwing yourself on the bed and thinking of a million excuses not to go, but decided it would be for the best if you just went, after all it would be a distraction.

You were finishing getting ready when Pepper knocked discreetly on the door and then came in and sat at the foot of the bed watching you in silence.

"Did something happen?" You asked and she shook her head "Nothing happened. That's the problem."

You freaked out thinking Pepper was going to start crying, but she sighed and then said what was there to say "I asked Happy to take you to the photoshoot. I don't want you out there alone when everyone knows Iron Man isn't around." She sighed.

You shook your head "He'll be back Pepper. They all will." You finished getting dressed "I just spoke to America. She was very worried. We're all freaking out here."

Pepper nodded "She's such a sweet girl. Stephen is lucky to have her by his side. He always said there was no one to miss him in case something happened. Now that's not true."

You stared at Pepper nibbling the inside of your cheek. You didn't know Stephen said that. "America is not the only one that cares about him." You said without thinking and Pepper stared at you in surprise.

"Y/n..."

You grabbed your purse "I'm late" You said leaving in a hurry but she followed right behind you "Y/n, what do you mean by that?"

You entered the elevator "I really need to go" You said pressing the button and was glad when the door closed.

You were right about the photoshoot being a distraction. You felt very comfortable with Karen, the photographer and all her ideas matched perfectly with yours. At the end of the day, you were impressed with the results.

"Have you scheduled the interview yet?" Karen asked.

You shook your head "It will be next week."

"I'm sure it will be amazing . You'll be on the cover of the next issue, people will freak out."

"Hey Mike"

You smiled shyly. You were freaking out a little bit about the result. Though you liked it, perhaps the photos were a little... too sexy?

You thanked Karen and said goodbye. It was night when you left the studio and your cell phone was ringing incessantly.

"Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you all afternoon!"

You sighed rolling your eyes "I told you yesterday that I had a photoshoot today."

He nodded "True, I completely forgot. Suzanne had some problems at home and won't be able to rehearse so I canceled it."

Thank god. "She is fine?"

"Yes, she said it was no big deal."

You left the building and Happy opened the car door for you to get in "Good. Thanks for letting me know. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Y/n…" Mike cleared his throat "I was thinking... perhaps we could go out for a drink…just the two of us."

You sighed heavily. You always knew Mike had a crush on you, but you never thought he'd work up the courage to ask you out. Anyway, now that it happened you didn't really know what to say.

"I'm not in the mood. Perhaps another day"

He clearly didn't like the answer. "It's Strange, isn't it?" I saw the way you two were looking at each other at your godfather’s party. He is too old for you. That's disgusting, Y/n."

"No Mike, it's not Strange, and even if it was that's none of your business. But if you want to know, it's because of you. I don't feel like going out with you. That's all."

Happy looked at you in the rearview mirror with a low whistle.

Mike was speechless probably digesting your words.

"Bye Mike, see you tomorrow."

You hung up the phone before he could answer. Happy kept staring at you.

"Not a word about this with your boss." Happy raised a hand in surrender "My boss is on another planet, maybe another galaxy."

 "I'm talking about Pepper.

He nodded. "So this Mike likes you."

You stared at him in disbelief "Happy... just drive. I want to get home."

...

It was Friday and you had just left your last class of the day when the phone vibrated with a video call from MJ.

"Hey, what's up? Still no news?" She tried to hide her own concern, but with each passing day she managed to hide less.

You shook your head  "It's been three weeks, I don't remember any mission that took that long."

MJ sighed "Peter is worried too. He's been upset since Stark told him to stay, but now it's more than that."

"I need them back MJ, I don't know what I'm going to do if something happens to them. To all of them."

MJ forced another smile "They'll be back. Soon we'll all be together celebrating at another Stark party and then maybe you work up the courage to tell Strange you're in love with him."

"By now I doubt he doesn't know, but thrust me, if they come back, when they come back that’s exactly what I’ll do."

MJ's eyes widened "What exactly happened at that lunch you had? You never quite told me."

You opened your mouth to answer, but you found Happy leaning against the car right in front of the exit gate. "Can we talk about this later? I'm going home. I'll call you when I'm safely in my room."

She made a face, but accepted "I'll be waiting. Bye."

Happy opened the door for you to enter. The drive home was silent. Even Happy was apprehensive now that the days continued to pass and you still had no news. Lacking anything to say, he preferred to remain silent for what you were grateful.

When you arrived at the Tower you went straight to your room and threw yourself on the bed. You hadn't realized how tired you were until then. You haven’t sleept well for days. You only realized that you had fallen asleep when you heard Pepper's voice.

"Y/n...wake up. They're back."

Reblog please! Leave a comment if you liked it. Interact! I will love to read all of your comments and opinions. It inspires me to keep writing ;)

DOCTOR STRANGE MASTERLIST

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[d3ath-on-2-legs]

I haven't weighed myself in nearly a week (a week tomorrow) because I'm genuinely terrified.

I keep eating Iver 1200cal and I know I've gained. My sleep has gone back to shit, I'm sleeping neatly 9 hours each night, feel like I've slept 4 hours and can't eske up before 1230pm, I have 1 sleeping tablet left I'm going to have tonight because I start work at 1130 tomorrow.

I need to call my gp again because this is ridiculous.

Also causally standing outside in the rain while I have a mini breakdown and cry before I get home from work :)

Update: Got home, was having a normal conversation with my parents while petting the pup, my sleep got bought up, my dad started getting pissy and bringing up the same points he always has ("get up and do something" like working 4/5 days a week in a high energy job for 9 hours and, this week, basically jogging for 2 hours straight on a walk with the pup, isn't 'doing something'. "Wake up earlier" as if that isn't the problem I got given MEDICATION to try and fix) and me, still being in a bad mood and having been crying 2 minutes beforehand, shouted back, and now im crying again.

I don't even know why I'm so upset rn nothing even happened

[starwarsmum]

Onto the next chapter of Introducing: Mousinette! Finally we see Marinette arrive in Gotham ❤️ there is a panic attack depicted in this chapter. It isn't intense, but it's there

As the Easter break approached, Marinette was snowed under by her tests and commissions. She apologised to Barbara but wasn't able to keep up with their weekly chats. She had a conditional offer for her university of choice and she had to get the appropriate grades. She promised that she would catch up with the other woman as soon as she was free but, for now, she was under more than enough pressure.

Marinette slept for 36 hours straight when the final test was complete, and the final commission boxed and sent to the buyer. When she eventually awoke, she was hungry, bleary and wanted to crawl back into bed to sleep for another 36. Unfortunately, Penny and Jagged had made plans to stop by that day and Marinette had promised to be available and not half-dead for the visit so she had to shower and make herself presentable.

“Lil M! It feels like forever since we saw you last, how's my favourite little rocker?” Jagged's voice boomed as he caught sight of her. She grinned and snuggled into a hug from Penny, making him cry out in mock outrage. “We were just talking to your parents about our plans for your break, Rockette.”

“Oh?” She was only mildly interested in the plans, as she knew her parents had asked her to keep her schedule free to help more in the bakery now that she didn't have the BAC breathing down her neck. “I hope they involve plenty of rest, seeing as I still feel like I haven't slept in a week.”

“Well, there will be plenty of time to sleep on the plane!” Penny said brightly, making Marinette pull away from her sharply. “Ah-ah,” she admonished, shushing Marinette before she could start bombarding them with questions. “Your parents agree that you've more than earned a holiday, which is why you haven't been allowed to take on any new clients, and your parents asked you to keep your schedule clear.”

“We knew you wouldn't do it unless you had another obligation, Marinette,” Tom said mournfully, regretful that they had had to trick their daughter. “We are more than capable of keeping the bakery running without you, and Penny and Jagged offered to take you to see your new university during the trip.”

“I don't even know if I passed yet!” Marinette exclaimed, throwing her hands up. It was only token resistance, she knew that if they had taken the time to work with her parents then there was no way she wasn't going. “How long do I have to pack?”

“Well, the jet leaves in 4 hours-” Marinette cut Jagged off with a screech, launching herself back upstairs without another word. The adults stood around chortling as they waited patiently for her to re-emerge with her suitcase. When she came back down half an hour later, pink suitcase and carry-on in tow, he continued as though there had been no interruption. “-and as we don't have to fly commercial, there'll be plenty of time for you to tell your little friends that you won't be available,” he finished smugly. 

“Maman, Papa, thank you so much,” Marinette squeezed them both tightly, promising to keep them updated while she traveled. They parted tearfully, but Marinette was also excited to see where she might be living in half a year's time. “I can't believe you didn't tell me, I have no idea if I packed everything I'll need.”

“Anything you don't have, we can pick up for you,” Penny reassured her. “Besides, it's only for 2 weeks, and we have a pretty packed schedule ready for you.”

“Wait, does Barbara know?” Marinette asked excitedly. When Penny confirmed that it would be a surprise for her too, Marinette squealed and immediately began planning what she would wear to meet the young woman. Penny eyed her carefully, noting the light flush to her skin and the over-bright sheen to her eyes. She knew Marinette had a good head on her shoulders, but also that she had a tendency to let her heart lead her, which didn't always end well.

Choosing to shelve that problem for later, Penny allowed Marinette to babble excitedly about everything from the architecture she had seen in pictures of Gotham, to the latest red carpet fashions. The nervous excitement kept Marinette bouncing in her seat during the flight, and whenever Penny and Jagged closed their own eyes to get some rest, she pulled out her sketchbook to jot down new ideas. 

When they eventually touched down, it was late evening in Gotham, meaning that Marinette's parents would be getting up soon to start their morning bakery routine. She fired off several messages to confirm that she was safe and sound in Gotham, unsurprised when only her parents messaged back.

They trudged to the Rolling-Stone’s apartment, Marinette yawning and bleary-eyed. The adults promptly sent her to bed, saying they would wake her at a reasonable hour to discuss their next plans. She sleepily demanded that seeing Barbara be a priority, as she was supposed to be having a video call with the woman the following evening anyway. Only once they had agreed, did she allow them to prod her into the room that would be hers for the next 2 weeks.

She was asleep almost before she had fully laid down, Tikki settling into the crook of her neck.

_ _ _

Barbara Gordon was used to long nights, being the main coordinator of the bat-family’s nightly activities. At 32 years old, she had seen her share of horrors and continued wanting to make a difference to their city. She was used to spending her days catching up on some sleep, before assisting the GCPD with cold cases so that she could afford everything she wanted.

When Penny Rolling had contacted her to help out with a budding designer's website, she had been intrigued. She had then proceeded to look for as much information as possible about the girl, not wanting to go into the agreement blind. She hadn't expected to find out about Parisian superheroes as part of her research, but she took it in stride as much as she was able.

Then she had met Marinette and immediately felt a protectiveness that defied logic. The girl was clearly competent, clever and driven, something Barbara appreciated, but there had been an underlying sense of vulnerability, which had ignited motherly instincts she hadn't known she possessed. She often wondered if this was how Bruce felt when he adopted yet another stray vigilante. It certainly explained why the manor was always overrun.

She had been relieved to find out that the ‘Hawkmoth situation’, as Marinette called it, was long resolved, and that she didn't need to worry about her brand new sister being caught up in attacks anymore. She had enough sibling-figures that threw themselves into danger with reckless abandon, thank-you-very-much. 

On this particular evening, the Bat-boys were needling her for information about her sudden acquisition of not 1, not 2 but 3 MDC original pieces. They were green with envy, none of them having been successful at locating Jagged Stone’s now famous designer (because she would not allow them to crack her firewalls, she was the Oracle for a reason) and so they had taken to trying to trick information out of her. 

“C’mon O, you know I've been a Jagged fan since the beginning. Our first date was at one of his concerts! We know she's French, we know he thinks of her as family, but how did you get ahead of us on the waitlist for a commission?”

Barbara snorted, keeping it to herself that she had deliberately asked Marinette to hold off on accepting the commissions the boys had sent her. The girl was strangely accepting of the request, stating something about knowing what it was like to tease a sibling-figure. She refused to elaborate, but Barbara wasn't too concerned - Marinette had a lot of friends, lots of them probably felt like family at this point.

“Can we keep the line clear, Nightwing?” Came Bruce's exasperated voice. “Oracle, how is the situation at the dock progressing?”

“Looks like you should be good to engage, they just swapped a couple of briefcases. I have some decent photos of the exchange, lovely and clear. I doubt this politician expected to have this much scrutiny, he's not even covering that very distinctive mole of his.” Being a corrupt official was bad enough - a sloppy corrupt official? It was like he wanted to be caught. 

A couple of hours later, Barbara signed off of comms, intending to get a better night's sleep before she had her catch up with Marinette the following day. It felt like it had been months, rather than weeks, since she had spoken with the girl, and she missed her. 

When she awoke the next morning, she had a message from Penny, who had apparently landed the day before and wanted to crash the video chat that night. Barbara's two favourite civilians, available on the same evening? Not just a ‘yes’, but a ‘hell yes’. She smiled as she tidied up her living space, knowing that Penny would want to stop for dinner after the call.

She got a response saying that Jagged had other plans that evening, so she found the details for her favourite local takeaway. She was just putting away her work when her phone lit up with messages from Dick. She was about to open them when her doorbell sounded.

After doing a visual and auditory check that it was, in fact, Penny Rolling at her door, she buzzed her up to the apartment. Once bitten, twice shy and all that. So she was instantly on high alert when she heard hushed voices making their way to her door. She grabbed her safety bat from the stand beside the door, and prepared to depress her emergency beacon.

As the door swung open, she leveled her bat at the two women who appeared, which made the smaller one almost drop the boxes she was carrying. Penny cried out in alarm, pushing herself between the two and shouting for calm. After a minute or two’s confusion, everyone had calmed down enough for Barbara to recognize Marinette.

“Well, I guess that means you're surprised?” Penny said into the strained silence. Marinette frowned at her, before dropping in front of Barbara and catching her eye. “I'm sorry Babs, I didn't think bringing Mari would be a problem, I just wanted to do a nice surprise for you-”

“Penny, could you take the boxes to the table and let Jagged know we made it safe?” Marinette interjected, smiling up reassuringly at the older woman. Once Penny gave a jerky nod and went through to the other room, Marinette dropped her voice. “It's okay, Babs, you're okay. Whatever you're seeing right now, it isn't real. Can you feel my hand? It's on your arm right now. Maybe you can remind me what perfume I chose today, I'm so scatterbrained.”

“Y- you smell like strawberries,” Barbara said in a strangled voice. “Strawberries and flour.”

“That's great,” Marinette continued, flashing a beam at the woman. “Can you tell me what you're thinking right now?”

“That I'm a grown woman and I'm having a panic attack,” she bit back a hysterical laugh. “I'm so sorry, I don't- I don't get surprise visitors. The last time someone came by unannounced I ended up in this chair.”

“Oh, my God, Babs, I'm so sorry,” Marinette's voice strained with tears, her comforting hand starting to shake slightly. “I had no idea, or I would have emailed you last night when I landed. Tell me what I can do to help you, please.”

Barbara took several deep breaths and fought to bring her heart rate down. She could hear Penny speaking tearfully to someone on the phone, probably Jagged. She startled again when Penny reappeared in front of her, holding her phone out.

“Babs, are you okay?” Dick's voice came through the line and Barbara started to feel grounded again. She let out a semi-hysterical hiccup and he carried on. “Do you need me to come to you? Or do you want to come here? You'll never guess who showed up here, Babs! Jagged Stone! Did you know Bruce knows him?”

“Dick, you knew that he knows him,” Barbara laughed. She wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes and glanced at Penny. “And let me guess, you're using his phone right now?”

“I totally am,” Dick said gleefully, and Barbara could almost imagine him sitting on the edge of a sofa, his knees bouncing up and down. “ And he said that he can get me an in with his designer! So now you won't be the only one with an MDC original!”

They had a very short conversation before they handed the respective phones back. Penny and Jagged had another quick conversation and they decided it would be better if everyone was together, so Dick was coming to pick the three up.

Marinette immediately began to fret that she hadn't baked enough, eyeing Barbara’s kitchen thoughtfully before deciding she simply didn't have time. “I'll have to make more next time,” she shrugged, making Barbara laugh, which made her beam back at the woman. 

When Dick showed up, he immediately introduced himself to Penny, squealing that he recognised her from Jagged's tour photos. Then he spotted Marinette and did a double take. Barbara could see him eyeballing the black hair/blue eye combo and wondering if it was too late to rescind the offer to take them to dinner.

“Dick, this is Marinette, she's like my French little sister,” Barbara said, beaming up at Marinette. She gave a subdued ‘hello’, no doubt still feeling guilty for sending Barbara into a panic attack. “Penny introduced us when Mari needed help with something, but we decided to stay in touch.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Dick, Babs has told me a lot about you. I'm sorry you had to come to get us after we frightened her,” Marinette said, looking down as her feet fidgeted. Barbara and Dick exchanged a look, communicating wordlessly. Barbara felt her heart twang as she rolled towards her.

“Listen, Mari, it's okay. You're a teenager who had no idea what I've been through, because I never told you. And Penny, I assume you forgot because you don't visit often, so I get it. I'm sure it won't happen again,” she ended gently, piling boxes of baked goods onto her lap to help move them to the car. “Now come on, we might as well get back to what I'm sure is a very eventful evening with Jagged Stone.”

They filled the car with mindless chatter, Marinette and Penny talking about things they'd seen in Paris, reminiscing the time Penny had been akumatised in Marinette's bakery, or when Fang had turned into a dragon. Dick kept shooting Barbara incredulous looks, but she only shrugged and asked light questions. She would have to explain it in more detail later, but maybe they'd bring it up at dinner.

As they pulled up to the manor, Marinette's eyes widened visibly. She turned and looked at Dick, looking bewildered at his very casual, almost disheveled looking attire. Penny laughed aloud, nudging Marinette until she closed her mouth with a snap.

[purpurussy]

literally haven't eaten anything all day (it's gone 7pm) or been outside in several days or slept more than 4 hours/night in the last week so im probably just being insane for no reason atm but

i feel like I'm at a weird sort of crossroads with this blog?

when i made this account i saw it as kind of an experiment in vulnerability and positivity. i said i'm gonna try my best to post what's in my heart and not care whether it does numbers or not. if people like it they like it, if not that's okay because i like it and i'm having fun. and i'm gonna practise some kind of general radical positivity/acceptance towards others too. like i promised myself i would not allow this to be anything other than a positive experience, a nice opportunity to express myself in a way that's disconnected from how people see me irl and maybe connect with likeminded people along the way

and once i started writing fic i literally couldn't stop, like the idea of being able to share my writing and have other people enjoy it too is so exciting and motivating to me. there is so much happening in my google docs atm and it feels so good to be writing again after years of feeling too depressed to create anything

however unfortunately i am the grumpiest most insecure person on earth and i have never let go of anything in my life. i've already been unable to stop myself from wading into discourse™ and the general social media fomo/insecurity is starting to get to me. like when did i go from just gleefully shouting into the void, to constantly checking my activity, trying to figure out the best times to post, literally crying when my stuff doesn't do as well as i wanted it to??? taking note of which posts flopped and which ones did well, so i can post more of the popular content instead of just posting what i want. none of this is even real, yet it's been bothering me in a very real way. most of which is just my brain turning it into a negative experience for fully self-imposed reasons

i do think social media is poison in general. and i know it does not work at all for someone who is very prone to having a complete menty b at the first sign of any kind of rejection. and i know a big part of the problem is that i'm attaching too much value to this blog and how people respond to my posts (I have been connecting with my friends irl more lately, but social media is literally designed to prey on the part of your brain that perceives social rejection as a threat to your existence so unfortunately it feels like this matters to me a lot more than it should. also my irls do not want to hear about dan and phil lmao)

idk if i should just accept that this is not good for me and delete, or if it's possible to once again achieve the carefree fun i was having at first. maybe if i can work on my irl issues i'll start to feel a bit better and then it won't bother me as much?

i'm also sort of wondering how much i should reveal about myself? like i want to feel completely free to post as much cringe/insanity/weird smut as I want. and if i was posting in a way that would be easily traceable back to my actual identity then i'd definitely be a lot more careful with what i say. but on the other hand i wanna get to know people better! it would be fun to hop into a discord and actually have a conversation with people rather than just rambling in the tags on their posts. so i'm not really sure what to do with that either. it's kinda fun to truly exist as a completely formless entity in a way, like im literally just tumblr dot com slash purpurussy and there's something freeing about that, even if it does make me feel like i'm missing out on a chance to connect with people properly sometimes

also that idea scares me! everyone on here is genuinely so cool and wonderful and it gives me such a huge dopamime hit when someone i admire likes my stuff. so it's just scary to interact with people more because it feels like oh no they're gonna realize im actually a cantankerous little troll that lives under a bridge and is a nightmare to talk to lmfao

this makes no sense and i'll probably delete it in a bit i just had to get it off my chest

[allemantheias]

Parent triangle. Part 5.

Feeding the Task Force men.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. [Part 5.] Part 6 coming soon Word count: 1302. Warnings can be found in part 1. Read Parent triangle on AO3.

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"Lauren! It's so good to see you again." Soap gets up from his seat and hugs me, before sitting back down. I take the spot next to Alejandro, on the edge of the soft couch everyone's sitting on. "Why did the two of you arrive this late?"

"They were busy fucking." Rudy laughs, clearly had a few drinks already.

"Fucki- Wait, what? I thought you-" The Scot looks confused at my boyfriends and back to me.

"Rudy didn't wanna join this time because he preferred hanging out with the squad." Alejandro sits back and pulls me back too, makes me relax.

"I still don't get it."

"She's our girlfriend since a few weeks."

"What? Really? That took you this long?" Ghost exclaims. "Over five years! The poor girl."

"Yes, but Ale didn't waste a second to get her pregnant."

The guys' jaws drop while looking at me shocked.

"When did that happen?" Even Price is flustered by the news.

"Eh, six weeks ago. We got crazy drunk and had a threesome. It was good."

"That's enough information, Rudy!" I try to keep him from blurting out more details about that night.

"And here I was, not believing in miracles until now." Ghost pulls his mask up and sips from his drink. We all laugh. "It's my turn to get drinks. What do you want, Bonnie?" Soap stretches his arms before walking around the table.

"Sparkling ice tea." I love a fizzy soda.

"Alejandro?"

"The same."

"Go drink, I'll drive us home." I encourage him.

"I don't mind not drinking, cariño (darling)." He smiles when he sees my serious face. "Fino (Fine), I'll start with a beer then."

"Gotcha." Soap goes to the bar to order all of us a drink.

"Are you sure you're okay with driving?"

"Yes, I wouldn't have offered it if I wasn't. I can't drink anyway." I ensure him with my hand on his thigh. He puts his hand on mine as response. "Where's Kyle?" It took me this long to notice he's not here.

"At base, had a bad jet lag and wanted to sleep it off."

"Poor guy, I'll bring him some breakfast in the morning."

"Us too!" Soap is still close enough to hear me.

"Someone missed my cooking."

"Abso-fucking-lutely! Three months in between each time is way too long!"

"I'll make you plenty of Mexican food the next few weeks, okay?"

"Por favor." He pleas in a clear Scottish accent.

"Anything you want." I take my glass of ice tea from the tray he put on the table. "Thanks." He also has something non-alcoholic, is probably the one driving too. "Kyle!" I'm happy to see him out and about. "How are you feeling now?"

"Great, slept like a baby." His eyes trail to the food that I've been preparing for the past hour. 

"You must be starving." I know he hasn't eaten since arriving here yesterday evening.

"Big time."

"Good, I made lunch for the others too." I lay more of the burritos I just made on a plate on the tray and before I can grab it to take it to the gym, where the others are practicing, Kyle gets a hold of it.

"Let me take it." With a smile on his face he walks away and I follow him with the jug of fruit agua frescas, fresh fruit water, I made earlier. It's ice cold now, the tastiest way to drink it. We enter the gym and everyone looks up to us. Kyle places the tray on the table in the room and I put down the jug of fruitwater.

"Bonnie, you're fuckin' amazing! I'm starvin'!" Soap grabs one of the burritos from the pile on the tray and immediately stuffs his face. "So good. Can't believe these two haven't married you yet." He mumbles with a full mouth while he sits down on one of the benches. Ghost finishes throwing his stack of knives, hitting the dummy a few times in his chest and straight between the eyes on the last throw. Rudy and Alejandro are also done with the target practice and the three men grab their lunch. Price makes his way over from the fitness machines. Soap has already emptied his plate when Price thanks me while he grabs his.

"You're still hungry, aren't you?"

"Uhm, maybe.." The guilt is visible in his eyes.

"I'll make some more for everyone, just in case there are more hungry men."

"You gotta feed six hungry men now, instead of two." Kyle laughs.

"Thank god it's only for a few weeks." I joke back while leaving the room. I don't mind it at all to make food for the six of them. It's great that these weeks of training together have been going on for over four years now. They're staying for three weeks to train and practice together. That happens three times a year. They alternate every four months. So one year 141 comes here in the winter and the next year in the hot summer. Rudy and Alejandro always complain about the cold winters in the UK and the Task Force guys always complain about the hot summers here in Mexico. Besides that, they all look forward for weeks before the collaborations actually happen. I don't know if I will join Rudy and Alejandro in going to the UK in four months. I'll be pregnant for seven months when we return here. But I also don't want to be without them for multiple weeks. What a dilemma, I have to think about that for a while. "Did you already eat something, babygirl?" Rudy asks when I put the tray with more burritos on the table, for everyone to grab more if they want.

"I tasted some of the filling while cooking, but still feel a bit too sick to eat more."

"Take care of yourself, princesa, you already passed out this morning."

"I'll try some bread when I feel less nauseous." Thinking about having to eat something makes me gag and I put a hand on my mouth.

"Take it easy when you need to."

"I will. Don't worry too much about me."

"Go home early today." He kisses my forehead and goes back to the others who are still enjoying the food and drinks. It's a joy to see all these hungry men go to town on the food I prepared.

Soap walks over to me with another three burritos on his plate. "Lauren, will you please cook flautas for me somewhere in the next three weeks? Or maybe posole or carne guisada?"

"I'll make everything you want before you leave, Johnny."

"You're the best, Lau. Those guys are crazy for not marrying you on the spot." He laughs and infects me with it too.

"I'm sure we will be in a few years." "Go have a rest, cariño (darling), you have been showing off your cooking skills way too much today." Alejandro tells me with a smile on his face.

"It tasted good, though."

"Of course, I taught you." He proudly smiles. My jaw drops, I can't believe my ears.

"The audacity! You better be inviting them for dinner tonight."

"Doll, you've passed out twice now. I'm not letting you push yourself even more than you already did today." He sees my facial expression change and sighs. "I'll invite them for tomorrow's dinner if you promise me to take it easy until then."

"Fine, I'll behave."

"Good girl." After a kiss, he walks back to his patrol car but doesn't get in yet. "But without kidding, you need to rest. I'll come check on you later tonight." After waiting for both cars to drive out of the street, I close the front door of the apartment complex and go upstairs, to my house, for a warm shower.

[gunsatthaphan]

Hi I don't have any friends that watch only friends so here I am screaming in your ask box about it

1. God something about First as Sand has me in a chokehold idk if it's the way he's styled in the show but I am NOT OKAY he's tooo damn fine

2. FirstKhao's chemistry is insane. It's at the point where I feel it kinda overtakes the whole ray is in love with mew storyline because the way ray looks at sand overshadows the way ray looks at mew? And it's probably just because khao has more chemistry with first than he does with book

3. People are probably gonna scream at me for this but I am NOT feeling topmew? They're so boring. And the thing is that I love forcebook and I think top and mew's characters are actually quite interesting. Unfortunately forcebooks acting just aren't good enough to bring out their characters. First, khaotung, neo and mark's acting has overshadowed their acting at this point. Forcebook has good chemistry off screen I just don't know why it doesn't translate on screen

4. We're finally going to get an insight on the whole topsand drama and I cannot wait. I did not expect to find out at ep 4 and since it's so quick I don't think it's anything to do with ray? Because sand still has his boundaries with ray so the whole "it's clear you just can't take care of what's yours" is leaning very closely to the theory that top slept with sand's ex and that prior to that top and sand were probably friends

5. I'm looking forward to seeing nick and sand scenes so much

Sorry for the thought dump, I hope I am making sense as English is not my main language and thank you for the only friends gifs I love them

hi there nonny!!!

my inbox exists for screaming so go ahead lmao.

Sand is doing things to me for sure like we still don't know much about him but just one look at Ray and you can tell he's already far gone djkghd truly no one is immune to First's doe eyes djhfd I'm a weak bitch for him 😩 can't wait for some of his secrets to come out 👀 .

The RayMew storyline is weak so far but I think it's more because they haven't given it a lot of screentime lol like we've seen a few jealous looks from Ray towards Top etc. but there has not been a single interaction between him and Mew that would make me think he's in love with him lmao. However after this week's episode I'm thinking they're telling this story in the past. I was surprised that this has been a non-issue in the present as Ray doesn't seem to have any trouble going all in with Sand but I think that might be why. It looks like it all peaked 2 years ago when the kiss happened etc. but we'll see about that next week I guess. But also regardless the FK chemistry I mean what can I say. my kings are slaying. I have no further comment. they have me screeching and kicking my feet 24/7 as it is but it's all peaking on Saturdays lmao. they're insane. literally nickboston who lmao. they can have all the steamy scenes they want but they will not be able to surpass the FK magic for me lol. no one does it like them. .

I feel the same about TopMew. I don't find them boring per se but compared the other 2 they lack something and it's not sex lol. I like Mew but I feel like his character is a bit inconclusive. It seems to me that he doesn't know what he wants. And it's strange to me how people worship him just because he refuses to sleep with Top lmao. that doesn't give a character a striking personality. I agree that ForceBook's acting is not as strong as the others' but so far it's not bothering me. It's noticeable but it's not the issue with their story imo. idk I just need to know about Mew's past with Ray and Top's past with Sand so I can sleep at night djhgd .

I'm very sure the top sleeping with sand's ex theory is correct like it has to be that. right??? I don't see any other possibility unless it's something boring like some business fraud or sth lmao. I don't think it has anything to do with Ray either. He might get involved once Sand finds out about his crush on Mew and maybe if the cheating theory is correct then it might have happened at the same time as the MewRay situation but I don't think he's connected to Sand's issue with Top. I just.... need to know asap lmao. .

I believe in SandNick roomies supremacy 🕯️🙏🏻🙏🏻🕯️ I really hope we get to see them live together, Sand seems so excited 🥺 And Nick is still a standalone character so it would be nice to see him with some friends around that aren't Boston's lol. thank you for liking my gifs!! 💜 can't wait for next week lol. have a nice day anon!! 💜

xxx

[depressedraisin]

ok ok quick summary of my thoughts and feelings so far:

it's 5:30 am and ive been up since 2:30 so probably gonna regret this but here we go

FIRSTLY, im incredibly INCREDIBLY proud of them for putting up the show. last week was tense and rather scary, we were all shitting ourselves with worry over alex's voice and health so i felt like i could cry in relief seeing look so much better and sound so much better and obviously being great at his job. the others, particularly nick on 4/5 and matt on body paint- fuck they were showstopping!!!!! overall very very enjoyable experience, im glad we have this.

YET.

yet. i AM disappointed and i got no qualms admitting it. the car is my favourite album, tbhc id die for, i literally spend so much time with their discography i probably AM a little too emotionally attached and not-objective about them. so yeah it's saddening. to not see the car and tbhc getting the limelight and the appreciation. i for one do believe there are songs in them which would work in a gigantic stadium or a festival, but we would never know if they do bcs they never gotta the chance to be taken out for a spin. also the rest of the albums- for a discography as diverse and as deep as the band's, so much of it sits in an attic catching dust. but yeah i get it i get it- logistics and commercial considerations and audience and all that. i get it....... sometimes. most times.

glasto did piss me off a tiny bit however. (just a little im sure it'll wear away soon). i was really fucking excited for it, jumped through so much to get access to the livestream and all, barely slept today just to watch it. i was holding out a lot of hope for this gig- ofc bcs it's glasto!!!!! it's such a consequential milestone in their career, it's been so long in the waiting. and being really fucking honest here- i took the "they'd surely do something different for glasto!!!" to heart. BUT I UNDERSTAND. i understand, why they might not have done anything, why things planned might not have worked out. I GET IT.

but also. there's a miniscule corner of my brain which is like. how different would a glastonbury show have been in an alternate timeline anyway? yeah they do surprise us, but signs haven't been pointing towards those directions at all in this tour. so all in all, yeah im disappointed. not so much for this one gig but the tour as a whole and the general attitude in this era. things alex has been talking about in the album.....at times their way of going about things seems so contrary to that. and yeah they're a band of 2 decades of experience and fucking professionals so no, i don't believe it's external uncontrollable reasons every time.

the monkeys are such an important band, yk? they might be the last of their kind- which other band will have their level of critical and cultural impact again. i hate LOATHE DESPISE to see all the potential getting wasted. they're saying such important things and not many are paying- but the band isn't trying particularly hard to get anyone to listen either. and yes, it's been the case long before alex got sick and long before they got up on the pyramid stage.

anyway enough whining and ranting for today.

i just love the car ok i'll defend it to my grave.

i just love the band so much i wanna give them a giant hug.

also yes i AM a lowly fangirl and miles kane not being there makes me sad.