#but the four of them would be a team and eventually they’d all be able to wield each other

[vrronica-sawyer]

Soul Eater Trigun au doodles except none of these idiots would be able to soul resonate early enough into their relationships to be assigned partners in school sorry shipper nations

Do NOT look at these weapons pls I hate drawing guns

[tgmsunmontue]

More than movie magic... 6/?

Hangster AU. Explicit (eventually). Jake is a Hollywood actor and Bradley is a stunt coordinator. Jake's about to make a few self-discoveries. So is Bradley.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE

                There’s a fucking bell being rung and he squints, reaching for his phone. Of all the information that was piled on to him last night and no one warned him about this. A 5am wake-up call. What the fuck. He knows he doesn’t have anything he needs to be awake for until much closer to eight, a far more humane time to be awake after the travel day yesterday. He rolls over and tries to go back to sleep, pulling the pillow over his head in an effort to drown out any potential future sounds or alarms.

                Of course it’s no use. He’s wide awake twenty minutes later unable to get back to sleep and decides to just get up, take a walk around and get the proverbial lay of the land, review what aspects and areas he’s in charge of. Meet with anyone who might also have the misfortune of being awake this early. He gets dressed, and he’s brought with him his oldest clothes, knowing time on a ranch wasn’t going to do his wardrobe any favors. He enters the mess hall and it’s quieter than the previous evening, far fewer people but there’s the smell of coffee and baking biscuits and his mouth waters. Aunty Kaye is nowhere to be seen, but the kitchen is clearly a hive of activity without her presence anyway.

                A few people watch him, and they’re probably awake because they’re getting ready to go out and work. Work on a ranch that is, not a movie set. He glances around and then ambles over.

                “Mind if I sit?”

                “Be our guest,” one of them says, and they shuffle over. Glancing around Bradley is pretty sure he’s the only one awake who isn’t a ranch worker. Clearly a type of hazing, and fucking Natasha and Bob and Rueben were in on it. Fuckers.

                “Hi, I’m Bradley, the lead stunt coordinator.”

                That gets a few interested looks, and he gets everyone’s names around the table and he’s going to struggle to remember them all, but he’s pretty sure he’ll get most of them. He’s always been good with names. Then one man, older than the rest is reaching his hand across the table.

                “Andy. I’m the foreman. You got any questions about the ranch you can come direct to me.”

                “Thank you sir, that’s good to know.”

                He’s not normally a person that calls people sir and ma’am but it’s just slipping out of him, a natural response to the apparent Southern hospitality he’s being shown. Mav and Ice would be proud. Andy’s lips twitch in amusement and he wonders if his Californian accent sounds odd or amusing to them.

                “I’ve met with Selina a few times now, she tells me you like to walk the perimeter of the set…”

                Bradley snorts and shakes his head.

                “When it’s practical. I think I’d get lost if I tried that here.”

                Andy snorts with amusement, clearly agreeing with his self-assessment.

                “Well, you’d be right. Also you can’t do the boundary in a day. We usually send out a couple of teams. You’d need to stay a couple of nights outdoors if you were wanting to ride the whole boundary…”

                Bradley blows out a breath, making a conceding and impressed gesture, shrugging his shoulders a little in concession. He knew before coming that he wouldn’t be able to do his usual routine, has already reviewed aerial photos and maps. It’s not drivable either, they’d do it all on horseback. He’s got the outline of where they will be filming and he knows he can walk and ride that, become familiar with that and leave the rest of the ranch to the professionals.

                “You want me to show you around the wider area?” Andy asks, standing as the others move, clearing dishes and heading out.

                “I don’t want to interrupt your day.”

                “It’s fine, we’ve got plenty of help at the moment.”

                “Okay then, that’d be great.”

                He follows Andy and the rest of the crew out to the stables, watches as they all go through their morning routine and prepare for their day ahead. Andy is giving out jobs, discussing things with different teams and Bradley knows it’s a large ranch, is bordered by farms in most directions, but from the sounds of it they’re friendly with all the neighbors.

                “Saddle up,” Andy instructs, pointing toward a stall.

                “Sure thing.”

                Okay. He wasn’t expecting that exactly but he’s not as out of practice as he would have been a couple of months ago. Inside the stall is a bay mare, sturdy looking and Bradley nods, giving her a quick brush down before saddling her and adjusting the stirrups. He strokes a gentle hand over her nose as he swaps the halter for a bridle, and she’s clearly used to working, simply noses at his hand like she’s looking for a treat and he murmurs about bringing her one later.

                They mount their respective horses and he follows Andy’s lead, heading out to a large building a bit away and he can’t see as much as he would like to in the pre-dawn light, but Andy seems sure and Bradley can do nothing but trust him.

                “From what I understand, most of the scenes are going to be filmed in either the practice rodeo arena, the outdoor pen or potentially the track along the stream to the pond out back,” Andy says, his voice clear. The surrounding land isn’t quiet, not with all the animals waking, along with the temporary trailers and people stirring and starting their day, but it’s still hushed, nowhere near the hustling sounds of a city. He follows Andy into a building, staying on horseback and it’s a massive indoor rodeo arena.

                “Is it normal for a ranch to have an indoor practice rodeo arena like this?” Bradley asks and Andy raises an eyebrow at him, like he thinks Bradley is simple-minded.

                “No son, this is special to Hazy Days.”

                “Oh, okay than,” Bradley says, because that doesn’t answer his question. The building isn’t new, but it’s also not old either, maybe between five and ten years, and they’re probably going to film the competition scene in here. He knows the camera crew and set designers can be creative with making one space look completely different from one scene to the next. If it had been new then he’d have maybe thought it was built specifically for the movie, but apparently not. They keep riding and Andy is pointing out the pond and grove of trees.

                “That there’s Bill and Kaye’s place, where all their family live. Bill’s family have been here for a long time,” Andy says, pointing toward a house with a large wrap-around porch, a decent distance away but the sunrise is reflecting against the glass of the windows. And Kaye’s proprietary attitude last night makes a little more sense, that this is her home and they’re all guests, yeah, it’s kind of nice to be treated that way instead of a necessary nuisance.

                He feels better having ridden around, gotten the literal lay of the land and he thanks Andy, leaves him to his days’ work and goes off to find the others and give them shit for not warning him about the bell. They are, unsurprisingly, unapologetic, although Bob hands him a pair of high-grade ear plugs which he takes with gratitude.

                He bumps into Aunty Kaye again later and it confirms his earlier thoughts, she seems genuinely happy to have everyone bustling around, the smile never dropping from her face and she just seems like the mothering type, double checking they’ve drunk enough water and wearing hats and sunscreen when they go out in the sun. She asks if he enjoyed his wakeup call and he huffs a laugh, realizing that it’s clearly a hazing ritual of sorts, a harmless one and he says he enjoyed the pre-dawn ride with Andy which makes her laugh.

                He sits with Selina and goes over the health and safety, not only of the set in general but the risks associated with each stunt. It’s not an action movie, but there’s always risks when working with horses and some of the scenes will require competent people on horseback to carry out the rodeo practice scenes.

                The first few days slip by, and he rides every day, working with Machado and Bassett, watches as Rueben and Natasha learn to walk like them, ride like them. Natasha has dyed and cut her hair. Every day he ignores his screaming muscles at the out-of-practice movements, but on day four he wakes up not in complete agony. Stretches out comfortably and when he gets to the stable there is a different man working with the horses and he acknowledges him with a nod of his head, which he takes as a clear indication to come over and talk.

                “I’m Bill. It’s nice to meet you.”

                There’s something familiar about Bill’s eyes, but he can’t quite place it.

                “Oh, Aunty Kaye’s husband?” Bradley hazards and the other man nods.

                “Yes. And you can call me Bill,” he says, clearly used to his wife’s familiarity with everyone on set and Bradley hadn’t meant to refer to her as Aunty Kaye.

                “That’s fine sir,” Bradley says, huffing with amusement.

                “Now, Andy said you were decent on a horse.”

                “I know how not to fall off, sir,” Bradley demurs, because he’s better than he was a week ago, but he’s still out of practice and he doesn’t need to talk up his skills. He’s not going to be as good as the people who make their living on the back of a horse, but he doesn’t need to be.

                “Well, if you can tell one end from the other then we’re off to a good start. Now Kaye wanted me to give these to you special, seeing as she can’t make it over today. Grandkids are visiting.”

                He takes the proffered container and inside are cheese biscuits, still warm and he doesn’t know if he gets particular personalized attention, but she always seems to take the time to come over and check in on him, occasionally pressing a piece of baked good into his hand, or some fruit before leaving him to continue working. This is going above and beyond though.

                “She doesn’t seem to think you eat enough, but she thinks that of most everyone. Says we need to keep you sweet because you keep everyone safe.”

                “Uh, that’s really Selina’s job. I just look after the stunt work.”

                “I learnt a long time ago to not bother trying to tell her what way the wind was blowing.”

                “Okay. Point taken. Please pass on my thanks.”

                Bill tips his hat and disappears back outside and Bradley goes to start his day, biscuits in hand.

SEVEN

[lonelywhalien22]

pretty lies - part nine (finale)

pairing: vernon x reader

rating/genre: enemies to lovers, slow burn, ANGSTY fluff, band au

summary: supporting your friend mingyu becomes way more than you ever could have bargained for when you become involved with one of his bandmates

warnings: cussing, vernon has issues in this story but please remember this is a work of fiction, mingyu stans don’t hate me but mingyu and reader are just friends

*credit: the lyrics referenced in this chapter are not mine, they are from the actual song black eye by vernon. and if you really wanna nerd out with me, listen to the band live session version he released, as that is what i imagined specifically while writing this part - trust me, it hits different.*

word count: 6.4k

prev. chapt. | series masterlist

~One year later~

“Ok, I think that’s enough for today,” you said to yourself, wiping the back of your hand across your brow as you stood up from your crouched position. You glanced around your apartment, trying to find your glass of water as you caught your breath.

Your living room was full of cardboard boxes, some of them taped shut with short descriptions scribbled hastily on the outside while others were still open, various items thrown inside haphazardly. It was spring once again, but instead of the seasonal cleaning you loved to indulge in at the first sign of sunny skies and warmer temperatures, you were moving out.

When you’d first been contacted about a competitive job offer a few months ago, you had immediately dismissed the idea. Though the hiring manager had been highly impressed with your skillset, the work would be notably different from what you were used to doing at your old job, and you doubted whether you could handle the requirements of the role. Your hesitation only became stronger when you were informed that you’d also have to relocate to take on the position.

What about my family? Mingyu and the rest of my friends? The life I have here? You’d spent weeks pondering the possible scenarios and all the things that would change if you took the offer, and you’d almost talked yourself into declining it. That was until you realized how much had already changed. 

It had been nine months since the guys had left to go work on their recording with Woozi. You still remembered the final hugs you’d given to Jay and Mingyu at the airport before they’d gone through security, a certain third person having not yet arrived. You still wondered to this day if he’d purposely chosen to show up as late as possible or if it was you who had come extra early to avoid having to interact. Perhaps it was both.

You and Mingyu had facetimed pretty regularly for the first month that they were gone. Sometimes you’d even see Jay in the background during your video chats as well, the two of you exchanging greetings and asking how the other was doing. By the time the second month had come around however, the distance made it hard to always remember to keep in touch. Eventually you all became busier and busier, your lives naturally moving in different directions. No matter how much time passed though, Mingyu always made sure to at the very least share the bigger updates with you:

~

“Why’s it taking so long to finish recording? I thought you guys would have been back by now,” you asked during one of your monthly catch ups. It had been four months at this point since they’d left. 

“Yeah me too. Woozi wanted it out sooner but his team advised against it. They thought it’d be best to let some time pass between the competition and the release so there would be less of a chance of his image getting tarnished with all the drama from the fight.” Mingyu skirted over that last part quickly, knowing that it was still a sore subject for you. “But in a weird way it works out well - with the extra time, we’re gonna be able to write some more stuff and put together a whole EP.”

“What is that? Like five or six songs? That’s so amazing, I can’t wait to hear them!” 

“You know, you could always get a sneak peak if you flew out here for a few days,” Mingyu offered once again. He’d been trying to get you to come for weeks now. “Nikki’s already seen me twice since we left!”

“She’s your girlfriend, of course she has. And you know I don’t have the time anyways - my boss would never let me take off for that long.” It was true that your job was a pain in the ass, but you and Mingyu both knew you had other reasons for not coming to visit in person.

“Just promise you’ll come see us perform when the EP is released.”

“Of course. I’ll be there.”

~

Now in the present, when you really thought about it, you realized that there wasn’t much tying you to the place in which you currently resided. Watching Mingyu and the guys for so long had given you a taste of all the possibilities life had to offer, and you were tired of limiting yourself to what you currently knew when it wasn’t really doing you any favors anyways. The job offer had just been the final push you needed, and at last you felt ready and excited to pursue your own little sort of adventure. Even if it wasn’t as glamorous as flying across the country to work with world-renowned producers, it was yours and yours alone.

You pushed the boxes you’d been working on packing up to a corner of the room, ready to call it a day, when you heard your phone ring from somewhere in your apartment. Taking a few moments to find it amongst all the disarray, you managed to answer right before it went to voicemail.

“Hey, what time did you say your flight was landing?” It was Mingyu. You could hear lots of commotion in the background wherever he was, voices and instruments faintly reaching your ears.

“Should be around eleven in the morning.” With the career change you had several weeks of cherished personal time before you began your new job. Besides the time you’d need to relocate, you were finally able to take a few days to visit Mingyu and see what the band had been working on for yourself.

“Shit, I don’t think I’m gonna be able to meet you at the airport. We’re putting the final touches on some stuff and won’t be done until around one.” You could hear the regret in his voice, but all you could do was chuckle in response.

“I’m gonna get there Thursday and I’ll be staying all the way through the weekend. Trust me, you’re not missing much. Airports suck anyways.”

“I know, but still. We’re all looking forward to seeing you. It’s been way too long.”

You couldn’t help but wonder who was included in that “we,” but there was no way you were gonna ask.

“Well, that’ll all be fixed very soon,” you said instead, glancing over at your half packed suitcase.

“I’ll see if Nikki can meet you at the airport instead since she’s also visiting,” Mingyu offered. You squealed in excitement. Since the guys had left, you and Mingyu’s girlfriend had become pretty close, unsurprisingly. What had at first seemed like an obligatory relationship born out of a common bond had over time blossomed into a true friendship. She was definitely going to be someone you missed hanging out with when you moved.

“You should have started with that option,” you joked as you tried to figure out how many pairs of socks you needed to pack and where on earth you’d put them. “Tell her I need someone to show me around when I get there.”

“She’ll be glad to hear that,” Mingyu said happily before he was interrupted by someone on his end. “Y/n, I gotta go. But we’ll see you soon, ok?” he finished quickly.

“See you soon.”

—————

When your flight landed, it only took you a handful of minutes to find Nikki, the brunette jumping up and down excitedly as soon as she caught sight of you in baggage claim.

“Hey -” you greeted, letting out a slight “oof” as she gave you a big hug before immediately taking the bags you’d been carrying out of your hands.

“I’m so excited you’re here! How was the flight?”

“Good, just glad there weren’t any delays,” you said as you took a deep breath. You couldn’t believe you were really here, about to see the guys in person again after nearly a year.

“I know you’re probably hungry, but do you think you’d be good with just some snacks for now?” Nikki asked. “I tried talking him out of it but Mingyu’s insisting on everyone meeting up for lunch after they finish for today.”

“That’s fine,” you said as you began looking around for some place where you could buy some fruit or a salad, craving something fresh after being forced to eat airplane food. Nikki noticed the look in your eye, the way in which you immediately distracted yourself at the mention of the lunch. It was something that only she could have picked up on besides Mingyu, the two of them knowing the most about your past with a certain someone.

“In case you were wondering, he will be there,” she said softly, following behind you as you picked out a snack from a nearby stall and found your wallet to pay. “I just thought you’d wanna know.”

You let out a sigh. 

“I appreciate that, but I’m fine. It’s been months,” you said simply.

Nikki only stared back at you, her brow raised slightly as she tried to keep herself from calling you out on your bullshit.

“Really. I am,” you insisted. “Is it gonna be awkward at first? Yeah, probably. But this was bound to happen at some point. Let’s hope he doesn’t hate me and everything should be fine,” you said jokingly at the end, hoping she’d believe you then.

“Ok…” Nikki said. She piped up again after a few beats. “You know y/n, he’s changed - since being out here.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s not the same person he was the night of the Battle of the Bands competition.”

“Nikki,” you said with a warning tone, not liking where this was going.

“I’m not telling you to get back with him or anything,” her hands raised themselves innocently into the air. “I just don’t want you to let the way things ended between you two a year ago get in the way of you having a good time while you’re here,” she said gently.

“Thank you for that, but for the last time, I promise I am fine. Now - no more guy talk. Wasn’t there some thrift store you wanted to show me?” You brought up her weakness for clothes in an effort to change the subject once and for all.

“Say less,” Nikki said eagerly as she ushered you out of the airport and the two of you caught a ride to the hotel.

—————

“Y/n!”

Mingyu immediately pulled you into a hug that was even stronger than Nikki’s from earlier when he saw you. You couldn’t help the toothy smile that emerged on your face.

“Hey Mingyu,” you said simply. You really had missed your friend so much.

“Let her breathe,” Nikki chided playfully.

“Yeah, leave some hugs for the rest of us,” Jay said, arms open wide as you gave him a hug next.

“It’s so great to see you guys. I missed everyone so much.”

It was a little after one, and you and Nikki had finally met up with the guys to have a late lunch at a spot near the studio where they were recording. It was a bright and sunny day so you all had elected to eat at the patio seating out front. There was just one person missing though.

“Vernon’s running a little late but he’ll be here,” Mingyu said, seeing the question in your eyes. “He just had to finish going over some edits.”

Some things never change, you thought before you could stop yourself. You wondered if they were just covering for him with empty promises - if he’d somehow manage to avoid you for this entire trip.

You all finally sat down at a circular table outside. Mingyu and Nikki were to your right and Jay was to your left, leaving one last spot for Vernon just across from you.

“So what’s this I hear about you moving? And a new job? Congrats!” Jay started once a waitress had brought you all drinks. The four of you immediately began to catch up, most of the focus on you.

“I still can’t believe you’re gonna be gone,” Mingyu whined.

“I’m not dying, just moving. And now you know how I felt when you guys left,” you said playfully. “Who could have predicted we’d be spread all over the place like this?” 

As you continued to chat, you couldn’t help but reminisce about where you all had been just a year ago - struggling to get by and constantly putting in overtime to make things work with the band, your day jobs, and your personal lives. And now look at you all, on your way to better things. It made you feel so proud when you really thought about it.

“I’m really sorry I’m late you guys.”

You all looked up at the interruption, seeing Vernon approach the table in a bit of disarray. He was clad in a simple white tee and light wash denim jeans, an unbuttoned light blue collared shirt layered over his tee. As he sat down, his hand came up to brush some hair out of his face, but a few stray strands fell onto his forehead anyways.

“Was it the sound engineer guy again?” Mingyu asked him knowingly with a smirk. Vernon laughed in response.

“Yeah - he went on a rant about compression techniques this time.”

“I told you to stop asking him questions,” Jay threw in, “you’re too curious for your own good sometimes man.”

“I know, I can’t help it, but anyways - ”

He looked over at you, a polite smile on his face as he scooted up his chair.

“Hi y/n.”

“Hi Vernon,” you said curtly with a tight-lipped smile. You looked down at the menu in your hands, eyes skimming over the entrees again even though you already knew what you wanted to order.

“So,” Nikki started, clearing her throat in the lingering silence. “What did you all work on today?”

“Just rehearsing the songs from the EP in preparation for the showcase,” Mingyu responded, the two of them tag-teaming on moving the conversation along.

“Vern’s been instrumental in helping us craft some amazing songs,” Jay propped the man up with a pat to his back.

“It’s all thanks to Woozi really,” Vernon brushed off shyly, but Mingyu shook his head adamantly.

“Don’t sell yourself short bro, you’ve done some great work on this.”

“I can’t wait to hear it,” Nikki piled on another compliment.

“Thanks guys.” Vernon let out a cheeky smile, looking down at his lap for a moment before fiddling with the menu on the table to distract himself, his cheeks burning.

You hadn’t really taken Nikki seriously at first when she’d said so earlier, but she was right - something was different about Vernon. He seemed lighter somehow. And it was quickly becoming apparent to you that the guys had grown much closer after working on music together for the last nine months. You could see it immediately in the way they interacted with each other, the three of them trading jokes and stories easily as you all waited for the waitress to come back.

“What’s that you mentioned about a showcase?” you asked.

“We’re putting on a performance the day after the EP is released,” Jay explained. “Woozi and Seventeen are gonna make an appearance as well, so we’ll likely be performing in front of thousands.”

“That’s incredible,” you said with a stunned expression.

“It’s part of the reason I wanted you to come this weekend specifically,” Mingyu said. “I’m not sure the timing would have lined up so nicely if you didn’t already happen to be moving -”

Nikki nudged Mingyu, cutting him off with a stern look, but it was too late.

“Wait, you’re moving?”

You looked back over at Vernon, his brow furrowing as he looked at you with a crestfallen expression. No one had told him?

“Yeah,” you said nervously, glancing over at him for a second before looking away again. You reached for your glass of lemonade, taking a sip so you didn’t have to say anything else, another awkward silence filling the table.

“So, what can I get you all,” the waitress finally appeared, ready to take your orders.

You’d never felt more thankful for a distraction.

—————

The rest of lunch had gone as smoothly as it could have considering the circumstances, with everyone mainly focused on their food. Mingyu, Jay and Nikki did most of the talking, sharing more stories from their time away from home as you politely listened along, soaking up just how much you had missed and throwing in a question or two from time to time. You tried your best to keep from looking at Vernon, which wasn’t really all that hard considering he stayed quiet for the rest of the meal. When his name came up in the conversation he’d always give a smile or a nod, laughing along at Mingyu’s ridiculous exaggerations, but besides that he gave no input.

“Well this was fun,” you said as you all walked out of the restaurant. “I guess we can hang out more tomorrow when you guys are finished with work again?”

“Actually…we were wondering if you’d come with us to the studio,” Mingyu suggested. “We wanna show you what we’ve been working on.”

“Really? Now?” you said in surprise. “Are you sure?” You’d assumed you wouldn’t be able to hear any of the actual songs until the official release of the EP.

Jay nodded before adding on, “As of today, the mastering is done so the songs are officially finished.” You noticed how he looked over at Vernon briefly, the man’s face a little red with eyes averted and hands tucked in his pockets quietly, before he continued. “We all agreed awhile ago that we wanted you to be the first outside of the production team to listen to it, as a thank you for all of your support.”

You felt honored, nearly tearing up at their words. It was such a kind gesture that you didn’t bother worrying too much about the fact that you’d have to spend even more time around Vernon. Like Nikki had said earlier, you didn’t want your history with him to stop you from sharing in such a precious moment.

“You guys…this is really sweet…”

“We know. Now come on,” Mingyu ushered you towards him eagerly.

You looked back at Nikki in confusion as she kept her place on the sidewalk.

“Go on,” she said with a smile. “The guys insisted you had to hear it first. Alone.” She said that last part with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I’ll be waiting for you back at the hotel.”

—————

“Wow,” was the first word that left your mouth when you and the guys arrived at the studio.

The main area was bigger than the living room of your old apartment, a bunch of fancy recording equipment with hundreds of knobs and dials against one wall to your right. Comfy couches and chairs adorned the wall that was directly across, with plush carpets and decorative little knickknacks accenting the space. The recording booth was its own room, separated from everything else by a shiny sleek glass. When you peeked inside you saw a plethora of instruments and mic stands, and you even recognized Vernon’s guitar sitting in one corner.

“Crazy, right?” Mingyu urged you on with an elbow to your arm before he plopped himself into one of the chairs near the control booth. Vernon and Jay had already seated themselves. 

“Sit down!” Mingyu said, patting the last empty chair, which was beside him but also just so happened to be next to Vernon. You knew it was just by chance and that Mingyu would never set you up like that purposely, but that didn’t stop the nervousness that bubbled in your stomach.

“No way am I sitting that close to the controls,” you tried joking as an excuse. “I’m scared I’ll break something.” 

You backed up towards the couch against the opposite wall, planning to sit there instead, but the devastated look on Mingyu’s face made you stop in your tracks. Unable to take anymore of his expression, you glanced over at Vernon on instinct and your heart fell even more when you saw the way he immediately looked down at his lap, scratching the back of his head despondently.

Fuck. Was I that obvious? you thought, immediately feeling stupid for making things awkward.

“I can switch with Jay if - ” Vernon started, but you quickly cut him off.  

“No! No it’s fine,” you said, shaking your head before taking a step forward. “I’ll just - ” you didn’t bother finishing that sentence because what were you supposed to say exactly? No, it’s fine, I’ll just sit down next to my ex instead of making you all switch chairs because I still feel weird about breaking up with him? That would have been even more embarrassing. Maybe Nikki was right - you weren’t as over your past with Vernon as you’d thought.

You finished making your way to the final seat at the booth and promptly sat down, folding your hands in your lap as you tried to muster up some semblance of poise.

“Show me what you guys have been working on.” 

Mingyu looked at you seriously for a moment, making sure you were really ok first. Once you gave him a genuine smile and elbowed him playfully, he released a breath, the anticipation growing on his face again.

“Jay, can you play the first track?” he asked.

“Sure thing man.” The bassist clicked away on a nearby monitor before sitting back, sound beginning to flow from the speakers.

For the next half hour or so, you listened to several of the songs the guys had spent months crafting, worries quickly melting away as you couldn’t help but absorb yourself completely into the music. At the end of each one you immediately gushed over the melody, production elements, or other details, Mingyu and Jay eagerly offering in-depth input on more of the behind-the-scenes process. Vernon also chimed in from time to time, slowly becoming more comfortable as he gave insight on lyrical choices or even helped to elaborate upon your comments when you struggled to articulate in technical terms what it was you’d noticed in each song - “We added some more reverb here in the bridge,” “Woozi had them redo the mixing so many times on this song so they could capture Jay’s pedaling,” “That bit you’re hearing is a layer of syncopation over the main melody.” It was hard not to notice the passion in his voice. It exuded from him every time he spoke - an unbridled joy you had never seen before. You found it endearing, a smile slowly growing on your face the more you watched him.

The fourth track was the official recording of Visions. The four of you stayed completely quiet throughout the entirety of this song, fully absorbing Vernon’s raw vocals and the way they glided over the rich instrumental. Goosebumps covered your skin by the end.

“Vernon…that was beautiful.”

You were the first to interrupt the silence that filled the space afterwards, unable to stop yourself from looking directly at him. Despite everything that had happened, Visions would always make you feel something that was hard to put into words. You two didn’t have to still be together for you to regard that song with incredible care and awe.

“Thank you…that means a lot,” Vernon said, holding your gaze timidly for a moment before looking down, rubbing his hands across his jeans. He hoped you couldn’t see in his eyes how much your words still meant to him, after all this time.

“Thank you for trusting us with it,” Jay added in, Mingyu nodding along. 

No more words had to be said, the group of you sitting comfortably in the silence for a little longer before Mingyu quietly spoke up again.

“There’s just one more song left,” he said, eyebrows beginning to wiggle mischievously.

“There is?” you asked, curiosity peaked at the thought of even more music to listen to. But Vernon’s head jerked back up in panic at Mingyu’s words.

“N-No. There’s not,” he said abruptly, eyes wide as he quickly shook his head in denial. He looked legitimately scared.

“We discussed this already and you said you’d do it. I really think it’s best you stick to your word,” Mingyu said to Vernon, getting up from his chair and patting him on the back before walking towards the door. “Y/n. You good?”

“Yes…?” you said, appreciating his checking in before he seemingly left you alone with your ex.

“No - Mingyu wait -” Vernon said.

“You got this bro.”

“Rarely do I say it, but for once I’d have to agree with Mingyu here,” Jay said as he also got up and retreated towards the studio door. “Plus he stole my guitar pics and won’t give them back unless I agree to this plan so…”

The two bandmates exited the room, the door closing with a sort of finality as you and Vernon were left alone together in the studio.

What is happening right now? Why the hell would I tell Mingyu I was ok with this? Your mind went into overdrive as you fully processed the situation you’d so easily gotten yourself into, and yet, there was another part of you with so many questions that you found yourself glued to your seat.

If it was any consolation, Vernon looked just as unnerved as you.

“I’m sorry. I swear I had no idea they were gonna do this, I promise,” he said as he glanced over at you, immediately feeling the need to explain. 

This wasn’t how he’d imagined sharing this last song with you. If he was being honest, he’d never been able to figure out how to go about it, or if he should even try at all. So now that you were right here, sitting beside him again after a whole year had passed, he felt himself panicking. When all he heard was your silence in response, he continued to ramble on nervously.

“You can totally leave if you want. I won’t stop you.” It may have sounded like a cruel suggestion, but to Vernon it would actually have been so much easier if you did - if you left him again just like you had at that bench by the river a year ago. That way he wouldn’t have to reopen an old wound - wouldn’t have to rub salt in something he wasn’t entirely sure had healed. He could just continue to live in denial, never again having to confront the pain that had been so much of his existence or the hurt from his past with you.

“Why did you decide to record Visions? After everything that happened?” Vernon finally heard you ask instead. 

It was something that had tormented you nearly every day since your breakup, the question coming to you randomly late at night or when, against your better judgement, you’d listen to certain songs you knew would make you think of him. If you’d been in his shoes you didn’t think you could have done it, and so in this moment you found yourself desperate for an answer.

“I almost didn’t,” Vernon admitted, the confession spilling from his lips rather effortlessly once he’d recovered from his surprise. “But every time I tried to convince myself not to, I would think about the times I’d gotten to perform it on stage…” He looked forward, focusing on the recording booth before continuing. “I didn’t have the words for it then, but now I realize that it was healing - getting to share that song with others. And I think deep down there was a part of me that was tired of hurting myself as a way to cope with the things that had happened to me. So when you still asked me to record it, even after the way things ended, I couldn’t ignore that.” He looked over at you again, repeating your words from a year ago: “It’s like you said, I was tired of hiding in silence. So thank you - for encouraging me. I know that couldn’t have been easy.”

You weren’t sure what you thought you’d hear, but you certainly hadn’t expected something so…introspective.

“I’m glad. That it was healing for you.” 

His words were their own kind of salve, freeing you from a self-inflicted purgatory you hadn’t realized you were in until that very moment. 

“Sometimes I worried that maybe you hated me for it,” you acknowledged the last bit of fear you’d been holding in your heart.

“I can’t deny that I wasn’t upset at times, but I’ve never once hated you,” Vernon said earnestly. “Not even the first night we met - and not after you told me goodbye either.” He desperately needed you to know that.

You let his words seep into your heart, the look in his eyes telling you that he truly meant it, before you finally moved on. Once and for all.

“So,” you said with a deep exhale, suddenly finding it hard to hold his gaze. “What’s this last song? The one the guys want you to play for me?”

“Right. The song…” Vernon began with an anxious gulp - he’d almost forgotten why the two of you were in this situation to begin with. He mulled it over in his head for a second, trying to find the right words to explain what the song meant and why he’d written it, but eventually he realized that defeated the purpose. The song existed for this precisely - because he had always struggled to adequately articulate his feelings in any other way. So instead of stumbling over his words for any longer, he leaned over the control booth and pressed play:

Running 'round the whole city for someone

To look me in my eyes and tell me pretty lies

Teardrops keep blurring up my sight

And right now I'm driving in my car

Going so fast, baby, so fast, baby

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Don't leave me in the dark

You said you won't be far

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

I can't stand the quiet

Is anyone out there?

Is anyone out there?

I'm on my worst behavior

Don't stop me now

I fucking hate this world

So show me a way out

Wake me up from this nightmare, please

I can't stand this reality

I'm on my worst behavior

How you like me now?

Put a muzzle on me

I'll spit in your mouth

Wake me up from this nightmarе, please

I'm scarred and bruisеd with a black eyed face

Woke up on the highway

I didn't go home last night

What you know 'bout me?

I ain't got nothing

So why you keep coming to me?

With your innocent eyes, you smile so bright

Stop wasting your sunshine on me

'Cause I can't tell if it's real or a lie

Solitude

I got a couple friends

Just me, myself, and I

We play with fireworks all night

I'm okay

I'll just let it burn everything around me

'Cause you can't save me from my sadness

No, don't save me

I'm on my worst behavior

Don't stop me now

I fucking hate this world

So show me a way out

Wake me up from this nightmare, please

I can't stand this reality

I'm on my worst behavior

How you like me now?

Put a muzzle on me

I'll spit in your mouth

Wake me up from this nightmare, please

I'm scarred and bruised with a black eyed face

Turn on the radio all the way up

'Til your eardrums explode

Let's dance all night long

But if you come too close

I might just burn you whole

Turn my back and shut the door

Knock, knock

Is there anybody out there?

You couldn’t bring yourself to look at Vernon as the song filled the studio, body frozen in your seat even after it was finished. So many lyrics had stood out to you:

pretty lies

tears blurring up my sight

don’t leave me in the dark

you said you won’t be far

I can’t stand the quiet

on my worst behavior

didn't go home last night

what you know 'bout me?

your innocent eyes, you smile so bright

stop wasting your sunshine on me

can't tell if it's real or a lie

just let it burn everything around me

you can't save me from my sadness

black eyed face

“Y/n? Are you ok?” Vernon asked, turning his chair to face you fully as he saw your expression. He was terrified of what your reaction would be.

“I’m not sure…” you said honestly, finally looking over at him. “Are you ok?”

“I am, I promise. This is something I started writing around the time I joined the band. Right before I met you,” he tried to explain.

“But clearly that’s not when you wrote all of it - black eyed face? ” The more you went over the bits of lyrics you could remember, the more you saw parts of your relationship and his time with the band sprinkled all over it. You didn’t really know how to feel.

“You're right - I added different parts at different times until it all came together. It was my way of coping with what I was going through at the time…and eventually that included pieces of you too - pieces of us.”

“Pretty lies? Wasting my sunshine on you? Is that really all you remember when you think of our relationship? The painful parts?” you asked quietly, a little afraid to hear his answer.

“No, of course not,” Vernon looked at you gently. He wished he could hold your hand in that moment but he held himself back.

“Then I don’t understand. Why write this -”

“Because I love you,” Vernon said finally, his stomach dropping at the confession. He couldn’t bear the thought of you misinterpreting his words any longer. “I love you and I’m sorry for how things ended. For what I put you through. This song was my way of acknowledging that - not by attacking our relationship, but by putting myself back in that negative headspace and being open for once about the fact that I still had things to work through. When it was too late to be better for you or for the guys, I had to find a reason to be better for myself. And so I wrote this song as a reminder.”

You heard everything he said, but you could only focus on one thing.

“You love me?” you couldn’t help but ask, feeling strangely emotional for someone who had supposedly moved on.

“I mean…yeah. I’m not sure the feeling will ever go away,” Vernon’s face turned red as he decided to be completely honest with you.

“I…”

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m not asking you to take me back - it’s just something I want you to know.”

Just then you heard a noise on the other side of the door, the two of you looking over just in time to see Mingyu peek his head into the room.

“Sooo…the song’s good isn’t it???” the man blurted out, brows once again wiggling. “I was thinking we could call it Pretty Lies.”

You rolled your eyes playfully, ready to tell him to knock it off, but someone else beat you to it.

“Leave them alone!” you heard Nikki say, dragging him back by the collar of his shirt. You thought she was at the hotel, but apparently even she couldn’t stay away for long.

“What? I just wanna -” but the door promptly shut, blocking out Mingyu’s antics. 

The two of them really were made for each other, you thought with a bit of admiration. You and Vernon couldn’t help but begin to laugh.

“I guess that means it’s time to wrap it up,” you started, standing as you gathered your belongings. Vernon followed suit, still facing you.

“Just so you know - the label doesn’t know about this song,” Vernon said. “And regardless of what Mingyu wants, I’m not sharing it unless you’re comfortable. The EP is great as is.”

“You’re right that it’s great,” you started, “but it’d be even better with this song. It’s really, really, good Vernon,” you said honestly. You couldn’t deny that, even if it had been a little surreal to listen to in the beginning.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure,” you said, walking towards him and reaching out for a hug. He was the only person you hadn’t given one to since arriving, though this one felt notably different from the others, the familiarity of his touch sparking something in you. 

Vernon held on to you tightly, his head instinctively tucking into that familiar spot on the side of your neck while you rubbed his back softly, neither of you letting go.

“We’re gonna miss you. I’m gonna miss you,” he admitted once you two had lessened your hold enough to look at each other, the thought finally dawning on him that whenever he did finally return home, you wouldn’t be there waiting for him.

“I know. I will too,” you said wistfully. “But this doesn’t have to be goodbye forever, you know?”

You stood up on your tip toes then and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. It wasn’t one of fiery passion, nor was it one loaded with secrecy or shame or hurt. And to Vernon, it was his absolute favorite of any of the kisses you two had ever shared. When you looked up at him, you could barely hold in your laughter, his face morphing into the perfect mixture of bliss and confusion.

“But how? You’re moving,” Vernon couldn’t help but ask despite the happiness he felt.

“Slowly. We can visit each other. With my new job I’ve got more flexibility, and you’re all gonna be famous soon anyways,” you only half-joked. “Even when you guys finally do come home, I have a feeling you won’t be there for long…”

He looked down bashfully at that but you placed a hand to his face, angling it back towards you as you looked at him seriously again.

“Vernon. I want us to explore this - the way we are now. If you want to.”

“I do,” Vernon said confidently.

“Then we’ll figure it out,” you said assuredly. “I trust this. I trust us. Ok?”

“Ok.”

—————

When you and Vernon finally left the studio, you found Mingyu, Jay, and Nikki all waiting for you out in the lobby with bated breath. Nikki let out a near shriek when she saw that the two of you were holding hands.

“You guys have my blessing to include the final song,” you said immediately, deciding not to keep them in suspense for any longer.

“Oh thank god,” Mingyu immediately blurted out. “If I’m being honest it’s my favorite and I really wanna make it the single -” Nikki smacked Mingyu’s arm. 

“Ow! What was that for?” 

“‘Gyu would you please think before you speak???”

“What are you talking about??? You screamed before I said anything and have been gushing about double dates for the last five minutes.” 

The two of them continued bickering playfully.

“What they’re trying to say is - we’re really thankful we get to share the song,” Jay translated. “And we’re happy for you guys.”

“I am too,” you chuckled lightly. “Although now that I think about it, I have one request - can you call it Black Eye instead of Pretty Lies?”

The guys all looked at each other for less than a second before speaking in unison.

“Deal!”

—————

It was the day of the showcase. You stood in the crowd once again, just a speck in a sea of thousands of fans as you watched the guys perform. It brought you back to the best parts of old times, sitting around on Jay’s beaten up couch when all they could have hoped for were a hundred people to show up if they were lucky. But now you got to see them on their biggest stage yet, Mingyu happily tapping away at the drums, his head of hair moving all over the place as he kept the beat going. Jay was his usual chill self, just vibing out on the bass contentedly. And then there was Vernon, looking a little shy as the opening chords of Black Eye began to ring out from the strings of his guitar for the first time live. It reminded you of when you’d seen him take the mic at the first gig the guys had ever performed at together, except that now there was a distinct sense of determination in his eyes despite the trepidation that you couldn’t help but admire - the sight awakening a long lost feeling of butterflies in your stomach. He caught you looking at him, gazing at you fondly for one last time before leaning into the mic and beginning to sing.

prev. chapt. | series masterlist

a/n: if you made it all the way here to the end, I just wanted to say thank you to each and every one of you who took the time to read this story! if you've got feels, feel free to share them with me here or reblog the ml if you're so inclined. please take care <3

taglist: @twogyuu @yourfavoritefreakyhan

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hey, It’s me, and here’s the request I made but with a bit more info.

ya know that crackfic where Lost Silver!Gold get flung into the ceiling by the reader? Well, I wanna see more of this reader and what their personality is like and how they’d interact with the other Poképasta trainers. I’d like think that the reader would be a bit crackhead-ish.

I’d also imagine that the reader mostly uses fighting types and knows and is friends with the mainline FNF cast.

their ace Pokémon would be an Annihilape that would be like “yep, same s**t as always” whenever the reader is up to their crazy shenanigans.

Oh I'm glad you liked that one! I imagine that in the pokeworld, these "creepypastas" existed as mere ghost stories (yes even the haunted bootleg/old pkmn games exist in this universe) but Reader finds out the people in them are real.

Soooo enjoy some crack hcs!

........

Steven

One day you approached Steven while he was waiting in the tower for the next poor soul to challenge him, demanding a fight while pointing to Miki.

You had plenty of guts, and zero fear.

"You, Legendary Pokémon Champion Steven, will fight me and Annihilape right now."

"....who are you?"

"Fight us."

"Wait, aren't you the one who threw Gold onto the ceiling-?"

"YOU'LL BE NEXT IF YOU DON'T FIGHT US!!!!"

That threat's enough to make him finally start the battle, but while you and your Pokémon gave it your all...Steven eventually won and was about to send your soul to the depths below as the loser's punishment-

But your Annihilape suddenly bounced back to life and you commanded it to use Seismic Toss on Miki.

"That's not going to work." He taunted. "She's untouchable-"

Somehow they could use the move on her, sending her crashing on top of Steven and instantly knocking both of them out.

You smiled proudly and fistbumped Annihilape, before you both got the hell out of that creepy tower.

Somewhere in the afterlife, Mike's laughing his ass off.

Glitchy Red

You somehow got into his game, meeting him in Glitch City just because you wanted to see him face-to-face. Steven told you he was a nice guy so you figured you'll pay him a visit.

"Yo, are you the infamous Glitchy Red?"

"...Red is fine. And how the hell did you get in here? And why does your Primeape look like that?"

"No time for that. Can we have your autograph?"

"Wait...if you were able to get in here, that means you can get out, too." He suddenly realizes, grinning sinisterly. "You can help me get out, right?"

"Nuh-uh."

"....fuck do you mean, "nuh-uh"?!"

"Not without an autograph first."

At this point he's 101% fed-up and tries to attack you, but you tell Annihilape to use Seismic Toss on him.

You watch him fly up to the "sky" before he just glitches into whatever invisible barrier's up there.

He doesn't come back, so you two just leave.

Your ghost/fighting type just shakes their head as you huff about never getting that autograph you wanted.

"Hilape, ape."

"Wdym I "overreacted"??"

Grey (+ Shinto)

You were just sparring with your fighting type team during one sunny afternoon....when you heard a boy's screaming off in the distance, slowly growing closer and closer.

Then you see him running towards you, looking back at whatever was chasing him and ignoring the fact he would've crashed right into you--

If not for your Hitmonlee sticking out their leg to trip him, sending him faceplanting into the dirt.

Immediately you recognized him as the guy from that bootleg Pokémon game everybody's been talking about and helped him up.

"What the hell are you running from, Grey? Is Shinto up to her usual shit?"

"Y-Yeah! She's....wait, how do you know who I am??" He stares at you, petrified.

"Who doesn't?" You rolled your eyes. "You're famous, kid."

Grey would've been more flattered if not for Shitno scurrying over to you on all fours.

He screamed again and hid behind your back, blubbering about not knowing why she was angry this time.

However, Annihilape already knows the drill by now---and Seismic Tosses her as far away as possible.

Grey's in disbelief.

"Thanks, but..i-isn't Seismic Toss supposed to throw your opponent towards the ground???"

"Well, we're not in a battle so Annihilape can do whatever the hell they want." You shrugged with a smile.

[goldensunset]

guys i literally feel like i’m having a pokémon manga/anime-esque character arc moment LOL

so the team i’ve settled on that i’ve used for almost the entire game are all mons that i’ve had since the beginning or relatively close to it. my starter from nuvema town, the gifted elemental monkey from the dreamyard, two from pinwheel forest, and two from route four/the desert resort. all met at very young baby ages. they’ve all served me so well in so many places and we’ve had so many adventures together etc etc friendship speech

however i’m beginning to understand in my heart that some of them are not going to be strong enough to face the trials ahead of me, at least not without an insanely annoying amount of grinding. especially simisear. my dear little fire monkey is very weak and hasn’t been able to help me in a while. since like victory road he’s pretty much just died immediately every time i’ve sent him out even though level-wise he’s perfectly up to speed with everyone else. he’s fairly fast and strong too! i really don’t get why he’s just been failing me nonstop

i’m at the point now where i can catch wild pokémon that are like. literally even higher level than anyone on my team. and even regardless of level some of them are just better pokémon. i can afford to swap team members out if necessary and try new things. and it would be to my great advantage to box the monkey especially. it’s going to absolutely kill me trying to win with this exact lineup of six in the future

but literally i am so attached to all these guys who have helped me so much. i remember when i first got him he completely came in clutch in the early game. it feels like to put him away and neglect our emotional bond because others are materially stronger would be a betrayal. but also i shouldn’t take it that seriously bc this is just a video game and pocket monsters are not real and it’s ok to want to win. but also i am that kind of person. things like this matter to me. if this were a real dilemma that a character in this universe were going through the conclusion they’d eventually come through after an emotional journey would be that they should try to win with their friends even if it’s rough. how dare i turn away from the lessons this franchise constantly keeps trying to teach. doesn’t the in-universe story matter to me. the classic 5 year old route one trainer who completely sucks but loves his baby bugs has more life wisdom than i

[aeverse]

𓂃⊹. ❪ basics ❫

STAGE NAME ﹕niya (니야)

BIRTH NAME ﹕nittaya lamwilai (นีตายา แรมวิลล์)

KOREAN NAME ﹕nayoung lim

BIRTHDAY ﹕september 21, 2002

ZODIAC SIGN ﹕virgo

NATIONALITY ﹕thai

ETHNICITY ﹕thai

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹. ❪ physical ❫

FACE ﹕natty of kiss of life

HEIGHT ﹕167cm / 5’6”

WEIGHT ﹕46kg (101lbs)

BLOOD TYPE ﹕o

𓂃⊹. ❪ career ❫

OCCUPATION ﹕trainee

TRAINEE TIME ﹕june 19, 2020 -

COMPANY ﹕delphi entertainment

POSITION ﹕unknown

INSTAGRAM ﹕nayaniya ( deactivated )

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹. ❪ stats ❫

VOCAL ﹕73/100

RAP ﹕84/100

DANCE ﹕98/100

VARIETY ﹕90/100

SONGWRITING ﹕65/100

COMPOSING ﹕30/100

ACTING ﹕70/100

ִֶָ 𓂃⊹. ❪ history ❫

Niya was born as Nittaya Lamwilai on September 21, 2002 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand to teacher Chawarin ‘Atom’ Lamwilai and realtor agent Savika ‘Sav’ Thanapatpisal. She is the youngest of four daughters; Sissy, Priya, Beam, and herself. Her parents divorced when she was six, her mother having an affair with her co-worker and leaving the five for another family.

Her father would work hard as a single dad to be able to provide for the girls, leaving the girls with their oldest sister, who was nine when it started. Every single one of them, even twelve year old Niya picked up a job after school to help. Niya would go around her neighborhood, doing activities for the elders in her neighborhood that they could no longer do and they’d pay her. As she grew older, she got a job as a waitress. Alongside her job, she was able to get into her father’s school’s dance classes for free. She would soon join an underground dance team named ORiON.

Auditions for a Kpop company Delphi Entertainment come to Thailand, and a friend of hers begs her to come with for moral support. After seeing the response from other people, she thought she might as well audition, just for fun. She was accepted in 2020, starting her trainee process.

Day after day, Niya was constantly disappointed with Delphi Entertainment’s response to her debut. Soon. It eventually turned into three years, and Niya had to do something. Otherwise all of her time would’ve been worthless.

In 2024, it was announced she was one of the contestants for MNET’s upcoming female survival show, Fresh Produce.

find fresh produce here @frshproduce

[sequinsmile-x]

The Past Coming Back With the Light in the Morning

It was strange to think he’d spent his life chasing the violence he’d desperately tried to escape as a kid.

-x-

Hi friends,

This is fully sponsored by my insomnia, so take that as a warning for the level of feelings in this one based on previous experience.

Please do let me know what you think <3

-x-

Words: 3k

Warnings: Mentions of canon typical violence, referenced/implied child abuse (Aaron's childhood)

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Aaron stares down at his knuckles, flexing them again and again so the skin doesn’t heal. Stretching and stinging as he repeatedly makes a fist and then releases it, the pain the only thing keeping him from losing it. Fresh scars over old ones, marks against his skin that are permanent reminders of the last time he’d hit a man, the last time he’d tried to protect a woman he loves. 

He sighs, grateful that he has a moment alone, a moment to gather his thoughts, all too aware that Emily would find him soon. That she’d wear concern for him like a perfume, her knowledge of him, of how his brain works, enough that he’d first smelt it the moment his fist had hit the wall. Her love for him overriding any professionalism in that moment as Derek apprehended the unsub who had dove out of the way of Aaron’s punch. Agent Prentiss, a member of Aaron’s team, immediately pushed to the side and replaced by his wife, reaching out for him before he slipped away from her grasp, walking away without further comment once he’d made sure she was okay. 

She always told him he’d ruined her ability to compartmentalise. That he and their kids were the only ones who could push through the cracks in her coping mechanisms, worming their way into her heart in a way she’d once thought she was incapable of allowing. 

He runs his fingers through his hair and leans forward, his elbows on his knees, pressing into old scars that had long since healed. 

He remembers falling off his bike when he was four. He’d been going too fast, adrenaline and excitement rushing through his veins. He took a corner too quickly and came off of it over the handlebars. He’d cut his knees, gravel and grit breaking his skin, and damaged the paintwork on the bike. 

He’d been punished for both. Sent to his room with his skin still stinging, as if his joy and excitement had been careless. A lesson he was still struggling to unlearn even now.

He still has the scar on his left knee, a small jagged line that he could only see if he had a tan. A dull reminder that would show through when he was on vacation with his family, a talisman from the past he was never quite able to escape. The phantom of a man long since dead, a mirror image of who he never wanted to be, the man he came from, seemingly only ever one step behind him.  

It was strange to think he’d spent his life chasing the violence he’d desperately tried to escape as a kid. His chosen career, his desire to stop people from hurting others, to make them pay whatever penance they owed for the pain they had already caused, a clear side effect of how he’d been raised. A vain hope that, one day, he would reset the balance. That he’d counteract the fact he’d never been able to stop his father, that the only thing that had brought his reign to an end had been his death. Something that had come too early and far too late at the same time, the spectre of his anger haunting their home for years. Long after they’d buried him in the ground. 

Aaron did his best to ensure he never became his father. It was one of the reasons he’d put off having children for so long, why he and Haley had waited for so many years. For the longest time, he thought that the violence was in his DNA, so much a part of him that he’d never be able to escape it. Eventually, Haley had convinced him that wasn’t the case, something he was grateful for because he couldn’t imagine his life without his son, but there were moments, days like today, when he convinced himself that she was wrong. 

He’d never be able to escape any of it. 

He hears a knock on the door of the office he’d snuck into and he turns as it opens, his eyes meeting his wife’s as she walks in before she closes the door behind her, giving them the privacy he wished was in their own home. 

“Aaron, honey?” Emily asks, carefully keeping some distance between them no matter how much she wants to wrap him up in a hug, to put her arms around him and tell him everything will be okay, “The others are packing everything up,” she says, taking a step closer, “And the locals are taking care of the arrest. So we should be able to go soon.” 

Aaron nods and clears his throat, looking back down at his knuckles, flexing them again as he does so, “Good.” 

She frowns as she steps closer, catching sight of how his knuckles glisten in the low lighting of the room. She gasps slightly as she realises what she’s looking at, reaching out and placing her hand on his shoulder as she speaks.

“Are you bleeding?” 

He flinches, pulling away from her touch as if she’d burnt him, and he clears his throat, “It’s fine. I’m fine.” 

Emily sighs and crosses her arms over her chest, desperately trying not to feel hurt about the fact he had pulled away from her. She knew this was about him, not her. She’d known it the moment he’d thrown a punch at the unsub, how his automatic reaction would have convinced him of so many, untrue, things he thought about himself. 

Even though he’d done it to protect her. 

It all happened so quickly that they’d barely had time to react. The unsub, the man they’d finally arrested after days of picking through the lives of the people he’d killed, of the damage he left behind, had made a break for it as soon as they’d tried to get him out of the car he’d been bundled into at his latest would-be crime scene and into the precinct. Emily hadn’t been there for the arrest, so she had been standing outside, getting some fresh air from the stuffy, overly warm precinct. 

The unsub had got way and grabbed her, throwing her against the wall with such force it had momentarily taken her breath away. Pushing it all free from her lungs in a way that made her cough as she desperately tried to suck it all back in. Aaron and Derek made it over to her in seconds, Aaron throwing a punch, seemingly forgetting he had a gun on his hip in the moment, and hitting the wall as the unsub dove out of the way.

Emily had vaguely heard the guy talk about police brutality, as if they weren’t about to add ‘assault of a federal officer’ to his list of charges, as Derek led him away. All of her focus had been on her husband, on the way his knuckles had cracked as they hit the brick wall she’d been forced against herself. He’d stepped towards her and asked if she was okay, his voice tight and on edge, his hands in fists by his sides as he stopped himself from reaching out for her, as if he was scared he’d hurt her. As soon as she nodded that she was fine he was gone, walking away before she’d had the chance to ask him if he was okay.

She’d given him a little time on his own, careful to make sure that she didn’t give him too much. Afraid to let him steep in all the worst things he thought about himself, all the things she wished she could make him believe weren’t true. 

She sighs and walks over, crouching down in front of him and forcing herself into his eyeline, something that makes him reach out for her automatically, his hands on her waist as if to steady her. Something that makes her smile softly. 

“Come with me,” she says, reaching for his hand and linking their fingers, gently encouraging him to stand. He does as she’s asked, silently letting her lead him to the bathrooms just down the hall. She takes him into the ladies bathroom and locks the door behind them, giving him the privacy she knows he needs, and she walks him over to the sink. She turns on the water and takes his left hand in both of hers, the sight of his blood, even such a small amount of it where the brick wall had broken his skin, enough to make her breath catch in her chest. 

When she blinks she sees a flash of the pool of blood on the floor of his old apartment. A stain she knows she’ll never forget, the shape of it burned into her memory like Ian’s violence had been burned into her flesh. Even when she moved in with Aaron and Jack, a move that was temporary whilst they found a new house, a fresh start for all of them, she’d be able to see it. A spot on the ground she’d stare at whenever she couldn’t sleep. Drawn to it in a way she couldn’t explain. 

Aaron had found her sitting on the couch more than once, pulled out of bed by her absence. He’d curl around her and provide the only thing she found comforting in those moments - the warmth of his skin. The proof he’d survived, that they’d both survived the things they’d been through, and they had each other now. The prize at the end of the longest road. 

“Did I ever tell you that I love your hands?” She says softly, flashing a look up at his face before she returns her attention to his knuckles, gentle as she washes his damaged skin, “They’re huge. They make me feel safe,” she smiles softly, “Among other things,” she looks up and down again as he remains silent and decides to carry on, “I love watching you with Jack and Isla, how gentle you are with them.”

“Em-”

“You aren’t your father, Aaron,” she says firmly, looking up at him as she turns off the water, satisfied that she’d cleaned his hands enough before she reaches for a paper towel, “You never could be. You make us feel safe.” 

He sighs, wishing more than anything that he could believe her, that the half of him that came from his father hadn’t seemingly won out earlier.

“I was going to punch someone, Em,” he says, letting her pat his hands dry with the paper towel. “I didn’t even hesitate.” 

“You were protecting me,” she says, her tone of voice leaving no room for argument, “That makes you the exact opposite of him.” 

She was no stranger to trying to escape the shadow of a parent. Of desperately trying to be more than she had once felt as if she was destined to be. Her life running parallel to her mother’s, a reflection of what Elizabeth could have been whilst constantly fearing that the lines would someday cross. That she’d accidentally become what she’d always told herself she wouldn’t be. 

Aaron closes his eyes and pulls her into a hug, something she gratefully returns, her arms tight around his middle as she lets him take what he needs. His face buried in her hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo, the comfort it brought washing over him, letting him breathe deeply for the first time since it had all happened. He pulls back to look at her, his hand cupping her cheek.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” 

She nods, turning her head to kiss his palm, “I’m sure.” 

He clears his throat and presses his forehead against hers, clenching his jaw as familiar anger washes over him again.

“If he’d hurt you…” 

He doesn’t have to finish his sentence, they both know how it would end.  He once beaten a man to death for hurting, for murdering, a woman he loved. She’d walked in on it, the crunch of Foyet’s face, the sound of his teeth shattering, a sound she knows she’ll never fully shake off. 

She’d helped him then too. A moment they’d never spoken about. She’d guided him to the bathroom in the house he’d once lived in, her words a whisper as she said she needed to clean him up before he went to see Jack, and she gently washed his hands for him, her skin against his in a way that was unfamiliar at the time but now something he couldn’t live without. 

“I know, honey,” she says, stamping her lips against his gently, trying to push everything into it that she wants to say, everything he won’t believe right now, “Let’s go,” she says, not letting go of his hand as she pulls away, “The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can get home to the kids.”

“Yeah,” he replies, squeezing her hand, silently showing her how grateful he was for her, for their life together, “Let’s go home.” 

___

By the time they get home, Isla should very much be in bed. She isn’t. 

Jessica smiles apologetically before she leaves, at the mercy of the 3-year-old just as much as the rest of them were. She explains that as soon as Isla knew they were on the way home she insisted on waiting up for them. So she’d let her, getting her ready for bed, the little girl's hair in the braids she always insisted on, and in her Spiderman pjyamas before they got home.

Isla runs at Aaron when they walk through the door, so excited to see her father, her favourite person in the whole world, that she barely says goodbye to Jessica as she leaves, her arms tight around Aaron’s neck as he holds her close. 

“Hi princess,” he says, kissing the side of her head, smelling the no-tangle shampoo Emily always bought her as he does so, “I missed you.” 

“Missed you too, Daddy,” she replies, smiling widely at him as she pulls back. She was a mini Emily, every single part of her a reflection of his wife, right down to the smile that always convinced him of anything. She was more like him in personality though, slightly more reserved, especially around people she didn’t know, but fiercely loyal to those she loved. 

“What about me?” Emily says from behind them, her tone dripping with face annoyance, “Should I just leave?”

“No, Mommy, don’t leave!” Isla says, playing into the scene that repeated most times they came back from a case. She leans towards Emily and Aaron passes her over, making sure his wife has a good hold on the little girl before he lets go, “Hi Momma!” 

“Hi baby,” she says, kissing her cheek, the familiar weight of her daughter against her something she’d never tire of. 

Before she can say anything else, Isla catches sight of Aaron’s hand, of the broken skin on his knuckles, and she frowns. She grabs his index and middle fingers, a grip Emily knows he could easily break free from, and has a closer look. 

“Daddy hurt?” She asks, looking up at him, and he briefly looks at his wife, seeing the soft smile that she flashes him, before he returns his attention to his daughter. 

“I’m okay, baby, I promise,” he says, smiling when her frown deepens, clearly not believing him. She leans down and kisses his hand, just shy of the broken skin and she looks back up at him, her gaze turning expectant. 

“All better?”

He feels his heart swell in his chest, her gentleness, her endless empathy, making him smile. It was something he always did when one of the kids was hurt. He’d press a bandaid against their broken skin and then a kiss, desperate to make sure when they were his age they’d look at their old scars and remember the love, the care they’d been shown in the aftermath. 

“Much better, Isla,” he says, flashing a smile up to his wife who holds their daughter closer, her lips against her forehead again, “Thank you.” 

She smiles and shrugs, “Welcome.” 

“Mom, Dad,” Jack says, rushing into the foyer, slightly breathless, “Can we get Chinese food for dinner?” He asks, making his parents exchange an amused smile.

“Well hello to you too, Jack,” Aaron says, hugging his son who smiles up at him. “Hi,” he says, turning to look at Emily too, “Hi Mom,” he looks back and forth between them, “So, Chinese?” 

Aaron shakes his head and chuckles, the family of four slowly heading towards the living room, “I thought you preferred pizza.” 

Jack nods, “I do, but you guys were gone for ages,” he says, drawing out the word with a flair of drama he’d never had before Emily moved in with them, “And I know you like to get Chinese when you get home.” 

“That’s very sweet, Jack,” Emily says, securing an increasingly sleepy Isla to her before she reaches out with one hand and ruffles her son’s hair, “As long as you’re sure?” 

He nods enthusiastically, “As long as I can open all the fortune cookies.”

She chuckles and nods, “Deal, why don’t you go get the menu?” 

She doesn’t have to ask twice, and he runs off towards the kitchen, sliding along the floors in his socks in the way they’d told him not to a hundred times. Once he’s out of earshot she turns to her husband, seeing the wistful look on his face. 

“You okay honey?” She asks, taking a step towards him. He looks at her and smiles, reaching out and tucking some of their, now-sleeping, daughter’s hair behind her ear. 

He might be half his father, a reality he couldn’t escape but his children, his wonderful, perfect, children were half him. They were kind and thoughtful. Gentle in a way he knows they get from both he and Emily, a gentleness that hadn’t been worn away by everything they’d been through. Soft edges they’d fought to keep.

Jack and Isla both had all of the qualities he’d spent years convincing himself weren’t real, qualities he was sure he didn’t have. They shone out of them like the break of dawn after the longest night, a reflection of himself in them that he once never thought he’d see. 

“Yeah,” he says, pulling her close, wrapping both of his girls up in his arms, “I’m fine.” 

As long as he had them, he knew he always would be. 

-x-

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[acceleracers-baby]

Acceleracers HC’s! Game Night! Metal Maniacs Edition!

Metal Maniacs

(Taro Kitano, Tork Maddox, Monkey McClurg, Porkchop Riggs & Mark Wylde)

+Bonus Round

(Doctor Tezla & Lani Tam)

Metal Maniacs

Taro Kitano - Taro has one of the best poker faces in the world. He’s impossible to read, and on top of that, he always seems to be able to pick up on everyone else’s tells. After an entire lifetime of stoicism, he’s learned that, in most cases, waiting and watching is a much better option than verbally bluffing out a hand. He enjoys Five Card, but his favorite is Texas Hold ‘Em. Other than poker, he’s a big fan of the game Sequence. He likes the mix between strategy and luck.

Tork Maddox - It’s not so much a party game, but Tork seems like the type of guy to really enjoy Pool. He used to make the Maniacs meet at the local dive bar for a couple rounds, but eventually they fixed up an old beat up one that they found at the junkyard. It’s definitely got some character, but now they don’t have to worry about assigning a designated driver. Plus, with all its dents and and scuffs, it fits in more with the Maniacs.

Monkey McClurg - Monkey plays Dungeons & Dragons. I will take no notes. But for real, could you imagine the Maniacs finding out he plays this big nerd game. I feel like they’d give him shit for it for at least a week, but when Monkeys all like ‘don’t knock it till you try it.’ He’s basically daring them to play. Of course, eventually they give in and he makes a big night out of it. Snacks, drinks, lighting, the works. He even helps them all make characters he thinks fit them the best. None of the Maniacs would admit it, but they all had fun that night.

Porkchop Riggs - With all the truck stops and diners he’s been to, Porkchop is a master at Checkers. When he was young, he would actually ask people to play with him while they waited for their food or for a shower room to open up. Because of this, he got really good at it at a decently young age. Y’all ever hear the saying, “they’re playing checkers, I’m playing chess.” That’s Pockchop accept he’s playing Checkers like Chess. Other than that, he also loves playing Go Fish!

Mark Wylde - Mark has a love hate relationship with Uno. There are times where he loves it, and there are times where it makes him want to pick up the chair he’s sitting on and lob it across the room because his dickhead brother just skipped his turn and stacked a plus four so now Mark has to pick up sixteen cards. However, when Kurt gets to Uno and Mark gets to give him the same treatment, he claims that Uno is the best game ever created. It’s a fine line he walks.

Bonus Round

Doctor Tezla - You think Tezla has time for games??? You think this stressed out mf has time for a nice round of checkers??? Who do you think you are????? That being said, Tezla cannot go a week without playing at least one game of Chess. It’s a good stress relief, and it keeps his mind sharp. He really only plays it with Gig, but Lani has since joined their little club too. Eventually, Tezla even asks Karma to join them.

Lani Tam - Despite playing Chess with Doctor Tezla, it’s not her favorite game. She mainly does it to pick his brain and see where his thoughts are for the day. Usually, his game reflects his current state of mind, which unfortunately, is almost always slightly unhinged. I feel like Lani’s favorite game would be Mafia. Specifically when people are getting way too into it and holding fake trials on who they think the Mafia members are. As much as she tries to unite the two teams in the Acceledrome, she loves the fake drama that comes with playing Mafia.

——— Thanks for Reading ———

[laurenairay]

For your birthday prompts, 3 “You bet on us?” with Jacob Markstrom please.

Oooh this one was fun to write, mainly because I haven’t written for Marky in ages – I hope you enjoy it!

“You bet on us?”

Words: 898

*

“We’re going to have to tell them eventually, you know.”

You turned your head on the pillow to look at your boyfriend, huffing out a laugh.

“Yeah I know. Hasn’t it been nice not having everyone up in our business though?” you mused.

Jacob just laughed, nodding his agreement. The two of you had fallen into each other’s beds almost immediately when he’d first been traded to Calgary, your friendship with Elias Lindholm’s girlfriend Annika looping you into the same circles, especially when Jacob was still living with them. As time had gone on though, friends with benefits had shifted into something more, a solid serious relationship, but you’d both agreed to keep things quiet, mostly because you’d already seen how nosy and involved his team and all your friends were with anyone’s new relationships, and you’d just wanted to keep it to yourself for the moment.

That ‘moment’ had shifted into 3 months, and still no-one knew. You never posted anything on social media about each other, you didn’t go to team events, you definitely didn’t show up together to friends gatherings, and you rarely did a date night out in public. Sure, some people might not like that, but for you, it felt nice having something that was just yours.

But it looked like Jacob had reached the end of his need for privacy. Intriguing.

“Any particular reason you’ve changed your mind?” you asked, propping your head up with your hand to look at him properly.

“I just…everyone gets to snuggle in public. I want to be able to do that with you,” he admitted, blush dusting his cheeks.

Oh that sweet, sweet man.

“Okay,” you said simply.

“Okay?” he repeated, eyes full of hope.

“Yeah, okay. I’m in, let’s go public,” you nodded.

The grin that spread over Jacob’s lips made you laugh, that laughter increasing as he all but launched himself at you, pressing a flurry of kisses to your neck.

Trying to figure out how to go public in the most low-key way was the hard part. Even though you’d both agreed that it was finally time after talking a little more about the whole situation, the last thing you wanted was to make a big song and dance about things. That just wasn’t you, and it certainly wasn’t him either.

Eventually, you both decided to just show up holding hands to a dinner Elias and Annika were hosting at their house. That was as minimal fuss as you could think of – anything else could come later.

So when the evening came, Jacob squeezing your hand for reassurance while you waited for the door to open, you couldn’t deny that you were nervous. Not bad nervous per say, but there was still that element of the unknown. Would they be mad that you hadn’t told them? At least not for long when they saw how happy you were, right?

“You made it!”

Elias’s loud voice greeted you, breaking you out of your thoughts, and you found yourself smiling as he did a double take.

“Annika! They finally showed up together!” he called over his shoulder.

What.

“About time!” Annika said happily as she appeared next to him, “You owe me so much money babe.”

What?!

You looked up at Jacob, who looked just as confused as you were. Well that was something at least.

“You bet on us?” you asked, confused.

“Honey, we all did,” Annika mused.

Well damn.

We all did. That was ominous.

The two of you walked into their house, Elias shutting the door behind you, but your head was still whirling as Annika took your coats. They all knew? Or, they’d all guessed? What the hell?

“Who bet what?” Jacob asked, when the four of you finally in the kitchen.

You batted at his arm, making him laugh.

“What? I want to know what they were thinking about us,” he shrugged, earning laughter from your friends.

You huffed out a laugh, but smiled as he lifted your joint hands to press a kiss to your knuckles, Annika just cooing at the sweet display.

“There’s like a dozen of us involved in the main bet now, I won’t lie…”

Well, fuck. That was way more than you’d thought.

“…and everything ranged from if you were just sleeping together or secretly crushing on each other or actually properly dating, including when admissions were made and who told who first. I have a spreadsheet and everything. And of course us two had our own bet.”

“Oh you guys are the worst!” you groaned.

You could guess at least a few of the people involved, knowing how busybody they all were, but the full scale of it still blew your mind a little.

But at least they weren’t mad?

“I guess you’ll need details to make sure the winnings go out properly, hm?” Jacob said simply.

“You are far too nonchalant,” you sighed.

“I’m just happy I get to show off how happy I am,” Jacob shrugged, smiling down at you, “I liked keeping things private, don’t get me wrong, but it was time.”

Well how could you argue with that?

“So, details?” Elias grinned.

Jacob just grinned back, Elias and Annika laughing, and you couldn’t help but laugh as well. Of all the reactions, this was the last thing you were expecting…but you also weren’t surprised in the slightest.

“Here’s what happened…”

[gayrobos]

stunticomix: alternate endings; after the end; themes styff. you gotta read this post to ~understand my vision~

there were a LOT of alternate endings under consideration at various points in the process.

- the original final act was going to be that the stunticons all symbolically overcame their traumas by killing motormaster together and learned and grew as people. they would then team up with the target/powermasters and the autobot science team to defend earth from invasion. arcee’s pitch was that the end state of stunticomix would be like the start of a cartoon with an unlikely group of weirdos as earth defenders. I scrapped this one because I always think it’s way more fun if my protagonists just totally suck ass

- after I decided the stunticons would be leaving earth I was like, okay, can mikki come with them?? how?? can they be a headmaster? can they make like a robot exosuit?? that ended up not working because absolutely none of these idiots knows how to build a robot exosuit that will allow a human to live indefinitely with cybertronians. it would involve doing some fucked up stuff to permanently integrate their body with the machine. except that kicks so much ass, both conceptually and thematically, that I took care to imply that’s what they were gonna go do first thing anyway when they leave earth. that’s why they’re going to nebulos lol. and here’s the exosuit I designed. the idea is that it gets them significantly closer to standard cybertronian size, thus the giant digitigrade stilt legs. the big pair of arms is directly linked to the arms mikki controls, although one loves to think that eventually they’ll get an upgrade and be able to use all four independently ::)

- dead end does stay to die with mikki fighting the mayhem attack squad while the other stunticons leave. this one was just like, idk, it didn’t have pizzazz. it would mean something about dead end, but it was something we already knew, and it didn’t seem to fit mikki’s character very well.

see, the theme of mikki as a character is that they’ve never earnestly tried to fit in with humans, even after the stunticons left. they’d much rather be this big, scary, powerful, otherworldly thing (that would require them to give up essential parts of their humanity like “eating and drinking and pissing”), and fuck anyone who gets in their way. it’s important to me that these characters are cool as hell power fantasies while also being huge selfish assholes you would never want to encounter.

the other big thematic throughline I wanted to hit was the trauma all the protagonists share. they’re doing exceptionally bad at trauma recovery, which is charming when a fictional character does it. I experience ptsd as a time travel disorder: not that I have flashbacks exactly, but that all previous save states still exist and you can revert to them at the most inconvenient and unexpected times. even believing motormaster is dead, just having to think too hard about her starts to rip the stunticons apart along the faultlines that have been there all along: breakdown and dead end isolate and hurt themselves, drag strip takes the easy way out instead of having a single hard conversation ever, and wildrider tries to force people to be fun. frankly, I think they’re going to continue to fall apart post-canon, in my personal favorite way---they’re just going to stick together and make each other feel more miserable and lonely forever <3 and mikki can come <3 if you build a house on a rotten foundation and also never take care of it, everyone inside WILL die of black mold. promise.

[tgmsunmontue]

More than movie magic... 12/?

Hangster AU. Explicit (eventually). Jake is a Hollywood actor and Bradley is a stunt coordinator. Jake's about to make a few self-discoveries. So is Bradley.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN

ELEVEN

PART TWELVE

                “Conversation go that well hmm?”

                “What?” Jake asks, and he’s distracted, pretty sure he’s going to need to jerk off before he’ll be able to get to sleep, certain he can still feel Bradley’s fingers on his skin, unable to really process anything more than his mom standing there in her dressing gown and talking to him.

                “You’re going to have hell in makeup tomorrow…”

                “Huh?”

                “Oh Jake… I’m happy for you honey.”

                He freezes then, because he hasn’t said anything and he looks at her and she’s just watching him, expression amused and he guesses he’s been a little distracted since he got home, but not massively so… He managed to ride home, settle Blitzen in her stall, all while sporting a semi which is now quickly disappearing in the face of his mother talking to him. Thank fuck for small mercies.

                “Happy about what exactly?”

                “Well, you didn’t have that beard rash at dinner. Twenty-four hours. Amazing what you can achieve with a little motivation isn’t it?”

                Oh god. He hadn’t realized that his face and neck would be literal red flags, broadcasting his recent activity. His mom is fat too observant and has always simply known when he had been making out with people. Years as a high school teacher and recognizing bullshit probably help. He groans.

                “You’re an unholy terror.”

                “And proud of the fact sweetie. Proud of you too. Well done on using your words.”

                Jakes grins, doesn’t mention that there weren’t a lot of words exchanged, not ones that he can repeat in polite company anyway, and his mom will believe whatever she wants, regardless of what he says right now.

                “Yeah, we like each other. It’s good.”

                “Good. Now I just need to get him to accept that dinner invite.”

                “Yeah, good luck with that one mom.”

…            …            …

                “Okay, what is going on. You’re smiling at Jake Seresin rather than just watching him with that slightly… mournful look.”

                “What’s more interesting is he’s smiling back,” Bob says, spooning more oatmeal into his mouth and Bradley loves working with his friends, he really does, but sometimes he also wishes they just didn’t quite know him so well. Maybe he should spend some time with some of the other teams, allow himself some distance if this whole thing doesn’t pan out. It’s not like Bob couldn’t take over from him here.

                “It wasn’t mournful,” Bradley mutters, taking a sip of his tea. “Considering maybe.”

                “Considering how much you want him maybe…” Natasha mutters, voice low and Bradley rolls his eyes, but also he can’t outright deny it either, because they’d all know he was lying. There’s a difference between being attracted to someone and wanting them to actually acting on it though. Last night was a revelation of the best sort and while they hadn’t had a chance to talk it had felt full of promise and potential, more to come, a prologue rather than an epilogue and the way Jake keeps catching his eye and smiling across the dining hall makes him feel surer about that fact.

                “Mind if I join you?” Javy Machado asks, and Bradley takes it as the reprieve it is, smirks at the blush appearing on Natasha’s cheeks and quirks an eyebrow but wisely keeps his mouth very firmly shut. He likes his dick and balls right where they are.

                The conversation flows around him and he focusses on eating for a bit and moving his shins out of the way of Natasha’s feet where she’s trying to kick him, clearly knowing what he’s thinking about Javy Machado coming over wanting to eat breakfast with her.

                “Bradley…” He looks up and Aunty Kaye is standing there, smiling her normal smile but her eyes are slightly more narrow than usual, like she’s either assessing him for body-bag size, or she’s about to tell a joke and she’s already laughing inwardly. It’s really hard to tell.

                “Aunty Kaye. Morning.”

                “Hmm. It is morning. And you are not going to need extra time in the makeup chair this morning…”

                “I’m sorry, what?”

                “My son’s face and neck look like he lost a fight with a roll of sandpaper…”

                Oh fuck.

                He can feel his cheeks heating, and at least he knows she’s Jake’s mom now and he isn’t hit with the shock of that as well. He hasn’t seen Jake up close yet, but he trusts that Aunty Kaye knows what she’s talking about and if he’s left Jake with stubble burn then… well. It’s kind of unavoidable if he wants to keep kissing him, he’s not going to apologize to Jake’s mom about it, not when Jake clearly didn’t seem to mind.

                Bob, Rueben, Natasha and Javy are all watching the interaction with glee, as are a handful of other people within hearing distance and he glances over to where he last saw Jake and he’s not there, instead he’s much closer, expression harried as he approaches and oh shit, his face and neck are definitely more pink than normal, not bright red, but definitely pink like he’s been out in the sun maybe.

                “Oh my god mom, please leave him alone…” Jake says. “I am so sorry about her.”

                “I expect you at dinner tonight. At the main house.”

                “Uh.”

                “Mom!” Jake exclaims, then he turns to Bradley. “You don’t have to come to dinner, she’s just meddling…”

                “Well, I’ve been inviting Bradley to dinner for a couple of weeks. Maybe with you there he’ll have more of an incentive to come, hmm?”

                Bradley is pretty sure he’s full-on blushing now, realizing that those dinner invitations maybe had an ulterior motive if Jake’s expression are anything to go by. He’s not going to avoid or ignore or run away from any of it anymore, and maybe they can finally have that conversation he feels needs to happen.

                “Seems like the least I can do considering the amount of makeup Jake’s going to need.”

THIRTEEN

[whatisreggieshortfor]

More the Merrier

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

Daichi x Suga x Asahi x m!reader

@gosen-kun

TW:assault

No one was really aware of it, but when you came back to Karasuno you made a name for yourself on your own team. You never really mentioned it, being happy to talk volleyball with your boyfriends, and still doing manager duties every day. Daichi, admittedly, thought it was odd when the four of you were trying to get together and you were busy every afternoon after their practice ended, so date nights or even hangouts were only really once a week. But they never asked what you were doing, Suga had made a joke that there was another boyfriend, and you said that three of them were already more than enough for you. Which made him wonder, were they too much? It was easy for them to fall into a relationship so big, they spent all their time together anyway, but maybe you hadn’t expected to end up with more boyfriends than you hands.

When you had been in America, you wanted a sport you could understand. Volleyball was an obvious choice, but it had always been Yuu’s thing, so you shoved the thought aside. Football always interested you, but you wouldn’t be able to keep the sport up when you eventually went home. Which is how you end up here, as the new star of Karasuno’s basketball team. You were an average height among the guys here, and you had had to work twice as hard to be seen as good among the giants you played with before, so it was no wonder to them that you were able to out hustle them. Sure, your new teammates didn’t understand your relationship, a lot of them stating that they’d expected to see Daichi with Michimiya before the year ended, but you paid them no mind. You’d met her, and she told that she wasn’t surprised when the whole relationship became known. You kept the two things separate, your relationship and your team. Only Yuu knew. You thought it was better that way.

You were just finishing helping the boys cleaning the gym when your captain walked in the door, and he looked annoyed, “Y/N! We pushed the time for you, the least you could do is show up on time.” Everyone recognized who he was, but they weren’t sure why he was here for you.

“Wha-“ you spun around to the clock, and sure enough you were thirty minutes late, “I’m sorry, Kenji! I’ll make up for it, I promise! I was helping Hinata with-“

“Just come on! We’ve wasted enough time.”

“Whoa-“ Daichi stepped over, a mix of possession and his job to ensure his team is okay driving him to step in, “He said he’s sorry, you don’t need to be so harsh. Do you guys have a project due or something?”

Kenji smirked at the volleyball captain, “He hasn’t told you?”

“Kenji-“ You were cut off when Coach Ukai walked in, telling the boys that he had some things to discuss for an upcoming practice match, and the basketball captain tugged you out the door. You didn’t have time to catch the hurt looks that flashed across the faces of your boys.

For three days, Kenji and the team demanded all your attention. There was a tournament game coming up that weekend, and they spent every waking minute they weren’t in class practicing, and you had to be there if you wanted to save your position on the team. And while you knew Kenji had been right, they moved their practice times to line up with when you would leave the volleyball gym, you had never asked them to do it. So you more than annoyed at him for saying you owed to them for doing it, but you kept your mouth shut. You needed to get along with them to play. You had tried texting your boys, but according to Yuu they never even checked their phones. It didn’t help that Kenji seemed to assign a player to follow you whenever you weren’t with him, so no one on the volleyball team could even get close to you before you were dragged away for more practice. It was making you hate the game you fell in love with.

You finally crashed onto your couch at close to midnight, exhausted from running around the court all day, when Yuu came tumbling in the front door, “Y/N!” He beamed, “I feel like I’ve seen you less now than when you were in America!”

You let out a dry chuckle, “I know, right? Where were you?”

“Practice.” He sighed, “Daichi has been going extra hard for some reason.”

You realized he hadn’t been there when Kenji showed up, too busy ‘helping’ Tanaka with putting stuff away in the storage closet, “Yeah. I don’t really know what’s going on. You know the basketball captain? He showed up when I was running late to practice, and now it’s like he won’t let me out of his sight. He fucking insisted on walking home again tonight, even though he lives a good half hour the way by foot.”

“That’s weird.” Noya mumbled, “Have you tried talking to the coach?”

You waved your hand dismissively, “Most of them are already pissed that I was made a starter when I joined so late, it’ll only cause more problems.”

Yuu just hummed, watching as the exhaustion caught up to you and you finally succumbed to sleep. He draped a blanket over you, making his way to his room quietly, but your words bothered him. Why was Kenji treated you like you were his?

Daichi, Suga, and Asahi were bothered. Asahi was bothered by most things, due to his anxious nature, but it was worse since the basketball captain showed up. You didn’t come to volleyball practice anymore, and even in class they couldn’t talk to you without a basketball player stepping in to divert your attention. They trusted you, so they didn’t think there was anything going on, but that just made them more worried. Why hadn’t they heard from you at all? They’d tried asking your brother, but Noya just said you had things going on he wasn’t allowed to say, which was weird since they only knew you liked them because he got involved. Suga decided he was gonna figure it out. As soon as volleyball practice ended that Friday, he went looking for you. He’d heard Noya telling Tanaka about how late you get home and how early you have to get up to come to school, so you’d probably still be here. He was confused, at first, seeing you walk into the basketball gym. Did they steal you as their manager? He made his way over until he could climb up and look through a window, and he saw you doing sprints with the team. He saw you practicing, the ghost of a smile on your lips when you’d score. He heard the coach talking about a game they had to meet for early, so he was ending practice, and Suga saw the coach leave. He wasn’t sure how long he’d already been watching, but he saw the way you moved to your bag only for the captain to call your name, “Y/N, we can’t stop yet! We still have practice to make up for always cutting it short so you could play grab ass with your volleyball boys.” Suga watched the way your jaw clenched as you shoved your bag aside, and he didn’t like it. You looked like you loved the game, but you didn’t like your team judging by the way you ripped the ball from Kenji’s hand and the other players snickered at your annoyance.

Suga’s not sure when he fell asleep, but he snapped awake when the doors opened, and checking his watch he saw that it was almost midnight. Shaking himself awake, he got up to call out to you, only to stop short when the captain flung his arm around your shoulders.

You immediately shrugged out of the captain’s embrace, snapping, “I’ve told to stop doing that.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He rolled his eyes, “Come on, I’m walking you home.”

“You really don’t need to do that. I’m capable of walking myself.” You crossed your arms over your chest, ignoring the way he chuckled beside you, “You live the other way. Quit wasting your own time.”

“Aw, but you need bodyguards, who would protect you if I weren’t here?”

You felt like you were gonna snap a tooth from how hard he made you clench your jaw. Ignoring him, you continued to make your way home, sending yet another text to your boys that would probably go unanswered. You didn’t notice the way Kenji’s eyes glared at it. When you finally made it home, Kenji grabbed your arm as you went to make your way inside, “What now?”

“I think you owe. All these times I’ve walked you home, got you to practice, had the boys watch after you.”

You glared at him, “I don’t owe you shit, I didn’t ask you to do any of it.”

“Come on, I’m not asking for a lot here.”

Unbeknownst to you, one of your boyfriends was watching, seeing the way you glared at the captain, and he was glad he had his phone on him, because he didn’t trust what was going on. He flipped his camera on, recording as soon as Kenji grabbed your arm. “Get the FUCK away from, Kenji! You know I-“

“What? That you’re a whore? Why else would you need to date three dudes? I’m not even asking for that, I just want you to help me destress before the game tomorrow.” And the setter felt his stomach pool with anger when the basketball player leaned toward your face, clearly trying to kiss you, and you reeled back. Your fist swung before Suga could take a step to intervene, connecting with the offenders face, “You little BASTARD! Isn’t this what you fucking want?”

Suga couldn’t contain himself now, hearing the disdain in your captain’s voice, “I think it’s best if you get the fuck out.” His voice was level, calm but frightening smile on his face. You were praying he would let you explain, not knowing he’d seen the argument take place.

Kenji just smirked at him, “What? Afraid I’ll be too good and steal your little boy toy?”

“Considering that Y/N just slugged you in the side of the head, I’m not too worried about it. But I suggest you let go of him now.” Suga could see the anger rolling off of you, and he knew that Noya talked a lot about the fights you’d been pulled into during your study abroad, he was sure that if Kenji got more physical, you’d be able to handle yourself. But that doesn’t mean he’d make you handle it alone. “But maybe while you’re here, you can explain to me that I saw Y/N send a text, and according to his brother he’s been reaching out to us, but we haven’t gotten anything.”

Kenji just clicked his tongue, releasing your arm and stomping down the street, “Your bodyguards won’t always be there to save you, Y/N.”

“I don’t need saving!” You snapped, glaring in silence until he was out of sight. You slumped onto the steps, almost reminiscent of when they’d confessed to you. “I’m sorry, Koushi.” You sniffled.

“Hey, don’t be sorry!” Suga sat beside you, arm wrapped around your shoulders, “What he does isn’t on you. But why didn’t you tell us that you played?”

You shrugged, resting your head against his chest, “Didn’t seem important. I like talking volleyball with you guys. I didn’t know he- I didn’t know he liked me or whatever that was.”

Suga pressed a kiss to the top of your head, “Don’t think about him. I’ve got you now, and he’ll have to go through all three of us.”

Suga woke Daichi and Asahi up before the sun rose, dragging them to the school. Neither of them commented on the fact that he looked like he was up all night, just following his tug on their hands. He eventually led them to you, double checking your gym bag, you blinked at them before sighing, “Koushi, I told you not to worry them about it.”

He just shook his head, “We’re gonna cheer you on! I wanted to see you off, then I’m dragging them to the train station so we can see the game.”

The two other boys just blinked, “W-what game?” Asahi asked, nervously watching the way the basketball players kept glancing at them.

“The tournament starts today.” You answered, “I’m on the team.”

“You-“ Suga stopped Daichi.

“Yes, he’s on the basketball team. No, he didn’t mention it, you aren’t just forgetting. We’ve already talked-“ he yawned, “-talked about it. And I figured out why we hadn’t heard from him.”

“Speaking of,” You groaned, “Where the hell is Kenji? We’re supposed to leave any minute.”

“Kenji isn’t joining us today.” The coach announced gruffly as he made his way over to Suga, “You are the one that sent me that video?” He nodded, “Thank you. And the rest of you boys,” the coach glared at your teammates, “if any of you treat Y/N the way you have been, or start acting the way Kenji did, you’ll be off this team. Do you understand me?”

You almost wanted to cry. Suga had stood up for you? Again? Daichi and Asahi just looked confused, but Suga waved them off, “Gotta keep our boy safe.” He grinned, giving you a hug and wishing you luck.

And when you got to the game, all three boys were in the bleachers, wearing shirts with your jersey number on them. You choked on a laugh, momentarily wondering how Koushi knew your number to make the shirts. (Little did you know, he made shirts for every number and grabbed the ones that matched the jersey you had on when they saw you that morning.)

Masterlist

[strandbuckley]

Origins (Quartet Verse F1)

Read on ao3 here

Summary:

How one, becomes two, two becomes three, and three becomes four

Max Verstappen is seventeen when he meets Daniel Ricciardo. He is eighteen when he realizes he's falling in love. He is nineteen when they get together

Chapter 1: Max and Daniel 2015

Max Verstappen was seventeen when he joined Toro Rosso. The opportunity he’d been working toward since he was a small child had finally come and he planned to make the most of it. His father wasn’t the happiest that he was part of a so called, “junior” team (nevermind the fact that he still had a spot. That he was one of twenty drivers on the Formula 1 grid) but Max was quietly proud of himself. Red Bull was an up and coming team and being part of Toro Rosso meant he was being nurtured as a young driver. It meant that they had faith in him and if he proved himself, he might be able to race for their team one day. They had won championships before and intended to do it again. Max wanted to be a champion. It was all he’d ever wanted and he would do whatever it took to get there. 

His new teammate was nice enough, but their fathers did not get along well. Jos Verstappen butted heads with nearly everyone and Max wanted to dig a hole and hide himself deep in the Earth every time his father opened his mouth near Carlos Sainz Senior. The season hadn’t even started, they’d barely begun testing their cars. There was no way to truly know who was better until they took their place on the grid. Max had the confidence, but Carlos had performed well in the junior categories and he was older with more experience. Max wasn’t the best at making friends, his father tended to ruin that for him, and he knew that ultimately his teammate was his first competitor,  but he didn’t want to be Carlos’s enemy. He liked the older man, despite the fact that they would be fighting on the track soon, he wanted them to at least be civil in the paddock and at the factory. They didn’t have to be friends or anything but  he didn’t need any more fighting in his life. 

Daniil Kvyat, whose seat Max had taken when the older driver moved up to Red Bull, seemed to be mostly indifferent to him. He was polite in meetings and in the garage but he tended to stay out of Max’s way, which he didn’t mind too much. The less confusing social interactions he had to navigate through on a day to day basis, the better. Daniil was kind enough though and had helped get him acquainted with the sim and had answered all of his questions about the equipment, so maybe the older man liked him more than he thought. 

It was Daniel Ricciardo that confused him. Daniel was bubbly and outgoing, and kind to a fault in a way that Max could never imagine being. He was funny and Max found himself laughing even at things that weren’t very funny, just because of Daniel’s delivery. He was also eager to take Max under his wing and teach him everything he knew about Toro Rosso, Formula 1, and anything else. He always prompted him to ask questions, no matter how small or impractical. And if he didn’t know the answer, he would track down someone who did and wouldn’t rest until Max had an answer. He liked being around Daniel, and liked having the older man’s attention focused on him. It felt good, and made him feel cared for in a way he never had on another racing team. Daniel always said he saw him as a little brother and Max thought he saw Daniel as a big brother. Which was why he felt so confused when he realized he had a crush on Daniel. 

*****

He tried to push his feelings down. He thought if he ignored them, eventually they would go away. Unsurprisingly to anyone other than Max, they didn’t. If anything, they grew stronger. What had started out as a bit of hero worship mixed with a teenage crush on an older, more experienced man, had grown into full blown infatuation. He loved being around Daniel, and found himself gravitating toward him at every possible opportunity. He spent as much time as he could at the factory or in the paddock glued to Daniel’s side. The older man didn’t even seem to mind, laughing good-naturedly when Daniil referred to Max as “your little shadow”, wrapping an arm around Max’s shoulders to pull him close, leading him to their next destination, happily chatting his ear off as they went. 

He liked it when Daniel did that. He’d grown since starting at Toro Rosso, having hit a growth spurt just in time for his eighteenth birthday, but he was still slightly shorter than Daniel, just enough that his nose was at jaw level when they stood shoulder to shoulder. There, with Daniel’s arm around him, he could smell his cologne and the clean sweat underneath. He wanted to press his face to Daniel’s pulse point and breathe him in forever. He wanted to spend every moment of every day with Daniel’s attention on him. He could barely keep himself from preening when Daniel complimented his driving in meetings. He reveled in the high-fives and quick hugs Daniel gave him when they got out of the car, just before Max was whisked away by his father to discuss everything he’d done wrong in the race that day. 

Max also saw the way Daniel looked at Jos. He treated the man with respect to his face but when his back was turned, he looked a few seconds away from strangling him. He’d even threatened it the first time he’d found Max hiding away in his driver’s room.

*****

Monaco, 24, May 2015

This wasn’t the first time Max had found himself hiding away from his father. It was how he’d survived much of his childhood, huddled in the darkest corner of his closet, behind piles of old winter coats, or under his twin-sized bed with a blanket pulled tight around him to escape his father’s wrath. Maybe that was why he was so comfortable in the limited space of a Formula 1 car. He and tight spaces were old friends. 

He’d been betting on no one coming to look for him. All of the mechanics and engineers had taken a step away when Jos had grabbed his shoulders and yelled until his face turned blue. His father had ranted about how stupid he was, how he would surely suffer a penalty and that he should “use his goddamn brain for once in his life”. Then, as if a switch had flipped, his voice had gone back to normal, as he smoothed down Max’s hair, ruffled from his balaclava and said, “Well, it was Grosjean’s fault of course. The idiot braked too early in the corner.”

Max had only nodded, knowing the secret meaning behind his father’s words. When the media inevitably grilled him about the crash later, Max was to give them that story and say nothing else. Grosjean had braked too early and was to be blamed for the crash. No matter who the FIA placed the blame on at the end of the day, Max Verstappen was to hold his ground and insist he’d done nothing wrong, even when he knew deep down, he’d made an amateur mistake that had cost him the race and cost his team points. 

When his father finally let him go, he’d rolled his shoulders back and walked as quickly as he could to his driver’s room without drawing attention to himself, ignoring the concerned looks Christian and Xevi were giving him as he brushed by them. His eyes were burning and his teeth ached from clenching his jaw, but he refused to cry. Not in front of them and definitely not in front of his father. He feigned indifference until he was out of sight, managing to hold back the tears that were filling his eyes until the door to the room shut firmly behind him, then he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. The floodgates opened and tears dripped down his nose and onto his race suit as he undid the zipper and let it hang around his waist. He dropped to the floor and wedged himself into the space between the couch and the wall, drawing up his bony knees and wrapping his still skinny arms around them, an old self-soothing trick he’d never grown out of. In this position, he was hidden away almost completely and wouldn’t be seen immediately by anyone who happened to enter unannounced. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed between being escorted off the track, being yelled at by his father, and escaping to his room and he hadn’t put his watch back on to be able to check. He’d crashed out on lap 65 and he knew that red flag couldn’t have lasted more than ten or fifteen minutes. The yelling was most likely another five and the escape to his room two or three, so he could assume that there were only a handful of the 78 laps left. He knew eventually he’d have to emerge from his hiding spot and face the media, put on a brave, confident face and blame Grosjean for the crash, then endure another bout of screaming once he left the track, but for now he was content to hide until a disgruntled intern or PR manager was sent to retrieve him for post-race interviews. 

When the door to his room opened later, the tear tracks had dried, making his cheeks sticky and he was sure his eyes were red and puffy. He probably looked a right mess. He wasn’t quite ready to face the music yet though, so he stayed quiet, praying to whoever might be up there listening that maybe the poor soul sent to retrieve him would give up easily and leave him in peace. However, the door was closed gently behind whoever had just entered and Max tensed as footsteps approached him.

“Max? I know you’re in here. Xevi said you came this way.”

Max relaxed at the sound of Daniel’s voice. It was gentle, like he was approaching some baby animal in distress. If only Max knew that was how Daniel saw him at the moment, hair ruffled and sticking up in all directions from dried sweat, with his eyes wide as he looked up at him, cheeks flushed and covered in sticky marks from old tears. The older man crouched down in front of him and placed a hand on his knee, squeezing gently. 

“Are you okay?”

The question was sincere and Daniel was never judgemental, but Max bristled anyway. 

“I am fine,” he said gruffly, scrubbing a hand across his face. “I just wanted to be alone,

nothing is wrong.” 

“I meant from the crash Maxy,” he would never admit out loud to anyone how the ridiculous nickname made his heart flutter in his chest and his pulse pick up.“It looked pretty rough from where I was. Are you hurting anywhere?”

“I’ll be sore tomorrow,” Max admitted. “But I deserved it, it was my fault.”

“You made a mistake,” Daniel adjusted himself so that was sitting across from Max in the narrow space, their feet slotted together and knees touching. “That doesn’t mean you deserve to be in pain. I can walk with you to the medical center and let them check you over. I’ll even stay if you like?”

“No.”

“Okay,” Daniel didn’t push, though Max could tell he wanted to. “It’s okay to make mistakes Max, you know that don’t you? It happens to everyone eventually. All you can do is learn from it, then move on and come back better and stronger.”

“It was a rookie mistake,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, knowing that he probably looked like a petulant child but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

“You are a rookie Max,” Daniel chuckled. “And besides, it wasn’t entirely your fault, you were trying to make a move but you couldn’t have accounted for him braking as early as he did. Honestly, it was bad luck all around if you ask me.”

“I don’t think the FIA consults you.”

“Maybe they should.” 

Max huffed out a tiny laugh at that, “You’d be terrible at making the rules.”

“Yeah probably. I’d bend them too much for the people I like.”

He winked at Max and the younger man ducked his head to hide the blush rising up his neck.

“They will give me a penalty.”

“It happens to the best of us,” Daniel shrugged. “Almost every driver on the grid has gotten a few points on their super license at one point or another. Me included.”

“I should have used my brain. Then it wouldn’t have happened. I don’t make mistakes like that. I can’t make mistakes like that.”

“Is that what your father said?”

Max looked up at him, almost giving himself whiplash with how quickly his head snapped up.

“The mechanics were talking about it when I came back to the garage,” he at least had the decency to look sheepish about it. “They said he reamed you out pretty good over the whole thing and then flipped a switch like nothing ever happened. He walked off pretty soon after you did. That's why Xevi sent me to check on you, he wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I am fine,” he said on instinct. Then, without really thinking, added, “I’m used to it.”

The proximity to Daniel was making him too honest, like someone had snuck truth serum into his water supply before the race.

“Does he do that alot?”

Max shrugged, “Sometimes.”

“In front of people?”

“Usually. He doesn’t really care who hears.”

“Damn. I knew he was intense but I didn’t know it was that bad.”

“He wants me to be the best.”

“Even the best driver’s make mistakes, Maxy. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a kid, even one as strong as you,” Daniel paused. “No one is perfect. Even though I’m pretty damn close.”

The joke made Max laugh again, leaning to the side so that his knees knocked against Daniel’s. Part of him never wanted to leave this space, wanted to stay tucked in their own corner of the world forever, even though they were both sticky and smelled of sweat, petrol, and burning rubber. 

“How do you do that?” 

“Do what?” Daniel asked, eyebrows scrunching in confusion. 

“Move on from things so quickly. Make jokes about them like they don’t really matter.”

“It took me a while to get to that point,” he admitted, sitting farther forward and letting his fingers brush Max’s kneecaps absently as he spoke. “I used to take things to heart and I was pretty hard on myself, just like you are. It’s that way for a lot of young drivers. Formula 1 is intense and it can be a big adjustment. Being one of only twenty drivers in the world who get the opportunity is a big deal. And it’s a lot of pressure, especially when you come into it so young. Eventually, I found things that helped me get out of my head a bit and stop overthinking. Now I can accept things as they come, even when I don’t like the result. I can acknowledge where I went wrong, thenI can move on from it and learn from it and do better the next time. You’ll get there eventually. It comes with aging.”

“You’re not that old.”

Daniel just laughed.

“What things?” he asked, leapfrogging back to what Daniel had said earlier.

“Huh?”

“What things help you get out of your head?”

Daniel laughed, but awkwardly, in a way Max had never experienced. Daniel was always so confident, and Max was sure that nothing could rattle him. He ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck and Max suddenly felt like he’d crossed some invisible line.

“I’m sorry,” he said automatically, scrambling in his brain to retreat back to his side of the imaginary line in the sand.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Daniel said, holding his knee firmly, stopping his internal spiral in its tracks. “I’m just trying to think of a way to explain it to you that won’t sound like workplace harassment.”

“Sex stuff?” he asked directly, never one to sugar coat anything. 

Sometimes he hated himself for having no brain to mouth filter.

Daniel looked mildly shocked but recovered quickly, chuckling at his bluntness (something he’d come to find out Daniel loved about him), “Yeah Maxy. Sex stuff, stuff I think you’re a little too young for.”

“I’m eighteen!” he said indignantly. It didn’t matter that he’d never had sex, he still knew things and he didn’t like Daniel treating him like a child. Daniel had never hesitated to teach him something before and he wanted to know, always eager to learn new things from him. Though, if he thought about it too hard, something about this felt a little wrong. Not in a bad way, but in an exciting way. A way that made heat burn low in his belly like when he pushed his hand under the covers at night when his room was dark and the house was quiet. 

Daniel just chuckled and squeezed his knee again, “Talk to me when you’re twenty-one.”

Max wanted to say something else, wanted to protest and demand Daniel tell him what he was talking about. Fuck curiosity murdering the cat or whatever other stupid phrases people used to tell kids like him to mind their own business. He wanted to prove that he wasn’t a blushing virgin kid (even though the virgin part was true). Before he could, they were interrupted by a knock on the door and a PR lady that Max had forgotten the name of was peeking her head in the door.

“Everything okay here?” she asked, quietly. Apparently she’d also witnessed, or been told about the scene made in the garage earlier.

“Everything is good,” Daniel said, plastering on his signature mega smile and standing. He offered his hands to Max and pulled the younger boy up. “I’m assuming they need us in the media pen?”

“Yeah. I bought you two as much time as I could but they’re starting to get impatient,” she said apologetically, looking at Max with a bit of sadness. He hated the sympathetic looks, but he was used to them. He’d seen them enough times on the karting track, when people thought that he was too young to be receiving as much pressure as he was. When he got older, he’d find himself wishing those people had been braver, had been more willing to speak up but also understanding why they hadn’t. In the present though, it just made him irritated. He didn’t need their pity. This was his life, he’d accepted it, why couldn’t they?”

“Thank you Portia. Ready Max?”

“Yeah, I’m ready. Thank you Portia,” he parroted, glad Daniel had known her name.

“Of course.” 

She led them to the media pen and Max’s heart sank when he saw his father there, lurking on the edges of the sea of reporters. Max had sort of hoped he’d left without him. Daniel would have been more than glad to give him a ride to the hotel and he would have been able to navigate the interviews he dreaded without the added stress of his father’s eagle eyes making sure he was saying the right thing. Daniel seemed to pick up on his discomfort and placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping him close as he led him into the throng of people clamoring to speak with them. 

“I’ll stay close to you.”

Max nodded but didn’t say anything else, taking what comfort he could from Daniel’s touch before he let go.

True to his word, Daniel stuck close to Max, making sure there was never space for more than one person between them. Max could feel his father’s eyes on him but when he looked up, Daniel’s eyes were also on him, warm and kind, reassuring him of his presence. 

When they were finally finished with the media circus, they went their separate ways to shower and change out of their suits and into normal clothes. Just before Max left the paddock with his father, Daniel stopped him. He pulled him into a quick side hug and whispered into his ear, “Text me if you need me. Or if you just want to talk. I’m here okay?”

Max nodded against his shoulder and Daniel gave him one last squeeze.

“See you at the factory Max!” he said cheerfully as he headed towards the car that was waiting for him.

“Bye Daniel,” he called back, doing his best to keep his smile normal.

His father didn’t say anything, just placed a firm hand on his shoulder and kept it there until they were in the car. He also didn’t speak in the car but Max didn’t mind. The silent treatment was more enjoyable than the yelling, so he relished in the quiet. As the driver set the course home, Max was brave enough to slide his phone out of his pocket and once again had to restrain himself from smiling too big. There on his home screen sat a text from Daniel.  

Daniel Ricciardo: Keep your head up Maxy. I’ll see you soon :)

So few words, yet they meant so much to him. Max sighed and put his phone away as the realization hit him. He didn’t just have a crush on Daniel Ricciardo. 

Max Verstappen was seventeen when he joined Toro Rosso. He was eighteen when he realized he was in love with Daniel Ricciardo.

[spikybanana]

what if james regulus lily remus & sirius went looking for horcruxes instead part five of the jegulily mini series. prompt: chase [masterpost here] [prompts here]

It was all about the chase, James reckoned. Running after and grasping at the opportune moments before they disappeared again. The year churned on as they amassed clues, amassed information about the horcruxes— and how to destroy them. 

James was frankly stunned that they were able to do any of this. It’s not like they had any practice slaying a basilisk or a dragon or two, before personally taking on the demolition of Voldemort’s demonic scheme, of ultimate self-objectification into nasty bits of heirloom that should have gone into burial with the gits that owned them. 

But somehow, between the few of them clueless-nearly-young-adults, they were making headway. Regulus and Remus were a formidable duo when put together to research; they’d turned over the whole Restricted Section and the Black’s family library in under a month. Lily begrudgingly took on the burden of chatting up their professors for information (she was the teacher’s pet and the least suspicious one out of them, after all), and they were all floored by what she’d managed to get out of Slughorn. James and Sirius schemed like there’s no tomorrow, because it was no longer some petty prank to one-up some Slytherins, but the Slytherin himself.

To all appearances, Regulus stayed close to his family and the group of them that gleefully gathered at Voldemort’s side, but at the end of the day Regulus would always be there, waiting for them in the Room of Requirement. James found endless joy and pride and satisfaction in seeing Regulus’s mask soften and fall, as he smiled at James and flicked his brother on the forehead and gave Lily a kiss. It was ludicrous to think that plotting for Voldemort’s downfall would be the thing to hold them fast together with unshakable trust. If only Regulus would eventually find it in him to trust Peter, too. It saddened James that Peter was drifting away, responding with no more than an indifferent shrug when the other three so often begged off with purported “Order business”. But then, there were always the full moons when they’d all four come together. Nothing would take that away from the boys… until Moony might need to leave for those missions Dumbledore had been hinting at. 

But while they were still in Hogwarts, wrapped all around each other in the insulated cosiness of the Room, James could let the weight of it all escape him. He was young and really fucking in love with the two most beautiful human beings who somehow loved him back, and it was exciting and dizzying, it made his blood laugh and sing in his veins, especially when they got to kick out Sirius and Remus at the end of their meetings and watch the Room of Requirement transform into a warm intimate space, just for them.

As far as the horcrux hunt went— well. A whole team of five very-smart-people (if James should say so himself) made it almost too easy. Their first break came when they found out that Moaning Myrtle and the Grey Lady are in fact friends (huh), and Remus had befriended Moaning Myrtle back in first year. James desperately wanted to tease him for it, but that’s poor form given how it led them to the diadem. And, as long as he got to vent loudly and profusely about them, Regulus ingratiated himself with Voldy’s lackeys enough, to be considered one of their own. This made him privy to all sorts of “secret” treasures the precious Lord bestowed upon his followers for safekeeping, which they managed to retrieve with switcheroo heists doubly reviewed and approved by Remus and Lily. (Lucius was a fool and a half for being so careless, but Regulus was almost caught by Bellatrix. Luckily, James had gotten so good at forgeries and duplication charms, he could have gotten into the business of professionally pissing off the goblins.) And, before they knew it, they were collecting pieces of Voldemort’s soul in his parents’ backyard. Merlin’s fucking dangly bits. 

It got harder when they left Hogwarts, got flats in London, and each went into their new jobs. They didn’t quite have time to romanticise the London bar-crawling cheap-club-hitting lifestyle, and the few blocks between their flats felt like miles between Auror training and Order business that had picked up in earnest. Remus and Sirius were having a few rocky spells themselves, because Remus kept coming back from missions moody and hurt. Peter went back to live with his mum, and they barely talked at all. He finally joined the Order too, but was confused when he realised none of it was similar to the half-arsed stories the others had been telling last year. Maybe Peter began avoiding them, then, but James hated to think about it. And Regulus— they missed Regulus like a bleeding limb. James and Lily constantly talked about him, about what Regulus would be scowling about again at school, what it would be like to have Regulus with them there, but the distraction was futile. Without Regulus, they got impatient and snappy with each other, and their being irritated with themselves unwittingly made it even harder for the other. 

And the horcrux hunt was going nowhere either, though it seemed to be all they talked about anymore whenever Sirius and Remus were over. Like they were doing now. They’d been arguing for the past hour and all they’ve managed to establish was that Sirius should Shut Up about Moony’s Missions and Remus should Shut Up about His Share of Rent.  

“Stop!” James shouted, chair scraping as he sprung up from the table. He ran his hands roughly under his glasses. “Just— stop.”

James righted his glasses. Three sets of crossed arms glared at him. 

“What are you suggesting, then, wonder boy?” Lily said, pointedly not raising her voice. 

“We need to stop talking about this. Just today— we’ll relax and, hang out like normal, can’t we? It’s almost Christmas and—” And Regulus isn’t here. Nor had they heard from him even though Reg promised he’d be here. It’s hard for him to send word, which James understood, but for the love of Merlin he needed a mug of heavily spiked hot drink before Sirius threatened fiendfyre arson on his parent’s house again. 

Lily pinched between her brows, Remus was rubbing his temple, but Sirius was the first to relent. Then one by one, their expressions softened.

“You’re right, James.” Sirius responded, voice quiet. He let out a humourless low chuckle, “We’re really letting it get to us, aren’t we?”

“And who could blame us?” Lily slowly wrung her hands. They were growing dry from the severe cleaning charms at Mungo’s. “Remus?”

“I could do with some hot cider,” Remus muttered, then pushed off towards the kitchen, expertly hiding (from no one present) a wince and a limp from the last full moon. 

Lily watched Remus walk off, waited for Sirius to follow, then turned to James. She opened her mouth to speak, but James hurriedly leaned forward and stole the word with a kiss. He wrapped both his hands around hers and started to murmur rapidly between kisses, “I asked mum to send some of the moisturiser she used back in the day, you should try some of that, the muggle stuff you’ve got don’t really work with charms and—”

“James—”

“My dad might have made it specifically for mum but he sent me the instructions and we can probably tweak it or maybe you can because you’re smarter at those stuff anyway—”

“James—”

“Everything is going to be fine!” He insisted. “I know we’re scared, and tired, and maybe it’s only just the beginning but we’re going to be fine.”

Lily stared at him for a long time, bright green eyes wavering and James’ heart wanted to shrink away. “How do you know?” She asked in a whisper.

James’ throat knotted. He suddenly couldn’t get a word out. He couldn’t answer at all, until—

A doorbell. A knock. A coded knock. 

They gasped simultaneously. It was almost Christmas but Christmas had come. Regulus has found them, Regulus has come. 

“Well, you see?” James looked back to Lily, eyes glittering now. A slow smile was spreading on his own face. “See what I said? This will be just fine.” 

They shared one last fierce kiss, before both rushed for the door.

[all-risejd]

After Shine Part 5 (Damian Priest x OC) (Eventual The Judgment Day x OC)

Dominik

July 25 – New York City, New York

One of Dominik’s favorite things about the line up any given Monday was that he usually got to watch a match or two - people often he hadn’t locked up against, yet. He enjoyed watching the tag-team duo that was the Usos, he loved the chemistry they had in the ring, and wished his and Rey’s chemistry was more like that, more fluid and cohesive. Austin Theory was getting better in the ring, he’d always been good on the microphone, but to hear all that he had accomplished in one year while Dominik was coming up on his third, well that was a bit irritating. He did enjoy watching Rey’s highlight reel, the music banging, as the other legends talked about him. Dominik missed the entrance where he jumped up and out of the stage. He still thought Rey was the most massive legend in the world, but his connection with Rey was starting to be more hatred than love. The bits about Eddie were so important, Dominik felt, as seeing them on screen again filled him with goosebumps and happiness. Hearing his own voice, caught him off guard, he hadn’t realized he was going to be part of the reel - but he supposed their tag team run was one of those things that would go down in history. 

They had a promo cut earlier in the day to air right after that, well earlier in the night he supposed. Danika hadn’t been able to arrive with them, neither had Buddy. Instead they’d arrived together, and had met with the rest of the family, so cameras could catch Rey, Dominik, Angie and Aalyah arriving together - as one cohesive unit. Rey dressed up, as he rounded the front of the car to help Angie out, Dominik helped Aalya out, as the group of four climbed the long hallway. When they reached the party room, Danika was the first one to cup Rey’s face, and kiss his cheeks, “Papi, veinte años, leyenda, ¡te amo!” Rey hugged her, and immediately moved to greet his grandchildren - even Lainey, while Danika hugged Angie and Aalyah, the young girl heading past Danika for Buddy as soon as she could. Danika and Buddy had one job - stay out of the cameras. Dominik felt Danika wrap around his middle, he ducked to kiss her hair, and smiled when she whispered, “I remembered to get Papi’s gift from you, don’t worry.” She laughed as he kissed her nose, bending down with a smile, before he was hauled into the family celebration. 

He caught Danika and Chavo hugging, Chavo whispering in her ear, as he moved to hug Nico and Rosa. Dominik had almost expected Vickie to be there, but in her stead was Shaul and Sherilyn, both of whom quickly hugged Dominik, then moved to hug Aalyah, Buddy, and finally skirting most of those on the Mysterio end of things to post up with Danika and Chavo. Dominik found himself and Rey being hauled out to the ring - when had he become some sort of half-ass bodyguard for his father? - so Rey could give a speech in the middle of the ring. Danika caught his wrist on the way out, and mouthed a quick, ‘te amo’, before she let him go. Rey Mysterio's entrance music blared as the pair of than ran out - Dominik had resigned himself to being a hype man for his father, so he might as well ham it up while he was still on Rey’s metaphorical side, he loitered as he made his way down the ramp, making sure his dad was greeting everyone, before he did. They had their corner moves, Dominik watching his father a bit more critically than he ever had before. It was troublesome, but he realized he didn’t want to be there, in the ring celebrating his father. He wanted to be with his friends. 

As Rey took the microphone the crowd cheered around them, and Dominik, true to his character, urged them on with his hands. He still thought Madison Square Garden was an odd choice of venues to celebrate Rey Mysterio, but Dominik figured that had to do with scheduling. The crowd began chanting, “Thank you, Rey” around them, and honestly Dominik could get behind that chant, in a rather cynical sense, even though he needed to thank his father for the limelight that had brought him this far. “Twenty years, this is special, man.” Rey spoke, his voice familiar and welcoming, it curled around Dominik and he felt worse for all the negative things that had been rattling around in his brain, “Really special.” They paced the ring, always in movement - luchadores. “Now let me give you a little backstory, I was fourteen years old when I had my first match in Tijuana and I never imagined then in a million years that one day I would perform inside a WWE ring.” Dominik hummed, probably because there wasn’t a WWE then, but he held that in for later thought, “Travel the world, make money, and create legendary rivalries for all of each and every one of you to enjoy.” 

Dominik clapped his hands as he bounded on the balls of his feet, “Now, the truth, the truth is, guys my size back then weren’t part of the business, but I was able to break that stereotype.” Sometimes Dominik wondered if his height bothered Rey, he continued to listen to his father, pacing and bouncing happily, nad really he was going to have to talk to someone about how good of an actor he was becoming, because all he really wanted to do was scream, “I broke the so-called blueprint of what a superstar should look like. Now as a smaller guy, and as a damn proud latino,” Dominik clapped, with a smile on his face, “I became world champion at WrestleMania 22. I made a lot of friends along the way. Friends that I want to thank for helping me pave the road for me in my career. You might know some of these names.” Dominik felt his stomach sink, his dad was going to say Eddie’s name, and it always seemed like Rey fell back on Eddie, on everything that Eddie was. “Dean Malinko, K-Dogg. Batista. Kurt Angle.” Each name had the crowd going louder and louder with cheers, “How about Edge?” Dominik clapped at that one, because he knew that was the storyline, but he wasn’t sure if he liked Uncle Adam right now or not - he was one hundred percent confused about everything. “We can not forget the great Eddie Guerrero.” The crowd lost it, and Dominik felt tears on his lashes, he had to bow his head, and attempt to hide the fact, he wiped his eye the best he could as the fans started chanting for Eddie, like they could call him back from the heavens. “Eddie, I love you man, and I miss you every damn day.” Rey was choking up over his admission.

Dominik was barely holding his tears together, as he continued his nervous pace, head down, and biting his lip to prevent the sob that wanted to start. Eddie meant something different to everyone, but he had belonged to Dominik, in a way that maybe he hadn't belonged to anyone else, and Dominik had never been able to fully explain that to himself or anyone else. “I wouldn’t be here without you, I know you're always watching over me. Thank you, Eddie.” The crowd hit a loud cheer again, like they too could feel the ghost of Eddie as it seemed to wrap around them all. Dominik bit his cheek harder, “So the truth is, tonight I stand before you and feel truly humbled and appreciative for all the love and support you guys have given me for the past twenty years.” Dominik rolled his shoulders as Rey paced in a small circle, trying to get his emotions in check. The cheer of thank you, Rey, started up again, while Dominik couldn’t help but send a prayer to the heavens himself for Danika who had talked Damian and Finn out of interrupting this - a small good moment in a sea of otherwise negative ones coming. 

“You know this is special, to be able to live all of that, with my family, it just means much more.” The chant of you deserve it sounded from the crowd, a huge group of people who believed in Rey, who would always believe in Rey. “Angie, Aalyah, I know you're watching backstage, I just wanna say thank you for always being there. I love you both.” The big screen showed half the party people in the back, Danika and Buddy with the kids out of the picture, as usual. “Dom, I’m proud of you son.” And isn’t that just the worst, Dominik patted his heart, right now Rey in front of all these people was saying the one thing that Dominik had been yearning for, for years and it wasn’t for him, not really, it was for the fans to hear. “I’m proud of the man you have become.” No, he wasn’t, Rey didn’t like how Dominik and Danika lived together but wouldn’t honor Angie’s wishes and get married, he didn’t like that Dominik had become a father without being married, he didn’t like how Dominik had fought alongside Danika for custody of Lainey, “And I know that one day, when I’m no longer here…” He held his hand over the ring for a moment, Dominik was nervously bouncing on his feet again, “You’ll be representing the Mysterio legacy to the fullest.” Dominik nodded his head, he was going to represent his legacy to the fullest, he was going to leave a legacy for his kids, for them to rise as Mysterios to the ring if they wanted to, he mouthed thank you to Rey.

“I love you son.” Dominik felt those tears again, but something wasn’t right, not about the admission or how it was done, “WWE Universe-” Rey turned his back as he walked away, leaving Dominik in his proverbial shadow again, the boy recoiled from the thought as it danced through his mind, but was careful to keep his face schooled to one of adoration for Rey, “And everyone watching around the world, thank you for accepting me, for always rolling with the Mysterios, and for twenty of the dopest, most awesome years.” Rey knew how to work a crowd, that was a truth that Dominik hadn’t quite managed to overcome yet, the crowd began to cheer, as Dominik inched closer to his father, “And I believe I saved the best for last. Last but not least, I want to thank all of you here tonight. I could have been anywhere in the world, but I’m here tonight in the legendary and iconic Madison Square Garden celebrating twenty years. Thank you guys, I love all of you.” He paused while the crowd went wild, Rey started his thank yous in Spanish, so Dominik let his mind wander. “Viva mi raza!” He ended the speech, which got a lot of screams, and Dominik couldn’t help but smile.

Dominik inched over again, to squeeze his shoulder and smile - but Rey’s speech wasn’t apparently done, “I love all of you guys, thank you so much, it means the world to me, you have no idea.” Alright, he saw Finn, apparently Danika could only convince them not to be assholes for so long. The fact they’d made it through the speech was an amazing one, not lost on Dominik, whatever Danika had bribed Finn and Damian with, he’d have to get her to pay double, somehow. Finn was sarcastically clapping as he made his way to the ring, the other two couldn’t help but search for Damian and Rhea - was she back yet?. 

“Congratulations!” Finn called, as Damian appeared, stalking to the ring, the pair on either side of the ring, circling them. They did have a match coming up, so they were going to have to face them, but Dominik had hoped for a little more of a breather before they showed up. Finn had Dominik in the corner but by the time the cameras came back from commercial - in the interim they had targeted Dominik only. Rey was ready for the tag when Dominik made it to his side. Dominik made it back to the corner while Rey started dominating Finn, once Dominik was tagged in again, they had a rhythm one out of memory, since they hadn’t created any new moves as a tag-team since this whole issue with the Judgment Day started. Rey was looking for revenge, and Dominik couldn’t help but marvel over how well Priest and Balor worked as one in the ring, for not being a tag-team. Dominik already knew the outcome of the match - Rey was going to pin Finn, but how long that took was up to Rey, this whole match was to show the world his skills. Dominik didn’t mind hovering by the sidelines and watching, not when this was Rey’s night, but Dominik hadn’t agreed with Angie and Aalyah being forced to stay backstage or the continued ignoration of Buddy (maybe he was mad on behalf of Aalyah) and Danika.

Priest caught him when he tried to fly through the ropes, Damian tossed him into the barrier, and once again Dominik knew it wasn’t at full strength, it was enough to look like a bump, but it wasn’t one that was going to leave him injured for long. Damian’s high scream made Dominik cringe, the man roared like the lion he was. Once again Dominik was the target of both Finn and Damian, they were as usual keeping Dominik away from his father, unlike Rey however the pair tended to mutter the planned defense and offense as they moved, careful to make it look like trash talk. Rey and Damian had all eyes on them, Damian’s sheer strength against Rey’s agile speed - it wasn’t a fair match, not even remotely. Dominik wondered if Danika was more worried about him or the Judgment Day at his point, she had love for Rey but she didn’t support his choices when it came to Dominik. Coming back to the match, attention on the almost three-count, Dominik broke up the pin Finn had on Rey (reasoning that his father could fuss at him later for doing something shady), Priest slid the chair into the ring while the referee was distracted by Damian, Dominik helped distract the referee, just for her to turn around in time to see Rey on the floor acting as if the chair had connected with him.

Dominik had a moment to think Eddie Guerrero would be proud, before they were setting the boys up for a dual 619, Rey got the pinfall, and Dominik had to put his acting to the test, celebrating his father, and pointing at him with a huge smile on his face, as tried to lead his father back to the party room. “Papaíto!” Dominik grinned as he caught Lainey who had been running down the hallway, headed straight for him, Buddy about three steps behind her looking as if he knew he had fucked up. Dominik grinned as he kissed Lainey’s head, and spun her around, she immediately looked for Rey, “Abuelo, you were sooooooooo brave!” She sung down at him, Rey shot her a grin, before he thanked her and kissed her little hands. Rey might not agree with Dominik’s life, but he did give Lainey, Rosa, and Nico love. 

The promo celebration was chanting Rey as they made it back, and quickly had to be recut, for Buddy to take Lainey and hurry them out of shot. They shot it a second time, with Dominik following his father, squeezing his shoulders as they met the family shouting for Rey again, cheering him on. Champagne was popped by one of Dominik’s cousins, and it started to rain down on all of them. Aalyah had the only gift that was scheduled to be given on camera, so Dominik could just sort of ride out the champagne and cheering, as the whole family danced and celebrated - bouncing in time for Rey. Rey found the tequila bottle, passed it to Chavo, who immediately moved to uncork it for him - this was a celebration after all. Dominik had to start clapping, everything about the promo had been organized and agreed upon - as far as he knew, beforehand. His father still had a nasty habit of leaving him out of the important information, it had been Danika who told him it was Rhea who would be coming for him, and she only knew that because Damian had kindly told her. Aalyah appeared with her perfectly wrapped gift, and Dominik winced because he had no clue what Danika had gotten for his gift for Rey, he was sure Danika had done something related to the children and Dominik for Rey’s celebration gift, she always seemed on top of her game when it came to that stuff.

“Did you pay for it?” Dominik teased his little sister, who gave him a sharp mocking grin. She hadn’t wanted to be a superstar, but she liked showing up for storylines every now and again, it caused a bit of a rift between them if he were honest. And her continued relationship with Buddy (who he liked for the most part outside of the ring). It was a sight to see, Rey’s original ring gear, from years before. Whatever Danika had managed to make for Dominik to give him wouldn’t touch that, once again Aalyah had won who's the best sibling without even trying. He sort of wanted to bash his head against the nearest wall, once the shock wore off, he glanced at Danika who held up her glass of water with ice cubes in it, a salute, he realized, a warning - he was holding Rey’s original 1997 Halloween Havoc gear, and Danika was warning him that Rhea had arrived. And she had no right to look that beautiful and terrifying in one go.

“Oh, Rhea, please, this is a celebration.” Rey had tried, Dominik went to hold his father back, aware Rhea was there for him, and him alone. Allowing Rey out of the room would spell disaster, he was sure, especially since Danika looked so bothered. 

“This is a special night, there's no need for you to be here.” Dominik had tried, Rhea’s eyes met his and he knew he was going to either hate the next fifteen minutes of his life or love them in so many inappropriate ways. 

Of course Aalyah couldn’t leave well enough alone, Buddy had opted to sort of hide behind Danika, which was a dick move, as Aalyah stepped forward, “I think it’s time for you to leave.” Alright maybe his sister wasn’t over the temporary break she and Buddy had had back January to March, maybe she was still a little upset about Rhea and him hanging out, possibly hooking up, but Buddy had apologized and he had won her back. It took balls to stand up to Rhea Ripley, and honestly Aalyah didn’t have the skills to back it up. Dominik hoped the camera didn’t catch his smirk as Aalyah bodily placed herself between him and Rey, “Get out of here.” The younger woman ordered, Rhea looked down her nose at Aalyah, unbothered and amused. A slight twitch of her wrist was the only warning Dominik got, before Rhea used her whole hand to shove Aalyah out of her space by her face, and back into the rest of the Mysterio family. Dominik stepped forward to attempt to catch her, all he managed to do was shoo her into Buddy’s arms, the man had a vice grip on his younger girlfriend, and was probably relieved that Rhea didn’t break her, honestly, Rhea seized her chance, and grabbed him by the back of his hair, yanking him out through the door, with Rey chasing them.

He had a moment of fleeting worry when Rhea grabbed his hair and jerked him out of the room - and the worry had little to do with how much pain she could probably inflict and everything to do with the spike of arousal the hairpulling caused to bubble in his stomach. Yeah, Danika was going to tease him mercilessly about this. Damian took Rey out with an odd sort of tackle, sphere combination. As Rhea held Dominik away from the exchange, her hand in his hair merciless, she whispered a soft, “Don’t move.” Under her breath, he managed a slight nod of his head, following her lead like he did Damian’s normally, “When we move, you move.” She added, as Damian kicked at Rey, and Rhea, using her grip on his hair, flung Dominik away and down the hallway, “Stay for now.” She ordered, a little firmer, he nodded his head, looking at her in understanding, she graced him with an almost smile, before joining the abuse Finn and Damian were heaping on his father. Rhea picked up the Halloween Havoc gear, and tossed it into Danika’s waiting hands, a whirl of emotions passing between them, before Danika nodded her head, and stepped back, allowing some of the Mysterio family out - and how had Danika managed to hold them back to start with.

Dominik gave chase once he knew for sure where they were going, and as Rhea gave him a fleeting look through the doorway to the staging area where they set up all the things not used in the staging of the seats and ring as well as catering. Finn was screaming about his birthday (Dominik had actually gotten Finn a birthday present but had forgotten to shop for Rey’s 20th celebration, he was maybe an asshole, afterall). Rhea’s shrill, “Get him,” As Damian hoisted Rey up and slammed him shoulder first into a stack of catering tables was his cue, as far as Dominik was concerned, he’d stayed back like Rhea had asked, and now he needed it look like the caring and concerned son. Angie and Aalyah rushed to Rey’s side, first, followed by some of the cousins, some still drinking wine, while Dominik tried to climb over the wreckage to get his father out of the tables, while the group called out for him, “Dom.” 

They seemed to retreat, but not before Rhea had the last word, “Hey, Aalyah, you're boyfriends a bitch.” And then Damian was dragging her away, Finn nodded his head at someone - a glance at the crowd would reveal Danika standing with Rosa on her hip, holding Lainey’s hand, the little girl was holding Nico’s hand. Damian paused in his forward movement to pick up Nico’s little lion up, he looked at it for a moment, before his head turned, Domini watched as he handed it off to Danika, she gave him a measured look. Finn was calling for Damian, even as Danika turned slightly to watch him scurry away, the lion in her grasp. His platonic soulmate might not be interested in storylines, but she was a member of Dominik’s most trusted circle, and apparently she meant something to the Judgment Day. Reassessing his family, he watched as Danika and Buddy took charge, ushering everyone back to the celebration room, even Angie went eventually, Dominik settled beside his dad to wait for the medical staff to come check his shoulder - Rey had hit it hard. Alexa Bliss’s music had barely stopped when the Judgment Day started in on Rey again, Rhea came out of nowhere and kicked him in the shoulder, Dominik hadn’t been there to protect him - he’d been tangled up with both Finn and Damian, the pair teasing him, and calling him Dom Dom.

Danika

“What the hell did you do to Demi Bennett?” Danika hissed harshly at Buddy as they worked on cleaning up the room, and ushering the family back in. Buddy narrowed his eyes at her, “Don’t start with me, dumbass, she made it very clear you were a bitch.” There was a slight twitch to Buddy’s cheek, she liked Buddy, but he was an idiot when it came to Aalyah and his allegiance to the Mysterios. He didn’t make his life easier on himself either, constantly giving Rey and Angie reasons to hate him. 

“I thought I wanted a change, Aalyah is younger you know, it’s hard sometimes to connect so I thought I’d try out someone in the business, she was coming off a break up and I thought we agreed it was casual-” Buddy looked ready to continue a long tirade against Rhea Ripley, but Danika didn’t want to hear it, nor did she want Aalyah who was practically her little sister, to hear it. She elbowed him hard, making sure to hit him square in his flat gut, he let out a wheezing grunt. 

“Stop talking.” Danika growled, “We are going to discuss this later.” She added as Aalyah came back to his side, eyes narrow. “Is Papi ok?” Danika asked softly, taking Aalyah’s hand in hers, and squeezing for comfort. 

“Dom wanted to stay with him, the medical team was looking over him.” Aalyah offered, “What was that between you and Priest.” Aalyah asked, darkly, “As he was walking away, he stopped to pick Nico’s little lion up and handed it back to you like he knew who you were and who it belonged to.” 

“I’m sure it was just in his way.” Danika hadn’t realized anyone had caught Damian handing her Nico’s stuffed lion, which had been kicked into the hallway when Rhea took Dominik, it had been dropped by Nico when he was playing, and they hadn’t been able to find it - Damian had recognized it and handed it back to Danika off camera, before he continued his attack on Rey. 

Aalyah didn’t look like she believed her, mercifully Rey and Dominik returned, then Dom made his way to Danika’s side and dropped Rosa’s purple giraffe in her hands, before placing a chaste kiss on her lips. “Everything ok, cariño?” He asked as he looked over at her with the kids, Lainey was hiding behind her, Nico and Rosa were eating snacks on the table ahead of her.

“It’s fine, babe.” She promised him, “Papi ok?” 

“Looks like. I wanted to give him my gift, where is it?” Dominik asked, softly. Danika pointed to under the table, watched as Dominik pulled a rather large box out, “Thank you, mi alma gemela.”

“Bienvenido.” She offered back to him, deciding to ignore Aalyah’s gaze as she watched Dominik walk across the room to Rey who had shut the door to their party room, and taken a seat by the cake. 

“Jefe, I got this for you.” He presented him with the silver wrapped box, a large golden and red bow on the top of it. Danika watched as Dominik settled it down in front of him, she’d packed his Halloween Havoc gear back up in the gold and silver box it had come out of, and handed it off to Angie. A smile pulled on her lips as Rey opened the large box, she had made a scrapbook timeline of Rey and Eddie Guerrero’s rise to stardom together. She had also had a custom lucha outfit and mask made for him, which had elements of the Halloween Havoc suit in it, and she had found one of Eddie’s original Black Tiger luchador masks, with its authenticity verified. Dominik thought that was everything, but at the very bottom, under it all, was the speech Dominik had written when he thought he was going to announce his father for his 20th year celebration. 

Danika watched his face, watched Dominik realize the adoration she had woven for him, Rey hugged him tightly, “Papi, this one is from us.” Danika approached, on heels, her black dress was fitted to her, showing off her pregnancy well. Her red hair was up in a elegant braid around the crown of her head, the box was much smaller, but Rey opened it with eager excitement, “Lainey helped me design the mask, Papi, and the twins doodled you those pictures, and I give you, Papi, this.” She handed him an envelope that had an all expense paid vacation to the Bahamas in it for him and Angie, it was good for four years, so they could go whenever. 

“Thank you, dulce hija.” Rey took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. 

“You are most welcome, Papi, I can not tell you how lucky I am that you took me in.” She bowed her head and kissed his mask, sweetly, before she stepped back, so the others could hand out their gifts. The party tapered off after that with Buddy, Aalyah, Angie and Rey heading out before RAW was over to get dinner together, Danika had waved them off, “I’m exhausted.” She had explained, and Dominik had decided to stay with her, and once everyone had shuffled out of the room she’d given him a blinding smile, “We have dinner plans ourselves, let’s find the Judgment Day’s locker room.” She took Lainey’s hand while Dominik scooped up Nico and Rosa, he’d had time to change into street clothes, his gear bag on his shoulder as he trailed after his best friend.

Danika led them to the room Damian had texted her about, relieved when Finn opened the door and he looked normal, “Priest and Ripley are in the showers, hello princess.” He bent down to talk to Lainey, “I gotcha something, doll.” He pulled a shirt from behind his back, a new Rey Mysterio shirt, Lainey grinned warmly.

“We gotcha somethin’ too, Fergie.” Lainey beamed at him with the biggest smile, before digging through her pockets, and pulling out a small box, “Here go.” She handed it off to him, impatiently.

Finn knelt down to open the little box, a small squashed black bow atop a tiny silver velvet case. He opened the case carefully, inside was a set of keys, with a luchador mask as a charm dangling from it, he looked up to Danika who shrugged her shoulder, “Housekeys, for Tampa. We also got you a new leather jacket and Lainey made you a cupcake.” The little girl hurried over to dig a little cardboard box out of the diaper bag that Danika had for the twins, she rushed it back to him. 

Finn opened the box to find a mashed, misshapen chocolate cake of some sort, with purple icing and a shamrock cookie on top of it. He had to bite back tears, his whole face going red with a flush, he had to clear his throat a couple times before he could press forward and kiss Lainey’s forehead, “Thank you princess.” With that he turned his attention to Dominik,  “Not hurt are you, lad?” He asked Dominik, who shook his head, “How are you, lass?”

“Pregnant and tired, and due a conversation with Buddy Matthews.” She offered, as she pushed in and headed for the couch, she curled up on it, yanking one of Damian’s leather jackets off the back of it to curl around her as she yawned, “Dios, growing a baby is exhausting.”

“Do you two know what this one is?” Finn asked as he settled on the other end of the couch, Dominik took a seat on the coffee table, and immediately dug out some toys for the twins, handing his phone off to Lainey. 

“No, we like to be surprised.” Danika explained, “Dom, can you unlace my heels.” She was so tired of having to dress nicely all the time, “Do we have time to swing back by the bus for me to change?” She asked Finn, pleading. He nodded his head as Dominik unlaced her heels, and helped her slide them off her little pale feet.

Damian emerged in jeans with no shirt or shoes from one of the showers, “Hola Bella dama.” He patted her braids as he walked past her, looking for his shoes, “Little ones.” He ruffled Nico, Rosa, and Lainey’s hair as he moved around them, “Ah, here we go.” He grabbed his boots, “That wasn’t too much, right?” He settled down on the floor not far from the table Dominik had sat on. 

“Nah, it will look great for the lead up into Summer Slam, we got a match now, on Saturday in Nashville.” Dominik offered to Danika who rolled her eyes, “What?”

“This is a lot of build up, if Mr. Levesque doesn’t allow you to betray Rey.” Danika said point blank, which brought a giggling Rhea Ripley out of the back room, “Demi Bennett, pleasure to meet you.” 

“I have no idea who you are.” Rhea offered as she moved to join Finn on one of the chairs, “I didn’t hurt you did I, Dom?” She asked sweetly. 

“No.” Dominik offered, “I’m fine, and this is Danika Wesson.” He motioned to Danika, “She’s the mother of this little horde of children.” He pointed them out, “My children.” Danika watched as Rhea’s eyes got big, “We aren’t together or anything,” He added quickly, stumbling all over himself - Danika couldn’t wait to tease him on the crush he obviously had for the femme fatale, “Just best friends who sometimes have babies.” He mused.

Damian laughed, “They are complicated, but not in love. You need to put comfortable clothes on, Bella dama.” 

“Yes, I do. I’m too weak to walk, surely someone will love me enough to carry me.” She pouted, which earned a laugh from the group at large. Damian hauled his shirt on, he’d gotten his boots laced up at some point, and moved to sweep her into his arms, “I do love a strong man.” She grinned, and settled against his chest. 

Rhea looked at the smaller children, before she looked at Lainey, “Hey, wanna piggy back ride?” The little girl nodded, as Dominik scooped Nico up and Finn picked Rosa up, the group as one headed out of the room, and down the back corridor, headed for the exit to the bus.

Danika pressed her face against Damian’s warm chest, “Thank you, Luis.”

“You are welcome, and easily too delicate to be left to your own devices.” He teased her, which made her cackle a little bit, “Seriously, Mami, tiny little slip you are.” She rolled her eyes, but nuzzled into him more, “I bet you’d rather sleep than go out to dinner.” 

She wasn’t going to give that an answer as they reached the travel bus, and all climbed in, she watched Dominik give the driver an address for the restaurant, before Damian put her down, she gracefully climbed to the second floor of the bus to switch into comfortable clothes. Pulling on a red sweater, and bell bottom blue jeans, sliding her feet into converse. She left her hair alone, as she headed back down the stairs. The kids were already crowded together on the couch, with Finn playing against Lainey on the SWITCH. Rhea and Dominik were at the table talking amongst themselves, Damian was on the smaller living room couch, looking large and imposing, she instantly dropped into place next to him. 

He dropped an arm around the back of her shoulders, “You look adorable.”

“So you’ve said, now tell me more about that band you like…” She watched his face light up in excitement, Damian was her favorite human other than Dominik and her kids, hands down. Damian  had launched into an explanation of Twisted Sisters' importance in music history. Damian hadn’t stopped talking about 80s music by the time they reached Mccarthy's Pub. The bus dropped them off out front, Danika leading them down, Lainey in Damian’s arms, Finn holding Nico, and Dominik carrying Rosa, while Rhea brought up the back of the group. 

They were led to the second floor, to a private room. “You picked a place for me.” Finn looked over the moon about the meal venue.  P.J. Carney’s Pub was near Carnegie Hall. Upon entering a sign warned: If you are grouchy, irritable, or just plain mean, there will be a $10 charge for putting up with you. The bar itself was hardwood, and it looked old. There were so many Irish alcohols lining the back of the bar that Finn looked like he was in legitimate heaven, they were led to a private corner, with the hostess eyeing the kids and Danika, at least until Danika whispered to the hostess that they were the Wesson party and that she had ordered a Boozy Irish Whiskey Cake for Finn’s birthday. He looked shocked as the cake was brought out with candles pushed into the top of it in the shape of a crown. They sang him a roaring rendition of Happy Birthday, which had him in tears, even as he skimmed the menu. They let him compose himself, which proved to be worth it when Finn suggested, “Alright, no talking shop tonight.” He decided, “Let’s talk about everything else.”

Danika grinned as they told stories - Damian started, talking about his time in the Indies and going to Rock Concerts, he admitted to the group at large that he only scattered memories of Danika on the Ring of Honor tour in 2018, and how much he wanted to take Danika to a rock show. Finn talked about Ireland, and all the places he wanted to take Dominik and Danika when they were able to go, all the places he went as a kid that he figured the little ones would be interested in seeing themselves. Rhea talked about growing up in Australia, she talked about figuring out how to break into wrestling, she talked about how she made her parents proud, somehow she got on the subject of Buddy - explaining that he’d chased her, and they’d never slept together, but he’d tried and pressured her for it. Damian had chimed in with the fact that he’d been the one to tell the boy to hit the damn bricks, while Finn hissed in irritation. Danika and Dominik talked about their youth. 

“I was a gymnast and a dancer.” Danika offered, “All through high school, Dom did football and soccer, Aalyah was a cheerleader, but I wanted to do gymnastics, so…” She breathed out, “Rey and I danced together, we chose to use that as our bond.” She hummed, “I mean I did some competitions but nothing exciting…” Dominik on the other hand bragged about his grades and his ability to befriend pretty much everyone. 

Damian hummed, leaned over the table, “I sort of want to see you dance.”

“Oh, it’s worth it.” Dominik grinned, “She says it isn’t, but for being non-latino, she can shake it.” Danika swatted his arm, “What, gruñón?” He looked so insulted that she’d swatted him.

“You brag too much.” She countered, then looked across the table, “Tonight we are supposed to park back at the arena and wait for Rey to rejoin us, but do you think we could have a movie night or… something?” Somehow, they ended up eating ice cream, and watching Scooby Doo with the kids laying over them, spread out over the couches in the ‘living’ area of the tour bus. Rhea curled up against Dominik, with Nico laying over them, Rosa curled into Finn’s side, the pair snuggling under her Elsa blanket, while Lainey was laying across Damian, under her Harry Potter blanket, and Danika was leaned against his shoulder, with her own blanket tossed over her, Damian’s arm around her. 

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for wanting to validate my father’s research?

I (14f) recently set out on my own for the first time. I didn’t want to do so, but I was effectively forced. You see: my dad was mysteriously transformed into some kind of terrifying monster, and I was determined to find a cure. I decided I’d become a wizard every bit as powerful as he was— eventually working my way up to a spell that would fix him, and hopefully being able to help other people along the way as I honed my skills.

Initially, I was accompanied by just P and B (Both 20sf F). They had their own goals, but were okay with forming an adventuring party. And we got along pretty well. But eventually, our little team grew, and that’s where the problems arose.

E, N, RD and R (All 20s M) are the four who joined us. And initially, they seemed nice. Maybe a little slow (the first two came from some kind of hippie commune?), but generally agreeable. Our first bit of strife came when I made a realization about my dad.

…You see, I was studying from his spellbook, and as I deciphered more spells, I realized he was some kind of necromancer. This frightened me at first, but then I remembered before his transformation my father was a very, very kind man. I knew he would never use that magic for evil, and that he had to have some kind of good intent.

I decided to start studying necromancy myself— to confirm my hypothesis. But to actually perform any necromancy, I’d need a body, and so I asked R (generally one of the tougher members of the party) for some help.

He helped me dig up a grave and retrieve a body. I felt a little bad about doing it, but decided it was for a good cause. You see: I was hoping to find a way to make zombies remember who they were: reattain sentience. And so although my methods were dubious, ultimately I was trying to do something that was best for my new zombie and his family.

No-one was a fan of this decision, least of all E and N. Apparently, their hippie religion was very against this.

But I insisted it was okay. I knew what I was doing, and so we continued onward.

Occasionally, they’d make jeering remarks towards me, but I tried not to let it get to me. Despite our ideological differences, I tried my best to work well with them, and I did, for a few more adventures.

But then in the midst of another adventure, I was stolen from by kobolds. They took my zombie away from me, bringing him to their underground lair in hopes of luring me there.

Apparently, they wanted a favor from us. But the party weren’t necessarily ecstatic about it. Eventually, this boiled over into a fight. P (Not me. P.) fired the first shot.

This fight went poorly. There was a cave-in, and in that cave-in, N died. E, especially was heartbroken. I sympathized with his grief— at least… until he turned it around on me.

E accused me of having caused this. He said it was all my fault. Even though P initiated the combat, not me, he was convinced that the real reason N died was that their god was punishing the party for my ‘sins.’ Instead of looking towards who was logically responsible (P or, YOU KNOW, THE KOBOLDS), he pointed fingers at me: saying I was an evil, selfish, irrational person, and that we wouldn’t have been in the caves if not for my ‘stupid zombie.’

And even worse… half the party took his side! Both RD and P sided with him, saying this was my fault. This was especially insulting coming from P, who I feel was just trying to deflect the blame.

Soon after, the party split, but apparently they haven’t ceased holding a grudge against me. Most recently, they told local authorities about me and tried to have me apprehended (and potentially executed), not because they were worried about anyone being in danger, but solely out of SPITE.

AITA? I don’t think I am, but they were so INSISTENT, and so I’d like to get an unbiased opinion. What do you think?